Feb 20, 2019
Sub-standard liquor being sold in Punjab: Food Commissioner
Several brands are selling sub-standard liquor in Punjab with alcohol content in them deficient by 2-12 per cent, state Commissioner (Food and Drug Administration) K.S. Pannu said, here on Tuesday.
Pannu said the state Directorate of Food and Drug Administration, recently conducted a study on the quality of liquor, both country-made and Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), being sold in Punjab.
"It revealed that many brands are selling sub-standard liquor with alcohol content being not in consonance with the label details. In addition, many of them contain particles of suspended matter, which are not allowed in liquor," Pannu said.
Warning contractors, manufacturers and bottlers, the Commissioner said they should ensure the quality of liquor according to the bottle labels' claims and the standards set under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
He said the state food laboratory at Kharar is fully equipped to test the quality of all kinds of liquor.
Pannu asked bulk buyers of liquor to get the quality tested from the state food laboratory or at Punjab Biotechnology Incubator Lab in Mohali.
"Citizens have the right of quality products. As per the provisions of law, it is the Food Safety and Drug Administration's duty to check the quality of all kinds of food including liquor," he said.
The state's Excise Department has pegged sales targets for 2018-19 at 33.6 crore bottles, which include 21.6 crore of IMFL, 7.2 crore of country-made liquor and 4.8 crore of beer.
Against a population of 2.8 crore, the sales target would mean consumption of 12 bottles (approximately 9 litres) per person in the state. As the number of liquor drinking persons would be much less than the population, the number of bottles per drinker will be much higher.
Spurious paneer from Alwar floods markets in Jaipur
Jaipur: Fooling consumers, huge amounts of adulterated paneer is being transported to Jaipur from Alwar district on a daily basis.
The units involved in producing adulterated paneer are active in Alwar which is being dumped in Jaipur’s market to earn more money. The adulterated paneer, produced by using dried powdered milk and refined oil, is supplied to hotels and restaurants.
Health department officials have seized 250kg paneer in Jaisinghpura Khor. The officials claimed that the paneer was brought from Alwar for consumption during wedding season. Health department’s food safety officers’ team conducted an inspection at Standard Paneer Udhyog in Sharda Colony of Jaisinghpura Khor on Tuesday. The inspection was conducted under ‘Shudh Ke Liye Yudh’ campaign launched by the health department.
Food safety division state nodal officer Dr Sunil Singh said, “We have collected samples of paneer from Standard Paneer Udhyog and sent them for testing in laboratories. We have destroyed 250kg of adulterated paneer on the spot.”
“In the initial investigation, it has been found that the adulterated paneer was supplied from Ramgarh of Alwar district. It was brought from Alwar for consumption during the wedding season,” Dr Singh said. On February 16, in a similar action health department’s team had seized 500kg of adulterated paneer which was brought from Kishangarh Bas of Alwar district. The adulterated paneer was being sold to identified hotels and restaurants for daily consumption, the officials said.
Feb 19, 2019
Govt to train street food vendors
The food lovers of the city on Monday relished on variety of street food that was served on their platter as part of the three-day street food festival organised by Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC).
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, State Urban Development Minister CP Singh said the urban development department will soon issue a directive to start training to all street food vendors across State. In first phase training will be imparted in Ranchi, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur to the vendors during the street festival and soon similar training will be undertaken at different urban local bodies.
Director Municipal Administration , Ashish Singhmar said that directive has been issued to all the 44 urban local bodies (ULBs) for providing training on food hygiene to the street food vendors.
“On the sidelines of the festival training is being imparted in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Deogarh and Dhanbad. However, in those civic bodies does not hosting street food festival, training on food hygiene will be provided by the ULBs to the vendors with help from district health department,” said Singhmar.
The urban development minister also said that government plans to provide identity cards to street vendors, around 16,000 identity cards have already been distributed. Plan is to accommodate the vendors in market complex in all the urban local bodies to avoid traffic congestion and provide a decent place for the vendors to eke out a living and avoid being harassed by administration over street encroachment.
The street food festival inaugural function was also addressed by state food and civil supplies minister and Jamshedpur West MLA Saryu Roy who spoke on benefits of Government housing schemes.
