Dec 13, 2017
Synthetic colours in aravana ingredients? Spat over quality of Sabarimala prasadam
Food Safety officials say analysis of samples yielded conclusive evidence of food colour contamination.
Presence of synthetic colours in cardamom
An unseemly row has erupted between the Travancore Devaswom Board and the Food Safety Department over the quality of raw materials used for the production of Appam and Aravana at Sabarimala during the annual pilgrimage season.
The issue arose after officials from the Food Safety Commissionerate stopped the transport of a consignment of cardamom from Pampa to Sannidhanam, citing the results of an analysis of samples which detected the presence of synthetic food colours. The TDB subsequently had to stop the production and distribution of Appam for the pilgrims, provoking an angry response from Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran.
Inappropriate
Terming the restriction imposed by the Food Safety Department inappropriate and crossing all limits, the Minister told a press conference that the timing of the decision gave room for suspicion. He also alleged that the officials were causing inconvenience to the pilgrims.
Food Safety officials said the analysis of samples had yielded conclusive evidence of food colour contamination.
“We detected the presence of Tartrazine Yellow and Brilliant Blue additives which are used in tandem to impart green colour to cardamom. The results of the tests done at the analytical lab at Pampa were later confirmed by the NABL-accredited lab in Thiruvananthapuram,” an official said. Tartrazine and Brilliant Blue have been linked to cancer, asthma, allergies and stomach ailments.
On Monday, a press note issued by the office of the Food Safety Commissioner here alleged that the TDB was levelling baseless allegations to cover up the issue.
The press note said the Food Safety Department had been ordered by the High Court to keep a close tab on raw materials used for preparation of prasadam at Sabarimala. “One sample each of jaggery and rice flakes (avil) and two samples each of rock candy (kalkandam) and cardamom did not conform to food safety standards. The consignments were withheld at Pampa and the government, TDB, and High Court informed of the situation,” the press note said.
Food Safety officials said the issue could have been averted if TDB had procured the materials well before the start of the pilgrimage season.
Food Safety And Standards Authority Of India Hasn't Received A Single Compliant In 11 Years
While Food Regulatory Body Reimburses Testing Fees To Consumers If Food Is Found Adulterated, It Hasn’t Received A Single Complaint In 11 Years
Did you know that as per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSCI) Act, if food purchased by a person is established as adulterated, the cost of getting it tested is reimbursed? The answer is likely to be a resounding "no", because 11 years since the Act's inception, the regulatory body has not received a single case under section 40 that governs this complaint segment.
According to FSSCI officials, most consumers refrain from getting food products tested for adulteration fearing high costs of the process. "Any individual can get suspicious food products tested at FSSCI laboratories, but since it's a time-consuming procedure, most people shy away from doing so. The process costs R2,000 to R5,000, depending on the food product. But, the regulatory body has a provision under which the regulatory body will gladly reimburse the testing fees to the consumer," an official said.
Section 40 of the FSSCI Act states, "If the report of the food analyst shows that the article of food is not in compliance with the Act or the rules or regulations made there under, the purchaser shall be entitled to get refund of the fees paid by him under this section." However, not a single person has ever asked for testing under the section in the past 11 years. Dr Pallavi Darade, state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, said, "The FDA does thousands of food analysis, every month. But, none of them are done because some consumer reported an adulterated food product."
If the food product is deemed in contravention of the provisions of the FSSCI Act, the product seller stands to lose his/her licence or be fined.
Poisonous Packaging
When it comes to eating street food, we often spend a lot of time worrying about what’s in the food, but not enough time worrying about what the food is in. Be they bun kebabs, samosas or any other downtown snack, odds are that the food you buy from street vendors will be wrapped in a newspaper. Now, here’s why this is bad news for you:
Wrapping fried food in newspapers is a very unhealthy practice and is very much prevalent in Kashmir and most parts of country and its consumption is injurious to health, even if the food has been cooked hygienically.
