MADURAI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has assured that the practical problems being faced in India as raised by the Madurai District Maavu Manufacturer’s Sangam will be examined in detail on its repeated requests that the concerns surrounding the Lead and Cadmium limits in besan flour must be removed quickly.
“There are rules only for BESAN FLOUR now and it is under threat now because of FSSAI regulatory disparity. Our association requests the FSSAI and Government of India to relax the heavy metal limits that are now given to Besan flour which is an important part of MSME sector in India. So, we are appealing to FSSAI to remove the regulatory prohibition imposition on besan flour,” the Madurai District Maavu Manufacturer’s Sangam had clearly told the FSSAI top authorities through a press statement from Madurai today on how selective rules are showing disparity across the country.
A high-level Google meet was convened by FSSAI on July 10th 2026 under the chairmanship of Mr.Ganesh Vishweshwar Bhat, assistant director, Technical Regulatory Compliance Division in New Delhi, to deliberate on the critical concerns surrounding lead and cadmium limits in Besan flour.
MADURAI SPEAKS THE REALITY:
“Madurai District Maavu Manufacturers Association led by its president C.Deivarajan had participated in this FSSAI online meet and he had explained the ground realities affecting MSME units in Tamil Nadu….It was taken to FSSAI attention that exclusive limits for lead and cadmium have been imposed only on pulse flours like BESAN while categories such as soya bean, wheat, maida, rice flour, groundnut, sesame, coconut, millet flours like ragi, bajra and jowar, and tapioca flour continue to be governed by the general food safety provisions,” the Madurai District Maavu Manufacturer’s Association president Mr.P.J.Manoharan and secretary Mr.C.Deivarajan had stressed in their appeal to the FSSAI and the concerned Ministry, according to a press release received from the association in Madurai today-July 13th 2026.
The association had alerted the Government of India and FSSAI that there is a ‘Besan outrage’ now by saying that heavy metals and pesticide residues are being inherited from contaminated soil and indiscriminate pesticide usage in agriculture fields.
“The flour millers cannot reduce that contamination during our processing….We told the FSSAI that MSME units in flour sector are being pushed to closure….The technical and regulatory issues must be addressed quickly. The FSSAI gave us an assurance that the issues on BESAN FLOUR will be examined in detail in consultation with the Chairperson and CEO of FSSAI and appropriate action will be taken to protect the MSME units in flour units,” according to the press release received from Madurai District Maavu Manufacturer’s Sangam that had given a warning signal from Madurai about the major concerns on imposing separate limits for besan because it is also a food product.
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