Spice controversy: Norms for pesticide residue stringent, says govt

India has some of the most stringent norms for pesticide residues limit in food items, the government asserted on Sunday, amid reports that the regulator permits higher pesticide residues limit in herbs and spices.

“The Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) of pesticides are fixed differently for different food commodities based on their risk assessments,” the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said in a statement.

In India, pesticides are regulated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIB & RC).

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Constituted under the Insecticide Act, 1968, the CIB & RC oversee the manufacturing, import, transport, storage of pesticides.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) examines data received from CIB & RC before recommending MRLs after risk assessment, also considering the dietary consumption and health concerns of all age groups of the Indian population.

The CIB & RC have registered more than 295 pesticides in India, of which, 139 are registered for use in spices.

A pesticide can be registered on many food commodities with differing MRLs, based on the risk assessment data.

“For instance, the use of Monocrotophos is allowed on many crops with different MRLs such as rice at 0.03 mg/kg, citrus fruits at 0.2 mg/kg, and coffee beans at 0.1 mg/kg.”

 For spices like cardamom and chilli, the MRLs for the pesticide are at 0.5 mg/kg and 0.2 mg/kg, respectively, it further explained.

 “The MRL of 0.01 mg/kg was applicable in case of pesticides, for which MRLs have not been fixed. This limit was increased to 0.1 mg/kg only in cases of spices and is applicable only for those pesticides which are not registered in India by CIB & RC,” the statement added.

 “This was recommended by the Scientific Panel on Pesticide Residues 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,” it further said.

 MRLs fixed by CODEX for spices and culinary herbs range from 0.1 to 80 mg/kg.

The clarification comes amid controversy surrounding Indian spice brands MDH and Everest. The Centre for Food Safety in Hong Kong and the Singapore Food Agency had recalled products by the companies after flagging the presence of Ethylene Oxide (ETO) in samples.

The FSSAI is collecting spice samples from around the country for quality checks. 

“Pesticides like ETO are used for fumigation purposes to aid storage of these products. Ideally, products meant for exports should not be directed to the domestic market. We have issued orders to scale up sampling of products from all brands – big and small,” an FSSAI official said.

QUALITY CHECKS

• Constituted under the Insecticide Act, 1968, the CIB & RC oversee the manufacturing, import, transport, storage of pesticides

• Over 295 pesticides registered, with specific MRLs for each

• Recent controversies prompt increased sampling and quality checks nationwide

Comparison of MRLs fixed by FSSAI and CODEX

 

S. No.	Name of the Pesticides/Insecticides	Spices	FSSAI MRL (mg/Kg)	Codex MRLs (mg/kg)
1.	Metalaxyl and Metalaxyl-M	Black pepper	0.5	2
2.	Myclobutanil	Chilli, dried	2	20
3.	Spiromesifen	Chilli, dried	1	5
4.	Thiamethoxam	Chilli, dried	5	7

 

 

 

 

Comparison of MRLs fixed by FSSAI and CODEX

 

S. No.	Name of the Pesticides/Insecticides	Spices	FSSAI MRL (mg/Kg)	Codex MRLs (mg/kg)
1.	Metalaxyl and Metalaxyl-M	Black pepper	0.5	2
2.	Myclobutanil	Chilli, dried	2	20
3.	Spiromesifen	Chilli, dried	1	5
4.	Thiamethoxam	Chilli, dried	5	7