The food festival witnessed 74 stalls – 40 food vendors, 20 exhibits by women self help groups and 14 exhibits by skill training institutions.
On the occasion of the inauguration Amit Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, East Singhbhum, said that the basic concept of the festival is multi-dimensional. People living in cities can get better basic facilities. Through this forum, the idea is to promote the art, culture of the region and also to promote street vendors .
The event was held at a greater scale last year with the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Ministry of Tourism co-organising it. Started with a mere two-three States, it has grown over 26 States and 500 regional cuisines.
The food festival had visitors from all age groups, especially youngsters. There were several vendors who made their debut, while some had participated earlier as well.
Cut down on trans fats: ExpertFood authority launches drive to create awareness on issue
Ludhiana, February 17Since the number of people falling prey to heart attacks and stroke are increasing, the government has woken up to the health issue.
Not only urban but even the rural folks are now increasingly suffering heart attacks and brain strokes.Keeping in mind the rise in these diseases, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has launched a campaign for creating awareness about consequence of trans fats.
The FSSAI has even set a target of eliminating trans fat in India by 2022, a year ahead of the global target set by the WHO for complete elimination of trans fats.
So, the next time you pick a packet of chips or muffins from a bakery counter just recall that even the government is now asking you to stop buying these and eliminate these from your diet.
Dr Avinash Jindal, medicine specialist at the Civil Hospital, said at present, it is not only the urban population but even the rural residents are falling prey to lifestyle diseases.
“They have high cholesterol, high BP, high levels of sugars and are more number of people falling prey to heart attack, obesity, diabetes and stroke. The gap between the lifestyle of urban and rural people is decreasing. These days I receive patients who are suffering from these ailments and are from rural background. As much as 50 per cent patients we receive are from rural areas,” said Dr Jindal.
Akashdeep, a cardiologist from the city, said people needed to change their food habits if they wanted to remain healthy.
“Return to the basics should be the mantra. Eat less processed food and you will remain healthy. Regular and excessive consumption of foods high in salt and sugar should be avoided and moderation should be the key. An average Indian consumes 10 gram of salt per day, which is double the amount of salt recommended,” he added
Currently, the permitted levels of trans fats in vegetables oils and hydrogenated vegetable oils is five per cent and the FSSAI wants to bring it down to two per cent by 2022.
Feb 18, 2019
FDA sends guidelines to 19 vice-chancellors
Move comes after the administration received complaints from students across the state, reporting unhygienic conditions in canteens
FDA commissioner Pallavi Dadare
In order to ensure food hygiene at canteens of all the universities across the state, the food and drug administration (FDA) has sent letters to 19 vice-chancellors along with guidelines of food safety and security. All the joint commissioners personally visited the chancellors to explain all the 58 points mentioned under the FDA rules.
The move comes after the FDA received complaints from several students reporting unhygienic conditions in canteens at varsities. A senior FDA officer, requesting anonymity, said, "We have received some complaints regarding the substandard quality of food and unhygienic condition in canteens. Before we commence inspections, we wanted to send our joint commissioners to these colleges with guidelines, aiming to sensitise them about the issue."
Confirming this update, FDA commissioner Pallavi Dadare said that vice-chancellors have been informed about all the norms. "Considering the growing cases of obesity and high cholesterol, it is essential that the youth are careful about their food consumption. Through these letters, we have informed colleges about the parameters that are needed to be followed such as proper disposal of food, cleanliness of utensils and maintaining hygienic conditions in the kitchen," she said.
Soon, FDA will inspect these canteens to ensure all the rules are followed. Dadare added, "It is the responsibility of these universities to ensure these students are consuming healthy food. Even after this if we hear complaints, we will take stringent action against the authorities concerned."
Kitchens being closely monitored by health dept
Mysuru: The ghosts of the Sulwadi Maramma temple tragedy, which claimed more than 10 lives after devotees consumed prasadam laced with poison, remain fresh in the memories of the authorities, who are keeping a close watch on the kitchens where the prasadam is being manufactured for devotees arriving in T Narasipura for the Maha Kumbha Mela, which started at Triveni Sangama on Sunday.
