Oct 28, 2018
Swasth Bharat Yatra for food safety reaches Madurai from Virudhunagar
Madurai: The Swasth Bharat Yatra, an initiative of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India where volunteers cycle to create awareness on healthy food and food adulteration, reached Madurai district from Virudhunagar on Saturday afternoon. Revenue minister R B Udayakumar and Madurai district collector S Natarajan along with the officials from food safety department of Madurai welcomed the cyclists.
A special event is scheduled to be conducted on Sunday afternoon. Officials from food safety department said that health minister C Vijayabaskar, revenue minister R B Udayakumar, health secretary J Radhakrishnan and principal secretary and food safety commissioner P Amudha along with district officials are likely to participate in the event. A large number of students, NSS and NCC volunteers would also participate in the event, officials added.
“Sunday will see an array of events including a yoga camp at Sundaram park, exhibition to inform about inferior quality edible oil and pulses, a flute performance by visually challenged students, performance of folk artists, magic show and exhibition to showcase things good and bad for health,” an official said.
The awareness program started on World Food Day, October 16. Teams started simultaneously from Leh, Panaji, Thiruvananathapuram, Puducherrry, Ranchi and Agartala with an aim to take the initiative to the remote parts of the country. After 100 days of cycling and covering about 2000 locations, the convoys along with cyclists will reach New Delhi by the last week of January.
100 litres milk, 200 kilograms sweets destroyed
CHANDIGARH: A joint team of officers of Food Safety Administration, UT health department conducted a raid on two sweet manufacturing units, one in Industrial Area Phase I and the other in Daria village. They took seven samples and issued two challans. The team members also destroyed about 100 litres of milk and 200kg sweets kept in unhygienic conditions and exposed to dust and flies.
On Thursday, officer, Food Safety Administration, health department, UT Chandigarh, conducted raids in Manimajra and Mauli Jagran. The team seized six samples of milk products and edible oil. Two challans were also issued to violators. The team destroyed about 30 kg of sweets and other food articles found in unhygienic condition. In view of the festive season, the health department has asked consumers to remain vigilant while purchasing sweets, bakery products, beverages and dry fruits from the market. Officials of the health department said if consumers observe anything abnormal, they can report the matter to the department of food safety and standards, Government Multispecialty Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh, or raise their concern on the official website of FSSAI, www.fssai.gov.in. People can also lodge their complaint on the emergency number, 102 during odd hours or on holidays.
‘People ask for non-veg but we say sorry instead’
Armed with interim stay from HC, a Haryana hotelier plans to start serving chicken. An eatery nearby is hopeful they can too.
“Food items that are banned will not be served,” announces the restaurant menu of Hotel Saffron in Thanesar, a pilgrimage town in Haryana’s Kurukshetra district. The caution — part of ‘Important Notes’ towards the end of the menu — continues despite its owner Anand Bajaj getting an interim stay against a government notification of October 2017 that had, while declaring Kurukshetra a ‘Holy City’, banned the sale and purchase of meat and meat products in the municipal limits of Thanesar and Pehowa.
On October 16, Justice Rajan Gupta said, “Prima facie, there is substance in the plea of the petitioner. Till the next date of hearing, no coercive steps would be taken against him in case he vitiates to sell the food items specified in the license.”
Despite the encouragement from the court, Bajaj is reluctant to openly announce the sale of non-vegetarian food, but hopes to soon start serving chicken. “Chicken dishes have a lot of demand,” he said.
Bajaj, who set up his hotel 10 years ago, had approached the High Court in 2017 with two simple questions: Can a state government, through a notification or an administrative order, regulate the sale of food items, including meat and meat products, when the licence for sale and purchase allows the same under a Central legislation, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Two, does the state action unreasonably restrict the fundamental right to carry on trade or business?
It was the second question that propelled Bajaj to move courts. “We have always had customers asking for non-vegetarian food. How do we tell customers that because this is a ‘Holy City’, you can’t eat what you want. Besides, we stand to lose our customers who would rather travel a few more kilometres and stay in a place where they get the food they like,” says Bajaj, 46.
His hotel falls within the 32.25-sq-km area that makes up Thanesar municipality. The hotel has 15 rooms and two multi-purpose halls to host parties and weddings. There are around 40 men on the rolls, including seven-eight cooks who can make any kind of food, including non-vegetarian, says Bajaj.
Just outside the municipal limits, on the stretch of a road connecting Thanesar to Pehowa, 23 km away, there is a line of shops that sell non-vegetarian food, including chicken, lamb and fish. There is no ban on bringing meat or meat dishes inside Thanesar or Pehowa; only on purchase and sale. A mere 4 km away from Bajaj’s hotel but outside the municipality, the Haryana Tourism Department’s Hotel Parakeet serves non-vegetarian food.
