Sep 30, 2019
Sep 27, 2019
Your favourite food stall may be giving safety norms a miss
Visakhapatnam: Most of the food sold in food stalls in Vizag is not registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The information came to light in a survey carried out by the Consumer Rights Organisation (CRO) in the city recently.
As per the existing rules, any food product that is manufactured, processed, packed and sold should be registered with the FSSAI. They must also adhere to the legal metrology (packaging commodities) rules of 2011.
While the FSSAI certificate is awarded to regulate manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food, so as to ensure safety of food items, the legal metrology rules give directions on packaging. The legal metrology rules make it mandatory to mention ingredients, expiration date, place of production, maximum retail price and a consumer care number on the packaged food commodity.
When food stalls were surveyed in different parts of the city, it was found that the norms are being flouted rampantly. The survey further showed that the few shops which did have FSSAI registration or licences, their registrations are outdated and have not been renewed.
Vice-president of CRO, Vikas Pandey said, “Nearly 95% shopkeepers are selling food items brought from outside. They are not aware of how the food was processed and the conditions in which they were made. Around 5% shopkeepers are preparing the food themselves, but they do not follow the guidelines laid down by FSSAI and legal metrology.”
Speaking to TOI, assistant food controller, Visakhapatnam, G Nandaji said, “Every food business operator must ensure that they have been certified by FSSAI. For petty shops, hawkers, vendors or those whose annual turnover is less than Rs 12 lakh, it is mandatory to get FSSAI registration. For food establishments whose turnover is more than Rs 12 lakh, it is mandatory to get FSSAI licences .
Adding that an inspection of food establishments will be carried out by food officials, Nandaji said, “During the inspection, if it is found that norms are not being adhered to, a notice will be issued to the respective shop establishment. If the shop does not comply even after the notice period, they will be penalised.”
Deputy controller of the legal metrology department, Madhusudan Reddy said, “Be it small-scale or large-scale food business, the packaging rules are mandatory for food which is packed and sold. Inspections will be carried out by the department. In case of violation, cases will be registered.”
FSSAI to train street food vendors in Telangana
This, according to Dr K Shankar, Director, Food Safety, was because 60 per cent of prepared food business goes through street food trading, like hawkers, mobile vending machines, petty shops, dhabas, street foods hubs etc. “That is why we have chosen to train them. This is being done as part of the Eat Right Movement,” he said.
Speaking at a ‘Media Dialogue on Hypertension Management and Elimination of Trans Fatty Acids’ here, he said plans were afoot to bring out dietary guidelines aimed at reducing trans fatty acids, salt and sugar in commercially available food in Telangana.
A Shanti Kumari, Principal Secretary, Health, Family Welfare and Food Safety Commissioner also spoke.
Sep 26, 2019
Festivals ahead, Health Dept yet to start collecting samples of sweets
Bathinda, September 25
Even as the festival season is just around the corner, but Health Department officials have yet to start taking samples of sweets and confectionery items in Bathinda and Mansa district.
Health officials said though they have been collecting samples of milk and its products, those of sweets and confectionery items will be started collecting ahead of the festival season.
Notably, Dasehra is two weeks away and the department has not started collecting samples of sweets in the district.
District Health Officer Dr Amrik Singh said, “We have been carrying out drives to create awareness about adulteration among sweets manufacturers and confectioners in order to avoid heavy penalties later. Because during raids, it has often been observed that many shop owners and manufacturers of confectionery and sweets items say they were not told in advance. So, we have decided to carry out awareness drives”
Department officials said a robust surveillance mechanism would be in place in this festive season to check adulteration of sweets. They said those violating the food safety norms would be penalised.
“Unpermitted colours must be avoided in sweets. We have standard FSSAI guidelines for use of colours in sweets. Any other synthetic colour found in sweets would be liable to invite a penalty. For the volume of a colour, on an average, one gram of colour is permissible in 10 kg of sweets. Manufacturers of sweets and confectionary items must avoid the use of cheap and low quality colours in their products to avoid penalties,” he added.
Notably, ahead of the festival season when sweets and other confectionary items are purchased in bulk, many unscrupulous elements sense a golden opportunity and try to take consumers’ health for granted by resorting to adulteration.
