Jun 25, 2015

Why stars can’t be in Maggi soup

Food safety and celebrity endorsement became a subject of debate when a few days ago “Maggi” noodles’ brand ambassadors including Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta were warned of legal action by a government agency for misleading representations. Related to the same issue, a criminal case against these celebrities was instituted in a district court of Bihar. The issue has raised an interesting legal debate with regard to advertisements, celebrity endorsements, their representations and their liabilities especially in regard to food products.
Indian law does not recognise an “endorser” or “brand ambassador” as any particular legal entity and also does not distinguish between a celebrity as an endorser and a “well-known person” as an advertising artist. Hence whether these celebrities will have a greater liability then a paid actor in law is a subject of debate.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guide of USA (15 Code of federal regulation Part 255) defines endorsement as “any advertising message (including verbal statements, demonstrations, or depictions of the name, signature, likeness, or other identifying personal characteristics of an individual or the name or seal of an organization) that consumers are likely to believe reflects the opinions, beliefs, findings, or experiences of a party other than the sponsoring advertiser, even if the views expressed by that party are identical to those of the sponsoring advertiser.”
Section 3 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 of India (hereinafter FSS Act) defines “advertisement” as “any audio or visual publicity, representation or pronouncement” made through “print, electronic media, Internet or website, and… any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice or other documents”. Surely the definition is wide enough to cover all forms of promotions and publicity aimed at advertising a product for sale.
According to Section 23 (1) of the FSS Act, “no person shall manufacture, distribute, sell or expose for sale… any packaged food products which are not marked or labeled” as per regulations. The labels “shall not contain any statement, claim, design or device which is false or misleading in any particular”. It adds. “Every food business operator shall ensure that the labeling and presentation of food… and the information which is made available about them… does not mislead consumers.”
The expression “no person” used in the section may have a larger connotation. However any interpretation that considers a brand ambassador as a person who may be held responsible for sale “or expose for sale” will be beyond reasonability. The section that focuses on proper packaging and labeling fixes liabilities only on persons who are directly responsible for manufacturing, selling or distributing a food product in regard to the proper packaging and labeling of such food product.
A brand ambassador is not directly involved in manufacturing, selling or distribution and has no control on packaging and labeling of the food products. Therefore he or she cannot be identified as a responsible person for the purpose of this section.
Section 24 (1) of the FSS Act prohibits making of any advertisement “of any food which is misleading or deceiving or contravenes the Act, the rules and regulations under it.” The expression “no advertisement shall be made” creates a very sweeping liability which may extend to advertisement producer, ad agency, and may be even to a brand ambassador or an endorser too, although this is not explicitly stated.
Further, sub section 2 of this section may bring liability on any brand ambassador or endorser if he falsely represents that the foods are of a particular standard, quality, quantity or grade-composition. But it requires a deliberate false representation. In the present case any claim of “false representation” may not hold much ground when it is government agencies that have given all required certifications. Only after believing these to be proper did celebrities agree to endorse the product.
A brand ambassador does not have any means of more credible satisfaction about the food product then certification by government agencies, presumed to have been granted after proper tests.
The same sub section also fixes liability for making a false or misleading representation in regard to the need for the product or its usefulness, or giving a public guarantee of efficacy that is not based on adequate or scientific justification. Any representation with such guarantee may make the brand ambassador liable for unfair or deceptive trade practices. If such a claim is made by the ambassador, the burden of proof will lie on the person defending the claim to show that the guarantee was indeed based on scientific justification. In the Maggi case, though, no such claims have been made by these celebrities.
The expression “Unfair Trade Practice” used in the FSS Act has not been defined. However it has been defined under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 and includes any trade practice used for the purpose of promoting sale, use or supply of any goods by making any statement, whether orally or in writing or by visible representation, which falsely represents that the goods are of a particular standard, quality, quantity, grade, composition…. or any misleading representation concerning the need for or the usefulness of any goods. But the Consumer Protection Act fixes liabilities and allows complaints only against a trader in case of any goods and a service provider in case of any service; a brand ambassador or endorser will hardly fall in either category.
Section 53 (1) of the FSS Act may pose a problem for brand ambassadors. It makes liable for a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh “any person who publishes, or is a party to the publication of an advertisement, which falsely describes any food, or is likely to mislead as to [its] nature or substance or quality… or gives false guarantee”. Exercising powers under the Act, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India in 2011 had issued an advisory in regard to misleading claims.
There are no judicial precedents in India in regard to celebrity endorsements and representations made by them in advertisements. However there is American case law. In FTC vs. Garvey (2004), decided by the US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, the FTC had instituted proceedings against a celebrity baseball player, Steve Garvey for a false and misleading advertising for dietary supplements that claimed to be helpful in weight loss. The appellate court held that to hold him liable, the FTC had to prove that Garvey had actual knowledge of the material misrepresentations, was recklessly indifferent to the truth or falsity of a representation, or had an awareness of a high probability of fraud along with an intentional avoidance of the truth. The court held that the FTC failed to meet its burden. Similarly in the Cooga Mooga, Inc.(1978) case too, celebrity endorsement become the subject matter of litigation.
It must be noted that while determining any legal liability of celebrities in the Maggi case, the prosecuting agency will have to take into consideration the fact that two among the three had already stopped endorsing the product many years ago.
An argument to fix some tortuous liability may be extended on the ground that statements made by brand ambassadors cajole consumers to use the product creating a direct link between their representation and increased consumption. However in case of a food product involving the taste ingredient, it does not seem logical to contend that upon endorsement by a celebrity somebody would change his tastes or like a new taste.
Clearly, legal liabilities of endorsers in general, and in case of food products in particular, are ambiguous where the endorser’s role and responsibilities are unclear in law. Any interpretation of extant laws to bring celebrity endorsers within their ambit would be disproportionate and inappropriate.
But surely the present “Maggi” issue provides sufficient reason for lawmakers to amend laws to fix explicit and proportionate legal liability of celebrity brand ambassadors and endorsers. The difference between a paid actor taking part in an advertisement and an endorser or brand ambassador may also be made clear to determine the extent of liability as in American law.
In America, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has provided a guide concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising (15 Code of federal regulation Part 255), which says that if a celebrity is in fact an endorser then in such a case, endorsement must “reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser”. While not required to become an expert on a product or industry, the celebrity, if reading from a script, may have an obligation to make reasonable inquiries of the advertiser to confirm that there is an adequate basis for assertions made in the script. This may include requesting substantiation for product claims made in the advertising campaign and requesting samples of the product for personal use.
In essence, the celebrity should not ignore signs that claims made about a product appear to be false or misleading. If an advertisement represents that the celebrity uses the endorsed product, then the endorser must be or have been a bona fide user at the time the endorsement was given. Once an endorsement is secured, it can be run only so long as the opinion of the endorser remains the same while remaining the bona fide user of the product.
On the principle of caveatemptor, some disclosures such as “I personally have not verified in terms of specific purity and quality of the product” may be made mandatory. Further it may also be made mandatory to disclose in public the amount received for a specific advertisement or endorsement.
The writer is an ICSSR Doctoral Research fellow at National Law School of India University, Bangalore.

