Practical for quickly preparing an Asian dish, curry pastes do not only contain chili, lemongrass and spices. The consumer magazine “Saldo” had twelve products analyzed, six yellow and six green. Result: only one did not present any of the desired residues.
Green pulps show the most worrying results. Pesticides were detected in five of the six references tested. Three even contained traces of insecticides banned for several years in the European Union.
Green pasta from the Blue Elephant, Real Thai and Thai Orchid brands are particularly affected. That of Blue Elephant, sold at Coop, presented the greatest number of problematic substances: two banned insecticides and four other potentially harmful residues.
Among the pesticides identified are chlorpyrifos, profenofos and thiamethoxam. Some of these substances are associated with risks to the nervous system, fertility or fetal development.
The laboratory also detected chlorate or perchlorate in eight products. These residues, which can notably come from chlorinated water or cleaning products, are likely to affect the thyroid in the event of excessive and prolonged exposure. The concentrations measured, however, remained well below the limits used for the test.
The presence of residues does not automatically mean that a food presents a health hazard. According to the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs (FSVO), the risk depends on the substance concerned and the quantity consumed. A pesticide banned in Swiss agriculture is also not necessarily prohibited in trace amounts in imported food.
Coop removes a product from its shelves
Following the test, Coop announced the withdrawal of Blue Elephant green curry paste from its range in October. Consumers can return the product to the store and get a refund, even without a receipt. However, some points of sale may still have stocks.
Importers of Thai Orchid and Real Thai have also announced additional controls or analyses.
The best result goes to Thai Kitchen yellow curry paste, the only reference in which none of the residues sought were detected. Overall, yellow pastes performed better than green ones. However, this does not mean that all yellow pastes are safer: the conclusions only concern the twelve products analyzed.
