PANJIM: Indirectly stating that fish and other food products are free of chemicals, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) on Thursday gave a clean chit to the formalin in fish issue saying the “concern shown by citizens is more than required”.
FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal, interacting with mediapersons, said that formalin is not allowed in India as an additive or preservative to fish. “I am personally aware about concerns of fish consumption in Goa. Formalin sometimes is used for maintaining freshness of fish, that is the practice happening throughout the country,” he said, adding, “However, no other country has set a standard on how much formalin can be used or is right. Some formalin is available in fish naturally.”
He said that when the issue of formalin came to the Central Institute of Fishing Technology and FFSAI and EIC everyone swung into action to address this issue. “The scientific panel has now established a standard of level of formalin in fish, if it is natural you cannot penalise somebody who has not used it. I think there is more concern than required in Goa on the issue of formalin in fish,” he said.
On accuracy of CIFT kit for testing fish, he said, all rapid testing kits only provide approximation and for detailed analysis you have to send it to the laboratory.
On the jump in cancer cases in Goa, Agarwal stated, “Of a relationship between formalin and cancer cases, I am not very sure, but we will definitely investigate. I am not saying you are wrong or you are right but this is something that has to be established.”
“Now the limit for formalin has been established and lab facilities are there in the State that issue is addressed to some sense,” he said. He, however, did not disclose what is the limit of formalin that is permissible.
On the pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables, he said, the role of FSSAI begins post the farm. “When we are monitoring it we find that the concern about pesticide residue in food products is there but it is not such a serious concern. It confines itself to a few food products,” he said.
Agarwal directly blamed the social media for the food safety concerns saying some things get amplified due to social media beyond the actual threat.
“We also try to find the correct picture. Our appeal to media is to be very careful when you are writing about food safety as any wrong interpretation can lead to losing confidence in food in the market, people change their diet like milk. Everything is ok with milk, I feel,” he said.
Fake messages, he said, also have implications on farming operations, food businesses and on international trade.
“If the message goes around that Indian food is laced with pesticides then exports get affected. I am not asking you to hide facts, but you have to be very careful what you write. It has to be well researched and we have written to PCI and also Ministry of IT and Electronic and appraised them of the social media platforms like Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter which play a major role in circulating these kind of fake news,” he added.
FSSAI chairperson Rita Teaotia, recollecting the Goa formalin episode said that after the episode the Goa government did rope in Quality Council of India and designate just two entry points for fish.
“At these points CIFT kits were used. Another set of samples are also being tested in the laboratory, private as well as government. During the period we have strengthened the Goa laboratory with high end sensitive equipment which will allow them to do precise testing,” she said.
She added that the QCI has taken up in excess of 6,000 samples over this period and done a kind of randomisation and some of this they have tested negative but still sent for further examination and have been found below the threshold limit.
Asked whether Health Minister Vishwajit Rane was right when he said formalin was within permissible limits, she replied in positive, “Yes he was absolutely right with the data what I saw yesterday.”