HC allows FSSAI to recall Amway products

Nagpur: After Maggi, it's now the turn of network marketing major Amway Enterprises to withdraw its products from the market. The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) to go ahead with its action of recalling seven Amway products.
A division bench comprising justice Bhushan Gavai and justice Indira Jain tersely asked FSSAI what was preventing them from taking action when products were found unfit for consumption in their scientific studies. The court then adjourned hearing of PIL filed by social workers Sachin Khobragade and Jammu Anand through their counsel Nihalsingh Rathod by eight weeks.
Earlier, FSSAI filed an affidavit through senior counsel Mehmood Parasher and Rohan Malviya that as many as 37 products of the chain marketing major were put under the scanner. Of these, seven were found to contain more than permissible quantity of minerals and vitamins as per studies conducted by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute for Nutrition (NIN). All these products were found without mandatory licenses and no-objection certificates (NOC) or product approvals from the food authority.
Out of 37 products were under the scanner, seven including Nutrilite Natural B tablets, Calcium Magnesium D, Nutrilite Iron Folic tablets, Nutrilite Bio C, Positrim Vanilla, and Nutrilite Kids Drink in mixed fruit flavour had been rejected by the food authority. NOC of Nutrilite Salmon Omega 3, Nutrilite CH Balance and Nutrilite Fiber had expired, still they were being sold.
The main reason for rejection of NOC was that ingredients such as protein and minerals exceeded beyond permissible limit in the products. Some products contained protein powder that had been denied NOC, approval or license by FSSAI, whose product approval committee had rejected all such products. However, even after warnings, the company failed to withdraw them from the market. The petitioners alleged that despite being directed by FSSAI to recall them, the company is still selling them openly in the market.
Citing provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the petitioners prayed for directives to FSSAI to recall all Amway products which are being sold without valid license/approval/NOC, and investigations from an independent body into entire episode. They also demanded conducting audit of FSSAI.
AMWAY PRODUCTS WITH EXPIRED NOC
Nutrilite Salmon Omega 3
Nutrilite CH Balance
Nutrilite Fiber
PRODUCTS UNFIT FOR HUMANS
Nutrilite Natural B tablets - Excess vitamins
Nutrilite Calcium Magnesium-D - Excess minerals, vitamins
Nutrilite Iron Folic tablets - Excess minerals, vitamins
Nutrilite Bio C - Excess vitamins
Positrim Vanilla - Excess vitamins
Nutrilite Kids Drink in mixed fruit flavour - Can't be given without doctor's recommendation

