Organic or not? It all depends on your pocket, new research shows

• Organic crops are not any healthier and that eating them is a lifestyle choice for people who can afford them
• Report: Most fruits and vegetables sold in Nairobi are contaminated with high levels of pesticide residue.
• Koan believes some farmers may grow crops in conventional ways and pass them off as organic.

According to a study it commissioned last year, most fruits and vegetables sold in Nairobi are contaminated with high levels of pesticide residue.

The study, says Mr Samuel Ndung’u, also of Koan, analysed green vegetables, tomatoes and potatoes collected from three different types of market in Nairobi.

Residue tests showed that all non-organic samples were contaminated with high levels of pesticide residue, some 53 times over internationally accepted levels.

Fresh products

But this study has been strongly censured by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) as misleading.

According to Dr Rhonest Ntayai, the chief analytical chemist at Kephis, apart from vegetables grown using sewage in some parts of Nairobi, fresh products stocked in the major supermarkets countrywide have been found to be safe.

He says Kephis has tested 132 samples of fresh produce in the market for the maximum residue levels and only a handful were found to be beyond the European Union recommended consumable levels.

But can one be sure they are actually buying organics? Koan believes some farmers may grow crops in conventional ways and pass them off as organic.

The organisation has established internal control systems which check against this kind of practice, including asking farmers to keep records and carrying out random inspections.