Madurai: The lead or cadmium in your bajji (fritter) may not be coming from the flour mill, but from the field where the Bengal gram was grown, Madurai flour millers have told FSSAI.
Madurai District Maavu Manufacturer’s Sangam has sought a policy review of FSSAI’s May 19 notification, which brings besan flour under heavy metal contaminant limits from December 2026. The association said the rule may punish millers for contamination that begins before the grain reaches them.
Besan is made by dehusking, splitting and milling Bengal gram. Millers say they do not add chemicals, preservatives or additives. Their argument is simple: if the crop has already absorbed lead or cadmium from soil, groundwater, fertilizers, pesticides, industrial wastewater or sewage effluent, milling cannot remove it.
For a common consumer, the issue is this: once a plant absorbs heavy metals, they become part of the grain. Washing, cleaning or grinding may remove dust, but not contaminants already inside the grain. The association said flour mills have no technology to filter out lead or cadmium from besan during mechanical milling.
Association secretary P J Manoharan said the rule places the burden at the wrong point. “For example, how can tea shops be held responsible for excess chemicals in milk? We are not adding anything to besan. We also do not have the technology to remove heavy metals already present in the raw material,” Manoharan said.
The millers said FSSAI earlier applied such limits to whole pulses. By extending them to besan, the regulator has brought flour millers, snack makers and ready-to-eat food producers under compliance pressure. If samples exceed the limit, millers fear stock rejection, seizure, recall and penalties.
The association said it supported food safety but wanted enforcement to begin where contamination begins — at the farm. It has asked FSSAI to frame standards based on soil and environmental conditions, work with agriculture departments, monitor crops at the cultivation stage and introduce certification for raw Bengal gram.
It also sought exemption for millers who make 100% mechanically milled products without altering the raw material.
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About the Author
Ram Sundaram
Ram M Sundaram is an Assistant Editor at The Times of India, Chennai, where he covers commute, trial courts, and political affairs.
