NEWS July 6th 2001

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 Co-op moves to restrict pesticide use

In a move that sets it apart from the usual run of supermarkets, the Co-op announced this week that it is banning the use of over 20 common pesticides on its fresh produce and restricting about 30 more. It took the decision based on surveys showing over 70% of their customers are concerned about pesticides in food.

The ban, which has already been announced to Co-op suppliers, currently applies only to fresh produce, but the Co-op claim they are looking into extending it to suppliers of ingredients for their own-brand products. Importantly, the ban extends to suppliers abroad, who may otherwise be using pesticides already banned in the UK. The Co-op are also supporting the Organic Food and Farming Targets Bill, which proposes that 30% of the UK agricultural land should be used for organic production by 2010.

Wendy Wrigley from the Co-op said: ‘It is clear that there are serious gaps in our knowledge about the long-term effects of pesticides on human health and we believe there are flaws in the approval and policing process which urgently need to be addressed. For that reason, government policy should in future be based around the precautionary principle which puts public health as the over-riding priority.’ Speaking on Radio 4’s Today programme, the Crop Protection Association's Richard Trow-Smith attacked the ban, saying UK food was perhaps the safest in the world [a worrying thought, under the circumstances, and no reason not to improve standards – Ed]

In another move, the Co-op will risk prosecution by selling peaches below the minimum size permitted by the EU. It claims EU red tape prevents more organic food being made available, as growers cannot reach minimum standards without pesticides and chemical fertilisers. Posters will tell customers: ‘I'm small and perfectly formed, but legally you can't buy me.’

On a worrying note, the Co-op’s press release on pesticides included no word on how it plans to monitor the ban.