Discuss the role of harmonising food standards with Codex in protecting India's agri-export competitiveness, using tea as an example.

Codex Alimentarius, the FAO/WHO food-standards body, sets science-based Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) that serve as the global reference under the WTO SPS Agreement. FSSAI's October 2026 draft MRLs for tea are Acetamiprid at 20 mg/kg and Imidacloprid at 50 mg/kg, the latter set with reference to Codex [1]. They show that harmonising with Codex is necessary for export competitiveness, but not sufficient on its own.

Role of Codex harmonisation in protecting competitiveness

• One benchmark for the value chain: clear limits guide growers, processors, labs and enforcers, and build confidence in Indian tea [1].
• Credible yet workable limits: India's Acetamiprid MRL (20 ppm) is stricter than Japan's (30 ppm) and the USA's (50 ppm) [1]. This signals safety without giving up pest control.
• "Safe-origin" branding: India uses <0.5 kg/ha of pesticide, against a global average of 2.38 kg/ha [1].
• Trade-diplomacy leverage: at the WTO SPS Committee, India called EU MRL policies more trade-restrictive than necessary and urged reviews based on risk assessment and Codex [4]. Following Codex at home keeps this stance consistent.

Codex MRL → FSSAI notification → GAP in garden → lab testing → export acceptance

Fig: Harmonisation works only if every link holds

Limits of harmonisation

• Hazard-based markets: EU limits are hazard-based and often stricter than FSSAI's [3]. The EU has been moving neonicotinoid MRLs towards 0.01 mg/kg or the limit of detection [5], so Codex-compliant tea can still be rejected at EU ports.
• Field compliance: safety depends on Good Agricultural Practice and the gap between spraying and plucking. FSSAI had to train Small Tea Growers on this at Coonoor [2].
• Testing gaps: a 2017 CAG audit found some state labs could not test for pesticide residues [6].

Way forward

• Publish the residue and dietary-exposure data behind the draft limits [1]. This strengthens India's risk-based case at the WTO.
• The Tea Board and the Commerce Ministry should give growers advisories for each export market, especially EU-bound ones.
• Link pesticide registration to notified MRLs, as the Pesticide Management Bill, 2020 proposes [7], and expand residue labs in tea states.

Harmonising with Codex gives Indian tea a scientific passport into risk-based markets and strengthens India's negotiating position. Paired with farm-level GAP, testing capacity and market-specific compliance, it can turn food safety into a lasting export advantage, in line with SDG 12 (responsible production) and consumer health.