Food safety regulator permits higher pesticide residue in spices, herbs in certain cases

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India last month cleared a 10-fold increase in the maximum amount of pesticide residue permitted in spices and herbs, The Economic Times reported on Saturday. The maximum limit will apply in cases where the limits have not been defined as per Indian or international norms.

However, the Union government said on Sunday that reports claiming that the food safety regulator had allowed 10 times more pesticide residue in herbs and spices, in general, were false and malicious, The Indian Express reported. “It is clarified that India has one of the most stringent standards of Maximum Residue Limits in the world,” the government asserted.

In an order on April 8, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had increased the default maximum residue limit for pesticides in spices and herbs to 0.1 milligrams per kilogram, as against the earlier figure of 0.01 milligrams per kilogram. The default residue limit for other food items remains unchanged at 0.01 milligrams per kilogram.

The food regulator said that in the cases of pesticides that are registered with the agriculture ministry but lack maximum residue limits as per Indian norms for spices, the standards of the Codex Alimentarius Commission would be used. The Codex Alimentarius Commission is a global food safety...

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