The Punjab Food Authority will test pesticides’ residual in fruits and vegetables for laboratory analysis to gauge its effect on human health / consumers.
Toxic pesticides are usually sprinkled in fields to protect crop from insects and creepy-crawlies.
The decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of PFA at the Office of its Director General Muhammad Usman on Wednesday.
Addressing the meeting, the PFA director general said that an inclusive strategy would be formed for further proceeding in the light of laboratory report from the food regulatory body (PFA) in collaboration with Agriculture Department.
Muhammad Usman said that strategy would help eliminate the effects of toxic pesticides’ residual. He said that the PFA would monitor the use of pesticide in the fields as per the law.
“The PFA is already discouraging the wicked practice of irrigating crops with untreated and industrial wastewater.
PFA additional director general (Operations), additional director general (Technical) and other officers concerned attended the meeting.
Published in Daily Times, November 1st 2018.