Mar 23, 2016

In JK, no testing of oils, milk in markets


Food Safety Officers spare sellers of adulterated milk on payment of Rs 500 as ‘fine’
Apart from ‘killer foods’, Kashmir markets are flooded with cooking oils laced with dangerous additives and adulterants, and also the milk and milk products containing chemicals such as detergents—the trend that experts say is “creating a health catastrophe.”
According to sources, cooking oils with contamination or adulteration have flooded the Valley markets in absence of any quality checking mechanism in place. The oils, they said, are being tested for “basic things” such as concentration, viscosity and iodine content and are allowed for public consumption “if these parameters are found to be satisfying.”
In reality, according to the sources, no tests are conducted to check the dangerous adulterations of rapeseed oil, BHA (Beta Hydroxy Acid) and BHT (Butylatedhydroxytoluene) “beyond safe limits and excessive solvent residues”.
“All these chemicals are either proven to be carcinogenic in nature or are strongly suspected to be so. Some even have mutagenic property i.e. it can change gene structure or expression,” an official said. “This is indeed creating a health catastrophe.”
Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, Hilal Ahmed Mir, accepted that oil testing in the state is “not up to the mark.”
“What can we do? We are doing our best within the given resources and manpower,” he said.
In the past, the Food Safety Organization (FSO) has seized and destroyed some oils based on complaints. However, after the “customary warning”, the sale of these dangerous oils was allowed uninterrupted, the sources said.
“Even if we start legal proceedings against the manufacturers of inferior, adulterated oils, how can we prove anything in court when we have no scientific evidence?” said an official of the FSO.
He said food testing and analysis is “not taken seriously” in J&K. “There are no funds to be paid for food items required for testing or other necessary documentation,” the official said. “We are forced to buy biscuits worth Rs 5 to Rs 10 biscuits because we have to pay for samples from our pockets.”
In addition, the FSO, has also been turning a blind eye to reuse of oil by roadside vendors for frying foods.
“Reuse of frying oils produces BaP (benzo[a]pyrene), a chemical linked to various cancers. A 2001 National Cancer Institute, USA, study found levels of benzo[a]pyrene to be significantly higher in foods that were cooked on high heat,” an official said.
Last year, as per the officials of the FSO, 55 percent milk samples tested in Srinagar were found to have adulterations.
“We have no facilities to test for synthetic chemicals such as shampoos, pesticides and heavy metals,” an official said.
Milk testing is limited to quantity of fat and non-fat solids and addition of water, in J&K, he added.
He admitted that adulteration such as “bicarbonates, caustic and flour” apart from water, are very often suspected in milk—both loose and packaged—but nothing is done by the department.
Many Food Safety Officers say their higher officials ask them to levy a ‘token fine’ of Rs 500-1000 on sellers of adulterated milk.
In 2012, a survey by the FSSAI had revealed that 80 per cent of milk sold in Jammu and Kashmir contained adulterants.
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in one of its reports, said detergents are a cause of food poisoning and gastro-intestinal complications. Other common additives to milk impair the functioning of various organs of the body, cause heart problems and cancer, it said.
While the FSSAI has been very vocal in calling for strengthening of food safety laws and infrastructure in states, no funds from this GoI-organization have been released to realize this vision. Recently, the Union Minister for Health, JP Nadda disclosed in the RajyaSabha that no funds have been provided for upgradation of State food testing laboratories during 2012-13 to 2015-16.
 


