Jan 2, 2019
Case booked against two for threatening official
The Thirunavalur police have booked a case against Vaidyanathan, accused in the Aavin adulteration scam, and his brother for threatening a Food Safety Inspector over phone. An audio clip of the duo threatening the official later went viral on WhatsApp.
According to the police, the Food Safety Inspector Kathiravan reportedly served a notice on a milk chilling plant of Mr. Vaidyanathan at Parikal near Ulundurpet during a visit a few days ago for functioning without a licence.
Audio clip
Police said Mr. Vaidyanathan and his brother Mahesh, an AIADMK functionary, called up the Food Safety Inspector on his mobile and questioned him for serving notice on the chilling plant.
The duo also passed derogatory comments on the officer and the audio clip went viral. Mr. Kathiravan lodged a complaint with the Thirunavalur police who booked a case against the duo under Sections 294 and 506 Part I of IPC. Further investigations are on.
A paper sensor that can detect freshness of milk
Dr Pranjal Chandra and Kuldeep Mahato
Scientists at Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati, have developed a simple paper kit that can test freshness of milk and tell how well it has been pasteurized. Aided with a smart phone app, the kit can help ensure that milk is consumed before it turns too sour.
Milk being widely consumed food, its safety is of prime concern to consumers. More so because it is highly perishable and prone to action of enzymes and micro organisms inherently present in it. Although pasteurization, freezing and preservation using additives are widely used to prevent spoilage, perishability of milk is still a concern.
There is no easy way to know if milk is fresh or stale or how effective is pasteurization. Tests used in dairies and dairy industries are time consuming and need sophisticated equipment like spectrophotometers. The new detection kit developed at IIT could make testing easy and fast.
A milk enzyme, Alkaline Phosphatase or ALP, is considered an indicator of milk quality because its presence even after pasteurization indicates presence of microbes that may not have been rendered inactive with pasteurization.
Researchers used ordinary filter paper to prepare the detector. The filter paper was cut into small discs using office punch and impregnated with chemical probes that preferentially react with ALP. The ‘probes’ used are antibodies that specifically bind to ALP. When ALP comes into contact with the probe, it turns white paper disc into a coloured one.
“We soaked paper discs in 4-carboxybenzene diazonium solution and and then chemically treated to expose-COOH groups on the diazonium,” explained says Dr Pranjal Chandra, who led the research effort. “The -COOH groups then attach to NH2 groups on anti-ALP probe molecules. Thus the anti-ALP probes are fixed on paper. When a drop of milk is poured on the tiny paper disc, the ALP in milk reacts with probes, resulting in change of colour.
The colour change on paper discs is then photographed by a smartphone camera and images processed to obtain corresponding colour values. These values are then compared with standard data stored in the phone. Thus not only the presence of ALP could be detected but the amount of it in milk could also be measured.
“We have used samples collected from villages and also milk spiked with specific amount of ALP to test the kit,” said Dr. Chandra. In most cases, almost 94% of the ALP could be detected. The team also confirmed that colour is due only to ALP and not due to interference of vitamins, other proteins and minerals in the milk. The sensor works in both qualitative and quantitative modes. “No separate reader is required for qualitative analysis as it works like just like pregnancy test strips. While colour change shows ALP’s presence, the exact amount of ALP is determined using smartphone,” said Dr. Chandra.
The team has prepared a kit by attaching probe discs onto a 2 cm square transparent cellulose acetate film. The probe is then covered with another cellulose acetate film. Colour reaction takes place when milk is injected through a tiny hole in the cover and a smart phone can be used to get the results. It takes just about 15 minutes to detect raw milk from pasteurised one.
The kit could come handy in milk bars, large kitchens and at milk collection centres where freshness of milk is a concern. It can find other applications too. Since ALP is also tested in various body fluids, the kit can also be utilized in clinics. Fabrication in the laboratory at present costs around Rs. 80 to Rs 125 per kit and could come down when mass manufactured, researchers said.
Kuldeep Mahato, a research fellow, worked with Dr Chandra in the development work. The research results will soon to be published in journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics.
FDA acts against 415 city eateries
Asks food delivery platforms to not list food joints that do not follow norms
Punekars might miss some of their favourite dishes at the restaurant of their choice but it will be for a good reason. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asked 415 eateries listed on various food delivery platforms to stop doing business. Notices have been issued to these eateries as they were found doing business sans licences. While the state FDA has already told e-commerce food service platforms like Swiggy, Uber Eats, Zomato and Food Panda that only those eateries that follow the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules 2011, can be listed on their food service platforms.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has ordered Swiggy, Uber Eats and Zomato to delist unregistered eateries. The state FDA during a surprise inspection in October found that the eateries providing food to these delivery platforms were preparing the dishes in unhygienic conditions and functioning with gross violations of the food safety and hygiene norms. Later it was found that most of them were also functioning without licences making them party to gross violation of food safety rules. The state FDA then issued orders to the food delivery platforms like Swiggy, Uber Eats, Zomato, Food Panda that if they want to do business it has to be with eateries that follow the rules.