An executive member of a city-based NGO, who did not wish to be named, said, “In case of mouth-watering sweets, which are predominantly made with milk and its products, adulteration goes virtually unhindered. We need to comprehend the magnitude of the menace that is spreading at a high velocity. In spite of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, nothing seems to have changed on the ground. Adulterators keep on exploiting the gullible consumers and the administration seems to be in a deep slumber.”
There approximately 200 sweets shop and confectioners in Bathinda district.
The District Health Officer said, “We have a mechanism in place for collecting samples and testing them to deter adulteration in sweets. But, residents also need to be aware of the products they buy as such malpractices prevail only when there is demand in the market. We have conducted awareness drives in Rampura, Maur and Rama Mandi. In a day or two, it will be conducted for city-based sweets shop owners and manufactures.”
FDA closes Yewale tea shop in Pune for violating safety norms
The matter came to the light after FDA officials conducted a surprise visit at the Yewale tea stall and found out that they were violating the norms prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shut down famous Pune tea stall for not following The Food And Drug norms of 2006 and on the suspicion of using excessive melanite in tea. FDA immediately ordered the closure of Yewale tea stall and also seized tea packet worth Rs six lakh which did not have any information printed about the product as per norms.
The matter came to the light after FDA officials conducted surprise visit at the Yewale tea stall and found out that they were violating the norms prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Suresh Deshmukh, joint commissioner, FDA said, "In a surprise visit we have found that they were operating the tea stall without norms. This is a violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. We have therefore issued notices demanding that they shut down the shops immediately."
Earlier the FDA officers looking at the hygiene and health-related precautions had asked to shut down the stall for not following licence norms. Once famous, Yewale tea had family monthly earning the business of Rs 1.2 million. The tea is sold at a nominal rate of Rs 10.
FDA ream collects paan samples for testing
Bhopal: A team of food and drug administration (FDA) department on Wednesday collected samples of paan (betel leaves) from a paan shop. This is for the first time during the current drive against adulteration that samples of paan, when they were being served to customers, were taken. According to Food Safety Act, serving paan containing tobacco is violation of law.
FDA teams also reverted to sampling of milk and milk products ahead of Navratra beginning on Sunday to see if adulteration in milk and its derivatives has begun again.
FDA teams collected a sample of ghee and two samples of milk from Koh-e-Fiza, one sample of milk from BHEL township, and one sample each of cream, paneer and milk from a dairy in Kotra.
Samples of paan were collected from paan shops in New Market and Mangalwara. Senior food safety officer at Bhopal, D K Verma, said it was for the first time that sample of paan were collected from paan shops in the state in the course of ongoing drive against adulteration. Pouring tobacco in the paan before serving it to a customer was a crime under Food Safety Act.
During the special drive undertaken to check adulteration in food stuff on July 19, FDA teams in Bhopal have collected 274 samples so far. FIR has been registered against 10 manufacturers/traders based on reports of the sample collected from their establishment, notices have been issued to 48 and 3 have been booked under provision of National Security Act (NSA).
Plan to train 10K more food vendors on hygiene, FSSAI
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is planning to launch an initiative to enforce dietary guidelines, involving reduction of trans-fatty acids (TFAs), salt and sugar in commercially available foods in Telangana, a senior official said on Wednesday.
"We are inviting the groups and associations of oil and fats manufacturers for understanding the challenges in implementation of this mission, Dr K Shankar, Director, Office of the Commissioner of Food Safety, said.
He was speaking at a Media Dialogue on Hypertension Management and Elimination of Trans Fatty Acids in Telangana organised by Delhi-based not-for-profit organisation Consumer Voice.
Shankar said in Telangana more than 2,000 street food vendors have been trained and they are planning to train another 10,000 food vendors, food business operators about the 'Eat Right Movement', about trans-fatty acids, on the hygiene issue and about FSSAI regulation related to street food vending.
He said strict implementation of regulations of FSSAI can sharply reduce heart diseases caused by TFAs in foods.
Principal Secretary of Health and Family Welfare Department A Santhi Kumari said a three-pronged approach, comprising early screening through outreach followed by dispensation of secondary and tertiary medical care, adopted by the state government has proved effective in managing hypertension.
Emphasising the need to adopt a focused and co-ordinated approach in addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs), several speakers said there is an urgent need to step up efforts to effectively tackle serious health problems caused by hypertension.
Sep 25, 2019
Hostels served show-cause notices for flouting norms
Tirupur: Officers of the food safety and drug administration have issued show-cause notices to 32 hostels in the district either for failing to obtain license or for serving sub-standard food.
