Sep 10, 2015

How safe is your home-cooked food?

Ban on a brand of spices raises questions of adulteration
The ban on spices of a popular brand in the State has brought the issue of food adulteration to the fore once again.
Though only a few cases of branded products containing adulterants have been registered, the potential health damage these can cause could be bigger due to a wide consumer base.
Three products of the brand in question were banned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) a few days ago. The packaged powders of coriander, chilly, and turmeric were detected as ‘sub-standard’. Food safety officials conducted checks at various outlets to ensure removal of the product from market, says J.S. George, a senior FSSAI official. The manufacturer will have to prove that corrective measures have been taken, before marketing them again. A penalty has been imposed on the company. Another Kerala-based manufacturer of spices was also involved in a similar case earlier. “Identifying a product as ‘sub-standard’ will only let the manufacturer escape with a penalty. In contrast, if the item is found unsafe, the crime invites severe punishment, including imprisonment.
In most cases of food adulteration, the charges are listed in the former category, allowing the culprits to escape by paying penalty,” an expert in food industry says, on condition of anonymity.
Quite often, sales of fake items bank on consumer ignorance. For instance, dry ‘shell’ is sold as coriander after extracting oil from it, he adds. FSSAI is not keen on eliminating the entrepreneur, but wants to make safe products available, says an FSSAI official, who led raids in Alappuzha in the recent Operation Ruchi.
Samples taken from different outlets were analysed at the laboratory for food analysis in Thiruvananthapuram, before action.

Food Safety bar on Nirapara spices brands in Kerala


Thiruvananthapuram: The Commissionerate of Food Safety has stepped up surveillance across the state to ensure that banned Nirapara spices powders are off the shelves. Commissioner of Food Safety T.V. Anupama told DC that Nirapara had complied with the ban order and started withdrawing the banned products from the market.
The investigations carried out by Food Safety authorities found that wheat flour and starch were being used for adulterating chilly, coriander and turmeric powders manufactured by Nirapara. Subsequently, the Food Safety authorities issued the ban order last Friday.
“Our district offices have stepped up surveillance and as per their reports the products have been removed from the market. Also the company didn’t request for extension of deadline. Further action would be decided after getting a replay from the manufacturer,” said Ms Anupama.
Sources say that the Food Safety is planning to get the samples checked again at another laboratory. “Strict action would be taken against traders who continue to sell the banned products. It is a criminal offence as per the Act,” said the official.

FSSAI - PUBLIC NOTICE


FSSAI wants machines at sweet shops to test food products instantly

NEW DELHI: In a move to persuade the major sweet shops and other outlets selling milk and milk-based products to set up machines that can test the quality instantly, the food safety and standards regulator has sought details from equipment manufacturers within 15 days. 
"Once we have the details of equipments - both conventional and rapid - available with us, we will hold a demonstration to the state level regulators and the bulk buyers. Then the big names in selling milk and milk products and which have a chain of outlets can be persuaded to put these machines in shops. This will ensure that they are buying the right raw material and even consumers can also get the items tested for their satisfaction," said a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) official. 
He added such a practice by sweet shop owners or other outlets dealing with these items will add to their credibility and they can market their quality product for more business. "Once consumer is also aware that there is such a mechanism in place, there will be a demand from their side for installing such equipments in the outlets. We don't want to impose on the business operators, but want to create a condition that is good both for businessmen and consumers as well," the official said. 
Sources said the regulator wanted to put in place such a system in place before Raksha Bandhan. Issuing a public notice on Wednesday, FSSAI said that the concerns regarding the quality of milk "intensify during festival/ holiday season when the preparation, sale and consumption of milk products is at its highest. FSSAI has, therefore, decided to facilitate setting up of infrastructural facilities."

Coffee chain fined for poor quality food

NOIDA: An outlet of a coffee house chain in Sector 62 has been fined by the Surajpur court for serving substandard products.
S N Singh, chief food safety officer, said some samples of sandwiches and ice cream were taken by the Gautam Budh Nagar food safety department in 2014 and sent to Lucknow for testing, where their quality was found to be below prescribed standards.
"The eatables were of poor quality. We sent them for a test to a government lab in Lucknow, which established that the samples were substandard," he said.
The food safety department registered a case against the outlet in the Surajpur court, which levied a fine of Rs 16 lakh against the coffee house chain.
The officials said that in another case, they had also sent eight samples of milk from another dairy outlet to the government lab and found them to be adulterated. "We had picked up these samples in June 2015 from different outlets in Noida. All the eight samples have failed to match the safety parameters. We will register a case against them soon," an official said.

