Pesticides can penetrate the peel of bananas and reach the fruit. Here are the results of a test that sampled 16
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousOne of the latest tests by the Swiss consumer magazine K-Tipp looked at different banana brands for the presence of pesticides in them. Let's find out the results.
We could mistakenly think that, given the presence of a thick peel, bananas are free from the risk that the pesticides used in crops can penetrate inside the fruit. Unfortunately this is not the case, as a new test conducted in Switzerland has shown.
As K-Tipp points out, the banana peel is about 3 millimeters thick and is not sufficient to protect the pulp from pesticides. The traces of the use of chemicals that are used in the cultivation of bananas (but also post-harvest) remain inside the fruit.
The use of a series of pesticides, among other things, which as is known are often sprayed from above by airplanes, seriously puts the health of those who work in banana crops is also at risk.
Workers become sterile due to this pesticide used in banana crops
Returning to the test, K-Tipp magazine labs looked into 16 different bananas (some from organic farming) just looking for traces of pesticides which, unfortunately, have been found in 7 fruits.
The test sampled the following brands:
- Chiquita
- Swiss Coop Primagusto
- Coop price guarantee
- Organic bananas from Coop
- Fyffes Colombia di Volg
- Rainforest Alliance Aldi
- Max Havelaar di Coop
- M-Check WWF Bananas di Migros
- Toucan Colombia Rainforest Alliance at Lidl
- Banana bio di Globus
- Migros Demeter
- Bananas bio Fairtrade in Migros
- Aldi organic bananas
- Banana bio di Lidl
- Rainforest Alliance di Denner
- M-Budget di Migros
The results
As we have already announced, 7 bananas were found to be contaminated with pesticides even though all residues were below the maximum permitted values.
The worst of the test are brand bananas Coop elvetica Primagusto arriving from the Canaries. These were contaminated with 0,2 milligrams of thiabendazole (an antifungal) per kilo.
Traces of pesticides have also been found in some fruits from South America. Specifically, these are the “Tucán Colombia Rainforest Alliance” bananas sold by Lidl, the “M-Check WWF Bananas” from Migros and the “Rainforest Alliance” from Aldi. All 3 were contaminated with the fungicide azoxystrobin, on which there is a suspicion of toxicity for humans as well as for the environment.
It should be emphasized that labels such as that of Rainforest Alliance, which guarantees the economic sustainability of the product, however, does not prohibit post-harvest treatments of bananas (which in organic instead are prohibited).
Neither "Max Havelaar" by Coop and "Fyffes Colombia" by Volg were found to be clean, inside which the presence of miclobutanil, pesticide accused of being dangerous for embryos (in some animal experiments). Both also contained azoxystrobin.
The latest product, also from Coop (Priz Garantie), was found to be containing fenpropimorph, a fungicide.
© K-tip
Bananas of the well-known brand Chiquitainstead, according to this test they do not contain traces of any pesticides.
The good news is that organic bananas of all brands were found to be completely free of pesticides. Let's keep this in mind when we buy this fruit next time!
Fonte: Ktipp
Read also:
- Banana production puts the lives of crocodiles in Costa Rica at risk
- Bananas: green, yellow or brown? At what degree of ripeness is it better to consume them?
- Too many pesticides in fruit and vegetables: the shock report from France