As many as 14 hostels which were served improvement notices for providing sub-standard food should improve within two weeks. Other 18 hostels were slapped with the notices under Section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and they have to get licenses within two weeks.
The action follows the inspection of 64 hostels, including state-run and private college hostels as well as working women hostels, by FSDA officials across the district last week.
B Vijaya Lalitha Ambikai, designated officer of FSDA for Tirupur, said, “We found lapses in hygiene and standards in food, including improper storage, using expired products and colouring materials, besides unclean vessels. So, we issued the improvement notices to them.”
In case of 18 hostels, they had not obtained mandatory license for operating canteens. Officials also seized single-use plastics from many hostels. “It is important that the hostels follow norms including appointment of right cook, following first-in-first-out inventory method and keeping food samples, besides other standard procedures,” Ambikai said.
The FSDA was planning to conduct an awareness programme soon to sensitize organizations which handle food.
Festive season adulteration: Unsafe food to invite jail term, fine up to ₹5L
The UT health department will start raiding food outlets, mostly sweetmeat shops, from September 30
In wake of the festive season, the health department will start raiding food outlets, mostly sweetmeat shops, from Monday, for which four teams have been constituted.
The UT health department has set up a 24-hour helpline number (0172-2782457) for registering of public complaints.
In addition to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations, UT’s director of health services, Dr G Dewan said that food safety officers and medical officers of health facilities are empowered under the Epidemic Disease Act to take immediate action to destroy food articles unfit for human consumption on the spot, to deal with violators.
EDUCATION RATHER THAN ENFORCEMENT
He said the motive of the health administration was not enforcement through strict rules but also educating the vendors about the hazards of selling unsafe food.
Last year, around 10 samples failed the tests and were unsafe for human consumption, officials said. More than 50 raids were conducted and 52 samples were taken during the time for further testing, they added.
“Seven out of 10 tests were found unsafe for consumption. They have been penalised and other three will face the heat soon,” an official of the food safety wing of health administration said. However, no punishment was granted for the 15 challans issued during the Diwali raids, and the cases are lying in the courts, he said.
VIOLATORS MAY BE JAILED
The health department has urged the vendors to comply with the provisions of licensing like safe food and proper sanitation. For selling sub-standard food, the fine is up to ₹5 lakh, and for misbranding up to ₹3 lakh; for unsafe food, the matter goes to chief judicial magistrate, under which there is a provision of one-year jail and fine money is decided by the magistrate.
Health officials said people should consume sweetmeat items within 24 hours and ensure only silver foil is used for wrapping them.
Artificial colour: a new threat to tea industry
GUWAHATI, Sept 24 - Artificial colour used by some unscrupulous blenders, packeteers, retailers, and tea stall owners, has emerged as a threat for the tea industry of the country. According to Viren Shah, chairman of the Federation of All India Tea Traders’ Associations (FAITTA), the practice of adding colour to tea is in total contravention of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.
Shah said in his statement messaged to this newspaper that unscrupulous traders and packers are resorting to this deception, as, consumers in some areas of the country want more colour in tea liquor. The FAITTA and the Tea Board of India have drawn the attention of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to the problem, urging for decisive steps to curb this menace.
Tea has intrinsic qualities as a natural product and the addition of colour can potentially compromise the goodwill and safety of consumers. FAITTA has initiated legal steps against one such trader and has urged the Tea Board to join in the FAITTA effort to rein in the unscrupulous traders, Shah said.
Tea manufacturers are also of the opinion that artificial colour has become a menace for the tea industry as a whole. This practice of adding colour to tea started few years back in the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. It then spread to Maharashtra, Gujarat and it is now spreading to North India at a rapid pace.
The arithmetic that works in the entire exercise of adding artificial colour to tea is such – a kilogram (kg) of normal tea can produce 400 cups of tea, whereas the same quantity of tea with artificial colour can produce 500 cups of tea or more. Significantly, to earn more profit, the unscrupulous traders are also using inferior quality tea in this whole business.
This process makes tea lose its natural taste and thus, ultimately, tea loses its consumers. It is thus ruining the tea market, said the sources in the tea industry.
