May 4, 2018
Texting complaints on food safety on rise in city
Though the facility of registering complaints/grievances about adulteration of food products and inferior quality of food through WhatsApp/text message was introduced by the Tamil Nadu food safety and drug administration department in May last year, the initiative has picked up momentum in the city only recently.
Food adulteration, poor hygiene at roadside eateries and use of synthetic colours and essence in fruit juices/drinks are the most common complaints the city food safety department has been receiving through WhatsApp and SMS texts on its official complaints number.
The designated officer (DO) for Trichy district food safety and drug administration department, Dr Senthilkumar Ramakrishnan, said the general public had raised various complaints and the issues are constantly being addressed by the department. "We are getting complaints such as serving recycled food at restaurants, sale of expired food products and poor quality of packaged drinking water. We have been taking action on such issues swiftly," he told TOI. "We are also educating manufacturers and food vendors on how to maintain high food quality," Ramakrishnan said.
When a person sends a complaint, it is received by the food safety department in Chennai. It is forwarded by them to the designated officers of the corresponding districts and the officials are given a period of 24 hours to conduct inquiry and send a report back to the Chennai office. The report is also sent to the complainant.
Many of the complaints are about the poor hygiene of the roadside eateries and about the location of the shops. "We are receiving many complaints regarding the poor hygiene at roadside food shops," a city-based food safety officer said. He said if the corporation assigns particular spots to set up shops, it would immensely help improve food safety.
On the other hand, traders, manufacturers and eatery/juice stall owners said that they have been consistently working towards maintaining the hygiene of their eateries and the quality of food. But a section of them maintained that some of the rules and regulations were complicated to follow. The general secretary of Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, V Govindarajalu said, "Through our association, we regularly discuss about increasing the food quality. But we don’t necessarily agree with all the rules and regulations."
Food safety awareness stalls set up at three spots in Trichy
As a part of the state-wide summer awareness campaign organised by the Tamil Nadu food safety and drug administration department, stalls are being setup at three tourist spots in Trichy - Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, Thayumanaswami Temple at Rockfort and Mukkombu.
In order to create awareness about food safety among the general public, an extensive campaign – stay safe and eat safe this summer – has been planned by the state food safety department and is set to be kick-started in a week.
The 20-day campaign would have stalls at the famous tourist spots across the state, where more people are expected to visit during the summer vacation.
At the stalls, volunteers and food safety officers would educate the public about the dos and don’ts regarding food safety during summer. "We would be mainly demonstrating the general public about how to identify adulteration in common household purchases," stated designated officer for district food safety and drug administration department Dr Senthilkumar Ramakrishnan.
Apart from the stalls, posters have also been put up in the tourist locations and pamphlets will be handed out to the public, both of which will have a list of advisories for consumers and manufacturers.
The posters will have a checklist for the consumers on purchasing juices/ice-creams, packed food products and eating at roadside stalls.
Model kiosk will also be put up at two spots in the city, which would give an idea to the general public and to those in the food business on what makes for an ideal food cart.
Police to produce seized gutka products in court
Coimbatore: A police team led by deputy superintendent of Karumathampatti sub-division Jayachandran on Thursday inspected the gutka sachets and raw materials seized from the illegal gutka manufacturing unit at Kannamapalayam village. They will be produced before the judicial magistrate court, police sources said.
Police had seized 3.24 lakh gutka sachets, more than 170kg of pan masala and a few gunny bags containing raw materials to manufacture the banned tobacco products. The unit was sealed and police personnel were deployed there.
Jayachandran and team opened the seal in the presence of a village administrative officer on Thursday and checked the seized contraband. “We could not complete the work. It will be continue on Friday. After the checking, we would produce the seized property at the court,” a senior police officers said.
Police will send the seized samples to the forensic science department and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). “We plan to take the manager of the unit, Raghuram, in custody for further investigation,” police superintendent Pa Moorthy said.
Meanwhile, a special police team from the city camping in New Delhi sought help from the Delhi police to trace the whereabouts of Amit Jain, the owner of the gutka manufacturing unit.
KMC conducts food safety drive
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) on Thursday conducted food safety drives in the city while BJP and Congress party workers had staged a protest near the civic body headquarters in relation to the carcass meat supply case.
The KMC on Thursday conducted food safety drives in several areas in the city, mainly in Esplanade and EM Bypass stretch. The health officials raided several shops including branded food chains and collected food samples.
Speaking on the matter,Mr Atin Ghosh, member mayorin- council (MMIC), health, said: “We have raided areas of EM Bypass and Esplanade where we collected several samples of meat products. Many of the products have also been destroyed. We will send the samples to state forensic department for further tests in the laboratories. It is a matter of food safety for citizens and we will take all necessary measures required to deal with the issue.”
An official of the health department stated that the food safety laws have to be made stricter as the ones under the FSSAI act aren’t strict as the ones under the IPC. The Enforcement Branch can deal with such food safety matters in stricter ways.
In responding to carcass meat being supplied from garbage dumps to markets, Mr Ghosh said: “The Dhapa dumping ground is safe as there are CCTV cameras installed there while biometric is needed to enter the premises. In addition to that there is a crematorium where such animal carcasses are burnt to ashes immediately hence eliminating chances of them getting outside the dump yard premises to the markets.”
The BJP party workers meanwhile staged a demonstration near the civic body headquarters and demanded immediate probe into such matters while blaming the civic body for not putting enough efforts to curb the menace. One of them demanded CBI probe into the matter.
May 3, 2018
VMC teams cracks down on ice making units in city
Officials destroyed 1,000kg ice and 12,500 water pouches in the raids
Vadodara: Food safety officials of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) cracked down on units manufacturing ice and packaged drinking water pouches that are briskly selling due to scorching heat.
