KATHMANDU: An alarming amount of toxic pesticide residue has been found in spinach (raayo ko saag) sold at Kalimati vegetable market, raising serious concerns about food safety in Nepal’s largest wholesale produce hub.
According to the Kalimati Fruits and Vegetable Market Development Committee, laboratory tests revealed that mustard greens sourced from Dolakha contained 80.9 percent organophosphate, a highly hazardous pesticide compound.
The Central Agriculture Laboratory conducted tests on 17 varieties of fruits and vegetables collected from 17 stalls in the Kalimati market on Wednesday. Among them, the mustard greens sample was found to have dangerously high levels of organophosphate, far exceeding safe consumption limits.
Officials confirmed that the contaminated mustard greens are unfit for human consumption due to the excessive level of toxic residue. As per safety standards, pesticide presence is categorized as follows: below 35 percent is considered safe to eat, 35 to 45 percent requires several days of waiting before consumption, and anything above 45 percent is deemed unsafe.
The regular pesticide screening at the Kalimati market focuses primarily on carbamate and organophosphate groups, two widely used insecticide categories in Nepali agriculture. However, the recent findings have prompted renewed calls for stricter monitoring and enforcement of pesticide regulations.
Authorities have not yet disclosed whether punitive actions will be taken against the vendors or suppliers involved, but consumer rights groups are demanding urgent intervention to protect public health.
Comment