North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) advisor Bidyananda Barkakoty made a request to Union Minister Rameswar Teli and all MPs from Assam to take up the issue boldly with the Union Ministries concerned. He said that this new trend of adding artificial colour and marketing the end products as ‘Premix,’ not as tea, by taking advantage of the loopholes in the existing legal provisions and finally to hoodwink the gullible consumers to drink the brews of such products as tea, is harming the tea industry like anything. For, finally, even the committed tea consumers also get frustrated by such products and drift away from drinking tea, which affects the tea industry, Barkakoty said.
It needs mention here that the tea industry, which is providing employment to over two million people, is now passing through a difficult phase due to several factors. The development of adding artificial colour to tea has also emerged as one of the factors responsible for this sorry state of affairs of the tea industry, sources said.
Sep 24, 2019
FSSAI offers resources for food safety
Panaji: Countries need to pool their resources and provide support to the least developed countries in the region, said experts at the 21st session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Health Organisation (WHO) Coordinating Committee for Asia, organised here by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Monday.
“On behalf of India, FSSAI is happy to offer the capacity we have built at the international training centre for food safety and nutrition at Mumbai, for such capacity-building programmes,” said FSSAI chairperson Rita Teaotia.
“Countries trade extensively with each other. Almost 60% of food trade is within the region. This alone is enough reason for us to develop a common ground for cooperation,” she added.
Teaotia stressed on creating a network of scientific and research institutions for the collection and assimilation of data, for regional and worldwide purposes. This would help to create an IT-enabled platform.
FSSAI regulations head Sunil Bakshi emphasised on the need to promote mutual communication and resource-sharing to develop regional standards and regulations for food products.
FSSAI seizes 462 kg tea dust for suspected adulteration
Officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Monday seized 462 kg of tea dust for suspected adulteration in the form of mixing artificial colouring agents.
Designated Officer of FSSAI K. Tamilselvan said that the food regulatory body was closely monitoring the sale of adulterated tea dust in the district.
Based on a specific information, food safety officer V. Kamaraj found 12 kg of suspected adulterated tea dust with K. Bhuvaneswaran, a resident of Balaji layout near Ganapathy, at Podanur on Monday. He was selling the tea dust in tea stalls and bakeries in the area. A spot test done on the tea dust found that they could be adulterated.
Following this, food safety officer M.S. Murugesan inspected Bhuvaneswaran’s house and found 440 kg of tea dust. Spot test done on the the stock found signs of adulteration in the tea dust.
Dr. Tamilselvan said that samples were lifted from the seized tea dust which will be sent to the Government food laboratory for examination. The total quantity of the seized tea dust is valued around ₹ 90,000.
The WhatsApp helpline of FSSAI can be reached at 94440-42322.
Health department to form district-level teams to check adulteration
Chandigarh: Punjab health department will be forming district-level teams to check food processing units and ensure availability of unadulterated milk products, sweets and bakery items during the festive season.
The decision was taken by health minister Balbir Singh Sidhu during a review meeting of district health officers, assistant food commissioners, designated officers and lab analysts.
The health minister said the state government is committed to provide hygienic and unadulterated food products to the people and if any retailer or manufacturer is found to be indulging in unethical practices, strict action will be taken against them. He urged people not to compromise with the quality of the food products.
Giving details of the activities of the food safety teams across the state, food and drug administration (FDA) commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu said 853 samples have been collected from different parts of the state in August. While 690 samples have been found safe, 159 samples were found substandard. A total of 340 cases have been filed before additional deputy commissioners (ADC) whereas eight cases filed before the chief judicial magistrate (CJM). He further said fines of Rs 24.50 lakh have been imposed on the offenders. Pannu said apart from inspections, the food safety teams have been carrying out awareness activities — 75 sensitization camps have been organized to impart special training.
He added that these training sessions were intended to provide relevant and practical insights about food safety hazards, food safety, standards, food safety management systems and related legal provisions under the act.
Test of purity: FDA collects samples of besan, pan masala
Bhopal: Teams of food and drug administration (FDA) department on Monday collected 32 samples of besan and besan laddoos from Kolar area and also collected samples of pan masala from Chuna Bhatti.
Senior food safety officer, Bhopal, D K Verma said that FDA has widened the range of goods that are being put to test for purity to cover all kind of edibles. “This action will ensure that purity of edible products is maintained and action is taken against adulterators,” he said.
Campaign against adulteration was launched on July 19 across the state and later christened as ‘Shudh ke Liye Yudh’ (battle for purity), was started after unearthing of fake milk and mawa plants in Morena and Bhind districts by teams of special task force (STF), where hazardous chemicals and detergents were being used for manufacturing of milk and mawa.
