Excessive pesticide residue detected in fresh onions from China

Chinese onions imported to South Korea under the tariff-rate quota have been found to contain four times the permitted level of thiamethoxam, a pesticide ingredient, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s Imported Food Information Center. This excess has sparked concerns among South Korean onion producer groups, who fear that other imported onions may also exceed the residue standard. The National Onion Producers Association is pushing for a thorough investigation into the compliance of imported agricultural products with South Korea’s pesticide residue standards, highlighting the need for enforcement of the Pesticide Residue List Management System (PLS).

As the shipment of early-ripening onions is imminent, it has been revealed that Chinese fresh onions imported under tariff-rate quota (TRQ) exceeded the standard by four times. Onion producer groups have called for an investigation into whether all imported onions exceeded the standard for residual pesticides, saying that what they had been worried about has come true. According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s ‘Imported Food Information Center,’ 0.04 mg/kg of ‘thiamethoxam,’ a known pesticide ingredient, was detected in Chinese fresh onions entering Pyeongtaek Port in Gyeonggi Province on the 11th. This is four times the pesticide residue tolerance standard (0.01 mg/kg). The government previously decided to import 28,850 tons of TRQ onions from February 11 to March 7. The National Onion Producers Association issued a press release on the 20th, saying, “This means that ...