Gyeonggi Province Health and Environment Research Institute Reports 0.9% Nonconformity Rate for Pesticide Residues in Local Food Direct Stores

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] The Gyeonggi Province Health and Environment Research Institute announced that pesticide residue testing on 442 agricultural products of 76 varieties collected from 32 local food stores in the province from January to October showed a nonconformity rate of 0.9%.

This marks two consecutive years of maintaining a rate below 1% following last year's results.

Local food refers to a distribution method where production and consumption circulate within the same region.

As the main products of local food stores are agricultural commodities that enable fresh and affordable supply through direct transactions with producers, such stores are increasingly expanding nationwide.

Gyeonggi Province has been operating 58 direct stores since launching its first local food direct store in Gimpo in 2012.

The institute has conducted intensive pesticide residue testing on products from these stores since 2017, when local food stores began expanding significantly.

The annual number of tests and nonconformity rates are as follows: 346 cases (2.0%) in 2017, 432 cases (2.3%) in 2018, 431 cases (0.7%) in 2019, and 442 cases (0.9%) as of October 2020. The nonconformity rate has shown a declining trend since 2018.

For the same period this year, the nonconformity rate for all distribution outlets including department stores, supermarkets, and traditional markets was 1.1%, with local food stores recording a lower rate.

Four agricultural products were deemed nonconforming this year: carrots, angelica leaves, fatsia shoots, and chrysanthemum leaves. The institute has requested administrative action and follow-up measures from the city and county offices of the production areas, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and the Agricultural Products Quality Management Service.

Oh Jo-gyo, director of the Gyeonggi Province Health and Environment Research Institute, said, "Since local food store agricultural products may lack proper management due to small-scale cultivation and short distribution stages, we will continue to strengthen safety through regular testing."