The previous day, the FDA team had collected samples of eggs from a wholesale poultry shops in New Market. The samples were taken after complaints that ‘fake eggs’ were being retailed in the city.
Food safety teams in Bhopal have collected 253 samples of edibles including fruits and vegetables. An FIR has been lodged against 10 traders while notices have been issued to 48 traders under the provisions of Food Safety Act and action under National Security Act (NSA) was taken against three.
Sep 23, 2019
FDA collects egg samples to test of purity
Bhopal: A team of food and drug administration (FDA) department on Sunday continued its drive against adulteration and collected samples of eggs from a wholesale poultry shops in New Market. The samples of eggs were taken after complaints that ‘fake eggs’ were being retailed in the city.
Senior food safety officer, Bhopal, D K Verma said that samples of all kind of edibles are being collected to test purity so that every edible item is free from adulteration including vegetables, fruits, milk and eggs.
Verma said that the drive against adulteration which began on July 19 and later christened as ‘Shudh ke Liye Yudh’ (battle for purity) has continued since then. Food safety teams have been carrying out sample collection, raids, inspection, repeat sampling in establishments which were found at fault in the past. They have also lodged FIRs with the police in the event of serious charges of adulteration and in three cases, district collector, Tarun Pithode has booked traders and manufacturers under National Security Act (NSA).
Under the campaign so far, 252 samples have been collected. In 10 cases, FIR has been lodged by the food safety teams, in 48 action has been taken under provisions of Food Safety Act and against three persons, action was taken under NSA.
Nicotine found in 7 pan masala brands
PATNA: Seven of the 12 banned pan masala brands in state have tested nicotine positive by National Tobacco Testing Laboratories (NTTL) and National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The samples of the 15 brands had been sent by the state health department for test after harmful chemical magnesium carbonate was found in 12 of them.
The brands tested nicotine positive were Rajnigandha, Supreme, Kamla Pasand, Rajshree, Rounak, Signature and Madhu. The samples had been collected from Patna, Darbhanga, Gaya, Nawada, Begusarai and Bhojpur.
The order to ban 12 pan masala brands was passed in August after harmful ingredients like magnesium carbonate were found in their samples.
According to the report of NTTL, Rajnigandha, Supreme, Kamla Pasand, Rajshree, Rounak, Signature and Madhu contained 0.042%, 0.186%, 2.26%, 0.163%, 0.208%, 0.046%, 0.151%, and 0.155% nicotine percentage respectively.
It should be noted that the state government banned the sale, distribution and production of nicotine containing products in May 2012, based on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) report. As per standards of pan masala laid down by FSSAI, it should not contain either magnesium carbonate or nicotine. However, it was revealed that most brands were adding toxic chemicals in pan masala products.
Experts claimed that pan masala itself is carcinogenic and addition of nicotine makes it more addictive and poisonous.
PMCH superintendent Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad told this newspaper on Sunday that oral cancer is very common in Bihar because of the use of pan masalas. “It can also lead to cardiac arrest. People, especially youngsters, get influenced to consume such products because of its packaging and the way it is being advertised by the celebrities,” he said and added: “Drug testing laboratory in state failed to play an effective role. Earlier, it was defunct. The food inspectors are not trained properly. However, the state government has been focusing on such things for the last few years.”
Principal secretary (health) Sanjay Kumar told this newspaper that he is yet to receive the formal report from the testing lab. “I received the report on WhatApp from the experts there. We are waiting for the official reports,” he said.
“It is a criminal offence. The pan masala brands are putting something that they are not declaring and above all use of both the chemicals in food items are banned in state. Instead, they wrote on packaging that the product is nicotine-free,” Kumar said and added: “Once, the formal reports are received, we will take appropriate legal action against such pan masala brands.”
Sep 21, 2019
Food safety officials conduct awareness expo
Visitors at the international water expo organised by the Coimbatore Region Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers’ Association in the city on Friday.
Expo will conclude on September 22.
Officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted an awareness expo on food adulteration at Codissia Trade Fair complex here on Friday.
Food adulterations
Held as part of the ‘International Water Expo’ organised by the Coimbatore Region Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers’ Association, food safety department officials conducted demonstrations on identifying food adulterations.
The expo will conclude on September 22.
