News Coverage
Rocket fuel in produce from U.S. spurs tests
Published May 2, 2003
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it plans to start testing winter lettuce and other fruits and vegetables imported from California to check whether they are contaminated with dangerous levels of a rocket-fuel component.
The possibility that much of the fresh produce Canadians eat in winter contains elevated amounts of perchlorate, the main explosive ingredient in rocket fuel, is being taken seriously by Canadian food inspectors after recent U.S. tests found the contaminant in produce and waterways.
On Monday, the Environmental Working Group, based in Oakland, Calif., said it had conducted spot checks on 22 heads of lettuce bought at U.S. supermarkets and found that four, or 18 per cent, contained detectable levels of the chemical.
The group said perchlorate is probably getting into lettuce from contaminated irrigation water. Many of the winter crops in southern California, Arizona and Nevada are irrigated with water from the Colorado River, which has been polluted by perchlorate from weapons facilities.
Almost all of the iceberg lettuce sold in the United States and Canada in winter comes from California. The CFIA is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to devise a testing procedure for perchlorate in food, and sampling will begin once that is done, according to an official.
"As soon as we have that methodology, obviously, we are going to monitor several fruits and vegetables," said Ren