Jadhav inaugurates first national stakeholder consultation by FSSAI 

The consultation would prove instrumental in the identification of gaps, which can then be focused and deliberated upon to develop a robust mechanism of food safety

Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav inaugurated the National Stakeholder Consultation on Challenges in Monitoring Pesticide Residues in Food Commodities organised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. Emphasising the need for a nationwide strategy for stricter monitoring of pesticide residues in food, Jadhav urged all stakeholders to work collectively in promoting best practices for food safety and sustainability.

This stakeholder consultation on pesticides is the first in a series of such consultations with stakeholders on emerging issues like sustainable packaging, nutraceuticals, antimicrobial resistance etc. Addressing stakeholders, the Union Minister appreciated the initiative of FSSAI and stressed the need to review existing practices in pesticide monitoring and to create a robust mechanism to address the challenges of pesticide residue. He also emphasised the importance of agriculture in sustaining millions of livelihoods and ensuring food security. Jadhav added that today’s farmers are more adaptive towards the use of new technology so it is easier to educate them on the use of pesticides and about Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs). He also advocated for collaborative efforts from all the stakeholders to devise a concrete action plan to minimise pesticide residues in food commodities.

Jadhav also stated that the consultation would prove instrumental in the identification of gaps, which can then be focused and deliberated upon to develop a robust mechanism of food safety and make food commodities free of pesticide residue. He also commended FSSAI’s efforts in strengthening food safety frameworks.