FSSAI To Set “Tolerance Limits” For The Presence Of Antibiotics In Food Items

After formalin being found widespread in fish around India, and 97% of people believing that food adulterers should be exposed; it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that FSSAI is soon to fix “tolerance limits’ for the presence of antibiotics in food items.

Antibiotics Create Superbugs

In case you’ve been fearful of accidentally exposing yourself to antibiotics when eating eggs, milk, or meat then you can breathe a sigh of relief because FSSAI has curbed the use of antibiotics and veterinary drugs to ensure the safety of animal products.

The proposed regulations will also require vets and animal owners to ensure that any animal products they produce are drug-free before they can be used as food. The new regulations would also mean enforcement of drug withdrawal period before treated animals, eggs or milk are used for consumption as food. This allows time for the drugs to completely leave the animal’s system, an official said.

“Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem and animal products are a major source of it. We want to ensure that no contaminated food products are able to enter the food supply,” FSSAI chief executive Pawan Kumar Agarwal told TOI.

This comes after India has been under enormous international pressure over the overuse of antibiotics in food-producing animals who are responsible for new strains of superbugs.