Nov 5, 2019
Food safety officials to check trans-fat content in oil
Madurai: The food safety officials from Madurai district will check trans-fat content in cooking oil sold in the city and rural areas by testing their quality. Officials are planning to take 50 samples from various places and check them in National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) certified laboratory, based on the instruction from higher officials. This decision came following the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s initiative of bringing down trans-fat in food items to 2% from its current 5% in a few years.
Designated officer for food safety, Madurai district, Dr M Somasundaram told TOI that they will start lifting oil samples to be given to lab for testing in a couple of days. Appropriate action will be taken based on the test results, he said. We were told to work in the area by higher officials in a meeting held in Chennai on Monday, he said.
An official said that trans-fat is formed during hydrogenation of vegetable oil and other processes such as heating of oil at high temperature. Trans-fats are considered to be the worst type of fats one can consume. A diet-laden with trans-fat increases the risk of heart diseases and decreases good cholesterol in the human body, official said.
He added that while trans-fat content is already limited to 5%, a target has been fixed by FSSAI to further reduce it to 3% by 2021 and 2% by 2022. The FSSAI has already introduced a logo, which can be used by food business operators like hotels on voluntary basis, if their food content did not have trans-fat more than 0.2g per 100 gram.
Simultaneously, the food safety officials will also take measures to curb the sales of cooking oil in loose.
Private hospital canteen sealed
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Monday sealed the canteen of a private hospital at Tatabad after the food regulator found various faults in its functioning.
The canteen of Kongunad Hospital was sealed based on a complaint filed by Ramasubramaniam, said a food safety official.
Officials found that the facility was being operated without complying to certain standards.
Government issues draft regulation to ban junk food near schools
The draft also prohibits sponsorship from brands selling food and beverages with low nutritional value such as carbonated drinks, chips, pre-cooked packaged noodles, fries etc at sporting, school and other events for children.
The Centre has notified in a gazette a draft regulation against the sale, distribution and advertisement of junk food within 50 metres of a school campus, including in the school canteen and hostel kitchen.
“The draft was in the works for sometime but this is the first time that it has been formally notified. The challenge lies in defining junk as it is a very loose term. What we are looking at is prohibiting ready-to-eat packaged food that’s high in fat, salt, and sugar in and around schools,” said Pawan Agarwal, CEO, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that notified the draft regulations.
It also prohibits sponsorship from brands selling food and beverages with low nutritional value such as carbonated drinks, chips, pre-cooked packaged noodles, fries etc at sporting, school and other events for children.
Experts feel if junk food is unavailable in schools, it will help in cutting down its intake among children.
“I have worked with schools and seen how eating habits of children improve for better if junk food isn’t available in the kitchen. A plate of rajma-chawal is any day better than a burger or noodles. About one-thirds of a child’s nutritional requirement is met in school, so what a child eats in school plays an important role in their healthy growth,” says Ritika Samaddar, regional head, dietetics, Max Healthcare.
The state food authorities will conduct surveillance and periodic inspection to ensure compliance, and failure to comply with the regulations could lead to action against the defaulters by the state education department or the affiliation body.
Considering the rising incidences of obesity among school goers that makes them prone to lifestyle-related disorders later in life, the Delhi high court in 2015 had directed the central food regulator to form regulations for healthy diets for school children.
The recently released government report on adolescent nutrition in India found half of the country’s adolescents (10 to 19 years) – almost 63 million girls and 81 million boys – to be either short, thin, overweight or obese.
“School authorities shall ensure that no person shall offer or expose for sale of pre-packaged foods which are referred to as foods high in fat, salt and sugar as per the Food Safety and Standards (labelling and display) Regulations, 2019 to school children...,” the draft published on Thursday said.
The food regulator expects the new regulations to be effective by June 2020. When contacted, Pepsico declined to comment for the story.
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