Lacking testing facilities, FSO ‘ smells’ food, seizes stock
ZEHRU NISSA Srinagar, Mar 22: The Food Safety Organization on Tuesday seized stock of ‘ chicken leg pieces’ being sold by a retailer in Bemina on complaints of ‘ foul smell’ from the meat, officials said.
Assistant Food Commissioner of Food Safety, Hilal Ahmed Mir said “ it was obvious that this meat was stale given its smell.” When Greater Kashmir asked whether there was any other mechanism to check whether meat being sold in Kashmir markets was fresh and stale, Mir said: “ In such` products, smell is an indicator for us. We do not have any other system to check whether a product is stale or fresh.” 
“The absence of microbiology lab and microbiologist in Kashmir’s Food Testing system is an indicator of what we are consuming,” a medico at SMHS Hospital said. As per scientific evidence, Aflatoxins contaminate milk, cheese, corn, nuts, almonds, spices, and a variety of other foods and feeds. Milk, eggs, and meat products are sometimes contaminated because of the animal consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated feed. However, there is no such facility to detect aflatoxins in food in Kashmir, sources said. Aflatoxins have been demonstrated to have potent carcinogenic effect and acute toxicity in humans, a doctor said.

Why This KFC Outlet in Navi Mumbai Has Been Shut Down


The Konkan Region Food Drugs and Administration (FDA) recently shut down the operations at a KFC unit in Nerul in Navi Mumbai on grounds that water from its purifying unit was not up to the specified standards. "The officials of the FDA checked the water being used in the RO Unit of the company at Nerul on March 13 and found that the water was not up to the specified standards," FDA Assistant Commissioner Kishore Gore said.
The tests revealed that the level of E.Coli and Coliform Bacteria found in 100ml of water was 34 as against 0. The company was given a warning and time to improve upon the water quality. However, when the water was tested again the levels remained unchanged. "As the level had not improved the FDA had no option but to shut the unit today," he added.
The unit at Nerul will remain shut till the company complies with the requirements and submits proof of the same. "Consequent to the action on this Nerul unit of the company the other units will also be under inspection by the FDA," Gore said.
In an email to NDTV Food, the spokesperson from KFC has responded to this issue with the following statement, "As a responsible brand, the health and safety of our customers as well as our employees, is our number one priority. We want to assure our customers that we have regular checks and stringent systems to ensure that we uphold the highest standards across all our restaurants. We are confident that at no point was there any food safety concern at the said restaurant. We have shut down the store as of now and are working with the authorities to resolve this matter.”
The fast food restaurant chain is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States, and is the second largest in sales terms after McDonald's, with 18,875 outlets in 118 countries and territories as of December 2013. The company is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, a restaurant company that also owns the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in India.

Food Business Operators directed to obtain FSSAI (Food Safety) License

Dimapur, March 23 (MExN): The office of Chief Medical Officer, Dimapur today reported that many Food Business Operators (FBOs) within Dimapur District are manufacturing, storing and selling food articles to consumers without registering or obtaining FSSAI (Food Safety) License under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 which is punishable under the said Act.
CMO cum Designated Officer, Dimapur Dr.MA Wati in a press release said that defaulters will be penalized without further warning in the interest of the consumers.
Moreover, consumers are advised to buy only the food packages having the required labeled on the food packages specified under FSS (Packaging & labeling) Regulation 2011. Food packages should have the following label: proper name of the product; Ingredients; Manufacture date. In case of food with shelf-life of not more than 7 days “use by date” to be mentioned; Best before date; Batch number; Net weight/volume; Veg or non-veg logo; FSSAI logo with Registration or License number; Food additives if added (colours or flavours); Instruction for use/preparation; Nutritional information; and Detail address of the manufacturer/packer.
In case of imported food, the packages should carry the name and complete address of the importer. In addition, false or exaggerated words or picture should not be used and the label should be clear, prominent and legible by the consumer under normal condition. “This press release is being issued in the interest of the consumers,” the CMO added.