The officials destroyed a large quantity of ice and pouches during the drive. VMC had begun the checking drive on Tuesday in wake of the fact that ice as well as water pouches were sold in large numbers during the summer. Officials said that besides being bought in smaller quantities by persons from the economically weaker sections, ice was used in large quantities by caterers in wake of the wedding season.
The civic body checked four ice making units on Tuesday in the Salatwada, Karelibaug and Chhani Jakatnaka areas. The teams checked if the water used for making ice here was chlorinated. On Wednesday, officials checked five units in Makarpura GIDC and Pratapnagar areas of the city. The teams destroyed 1,000kg on ice and 12,500 water pouches in the raids on Wednesday. Notices were also issued to units warning them to maintain hygiene at their premises.
GM food on your plate despite ban, regulators busy passing the buck
Hundreds of tonnes of banned genetically modified seeds (GM) are being imported to the country for cultivation while the regulators are busy passing the buck.
NEW DELHI: Violating laws governing food safety in India, hundreds of tonnes of banned genetically modified seeds (GM) are being imported to the country for cultivation while the regulators are busy passing the buck.
The Ministries of Commerce, Environment and Finance have been writing to each other to check import of GM seeds to India while none is taking measures to check the violation.
In the latest, the Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has now asked Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to take actions on the illegal genetically modified seed import.
Ironically, while the Environment Ministry’s (MoEF) Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) had forwarded the complaint on illegal GM seed import to Ministry of Commerce & Industry to take action, the DGFT chose to pass the buck back to MoEF and to the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance and the Plant Quarantine Division and Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers’ Welfare in the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.
Interestingly, Ministry of Commerce & Industry’s data shows that India has been importing seeds from countries for crops which are overwhelmingly genetically modified in these countries.
Over the last decade, India imported maize seed totalling more than 528 tonnes from Argentina and more than 20 tonnes from USA. Of the overall maize cultivated in both these countries, more than 90 per cent maize is genetically modified. India also imports maize seeds from other GM maize producing countries such as Spain, Brazil and Philippines.
Similarly, India has imported more than 129 tonnes of sugar beet seed for sowing from US over the last decade. Of the overall sugar beet cultivated in the USA, more than 90 per cent sugar beet is genetically modified.
Industry and government data shows that India imported canola seed totalling more than 149 tonnes from the USA and 100 tonnes from Australia over the last decade. More than 90 per cent of canola cultivated in the USA, and a lesser proportion in Australia, is genetically modified.
Food safety policies need to cover the entire chain, from farm to fork
It is important that both the industry and government work in partnership to facilitate the growth of fortified food products
There is an opportunity for brands to enable healthy lives for consumers in a framework where products are purchased not only for taste but also for the nutritional value.
India is one of the leading producers of food globally and there is a lot of potential which can be harnessed to create a safe and healthy food ecosystem in the country.
Food safety is critically important for improving public health and policies need to cover the entire food chain, from farm to fork. The regulatory environment in India is very dynamic, with developments moving at a rapid pace.
Thus to contribute effectively to strengthening the food safety environment in India, Nestlé established the Nestlé Food Safety Institute (NFSI) in Manesar, which combines our global expertise in food quality and science into a larger foot print. Through this institute, we conduct training programmes on food safety management systems, testing methods and regulatory standards. All individual steps across the value chain in the “farm to fork” need attention. This holistic approach enables farmers and manufacturers to address issues early on, through measures that mitigate the hazard ideally at the crop stage.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is doing a commendable job in promoting and ensuring food safety and quality. Its continued focus has been to create a science-based regulatory environment that protects consumers’ interest and creates an enabling environment for the food industry. Its massive outreach efforts from schools to our homes to workplaces is helping develop a culture of food safety and nutrition across India.
Quality and safety are the key pillars of Nestlé India and we want to share knowledge through collaborative partnerships to help improve food safety in the country. We launched Project Serve Safe Food in collaboration with National Association of Street Vendors of India and have trained over 5,000 street food vendors across India in food safety and hygiene since its inception in 2016.
Our Nestlé Quality Management System encompasses the whole value chain from farm to fork, ensuring appropriate controls are in place at each step of the chain to ensure that our products are safe and compliant. The initiatives for strengthening food standards through consistent scientific review of mechanisms and regulations will go a long way in helping to ensure a safe and healthy food environment in the country.
Fortification is recognised as the most effective strategy to address micronutrient deficiency. However, in India, only 2-5% of food items are believed to be fortified with the micronutrients lacking in many Indian diets. As per the 2015-16 National Family Health Survey, 53% females and 22.7% males (15-45 years) suffer from iron deficiency with an almost equal split across rural and urban India.
The government is encouraging enrichment of food items with micronutrients to address dietary deficiencies among certain sections of the population and FSSAI has operationalised the draft Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations 2016 for fortifying food staples. FSSAI regulated that fortified foods should bear a logo indicating that the item has been fortified and enriched with essential nutrients. Nestlé India is always exploring ways to fortify its mass consumption products to close the gap and contribute to the larger national objective. Fortifying our Popularly Positioned Products with micronutrients can help address deficiencies where they are most prevalent—among lower-income consumers.
We are building a better and stronger Maggi brand driven by our purpose of enhancing quality of life and contributing to a healthier future. We want to introduce products that offer healthier choices as we simplify our ingredients and encourage home cooking. At the forefront of this drive is the commitment to reshape Maggi products to emphasize the use of familiar and common ingredients people know and use.
We have fortified our products such as Maggi Masala-ae-Magic spice seasoning. Maggi Masala-ae-Magic, which is the first ever fortified taste enhancer that can be used across different cuisines in India, efficiently enhances the taste inherent in the ingredients already present. It is specifically fortified with iron, vitamin A and iodine, which are known to be widespread deficiencies in India. Last year, we also fortified Maggi Masala noodles with iron. With 2.5 billion portions consumed annually in India, Maggi Masala noodles offer a powerful platform to address iron deficiency through the iron fortified variant. We have also taken steps to fortify other product categories as well, such as MILO, Nestlé A+ milk.
