Dec 7, 2014

Rs 80,000 fine slapped

Indore : The court of Additional District Magistrate Dilip Kumar slapped a fine of Rs 80,000 on to two firms after proving the samples fake.
Orders to this effect were issued on December 6 by the court after the completion of hearing of the both the cases.
The penalised firms – M/s Mahendra Kumar Biharilal Jain, 43 Subhas Marg and M/S Harsh Foods at 14 Marothia Bazar – are prominent sellers of dry fruits. As per the case, food safety officer had taken the samples of buttermilk spices from the shop on 19 May this year. The spices were selling with fictitious brand names and the samples were failed in lab testing. Following the positive report of the lab, ADM Kumar imposed the fine on the firm.
Similarly, food safety officer Jitendra Singh Rana had taken the samples of fake Chirag brand refined soya oil pack from M/S Ramdas Vedprakash, 38 Udyog Nagar, Musakhedi on July 13, 2013.The samples were also foud positive in the state food testing lab, Bhopal. Accepting the report of the lab, the ADM imposed fine of Rs 30,000 on the firm. The fines are imposed under the Section 62 of the food safety and standard Act 2006.

Food samples taken from city KFC outlets

Guwahati: Prompted by reports of food adulteration of samples collected from one outlet of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) in Delhi, food inspectors of the state inspected two KFC outlets in the city and collected food samples for examination.
Food inspectors in Guwahati collected samples of 'chicken hot spices', spices and frequently used culinary powders.
"The response of those working at the two outlets was quite good and they were cooperative. The inspection involved closed scrutiny of the premises of both the two outlets. If the samples are found to be unsafe and substandard, then they will be punished according to the Food Safety and Standard Act," said Samiran Baruah, food safety officer, Kamrup (metro) district.
The samples will be sent to the laboratory of the food safety department and a proper analysis will take place over 14 days.
The city has three KFC outlets with another one coming up in the Paltan Bazaar area. It is quite popular among the citizens and is frequented by youngsters.
There is lack of awareness about proper hygienic practices, knowledge on food safety and a thriving demand for low-cost fast food condiments among the people, especially youngsters, who are facing severe health hazards.
Jaundice, gastroenteritis, diarrhoea, dysentery and others are common here. Strict enforcement of the norms is required.
"Assam, as compared to other states in the country doesn't fare well in implementing food safety norms," said a source.

KFC, Sagar Ratna rice: HC confirms popular eateries are serving UNSAFE food!


If you love dining in KFC or Sagar Ratna, this news is for you! The Delhi high court has been informed by the city government’s food safety department that samples of rice dishes collected by it from two popular eateries here have been found to be unsafe.
In an affidavit filed by the department, it said the presence of artificial colour rendered the dishes “unsafe” for human consumption. Samples taken from KFC’s restaurant at Scindia House in Connaught Place of its “Rizo Rice” showed it to be unsafe due to the presence of artificial colour, the affidavit said.Rice samples collected for testing from Sagar Ratna restaurant in Guru Teg Bahadur Nagar also were found to be unsafe. The response of the government came on a petition seeking ban on the sale of fruits, vegetables and food items with artificial colours and pesticides.
The affidavit said legal action has been initiated against the offenders.
It also said samples of ghee collected from various eateries were found to be of “sub-standard” quality and were “misbranded” to mislead the public.
Samples of fruit and vegetable chutney picked up from the Bikanerwala restaurant at the ITL Tower in Netaji Subhash Place also showed addition of artificial colours. After the high court’s direction, the department has been regularly inspecting fruits and vegetables in markets here to detect colours and pesticide residue in them.
A total of 1,420 samples of various edible items were taken since the court issued the direction March 5. Five of them showed the presence of pesticide residue above the prescribed tolerance limit. The court had acted suo motu on a report by NGO Consumer Voice, which in 2010 found that 35 varieties of vegetables and fruits, picked from Delhi markets and tested for pesticide content, had toxins beyond permissible limits.