New Delhi: The Centre for Science and Environment, at loggerheads with the government over the softdrink pesticide issue, has advised it to adopt a 'naming and shaming' policy as followed in some foreign countries to create public pressure against suppliers of contaminated food.
In UK, for instance, the government gives publicity to names of those companies who supply food unfit for human consumption, so the authorities here too can check milk and vegetables on a random basis and make the data it collects available publicly, says CSE Director Sunita Narain in the editorial of the latest issue of its fortnightly magazine Down to Earth.
Instead of dismissing as 'bad science' the findings of those who bring out such data, they should be given wide publicity by the government to create a public opinion, she said.
The CSE said the authorities must ensure that no pesticide was registered without fixing maximum residue level, which defines what is safe residue in consumables so that the sum of all toxins is kept within an overall safety threshold called the acceptable daily intake by toxicologists. There should be credible and effective ways of enforcing these standards.
"In addition, it will be important to work with farmers who overuse and misuse pesticides, because of the lack of information from by the industry. Remember that the problem is exacerbated by the fact that the government has virtually abdicated its role of taking care of private pesticide and seed industry interests," said the editorial.
It pointed out that the government's own research shows that raw agricultural commodities from milk to vegetables are often contaminated with pesticides.
Regulations for pesticides in raw agricultural commodities are set, but are lax and not enforced. Therefore, the strategy should to ensure enforcement of these regulations.
Comments
0 comment