India Health Ministry amends Food Safety and Standards regulations

The Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has released a new notification containing amendments made to the Food Safety and Standards (contaminants, toxins and residues) regulations, 2011.

Notified by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the draft notification contained information about the maximum permissible limits of various antibiotics in meat products, including chicken.

As per the notification, the government will now only be permitting 37 antibiotics and 67 veterinary drugs for chicken.

The ministry noted that the amendment was made in order to ensure the residue of antibiotics in food from animal sources does not result in antibiotic resistance in humans, posing a potential risk to health.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended farmers and the food industry to stop using antibiotics routinely in food-producing animals.

The organisation noted that the over-use and misuse of antibiotics in animals and humans are contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance.

The government has invited objections and suggestions from the general public and all the stakeholders, which will be placed for consideration before the Scientific Panel of FSSAI on Residues of Pesticides and Antibiotics.

The recommendations by the scientific panel will then be considered by the scientific committee and the food regulator for approval. The amendment will be notified in the Gazette of India following approval of the minister.