It is important that both the industry and government work in partnership to facilitate the growth of fortified food products. There is an opportunity for brands to enable healthy and productive lives for consumers in a framework where products are purchased not only for taste but also for the nutritional value. The consumption patterns in the country have also undergone significant changes with more consumers opting for healthier packaged foods and we want to offer healthier choices to our consumers.
FSSAI, police vow to continue crackdown against illegal units
The rural police have sought the list of factories that have license for manufacturing pan masala and sweet betel nut in the district. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have also been asked to submit a list of the certifications they accorded to companies that manufacture such products.
On Wednesday, FSSAI formed three teams and raided various shops across the district to check for irregularities. “We only accord certifications for manufacturing food products and with a minimum turnover of Rs 12 lakhs per annum. The gutka unit that was raided was run illegally and was violating the norms,” food safety officer Vijayalalitha told TOI.
She has ordered the officials to inspect all pan and beeda shops in the district to weed out any other irregularities, the official said. “We have accorded certificated to two beeda shops and three manufacturing units. Out of the three, the one at Kannampalayam had violated the norms. Two units at Annur were also inspected,” she said.
Vijayalalitha said that 10 days ago also, they had seized nearly 300kg banned gutka from shops on Thomas Street. “We conduct regular raids and on April 26 as well, we seized 48.5kg of gutka. We try to get as much information from them about the suppliers but they do not reveal anything. The packets don’t have manufactures’ details,” she said.
Superintendent of police, Pa Murthy said, “We have sought a list of such units and will inspect them all. Meanwhile, we have sent the samples for testing. We have also sought police custody of the accused to get more information,” he said.
Hospitals double check on the quality of meat being served to patients
Kolkata: The carcass meat scare has made the state health department pull up its socks. The food safety department is all set to issue a notice to all district health officials to keep a vigil on meat being sold or supplied in their respective area.
“Instructions will be issued to all concerned to keep a tab of source and quality of meat sold, supplied or served in all districts to rule out circulation of carcass meat,” said a source in Swasthya Bhawan.
Hospitals too are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the meat served to its patients is of quality.
In all hospital the kitchens are run on contract by a second party. Even if it is a practice to acquire fresh meat by those running the kitchen, hospital authorities are leaving no stone unturned to check the quality.
“The person who is running the kitchen in our hospital is on the job for 20 years without any bad track record. But this time with carcass meat scare doing the rounds we are double checking again on the quality and the source from where meat is acquired,” said Dr PB Chakraborty, medical superintendent and vice principal at Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital.
In all hospital the kitchens are run on contract by a second party. Even if it is a practice to acquire fresh meat by those running the kitchen, hospital authorities are taking no chances this time.
“No frozen meat used by the kitchen in preparing food for the patients. But given the kind of situation we are keeping a stricter vigil on the kind of meat being served to our patients,” said Dr Suddhadhan Batabyal, principal RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
The government hospitals in the state serve chicken preparations to patients twice a week. All hospitals have instructed the kitchen operators to keep out of frozen meat.
May 2, 2018
Amway India launches campaign to promote safe, healthy food among children
NEW DELHI, APRIL 30
In a bid to create awareness about healthy food among children, the direct selling FMCG company Amway India has announced ‘Safe & Nutritious food (SNF @school)’ programme.
Through the programme, the company plans to reach out to over 2,00,000 school-going children across 100 schools in the National Capital Region (NCR).
The aim is to create awareness on food safety and nutrition at school level and facilitate easy learning for children in their own vernacular language. Students will be taught about the benefits of nutritious food through interactive awareness sessions.
“This programme is a powerful tool to ingrain the benefits of eating well in school-going children who are the future of our society. We believe food security along with a safe, healthy food environment is the right of every child and the foundation for a healthy nation”, said Anshu Budhraja, CEO, Amway India.
Prasadam `Appam` & `Aravana` with Enhanced Taste by CFTRI Technology
To enhance the taste of the Prasadam of the 'appam' and 'aravana' of the Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala, there shall be Technical guidance of Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore from Mid may 2018.
The 'Sabarimala Appam' is a hard but sweet ball made of rice, kadalippazham (a variety of banana), ghee and so on, while 'Aravana' is a thick sweet dessert made of jaggery.
CFTRI is a Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory working on Research in the area of food safety mainly focuses on genomic, and nutriomic approaches for identifying genetically modified foods, food pathogens, biomarkers, plant based toxicants, allergens, adulterants and nutritional labelling.
Indian agri-food sector, though has experienced increased production of essential food commodities. Also there are losses occurring in the chain of post-harvest operations. These deteriorative loses are the result of accelerated physiological, chemical and microbiological processes occurring in food commodities.
The Food Protectants and Infestation Control deals with R&D in the areas of post-harvest protective measures relating to pest and infestation control in stored food grains, spices and processed foods.
Advanced multiscale modeling for understanding protein structure and functional relationships towards food applications and disease mechanisms. In addition, mandate includes developing and validating robust high end analytical methodologies (FT-IR, FT-NIR, HPLC, GC-MS, LC-MS/MS, IRMS, ICP etc) for oils and fats, milk and milk products, maximum residue limits of chemical and industrial contaminants and persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including pesticides and antibiotic residues and tolerance levels of toxic metals chiefly occurring in food chain that aids in quality assurance and in implementation of new regulations of food standards. Also research is conducted on anti-nutritional factors such as alkaloids, protease inhibitors, tannins and phytates and on permissible levels of natural toxicants such as agaric acid, hydrocyanic acid, aflatoxins and mycotoxins and biological contaminants (bacterial and fungal species) that cause diseases and shelf life studies of food products.
CFTRI has developed Smart Cart, a highly energy efficient mobile infrastructure of kitchen to produce and deliver safe and hygienic food by street food vendors. Another contribution is towards monitoring the quality and safety of food using a robust tool kit for rapid analysis of food which is being popularized widely.
