The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on 16th October 2019, has issued advisory to all state food safety commissioners on monitoring of pesticides residues in food products.
Maximum residue limit (MRL) for various pesticides and antibiotic residues in food commodities has been fixed under Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011. Study conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare has revealed that the presence of pesticide residues in the food commodities is beyond the specified limits in some states.
Therefore, in order to provide good quality foodstuffs to the consumers and for keeping a check on the problem of food adulteration and pesticides across the country, all the state authorities are advised to keep a strict vigilance by regularly checking food samples from all sources (manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers) and to take action against the offenders under the provision of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
FSSAI has suggested conduction of targeted special enforcement drive in the locations where the pesticides residues are found more than the MRL and testing of at least ten samples of various commodities in the state food labs.
Click here to read Advisory.
