Dec 12, 2012

Pranab Mukherjee emphasizes on challenges to food safety

New Delhi, Dec 12 (ANI): President Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said the globalization of the world economy has also given a significant boost to food trade and resulted in a paradigm shift in food consumption patterns, production methods and processing technologies.
“But at the same time, there is a new risk – of faster trans-boundary transfer of microbiological and chemical hazards. This presents a new set of challenges to food safety. These potential risks require robust preventive and curative capacities to be put in place to safeguard the health of our population,” said President Mukherjee in his inaugural address at the National Seminar on ‘Food Safety – Role of Standards’ organized by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) at the Vigyan Bhawan here.
“The economic cost of poor safety standards can be high – in terms of treatment of food-borne diseases and the direct and indirect economic loss due to rejection or low grading of our products in the international market,” he added.
President Mukherjee said India has made significant strides over the past decades in food production as well as in exports of food products.
“India is among the 15 leading exporters of agricultural products in the world. It is noteworthy that in 2010-11, exports of agricultural and allied products registered a robust growth rate of 39.3 percent. It is indeed a positive development that manufacturers of food, transporters and all stakeholders in the chain of food supply in our country are becoming increasingly cognisant of the virtues of food safety,” said President Mukherjee.
“More and more of them are voluntarily and consciously adapting traditional approaches to develop innovative systems for food safety management,” he added.
Emphasizing that food safety has been a key priority for the Government of India, President Mukherjee said: “The Food Safety and Standards Act introduced by Government in 2006 is a comprehensive, consolidating statute related to food safety and regulation. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, established under this Act has the responsibility of protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety.”
The President pointed out that the challenge of meeting the ever growing food requirement of our population calls for major investments and innovation in our agriculture, agri-business and food processing sectors.
“While up-gradation of suitable technology is essential, safe farming practices, modern breeding techniques should go hand in hand with food related research, duly concentrating on how food safety should be regulated under Indian climatic and other relevant physical and cultural conditions,” said President Mukherjee.
“The Bureau of Indian Standards has an increasingly important role in this effort. I note that the Bureau of Indian Standards has formulated Indian Standards and a number of guidelines on best practices and management systems. In these, they have included Indian standards on Food Retail Management, Good Hygienic Practices, and Good Manufacturing Practices,” he added.
President Mukherjee said the Indian Standard on basic requirements for street food vendors is an important step, especially in the context of the significant growth in the street food sector.
“It has important economic and nutritional implications for our urban populations as street foods are an accessible and affordable option for a sizeable percentage of our working population,” he added.
Pointing out that a substantial majority of our food businesses are small and cottage scale units, President Mukherjee said: ” They should not be intimidated by the standards that are set for them or find their implementation to be too complex. There must be a channel for addressing their genuine problems and generating practical solutions to these.”
“They should be made aware that these standards are measures that have been taken by Government and regulators are in their own interest. By improving the safety of the food they produce and building food safety systems and capacity, they would increase their own profitability,” he added.
President Mukherjee said the importance of consumer education in the prevention of food-borne illness is another universal imperative.
The President also congratulated the Bureau of Indian Standards for taking this initiative to create awareness about food safety and the role of standards in India. (ANI)

FDA officials continue to inspect college canteens for second day

PANAJI: Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials continued inspecting college canteens for the second day on Tuesday to ensure that they adhere to safety and hygiene norms.

None of the ten college canteens that were raided by FDA during the last two days had valid licences to operate.

FDA officials raided five college canteens each in South Goa and North Goa. "All the ten college canteens that our officials inspected were operating without mandatory safety licence," said director of FDA Salim Veljee. The FDA has not suspended functioning of the ten canteens, though it has directed contractors operating the canteens to immediately take corrective measures. "We have not shut down canteens as it will cause inconvenience to students but they have been asked to improve hygienic conditions and apply for licences," said Veljee.

