A spot test of supermarket and dairy roses has found traces of 13 different pesticides on imported blooms and traces of three on the local roses.
Fair Go commissioned the testing at a commercial lab after learning that cut flowers are not covered by rules that apply to a range of grocery items - rules that require country of origin labelling and set maximum residue levels for fresh fruit and vegetables.
It’s been a point of contention for local growers for years.
“If I know those flowers have been imported, it just makes me wince now because you wouldn't put your face so close to such a potential chemical cocktail,” says Christy Ralph from Nourish Gardens, a small flower farm on Waiheke.
Ralph wishes people would buy local and consider spreading the love outside of Valentine’s Day by thinking of buying flowers at other times.
New Zealand imported half a million rose stems from India and Colombia last February - just in time for Valentine’s Day. And that was when Covid was messing with flights – it has been more like a million rose stems each February in previous years.
Local growers are keen to point out that these imports may have been fumigated on arrival with methyl bromide – a highly polluting greenhouse gas.
“When you buy a bunch of flowers what's the first thing you do? You smell it, so if something has been treated with methyl bromide what are you breathing in?” asks Frans van Dorsser of Blooming Hill Flowers, a large NZ grower of roses.
That would be on top of the fungicides and pesticides present on bunches Fair Go had tested - many of them neonicotinoids which are harmful for bees.
As for humans, scientists Fair Go consulted advised against using the roses for cake decoration and suggested they might pose a higher risk for workers growing them or florists handling them.
WorkSafe says it helps local growers set rules for safely using pesticides but any risks from traces on imported flowers would be up to a business to figure out and manage, WorkSafe only offers general guidance.
NZ Professional Florists President Megan Parker says regular handwashing is the main line of defence for florists handling flowers.
The importer of one bunch that Fair Go had tested says it follows MPI procedures for imports.
“In addition to the local biosecurity procedures, our grower partners in Colombia are members of the Rainforest Alliance or Florverde which means they comply with strict social and environmental standards.”
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