83% of food samples on Char Dham yatra fail food safety test: Survey

DEHRADUN: Almost 83% of food samples tested on the Char Dham yatra route were found to be adulterated, according to a recent survey carried out by the Dehradun-based Society of Pollution & Environmental Conservation (SPECS) scientists.
The body, which has been conducting food adulteration sample surveys along the Char Dham routes annually since 2005, surveyed 1685 samples of food stuff which were being sold at various points on the yatra. It found that of the 1685 samples, 1405 were adulterated. Mustard oil had adulteration levels of 97-100%, chilli powder 85-94% and milk products 50 to 62%.
Vinegar was found to be 100% adulterated while 70% of adulteration was found in sweets, 91% in coriander powder and 59% in ghee. Out of the 390 samples of iodized salt tested, 323 samples were found to be without iodine. Out of 243 samples of tea, 197 samples were found adulterated. 
On the Kedarnath-Badrinath route, 461 out of 561 samples (82%) and on the Yamunotri-Gangotri route, 387 out of 469 samples (82%) were found to be adulterated. The minimum adulteration level found on the Kedarnath-Badrinath route was 62% at Chopta and Chamoli, while the highest - 100% -- was recorded on the Yamunotri-Gangotri route at Kaudiyala,Gangori ,Bhatwari and Gangnani. 
Adulteration levels seemed to be increasing each year on the Char Dham trail, as per SPECS officials. In the first survey in 2005, they point out, adulteration levels were 76% which rose to around 82% in 2008. 
Brij Sharma, secretary SPECS said that the rising adulteration levels were a matter of great concern. "Adulteration is a criminal act of the highest order, since it plays with the lives of the people and causes life-threatening diseases. We are advocating the strictest action for those who indulge in such practices," he said.

Food Safety Wing to Unleash 'Op Ruchi'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Food Safety wing is planning to take out state-wide raids under ‘Operation Ruchi’ for checking the use of pesticides in fruits and vegetables and adulterants in other food items. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy will also convene an inter-state co-ordination committee meeting on pesticide-ridden fruits and vegetables in Thiruvananthapuram on July 21, Health Minister V S Sivakumar has said.
The July 21 meeting will review the status of pesticide presence in agricultural produce against the backdrop of various preventive measures taken by the state government, Sivakumar said. ‘Operation Ruchi.’ will cover vegetable shops, bakeries, restaurants, super markets and hyper markets. The decisions were taken at a high-level meeting on Wednesday. Packaged food items, edible oils, milk and packaged drinking water will come under the scanner. The government is also planning to hold district-level awareness camps before July 10 and at the Assembly constituency level, headed by MLAs, during July and August.
The report submitted by a Food Safety fact-finding team from Kerala which visited farm lands in Tamil Nadu had been submitted to the Central Advisory Committee, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, on June 4. At the same meeting, the committee had asked the Food Safety Commissioner, Tamil Nadu, to submit a report. Health Secretary Dr K Elangovan, Food Safety Commissioner (in-charge) K Anil Kumar, Health Department director Dr S Jayasankar and other officials were present at Wednesday’s meeting.

