The revelation that neither the state agriculture department nor the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) nor the health department conduct any periodic check on market samples of vegetables and fruits for presence of pesticides beyond the permissible limit is a chilling reminder of the dangers we face every time we sit down to have a meal.
The investigations by this newspaper published on Saturday pointed to gross indifference of the state government to the health of consumers. The revelations expose the fallacy of “nutritious” vegetables and fruits bought in the markets. Pesticides are used as poisons to kill insects, and they kill them by attacking their brain systems. When we consume fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residues, they accumulate in our brains and damage our neurological systems. The damage over a period of time can be irreversible.
It is the state government’s responsibility to ensure that consumers get safe foods. At the national level, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) is entrusted with the task of enforcing food safety rules, including those relating to MRL ( Maximum Residue Limit) of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. In states, it is the state government’s responsibility to appoint and designate an appropriate authority to carry out the mandate. In other states, laboratories have been making checks on samples for MRL. In Allahabad for instance, tomatoes were found to contain traces of DDT which were 108 times above the permissible level. Apples from Himachal Pradesh were found to contain excessive traces of Cyfluthrin-Beta. In Hyderabad, Lucknow and other cities checks on MRL in vegetables and fruits are done. In some cities, civil society groups have collected samples from markets and got tests done at laboratories and found many of them contaminated. In quite a few tests, some vegetables, particularly cabbage, cauliflower, okra and brinjal were found to have much higher MRL for pesticide residues.
The whole scenario is scary: just because we do not see it or taste it does not mean we are safe. We have no idea what we are consuming. An agency designated by the state government has to conduct routine tests on fruits and vegetables – and not to miss out on fish and meat – to ensure that consumers are not taking home and cooking contaminated food. When government officers say that testing facilities are not available in the state, they are telling the truth. What they are not revealing is that the FSSAI has listed 18 testing laboratories for use of states in the western region which includes Goa. Of these 10 are located in Mumbai and Pune which are easily accessible by the state government. Why are vegetables and fruits samples from markets in the state not being sent to these laboratories for testing? Next is the question of who is responsible? Documents uploaded on the FSSAI website clearly state the names and designations of the government servants designated as food officers for the state. Besides, Mr Salim Veljee and Mr B Vijayan have been designated as food safety commissioners for Goa. The state has 13 food safety officers and 13 designated officers. So why is the government still immobile with respect to checks on fruits and vegetables?
Perhaps, it needs a direct intervention of the Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar to protect consumers from pesticide consumption. After all, pesticide residues might be going into the body and brain systems of all of us – commoners, middle classes, upper middle classes, officers and ministers. The government must make use of the laboratories in Mumbai and Pune. Testing of vegetables and fruits (and fish and meat) must start immediately. And the sooner, the better, Mr Parrikar must use his ingenious techniques of mobilizing additional resources for setting up a toxicology laboratory in Goa itself.
The investigations by this newspaper published on Saturday pointed to gross indifference of the state government to the health of consumers. The revelations expose the fallacy of “nutritious” vegetables and fruits bought in the markets. Pesticides are used as poisons to kill insects, and they kill them by attacking their brain systems. When we consume fruits and vegetables with high pesticide residues, they accumulate in our brains and damage our neurological systems. The damage over a period of time can be irreversible.
It is the state government’s responsibility to ensure that consumers get safe foods. At the national level, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) is entrusted with the task of enforcing food safety rules, including those relating to MRL ( Maximum Residue Limit) of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. In states, it is the state government’s responsibility to appoint and designate an appropriate authority to carry out the mandate. In other states, laboratories have been making checks on samples for MRL. In Allahabad for instance, tomatoes were found to contain traces of DDT which were 108 times above the permissible level. Apples from Himachal Pradesh were found to contain excessive traces of Cyfluthrin-Beta. In Hyderabad, Lucknow and other cities checks on MRL in vegetables and fruits are done. In some cities, civil society groups have collected samples from markets and got tests done at laboratories and found many of them contaminated. In quite a few tests, some vegetables, particularly cabbage, cauliflower, okra and brinjal were found to have much higher MRL for pesticide residues.
The whole scenario is scary: just because we do not see it or taste it does not mean we are safe. We have no idea what we are consuming. An agency designated by the state government has to conduct routine tests on fruits and vegetables – and not to miss out on fish and meat – to ensure that consumers are not taking home and cooking contaminated food. When government officers say that testing facilities are not available in the state, they are telling the truth. What they are not revealing is that the FSSAI has listed 18 testing laboratories for use of states in the western region which includes Goa. Of these 10 are located in Mumbai and Pune which are easily accessible by the state government. Why are vegetables and fruits samples from markets in the state not being sent to these laboratories for testing? Next is the question of who is responsible? Documents uploaded on the FSSAI website clearly state the names and designations of the government servants designated as food officers for the state. Besides, Mr Salim Veljee and Mr B Vijayan have been designated as food safety commissioners for Goa. The state has 13 food safety officers and 13 designated officers. So why is the government still immobile with respect to checks on fruits and vegetables?
Perhaps, it needs a direct intervention of the Chief Minister, Mr Manohar Parrikar to protect consumers from pesticide consumption. After all, pesticide residues might be going into the body and brain systems of all of us – commoners, middle classes, upper middle classes, officers and ministers. The government must make use of the laboratories in Mumbai and Pune. Testing of vegetables and fruits (and fish and meat) must start immediately. And the sooner, the better, Mr Parrikar must use his ingenious techniques of mobilizing additional resources for setting up a toxicology laboratory in Goa itself.
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