Following the discovery that they contain greater volumes of pesticide residue than is permissible under European Union law, supermarket Coop has had to recall nationwide a batch of imported Polish onions.
The Food and Veterinary Office has announced that some onions of Polish origin, sold in bulk, were found to exceed the residue limits of two plant protection product. Kaisa Orgusaar, chief specialist at the PTA's food department: "The content of the plant protection agent [fungicide and nematicide] Flupyram can have a deleterious effect on human well-being."
"In total, more than 16 tons of onions have arrived in Estonia [from Poland] via a Lithuanian distributor, and these were distributed among all Coop grocery stores. At the moment, it is not yet clear whether the onions could have reached other Estonian outlets as well, but we are doing everything possible, to establish that," Orugusaar went on.
The pesticide residue found in the imported onions exceeded the maximum limit as set by the EU, meaning Coop had to start a recall process and provide the required documentation.