Kerala to set up mobile labs to test quality of food products

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Concerned over increasing instances of food adulteration, Kerala is gearing up to set up a string of mobile testing laboratories at check posts, claimed to be a first such initiative in the country. 
The plan is to examine the quality of food articles, including milk, milk products, oil and water, in view of increasing concerns on the flood of adulterated food articles from neighbouring states. 
Tender procedures in this regard were almost complete and negotiations were on with a company to finalise the standards and conditions, a senior food safety official said. 
In the initial phase, three mobile lab units would be set up in selected check posts in the state. 
State food safety joint commissioner K Anil Kumar said, "This is the first time that any state is setting up such mobile labs at check posts to test quality of edible goods." 
"By setting up mobile test labs, Kerala is actually showcasing a model for other states in the drive against adulterated articles. We are planning to open them at selected check posts in the state, but the exact locations are yet to be decided," he told PTI. 
The state-owned Kerala Medical Services Corporation Ltd has been entrusted with the selection of the company to set up the mobile labs. 
"KMSCL has now zeroed in on a company and negotiations are going on," he said.
He said the state was already carrying out regular checks and strict monitoring to ensure the quality and safety of food articles and the drive has been intensified after the Maggi noodles controversy. 
The government had also stepped up its vigil at check posts to prevent the arrival of vegetables and fruits, having high pesticide residue, from neighbouring states.

Food safety wing to intensify inspection

The food safety wing will intensify inspections across the State to regulate and restrict the use of food additives, colours, and flavouring agents as part of the initiative Operation Ruchi, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar said while chairing a meeting of Food Safety officials here on Wednesday .
As part of Operation Ruchi, junk or fast food, packed food products, ready-to-eat food, edible oils, milk and packaged drinking water will all be brought under the scanner and checked for quality as well as the presence of food additives or other harmful chemical ingredients. Vegetables and fruits will also be sampled for the presence of excessive levels of insecticides. Inspections will be carried out in vegetable stalls, bakeries, restaurants and supermarkets.
Coordination meeting
An inter-State coordination meeting chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on the issue of checking the excessive amounts of pesticides used in vegetables and fruits brought in to the State from other neighbouring States will be held here on July 21.
Regular inspections are being held to monitor if the levels of pesticides in fruits and vegetables have come down.
The report filed by the State Food Safety officials, who had visited the farmlands in Tamil Nadu on a fact-finding mission to assess the practices of using pesticides, had been presented by the Commissioner of Food Safety before the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s Central committee on June 4.
The Central committee, following discussions on the report, had asked the Food Safety Commissioner in Tamil Nadu to report on the steps that had been taken by that State to regulate the use of pesticides in vegetables and fruits.
The details of the meeting are available on the website of the FSSAI. The allegation by CPI leader Binoy Viswam that the State had not presented the facts before the FSSAI was baseless, the meeting pointed out.

Food Safety Act decoded

Awareness programme for food business operators
With pressure building up on food business operators (FBO) to adhere to the norms set by the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the Malabar Chamber of Commerce On Wednesday organised an awareness programme for those in the business on the nuances of the Act. District Food Safety Officer P.K. Aleyamma explained to the businessmen the important areas of the Act that may make a difference in the food business sector in the country.
Same platform
Ms. Aleyamma said that the purpose of the Act was to bring all the laws pertaining to food safety on the same platform to avoid any confusion. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will be the single appellate authority with reference to any issues pertaining to food in the country. The Act helps the vendors with information regarding what is to be done to make their products safe. The penalisation in case of non-compliance of the Act ranges depending upon the severity of the offence, she said.
The Act will put a check on manufacturers that make tall claims regarding their food products.
There are strict regulations regarding licensing and registration for food business. Come July, food product manufacturers are expected to print the FSSAI emblem as well as their Food licence number on every food packet, Ms. Aleyamma explained.
She also explained what to do and what not to do when it comes to safety of food and explained the difference between safe food and unadulterated food. She said that a person would have to face six months to life time imprisonment as well as fine ranging from Rs.5 lakh to 10 lakh for serious offences of the act that may result in harm to human life. Around 50 businessmen took part in the programme.
Food product manufacturers are expected to print FSSAI emblem and their food licence number on every food packet from July

