The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed a Draft Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Amendment Regulations, 2017 relating to restrictions on the use of insecticides.
These draft regulations will be finalized as soon as the suggestions and objections (if any) from all the stakeholders are received by FSSAI within the stipulated timeframe (30 days) from the date of this notification i.e. 18th April 2017. These will come into force on the date of their final publication in the Official Gazette of India.
As per these Draft Regulations, the modifications made in the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Regulations, 2011 under regulation 2.3, in sub-regulation 2.3.1, in the Table are presented below. It is to be noted that the entries in the “BLANK BOXES” have been “OMITTED” in the Draft Regulations. The Serial Nos. correspond to those present in the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins, and Residues) Regulations, 2011, where the modifications have been made as per the Draft Regulations.
Sl. No. |
Name of Insecticides |
Food |
Tolerance Limit (mg/kg.ppm) |
Banned Insecticides* |
1 | Aldrin, dieldrin (the limits apply to aldrin and dieldrin singly or in any combination and are expressed as dieldrin) | Banned | ||
3 | Chlordane (residue to be measured as cis plus trans chlordane) | Banned | ||
4 | D.D.T. (The limits apply to D.D.T., D.D.D., and D.D.E. singly or in any combination) | |||
5 | D.D.T. (singly) | Withdrawn for use in agriculture | ||
6 | D.D.D. (singly) | |||
7 | D.D.E. (singly) | |||
8 | Diazinon | Banned for use in agriculture except for household use | ||
12 | Endosulfan (residues are measured and reported as a total of endosulfan A and B and endosulfan-sulfate) | Banned | ||
13 | Endosulfan A | |||
14 | Endosulfan B | |||
15 | Endosulfan Sulphate | |||
16 | Fenitrothion | Banned in agriculture except for locust control, household, and public health | ||
17 | Heptachlor (combined residues of heptachlor and its epoxide to be determined and expressed as Heptachlor) | Banned | ||
21 | Gamma (λ) Isomer (known as Lindane) | Banned | ||
24 | Parathion-methyl (combined residues of parathion-methyl and its oxygen analog to be determined and expressed as parathion-methyl) | Methyl Parathion 50% EC and 2% DP formulations (banned for use in fruits and vegetables) | ||
25 | Phosphamidon residues (expressed as the sum of phosphamidon and its desmethyl derivative) | Banned: Phosphamidon 85% SL | ||
32 | Formothion (determined as dimethoate and its oxygen Analogue and expressed as dimethoate except in case of citrus fruits where it is to be determined as formothion) | Banned | ||
33 | Monocrotophos** | Food grains | 0.025 | |
Milled food grains | 0.006 | |||
Citrus fruits | 0.2 | |||
Other fruits | 1.0 | |||
Cottonseed | 0.1 | |||
Cottonseed oil (raw) | 0.05 | |||
Meat and Poultry | 0.02 | |||
Milk and Milk Products | 0.02 | |||
Eggs | 0.02 (shell-free basis) | |||
Coffee (raw beans) | 0.1 | |||
Chillies | 0.2 | |||
Cardamom | 0.5 | |||
40 |
Aldicarb (sum of Aldicarb its sulphoxide and sulphone, expressed as Aldicarb) | |||
45 |
Carbofuran (sum of carbofuran and 3-hydroxy carbofuran expressed as carbofuran) | Banned: Carbofuran 50% SP | ||
50 | Fenthion (sum of fenthion, its oxygen analogue and their sulphoxides and sulphones expressed as fenthion) | |||
52 | Dithiocarbamates: (a) Dimethyl dithiocarbamates residue resulting from the use of ziram | Tomatoes | 3.00 | |
55 | Simazine | Banned | ||
60 | Captafol | Banned: Captafol 80 percent. Powder | ||
71 | Methomyl | Banned: Methomyl 12.5% L and Methomyl 24% formulation |
* Banned as per Insecticides Act, 1968.
** Monocrotophos: banned for use on vegetables.
Impact of the Draft Regulations on Insecticides
The salient features of the Draft Regulations reveal the following:
- 7 insecticides have been completely banned
- 5 insecticides of specific formulations have been banned
- 3 insecticides have been banned from use in agriculture
Moreover, stringent regulations have been imposed on the other insecticides as well. Therefore, these steps are likely to have a positive impact on the food processing chain “from farm to plate” as many of the harmful insecticides have been eliminated right from the source. This will ensure that healthy foodstuffs reach the consumers due to the enhanced nutrient value of the food.
Leave a Reply