Public may contact FSSAI officials upon finding adulterated items in the market through the WhatsApp number 94440 42322, the release said.
Ahead of festive season, samples of food taken
Health officials during a drive in Kapurthala.
Kapurthala, September 19
In view of the upcoming festival season, a team of experts, including Dr Harjot Pal Singh, Assistant Commissioner (Food), and Satnam Singh, Food Safety Officer, Kapurthala, today checked various food items and took samples from eateries.
Dr Harjot said six samples, including khoya burfi, paneer, kalakand, desi ghee and besan, had been seized by the Food Wing, Kapurthala. Inspection and sampling were done near Satnarayan Mandir, Kapurthala, and Katra Bazaar, Sultanpur Lodhi. Sweetmeat shop owners were directed not to use artificial colours in sweets or other food items and aluminium leaf as a coating on sweets.
Permitted food colours could be used for the preparation of sweets. However, these too should be put only in permissible limits i.e. 20 gm of food colour in 100 kg of sweets. Chemical colours should not be used in sweets or any other food item as these cause cancer of small and large intestines and kidneys, the sweet manufacturers were told. They were also directed not to store khoya and sweets in cold stores.
“The department will conduct a special checking of the cold stores to check khoya and sweets items. However, the shop owners could store sweets in their own cold chambers for a limited period of time, but they have to ensure that the quality of sweets/khoya doesn’t deteriorate,” Dr Harjot said.
All food businessmen dealing in sweets are directed to ensure that they don’t procure khoya and sweets from other states as that was deemed to be of inferior quality. Khoya and sweets should be obtained only from known and reputed establishments. They were also instructed to take special care of easily perishable items such as milk and milk products. These need to be preserved at a temperature up to 4°C.
The samples collected have been dispatched to the State Food Laboratory, Kharar, and the report of the analysis will be made available to the department at the earliest. Further, legal action will be initiated in the court of law against offenders as per the report of analysis of the laboratory under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and Rules and Regulations, 2011.
The checking drive by the Food Wing, Kapurthala, to curb the menace of adulteration in food items will be continued in the future also to ensure that residents get pure, healthy and unadulterated sweets and other food items in the upcoming festival season, experts said.
Sep 20, 2019
Antibiotic resistance in food-animals growing
The other hotspots include China, Pakistan, Vietnam, Turkey, Brazil and South Africa, says a review study jointly done by Princeton University and Delhi-based Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy and published in Science journal on Thursday night.
Antibiotics are added to animal feed to make them healthier. The study said the increasing demand for animal protein in lower middle income countries had led to increased production (rearing of food-animals) using antibiotics liberally.
In May, a local study from Mumbai published in ‘Acta Scientific Microbiology’ journal showed resistance in chicken liver meat and eggs collected from poultry shops across 12 locations in the city.
The Mumbai study by National Facility for Biopharmaceuticals in Khalsa College, Matunga, tested the samples for bacteria salmonella that was resistant to widely used antibiotics such as amoxicillin, azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ceftriaxone, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin, levofloxacin, nitrofurantoin and tetracycline.
Now, the CDDEP study has said antibiotic resistance is seen in several food-animals across the globe. “It is of particular concern that antibiotic resistance is rising in low- and middle-income countries because this is where meat consumption is growing the fastest while access to veterinary antimicrobials remains largely unregulated,” said the study, adding that animals nowadays consume three times as many antibiotics as humans.
The study’s main author Ramanan Laxminarayan of CDDEP said, “The study found the proportion of antimicrobial compounds in food animals that showed resistance higher than 50 % increased overall between 2000 and 2018.”
The highest resistance rates were observed in the most commonly used classes of antimicrobials in animal production: Tetracyclines, sulfonamides, and penicillins. Commonly used human medicine such as ciprofloxacin and erythromycin (20% to 60%), too, showed high resistance while the study found moderate resistance for third- and fourth generation cephalosporins (10 to 40%). The trend is dangerous because increase in antibiotic-resistant infections among animals will finally affect humans as well.
“In developing countries where veterinary antibiotic sales remain unregulated and feed is less nutritious compared to that in high income countries, rates of antibiotic resistance in animals have the potential to increase exponentially,” said the Science study. Although beneficial for short-term mass meat production, overconsumption of antibiotics in food animals has been linked to an increase in antibiotic-resistant infections not only in animals, but also in humans. The authors feared that surveillance systems that track resistance rates among animals currently lack in low- and middle-income countries.
