Officials in charge of the Wednesday Farmers’ Market in Downtown reported Monday that representatives from the Department of Pesticide Regulation made a surprise visit last week and found “no illegal pesticide residue.”
The inspectors randomly selected 13 farmers and collected samples that were later tested for illegal pesticides. The samples were analyzed in a lab in Anaheim for three restricted substances: organophosphates, chlorinated hydrocarbons and carbamates, said Laura Avery, Farmers’ Market supervisor.
The tests can detect microscopic amounts of residue and would report if a pesticide were present in any amount, Avery said.
More consumers are demanding inspections to weed out those farmers who use pesticides but claim to be pesticide free.