The reason is simple; the hot oil in, say, pakoras, facilitates the seeping of chemicals from ink and paper into the food. The newspaper ink contains many hazardous chemicals which can trigger serious health problems. Exposure to a class of organic chemicals called arylamines, such as benzidine, 2-Naphthylamine and 4-Aminobiphenyl, is associated with high risks of bladder and lung cancer.
Apart from these, printing inks also contain colorants, pigments, binders, additives and photo-initiators (used for speeding up the drying process of the ink), which have harmful effects. There are literally thousands of ink chemicals and a majority of them can be dangerous for consumers.
Newspapers are usually produced by a system called offset-web printing, which requires a certain consistency of the ink (it needs to be very thick) and a particular means of drying.
For the former, mineral oils (petroleum-based) and solvents such as methanol, benzene and toluene are used; and for the latter, heavy metal (Cobalt)-based drying agents are used. None of these should be used in food packaging, as they are also classified as harmful and can be perilous for consumers’ health.
Some offset printing ink formulations use vegetable oils rather than mineral oils; however, they have strong odours and should not be used in food packaging. Given the long-term risk from protracted exposure from an early age, the sale of such tainted foods to school children, a common sight in all our cities, must also be avoided and there is an urgent need to raise awareness on this issue.
Another similar problem which has been noticed is that fast food restaurants are packing burgers, soups and other hot meat and vegetable products in thin, transparent plastic bags, as take aways. These clear synthetic bags are typically made of polyethylene (polythene) and the principal potential ‘migrant’ agent is ethylene.
There are a number of potential additives to polythene, such as anti-static agents, ultra-violet protection and flame retardants. These additives can be very dangerous if they move into the take away food.
Other case is while using teabags, some people squeeze the teabag using the label fixed at the other end of the thread. As it can leak the ink from the label, it is recommended that the teabags should be squeezed by using the thread only.
In the recent time Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued an advisory wherein commissioners of Food Safety of all states were requested to initiate a systematic campaign for generating awareness among all stake holders to discourage the use of newspapers for packing, serving and storing of food items.
In the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Drugs & Food Control organization is the nodal department for enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, rules/regulation 2011 with sufficient manpower, Deputy Commissioner Food Safety at Divisional level, Designated Officers at District level and Food Safety Officer at Block/Zone level.
Food Safety & Standards Act provides mechanism for collection and testing of food samples for any potential hazards at government level through Food Safety Officers.
Even the Purchaser/consumer can get the food sample tested at his own as provided under section 40 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, however in case the sample fails in testing government is supposed to refund the cost of sample and other expenditure to the purchaser while Designated Officers are supposed to initiate action against defaulters. In case the sample is reported unsafe in testing.
The offence is punishable with an imprisonment for a term which may be extended to six years and also with fine which may extend to five lakh rupees.
The department has started a campaign under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 to control wrapping of fried foods in newspapers and banning the use of plastic bags for takeaways soups and other food items accordingly prosecution against many food business operators have been launched to tackle the issue.
Moreover, public awareness and support is the important means to discourage the use of newspapers in packaging of food items, consumers should refuse the food item if is packed /wrapped in newspaper.
Author is a Food Safety Officer Srinagar.
Two food joints with hookah bars sealed in Sector 18
NOIDA: In a joint raid by the city magistrate and the food safety department, two restaurants having hookah bars were sealed in Sector 18 on Monday.
A case will be filed against the restaurant owners under Food Safety Act, officials said.
The raid was carried out in the evening when many people were found smoking hookah. "The restaurants—Kartoos 49 Cafe & Lounge and Smoke House—were found serving hookah at their premises and were immediately sealed. A show cause notice will be issued and a court case will be initiated against them," Surendra Verma, district food safety officer, said.
"The samples of the smoke remnants have been collected and will be sent to a government laboratory for testing," city magistrate Mahendra Singh told TOI.
Hookah along with food and drinks in the smoking zone has been banned in the latest amendment to the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA).
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