Pete 
Acting on unsafe food at last minute
http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opin ... ast-minute
* Published: 14/01/2011 at 12:00 AM
* Newspaper section: News
A move by the European Union to ban 16 kinds of vegetable from Thailand has caused chaos among Thai exporters, as well as for Thai restaurants and fans of Thai food on that continent.
The high-profile ban covers indispensable ingredients for authentic Thai dishes - like varieties of basil, chilli and capsicum peppers, eggplants, bitter gourd and parsley.
The EU was considering the ban after it found traces of insect contamination, as well as farm chemicals, in our fresh produce.
And I can assure you this is not the first time EU officials have detected the contamination. In fact it's a long story - before the ban was even seriously considered.
In order to avoid the EU's tough measure, the Thai Agriculture and Cooperatives Ministry opted for a self-imposed ban; it is understood that the problem will be solved with more stringent "quality inspection" of shipments of the 16 vegetables in question. It is well understood that once the EU slaps the ban on our produce, it will be very difficult to have it removed.
Well, it remains to be seen if the self-imposed measures will eventually work within the limited time.
Of course, the whole issue has tarnished Thailand's reputation as "Kitchen of the World" - a strenuous and successful campaign to promote Thai food abroad.
But how can we be the world's kitchen if our food is not safe?
We have to admit that while we are proud of the taste of Thai food, we (in this case I mean the government agencies) somehow pay little, if any, attention to the issue of food safety, in particular when it comes to chemical residues in vegetables.
While the EU is concerned with the health of its people, it is quite sad to see how Thai consumers have little choice when it comes to food safety.
Occasionally, there are news reports about test results by the Public Health Ministry which show chemical residues that go beyond the safety standard in the vegetables on sale at the market. We are encouraged to take precautions when buying the produce. Occasionally, we are given a list of the produce that tends to have excessive residues; these include cucumber, lettuce, spring onion, parsley, etc.
But such a list, without a solution, frustrates us even more.
Those who cook at home may be in a better position to take care of their own health by choosing organically grown vegetables, which cost a lot more. Or if they have to buy those in the conventionally-grown category, they can still clean the produce thoroughly, at least to a point where they feel it is safe to eat.
Unfortunately, not many people can do that. So many of us, particularly office workers and labourers who spend much of our time outside the home, have to depend on food shops. And we have no idea if these food shops care about our health. I bet many of them don't.
For me, I always look for organic produce for my kitchen and that brings another kind of headache - it's not easy to find organic produce at the conventional market.
But I have to admit that things are better than before now that there are quite a few "once a week" green markets in Bangkok, thanks to the efforts of a civic network advocating green issues.
Compared to the state, the green network is making good progress in promoting food safety. The past green fair at Lumphini Park was quite a success.
Can the state, in particular the Agriculture Ministry, do better?
Yes, but it needs strong political will to free itself from giant farm chemical firms and set itself on the right path of food safety.
EDIT: The author: Ploenpote Atthakor writes for the Life section, Bangkok Post.
What do I have in me, who knows? Will it kill me early, who knows? My greatest fear is for the kids if the degree of contamination is getting worse worldwide. If I go at 70 rather than 80 it makes little difference. If younger generations start going at 50-60, that's a very big deal.
Pete 
