Authorities in Shanghai Friday said the quality of agricultural products in the Chinese city is "under control on the whole."

The statement followed a report by the international non-governmental organization Greenpeace saying it found traces of 50 kinds of pesticide residue in 40 samples of fruits and vegetables sold in Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

The Greenpeace comments that said residents in the three cities drink "pesticide cocktails" almost daily was not true of the fact, said the Shanghai Municipal Agricultural Commission.

By China's food safety standards, the pesticide residue in only two samples exceeded safety levels, the agency said.

It called the public not to be panic as tests showed pesticide residue in 98.1 percent of the vegetables grown in the suburbs of Shanghai were safe last year.

The agency also pledged to conduct more tests and put in place food tracking system, among other measures, to ensure safety of farm produce this year.

Authorities in Beijing and Guangzhou have not made comments on the Greenpeace report.

(Xinhua News Agency April 18, 2009)