Agrochemical Residue and Food Contaminant Testing in India
Reduce the risk of contamination in your food supply chain.
The widespread use of agrochemicals in food production as well as the threat of contamination from metals and mycotoxins have become significant concerns in countries around the world. This has led to increasing demands for stringent safety standards and more transparency in the food supply chain, from field to fork.
As food products pass through each stage of the chain – production, processing, value addition – they risk being contaminated with external materials, including pesticides, genetically modified seeds, antibiotics, hormones, ripening chemicals and other additives. These are used to increase yields, protect crops from yield losses, aid growth and ripening, add specific colours and flavours, increase shelf life and so on.
The use of certain agrochemicals has been associated with environmental and ecological damage. Excessive use of fertilizer, for example, can lead to the contamination of groundwater with nitrate, rendering it unfit for consumption by humans or livestock. The use of some pesticides poses grave health hazards for humans. About one million pesticide poisonings occur globally every year, resulting in 20,000 fatalities.
Contact an expert >How SGS can help
As a global leader in testing, inspection and certification for the food industry we are a recognised authority in food safety testing based on domestic and internationally recognised standards.
We offer a high level of expertise in the testing of agrochemical residues and contaminants in food and agricultural commodities. Our state-of-the-art testing laboratory is ISO 17025:2005 accredited and recognised by:
- Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA)
- Export Inspection Council of India (EIC)
- Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS),
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
- Central Insecticides Board and Registration Committee (CIB&RC)
- Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA)
- Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI)
Our sophisticated analytical equipment enables us to achieve trace level detection of more than 2500 agrochemicals at or below their regulatory limits. We test food products in a wide range of matrices, including raw and processed commodities such as:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Cereal
- Pulses
- Spices
- Meat
- Fish
- Oils
- Sugars
- Beverages
- Tea
- Coffee
- Milk
- Water
- Soil
- Honey
- Animal feeds
- Sea foods
- Fishery products
- Bakery products
- Finished products
- Herbal products
- Packaged foods
To ensure the quality of testing and the validity of test reports, we perform stringent quality control activities and time to time validation of analytical methods and test procedures as per international guidelines, such as SANTE/11813/2017 and EC 657/2002. We also participate in a broad range of national and international proficiency testing programs to provide continuing assurance of our testing accuracy and rigour.