Retorts

Banana Scare

I've been following with close attention the current contretemps over the presence (or otherwise) of aldicarb in bananas imported from South America.

Judging from the jumbled news reports I've seen, Greenpeace appears to have spotted a potential problem and then sensibly applied the "precautionary principle", whereby one should not take risks with something whose effects are unknown. In this particular case, it seemed reasonable to withdraw the bananas from the market until it was clear whether or not they contained a dangerous poison.

However, I must confess I remain unsure whether the facts support this interpretation of events. Will the NZSM will be covering this issue in the near future?

J Slevin, Masterton

See this month's Waste Space column.