In the past few years we've been bombarded with food scares from BSE to bagged salads. So just what is safe as well as nutritious and delicious to feed your family? Investigative journalist (and father of three) Andrew Purvis reports

FARMED SALMON

THE SCARE In January, the US journal Science reported that farmed salmon had higher levels of cancer-causing chemicals, such as dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), than wild salmon and only three servings a year should be eaten.

THE OFFICIAL LINE The same as for all oily fish: girls and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding or intending to have children should eat no more than two farmed salmon portions a week (104 a year) because of the risk of marine pollutants. Boys, men and all other women can eat up to four.

SHOULD I EAT IT? On moral grounds, no. Salmon farming is cruel and pollutes the environment. Healthwise, the risk is probably small, although early this year the Pesticide Residues Committee (PRC) analysed 28 farmed samples on sale and all contained low levels of toxic organochlorine pesticides such as DDT, dieldrin and chlordane. However, the PRC concluded there were 'no concerns for consumer health'.

THE ALTERNATIVE? Organic salmon though still farmed is reared more humanely and not doused with antiparasitic chemicals, but it may still absorb environmental pollutants, as may wild Pacific or Alaskan salmon.

TURKEY/CHICKEN

THE SCARE In 2001, half the raw chicken on sale in Britain was found to contain the potentially fatal campylobacter bug.

Two thirds of turkeys may also be infected. Investigations have also found that some chicken is pumped with beef protein and water.

THE OFFICIAL LINE Cooking chicken thoroughly kills campylobacter. Any stuffing, though, should be baked separately, as cooking it in the bird reduces the cooking temperature and increases the risk of food poisoning.

SHOULD I EAT IT? Yes. But handle with caution and don't barbecue it barbecues don't provide a reliable enough level of heat to ensure that the meat is cooked right through.

THE ALTERNATIVE? A vegetarian Christmas! Note that ducks and geese also carry campylobacter. Free-range and organic chickens aren't exempt either.

Last month government tests revealed residue of cancer-causing nitrofuran drugs in some organic chickens sold in major supermarkets.

BEEF THE SCARE

In the late 1980s, BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, 'mad cow disease') was found to have infected British cattle herds that had been given sheep offal in feed. Scientists then identified some human brain disorders with a probable link to eating BSE-infected beef including variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), which is so far believed to have killed 144 people in the UK.

THE OFFICIAL LINE BSE in cattle has not gone away (there were 549 new cases in 2003) and the risk to anyone eating beef cannot be removed completely.

However, BSE is in decline and cases of human vCJD have stabilised.

SHOULD I EAT IT? Probably not, although the risk is very low. Controls exist in Britain for making sure no BSE-infected material finds its way into food, but there have been 138 cases of banned cattle parts being found in imported beef.

THE ALTERNATIVE? Go organic: there have been no cases of BSE on Soil Association-licensed farms since before 1985. Non-organic beef clearly labelled 'British' is safer than meat of unknown origin.

BABY FOODS

THE SCARE In 2003, semicarbazide (SEM) linked to cancer in some tests on animals was found in some jars of baby food, from the plastic gaskets used to seal lids. Tests have also found pesticides, PCBs and dioxins some linked to cancer. The risk for babies is greater because of their small body size.

THE OFFICIAL LINE At the time of the scare, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) suggested that parents prepare their own fresh baby food. Today, it admits a 'very small' risk in jarred food, but doesn't advise against it, saying pesticide residues occur at very low levels well within safety limits.

SHOULD MY BABY EAT THEM? Not until more is known about SEM. The World Health Organisation has called for more research and recommended prioritising alternative sealing materials.

Early this year, PRC screening found three times the legal level of chloropham in a jar of Heinz Vegetable Chicken Hotpot. The PRC said 'there were no concerns for human health' but why take the risk?

THE ALTERNATIVE? Baby foods in packets solve the problem of SEM. But although buying organic brands eliminates pesticides used on foods, a recent FSA survey found that of the 124 baby foods tested, four of the ten 'worst offenders' were organic. This may be because PCBs and dioxins enter food through the environment but, says the FSA, they were, nonetheless, below legal levels. The best bet is to purEe your own organic fruit and veg.

BAGGED SALADS

THE SCARE Pesticides are routinely used on the crops, then the salad is washed in chlorine at 20 times the strength of a swimming pool: both may leave residues. In 2003, scientists found that modified atmosphere packaging 'pillow packs' which keep leaves looking fresh for up to 10 days, destroy many vital nutrients, particularly vitamins C and E.