Holi 2016: 7 tips on how not to fall prey to adulteration of sweets

With Holi, the festival of colours, approaching on Thursday, Thandai and sweets like Gujiya are the first edibles that pop up in one's minds, but it's imperative to remain aware of adulteration that could ruin the celebrations.
With Holi, the festival of colours, approaching on Thursday, Thandai and sweets like Gujiya are the first edibles that pop up in one’s minds, but it’s imperative to remain aware of adulteration that could ruin the celebrations. Suggesting tips and ways to prevent oneself from being a victim of adulterated Thandai, Saurabh Arora, founder of Food Safety Helpline, mentions a few pointers that could be followed to save one’s day:
1. Thandai can be adulterated by essentially using inferior quality ingredients, which include milk, water, sugar, black pepper, artificial colours and flavours.
2. Milk can be adulterated by adding starch, which gives it a thick, rich texture. It can be tested by boiling a diluted sample in a test tube, cooling, and adding a drop of iodine solution. Blue colour indicates starch contamination.
3 It is essential that the water used for preparing Thandai is pure and potable. Any contamination of water will lead to stomach upsets, and therefore ruin the festivities. If in doubt, boil the water and cool it before preparing Thandai.
4. Powdered sugar can be adulterated with chalk powder or white sand, which can cause severe stomach disorders. You can check by adding sugar to water and stirring. Pure sugar will dissolve, while any impurities will remain undissolved.
5. Whole black pepper corns can be contaminated with papaya seeds. A simple way to check is to put the black pepper corns in alcohol. Mature black pepper corns will sink while papaya seeds, if present, will float.
6. Thandai can also be adulterated with non-permitted colours-flavours by flouting the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines. For starters, saffron (kesar) is sometimes included and the declaration on the label is often used by the Food Business Operators (FBO) to mislead the consumers, when actually artificial colours are used instead. Therefore, it is advisable to buy these ingredients from a reliable outlet.
7. If you intend to buy Thandai mix from the market, be sure to buy a reputed brand from a reliable retail outlet. This will save you trouble from buying a spurious product. It is important that you check the date of manufacture and expiry date.

FAQ - PROPRIETARY FOODS





பிராட்வே, கொத்தவால்சாவடி பகுதிகளில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட குட்கா , போலி டீத்தூள் பறிமுதல் குற்றப்பிரிவில் வழக்குப்பதிய பொதுமக்கள் வலியுறுத்தல்


