US AGENCIES SAY APPLES SAFE TO EAT

Three federal agencies reassure Americans that domestic apples are safe for children to eat. The agencies - the US Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency - all brand as inaccurate an environmental group's assertion that pesticide residue makes apples unsafe. At the same time, US and Chilean agencies are trying to ensure that fruit grown in Chile has not been tampered with, so that Americans can safely resume eating grapes and other imported fruit. Some experts say privately that the US overreacted in cutting all fruit imports from Chile after small amounts of cyanide were found in two grapes.