Hotel manager Sanjay Sharma, a vegetarian himself, says, “Even Amritsar is a ‘Holy City’, but you can find a range of non-vegetarian food there. To eat or not to eat something is an entirely personal choice. It’s not easy when someone who chooses to stay here asks for non-vegetarian food but we have to offer a ‘sorry’ instead.”
Bajaj says though the notification came in 2017, an informal ban has been in place for years, its roots going back to a proposal approved in 1974 by the then Thanesar Municipal Council for a ban on the sale of liquor and meat. The ban, usually enforced at the level of the district administration, had in 2014 led to “action” being taken against two hotels in Thanesar for selling meat.
It was in 2011 that Bajaj, along with four other hotel owners, first approached the High Court against the restriction. But the petition had to be withdrawn in October 2017 after the court was informed that the Governor had given his assent to the decision and that a formal notification had been issued for the ban.
Bajaj then filed a fresh petition in the High Court and a year later, the court issued a stay on the notification.
Bajaj, however, is aware that the relief from the High Court is limited to his hotel and restaurant and that the stay is only interim — till the next date of hearing, on January 29, 2019.
“Also, the government is yet to provide any response to our case. We only hope there’s a permanent decision and the parameters for ‘Holy City’ are decided properly,” he says.
Meanwhile, the breather from the court has raised hopes among other eating joints in Thanesar. Harish Luthra, the owner of a McDonald’s outlet down the road from Hotel Saffron, says he has sent a copy of the court order to the management for “advice” on whether they can start serving non-vegetarian food too.
“We have only been selling vegetarian food because, as an international brand, we didn’t want to be involved in any controversy. The court decision may be limited to just this one case but it applies to everyone because we also have a proper legal licence under the law,” says Luthra.
Food licence of 2 bakery units suspended
Dimapur, October 27: Under Section 32 of the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006, an Improvement Notice was served to M/s Best Bakery & M/s Mums Bakery located at Merhülietsa Colony, Kohima for unhygienic conditions.
During the re-inspection done by the Food Safety Officer and Assistants, it was found that some conditions were not complied. Therefore, the Food Licence of the two bakery units was suspended in accordance to Section 32 (2) of the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006.
Goa's fish import rule hits Karnataka traders hard
The Goa government’s new rule on import of fish has hit the traders from Karnataka and other neighbouring states hard. On Friday night, the Goa police prevented 50 fish-laden lorries from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu from entering into Goa, at Polem checkpost.
As per the circular by the Goa government, fish traders have to obtain a licence, under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, from the Directorate of Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Also the lorries transporting fish to Goa have to obtain licence from FDA directorate from the respective states. Failing which, fish from other states will not be allowed to enter Goa. New norms have proved a bane for fish traders from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu hard.
A lorry driver from Udupi, Ganesh, expressed his anguish against the Goan authorities, “We were not aware of the new rules. The police prevented us at Polem checkpost on late Friday night claiming that they received order at 8 pm. We have brought fish from Udupi, Mangaluru, Kasargod, Malpe, Bhatkal and Karwar. How can we return with loads of fish. If the fish is not unloaded from lorries in 24 hours, we will suffer losses to tune of crores.”
CM Manohar Parrikar had banned the entry of fish from other states, in July, in the wake of formalin scare. But the ban was overturned later.
Restaurants and entry checkpoints under scanner of food safety division
Dehradun: With the onset of the festive season, food safety cell of the health department has kicked off a drive to check adultration in food items at various restaurants and food outlets. This year, four teams have been formed with major focus on Doiwala, Raiwala, Vikas Nagar and Kalsi markets in Dehradun where majority of samples have failed the quality test in earlier occasions.
So far, the teams have collected samples from two dozen outlets in the city and have sent them for testing. This year, officials from the dairy department have also been included in the drive to conduct instant analysis of milk samples.
“We have already formed teams and special raids will be planned especially at some identified checkpoints. All the samples collected during the festival season in the previous year were in the sub-standard and misbranded category, which is a violation of food safety standards.” said Ganesh Kandwal, designated officer (food safety), Dehradun district.
Sources in the food department said that Asharodi and Motichur entry point to Rishikesh and Dehradun will have special teams to monitor transportation of raw food products between 2am to 4am. Meanwhile, consumers are also being advised by the officials to not purchase or demand coloured food items like sweets as those are more likely to contain substances dangerous for health.
“The reason why there are more sub-standard sweets is the demand created by public especially in the rural areas and outskirts of the city which is why we are requesting people to not choose sweets with colour as they can be adulterated,” said Kandwal.
He added that those selling dry fruits and mewa packaged without label, mentioning date of packaging and expiry date will face legal action as well.
Notably, last year, during this season, more than 100 samples were collected from Dehradun district of which around 80% were found to be sub-standard.
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