No room for bad apples

THE huge responsibilities of the food industry, from farm to fork, were made clear at the two-day International Food Conference run by Teagasc in Dublin.

Apples were one of the major fruits used, making the potential hazards from pesticides and fertilisers the first hurdle to be cleared.

There could also be naturally occurring toxic chemicals in apples, environmental pollutants such as heavy metals or persistent pesticides, chemicals leached from the food packaging into the baby food, or lastly, unintentional additives such as detergents or disinfectants used in the course of processing the baby food. It's much the same for any other food: a huge challenge to ensure the consumer gets a completely safe product.