Brazil: 89% of vegetables traded “safe for consumption”

A survey conducted by Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply shows that 89 percent of the vegetables traded in Brazil are safe for consumption. According to an assessment by the National Residue and Contaminant Control Plan on Products of Vegetable Origin, they are “within compliance levels.”

“Altogether, 2,601 samples were collected and submitted for analysis at the National Network of Federal Laboratories for Agricultural Defense. Samples are […] collected by federal agricultural auditors in rural properties, treatment establishments, and supply centers,” the ministry stated.

Also according to the study conducted between 2019 and 2020 and released Friday (Nov. 19), 49 percent of the products surveyed did not show any residue or contaminant. Another 40 percent showed values below the maximum allowed of waste established in Brazil, and 11 percent were found not to comply.

Of the 11 percent that displayed non-compliance, ten percentage points are linked to pesticide residues and one percentage point showed contaminants, like Salmonella and mycotoxins. “Among the products that showed non-compliance over the use of pesticides not allowed in farming we have the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) and the black-eyed pea (Vigna unguiculata),” the ministry reported.

The companies responsible for the packaging of such products were indicted, as “in case of non-compliance, agents in the production chain may now be held able,” said director at the Department for the Inspection of Products of Vegetable Origin Glauco Bertoldo. Until 2019, any irregularities detected under the plan were only notified to offenders.

The ministry reported it has sought ways to monitor residues and products manufactured by companies in the sector. In the case of beans—a major ingredient in Brazilians’ daily diet—among the measures being adopted by packagers is the quick test for pesticide waste upon product delivery.