Close illegal water units says Madras HC

FDA seizes Dairy products worth Rs 69 lakh

The officials of FDA also mentioned that labels on the seized products endorse false claims and lure buyers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently carried out a special inspection drive and seized dairy products worth Rs 69 lakh for violating norms.

Mumbai: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently carried out a special inspection drive and seized dairy products worth Rs 69 lakh for violating norms.

According to the Intelligence Branch of FDA, local area officers raided cold storages located at various places and found Nutralite Fat Spread product of Zydus Wellness Pvt. Ltd and products belonging to Gujarat Co. Op Milk Federation i.e. Amul Lite and Delicious from Goregaon, Panvel, Nashik and Aurangabad.

The officials also mentioned that labels on these products endorse false claims like “zero cholesterol” “low fat, low cholesterol” which do not match the standards given in the Schedule I (Nutritional Claims) of Advertising & Claims Regulations 2018 of FSS Act, 2006. To mention such type of claims, the product should be free from cholesterol and saturated fatty acid level should be restricted to l.5gm/100gm of products.

These firms have been violating norms specified in Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, by making wrong claims for luring buyers, stated by the FDA officials.

The FDA commissioner Dr Pallavi Darade said, “After drawing the samples for analysis, stock of food products (Amul Lite, Delicious and Nutralite Fat Spread) worth `69,34,232 was seized and kept in the custody of food business operators.”

Telangana HC raps state government for vague, false affidavit on food safety violations

Senior counsel and amicus curiae S Niranjan Reddy submitted that the state requires 80 FSOs and 35 DOs, but these posts have not been created by the State.

HYDERABAD: Terming the affidavits filed by the officials as vague and false about steps taken to check food safety violations and use of carbide for artificial ripening of fruits, a division bench of the Telangana High Court has directed the State Special Chief Secretary, Medical and Health, to file a detailed affidavit informing the number of criminal cases registered against erring fruit traders, pendency of cases, number of acquittals etc.

The bench also wanted know about the number of food safety officers (FSOs) and designated officers (DOs) required for the State.

"To say the least, the Court finds the affidavit filed by Special Chief Secretary (Medical and Health), A Santhi Kumari not only vague, but statements false. While she claims that 74 ethylene chambers (gas chambers meant for artificial ripening of fruits) have been constructed by the government, there is no evidence to buttress the plea. Moreover, the affidavit is silent about the status of criminal cases. Interestingly, the tabular forms in the affidavit were nothing but copy of the earlier affidavits," the bench observed.

The bench was passing this order recently in a suo moto taken up PIL case based on a news item published in a vernacular daily in 2015 on rampant use of calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruits in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. 

Pursuant to earlier direction of the court, the Special Chief Secretary has filed an affidavit stating that 61 posts of FSOs were sanctioned, and there is a proposal to sanction 19 more posts.

The Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) has issued a notification for recruiting 36 FSOs. Besides, five posts of gazetted food inspectors were filled in Sept last. The department has found 256 cases of food safety violations and use of calcium carbide, and there were 19 convictions.

The government has built three ethylene chambers and 74 chambers were under construction, the affidavit said.After perusing the affidavit, the bench expressed its displeasure and said that the affidavit was silent on criminal cases, acquittals and also on creation of DO posts.

Special counsel for Telangana A Sanjeev Kumar submitted that 36 posts have been sanctioned for which notification was issued and that carbide is no longer being used to ripen fruits. Senior counsel and amicus curiae S Niranjan Reddy submitted that the state requires 80 FSOs and 35 DOs, but these posts have not been created by the State.

After hearing both sides, the bench directed the special chief secretary to file a detailed affidavit with regard to years in which criminal cases were registered, pending cases and number of acquittals.

Further, it directed the officer to indicate the time required for completion of 74 ethylene chambers and places where they were being built. Besides, the bench directed agriculture secretary to file an affidavit whether carbide is available in the market.The matter was posted to Jan 29 for further hearing.

Food safety department launches ‘Eat Right Kerala’

The department has taken a decision to conduct more awareness campaigns in schools along with students.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a major move to promote healthy food habits among students, the ‘Eat Right’ campaign was launched by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which banned the sale of junk food in and around the school. The Food Safety Department has also come out with the campaign ‘Eat Right Kerala’ which focuses on creating more awareness among students to take up healthy food habits.

A walkathon creating awareness on safe food was held from Kowdiar to Tagore Theatre on Thursday which was attended by students, Food Safety Department officials and nutritionists from the Indian Medical Association (IMA). As many as 13 schools participated in the walkathon where children held placards with messages on healthy food habits and the guidelines to be followed for a healthy diet.

“We are focusing more on school students to reduce their unhealthy eating habits. More programmes will be conducted in association with the schools in the city to ensure the right food is served. This campaign will be followed in other districts as well,” said Alex K Isaac, assistant commissioner, Food Safety Department.

Under the Food Safety and Standards (Safe food and healthy diet for school children) Regulations 2019, about 10 guidelines have been laid out such as food labelled as high in salt, fat and sugar cannot be sold to children in schools, hostels and colleges within a radius of 50m. French fries, fried chips, samosa, ready-to-eat food, pizzas and burgers have been discouraged.

The department has taken a decision to conduct more awareness campaigns in schools along with interactions with students. “As per the guidelines provided by the FSSAI, we are also preparing a chart on a healthy diet for students in the state,” said Alex.