Apr 25, 2019
Food safety dept to crack whip on illegal ripening of fruits
Madurai: With mangoes started to arrive in the market, officials from food safety and drugs administration have increased vigilance to make sure that banned chemicals are not used to ripen the fruit. The continued use of chemicals such as calcium carbide and ethephon will have adverse effects on the health of humans.
Only ethylene gas is allowed for ripening the fruit, but it requires a chamber. According to the food safety officials, it will cost Rs 20 lakh to construct a chamber, which no trader in Madurai has. The 100-odd mango traders in the city have not even registered with the food safety department.
Designated officer for food safety, Madurai district, M Somasundaram said that he has instructed the officials to keep a close watch on the godowns where mangoes are stored. He expressed concern about traders not coming forward to register with the department. "We have issued notices to the traders under Section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. They have to registere with the department in 15 days. Otherwise they will face action including jail term up to six months and fine up to Rs 5 lakh," Somasundaram said.
Doctors say that traders have been widely using ethephon, which is a growth hormone that can disrupt the endocrine system in humans. It can also cause stomach upset, ulcer and vomiting besides skin problems like rashes and itching.
The food safety officials said that the naturally ripened mangoes start ripening from the interior part, whereas artificially ripened mangoes ripe in the opposite direction. Naturally ripened mangoes will have green patches on the outer surface, where artificially ripened fruits will be attractive.
Food adulteration cases on the rise in Trichy
Trichy: “Wash Thoroughly and Cook Thoroughly’ could be the mantra for all to stay healthy as the amount of adulterated food laced with harmful chemicals making its way to the market is on the rise in Trichy.
The food items range from everyday items such as vegetables, edible oil, milk, sugar and grains to ready-to-eat packed foods available in grocery shops. A team comprising a designated officer and 14 food safety officers recently found 84 samples taken from an outlet unsafe. The department filed 65 criminal cases against adulteration in 2018-19.
Among the samples found unsafe, peas remain on top of the chart. The dark green colour coated on peas will make it look like garden-fresh. "The normal peas will not be as dark as the chemically-soaked ones. Since many people think that it is fresh from its appearance, the traders have no inhibition to lace it with chemicals which can have carcinogens," designated officer of food safety and drug administration department Dr R Chithra told TOI.
As per the Food Safety and Standards Act of India, raw vegetables should not be coated with chemicals. However, the rules are not a deterrent to the traders from indulging in adulteration. The punishment for such offences as per the Act is also not stringent unless or until it leads to loss of life.
Out of the 65 cases filed by the department in Trichy, the court convicted those accused in 23 cases only. The total fine imposed was Rs 4,33,000.
The officials said that consumers’ tendency to prefer fresh vegetables and colourful groceries forces the traders to use artificial colours on the food items to make it ‘garden-fresh’.
A Suresh Alwar from Puthur in Trichy was of the view that both the consumers and the traders should take the blame equally. "Since people want the vegetables to glow, the traders are forced to satisfy the customers. Also, the traders make the consumers attracted to the products irrespective of the quality," he said. The food safety department has no powers to act against farmers on the presence of pesticides in the vegetables because of the immunity they enjoy in the Act.
The department has also filed civil cases for failing to provide the details of the manufacturer, expiry date and other information on the food packets and collected Rs 7,43,800 as fines.
Do you buy tea, vada during train journeys; Then you must read this
Tea container near toilet, ‘vada’ kept uncovered under train seat; Read the shocking truth
Kannur: The food from unhygienic conditions served in trains is once again making headlines. Few pics of food suppliers in train revealed that the tea container is placed near toilet and trays of snacks like vada is kept under the seat uncovered.
Train passengers are forced to purchase this unhygienic food by making payments. These disgusting scenes were captured from Train No: 16860 Mangalore-Chennai Egmore express.
The train departed from Mangalore at 6.50 in the morning. When the train reached Kannur, the catering supplier was seen sleeping on a berth in S1 coach. The tray of vada was kept under the seat without covering it. It contained over 200 vadas.
“The supplier who was speaking in Hindi said that the Vada was not for sale. But later he shifted all Vada to another supplier’s tray without wearing gloves. He took the tea container kept near the toilet," said a passenger named Sathyapalan from Cheruvathoor.
Some angry passengers questioned them but they managed to flee from the coach. When passengers who travel with season ticket followed them, these suppliers were found selling vada and tea in AC coach.
The passengers complained that though they informed the matter to railway officials, no action was taken against the suppliers.
No health officials to examine food safety in trains
Railway has decided to appoint 300 health inspectors to check safety of food served in trains and railway station platforms. With this decision, the authority planned to prepare a data bank by collecting food sample and details of catering owner and suppliers.
Food safety department official in each division will be in charge of this mission. The decision was taken in the meeting of food safety officials headed by Railway board chairman Ashwani Lohani.
But none of the officials intervened in the issue even after passengers came forward with a complaint.
Supplyco soon to roll out fortified rice
The direction by the Centre is to introduce fortified rice in at least one district in the state by December.
Thiruvananthapuram: To combat nutrition deficiency among children, the SupplyCo is all set to roll out micronutrient-fortified rice in the state for the first time.
The initiative is being launched on a pilot basis with the technical support of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Kerala Commissionerate of Food Safety. Iron, folic acid and Vitamin B12 would be used for fortifying rice in the state.
According to officials fortifying rice, which is the staple food of Kerala population, would help combat nutrition deficiency among children and adults alike.
The initiative is being launched in the wake of an order issued by the Government of India directing every state in the country to introduce fortified rice at Anganwadis.
In Kerala, there are around 33,115 Anganwadis. The direction by the Centre is to introduce fortified rice in at least one district in the state by December. Sources say that the project will take off by June.
According to a survey, in Kerala, around 19.7 per cent children under five years of age are stunted, while 15.7 per cent do not have the weight for their height, and 35.6 per cent children are anaemic.
A top official of the Commissionerate of Civil Supplies told DC that the Supplyco is planning to introduce fortified rice, oil and salt in the state very soon.
“We have initiated steps and talks are on to take the proposals to the next level. As a first step, we will be supplying fortified rice for Anganwadis under Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). A micronutrient rice blender has been installed at our Taliparamba Depot, which would be supplied to Anganwadis for the midday meal,” said the official.
The Supplyco is also planning to expand the production of fortified wheat flour, which is supplied through ration shops and Maveli stores across the state.
“We are currently producing around 6,500 tonnes of fortified Atta every month. The demand is more, and we are planning to expand production,” the official said.
The initiative is being launched as part of the Poshan Abhiyan – the Centre scheme which aims at bringing down stunting of children in the 0-6 age group.
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