By Patience Rashai

The United Kingdom (UK) based British Health and Safety Executive (BHSE) has set plans in motion to sabotage Zimbabwe’s fine bean market alleging that the produce is substandard and unsuitable for human consumption.

This issue was brought forward by BHSE in its 2019 survey of pesticide residue in food which provided that the fine beans exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRL - the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue (expressed as mg/kg), to be legally permitted in or in food commodities and animal feeds) with regards to three pesticides (azoxystrobin, carbendazin, lamba).

Zimbabwean authorities have, however, dismissed these claims informed by results from investigations carried out by the Zimbabwe Sanitary and Phytosanitary Committee (SPs) - the board which ensures that export produce meet the health and safety standards on international markets.

The board comprises of an inter-ministerial committee from the Ministries of Agriculture, Healthy, Industry, Zimra and the Standards Association of Zimbabwe.

“According to the investigations we carried out, findings proved that two of the pesticides found in the test are actually within the EU/CODEX/Zim acceptable levels, and we have since submitted the report to foreign affairs for onward transmission to the UK authorities,” said a committee member of the SP committee.

“The residue levels found in the fine beans are considered safe in accordance with the levels agreed upon on government to government level in the CODEX, and this is not the first time that detractors have attempted to influence major markets to shun Zim’s products in international markets since the country was placed under economic sanctions by the US,” he added.

Previously there have been calls to sabotage the country’s diamonds over perceived human rights abuses (child labour) and alleged conflict in mining the germs, terming them blood diamonds. Likewise the EU hitherto banned Zimbabwean beef exports in August 2001 on supposed foot-and-mouth disease outbreak though the ban later lasted over a decade.

CODEX is the international intergovernmental board of World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) that sets food standards including maximum pesticide levels considered safe to humans when consumed, and Zim domesticated the CODEX guidelines through SI 136 of 2001.