Pesticides
What are Pesticides?
A pesticide is a toxic man-made or naturally occurring substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants including chillies or to animals.
Pesticides are also referred to as plant protection products (PPP) containing many variants such as insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, molluscicides and plant growth hormone regulators.
PPP typically attacks the nervous system of the animals in contact with them and due to their toxicity, levels of PPP residues and the number and types applied to chillies is legislated for, but legislation varies by country.
Typical Causes of Pesticide Contamination
Poor farming practices including:
- The use of banned or excessive use of approved substances.
- Poor chemical control such as incorrect dilution.
- Field overrun or drift – occurs when banned PPP is blown by the wind from another crop such as cotton or coffee.
How does the Chilli Doctor Technical Team Manage Pesticide Levels?
- Knowledge of the supply chain.
- By informing each supplier of chillies of the requirements for PPP residues and only those who can guarantee legislative compliance are approved.
- Assessing the level of supplier knowledge about preventing PPP contamination to ensure it is adequate.
- Knowledge of the legislative requirements in the country of sale.
- Each chilli product is tested every harvest by an ISO 17025 accredited laboratory using an approved method to guarantee legislative compliance in the country of sale.