But academicians such as Dr Sujata Baveja, who heads the microbiology department of civic-run LTMG Hospital in Sion, said the Indian Centre for Medical Research has already started a series of programmes to control antibiotic resistance.
She added that has been an international practice for long to give antibiotics to animals to increase production of milk or meat. This also cuts transmission of bacteria from animals to humans. However, there has been no control on the amount or types of antibiotics given to food-animals reared in farms solely for human consumption. “This practice has contributed to rising levels of antimicrobial resistance in the community. Even sewage has resistant bacteria growing these days,” said Dr Baveja.
“People shouldn’t pop antibiotics if they have viral fever. They shouldn’t ask the chemist or non-allopathic doctors to give them antibiotics. Without discipline in the use of antimicrobials, we will see another tuberculosis like horror story,” added Dr Baveja.
TFA ill-effects: Cut down on Vanaspati, bakery items
Hyderabad: Food regulatory authorities have launched concerted efforts to make people aware of the ill-effects of trans-fatty acids (TFA) and also reduce their availability in the food items that are consumed by general public on a daily basis. As part of this initiative, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has in principle decided to bring down the trans-fatty acids (TFA), which are commonly available in Vanaspati, bakery items and margarine, a form of butter, by at least two per cent in a phase manner.
According to FSSAI, the reduction of TFA by at least two per cent would effectively bring the level of TFA to zero level in food in India. Many countries around the world such as Denmark, Chile Norway, Singapore South Africa and Ecuador have already limited TFA in all foods by 2 per cent.
How harmful is TFA?
Trans fats are major concern for various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. The TFA is not natural and is prepared through an industrial process known as hydrogenation, which in simple terms is hardening or solidifying vegetable oils. TFA also occurs naturally, but at very lower quantities in meat and dairy products from cattle, sheep, goats, and camels.
Doctors and researchers have also found that Vanaspati or TFA causes a rise in LDL Cholesterol levels (Bad cholesterol) and lowers good Cholesterol (HDL). It also increases risk of developing heart disease and stroke and is associated with a higher risk of causing type 2 Diabetes.
How much TFA is safe?
According to Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), the daily intake of TFA should not exceed 1 per cent of energy intake. Teh FSSAI says that food products, in which edible oils and fats are used as an ingredient, shall not contain trans fatty acids more than 2 per cent by weight of the total oils or fats present in the product from January, 2022.
Woman cooks Maggi in milk and internet is angry: Are we overreacting?
01/4Love for Maggi is matchless
We love Maggi so much that it has ceased to exist as a brand for us. It is part of our childhood memories and a comfort food that we go back to, again and again. We are so possessive about it that when three years ago, in 2015, food safety regulators from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, reported that several samples of Maggi were found to have unexpectedly high levels of monosodium glutamate (which was actually 17 times the permissible limit), we were heartbroken, angry and incredulous! And when there was a nationwide ban on Maggi, we were not ready to believe that our ‘ideal’ comfort food could ever ditch us and that it all was a ‘conspiracy’. Maggi was eulogised in verses, celebrated in memories and talked about on social media as a love lost! This incident interestingly doubled up the popularity of Maggi.
02/4Maggi in milk? Internet is puking!
We do not love, but we worship Maggi and no wonder when the video of sweet Maggi got viral, people took it personally and got offended. Internet was flooded with comments that were sometimes hilarious and even menacing and people were ready to puke on this Maggi made with milk and sugar. Originally posted on YouTube by Hemanshi’s World, this video became viral when it was tweeted by Desi Gooner on September 12. In the video, blocks of Maggi were broken into a simmering pan of milk to which water, condensed milk and rose petals were added. The final dish was somewhat like seviyan kheer and the YouTuber claims that this dish is a family favourite.
03/4Everyone has a unique Maggi recipe
Are we too harsh on judging the YouTuber for putting milk in the noodles when we all have our own ways to make Maggi? Yes, she did add milk and it looked overtly unique, but there are so many of us who put whatever we like in our Maggi. We spoke to a number of Maggi lovers and this is what we found!
