China adopts stricter pesticide residue standard

BEIJING -- A stricter standard on pesticide residue for farm produce in China will take effect on Friday.

The new standard includes 3,650 indices detailing the maximum allowable residue for 387 pesticides on 284 types of food, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and the National Health and Family Planning Commission, which jointly issued the standard.

Compared with the current standard that took effect in 2012, the new standard contains 1,357 new indices covering 65 new pesticides and 43 new types of food.

The standard covers vegetables, fruits, grain, edible oil, sugar, soft drinks, nuts, eggs and meat. It includes juice and preserved fruits for the first time.

Of the indices, about 67 percent relate to vegetables, fruits and tea, which are more prone to pesticide contamination.

A total of 1,999 indices in the new standard have international references set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, founded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and 1,811 match or exceed the strictness of the international standards.

Pesticide residue has been a prominent food safety issue in China, with pesticide misuse scandals repeatedly hitting headlines.

In 2012, apple growers in east China's Shandong Province were accused of wrapping fruits with pesticide-coated paper to ensure a good appearance. Last year, Shandong farmers were also found to be using toxic pesticide when growing ginger.

The stricter standard is expected to give regulators more leverage to fight malpractice.