Mar 13, 2013

FDA acts against milk processor

PUNE: Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials initiated action against a milk processor based in Satara district for alleged use of adulterants to prepare toned milk. The action was taken based on a complaint by a city-based activist.

The milk processor planned to introduce milk at very cheap rates in Pune's markets and was advertising vigorously to lure people to join him by making yearly payments. "The advertisement had appeared in almost all newspapers and offered to provide cow and buffalo milk throughout the year at very cheap rates if a consumer makes a one-time yearly payment," said activist Sandeep Khardekar, president of Creative Foundation. "The advertisement seemed suspicious, so I complained to state FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade, following which officials conducted raids and found adulterants in the form of whey modified powder at the plant in Javali taluka in Satara district," Khardekar added.

Assistant commissioner (food) of FDA, Satara, Sampat Deshmukh said, "We conducted raids on Shree Raj Milk and Milk Products on March 4. We found modified whey powder at the site, which the processor was using to maintain the SNF (solid-not-fat) ratio in toned milk. We took samples and destroyed 1,498 litres of toned milk worth Rs 28,562 and four bags of modified whey powder worth Rs 10,000." The action was initiated under section 3, 37, 38 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, Deshmukh added. "We have sent the milk samples for laboratory tests. The report is expected to be ready within 14 days.

Further action will be taken as per the laboratory reports. If anything hazardous to health is found in the milk, we will file a criminal case. If the milk is found to be substandard but otherwise not harmful for human consumption, we will impose a penalty," Deshmukh said. Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune division said, "People should use their discretion while reading such advertisements which are often misleading. Citizens can contact our office for any doubts."

Dinamani Article


Food products unfit for consumption seized

Huge quantity of food products that were unfit for human consumption were seized from a major private retail chain store in Erode town on Tuesday.
A team of officials led by District Supply Officer Durga Moorthy and Food Safety Officer G. Ramesh conducted a surprise check at the Jayasuryas Departmental Store and seized about 1.5 tonnes of food products including maida and vanaspathi that were unfit for human consumption.
Value
“The value of the seized food products is around Rs. 1 lakh. We have also found packaged food products, which had crossed the expiry date, being sold at the store and seized them. A majority of these products were sold at a discount price,” Ms. Durga said.
The raid was held at the store and its godown following complaints received during the public grievances redressal meeting held on Monday. “We also found that the original labels on the packaged products were replaced with fake labels. Some of the packaged goods displayed at the store did not have the manufacturing date, expiry date, maximum retail price and other required information,” she said.

Mango traders bitter after FDA's Warning

Following the Food and Drug Administration department's warning to them to refrain from adulterating mangoes with calcium carbide, retailers from the city contemplating not to buy or sell the fruit this season

With the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department vowing to crack down on traders found using calcium carbide to ripen mangoes, the city’s mango dealers are finding the action a bitter pill to swallow. Traders are threatening that they will not purchase mangoes from farmers this season because they believe that the FDA’s rules are illogical and would be difficult to adhere to.
At a meeting called on Sunday by the FDA department to make traders aware of the dangers of adulterated mangoes, the traders put forward their concerns, insisting that they will not purchase or sell mangoes till the rules are relaxed. Shivlala Bhosle, president of traders at Market Yard, said, “Though it is a step in the right direction keeping in mind the consumers health, it is very difficult to follow these norms since they are very harsh. But, we will still try and abide by the set of laws.”
After the meeting, all traders held an impromptu meeting among themselves after which they told FDA officials that it would be very difficult to follow the rules and they won’t buy or sell mangoes this season. Explaining the reasons for their protest, AM Konde, divisional head of Market Yard, said, “If we purchase mangoes that haven’t ripened, we have to store the boxes at our shop. But considering the quantity of cartons that arrive daily, there will be no place to store these boxes after a few days. Moreover, the dimensions of most of the shops range from 11-ft by 26-ft. Hence, it would be cumbersome to store mangoes for more than a fortnight for them to ripen.”
According to FDA norms, a heavy fine would be imposed on traders caught indulging in ripening mangoes with calcium carbide. The punishment could vary from six months imprisonment or a fine up to Rs 10 lakh. Raising questions about the penalty, a dealer, on condition of anonymity, said, “What happens if the mangoes are artificially ripened by the growers and we are caught by FDA officials while transporting them? We would be penalised for no fault of ours. Moreover, if we desist from purchasing the adulterated mangoes from the farmers, there would be 99 other dealers willing to buy them, as there is heavy competition during the mango season.”
The FDA, meanwhile, has refused to budge from its stance to curb the malpractice, and is determined to take firm steps against the wrongdoers. Sashikand Kekare, joint commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said, “We will take action as per the norms mentioned in the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. Although the traders are facing problems, using calcium carbide is no way to go about ripening mangoes. There are other processes that can be used to ripen the mangoes.” 

