Guwahati : More than 12 percent of the food samples tested at the State Public Health Laboratory have failed to conform to the standards. During the current financial year, 7,682 food samples were collected for testing, of which 75 perishable items and 434 non-perishable items were found to be unsafe Besides, 19 other perishable and 268 non-perishable items were found to be substandard, and 23 other items were misbranded. Test results of over 1,000 samples are awaited as of March 13. Unsafe samples include mostly tea, fruits and vegetables having higher pesticide residues than what is prescribed in the food safety regulations. There are also a few cereals and spices. Substandard samples include milk and milk products, edible oils, salt, cereals, and spices. In January, a special surveillance drive was conducted throughout the state to check vegetables for pesticide residues and other contaminants. Out of 343 samples collected, 41 were found to be unsafe because of higher pesticide resi...