Imported Argentine sunflower is being refined into dangerous oil banned in EU

Pesticides above the permissible norms were found during laboratory analysis of the sunflower that arrived with the tenth ship from Argentina, the press center of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency announced. They point out that during the examination of a sample taken on May 8 this year, the presence of the active substances deltamethrin and malathion was found in quantities 4-5 times above the permissible norms.

The agency adds that a total of 363,400 tons of Argentine sunflower were delivered to Bulgaria with the previous 9 ships. According to laboratory analyses, most of the raw material contains pesticide residues that exceed the maximum permitted amounts. Therefore, products made from this sunflower are prohibited for use in the EU. The importer reported that 1/3 of the sunflower has already been processed into oil, which has been exported to Egypt and India.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov