UK health inspectors have detected traces of pesticides in organic garlic imported from Spain and sold by Tesco. According to an article in today's Guardian, it is the first time that the Pesticide Residue Committee (PRC) has found such traces in a product labelled 'organic'.

The contaiminated garlic was found to contain residues of carbendazim, which may cause cancer and affect hormones. It is considered by the Action Network against Pesticides as one of the most worrying currently in use, and it has been confirmed that the residues detected exceed legal safety limits even for non-organic products.

At this stage, it is not known exactly where the garlic came from.

The same report reveals that 25 of the 1,247 non-organic products tested showed pesticide traces above permitted levels, including oranges and apples from South Africa.