The Consumer Council of Thailand is urging the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take legal action against importers of Shine Muscat grapes after laboratory tests showed some samples were contaminated with chemicals that are banned in Thailand.

According to TCC, 23 out of 24 Samples of Shine Muscat grapes tested by the council last week were found to be contaminated with dangerous chemical residues beyond the acceptable legal limit. Some were contaminated with chlorpyrifos and endrin aldehyde, which are banned under current food safety laws.

TCC Secretary General Saree Aongsomwang said on Sunday that the FDA should take legal action against the importers who brought in the contaminated grapes. Those that have already been imported but not yet distributed must be thoroughly inspected, and those that are contaminated must be destroyed.

Ms Saree asked grape importers to recall their products for thorough inspection. She also called on the FDA to ban companies that knowingly imported contaminated grapes.

TCC acquired the 24 samples from various places – two from online stores, seven from fruit shops and fresh markets and 15 samples from modern trade – on October 2-3 in Bangkok and neighboring provinces.

Laboratory tests found residues of 14 harmful chemicals at concentrations above the safe limit of 0.01 mg/kg. In total, the tests also detected 50 chemical law residues, of which 22 are not regulated by current Thai legislation, such as triasulfuron, cyflumetofen, tetraconazole and fludioxonil.

FDA Secretary General Surachoke Tangwiwat clarified on Sunday that out of 50 chemical residues detected, 36 did not exceed the safety limit, while 14 are not on the watch list due to lack of information on their risks.

He urged consumers to wash the fruit thoroughly before consuming it.

Dr. Surachoke emphasized the FDA’s commitment to ensure consumer safety, saying imports found to be contaminated will be seized and legal action will be taken against the importers.

Meanwhile, vendors at a market in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Muang district said after the news broke, consumers avoided Shine Muscat grapes despite offering them a 70 percent discount, prompting many to take them off the shelves.

Thaworn Prommee, 58, said half his stock had gone bad, despite being the store’s best seller before the news broke.

She added that business operators are suffering significant losses as a result.