Are
those beautifully packed and fresh looking exotic fruits displayed on
the stands in posh markets really healthy? We'll find it out very soon
as for the first time, imported fruits and vegetables are set to come
under pesticide watch following the recommendations from a court
appointed committee.
In the wake of the reports of rampant
contamination of vegetables and fruits in Delhi's markets, the Supreme
Court and Delhi High Court have initiated several steps to curb the use
of pesticides and artificial colour for enhancing their size and
appearance.
The amount of pesticides in fruits and vegetables in
India, and especially those sold in Delhi markets, were as much as 750
times the European standards, NGOs Center for Public Interest Litigation
and Consumer Voice claimed in the SC and HC, respectively. The NGOs
claimed in their pleas that the fruits were a toxic cocktail of banned
pesticides capable of causing headache, cancer, heart disease,
infertility and pose a risk to the nervous system and liver.
The
banned pesticides included chlordane, a rat poison that affects the
nervous system and endrin, an insecticide that causes headache.
"Surprise
checks will be conducted at major markets once in a month and there
will not be any differentiation between local fruits and vegetables and
those imported. The court panel's report says an eye has to be kept on
them also as they too are susceptible to contamination because of
lucrative business," Meera Bhatia, the lawyer for Delhi government said.
Terming
the situation as "alarming", the court said 1.7 crore Delhiites
everyday consume fruits and vegetables unfit for human consumption. It
had recently asked the Delhi government to publicise the short-term
measures and Dos and Don'ts suggested by the expert committee to
minimise the presence of pesticides residue. Ordering intensification of
the crackdown against the contamination, the court has sought a status
report on April 15.
"No such consignment should be allowed to
enter the country without pre-dispatch pesticide testing report by the
exporter. Samples of imported fruits and vegetables should be drawn by
plant quarantine stations at international arrival points and monitored
for the presence of pesticide residues," said a report filed in the
court by the panel headed by Sandhya Kulshreshta, additional deputy DG
in the health ministry.
"Surprise inspections were conducted in
many markets like Azadpur Mandi, Kotla, Mayur Vihar, Sarojini Nagar,
INA, Defence Colony, Vasant Vihar and Lodhi Estate in the last three
years. We found that pesticides, toxic colours and hormones are being
used by farmers and traders to speed up growth, ripen and improve
colour," said Bhatia.
The expert committee said results of tests
should be posted on the website of the Delhi government's food
department along with the name of the market.
The SC said: "Right
to life and human dignity encompasses, within its ambit availability of
articles of food without insecticides or pesticides residues. But the
fact remains that food available in the market contain insecticides or
pesticides residues, beyond the tolerable limits, causing serious health
hazards. Fruit-based soft drinks also contain pesticides in alarming
proportion, but no attention is made to examine its contents.
Harmful for kids
"Children
and infants are uniquely susceptible to the effects of pesticides
because of their physiological immaturity and greater exposure to soft
drinks". The SC directed Food and Safety Standards Authority of India to
coordinate with counterparts in all the states and conduct periodical
inspections and monitoring of major fruits and vegetable markets.
