Aust, tomatoes safe, says Minister

Press, 24 July 1986, Page 9

Aust, tomatoes safe, says Minister

Australian tomatoes, on sale in Christchurch shops have not been affected by a chemical treatment to prevent fruit fly getting into New Zealand, according to a Ministry of Agriculture spokesman. Dr Richard Baker, senior entomologist at the Plant Protection Centre in Auckland, said assertions by the New Zealand Tomato Growers’ Association that the imported tomatoes were unsafe were incorrect.

The association yesterday issued a warning to consumers saying that the Queensland tomatoes had been dipped in a chemical to prevent fruit fly. “Following the treatment they will be packed and air-freighted to New Zealand and could be on retailers’ shelves within a week. The New Zealand requirement for the use of this chemical is that

tomatoes should not be available for sale after treatment for at least 14 days,” the association said.

It urged consumers to ask retailers where the tomatoes they were buying came from.

New Zealand tomatoes were readily available and had not been chemically treated after harvest, the association said. Dr Baker said the Aus-

tralian tomatoes had been dipped in a chemical called dimethoate. The 14-day holding period requirement applied to produce which had been sprayed with the chemical, he said.

“People are confusing two completely different operations,” he said.

Residue tests had shown that tomatoes dipped in dimethoate were safe after a few hours, he said.