The first tests for pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits under a new sample collection protocol revealed the presence of pesticide residues in 14 out of the 72 samples that were collected.
All of the samples were collected from Thiruvananthapuram district, in accordance with a new strategy to cover the entire State in a phased manner.
The residues were detected in three samples of grapes (black and green), and one sample each of apple, capsicum, cucumber, ivy gourd, two samples of green chilli, salad cucumber, lady’s finger, brinjal, snake gourd and curry leaves.
Residual presence of insecticides including Acephate, Monocrotophos, Thiamethoxam, and Fenpropathrin were found in the samples.
Samples were collected by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the tests were conducted by the Pesticide Residue Research and Analytical Laboratory (PRRAL) under the State government’s ‘Safe to Eat’ project at the Kerala Agricultural University’s (KAU) College of Agriculture, Vellayani.
Samples were collected from different parts of the district including the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation limits and the municipalities and grama panchayats.
In October, the Agriculture department had issued orders for streamlining the collection of surveillance samples from vegetables and fruits sold in the market for pesticide residues, in view of the emphasis on ‘safe to eat’ foods. The order was based on a proposal made by the director of research, KAU, and noted the need for a more proactive role for the ‘Safe to Eat’ project in making stakeholders aware about the dangers of pesticide residues.
Under this decision, the results will be uploaded on the PRRAL website every month. The samples will be collected from other districts in the coming months. Palakkad district is next on the list, KAU officials said.