FSSAI starves market of food launches

At least 700 food products awaiting approval from food safety regulator
This festive season could see no new food and beverage products hitting the market. Pending product approvals to the tune of about 700 in the last year and a half by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), companies are left with no new products in the pipeline. The result is that food and beverage companies will have to count largely on old products for sales during the crucial festive season.
“Nothing is moving in the market. Consignments that are being imported are held up at ports. If you apply for product approvals, that process, too, is getting delayed. A launch requires more than a product approval. It takes at least six to eight months after the approval for a product to hit the market. A delay there sets off a domino effect,” said Amit Lohani, convener of the Forum of Indian Food Importers. Lohani is also managing director of Delhi-based Max Foods, which imports packaged food products. He is also not the only one articulating these concerns.
A senior executive at a multinational food processing company confirmed the festive season this year would be dry for firms in the sector. “While launches vary from company to company, on an average at least three to four products are launched every year by the F&B players. During the festive season, the pace of launches goes up since the propensity to spend is high. This year, there is unlikely to be any action on that front since there is already an enormous backlog of approvals,” he said. He declined to specify which products from his firm were awaiting approval. 
Some other companies whose “files have been closed” for at least some products in 2015 by FSSAI include Merck, Britannia, Danone Foods, Amway, Dabur, Abbott, Hersheys, Heinz, Cadbury, Venky's, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Piramal Healthcare and Kellogg, data on the food safety regulator's website show.
“Closed files” refer to applications for approvals closed because of "non-submission of satisfactory response to the clarifications sought”, according to the FSSAI website. Companies said repeated clarifications sought by the regulator were resulting in delays.
Kellogg said on its Oats & Honey, the regulator had questioned the company's claim of the product being a weight-management cereal. A Kellogg India spokesperson had said, "As a routine part of the product approval process, we have received a query from FSSAI and have provided specific scientific explanation.”
Tata Starbucks and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) have gone a step ahead and recalled ingredients and products, pending approval from the regulator. HUL had said recently it had decided to stop production and sale of its Chinese range of instant noodles till such time its application was not approved by FSSAI.
Tata Starbucks said it was suspending the use of ingredients not approved in certain products served at its Indian outlets.
CLOGGED PIPELINE
  • Across the spectrum, firms are caught in the vortex of pending product approvals
  • No new product launches in the coming months, notably, the festive season, which kicks off end-August
  • Companies include Merck, Britannia, Danone Foods, Hindustan Unilever, Tata Starbucks, Amway, Dabur, Abbott, Hersheys, Heinz, Cadbury, Venky's, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, Piramal Healthcare and Kellogg
  • Some of the products on the closed file list include Tata Starbucks' sea salt and caramel sauce; Kellogg's Hot Chinese Oats; GlaxoSmithKline's Actigrow and Horlicks Coated Oats; Piramal's Nicoveg; Hershey's ice breakers breath freshening mints; Heinz's phased modified oil; and Hindustan Unilever's tomato ketchup with modified starch

Food safety regulator suggests limits for metals in food

The proposed amendments follow the controversy over the detection of lead in Nestle India’s Maggi noodles

New Delhi: India’s food safety regulator on Wednesday released a draft of proposed amendments to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2011, relating to the presence of metal contaminants such as lead, arsenic, tin and mercury in food products and beverages.
The proposed amendments follow the controversy over the detection of lead in Nestle India Ltd’s Maggi noodles, which prompted an order to the company to withdraw the product from the market this month.
The amendments proposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and put up on its website lay down permissible limits for metal contaminants in key product categories, including edible oils, packaged drinking water, milk, wine, assorted and canned eatables, juices, meats and fish, among others. The regulator sought feedback on the proposed changes. Companies and consumers can submit their views on the proposals within 60 days from the date the notification is made public, it said. While the date on the notification is 5 June, FSSAI made the draft available to the public on Wednesday.
FSSAI will also come up with a draft notification laying down standards for alcoholic beverages, such as whisky, beer, vodka and gin in two months, seeking comments from public, Press Trust of India reported.
Meanwhile, FSSAI is also stepping up for stringent checks for packaged drinking water, milk and milk products and edible oil across the country.
FSSAI’s move follows concern expressed by the standing committee of Parliament for consumer affairs over reports of milk adulteration. The issue was first discussed in January during the 13th meeting of the Central Advisory Committee of FSSAI.
On 19 June, FSSAI said it would constitute an expert group to regulate salt, sugar and fat in food products following a Delhi high court order. With this, several food categories such as noodles, burgers and carbonated drinks will come under the regulator’s scrutiny.

