Khesari dal, banned in 1961, cleared for consumption by medical panel
The economical food item was declared unsafe for eating after a neurological disorder that causes paralysis was linked to it.
The Indian Council for Medical Research on Monday cleared khesari dal, also called the poor man’s dal because of its low cost, for consumption, more than fifty years after it was banned in 1961. It was found that the dal was linked to a neurological disorder called lathyrism, which causes paralysis of the legs. A right to information enquiry filed by The Indian Express showed that a proposal was sent by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, asking that the ban on the item be lifted.
The FSSAI’s Scientific Panel and Scientific Committee discussed the matter in November 2015. FSSAI chief Pawan Kumar Agarwal told The Indian Express that a food item banned for so many decades will have to undergo “rigorous tests” before it is allowed back in the market.
In March 2015, a report by the Indian Institute of Toxicological Research said lifting the ban would be improper, since it’s consumption is “not safe”, after which the FSSAI called for more tests.