The strength of the Food Protectants and Infestation Control lies in the multidisciplinary approach with experts in the areas of fumigation, stored product entomology, pesticide chemistry, biopesticides, microbial bioremediation and pesticide toxicology.
Protecting stored food products from storage pests forms a basis for food security and food safety. Insect resistance to conventional fumigants and insecticides has been the major threat leading to control failures. Alternative strategies are required to combat the existing resistance and thereby achieve pest free storage of food commodities.
In view of above, we focusses to develop alternate strategies to manage insect resistance against conventional fumigants, to search and investigate the efficacy of new fumigants, to study the importance of modified or controlled atmosphere treatments for residue free storage of food grains, to develop phytochemical and essential oils based bio-fumigants for infestation control and to understand the infestation tactics of insect pests to develop insect detection and control devices. The Food Protectants and Infestation Control is recognized by Insecticide Regulatory Authority of India / Central Insecticide Board for industrial services and training programs on pest management in foods.
The 'appam' and 'aravana', the sweet ball and jaggery dessert, which are sold as prasadam (offering) at the famed Lord Ayyappa temple in Kerala, are set to get a makeover from the next pilgrim season. The Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), which provides guidance for making delicious 'laddu' and 'panchamrutham,' offered at the famed Tirumala Tirupati temple and Lord Muruga's shrine in Palani respectively, are now gearing up to give a new touch to the prasadam of Sabarimala temple.
The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the hillock Ayyappa Temple, has roped in the CFTRI to enhance the quality, taste and shelf-life of the 'appam' and 'aravana,'" which has large number of takers.
Located atop holy hills of Sabarimala in Pathanamthitta district, the Lord Ayyappa shrine draws lakhs of pilgrims from and outside the country including foreigners during the annual pilgrim season from November to January. " TDB president, A Padmakumar said the temple would open for the monthly pooja on May 15 and an MoU between the Board and the CFTRI is expected to be signed on the next day.
A team of TDB officials recently visited the government-run CFTRI's Mysore campus to evaluate its production mechanism. "As CFTRI is a government agency, we have to decide and finalise the terms and conditions. We hope to sign the MoU with them on May 16," Padmakumar said.
"The CFTRI experts would also impart training to the temple staff who prepare the prasadams during their visit," he said.
If everything goes as planned, the 'appam' and 'aravana,' with the 'CFTRI touch', would be made available to devotees from the next pilgrim season, he said.
The TDB, however, has no plans to increase the price of the packed prasadams.
Detailing the changes to be made to the prasadams, Padmakumar said there may not be much changes in the ingredients, but the overall taste would be enhanced.
CMO Dmu cautions against buying unlabelled products
Dimapur chief medical officer (CMO), Dr. K. Vikato Kinimi has appealed to consumers not to purchase food products that do not have proper labels.
In a press release, the CMO said it has come to the notice of his office that many food business operators (FBO) in Dimapur district are manufacturing/packaging, storing and selling food articles, besides packaged drinking water of 10/20 litres jars, without FSSAI and ISI/BIS certification numbers.
According to him, Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 prohibits selling of any food item to consumers without manufacturing date/best before date, expiry date, net quantity (weight/volume), veg and non-veg logo, FSSAI, BIS number, manufacturers’ detailed address, etc, on package labels. And defaulters are punishable with fine up to Rs 2 lakh, he added.
Kinimi asked consumers to submit written complaints/letters in case of any complaint related to food safety standards to the designated officer of food safety in CMO office for further necessary action in the interest of public/consumers.
FSDA to check bhandara samples to ensure adherence to safety norms
LUCKNOW: The district administration has ordered food safety and drug administration(FSDA) to take samples from ‘bhandaras’ organised during Bada Mangal celebrationsacross the city for testing to find out whether they follow safety norms. The administration has also circulated the food safety norms among temples, requesting them to spread awareness about it among devotees, particularly those who are organizing bhandaras.
Officials said that around 1,000 stalls are expected to be set up across the city on Bada Mangal on Tuesday. The figure is based on the request letters seeking permission of loudspeakers received by the administration. District food officer TR Rawat said FSDA has circulated norms prescribed in the food safety act among temples to prevent preparation of substandard food in ‘bhandaras’.
Also, administration has coordinated with different temple committees in order to organise things peacefully as it would be the first time when FSDA would take samples from all stalls on Bada Mangal across the city. The sampling would be done during distribution. As per FSDA, the test result of the samples collected on Bada Mangal is expected to be received within eight days after which action would be taken. This year, there would be nine Bada Mangals falling in months of May and June.
May 1, 2018
Food safety officials to issue showcause notice to owner of gutka manufacturing unit
Coimbatore: The officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will send show cause notice to Amit Jain, the New Delhi-based owner of the illegal gutka manufacturing unit at Kannampalayam village near Sulur that was raided on Saturday.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Amit Jain obtained licence from FSSAI for manufacturing non-tobacco products like pan masala and sweet betel nut. The licence is valid till July 2018. FSSAI officials, who had inspected the unit in January, had failed to find out the illegal manufacturing of gutka there. Police suspect the role of some FSSAI officials in the incident.
Gutkha packet in cool drink bottle
Vijayawada: a used gutkha packet and other waste were found in a cool drink bottle in a restaurant on the BRTS road on Sunday.
When V Ramesh of Madhuranagar and his friends went to the restaurant and were served cool drinks, they found gutkha packet and other garbage in it. They immediately lodged a complaint with the restaurant owner.
With the restaurant owner not responding, Ramesh approached the food safety officials. The officials seized the bottle and are investigating.
Odisha: Police bust fake edible oil manufacturing unit
CUTTACK: Police on Monday busted a fake edible oil manufacturing unit at Nuasahi near Khannagar.
At least 413 containers filled with adulterated edible oil were seized from the unit and one person has been arrested in connection with the crime. Police said the gang used to procure low quality oil from neighbouring states and used to adulterate it with branded edible oils.