Kalpana Sharma, a journalist by profession, says she loves Maggi Pakora and also loves it when her cook adds Maggi to Sambhar. Gunjan Verma, an interior designer by profession says she likes to stuff Maggi and Eggs in capsicum and tomatoes. Fashion blogger Ankita Shukla says she likes to load Maggi with cheese and then fill it up in sandwiches. According to Navya Anand, a chef by profession, she deep fries Maggi and prepares Maggi Bhel and also Maggi Bonda. Other favourites that we found out from our readers were-Tadka Maggi, Dahi Maggi Chaat, Anda Maggi, Maggi Dosa, Maggi Pancake, Maggi Curry, Maggi Kadhi and even Maggi Bhajia!
04/4Rightfully angry, are we?
Adding milk and sugar was actually taking the experiment to far, but we do that in case of ‘Meri Maggi’, don’t we? We add our own favourites to it, the blogger added her own. Taste is a very personal thing and she has a right to prepare her Maggi the way she wants. We do add milk to our Soups, Sugar to our Dals and Curries and Garam Masala to our Chai! We even go gaga over experimental stuffs like Turmeric Latter, Butter Coffee, Tamatar ka Halwa and even Garlic Kheer. So why not let someone try Maggi kheer too?
‘Meri Maggi’ is an appellative we have taken too seriously and no wonder we are up in arms when we see any ruffle in our scheme of loving our very own Maggi. Our love is blind when it comes to Maggi but although the spurt of internet messages were hilarious, but were at the cost of the YouTuber who shared her personal recipe. Lets not judge her and lets not stop experimenting, after all our ‘Meri Maggi’ is hers too!
Picking the right food
In a bid to make consumers aware about whether or not a restaurant complies with hygiene regulations, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has introduced a new measure. The government agency will soon ask restaurants and hotels to display their hygiene ratings on their doors or entrances. This comes against the backdrop of an increased number of diners wanting to go out and eat across cities in India. Eating out or meeting friends or family over meals in restaurants is a trend that has caught on now like never before, especially after an increasing number of signups on food aggregators.
There will also be food supervisors to check the safety of what is served, for which the regulator intends to train around 170,000 people. The FSSAI is in the process of forming guidelines to implement the rating system.
If implemented diligently, the programme would be in the interest of the customer and could raise the quality of food served. Ratings will give restaurant owners an incentive to improve their standards and will likely filter out food joints that pose a health risk. That extra costs borne to maintain quality may raise menu prices, too. The additional costs of raising food quality and maintaining it may also result in an increase in food prices. In cases where restaurants are found to be flouting rules of food safety, FSSAI will reportedly send notices. This move is part of a series of changes that the FSSAI is bringing as a part of its 'Eat Right Campaign'. The campaign involves measures aimed at preventive healthcare through checks and regulations, as well as awareness efforts and moves for food building capacity for restaurants. In general, few can object to such an idea.
However, any system that requires an external assessment of quality could be abused. As those in the hospitality business would testify, state-directed scrutiny tends to descend all too easily into an “inspector raj", with officials determined to give them a hard time, unless given some reason—pecuniary or otherwise—not to. As a way to guard against this, the criteria for hygiene ratings will need to be clear-cut and uniformly applicable, with no scope for subjectivity. A lot of well-intended initiatives end up hurting a market simply because their execution is faulty.
The move appears to be a well-intended and timely one, given an increasing interest in dine-in restaurants and thousands of new restaurants cropping up around the country week after week. However, it remains to be seen how it will be implemented.
Sep 19, 2019
Waxed apples from Khan Market find their way to Consumer Affair Minister Ram Vilas Paswan's house
- The minister found out about the wax on apples when his cook couldn't wash it as it was too slippery. The cook then scratched it with a knife and found a layer of wax on it.
A fruit shop in Delhi's Khan Market faced consequences for selling apples a little too shiny to Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
The apples had an extra layer of wax on them to make them look fresh and shiny.
The minister wanted to have Russian salad and asked his cook to wash the apples bought from a reputed shop in Khan Market. The apples were bought for Rs 420 per kg.
The minister found out about the wax on apples when his cook couldn't wash it as it was too slippery. The cook then scratched it with a knife and found a layer of wax on it.
The Union Consumer Affairs minister raised the issue with his team following which, the team raided the shop and found every fruit and vegetables had a layer of wax on it.
The shopkeeper's challan has been cancelled following the raid.
According to the shopkeeper, he bought the American apples from Azadpur mandi.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has informed the rules for wax coatings.
All relevant stakeholders are required to label fresh fruits and vegetables that have been waxed. Fruits that are coated with food-grade waxes approved by FSSAI are generally safe to eat.
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