Warnings of "hormone-laced" fruit & veg on sale in TRNC

[iancrumpy]

Source : http://www.haberkktc.com/haber/kacak-se ... 58056.html

According to the TRNC Fruit and Vegetable Wholesalers' Association, in the last 10 days there has been a marked increase in fruit & veg smuggling, estimating that 30% of the produce currently on sale has entered TRNC illegally. The wholesalers have requested that Customs are more vigilant (and a cynic would say honest) at the dockside.

Of course the wholesalers are upset because they are losing revenue, but they have also said that with such unchecked produce on the market, there is a bigger threat of buying hormone-laced fruit and veg.

If you are concerned about your body's hormone balance, then for the time being it might be advisable to buy your produce from more reputable traders, say supermarkets rather than street traders.

[Sultan]

I think you would need to have a strange body to react to plant hormones. Hormones are specifically targeted chemicals which have specififc targeted responses in particular species.

[iancrumpy]

Hi Sultan ... Personally I'm not worried about the "threat" posed by such produce, but i know there are many people who do worry about this matter ... so I thought it best to relay the warnings given by the wholesalers in the TC press.

[Groucho]

Hi Sultan ... Personally I'm not worried about the "threat" posed by such produce, but i know there are many people who do worry about this matter ... so I thought it best to relay the warnings given by the wholesalers in the TC press.

If they haven't tested the contraband fruit and veg how can the claim contamination and who says supermarkets are more scrupulous than street vendors? You only have to look at the burger scandal in the UK involving the likes of Tescos and Iceland to realise than price is everything to the big suppliers.... To be honest it all seems like scaremongering to me.

[iancrumpy]

If they haven't tested the contraband fruit and veg how can the claim contamination and who says supermarkets are more scrupulous than street vendors? You only have to look at the burger scandal in the UK involving the likes of Tescos and Iceland to realise than price is everything to the big suppliers.... To be honest it all seems like scaremongering to me.

I don't disagree Groucho. By the way, the bit about using supermarkets wasn't in the original report - in that the wholesalers merely warned the public to be careful with regard to "hormone-laced" produce ... it's just I didn't know how someone concerned about this matter could decide if hormones were in fact used in the cultivation of the fruits they're buying.

[cyprusishome]

Any chemical ingested by the human body can potentially lead to problems for one, two or hundreds of people so it is best to be warned.
It may be a scare story put about by the local whoelsalers and retailers but knowing that some countries have little or no controls on pesticides and hebicides who knows what may be on the produce, there have been allegations in the past regarding what the growers here use!!!!!!!

[iancrumpy]

To be honest guys, I know very little about the effects of hormones or how they may enter the food chain. Personally I'm not that concerned about the matter, but I know that many people are. I apologise if anyone thinks I am "scaremongering" or sensationalising the story - I certainly have no vested interests - I merely thought that some of you might like to hear what our Turkish-speaking neighbours see in their press.

[cyprusishome]

iancrumpy,
I do not think there is anything wrong with what you have posted, it is like all news there are things that some will not wish to hear or does not fit with their views.

It is appreciated by the majority of people that you take the trouble to seek out the news stories that people may wish to read. Because we are ignorant for not knowing enough of the Turkish language to read the local press ourselves we are reliant on your efforts.

Do not worry, keep the news coming it helps most of us keep up to date with what is happening in the WHOLE community not simply the foreign community that CT particularly appears to stick to