BEIJING, May 13  -- Multiple authorities in Beijing refuted the allegation that strawberries sold in the city were tainted with pesticides during a joint press conference on Wednesday.

On April 26, the state broadcaster CCTV reported it had found acetochlor residue, a harmful herbicide, in eight strawberry samples tested.

On April 30, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Agriculture said175 samples in a special investigation were not contaminated by the herbicide and deemed safe to eat.

A random media inspection is often not representative enough to produce a scientific result, an expert from the city's association for science and technology said.

An official with the cyberspace administration of Beijing said it will continue to supervise such rumors amid wide public concerns with the help of government departments and scientific institutions.

More than 200,000 kg of strawberries a day are sold in Beijing during spring.

Official data show China grows 2.1 million mu (140,000 hectares) of strawberries. The rumor has taken a heavy toll on strawberry growers around the country.