The FDA has issued notices to the eateries like, Down Town Pizza, Best Belgium Waffle, The J, Anonymous Café Bar, Mad House Grill, Subway, Chinese-Panti, Apachi Fluid lounge, Classic Rock Café, Barista, Keg and Barrel, among others. “We have issued notices to these eateries to stop doing business through online food platforms. As per the rules they have to mandatorily have licences but they were found to be functioning sans licences,” said assistant commissioner, FDA, Shivaji Shinde.
“Some of them have applied for the licences and some have started approaching us for it. If the food business operators have the licences we can have a control on them and as they have to follow the food safety rule the food prepared is expected to be safe and hygienic. We are also going to conduct an inspection of these eateries,” said Shinde.
State FDA commissioner, Pallavi Darade said, “We had issued notices to the online food delivery platforms earlier in October and taken them in adjudication for doing the business with eateries that don’t follow the food safety norms. During a surprise inspection in greater Mumbai it was found that almost 112 eateries without licences were providing the food through the delivery platform. As per the rules of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 it is the responsibility of the food delivery platform to see that the food sold is safe and hygiene but it was found to be not followed. During the inspection of these eateries, they were found functioning in unhygienic conditions and even the food being supplied by these eateries listed on the food delivery platforms was sub-standard.”
FSSAI to focus on enforcement of food standards in 2019
NEW DELHI: With new food quality standards in place, regulator FSSAI will focus on enforcing the regulations without impacting businesses, CEO Pawan Agarwal said on Tuesday.
During 2018, FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) accelerated the process of setting standards and notified 27 new regulations for food standards, he added.
Some of the key regulations include the ones on alcoholic beverages, food fortification, advertising and claims, packaging, residues of pesticides, tolerance limits of antibiotics and pharmacologically active substances.
“We are setting standards to ensure safe food to consumers and at the same time see to that they do no impact the businesses. Now that the standards (on food products) are more or less in place, our focus is going to be on compliance, monitoring, inspection and enforcement,” Agarwal said.
A Parliamentary Standing Committee on health and family welfare in a report submitted in 2018 had rapped FSSAI over weak enforcement of food safety laws and also recommended restructuring of the autonomous body that functions under the health ministry.
Asserting that the big focus will be on enforcement, Agarwal said while some of the standards are made effective from January 1, the implementation time for other products has been extended by three or six months depending on the cases.
The new standards effective from January 1 are for all varieties of pulses, whole and decorticated pearl millet grains, de-germed maize flour and maize grit, textured soy protein, sago flour, bee wax and royal jelly.
Microbiological standards for fruits and vegetables and their products, all provisions of organic food regulations and standard for honey, except few parameters where test methods are being validated — are made effective from Tuesday.
According to FSSAI, three-month extension has been given to businesses to comply with the tolerance limit of antibiotics and pharmacology active substances.
Similarly, standards for alcoholic beverages will come into force from April 1, 2019 to coincide with financial year requirements of excise laws.
Food fortification norms will come into force from June 1, compliance of labelling requirement for frozen dessert would be applicable from July 1, FSSAI said.
The regulations on advertising and claims, packaging and labelling requirements of blended edible vegetable oils will come into force from July 1, this year.
In 2018, new standards for fruits and vegetables including canned tomato, jam, jelly and marmalade came into effect from July. The revised standards for milk and milk products also came into effect from the same month.
New FSSAI regulations on organic food, honey, pulses come into force
New standards for all pulses, pearl millet grains, de-germed maize flour, sago have also come into effect.
In a first, standards for certification and labelling in the organic food space to come into effect
New food regulations for categories such as pulses, organic food and honey among others have come into force from January 1, with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) working to accelerate the process of setting new standards.
In a statement, FSSAI said that all provisions of organic food regulations will come into force from Tuesday. The new regulations will for the first time introduce standards for certification and labelling in the organic food space. At the same time, it aims to address issues concerning quality, purity and curb rampant adulteration in honey, with the the new standards that also become effective from Tuesday.
Food regulations for all pulses, pearl millet grains, de-germed maize flour, sago besides microbiological standards for fruits and vegetables have also come in force with the beginning of the new year. “During the year, FSSAI has accelerated the process of standards setting. As many as 27 new regulations for food standards were notified in 2018,” the official statement added.
The new regulations have been notified for various categories such as alcoholic beverages, food fortification besides new regulations for advertising and claims among others. “Food businesses are usually provided a period of at least 6-months as transition period before new standards come into force and date of effect of standards is either January 1 or July1 ,” it added.
While standards for alcoholic beverages will come into force from April 1, food fortification regulations will be effective July 1. “The regulations on Advertising and Claims, packaging and Labelling requirements of Blended Edible Vegetable Oils will come into force on July 1, 2019,” the statement added.
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