FSSAI Act discussed at India FoodService Forum 2012

FSSAI Act discussed at India FoodService Forum 2012 A knowledge-based session organised by NRAI on the Food Safety and Standards Act issued by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on the first day of the India FoodService Forum 2012, being held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, discussed the impact of the Act on the food . Titled "NRAI Knowledge Session: Food Safety and Standards Act – Everything You Need to Know and How to Deal with it" was chaired by Samir Kuckreja, President NRAI. Others on the panel included Ujjwal Kumar, Country Head Business-Development, CQM; Ais Kumar, Designated Officer Western Zone, Food Safety Standards Authority of India; Anand Krishnan, Deputy Counsellor- Agriculture, Consulate General, The Netherlands; Dr. Shatadru Sengupta, Director-Legal and Company Secretary, McDonald’s (West & South); and Rajiv Malik, Deputy General Manager, Jubilant Foodworks.

Since the industry is still not aware about the new Act, the panel took the task to discuss briefly the various provisions that affect the industry directly and specially the independent restaurateurs and the areas where they need to prepare themselves to avoid pitfalls.

Krishnan delivered the key note address on the new food safety regulation describing the entire process of registration, role of the food safety officer, and the act in a nutshell.

When asked about the challenges the new FSSAI act brings, Malik said, “We work with around 250 suppliers. The challenge lies in making all the suppliers compliant to the new rule. In last six months we also warned our suppliers to get themselves aligned according to the needs of the new rule and then only we will work with them.”

The discourse then centered around the challenges and the consequences for both the operators and the FSSAI in the timely implementation of the new Act. The speakers also shared the various cost effective solutions to improve the hygiene and sanitation process.

Talking on the licensing issue, Kumar clarified that if the annual turnover of a food service outlet is less than Rs 12 lakh then it must get the registration of that place and no licence is required. If the turnover exceeds Rs 12 lakh, then the outlet license is required.

The session was concluded with the suggestion that industry bodies should conduct more sessions on the Act to create awareness.

SC moved for stringent ban on tobacco items

The petition sought direction to the government and the Food Safety and Standards Authority to rigorously enforce the restrictions.
New Delhi, Dec 12 (IANS) The Supreme Court Wednesday issued notice to the government on a plea for ban on manufacture, distribution, sale, export, import and consumption of chewing tobacco, gutka and pan masala in all their forms.
The apex court bench Justice G.S. Singhvi and Justice S.J. Mukhopadhaya issued notice after petitioner Centre for Public Interest Litigation's (CPIL) counsel Prashant Bhushan told the court that 14 states had banned gutka but the restriction was not effective as the product was still being manufactured in other states.
The CPIL sought direction that violation of the prohibition order, as sought by it, would not only make a tobacco product's manufacturer liable under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, but also constitute an offence of contempt of court.
The petition sought direction to the government and the Food Safety and Standards Authority to rigorously enforce the restrictions.
Seeking ban on all forms of gutka, the application said that 14 states have banned gutka only and there were no curbs on chewing tobacco and pan masala.
The NGO alleged that the government had not taken any steps to implement the orders of the apex court or even its own notification which was issued in pursuance to the court's orders.
The court would next hear the matter in February 2013.

FSS ACT WORKSHOP & LICENSE MELA






Rice Bran May Have Chemopreventive Effect

FORT COLLINS, Colo.—Emerging evidence suggests that dietary rice bran may have beneficial effects against several types of cancer, such as breast, lung, liver and colorectal cancer. The chemopreventive potential has been related to the bioactive phytochemicals present in the bran portion of the rice, according to a new study published in the journal Advances in Nutrition.
Researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center found there is a delicate balance of bioactive components in rice bran that together show anti-cancer activity, including the ability to inhibit cell proliferation, alter cell cycle progression and initiate the programmed cell death known as apoptosis in malignant cells. The researchers showed that bioactive rice bran derived small molecules include, but are not limited to, polyphenolics, ferulic acid, tricin, β-sitosterol, γ-oryzanol, tocotrienols/tocopherols and phytic acid.
“We’re working now to tease apart the ratios of these active molecules required for bioactivity and mechanisms. Previous attempts to isolate one or another compound have been largely unsuccessful and so it looks now as if rather than any one compound giving rice bran its chemopreventive powers, it’s the synergistic activity of multiple components in the whole food that should be studied," the said.
Work with cancer cell lines and animal models shows that the bioactive components of rice bran act not only within cancer cells but around the cells to create conditions in the surrounding tissues that promote the function of healthy cells, while inhibiting the function of cancer cells. This tissue microenvironment activity includes mediating chronic inflammation that provides a ripe landscape for cancer.
The researchers are evaluating how rice bran may also help to promote an anti-cancer immune response and modulate gut microbiota metabolism for protection against cancer.
“There are well over 100,000 varieties of rice in the world, many with their own unique mix of bioactive components and so one major challenge is to discover the optimal composition for chemoprevention. Another challenge is ensuring that people consistently receive the required daily intake amount or ‘dose’ needed to demonstrate these chemo-protective effects. That said, rice is an accessible, low-cost food in most places of the world, and so work with rice bran as a dietary chemopreventive agent has the potential to impact a significant portion of the world’s population," they said.
Current fiber intakes are alarmingly low, with less than 3% of all Americans meeting recommended intakes. Many nutrition authorities believe adding fiber ingredients to commonly consumed foods will help Americans bridge the fiber gap without adding significant calories to the diet. To find out more about formulating healthy foods with fiber, check out the free “Formulating With Fiber" digital issue on Food Product Design.

