Muscat grapes contaminated with dangerous chemicals

Shine Muscat grapes imported from China have been found to be heavily laced with dangerous chemicals, including chlorpyrifos, the Thai Pesticides Alert Network (Thai-Pan) and the Foundation for Consumers announced on Thursday.

The two consumer protection organisations recently conducted laboratory tests on 24 samples of the juicy and popular grapes purchased from retail outlets, vendors and wet markets.

Thai-Pan said the tests show that 23 of the 24 samples were found to be excessively laced with dangerous chemicals, with one sample containing chlorpyrifos, which is banned in Thailand, and 22 others were contaminated by 14 chemical residues. Shine Muscat grapes from China are cheaper than those imported from Japan or South Korea and, therefore, are popular among Thai consumers.