Vegetables are very rich in nutrients, providing the body with vitamins and fiber. However, in order to increase production, many farmers use pesticides during the growth of vegetables and spray chemicals to keep them fresh during transportation.
One concern for housewives is that vegetables may contain pesticide residues. Consuming vegetables with high levels of pesticides can lead to food poisoning and even be life-threatening.
Here are the vegetables that often contain the most pesticide residues that housewives need to be aware of.
Vegetables with high pesticide residues
Aboluowang website has identified the vegetables that often have high pesticide residues when growers do not follow safety regulations. It is worth noting that these vegetables are commonly used by families in their meals.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a vulnerable plant, easily attacked by insects and pests, so growers often use many chemicals to protect them. Therefore, tomatoes are at the top of the list of vegetables that are prone to have pesticide residues.
Tomatoes can absorb a high amount of pesticide residues. (Image: Foodrepublic)
Water spinach
This familiar vegetable in Vietnam is usually seasonal. However, with current cultivation technology, water spinach is almost available all year round and is the most frequently used vegetable in family meals.
As water spinach grows in muddy soil, once the growers spray pesticides, the pesticides will be absorbed for a long time in the water and enter the vegetable, accumulating residues from the roots to the leaves. Therefore, no matter how thoroughly you wash it, you cannot remove the pesticides.
Water spinach is one of the vegetables that contain a high amount of pesticide residues. (Image: Lê Thị Kiều Trinh)
Cucumbers
To protect cucumbers from harmful insects, growers often use chemicals with unpleasant odors. Especially, many growers also use stimulants to shorten the growth cycle of cucumbers, making them bigger and more beautiful.
Cabbage
Regardless of white or green cabbage, their special structure easily retains pesticide residues, insect eggs, and insects in the crevices. The closer to harvest, the more growers tend to use pesticides to protect the cabbage.
According to some studies, rinsing with clean water several times or even with diluted saltwater with high antibacterial properties still cannot remove all pesticide residues in cabbage.
Cabbage easily retains pesticide residues. (Image: Taste)
Chinese cabbage
Chinese cabbage is often sprayed with two pesticides during its growth, one on the roots and one on the leaves. It is also often fertilized with nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer to stimulate growth. Therefore, even if the Chinese cabbage is rolled up, when washing the vegetable, you also need to separate each leaf and soak it clean before cooking.
Chinese cabbage is a vegetable with high pesticide residues. (Image: Clevelandclinic)
Identifying vegetables with pesticides
According to VTC News, Dr. Vu Thanh Hai, Head of the Department of Fruits and Vegetables at the Vietnam National Agricultural Academy, shares some ways to identify vegetables with pesticides and how to choose good vegetables.
“In terms of perception, it is very difficult to identify vegetables contaminated with pesticides, only using a test kit can check if there is a change in color in the extracted fluid, which indicates the presence of pesticide ingredients,” Dr. Vu Thanh Hai said.
Many people believe that the shinier and greener the vegetables are, the more stimulants they contain, and that vegetables with many pests are cleaner. According to Dr. Hai, this is only true in some cases. There are cases where organic fertilizers are used with appropriate isolation time or organic production according to new technologies, but still produce fresh, shiny vegetables that are no different from those grown with inorganic fertilizers and pesticides.
According to this expert, if you smell an unusual odor from the vegetables, you can only consider that the vegetables are abnormal and should not be used, but you cannot confirm that they are contaminated with pesticides.
On the contrary, vegetables without any odor can still have pesticide residues or other chemicals. If the growers do not ensure sufficient isolation time after using fertilizers or growth stimulants, any odor will disappear after a few days.
With the naked eye, it is very difficult to identify vegetables with pesticide residues. (Image: Ugaoo)
Therefore, it is very difficult to identify vegetables with pesticides based on perception. Dr. Vu Thanh Hai advises consumers to only buy vegetables from reputable suppliers that guarantee their sources.
The expert also advises against consuming out-of-season vegetables. Out-of-season vegetables do not have favorable natural conditions, and the plants will have poor growth and more pests. Growers will need to use more pesticides and growth stimulants, which could lead to higher pesticide residues and chemical residues in these vegetables.
According to VTC News
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