The gang cunningly packaged the spurious oil in branded containers so that nobody can make out the difference. The gang used to supply the spurious oil to different grocery wholesalers and retailers in the city.
Along with owner of the unit Rabindra Rout, Police have detained one more persons, in connection with the crime. Acting on a tip off, police conducted surprise raid at the house in Nuasahi. A team of police conducted thorough search of the premises of the house and seized containers, bottles, plastic packets of different branded edible oils and machines used for packaging of oil.
“Samples of the spurious edible oil will be sent for examination. Investigation will be conducted to find out since when the illegal unit was operating and where the products were being supplied to,” said DCP (Cuttack), Akhileswar Singh.
Notably, in December last year police had busted a fake ghee manufacturing unit at Professorpara. After such repeated incidents, police have decided to conduct more raids on such fake units in the city.
Com Min asks FSSAI, customs to cut import clearance time of food cargoes
New Delhi, Apr 30 () The commerce ministry has asked FSSAI and customs authorities to clear import consignments of food products in about 48 hours at ports with a view to promote ease of doing business at trade front.
Currently, it takes as many as five to eight days to get import clearance for a food consignment, a government official said.
The move would help India improve its ranking in Trading Across Borders, one of the ten parameters of ease of doing business.
India ranked 146th in Trading Across Borders component, out of 190 countries ranked by the World Bank in its latest report.
The official said Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was also advised to carry out clearances under the risk management system.
Under this system, import customs clearance procedure is carried out randomly as scrutinising every paper and checking all the consignments increase logistics cost of traders.
"We have asked FSSAI to give clearances in a shorter time as food items are perishable in nature. The time should be reduced to about two days," the official added.
The move assumes significance as the Prime Minister's Office has directed the ministry to take immediate steps on streamlining procedures for trade with a view to facilitate movement of goods across borders and improve India's ranking in ease of doing business.
When contacted on the matter, FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said:"Food import clearance is being streamlined".
Although the government has reduced the number of mandatory documents required for import and export of goods to three in each case, it takes time to get approval.As per the World Bank report on ease of doing business, India's ranking has improved to 100th from 130th.
Artificial fruit ripening
Many fruits are harvested in unripe conditions itself and are allowed to ripen by the natural release of ethylene, which is a ripening hormone in the fruit itself. But, these fruits like Mangoes, Bananas, Papayas, Chiku, Dates and Tomatoes are artificially ripened using artificial ripening agents.
Chemicals like calcium carbide, ethephon and oxytocin are purportedly being used in fruit and vegetable Mandis and farms for simulated ripening. While ripening using the ethylene gas does not seem to have any harmful effects up to certain limits, there are chemicals like Calcium Carbide which have significant ramifications for human health.
Menace of Masala and Carpet
Calcium Carbide (CaC2) popularly known as ‘Carpet’ is most frequently used for artificial ripening of fruits. When it comes in contact with moisture it produces an unsaturated hydrocarbon gas namely acetylene, which is analogous in nature to the natural ripening agent ethylene. It is the cheapest artificial ripening agent available, with mere Rs 100/kg sufficient enough to ripen over 100 dozen of raw mangoes.
It is a well known carcinogen, irrespective of quantity consumed; it is known to have harmful effects on the liver and other parts of the body as contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus hydride which produces numerous severe and chronic health effects.
Common symptoms of arsenic or phosphorus poisoning include vomiting, thirst, and weakness, burning sensation in the chest and abdomen, diarrhoea, irritation or burning of the eyes irritation in the mouth, nose and throat. Higher and prolonged exposure to the chemical could lead to peptic ulcer and build-up of fluids in the lungs.
Another chemical ethylene (C2H4, also known as Ethene or carbide gas) or ‘Masala’ by the suppliers is a gaseous organic compound a natural plant hormone, which assists in the process of ripening. Commercially, Ethylene is the most produced organic compound in the world and is used in many industrial applications.
While calcium carbide is banned, but FSSAI has clarified ambiguity regarding the use of ethylene in its Second Amendment Regulation, 2016 and included of use of Ethylene gas for ripening of fruits in low concentration of 10-100 ppm exogenously to trigger their ripening and declared it safe in the concentration varying from 0.001- 0.01% depending upon the crop, variety and maturity.
However, it is advised to the vendors to use it under controlled temperature and humidity levels besides monitoring the levels of carbon dioxide in ripening rooms. Externally applied Ethylene triggers the natural ripening process of apple, avocado, banana, mango, papaya, pineapple and guava.
In humans, acetylene is not intensely toxic if it is below the permitted levels, whereas if it exceeds the limits, its inhalation can cause unconsciousness and may affect the neurological system by inducing prolonged hypoxia i.e. deficiency of oxygen.
Many countries including India has allowed the use of Ethylene and Ethephon for ripening of fruits as it is less harmful if compared with Calcium carbide. But many petitions have been filed to ban these chemicals too due to the indiscriminate use by the traders and the farmers as they lack the knowledge of their proper use.
But they reason
Though the Government has installed the heating system at Narwal in Jammu and Parimpora in Kashmir to ripe the fruits so as to make these healthier not hazardous but they are reportedly being termed non-functional and limited capacity that affect the seasonal business of the fruit dealers and suppliers.
It is commonly claimed by the fruit suppliers that a significant amount of fruits become undesirable after the process of natural ripening with high weight loss, desiccation and uneven ripening. Thus in absence or dearth of ripening chambers at Mandi Stores, artificial ripening is the only remedy for them.
They do not wait for nature to take its own course of action due to the time and risks involved and thus jump in with unnatural measures. For fruit vendors stocking up of immature fruits is a waste of storage space, waste of time and thus a loss in revenue for suppliers and dealers in the agribusiness. Faster the fruits and vegetables ripen, faster can their marketing be done and faster will the profits be generated.
