Choose right for health as 64% veggies, fruits in Kerala are pesticide-free

You can consume pesticide and chemical free vegetables and fruits in Kerala, if you are really choosy. The latest quality analysis report of Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) shows that 64.06 per cent of the vegetables and fruits tested in Kerala are safe for consumption with no presence of any pesticide or harmful chemical residue.

As per the report, 556 food samples out of 868 tested during the period between April 2022 and September 2022 were found to be free from pesticides and harmful chemicals. The report says that no pesticides were found in fruits sold by eco-shops functioning under Krishi Bhavans in the state.

The report points out that though there are several outlets in Kerala that sell vegetables and fruits labelled as organic, all vegetables at these shops are not pesticide-free. “Whether from the public market or directly from farmers, you can’t blindly consume all the vegetables because many of them contain pesticides and chemicals,” said a senior agricultural officer.

The report says that the vegetables and fruits sold directly by farmers in the market were safer to eat compared to the vegetables and fruits sold by retail shops in the market. The highest percentage of pesticide content was found to be in spices sold in the market. Of the samples of 41 spices tested, 27 spices were found containing pesticide residue.

Vegetables, fruits, spices and other food items from public market in which pesticides were not found:

Vegetables