‘Alarming Findings’: Most bagged salads contaminated with pesticide residue

They should be consumed in moderation, the magazine warns. According to a survey conducted by 60 Million Consumers magazine, the findings of which were published this Thursday, the majority of bagged salads are contaminated with pesticide residues.

To reach this conclusion, the researchers analyzed 26 bagged salad items, including 13 classic salads and 13 salads from distributor brands, national brands, and a variety of agriculture (conventional, organic). “Our results were disappointing and even alarming for some bagged salads,” we read in the survey.

“The Cocktail Effect”

Of the 26 references analyzed, five are “contamination-free.” For the remaining 21 products, an average of 3.8 pesticide residues per lettuce were detected. The multiplicity of molecules found is alarming to investigators, as the tests found 28 different molecules, including eight suspected of having at least one “carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction” effect, according to the European Health Agency (ECHA) classification. ).

The levels of pesticides found in these salads, which nearly seven in ten households consume, remain “within regulatory limits” so theoretically there is no health risk, “but scientists know almost nothing about the effects of the cocktail between all these molecules,” laments “60 millions of consumers.”

Encouraging results for chlorine solution

Pierre Meslier, president of the Union of Producers of Fresh, Ready-to-Eat Vegetable Products (SVFPE), justifies the situation as the difficulty of controlling diseases affecting salad production and highlights the “hard work” done by producers to try to limit the use of pesticides.

“Lettuce, even if it contains pesticide residue, does not pose a risk. What’s even more annoying is consuming it every day for months,” explains Franceinfo Patricia Chairopoulos, journalist for 60 Million Consumers magazine.

The level of residual chlorine solution used in the factory to wash the product before packaging was also measured, and the result was more positive: not a trace of chlorine approached the limit set by the authorities, and the organic Bonduelle lettuce did not even contain it. In general, essays are welcome.