பாரி முனை, மார்ச் 23:
பாரி முனை, கொத் த வால் சா வடி, பிராட்வே ஆகிய பகு தி க ளில் உள்ள கடை க ளில் அர சால் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட குட்கா, பான் ப ராக், ஹான்ஸ் உள் ளிட்ட போதை பொருட் களை பதுக்கி வைத்து விற் பனை செய் வ தா க வும், கலப் பட உணவு பொருட் கள் விற் பனை செய் வ தா க வும் மாவட்ட உணவு பொருள் பாது காப்பு துறைக்கு தக வல் கிடைத் தது.
அதன் பே ரில், உணவு பாது காப்பு ஆய் வா ளர் கள் இளங் கோ வன், ஜெப ராஜ், சிவ சங் க ரன் ஆகி யோர் தலை மை யில் அதி கா ரி கள் நேற்று பிராட்வே பஸ் நிலை யம், கொத் த வால் சா வடி, பூக் கடை ஆகிய பகு தி க ளில் உள்ள பல கடை க ளில் அதி ரடி சோதனை நடத் தி னர். அங்கு, தடை செய் யப் பட்ட போதை பொருட் கள் விற் பனை செய் வதை கண்டு பிடித் த னர். மேற் கண்ட கடை க ளில் இருந்து சுமார் 70 கிலோ குட்கா பொரு ட்களை பறி மு தல் செய் த னர்.
இதே போல் பிராட்வே பஸ் நிலை யத் தில் உள்ள டீக் க டை க ளில் சோதனை செய் த போது, போலி டீத் தூள் களை பயன் ப டுத் தி யது கண் டு பி டிக் கப் பட் டது. அங் கி ருந்து சுமார் 50 கிலோ டீத் தூளை பறி மு தல் செய் த னர். இது பற்றி விசா ரித் த போது, ஏற் க னவே பயன் ப டுத் திய டீத் தூளை கீழே கொட் டா மல் வெயி லில் காய வைத்து, அதில் ரசா ய னத்தை கலந்து, மீண் டும் டீ போட்டு விற் பனை செய் வது தெரிந் தது. இது போன்ற செய லில் ஈடு பட் டால் கடும் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என மேற் கண்ட கடைக் கா ரர் களை அதி கா ரி கள் எச் ச ரித்து சென் ற னர்.
இதை தொடர்ந்து, கைப் பற் றப் பட்ட குட்கா மற் றும் போதை பாக் கு கள், போலி டீத் தூள் ஆகி ய வற்றை, கொடுங் கை யூர் குப்பை கிடங் கில் ராட் சத பள் ளம் தோண் டில், அதில் கொட்டி அழித் த னர்.
இது கு றித்து பொது மக் கள் கூறு கை யில், ‘போதை பாக் கு களை சிலர் மட் டும் பயன் ப டுத் து கின் ற னர். இதனை பறி மு தல் செய்து எச் ச ரிக் க லாம். அப் படி செய் தால், அவர் கள் மீண் டும் இது போன்ற தவ று களை செய்ய மாட் டார் கள். ஆனால், பயன் ப டுத் திய டீத் தூ ளில் ரசா ய னத்தை கலந்து, விற் பனை செய் கின் ற னர். இது போன்ற டீயை குடிப் ப தால் உடல் நல பாதிப்பு ஏற் ப டு கி றது. குறிப் பாக உடல் உறுப் பு கள் சேத ம டை கி றது.
டாக் டர் கள், டீ அதி கம் குடிக்க கூடாது என கூறு கி றார் கள். ஆனால், தொழி லா ளர் கள் தங் க ளது சோர்வை போக்க டீ மட் டுமே குடிக் கின் ற னர். பாரி முனை பகு தி யில் கூலி தொழி லா ளர் கள் அதி க ள வில் உள் ள னர். இதை பயன் ப டுத்தி கொண்டு, டீக் க டைக் கா ரர் கள் போலி டீத் தூளை பயன் ப டுத் து கின் ற னர்.
பொது மக் க ளுக்கு பாதிப்பு என தெரிந் தும், உணவு பொருள் பாது காப்பு அதி கா ரி கள், அவர் கள் மீது குற் றப் பி ரி வில் வழக் குப் ப திவு செய் யா மல், எச் ச ரித்து செல் வது சரி யான வழி அல்ல. அவர் களை மீண் டும் தவறு செய்ய தூண் டும் வித மாக உள் ளது. ஒரு வ ருக்கு தண் டனை கொடுத் தால் தான், மற் றொ ரு வர் அந்த தவறை செய் யா மாட் டார். இதை அதி கா ரி கள் செய் வார் களா என கேள்வி எழுப் பு கின் ற னர்.

Ensure safety, food processing industry told

The food processing industry in the State should come forward to taking the responsibility for ensuring all processed foods produced and marketed in the State meet the food safety and standards guidelines prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA). This kind of voluntary, rigorous, self-regulation from the industry will help the Food Safety Department focus better on encouraging and promoting the third aspect of food safety among the public, namely healthy eating, Commissioner of Food Safety T.V. Anupama has said.
She was addressing representatives of the State’s food processing industry at a seminar on ‘Making Kerala a Safe Food Destination,’ organised by the Kerala wing of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) here on Monday. There can be no compromise on food safety parameters because it is directly linked to health issues, she said. Ms. Anupama said the shift from the old Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act to the new FSSA is a positive move and suggested that all food business operators (FBOs) familiarise themselves with Sections 26, 27, 28 of the FSSA which clearly delineates the responsibilities of FBOs.
“We have so far filed about 900 cases of food adulteration or sale of substandard food in Kerala. But in only less than 40 per cent cases have we been able to detect a deliberate intent to ignore or violate food safety and standards. Almost 60 per cent of the cases could have been avoided if the FBOs were fully aware of the relevant sections of the FSSA and had acted upon it,” Ms. Anupama said.