Moreover, fruit vendors and suppliers claim that artificial ripening not only helps to generate faster revenue for the agriculture industry but also helps keeps prices of these fruits in control. This is because if the demand of these fruits exceeds the supply, it does not take much time for the prices to rocket sky high levels. Thus to accomplish the demand of the consumers many traders resort to the artificial methods of ripening fruits and vegetables.
Mitigation
As mentioned, for fruit traders, the reason for using chemicals is to hasten the ripening process in order to cash-in timely. However, as reportedly claimed by the fruit dealers and suppliers if the authorities do not make available ripening facilities and other services they proceed with the unnatural practices.
The fruit traders often declare that they are using approved chemicals in small quantity, but it is improbable to keep control and check every fruit seller. There urgent need of strategies and measures to curb and contain excessive use of these substances. Following are some of the measures that may help in keeping a check on this menace.
The fruit traders and sellers need to be made aware of the health hazards and instilled with a sense of moral responsibility to the society through awareness of compliance and penalties and punishments for contravention in print and mass media. Restrictions should be strictly imposed and execution of the law should be non-compromising.
Surveillance and vigilance teams should be commissioned before the arrival of climacteric fruit season to trace influx of banned chemicals through tracing chain on the information of vendors. This may be intensified by closure of all non-registered fruit vendors.
For long term solution environmentally safe new compounds which are not harmful to human health must be discovered and tested with collaboration of Agricultural Horticultural Research Institutes. Additionally, more modernised ripening chambers at Mandies should be provided by the government to discourage use of banned chemicals.
Food Activism
Till the time legal authorities come up with a way to effectively stop and prevent this unhealthy and unethical practice, consumers will have to be vigilant and educated. Only increased awareness and activism from the consumers will have the required impact on the market. So it is advisable to update ourselves with the knowledge of healthy food culture and while buying fruits and vegetables following observations be made:
Colour of the fruit: An easily identifiable sign of artificially ripened fruit is that it will have an unnaturally bright colour compared to a naturally ripened one.
Also, in an artificially ripened fruit like mango there will be patches of green that are clearly distinguishable from the yellow and unlike a naturally ripened mango that has a uniform blend of yellow and green.
Similarly, artificially ripened bananas are lemon yellow and their stalks are green compared naturally ripened ones that are dark yellow with small brown or black spots and black stalks.
Taste and aroma: Artificially ripened fruits lack true taste and aroma, while tasting slight burning aftertaste is felt in the mouth with a burning down the throat sensation. While naturally ripened fruits have sweet taste with a lot of juice content.
Texture and colour of the pulp: When cut open, the pulp of a naturally ripened fruit (like papaya, mango) will be uniformly bright reddish-yellow as compared to an artificially ripened one with light and dark yellow pulp.
Self Help
In addition to the judicious choice and conscious approach by the educated consumer, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has listed some steps to be followed at home to reduce the level of risk of contamination with harmful chemicals to ensure food safety.
It is advised to select fruits and vegetables without spots or necrosis (lesions) and any abnormality, fruits and vegetables thoroughly with water, preferably running potable water, before eating and cooking.
Encourage peeling of fruits before consumption and vegetables before cooking; it will reduce exposure to pesticide. Also, to minimise the hazards of pesticide residues, the outer leaves of leafy vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage should be discard.
It is advisable to purchase fruits and vegetables from known (registered) dealers and also not to buy fruits when they arrive in the market before the due period that is early and offseason.
Tail Piece
Artificial fruit ripening is a complicated concern particularly in developing countries like India. It needs collective contribution and participation of the entire society, administration agencies, policymakers, fruit-sellers, farmers, scientists and consumers to find an effective, valuable and a viable way out for this serious problem.
Apr 30, 2018
Police team leaves for Delhi to nab owner of gutka unit
Coimbatore: Rural police have sent a special team to New Delhi to nab the owner of the illegal gutka manufacturing unit at Kannampalayam village near Sulur that was raided on Saturday.
“The team, led by Annur police inspector Venkateshan, is looking for Amit Jain of Pitampura in New Delhi,” police superintendent Pa Moorthy told TOI.
Meanwhile, a police team led by additional superintendent GS Anitha collected samples from the unit and sent them to the regional forensic science office at Race Course. Gutka and raw tobacco materials were also sent to the state forensic science laboratory in Chennai.
“We also recovered many records from the computers at the unit and have collected the details of people who bought gutka from there. We plan to interrogate them,” a police officer said.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had issued licence to the unit to manufacture only sweet betel nut and panmasala. “But the officials did not inspect the unit regularly,” the officer said. Police plan to conduct inquiry with FSSAI officials.
Sulur police have arrested B Raghuram of Muthusamy Nagar at Kannampalayam, S Ajai from Kanpur, D Ramdev and K Shojiram hailing from Rajasthan. Raghuram was the manager at the unit. The migrant labourers were working there for the last few years. They were produced before a judicial magistrate at Puliyakulam on Sundayand remanded in judicial custody. They were later lodged at the Coimbatore Central Prison.
54 admitted to hospital after eating food at wedding
As many as 54 people were admitted to McGann Hospital, a government hospital attached to Shivamogga Institute of Medical Sciences, here on Saturday night with complaints of severe abdominal pain, vomiting and dysentery after they ate at a wedding ceremony in Jayanthi Nagar village in Davangere district on Saturday.
Food poisoning
Raghunandan R., District Surgeon, told The Hindu that food poisoning may be the reason for the outbreak of vomiting and dysentery.
A sample of the food served at the wedding has been sent to the laboratory for tests. He said that 200 people had complained of health problems after eating at the function.
Of these, 54 including 40 adults and 14 children, have been admitted to McGann Hospital while the remaining were treated at government hospitals in Davangere city.
Health stable
The patients are being treated at McGann Hospital by administering intravenous fluids and antibiotics. Their health was stable, he said.
