Do Organic Vegetables Contain Pesticides? Pesticide Residues Detected in Organic Fruits and Vegetables

Are organic vegetables necessarily better than ordinary vegetables? In what ways are they better, what do you think? Organic fruits and vegetables fined for lacking certification? What is this all about, let's take a look.
Organic fruits and vegetables fined for lacking certification! The Taipei City Regulations Committee yesterday released the results of its organic fruit and vegetable inspection, and from the beginning of this year to the end of March, five businesses violated the rules and were fined between 30,000 and 60,000 yuan respectively. Among them, some organic fruits and vegetables that claimed not to use chemical agents were actually found to have pesticide residues, while the violations of other businesses' organic products were mostly due to "failure to obtain valid certification" or "failure to obtain an organic labeling consent document." The city government has ordered all non-compliant organic products to be removed from shelves.

Huang Qirui, Director of the Department of Economic Development, said that organic agricultural products are on average 20 to 30 percent more expensive than ordinary agricultural products, and the certification process is also stricter. The city government samples an average of 1,600 items each year from major hypermarkets and specialty organic stores. From last year to March of this year, 39 non-compliant items have been found. In addition to requiring businesses to remove and recall the products or make improvements, a total of 1.89 million yuan in fines has been imposed.

Officials from the Department of Economic Development emphasized that the five fined businesses included Zhihui Organic Body Co., Ltd.'s "Organic Red Balsamic Vinegar," Dahuanjing Healthy Life Enterprise Co., Ltd.'s "Dahuanjing Selected Lishan Organic Tea," Jipin Health Co., Ltd.'s "Diced Chicken Legs," Baofeng International Co., Ltd.'s "Organic Extra-Strong Handmade Candy—Honey Lemon," and Yongjie Co., Ltd.'s "Organic Persian Dried Figs." Among them, Yongjie's dried figs were found to have pesticide residues and were fined 30,000 yuan, while the rest were each fined 60,000 yuan for reasons such as failure to obtain valid certification or obtain an organic labeling consent document, totaling 270,000 yuan.

Imported Products Containing Pesticides Recalled by Businesses

Yongjie explained that the imported product had been certified by a German institution and was still found to contain pesticides, so it too was a victim. Currently all products have been recalled and sealed, and it will seek compensation from the foreign manufacturer.

Zhihui Organic explained that before obtaining approval, the uncertified product was accidentally shipped to stores, and afterward it could not be fully recalled. Currently, the same product on the market is compliant. Baofeng International said that free trial samples given to downstream businesses were not fully recovered, which led to the fine, and that honey cannot be certified as an organic product, so it no longer sells it under the organic name.

In addition, Jipin Health responded that it has never sold "organic" diced chicken legs, but it was fined because the brand story description on the packaging mentioned "organic ingredients," and the packaging has already been revised. Dahuanjing only responded that it has filed an administrative appeal with the city government.

Pay Attention to Certification Marks and Manufacturer Information

Ye Qingyuan, Chairperson of the Regulations Committee, reminded consumers that organic fruits and vegetables must have a certification mark. When purchasing, consumers should also pay attention to whether the product packaging contains the document number of consent for organic labeling, or displays the certification mark of a certification body, and the packaging must clearly list information such as the operator's name, address, and telephone number.