If you are a vegetarian in India, the chances of your suffering pesticide exposure may be higher than for those predominantly consuming non-vegetarian foods.
Almost a fifth of all foods produced and sold in the country contain pesticide residues, according to a Union agriculture ministry-sponsored nationwide network project involving 25 participating labs.
During 2014-15, as many as 20,618 food samples were collected and analysed under a ‘Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National Level’ scheme. Pesticide residues were detected in 3,857 or 18.7 per cent samples. In the case of 543 samples, representing 2.6 per cent of the total, residues were above the maximum residue limits (MRL) prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
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