Muesli – not as healthy as it seems, unless it’s organic

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The latest results from the New Zealand Food Safety Authority’s (NZFSA) Total Diet Survey raise concerns about the number of pesticides being found in muesli.
The 4th quarter sampling for the 2009 Total Diet Survey focussed on the most commonly purchased brands of processed foods, obtained in Christchurch. (1)
Residues of ten pesticides were found in four samples of muesli (2). Of these, six are on the Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International List of Highly Hazardous Pesticides for a progressive global phase-out, because of the hazard they pose to human health – mainly cancer and/or endocrine disruption.
Bran cereal was not far behind the muesli, with a total of eight pesticides.
“Both cancer and endocrine disruption can result from low levels of exposure to pesticides, so when your morning muesli contains a mixture of six pesticides each of which has these effects, then the effect is magnified, and your breakfast may be posing an unhealthy risk to you” said Dr Meriel Watts of Pesticide Action Network Aotearoa New Zealand (PANANZ).
“Yet once again, the Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is downplaying the findings. Still slavishly adhering to an outdated process of simply checking that each residue is below the legal level, they refuse to look at the reality of the situation that consumers face: daily exposure to low dose mixtures of chemicals, each of which by itself is known to cause cancer and/or endocrine or hormonal disruption, but which when added together may dramatically increase the risk,” said Dr Watts.
“The Authority needs to take on board a recent massive EU report which concluded regulatory authorities needed to consider mixtures. (3)
Overall, 25 pesticides were found in 33 food types; 19 of these pesticides are on PAN International’s List of highly Hazardous pesticides.
“Of particular concern are piperonyl butoxide (a synergist used to increase the effect of pyrethroid & carbamate insecticides), found in 15 foods, and the dithiocarbamate fungicides, found in 13 out of 20 foods,” commented Alison White of the Safe Food Campaign.
“Both may cause cancer and endocrine disruption. No safe level for carcinogens and endocrine disruptors has been established. Mancozeb, a common dithiocarbamate fungicide, has a breakdown product which may cause birth defects and genetic damage as well. We don’t need pesticides like this in our food and they pose an unacceptable risk to the baby in the womb.”
“Certified organic muesli doesn’t have pesticide residues such as NZFSA have found. Organic muesli contains ingredients that have been certified as being produced without the use of dangerous pesticides,” said Soil & Health Association spokesperson Steffan Browning.
“NZFSA needs to come clean about the difference between organic and other processed foods. While it is comforting to see reduced residues than in the past in raisins/sultanas samples, there were still too many and the brand that did not show any residues was probably organic. However NZFSA do not disclose that distinction or that of the brand of the worst offenders such as the bran flake cereal brand containing 8 different pesticide residues.”
“Consumers deserve to know who the bad offenders are and which products are the best. For example one wine brand of four, including both white and red wines stood out as having no pesticide residues. That producer, as with the raisin/sultana sample, deserves consumer recognition. From earlier surveys, we know that consumers are best to buy organic.”
References and analysis tables further below.
NOTES
(1) Results can be found on the NZFSA website at http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/science/research-projects/total-diet-survey/q4-2009-nztds-analytical-report-final-april-10.pdf
(2) Chlorpyrifos, cyprodinil, dichlorvos, fenitrothion, isoprocarb, phenthoate, piperonyl butoxide, pirimiphos-methyl, procymidone, pyrimethanil.
(3) * Kortenkamp & Backhaus. 2009. State of the Art Report on Mixture Toxicity. Final Report .Executive Summary. 22 December 2009.
https://www.pan-europe.info/old/Campaigns/pesticides/documents/cum_syn_effects/Kortenkamp%20state%20of%20the%20art%20mixture%20toxicity.pdf

Scientific research has repeatedly demonstrated that the effects of mixtures are considerably more pronounced than the effect of each of its individual components and that environmental pollution is from chemical mixtures and not from individual substances. This clearly underlines the need for dedicated regulatory considerations of the problem of chemical mixtures.