FDA seals kitchen of Canacona sweet mart
Locals accuse an FDA official of corruption; Food inspector says court would be approached if the samples failed tests
CANACONA: Irked over frequent sale of stale and spoilt food items by a sweet mart shop in Canacona, concerned citizens had served an ultimatum to the administration of the taluka to get the FDA officials to inspect the shop for alleged sale of contaminated food items.
Taking heed to the demand, four FDA officials raided two shops owned by Narayan Vaishnav and sealed the kitchen premises for violating FDA norms, as the kitchen was found in an unhygienic condition.
Concerned citizens met the FDA officials in the chamber of mamlatdar, where the locals alleged that the FDA and other authorities were protecting the sweet mart owner, a Rajasthani resident, even after he was found selling stale food products.
They also leveled charges of corruption against a particular official of FDA and took the FDA officials to task over no actions being taken against the owner for violations reported in the past four occasions.
Later, FDA official Iva Fernandes, assisted by Abel Rodrigues, Amit mandrekar and Zenia Rosario inspected the kitchen premises used by Suraj Sweet Mart for preparing sweets and other food items and found over twenty food safety violations.
Keeping in view the violations, FDA instructed the sweet mart owner to shut down the kitchen till the violations were rectified.
Later, the FDA team inspected another two outlets operated by the same owner at Chaudi town and took a few samples, which they suspected were contamination.
Speaking to the media Fernandes said that the samples would be tested at Bambolim and if the samples failed the food safety standards, they will move the court to seal the premises.
Apr 29, 2018
Police raid gutkha unit in Sulur
Surprise crackdown:Police vehicles parked outside the betel nut products manufacturing unit near Sulur in Coimbatore district on Saturday when the premises was raided.
650 kg of gutkha and 700 kg of pan masala confiscated from the premises at Kannampalayam
In an overnight operation, the Coimbatore district (rural) police seized stocks of gutkha and pan masala worth several lakhs of rupees from a betel nut (supari) products manufacturing unit at Kannampalayam near Sulur.
The police seized around 650 kg of gutkha of one brand, 6,000 sachets of which were stored in a carton. Around 700 kg of pan masala was seized from the unit. The police are yet to confirm if the pan masala contained tobacco.
The police said that Amit Jain of New Delhi was allegedly involved in the manufacture of the banned tobacco products at the unit on the pretext of manufacturing betel nut products.
Manager detained
Coimbatore Rural Superintendent of Police Pa. Moorthy said that a case would be registered against Mr. Jain and others under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act on Saturday. Mr. Jain was not in Coimbatore at the time of the raid. The police said that the unit manager and three employees were detained.
According to the police, the unit located at Nallan Thottam near Kannampalayam was searched based on specific information from the police.
A team comprising senior police officers, personnel from the Prohibition and Excise Wing and the armed reserve, reached the factory around 7 p.m. on Friday. The search and seize operations continued till 11 a.m. on Saturday. Mr. Moorthy oversaw the raid. The unit was sealed after the raid in the presence of revenue officials.
Mr. Jain had reportedly purchased the property, spanning over five acres at Nallan Thottam, in 2010. It was earlier a textile unit.
Manufacturing of betel nut products started in 2011 and was stopped following a ban on gutkha in Tamil Nadu. However, the unit had allegedly resumed manufacturing of tobacco-based products.
No warning label
“The sachets of gutkha seized from the unit did not have a label warning about tobacco contained in them. Samples of the pan masala seized will be sent for clinical examination to confirm the presence of tobacco. We are investigating the difference found in stocks and the stock list,” said a police official.
Sources said that north Indians were employed at the unit and people in the locality were unaware of what was happening at the place.
A senior official from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that the unit was issued licence for the manufacture of non-tobacco-based products using betel nut.
Food companies are trading on Indians’ belief in ayurveda to do brisk business – but at what cost?
Food Safety and Standards Authority needs to examine products that promise scientifically unproven health benefits.
In India, you can buy saffron that is “useful in asthma, indigestion, body pain, fever, dry skin diseases and pregnancy”, ghee that increases “memory power”, intellect and digestion, and lemon pickle that “improves your immunity level and helps the human body develop resistance against infectious agents”.
Such claims rely not on the credulity of Indian consumers but on deep and widespread convictions about the power of foods to promote well-being. A predisposition to seek extraordinary qualities from foods provides an irresistible promotional proposition for food businesses. However, the sale and promotion of foods in India based on traditional beliefs about their health and nutritional properties presents a tricky regulatory challenge.
In modern India, consumers expect higher standards in consumer products and stronger consumer protection, including specific regulation of food standards and nutrition and health claims. To meet this expectation, the Indian government established the Food Safety and Standards Authority and passed the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to provide a comprehensive regulatory framework for the sale of food.
The FSSA shares many similarities with the European Union Regulation 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims for foods. In both cases, the aim of the legislation is to provide reliable information for consumers to be able to make informed food choices.
Putting it to science
The legislation provides that nutrition and health claims for foods, for example, may only be made if there is scientific evidence to support them. The European Food Safety Authority and the Scientific Committee Panel of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India provide advice to their respective legislators as to whether they are satisfied that there is sufficient evidence in support of a link between the consumption of a food and the nutrition or health claim made for it.
In contrast to many Europeans, many Indian consumers are influenced by traditional beliefs about the nutrition and health benefits of foods and in particular, by ayurveda. In ayurveda, certain foods are “hot” (onions, ginger, peppers). Other foods are “cold” (coconut, melons, cauliflower). Each has particular health benefits. Such diets promote the consumption of pulses and vegetables and the avoidance of meat. There is a strong belief in the functional properties of foods in nutrition and health.
Commercialisation of ayurveda
However, the practice of ayurveda exists outside ordinary regulatory structures and its commercialisation raises difficult legal and ethical issues in India. Indeed, it would appear to be in contradiction to India’s own food safety law, which it claims “lays down science-based standards for articles of food and regulates their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food”.