FDA Maharashtra asks cooks at Chowpatty stalls to wear aprons & gloves

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra, has urged cooks at snack stalls at Juhu, Dadar and Girgaum Chowpatty to don aprons, gloves and hats, like their counterparts in five-star hotels. The rule will come into effect by the end of March 2013. The food served by them will also undergo checks for contamination at regular intervals.

The objective of imposing this rule is to provide customers a germ-free environment. Failure to comply with it would result in not getting the license, a requisite to continue running the business. The state food regulator organised a workshop with the beachside food business operators (FBOs) recently, to which the response was positive.

FDA Maharashtra officials appealed to them to follow the hygiene standards laid down under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006. Suresh Desmukh, joint commissioner, food, FDA, Greater Mumbai said, “In the first phase of implementing the Act, which is now complete, our target was to register the vendors with the FDA. Now, we are focussing on hygiene.”

He added, “At the end of the month, we will be organising a workshop to inform vendors about the standards they have to adhere to. They will not be given time to adopt hygiene norms, as they have already had that. We intend to make sellers hygiene-conscious by making aprons, gloves and hats mandatory.”

“None of the vendors' excuses will be accepted. Those who do not follow the norms will be fined. The three beaches are extremely popular tourist spots. People come here in large numbers, which is why we want to build up the image of street food vendors here,” Deshmukh said.

Dina Thanthi & Dinakaran News


டிபார்ட்மெண்ட் ஸ்டோரில் திடீர் ரெய்டு
ஈரோடு, மார்ச் 13:
ஈரோட்டில் உள்ள ஒரு தனியார் டிபார்ட்மெண்ட் ஸ்டோரில் காலாவதியான பொருட்களை விற்றது தொடர்பாக அதிகாரிகள் நேற்று ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். ரூ.1.50 லட்சம் மதிப்புள்ள பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.
ஈரோட்டில் உள்ள ஒரு தனியார் டிபார்ட்மெண்ட் ஸ்டோரில் காலாவதியான பொருட்கள் விற்பதாக புகார்கள் வந்துள்ளது. இதைத் தொடர்ந்து நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க அதிகாரிகளுக்கு கலெக்டர் சண்முகம் உத்தரவிட்டார். இதனடிப்படையில் நேற்று மாவட்ட வழங்கல் அலுவலர் துர்கா மூர்த்தி, உணவு மற்றும் மருந்து நிர்வாகத்துறை மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர் டாக்டர் ரமேஷ் மற்றும் அலுவலர்கள் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட டிபார்ட்மெண்ட் ஸ்டோரில் அதிரடி சோதனை மேற்கொண்டனர்.

அப்போது, உணவு பொட்டல பொருட்களில் பழைய லேபிள்களை கிழித்து விட்டு புதிதாக லேபிள் ஒட்டி பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்தது தெரிய வந்தது. மேலும், மைதா மாவு, ரெடிமேட் சப்பாத்தி பாக்கெட்டுகள், டீத்தூள் போன்ற பொருட்கள் தரமற்றதாக இருந்துள்ளது. இதையடுத்து அதிகாரிகள் அங்கிருந்த பொருட்களை பறிமுதல் செய் தனர். இதில் 50 கிலோ கொண்ட 53 மூட்டை மைதா மாவு, 20 கிலோ டீத்தூள், 50 பாக்கெட் ரெடிமேட் சப்பாத்தி, மிக்சர் என ரூ.1.50 லட்சம் மதிப்புள்ள பொருட்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். பின்னர் அந்த பொருட்களை வெண்டிபாளையத்தில் உள்ள குப்பை கிடங்கிற்கு கொண்டு சென்று அழித்தனர். கோபியில் உள்ள ஒரு டிபார்ட்மெண்டல் ஸ்டோரிலும் நேற்று ரெய்டு நடத்தப்பட்டு 5 ஆயிரம் மதிப்புள்ள பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.

பொட்டல பொருட்களில் எடையளவு, தயாரிக்கும் தேதி, காலாவதி தேதி, நிறுவனத்தின் பெயர்கள் கொண்ட ஸ்டிக்கர்களை பாக்கெட்டின் உள்பகுதியில் வைக்க வேண்டும். காலாவதியான பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்தாலோ, விதிமுறைகளை மீறி பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்தாலோ அந்த நிறுவனத்தின் மீது கடுமையன நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்று மாவட்ட நிர்வாகம் எச்சரித்து உள்ளது.

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