Subject: GS Paper II (Health) & GS Paper III (Agriculture) UPSC Relevance: Food safety standards, AMR, and regulatory bodies.
- What are Nitrofurans? They are synthetic, broad-spectrum antibiotics. In poultry, they are used to prevent diseases like Coccidiosis and to promote faster weight gain.
- The Health Crisis:
- Carcinogenic: They are proven to be cancer-causing in long-term consumption.
- AMR (Antimicrobial Resistance): Constant exposure to low doses of antibiotics via food makes human bacteria resistant to life-saving drugs.
- Regulatory Action: FSSAI launched a nationwide drive to test eggs after high residues were found. Under Indian law, the use of Nitrofurans in "Food-Producing Animals" is strictly prohibited.
- UPSC Tip: Link this to the "One Health" concept, where animal health and human health are treated as one integrated system.
IAS-2026 - OPTIONAL / GEOGRAPHY / PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION / SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY / ORIENTATION ON 03 & 04-10-2025 