THE OFFICIAL LINE This year, tests showed 15 out of 23 bagged salads contained pesticides. The levels were below those allowed for lettuce, but some samples contained six residues and their combined effect is not known.

The industry says chlorine residue levels are lower than in drinking water.

SHOULD I EAT IT? No. There's little point in eating salad with depleted nutritional value. Chlorine may be safe to digest, but its breakdown products pollute the environment and have been linked to cancer and other health problems.

THE ALTERNATIVE? Make your own salad, preferably from organic produce that's chlorine- and pesticide-free.

Bags of organic salad aren't washed in chlorine, but if preserved in pillow packs, nutritional value may still be lost.

Non-organic ingredients will contain the same chemicals as bagged salad, but at least you can see whether they're wilted and have therefore lost nutrients.

FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

THE SCARE Tests by the PRC between 1998 and 2003 found that 98 per cent of oranges, 66 per cent of pears, 49 per cent of apples and 47 per cent of potatoes contained pesticides, and one fifth of supermarket fruit and veg had a 'cocktail' of several.

THE OFFICIAL LINE The FSA recommends as basic food hygiene advice that you wash all fruit and veg, especially if they are to be eaten uncooked. It admits that some residues are 'systemic' within food and can't be washed away.

SHOULD I EAT IT? Yes. Experts agree that not eating fruit and vegetables at all would be a much bigger risk to health than ingesting low levels of pesticide residues. However, the cocktail effect of combined pesticides interacting over several years has never been properly assessed and Friends of the Earth still recommends peeling fruit and veg for babies and children.

This unfortunately means removing most of the goodness, because this is just beneath the skin.

THE ALTERNATIVE? Organic is best. But if you want to remove pesticide residues from conventionally produced fruit and veg, wash in a vinegar or lemon juice solution and soak for five or ten minutes, then rinse thoroughly to neutralise the acid taste.

SOME FRIED/BAKED FOODS

THE SCARE In 2002, scientists discovered large amounts of the chemical acrylamide in starchy foods fried or baked at high temperatures such as crisps, chips (including home-made ones from fresh potatoes), bread and crispbreads. There are no safe levels for acrylamide, which causes cancer in animals and may harm human health.

THE OFFICIAL LINE The FSA doesn't advise you to stop eating these foods altogether, only to limit fried and fatty foods as part of a balanced diet.

It admits acrylamide is a 'probable' cause of cancer in humans, but states: 'Most of our food contains some level of substances that could contribute to cancer.' SHOULD I EAT IT? Acrylamide is virtually impossible to avoid so yes.

THE ALTERNATIVE? Roasting and grilling may also trigger high levels of acrylamide, so the only completely safe options are boiled and steamed foods (believed not to contain it) and raw fruits, veg and salads (which definitely don't).

MILK

THE SCARE Cow's milk has been blamed for childhood allergies, food poisoning and the bowel condition Crohn's disease. About 17 per cent of cattle have Johne's disease, caused by the bug mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP), also found in Crohn's sufferers, and some scientists believe there's a link. Antibiotic residues and pesticides (notably lindane) have also been found.

THE OFFICIAL LINE Cow's milk allergy affects between two and seven per cent of babies under one year old, and 20 per cent of these will be allergic as adults. In 2000, research found that raw (unpasteurised) milk contained the bugs E coli, listeria, salmonella and campylobacter; pasteurised milk didn't.

MAP was present in both raw and pasteurised milk, showing it can survive heat, but the FSA says 'a link between MAP and Crohn's disease is inconclusive'. On food poisoning, it says: 'Children, people who are unwell, pregnant women and older people are particularly vulnerable to food poisoning and so should not have unpasteurised milk or cream.' SHOULD I DRINK IT? Yes, in moderation. Pasteurised milk is safer than ever, and this year the PRC found no organochlorines in any samples tested, although antibiotic residues have also been found in the past.

THE ALTERNATIVE? Organic milk is free of pesticides (although antibiotics may still be given to sick animals).

Goat's and sheep's milk, soya or rice milk may be more digestible for people with a dairy intolerance. y

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

. FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY tel: 020 7276 8000 (www.food.gov.uk) . THE FOOD COMMISSION Send your queries, with an sae, to Enquiries, 94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF (www.foodcomm.org.uk)

. FRIENDS OF THE EARTH Freefone: 0808 800 1111 (www.foe.co.uk) . PESTICIDE RESIDUES COMMITTEE tel: 0845 933 5577 (www.pesticides.gov.uk) . SOIL ASSOCIATION tel: 0117 914 2444 (www.soilassociation.org)