Effects of the Intervention for the Problem on Pesticide Residue on Fresh Fruit and Vegetables in Hospitals

Abstract

Objective: To study the effect of the intervention on the problem of pesticide residue on fresh vegetables and fruit in hospital within Phetchaburi. Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test. Samples of vegetables for cooking from 8 hospitals in Phetchaburi province under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Public Health were tested for pesticide residues by using the GT test kit for organophosphate and carbamate and the TM/2 test for organochlorine and pyrethroid. The intervention consisted of the establishment of hospital food safety board at the provincial and hospital levels, setting policies on food safety within hospital as performance indication for district level supervision, hospital procuring pesticide-free vegetable from the trusted source listed by the Provincial Health Office, random test of purchased vegetables by all hospitals and compilation of the clean and green E-book on the list of producers and sellers of pesticide-free vegetables. Results: Test of vegetable samples revealed non-contamination of organophosphate and carbamate in 97.07% and 99.13% of the samples before and after intervention (P = 0.119), respectively. Organochlorine and pyrethroid free samples significantly increased from 83.45 to 90.87 percent after intervention, (p = 0.010). Conclusion: The intervention for the problem of pesticide residues in vegetables in the study is promising in improving the safety of vegetable in hospitals. Additional studies should be conducted using larger groups of hospitals and longer periods to confirm the results and conclusions of the intervention.