New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS): Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav on Thursday called for a nationwide strategy for stricter monitoring of pesticide residues in food.

All stakeholders must work collectively in promoting best practices for food safety and sustainability, said Jadhav, while inaugurating the National Stakeholder Consultation on Challenges in Monitoring Pesticide Residues in Food Commodities organised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), under the health ministry.

The stakeholder consultation on pesticides is the first in a series of such consultations with stakeholders on emerging issues like sustainable packaging, nutraceuticals, antimicrobial resistance etc.

Appreciating the initiative of FSSAI to strengthen food safety frameworks, the Union Minister stressed the need to review existing practices in pesticide monitoring. He suggested creating "a robust mechanism to address the challenges of pesticide residue", in the country.

Jadhav also emphasised the importance of agriculture in sustaining millions of livelihoods and ensuring food security.

Jadhav added that today’s farmers are more adaptive towards the use of new technology, so it is easier to educate them on the use of pesticides and about Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs).

He also advocated for collaborative efforts from all the stakeholders to devise a concrete action plan to minimise pesticide residues in food commodities.

Meanwhile, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava noted how the indiscriminate use of pesticides poses significant risks to public health.

She stressed the importance of strengthening monitoring systems and raising public awareness about pesticide use, ensuring that every person has access to safe food.

She also advocated for the development of actionable strategies aimed at protecting public health, underscoring that the primary goal of this consultation is to ensure that everyone can enjoy safe and healthy food.