Raids unearth violation of food safety norms

Rs.51,500 collected as fine from different units in Kollam district
Rampant violation of food safety norms was detected by special squads attached to the office of the Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety (ACFS) here during inspections carried out across the district for six days from March 14.
ACFS (Kollam) K. Ajith Kumar said here on Monday that Rs.51,500 was collected as penalty from food production units for violation of norms during the period. The raids were carried out on directions from State Food Safety Commissioner T.V. Anupama.
An ice-cream manufacturing unit at Umayanallur, found to be operating in unhygienic conditions, was ordered to be closed. Mr. Ajith Kumar said samples collected from the unit were found to contain health hazardous substances, used as sweeteners. Prosecution procedures had been initiated against the owners for the offence.
Following several complaints about the quality of coconut oil available in the market, all coconut oil extraction units in the district were inspected and samples collected.
Manufacturers of branded coconut oils in the district had been issued orders to register their brands with the office of the ACFS by April 16. Brands that were not registered by then would be banned, Mr. Ajith Kumar said.
Various eateries, including thattukadas, provision stores and cookies and condiments manufacturing units, were also inspected. Notices were served on 36 persons. Instructions were issued to persons concerned to renew the food safety licences 30 days before the expiry date.
Nine bottled drinking water manufacturing units and ice manufacturing plants were also raided and samples collected.

Licences of 9 food outlets suspended

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Five of the nine food distribution centres whose licences were suspended on Monday, after statewide raids initiated by the commissioner of food safety, are from the city. Raids were conducted in 1,092 centres by special squads last week.
The food safety officials found major violations of Food Safety Act in terms of cleanliness and licence standards in these centres. The licence of Thampy's Bakery in Peroorkada, Rosai Take Away at Kowdiar, Arin Bakery at Udayamperoor, Al-Madeena Restaurant at Sreekariyam, Gangothri Purified Water at Payyannur, a thattukada at Petah, Ganesh Cafeteria at Aristo Junction, Annu Icecream at Karassery and Nelo Icecream at Mukkam were suspended in the raid.
In addition 324 centres were served improvement notices and an amount of Rs 7,00,500 was collected as fine.
"These centres were found functioning in unhygienic conditions and with improper food storage facilities. Some were found storing stale milk which was used to make drinks like Sharjah. Minor violations such as not maintaining personal hygiene and not wearing the cap or apron were also found," said assistant commissioner of food safety A Satheesh Kumar.

Take bad food off shelf on your own: T V Anupama


CCI to promote Kerala as safe-to-eat destination.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Manufacturers should take out their food products voluntarily whenever a quality issue comes to their notice, says food safety commissioner T.V. Anupama. The industry should keep itself updated on the norms.
She was addressing the officials of prominent food product brands including oil, rice and curry powder at an interaction the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organised to promote Kerala as a safe-to-eat destination here on Monday.
Paul Francis, the managing partner of KLF Oil Industries, stressed the need to blacklist manufacturers who compromise on the quality of coconut oil, which is prone to adulterants.
“Each time an action is taken, they change the brand name and re-register. So we need to blacklist them,” he said pointing out the similarities in brand names that bring general disrepute to other players. Officials of Saras Spices said the Agmark certification should be strengthened by getting more genuine manufacturers under it.
Curry powder manufacturers stated that they were finding it hard to find pesticide-free raw materials adhering to the standards. Kalady Rice Millers Consortium general manager K. Rajendran, who represented Pavizham rice, pointed out that there should be a control on unbranded food products sold in local markets.
“Caterers who serve them to the public should be bridled," he said.
Ms Anupama answered that majority of those come under her ambit were small-time manufacturers. At least 917 cases of adulteration or quality issues are under consideration now.
Legal and standard training have been given to 20,000-30,000 manufacturers.
The state government is in the process of capacity building for its laboratories. Presently, there are only two Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) accredited laboratories in the state, both located in Kochi.
The state has given a representation to accredit more labs across Kerala, she said. The food processing industry has been one of the fast growing sectors in Kerala that contributes to state’s foreign exchange earnings in a big way, said CII convener Vinod Manjila said.