In fact, traditional medicine and beliefs are afforded the protection of a government department. The Ministry of Ayush was formed in 2014 to “ensure the optimal development and propagation of alternative systems of healthcare” because Indian traditional beliefs are still very deep rooted and valued.
Because of this, businesses such as Patanjali, an Indian company co-founded by Baba Ramdev and which enjoys revenues of US$1 billion a year through selling such things as cooking oils that claim to “promote hair growth”, do not come under the same FSSA scrutiny that other food claims would do. Patanjali also sells honey with the claim that “regular use treats cough, cold and fever”, promotes “early healing of injuries” and that it might be used to “remain healthy forever”. The company was contacted to ask about the properties of their products, but it did not provide comment.
Claims such as these on a non-traditional product would contravene the EU’s 1924/2006 regulation, which also requires health claims to be based on generally accepted scientific evidence. However, in India these products just aren’t put to the scientific test.
It is time the FSSA countered the Ministry of Ayush and those businesses that are legally able to trade on traditional beliefs to sell food produce that promise scientifically unproven health benefits.
Ajay Patel is senior lecturer in food law, Manchester Metropolitan University.
This article first appeared on The Conversation.
Two arrested for repackaging expired food
Raid at distribution centre at MaraduTwo officials of a company producing products under Malto Vita and Choco Malt brands were arrested on Friday in connection with a case in which a distribution centre at Maradu was found to be repackaging expired baby and children’s food products. A special squad led by the Thrikkakkara Assistant Commissioner arrested Gopakumar Menon, 63, of Palakkad, and K.R. Suresh, 55, of Shoranur.
They were senior regional officers of Continental Milkose (India) Ltd. On April 7, the Food Safety Authority officials had raided the distribution centre at Maradu following complaints that stale chocolates and energy products were being sold.
A case under IPC Sections 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) were registered against both.
They were senior regional officers of Continental Milkose (India) Ltd. On April 7, the Food Safety Authority officials had raided the distribution centre at Maradu following complaints that stale chocolates and energy products were being sold.
A case under IPC Sections 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating) and 420 (Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property) were registered against both.
A food-poisoning expert reveals 5 things he never orders at restaurants - and it's not what you'd expect
Salads
Your healthy choice is actually one of the riskier options on the menu at chain restaurants.
"I'd eat sushi before I ate a salad," Marler said. "I wouldn't eat it at a 7-11, but I've eaten sushi at a good sushi restaurant."
While cooking veggies and meat can kill germs, salads bring together a lot of raw foods that have had countless opportunities for contamination. Restaurants that buy pre-chopped lettuce from suppliers put themselves at even greater risk.
"Not every lettuce leaf in the field is contaminated E. coli, but some of them are," Marler said of the risks of pre-washed, bagged lettuce. "And when you mix and match it at a processing facility and chop it up, you get what you get."
Soft-serve ice cream
Cleanliness of ice and ice cream machines can cause huge problems when workers aren't following safety guidelines. There's a grossness factor of finding mold in soft-serve ice cream machines — but there are also real risks.
"There have been a number of cases linked to listeria, where listeria will get into the inner workings of these ice cream machines and kill people," Marler said.
Rare meat
Marler agrees with known-germaphobe President Trump on at least one thing: well-cooked meat is the way to go.
"Skip the medium hamburger and get it well done, and just add a little ketchup like the president," he said.
According to the expert, meat needs to be cooked to 160 degrees throughout to kill bacteria that could cause E. coli or salmonella.
Buffets
"I never eat a buffet," Marler said. "I'll order off the menu."
Buffets have a heightened risk of exposure to the lines of people who might touch or sneeze on food, contaminating the dish for anyone else. Then, there is the temperature issue, as dishes are better able to host bacteria when kept at room temperature.
Food shipped internationally
In general, Marler says people can best avoid food poisoning by simply eating food handled by as few people are possible and only eating at restaurants with strict food safety practices.
While chain restaurants tend to have strict safety policies, if they serve food from suppliers that got contaminated at some point along the supply chair, there is little they can do. And, those risks are exacerbated in the cases of food that is being imported from a significant geographical distance.
"You can get Hepatitis from scallops from the Philippines, but you probably shouldn't be eating scallops from the Philippines," Marler said. "You can get Hepatitis A from strawberries from Egypt, but you probably shouldn't be getting strawberries from Egypt."
Food Safety test detect use of banned dye
Peren, April 28 (MExN): The Mobile Food Safety on Wheels team has detected use of a banned dye in chilli powder products in Peren town.
According to a press release issued by Food Safety Officer, Chief Medical Office, Peren during the test, the team detected chilli powder, which were sold in the local market, dyed with cancer causing synthetic colour Rhodamine B dye which breaks down Red Blood Cells and adversely cause growth retardation and damages the liver and kidney and Sudan Dye which is highly toxic to liver.
“This was also detected in Dimapur market,” the press release stated.
Different food products like spices, local water, fruit juice and drinks, milk etc were collected from shops in the town and tested in the mobile lab at Peren Town. The team had also conducted an awareness programme along with the testing of food at Peren Town on April 27.
The team consisted of technicians from State Public Health Laboratory, Kohima assisted by the Food Safety Officer and Sanitary Inspector, Peren.
Products such as chilli powder is consumed daily by the public without knowing the harmful affect it can have on the body. “Therefore, it is our concern that higher authorities exercise immediate steps towards these kind of rampant selling of health deteriorating substances found in common place we find and eat,” the Officer added.
Further, the local waters and other liquid products tested were found to be in the permissible range. The Food Safety on Wheels also held a brief awareness programme for the students in the Town Hall in the evening. The ADC, Peren had also visited the Team in the morning. Security was provided by the SP for assisting the team for the whole day. Volunteers from youth and the public eagerly helped the team in performing their work successfully.
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