Do you know what you are eating

When you buy your fruit and vegetables at your local green grocery or supermarket, do you really know what you are eating?

The cliché 'you are what you eat' may take on new meaning in light of new information about quality controls on our fresh produce:

Unhygienic farming practices used in countries like China, where human faeces from toilet blocks are used as fertiliser.

Chemicals and dangerous pesticides banned in Australia are being used and applied liberally including DDT and other organochlorines.

Australian produce is government-tested for 61 chemicals, but imported produce is tested by the Australian Quarantine Inspection Services for a mere 25 chemicals.

Imported produce is not tested in accordance to Australian growers standards, and only 5% of imported produce is actually tested.


Australia has the best fruit & vegetable produce in the world, that is governed by strict guidelines for chemicals, pesticides and quality control. As the demand for fresh produce increases and our tastes become accustomed to seasonal produce, Australia's demand has changed. To meet the demand, we see a growth in globalisation of agriculture and importing of fruit & vegetables, but what effect does this really have?
1. Australian farmers cannot compete with international agriculture pricing, as importers have low labour costs and production.

Global economy and free trade agreements are killing the local market.

Over 900 growers, all family businesses, have gone bust in the last twelve months due to falling exports and rising imports.

2. A drop in quality and safety food standards.

The main problem is the discrepancy between the strict practices and tests imposed on local producers and the often non-existent testing on farming practices on imported produce.


Recently Food Standards Australia and New Zealand called for the removal of compulsory imported notices on unpackaged food because the labels discriminate against fair competition under World Trade Organisation rules.

So where is your fruit & vegetables imported from? India, China, Phillipines, South America. Labour and cost productions are cheap.

With approximately 40% or more of your fresh fruit & vegetables produce in major supermarkets being imported and an alarming 95% of fresh and packaged garlic coming from China, what is safe? Dried fruit, herbs, frozen foods are also effected so what can we do?
1. It's time the government pulled it's finger out and applied the same quality control standards to imported produce that is imposed on local producers.
2. Fresh Fruit & Vegetable growers should (by law) display country of origin on all produce, to give the consumer the choice.
3. Support local producers, keep Australian's employed to boost the economy.


Notes:

DDT: Colourless, odourless insecticide that has toxic effects on most animals; the use of DDT was banned in the US in 1972

Organochlorines: A class of insecticide of which DDT is the most well-known member. OCs are frequently persistent in the environment, and often accumulate in fat. Most OCs are known or suspected endocrine disruptors. Examples of currently used OCs include dicofol, endosulfan, methoxychlor, and lindane.