Campaign to transform Kerala into a safe food destination

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a move to transform Kerala into a safe food destination, the Confederation of Indian industry (CII) will initiate a campaign in association with the food safety department. Prior to the campaign, CII organized an interactive session with the commissioner of food safety T V Anupama here on Monday to seek the views of the department.
"Such a campaign will be a success in Kerala, where the demand for safe and standardized food products is more from the consumers.
Both the safety and standard parameters should be taken care by the industry itself. Instead of working towards safe food drive, we could go for healthy food campaign. Not more than 40% of the food adulteration cases are intentional but may be due to carelessness which can be easily avoided adhering to food standards," said T V Anupama.
By explaining sections 26, 27 and 28 of the Food Safety Act which deals with the responsibility of a food business operator, their liability and remedial measures that can be taken, the food safety commissioner extended the support of the department for the campaign.
As part of the initiative, CII will design a logo which will be displayed in food products to ensure its quality. The plan is to develop this logo as a trademark similar to ISI mark so that consumers can easily identify safe sood brands.
CII, in coordination with regulatory authorities and food experts, will launch awareness campaign about the regulatory norms of the industry.
Shivdas B Menon, former chairman of CII, Kerala, spoke about the need to set aside some funds for quality maintenance, while Vinod Manjila, convenor of the CII, Kerala food processing panel, urged the need to address this issue of food safety, which accounts for a large part of the foreign earnings of the state.

Food adulteration can attract life term, Centre tells SC

NEW DELHI: 
The Centre has maintained before the Supreme Court that the Food Safety and Standard (FSS) Act has marked a paradigm shift in the government policy. 
This has helped in checking food adulteration as any contravention of standards carries a penalty that may lead to a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and Rs 10 lakh fine.
“The Food Safety and Standards Act is a complete, self-contained and holistic code which comprehensively deals with all issues relating to food safety and wholesomeness,” the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated in an affidavit.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been established under the FSS Act. It lays down the functions and general provisions for food articles, including genetically-modified, organic, functional and proprietary foods, and imposes social responsibility on the food business operators, it said. The Union government rejected the plea made in a PIL about non-existence of laws to deal with food adulteration and charges of ineffective implementation of the extant laws, which covered food products, honey, milk, meat, fruit and vegetables, spices and packaged foods and drinking juices as well.
The adjudicating officer or the tribunal have been given wide powers while deciding penalties for various contraventions. Instances which resulted in death of any person can lead to life imprisonment and fine of Rs 10 lakh.
Under the current legal regime, the consumer is entitled to have food analysed and inform the authorities concerned for launching prosecution against the offending parties, besides seeking compensation. Following the 16th Food Authority meeting held in January, limits of various insecticide residues, antibiotics and veterinary drugs residues have been approved. 
As many as 202 insecticide residues for foods and 98 antibiotics and veterinary drugs residues in dairy, meat, egg and other consumable products have been approved by the FSSAI, the government said. The Centre also submitted that the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011, states that fruits shall not be ripened using carbide gas and should be free from waxes, mineral oil and colours. 
Though farmers are excluded from the purview of the law, the authorities are saddled with the duty to check samples of mangoes and other fruits to analyse presence of any prohibited substance, the government added.

