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Low pesticide levels on Danish fruit and vegetables

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December 14th, 2014


This article is more than 10 years old.

Danish organic produce had no traces in test

According to a report from the Ministry for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, non-organic fruit and vegetables in Denmark contain fewer pesticides than foreign produce and the organic varieties are completely free of pesticides.

Dan Jørgensen, the food minister, saw the findings as a reason to buy Danish. “It’s great that the annual report has again highlighted that if you want to avoid chemicals and reduce your intake of pesticides, you should choose Danish fruit and vegetables – ideally organic, of course,” he said.

Minister: world-class organic farming
The food institute DTU Fødevareinstituttet compared Danish produce with imports from other EU countries and countries outside the EU to arrive at their findings. According to Jørgensen, the fact that no traces of pesticides were found on the Danish organic items is proof that organic farming in Denmark is world-class. “It’s something people notice outside the country,” he said.

“And it contributes to giving Danish food-production a good reputation and sales potential abroad.”

DTU Fødevareinstituttet stated that none of the pesticides found on products in the Danish market should be of concern to consumers.


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A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”