Pesticide Residues in Pre-shipment Agricultural Products Grown in Gunma Prefecture

Abstract

An inspection of pesticide residues in 615 samples of pre-shipment agricultural products (total number of samples tested for individual pesticides, hereinafter referred to as“total number of samples”: 50,782) grown in Gunma Prefecture was performed from FY 2003－2006. Traces of residues were detected in 154 (25.0%) of the pre-shipment products and in 233 (0.46%) of the total number of samples. None of these products contained pesticide residues exceeding the specified limits set by the Food Sanitation Law, securing the safety of all those products at the pre-shipment stage. However, 10 pesticides that were not registered with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (non-MAFF-registered pesticides) were detected in 8 types of products and in 16 samples. Records of pesticide purchase and use maintained by relevant farming families showed no history of use of these pesticides in 14 cases (drift: 7 cases; soil contamination: 5 cases; and inadequate machinery/tool washing: 2 cases). In the remaining 2 cases involving minitomatoes, incorrect use of pesticides was evident, as they were confused for tomatoes. A comparison of different categories of agricultural products showed that the pesticide detection rate was highest in fruits, followed by fruit-type, leaf-and-stem, and root vegetables (p < 0.05).