Some batches of oats being sold in the UK as organic have been found to contain one or both of the pesticides Chlormequat and Glyphosate, following routine analysis of products undertaken by the Pesticides Safety Directorate and confirmed by the Soil Association.
Random samples of organic oat products taken between January and May 2008 were discovered to contain these pesticides at concentrations below the Maximum Residue Level permitted by the European Union. Both pesticides are commonly used in non-organic production of oats, but organic oats should not contain detectable levels of these pesticides. Chlormequat is typically found in around half of the non-organic bread sold in the UK. Selling non-organic food containing pesticides at this level is legal under current food safety legislation. However this contamination of organic products at this level means they can no longer legally be described as organic.
The full extent of the contamination, the source of contamination, and the number of products affected beyond those identified by the Pesticides Safety Directorate earlier in the year is not yet known. The Soil Association is conducting urgent investigations and working closely with the companies it certifies to determine which organic oat products are affected.
