New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has allowed a tenfold rise in the permissible limit of pesticide residues in spices and herbs, applicable only to pesticides whose levels are not already under Indian or international regulations.
The FSSAI issued an order last month increasing the maximum residue level (MRL) in spices to 0.1 mg/kg from the previous 0.01 mg/kg, but the MRL in other food products remains 0.01 mg/kg.
The move has triggered fresh concerns about the FSSAI, which has been under criticism since Singapore and Hong Kong banned MDH and Everest last month after unacceptable levels of pesticide ethylene oxide — an established carcinogen — were detected in the spices sold by the two Indian brands.
“We want to understand what consultations were held by the FSSAI before such a move was initiated,” said a Delhi-based food safety expert who did not want to be named.
However, the FSSAI defended its move in a statement Sunday, saying India has some of the most stringent MRL standards in the world, and the pesticide MRLs are fixed differently for different food commodities based on their risk assessments.
According to the statement, the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare (MoA&FW) regulates pesticides through its Central Insecticide Board (CIB) and Registration Committee (RC), constituted under the Insecticide Act of 1968. The CIB and RC regulate the manufacturing, import, transport, and storage of pesticides, with pesticides registered, banned, or restricted accordingly.
Additionally, the FSSAI’s April order said the global Codex Alimentarius norms apply in case of pesticides registered with the MoA&FW but not under any Indian regulations yet. The norms, developed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, are a collection of internationally recognised standards, codes of practice, guidelines, and other recommendations by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations relating to food, food production, food labelling, and food safety.
Maintaining that the 0.1 mg/kg MRL is applicable only in case of pesticides for which MRLs aren’t fixed yet, the FSSAI statement added, “This was recommended by the scientific panel on pesticide residues which includes member from CIB & RC and project coordinator of monitoring of pesticide residue at national level MPRNL, under MoA & FW after considering the adoption of MRLs in the range 0.1 mg/kg and above by Codex Alimentarius Commission on pesticide residues on spices during 2021-23 in a phased manner for various spices in the world (sic).”
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Different limits for different crops
The FSSAI also said its scientific panel on pesticide residues examines the data received through the CIB & RC and recommends the MRLs after performing risk assessments, considering the dietary habits of the Indian population and the health concerns in all age groups.
The number of pesticides registered under the CIB & RC in India is more than 295, with 139 registered for use in spices, and Codex norms apply in the case of 243 pesticides, with 75 relevant for spices, the FSSAI said.
The FSSAI also clarified that there are different MRLs for pesticides in different foods based on risk assessment data. For instance, the Monocrotophos MRL varies across crops — 0.03 mg/kg in rice, 0.2 mg/kg in citrus fruits, 0.1 mg/kg in coffee beans, 0.5 mg/kg in cardamom, and 0.2 mg/kg in chilli. Flubendiamide MRL is 4 mg/kg in cabbage, 2 mg/kg in tomato, and 50 mg/kg in tea.
In many cases, the FSSAI said, the MRL set by it is lower than what the Codex permits. The Codex permits 20 mg/kg of the Myclobutanil fungicide in chillies, whereas the limit set by the FSSAI is 2mg/kg. Similarly, the MRL set by the Codex for the Spiromesifen insecticide in chillies is 5 mg/kg, whereas the FSSAI limit is far lower, at 1 mg/kg.
“The MRLs are dynamic in nature and regularly revised based on the scientific data. This practice is aligned with global standards and ensures that MRL revisions are made on a scientifically valid basis, reflecting the latest findings and international norms,” the FSSAI said.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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