Paswan for 'not healthy food' warning lable on junk foods

New Delhi, Mar 22 () Pushing for stricter food safety practice, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today pitched for a statutory warning 'not healthy food' on junk food packets like chips on the lines of cigarette packs.
The Minister said he will write to the Health Minister on this issue.
Paswan also announced that the government will introduce e-warranty system to protect consumers in case they misplace warranties/ guarantees in physical forms.
"In some countries, it is written on the label if junk foods are healthy or not. We do not. We have received suggestions if cigarette pack can carry a warning 'it is injurious to health', then why not 'not healthy food' warning on junk foods," Paswan said after announcing "antibiotics' off the menu" as theme of this year's World Consumer Rights Day.
Since the issue is related to health, the Minister said, "I will write to the Health Ministry on this issue. We will see if something can be done in this area."
Expressing concern over content of labels being written in tiny letters, Paswan said, "The letters on labels and their size is so small that no consumer can read. We have been thinking on this issue for last two years. We need to increase the size of the label."
Though the state officials are required to keep a check on such matters, but the industry can self regulate and follow ethical business code of conduct, he said.
On e-warranty, Paswan said once the new Consumer Protection bill, which is being vetted by a Parliamentary panel, is passed in Parliament, it will pave the way for introduction of e-warranty for products sold to consumers.
This will help in global tracking of goods and consumers need not keep the documents related to warranties and guarantees in physical forms. Rather the industry will maintain stock of warranties on behalf of each and every consumer in digital format, he added.
On UN's revised guidelines on consumer protection, the Minister said that a committee would be set up to implement the guidelines in the country.
Paswan further said that passage of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) bill is another major step forward in empowering the central government and BIS to promote culture of quality product and services through the enforcement of mandatory and voluntary compliance with Indian standards through conformity assessment schemes.
Talking about ill effects of antibiotics in foods, the Minister said, "Antibiotic resistance infections are already spreading all part of the world. Urgent action need to be taken to stop use of antibiotics in farming and foods."
Paswan said he would speak to agriculture and health ministries on this issue.
Both the government and industry today signed an agreement and pledged to implement self regulation code of ethical business covering six broad principles including 'never indulge in unfair trade practices', 'marketing products ethically' and 'respond to consumer complaints promptly'.

CITY FOOD VENDORS GET REVAMP OF LED SCREENS, TRAININGS

 
All the new stalls are going to be identical, with a handwashing facility as well, besides the LED screens.
Under the clean street food campaign — launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on March 13 — vendors will not only be trained, but will also get a stall on wheels, which will consist of several new facilities along with attached LED screens.
This move has been made to promote hygienic and healthy food among people and to train sellers to serve properly. Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner of FDA Pune, said, "This initiative that started in Delhi was successful, so we subsequently made it a national campaign. We have trained 450 vendors in Pune so far and will be guiding more in the coming week." The training will mainly centre around maintaining FSSAI standards, food safety norms, street food hygiene, water safety and most importantly, procuring licenses and registrations. "All stalls will be identical," Kekare added.
Sanjay Shanke, general secretary of the Janiv Hawkers Union and Town Vending Committee, said, "There are 38,000 vendors in Pune. This is a welcome step, as there are plans of establishing many food malls and zones in the near future, so work is set to begin from April 1. We have demanded that after training, vendors be given spaces at malls, so that they don't have to book a spot on a road like they usually do. Besides, we also have suggested installing high-tech food carts, so that it looks advanced, as opposed to a regular cart that lacks space. The new one will have water and a hand-washing facility along with LED screens. The training was held at the Mahatma Phule Sabhagruha at Wanowrie last week and many more such sessions are planned next month."
"Customers eating at these stalls will be able to see themselves on the screen and approve or disapprove of the food being served. This will help promote good food and provide publicity to vendors, too. All sellers will have the same kind of stalls. The next training session is to be held in Pimpri-Chinchwad, scheduled for next week," Kekare said.
FDA chief of Maharashtra, Harshadeep Kamble, said, "This is a national FSSAI campaign aimed at hygienic and healthy food, so that bacterial or food-borne infections do not spread. It will also promote consistent practices of serving clean food."