Uttarakhand extends Maggi ban by another month

NAINITAL: The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday extended the ban on Nestle's Maggi noodles by one more month. The order, issued by the food safety department of the state, extended the ban after the three-month proscription of the noodle brand ended earlier this month.
The decision to extend the ban was confirmed by the food safety commissioner's office in Dehradun on Wednesday. While officials there confirmed that the ban had been extended by another month, they did not elaborate on the matter. 
Maggi lovers were hoping that the 2-minute noodle would be on the shelves soon after the Mumbai HC gave it a clean chit. The state government had imposed a three-month ban on Maggi on June 3, following which Nestle India — for who the state is an important market — had approached the state high court seeking a stay on the ban.
Samples of the noodles had failed tests at the state food testing lab in Rudrapur in July when objectionable amounts of artificial colour and flavour were allegedly found in them. Authorities had decided to ban Maggi on June 3 after excess amounts of monosodium glutamate (MSG) was found in the product. Worried about Uttarakhand's 3-month ban of its product, Nestle India moved the HC on June 5 seeking a stay on the ban as an interim measure. The writ also alleged that due process of law was not followed by the state government and that the ban order was "without jurisdiction".
In its reply to the petition, the state government argued that the ban was imposed using sections of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The matter is still sub judice and the next hearing of the case is on September 15 this year. Apart from on-roll employees of the company, over 1,100 contractual workers, vendors, transporters and other associates of the company had hoped for some breakthrough in ongoing freeze which has affected their livelihood. Rajendra Singh, one of the former contractual workers of Nestle in State
Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Limited (SIDCUL), Udham Singh Nagar, who is now a rickshaw puller in Rudrapur, said, "This is like an extension of our agony. Our hopes are gradually fading and we do not know what to do or where to go."
Nestle officials, when contacted, declined to comment on the matter.

FSDA seizes over 2k flavoured milk bottles

AGRA: Food safety and drug administration (FSDA) of Agra has seized more than 2,500 Ksheer bottles, a flavored milk product by D S group, after a local resident lodged a complaint alleging that his family fell ill after consuming the dairy product. 
On Tuesday evening, the FSDA team seized the July 9 manufactured Ksheer bottles. 
The officer, Ramnaresh Yadav, leading the FSDA team told TOI: "We received a complaint from Ajeet Mehra, resident of Sadar Bazaar, who claimed that he and his family members fell ill after consuming the flavoured milk from D S Group, which is popularly known for their Catch spices." 
He said: "All the bottles were emitting foul smell, and some even had foam coming out of it." 
Businessman Ajeet Mehra, who filed the complaint, said: "On August 24, we had bought 10 flavored milk bottles from Best Price store. After drinking the milk, my entire family fell sick, including my grandson, and vomited several times. My four-year-old grandson Dharmik Mehra had to be hospitalized." 
The Septuagenarian said: "After the incident, we called customer care of the D S group, who sent city area sales manager Anil Singh. Instead of trying to explain why the stale product was being sold to customers, Anil offered us an additional 24 bottles of Ksheer and asked us to settle the matter." 
Furious with the approach of company's representative, Mehra claimed: "Even Anil vomited after drinking the flavoured milk, which he had bought to settle the case. We asked him to remove the stock from the store or we will lodge complaint with the FSDA. But, we found the same batch (which the family had brought on August 24) in the Best Price store on September 6. This is when we contacted the FSDA." 
When TOI contacted D S group officials they refused to comment on the incident and said they would reply on Thursday.

