The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Thursday September 22 2005
The headline above may have been misleading. The article below pointed out that residues were more commonly found in fruit and vegetables distributed to children than in similar produce sold in shops. It made it clear that all but two of the residues found in the school samples were below the government's official maximum residue level.
Free fruit and vegetables distributed by the government to children contain over 25% more pesticide residues than fruit and vegetables on sale in shops, according to an analysis by the Soil Association of the results of official tests.
The tests, conducted by the government's pesticide residues committee, also show there are nearly 30% more instances of multiple pesticide residues in school fruit and vegetables than in retail samples.
The PRC has claimed that school fruit and vegetables appear "similar" to fresh produce in the shops in terms of their pesticide residues, but the Soil Association, which represents organic producers, says its analysis of PRC reports shows this is not the case.
Peter Melchett, the Soil Association's policy director, said: "We strongly support the school fruit scheme but it is wrong to source lower quality fruit and vegetables apparently containing a higher proportion of pesticides and pesticide cocktails for the most vulnerable in society."
The PRC tested 167 samples of fruit and vegetables supplied to schools in 2004 under the Department of Health's five-a-day programme, which entitles all schoolchildren between four and six years old to a free piece of fruit a day. Residues were found in 84% of all samples. This compares with 57% of shop-bought fruit and vegetables containing residues in tests in 2004. All the school strawberries, mandarins, satsumas and clementines contained residues, while 97% of the bananas had detectable levels of pesticides.
While only 11% of school carrots contained residues, this compares with 1% of retail carrots sampled. Two thirds of school fruit and vegetables contained residues of more than one pesticide.
All but two of the residues found in school fruit and vegetables were below the government's official maximum residue level, and the PRC says they present no risk to human health. The food standards agency agrees that residues below the maximum residue level are safe but has acknowledged that there is uncertainty about the "cocktail effect" of consuming mixtures of residues.
Other scientists and regulatory bodies in the US, Canada and Holland have argued for a more precautionary approach to pesticide residues. The European commission's environment and health strategy notes that children have particular sensitivity to environmental pollutants.
New academic work suggests there may be "windows of vulnerability" to pesticide exposure during foetal, neonatal, school age and puberty, when development is triggered by hormonal changes. Some pesticides are known to disrupt these endocrine systems, and residues found in school fruit include endocrine-disrupters.
Pesticides in school children's fruit, Soil Association, www.soilassociation.org
