British supermarkets have failed to achieve any overall reduction in pesticide residues over the last five years, claims environmental group Friends of the Earth, one of the most vociferous opponents of the major multiples.
According to an FoE analysis of Government Pesticide Safety Directorate (PSD) data, supermarket claims that they are cutting pesticide use are untrue, with nearly half of fresh produce still containing residues. Friends of the Earth claims that 43 per cent of fresh produce on supermarket shelves last year contained residues, and in quantities similar to those found five years ago.
FoE points the finger at most of the leading supermarket groups in the UK, claiming that they have similar residue levels (for example, 41 per cent for Morrisons and to 50 per cent for Somerfield). Residues also vary according to the crop: in 2002, residues were found in 36 per cent of apples, 80 per cent of oranges and 69 per cent of nectarines.
Friends of the Earth stressed that there had been some improvements over the last five years, however. The Co-op and Marks & Spencer had been successful in banning specific pesticides: for example M&S has stopped suppliers worldwide using methamidophos and quintozene (neither is approved in the UK), and these pesticides have not been found in MS produce since, though both have also been found in produce from other major supermarkets, the organisation said.
Methamidophos is an organophosphate pesticide which is classified as being highly hazardous by the World Health Organisation, while quintozene is a possible carcinogen.
However, despite making progress with banning particular pesticides, the Co-op and M&S did not manage to reduce overall residue levels, FoE claimed. M&S's target for 2003 is for 60 per cent of its fruit to be residue-free but data cited by FoE suggest that the chain is likely to fall short: only 38 per cent of M&S fruit was free from pesticides in 2002.
Singled out for particular criticism was Asda, the Wal-Mart owned group which is the UK's second largest food retailer after Tesco. According to FoE, Asda claimed three years ago that its suppliers did not use carbendazim - a possible hormone disruptor - on any crops, but the analysis showed that this particular pesticide had since been discovered in apples, cucumbers, grapes and peaches.
A spokesperson for Asda told FoodandDrinkEurope.com that the FoE's claims were based on just a handful of exceptional cases.
"All relevant suppliers are required to adopt the appropriate code and/or protocol and their performance is verified by third party audit," the spokesperson said. "Regular testing is also undertaken by Asda, its suppliers and the Ministry of Agriculture to confirm that all products conform to the maximum pesticide levels allowed for their country of origin.
"To put these results into context, we and our suppliers test thousands of products every year and just a handful are found to contain pesticide residues that exceed the maximum residue limit. These are then investigated rigorously."
Sandra Bell, pesticides campaigner for Friends of the Earth, said that the supermarket chains should do more to persuade their suppliers to phase out pesticide use, investing if necessary in developing safer alternatives. She also suggested that retailers' demands for cosmetic perfection for fruit and vegetable products were obliging farmers to increase pesticide use, not reduce it.
"The government also has a key role to play in ensuring that safer alternatives are available, something that it has so far failed to do," Bell added. "More funding is needed to research new approaches to crop protection, minimising the need for chemical pesticides. Supermarkets should also contribute funding to research projects but their track record on this so far has been poor."