DINAMALAR NEWS


DINAMALAR NEWS



DINAMALAR NEWS



India’s food safety crisis indicative of bureaucratic failures

Food safety is a serious public health concern in the world’s two most populous countries, China and India. In both the countries, the challenges of feeding a large, geographically dispersed population, millions of whom are poor and malnourished, are immense. 
This has led to the proliferation of illegal, dishonest, and bootleg suppliers and slipshod government policies.
The results are detrimental to public health, particularly for vulnerable communities. Such crises further compromise international perceptions, indicating poor governance, weak political will, inadequate policies and lax law enforcement. The path to development is not exclusively about economic growth, jobs and infrastructure. Clear and consistent food regulatory policy, and their implementation are both imperative for growth and the inherent responsibility of responsible and progressive governments.
In recent years, tainted milk products in China have led to child deaths, resulting in angry consumer backlash and a strengthened pledge by the government to address the safety of food sources. Other food safety episodes in China include the 2013 discovery of a crime ring marketing fake or tainted meat products, and an August investigation of distillers charged with adding the virility drug Viagra to liquor products. McDonalds and KFC have suffered losses in China due to food safety concerns, and the widely publicized gutter oil scandal lingers amidst ongoing investigations. Concern about food contamination – more than a desire to improve fitness – is now driving increased interest in healthy diets, including organic meat. 
Likewise, food scandals have plagued India for decades. The ongoing case of Nestlé’s Maggi instant noodles has thrust the issue of food safety into the national political spotlight. Additives such as monosodium glutamate (MSG), which some consider a possible health concern, have been detected in Maggi noodles, although the company has consistently denied use of such additives. After the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) discovered unhealthy levels of lead in the noodles, the Indian government banned Maggi. Tests in six countries, including Canada, Singapore, UK and USA, have determined the product to be safe for consumption, but Nestlé still responded by destroying more than 35000 tonnes of the product. In a legal petition, the company argued that India’s testing system is flawed, leading to inaccurate findings. In August, an Indian court overturned the government’s ban on Maggi noodles, arguing that the move was “arbitrary” and “that principles of natural justice were not followed.” 
Other cases illustrate India’s food sourcing challenges. The rampant use of milk adulterants (agents to reduce thickness after water is added) can cause both short-term digestive problems and long-term chronic health problems. Genetically modified products are increasingly seen by some as a viable solution for feeding India’s growing population, setting the stage for a public battle among corporations, scientists, public health advocates and NGOs. Despite the recent lifting of a ban on Indian mango imports to the EU, a number of agricultural products remain subject to import restrictions due ostensibly to lax regulations and enforcement of health and safety concerns.
In addition to garnering political notice, health and safety issues have become a publicly visible concern as well. For example, a recent video accusing of Hindustan Unilever of dumping toxic wastes has created a wave of attention on social media. Such episodes are indicative of a groundswell of discontent as information becomes more ubiquitous and consumers more informed – inevitabilities of a more educated and technologically savvy public.
Regrettably India’s food safety standards are not at developed world standards. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) frequently rejects products shipped from India, from food to generic medicines and cosmetics. Given this fact, it is difficult to see how Maggi was declared unsafe when analyses by Singapore, the United States, the UK, and Canada indicated otherwise. This raises the prospect that India’s food safety monitoring system is inconsistent and arbitrary, a product of larger governance and bureaucratic failures at the regulatory level.
Testing and analytical capacity among India’s official food safety monitoring units is inadequate to manage a supply system that feeds nearly 1.3 billion people. In Delhi alone, a food testing agency has only three chemists and has had to rely on outsourced capacity of dubious reliability. Many have argued that food testing laboratories lack adequate equipment and expertise. Assuming the Maggi product sold in India is the same as that sold around the world, there appears to be a breakdown in India’s food safety monitoring system. Beset with under-capacity, the country’s food regulatory bodies lack credibility among the domestic public and international communities and investors. This undermines government efforts to protect citizens against legitimate health threats. 
Food safety is only one of many threats to public health in India. Delhi city ranks in the bottom-100 of 476 Indian cities for sanitation and waste management. Child deaths from diarrhea are among the highest in the world due in part to poor water quality. Not a single city in India provides clean water that can be consumed form the tap. To connect the issue with larger developmental concerns, India needs FDI to maintain growth. Prime Minister Modi aims to improve India’s ranking in the WEF’s Global Competitiveness Index, but consistent bureaucratic bungling and foot-dragging such as those related to food safety are compromising these efforts by signaling to investors that the country’s regulatory culture is haphazard, arbitrary, whimsical and ineffective. 
The solution is more effective appropriation of resources to regulatory units, institutional strengthening and capacity building, tighter strategic and operational coordination among agencies, and the maintenance of a balance-of-powers system in which one government branch (in the Nestlé case, the judiciary) calls out other government bodies for incompetence. Restrictions and sanctions should be applied in areas needing urgent policy attention, but targeting high-profile products in an attempt to signal regulatory activity is a counterproductive approach. Regardless of whether the Maggi case was a legitimate health threat, it is clear from this lamentable episode that India’s food safety and public health regulatory regimes are in dire need of a robust overhaul, sooner the better.