FSSAI for fixing lead content limit in fruits, pulses & juices

New Delhi: After the Maggi fiasco, central food safety regulator FSSAI has proposed fixing limits of permissible lead content in a wide range of products including salt, fruits, juices, vegetables, pulses and meat products.
The latest notification has been issued following the FSSAI ban on Nestle's instant noodles Maggi earlier this month after it was termed 'unsafe and hazardous' as tests found presence of lead and monosodium glutamate above permissible limits.
Lead is a highly toxic metal and a very strong poison. Its poisoning can cause severe mental and physical impairment.
The regulator has also brought more food items ranging from mineral water, salt, jam, fish and meat, among others, under the mandatory compliance of maximum limits of heavy metals - tin, arsenic and cadmium.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to amend the existing regulations and has come out with draft norms seeking public comments within 60 days, FSSAI said in a notification.
As per the draft norms, lead content for food items such as milk, salt, fruits and vegetables, including canned fruit juices, fish, poultry, meat and pulses, among others, has been specified.
To ensure Arsenic content in food items is maintained within permissible limits, the regulator has brought mineral water, fish, salt, olive oil, edible fats and oils, under its ambit.
Similarly, the maximum level of tin has been specified for cooked cured chopped meat products, including ham, pork shoulder and beef.
In case of cadmium, the regulator has fixed the limit in potatoes, wheat, rice, cereal grins, pulses, salt and mineral water, among others.
The FSSAI has also brought more food products to comply with permissible limits for mercury.
Prior to this, the FSSAI had come out a regulation in August 2011, specifying maximum permissible limits of heavy metal contaminants, toxins and residues in food items.
FSSAI had also ordered testing of noodles, pastas and macaroni brands such as Top Ramen, Foodles and Wai Wai sold and manufactured by seven companies, to check compliance with the norms.

Maggi effect: More items under lens

Coimbatore:
Probe In Many Cases Still On, Experts Say They Can't Stand In Court Of Law
There has been a rise in food safety complaints since the Maggi controversy erupted in the country. The number of complaints has surged nearly four times since reports in the media appeared that Nestle's Maggi noodles contained lead beyond permissible limits.The rise could also be attributed to the marked increase in awareness among consumers, though there are possibilities that a few of the complainants may have been motivated to derive publicity .
Food safety department in Coimbatore has received 11 complaints between May 28 and June 23, compared with only three it usually gets every month. The complaints range for a number of products -from spurious milk peda and powder to spoilt bread and appalam. “In the last one week, we have received four formal complaints,“ said Coimbatore's designated food safety officer Dr R Kathiravan.
On Tuesday , a consumer i registered a complaint alleging that he found insects in a t packet of appalam bought f from a local store.
“Inquiries into these complaints are still on. Some of t the products have been sent to the lab for testing of their quality . In other cases, samples from the same batch of he product in question have been collected for testing,'' said a food safety officer.
“One complaint was about milk peda bought from a cooperative milk society without manufacturing date and max mum retail price, while another was about a loaf of bread bought exactly on the expiry date that got spoilt soon after,“ he said. People have also complained about nstant chapattis allegedly made using wrong preserva ives and milk powder, manu actured by a top FMCG company , containing worms.
These complaints were ei her made directly to the food safety officer, to the grievance cell at the collector's office or the chief minister's cell.
Food safety officers say many of these complaints are unlikely to stand in a court of law. “For example, in the case of the spoilt loaf of bread, the shop has a right to sell the product till the date of expiry.The consumer can't buy it on that day and bring it to us five days later,“ said a food safety official. “Similar was the case when a contaminated milk powder packet was brought to us 10 days after opening it,“ he added. State food safety commissioner Kumar Jayanth said the number of complaints have surged in Chennai too, though cities like Madurai have not witnessed a similar trend. (with inputs from Christin Mathew Philip)

Other brands of Noodles have higher Lead Content: TN Lab


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