June 18, 2013 01:42 AM

The HIndu - K. A. Martin, The Kerala Agricultural University has found \93dangerous levels\94 of pesticide residue in key vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, vegetable cowpea (achinga), amaranthus red, small red onions, tomatoes, green chillies and curry leaves, among others.

The residue includes that of the banned Profenofos, which falls into the yellow category (second level of pesticides in the toxicity classification) and which has translaminar action (the toxin entering the plant system primarily by roots, and transported to locations throughout the plant, where it can affect those who consume the vegetables).

May 30, 2013 02:05 AM

The Times of India - Jayashree Nandi, TNN | NEW DELHI: If Delhi government has to make sure that residents don't eat pesticide-laced food, it will have to push neighboring states to reduce their pesticide usage. Most of Delhi's fruits and vegetables come from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Agricultural experts say that while High Court-appointed panel's recommendations on monitoring pesticide residue levels are welcome, much more needs to be done.

According to the latest report of government's All India Network Project On Pesticide Residues, most vegetables that were sourced from mandis — especially okra (bhindi), cabbage and cauliflower — were found to have pesticide residues higher than the maximum residue limit (MRL). The residues of cypermethrin, chlorpyriphos (a pesticide often linked to disorders in humans) were found to be most common in city vegetables.

May 30, 2013 01:14 AM

Indian Express - Press Trust of India : New Delhi, Favouring intensified monitoring of pesticide residues in fruits and vegetables sold in Delhi, an expert committee set up by the High Court on Wednesday suggested that the Delhi government establish a special cell to handle such issues.

Filing its suggestions before the bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath, the committee comprising experts and government officials said the pesticide residue testing infrastructure with the city government is also required to be strengthened.

May 28, 2013 01:15 PM

The Times of India, Researchers have analysed more than 100 global studies to show that exposure to pesticides, weed killers and solvents is likely to be associated with a higher risk for developing Parkinson's disease.

The research appears in the May 28 print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

May 23, 2013 07:27 PM

The Hindu, With lifestyle diseases so rampant today, shouldn't we turn our attention to clean and safe eating practices, asks Geeta Padmanabhan.

Watch carefully what you eat, said Anantha Sayanam, coordinator, Safe Food Alliance and founder-volunteer, Restore \97 a not-for-profit organic retail outlet. That's "clean eating", right? Call it "safe eating", he corrected me. But "clean eating" is the current buzzword \97 routinely tagged to tweets, found in blogs, posted on Instagram and Facebook, and seen on television screens. Is it a diet? A trendy lifestyle? A passing fancy?

Clean food is a simple concept; it's what eating was always about, said Dr. David Katz, Director, Yale University Prevention Research Centre. "Food that's clean is food that's for the most part real, not encumbered with things that compromise health: artificial flavourings, artificial colourings, sugar substitutes."

May 11, 2013 10:22 AM

Hindustan Times, The Delhi high court on Wednesday ordered surprise checks of wholesale and retail markets in the Capital to ensure that vegetable and fruits on sale do not have pesticide residue beyond permissible limits.

The court was acting on survey reports filed by consumer rights NGOs which said that vegetables and fruits finding its way to Capital\92s markets are a toxic cocktail capable of pesticides including those banned causing cancer, heart disease and infertility and posing a risk to nervous system and liver.

May 11, 2013 09:55 AM

New Indian Express - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, The pesticide residue levels in cardamom and curry leaves sold in the state are found to be at an alarming rate. Presence of pesticides that are banned in the state was also found in a study conducted by Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), Vellayani.

Tests on the samples collected from various markets in the state showed that the pesticide levels in these spices cross the maximum residue levels(MRL), the permissible amount of pesticide residues in food materials.

April 27, 2013 12:00 PM

The Times of India | Saloni Bhatia | TNN, Aamir Khan's show, 'Satyamev Jayate' was in trouble with the Pesticides Manufacturers and Formulators Association of India (PMFAI) after an episode on pesticides went on air on June 24 last year.

PMFAI said that the episode had no experts from the Ministry of Agriculture, Central Insecticides Board or Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and in the complaint, had written that "further telecast of Satyamev Jayate should be stopped" as they were spreading wrong, unscientific information.

The Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) met on April 12 with representatives of Star Plus,Aamir Khan Productions and PMFAI representatives to discuss this.

The BCCC found that even though the programme was critical of the use of pesticides, they dealt with the issue with proper sensitivity and maturity.

March 30, 2013 07:18 AM

THE regulatory system for chemical pesticides in India is in a shambles. Government agencies are themselves blatantly violating the national law meant to regulate the use of pesticides.

State agriculture departments, agriculture universities, National Horticulture Board ( NHB), Tea Board, Spices Board and other government agencies are promoting the use of harmful pesticides among farmers, a new investigation by the Centre for Science and Environment ( CSE) has revealed.

March 30, 2013 04:18 AM

The Times of India | Jayashree Nandi | TNN, NEW DELHI: Innumerable guidelines, rules and safety standards may be in place to regulate pesticide usage but guess who call the shots? Pesticide dealers.

They decide which pesticide and in what quantities are to be used by farmers.

A recent Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study found that government's extension services to monitor pesticide usage have failed completely in reaching out to farmers. Farmers say they have no option but to depend on pesticide dealers for advice. Recommendations from agriculture universities don't reach them. They end up using any pesticide indiscriminately no matter how toxic.

February 06, 2013 01:57 PM

The Times of India, Pesticides in food, air and water may be directly linked with the development of type 2 diabetes, regardless of a person's age, genderor body mass index, a new Spanish research study has found.

These substances tend to concentrate in body fat, and they might be one of the reasons why obese people are more likely to develop diabetes, since the greater the fat, the higher the pesticide concentrations in the body, researchers from the University of Granada found.

December 14, 2012 12:00 AM

Despite repeated requests for an appointment and despite ten volunteers of the India For Safe Food campaign from different states camping in Delhi for 3 days in the last week of November, the Agriculture Minister did not give an appointment to meet the delegation.

October 06, 2012 09:51 AM

The Indian Express - Rahul V Pisharody - Hyderabad, Does anybody seriously know what is biodiversity conference? And, what is this Meeting of Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety? But people in the twin cities sure do know what are genetically modified (GM) crops and of course, organic farming and organic food products. How? Not because of any conference but thanks largely to Aamir Khan's highly successful 'Satyamev Jayate'.

From start up companies to marketing executives, all those involved in the sale of organic products are a happy lot and are of the unanimous opinion that Satyamev Jayate has fuelled demand for them in a big way. In fact, according to them, the demand for organic products in the city has been increasing by almost 50per cent every year.

September 06, 2012 12:00 AM

The Pioneer, In the lush fields of Punjab germinates a scary tale. Farmers there live in a disturbing cesspool of toxicity, as a result of excessive and unregulated use of pesticides and chemical fertilisers.

September 06, 2012 12:00 AM

The Times of India, Children exposed to the widely used pesticide additive piperonyl butoxide (PBO) in the womb have heightened risk of noninfectious cough at ages 5 and 6, a new study has found.