HIDDEN INGREDIENTS IN YOUR GROCERIES

Thursday 16 September 1999 23:02 BST
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Winter lettuce

Half of those tested contained chemical residue that either exceeded the legal limit or contained a non-approved pesticide including the fungicide iprodione. Round lettuce contained excessive levels of the organophosphate malathion and up to 11 other chemicals.

Milk

Free for the first time in many years from lindane, a chemical that can cause cancer and fertility problems.

Chocolate

Lindane detected.

Infant food

Meat-based baby food was found to be free from pesticides but 16 per cent of fruit and vegetable-based foods had low-level residues.

Pears

Imported pears were contaminated above the maximum allowable level with chlormequat, a growth regulator that is used in Holland and Belgium. The chemical was also found in some British pears.

Yams

Skin contained pesticides above the legal limit.

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