A novel project was introduced on Sunday by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to address the growing issue of microplastic contamination in food.
Small fragments of plastic, ranging in size from five millimeters to one micrometer, are known as microplastics. Testicles, human blood, plants, and animals are only a few examples of the many things that are widely recognized as serious environmental and health risks.
The FSSAI launched a new initiative in March of this year with the goal of creating and validating analytical techniques for identifying micro- and nano-plastics in a range of food items. It also aims to evaluate microplastic exposure levels and prevalence in India.
The project will create crucial data on consumer exposure levels to microplastics, perform intra- and interlaboratory comparisons, and build standard techniques for micro/nano-plastic analysis.
Even while research conducted worldwide have shown that microplastics can be found in a variety of foods, it is crucial to produce trustworthy data that is unique to India. The FSSAI stated that this initiative will aid in determining the degree of microplastic contamination in Indian food and direct the development of efficient laws and safety requirements to safeguard the public’s health.
Leading research institutes in the nation are working together to carry out the project, including the Birla Institute of Technology and Science (Pilani), ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (Kochi), and CSIR-Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (Lucknow). FSSAI declared.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently brought attention to the existence of microplastics in everyday food items like salt and sugar in a new research.
Even though the report included information on the prevalence of microplastics worldwide, the FSSAI stated that “more robust data is needed to fully understand the implications for human health and safety, particularly in the Indian context.”
The new project’s findings “will contribute to the global understanding of microplastic contamination and not only inform regulatory actions.” This will make research from India a crucial component of the worldwide effort to address this environmental issue.