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ஓட்டல்களில் ரேஷன் பாமாயில் !


ஊட்டி: நீலகிரியில், தரமற்ற உணவு பண்டங்களின் விற்பனை குறித்த, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறையினரின் "ரெய்டு' தொடர்கிறது. ஓட்டல்களில் பயன்படுத்தி வந்த, ரேஷன் பாமாயிலும் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன.நீலகிரியில், தரமற்ற உணவு பண்டங்களின் விற்பனை குறித்து, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் மருந்து நிர்வாக துறை நியமன அலுவலர் டாக்டர் ரவி மற்றும் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் செல்வராஜ், ஆதி கோபாலகிருஷ்ணன், அருண் உட்பட குழுவினர் சில நாட்களாக "ரெய்டு' நடத்தி வருகின்றனர்.

எல்லநள்ளியில் ஏகப்பட்ட பிரச்னை: நேற்று காலை, ஊட்டி அருகே எல்லநள்ளி, கேத்தியில் உள்ள ஓட்டல், மளிகை கடைகளில் "ரெய்டு' நடத்தப்பட்டது. இதற்கு பின், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை நியமன அலுவலர் டாக்டர் ரவி கூறுகையில், ""கேத்தியில் உள்ள தனியார் கல்லூரி கேன்டினில் நடத்தப்பட்ட ஆய்வில், சாயம் கலந்த கலப்பட தேயிலை தூள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.

சுகாதாரமான முறையில் உணவுப் பண்டங்களை தயாரிக்க வேண்டும், என அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டது."ரேஷன் கடைகளில் விற்கப்படும் பாமாயில், வணிக பயன்பாட்டுக்கு பயன்படுத்த கூடாது,' என்ற நிலையில், எல்லநள்ளியில் உள்ள ஒரு ஓட்டலில், அதிகளவில் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.

"செயற்கை' தட்டுப்பாடு :

இதன் மூலம் ரேஷன் கடைகளில் இருந்து, பாமாயில் "பிளாக்' மார்க்கெட்டில் விற்பனை செய்வது ஊர்ஜிதமாகி உள் ளது. இதனை கட்டுப்படுத்த, சம்பந்தப்பட்ட அதிகாரிகள் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும். இதனால், மக்களுக்கு பாமாயில் கிடைக்காத "செயற்கை' தட்டுப்பாடு உருவாக்கப்படுகிறது. மற்றொரு ஓட்டலில், சமையலுக்கு தயாராக இருந்த அழுகிய காய்கறிகள், திறந்த நிலையில் பாதுகாப்பற்ற சூழலில் வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த மீன்கள் அகற்றப்பட்டன.
பல உணவுப் பொருட்களை தயாரிக்க, ஒரு முறை பயன்படுத்திய எண்ணெய் மறு சுழற்சி அடிப்படையில் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகின்றன. இத்தகைய உணவை உண்பதால் இதய நோய்கள் வர வாய்ப்புள்ளது. ஒரு வார காலத்திற்குள் இத்தகைய குறைபாடுகளை நிவர்த்தி செய்து கொள்ள வேண்டும், என அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டுள் ளது,'' என்றார்.