Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Friday, Oct 10, 2003
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Friday, Oct 10, 2003 |
|
|
|
|
|
Industry & Economy
-
Health Marketing - Standards & Benchmarks Health Ministry queried on draft norms for pesticide residue Our Bureau
New Delhi , Oct. 9 THE Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) questioned the Union Health Ministry on Thursday on why it issued a draft notification outlining the pesticide residue norms for beverages, even as such an exercise was being undertaken by it. According to sources, the Health Ministry was also asked to provide information on the international norms prevailing in terms of food safety and quality, such as the Codex norms and parameters set by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA). The Health Ministry had issued a draft notification outlining pesticide residue levels for water-based beverages on August 26. However, one month later, it had extended the deadline to hear the industry's viewpoint, by three months i.e. up to December 31, 2003. The draft had proposed a limit of 0.0001 mg per litre individually and 0.0005 mg a litre collectively for pesticide residues in a packaged beverage. The JPC's query to the Health Ministry on other international norms is significant in the context that the proposed pesticide residue levels are the same as that outlined by the European Union, sources told Business Line. The JPC's mandate is to outline norms for all water-based beverages. It had, in its meeting last month, further expanded its ambit to bring in products such as iced tea, juices and alcohol. Besides the Health Ministry, representatives from the Ministries of Food Processing and Consumer Affairs also made presentations before JPC. Details had also been sought from the Agriculture Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). The representatives of the Centre for Science and Environment, the organisation that blew the whistle on the issue of pesticide residue in soft drinks, is scheduled to depose before JPC tomorrow.
Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication
|
Stories in this Section |
|
The Hindu Group: Home | About Us | Copyright | Archives | Contacts | Subscription Group Sites: The Hindu | Business Line | The Sportstar | Frontline | The Hindu eBooks | Home |
Copyright © 2003, The
Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of
this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of
The Hindu Business Line
|