Safe to Eat: Step Towards Ensuring Food Safety.
In a significant step towards ensuring food safety, the Pesticide Residue Research and Analytical Laboratory (PRRAL) at Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has revamped its reporting of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables. And the results are promising.
Kerala’s New Approach to Pesticide Testing
For its 67th report, covering April to June 2025, PRRAL adopted a more refined and crop-specific methodology based on the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). This change was recommended by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) and marks a shift in how pesticide safety is interpreted.
What Changed — And Why It Matters
Previously, even the tiniest traces of pesticide residues were flagged, which often painted a worrying picture. But with the new system, only samples that exceed the permissible limits are marked as unsafe.
The impact? A dramatic drop in flagged samples:
- Only 1.53% of the 196 samples tested showed pesticide levels above the safe limit.
- Compare this to 21.29% in the previous report and 15.26% before that — a huge improvement.
Location involved in Kerala’s New Approach to Pesticide Testing
Samples were collected from:
- 12 block panchayats
- 11 municipalities
- 3 corporations
across Kannur, Thrissur, and Ernakulam districts.
Crops Taken Under in Kerala’s New Approach to Pesticide Testing.
Out of 196 samples, only three — capsicum, ivy gourd, and lemon — had pesticide residues above the permissible level. The substances detected were lambda-cyhalothrin, clothianidin, and bifenthrin.
Meanwhile, 50 other samples had residues but were well within the safe limits.
Expert Insight
“The change is in how we interpret the results. Earlier, even minimal residues were flagged. Now, we focus only on those exceeding the MRL,”
explained Dr. Ambily Paul, Associate Professor and Head of the All India Network Project on Pesticide Residues at KAU’s College of Agriculture, Vellayani.
Behind the Scenes: How the Project Works
The ‘Safe to Eat’ initiative is supported by Kerala’s State Agriculture Department, which revamped the sample collection process in 2023. Each survey now covers three districts, with samples gathered by the Food Safety Department.
This collaborative effort ensures that consumers get a clearer, more accurate picture of what’s safe to eat — and helps farmers and vendors maintain better standards.
Why This Matters for You
This shift doesn’t just improve reporting — it builds trust. Consumers can feel more confident about the safety of their produce, and farmers get clearer guidelines to follow.
It’s a win-win for public health, agriculture, and transparency.
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