Dr S Chidambara, who has been appointed the officer in-charge of ensuring safety of food served to devotees examined the quality of the raw materials used for preparing the prasadam. Samples of the food prepared in the kitchens were inspected, and distributed to visitors only after the officials cleared it fit for consumption.
Dr Chidambara told TOI that food for the devotees was being prepared at four places. “Besides the food being manufactured by the temple authorities, many devotees are getting prasadam from their homes, and distributing it to the others. We have issued a list of dos and don’ts to those who are volunteering to serve prasadam on their behalf. Health department officials have been asked to check the quality of water by collecting samples, and two doctors will visit the kitchens and constantly monitor the condition of the cooks, besides ensuring standards of hygiene are not lax. We have installed closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in each of the four kitchens as part of the security arrangements,” Dr Chidambara said.
Fast food eatery asked to shut shop
Jaipur: A fast food restaurant in front of Chitrakoot Stadium supplying food items through online food suppliers has been found preparing food under unhygienic conditions. Health department officials have slapped notice on the restaurant, ordering shutting down the eatery until it improves the conditions.
The inspection by health department’s food safety wing was conducted on Sunday when online food suppliers’ representatives were standing in queue, waiting for packed pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and momos, for supplying them to the customers.
It is the third fast food restaurant in the city which has been given notice for improvement in past 15 days. One such restaurant is undergoing complete renovation in Raja Park and the other is situated at Trimurti Circle. “We have found violation of rules of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 at the restaurant. There was a food handler who had severe skin infection on his hand and was found preparing food items. The owner of the restaurant did not have a food licence. The food handlers did not have any fitness certificate. Just outside the toilet, they had the space for preparing food. We have served notice to the restaurant to close it down immediately. Also, he has been asked to conduct renovation for making the place hygienic and to follow the rules of FSSA, 2006,” said a health department official.
The health department officials have allegedly found synthetic colour at the restaurant and also the soft drinks they kept, were past their expiry date. Also, the bread which is used for making pizza did not have any mention of an expiry date. “We have collected samples of paneer and we have also destroyed the curry which was prepared at the restaurant, on the spot,” he said.
Feb 17, 2019
500kg adulterated paneer destroyed in Mansarovar
Jaipur: From peas to pulses and black pepper to almonds – authorities have come across adulterated and sub-standard food items during an ongoing anti-adulteration drive. In the series, health department’s food safety wing destroyed 500 kg of paneer, suspecting it to be adulterated, in Mansarovar area on Saturday. These food items were being supplied to several shops across the city.
Health department officials said that the paneer was brought to Jaipur from Kishangarh Bas of Alwar district. The officials said that in the initial investigation, it was found that the paneer was produced by using cooking oil. However, the health department officials had to call Shipra Path police when the owner of the firm allegedly started creating chaos.
The drive continued for six hours at the firm. The health department officials collected two samples of paneer and sent it for laboratory testing. The health department officials said that the adulterated and sub-standard food items they have seized during their drive against adulteration in the city in past 10 days, have brought out shocking results.
“Use of synthetic colour as bleaching agent for giving a fresh look to green peas, almonds, black pepper and pulses have been found during the drive. It was being sold in the market. These items are cheaper and mostly sold to hotels and restaurants,” said a health department official.
Frequent consumption of food items with synthetic colours has adverse effect on the health of the people. “If a person consumes such items for longer periods, it may cause ulcer and it may also act as a carcinogenic substance if eaten for a long time,” the official said.
Synthetic colour up to 100 parts per million (PPM) is allowed, which is a negligible amount. “But, we have found in the past, that those accused of adulteration were using higher amounts of synthetic colour, beyond the permitted limit,” he said.
Illegal meat shops on rise in Dehradun
Around 200 small meat shops are running in the city despite the fact that most of them do not have the mandatory licence. The result is that the stuff being sold from these shops does not get a proper ‘yes’ from the authority concerned. Furthermore, animals are being butchered in the local meat shops, which is also illegal. What is more, the animals as well as the butchers are not checked by the officers concerned, something which creates an issue about the health of the people who buy and consume such meat.
Sources state that all the mutton shops should have a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the police department, municipal corporation and food and safety department as per the rules revised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).“But a majority of the shops fail to clear even the first step. Being, thus, left with no other option, the shop owners collect a ‘licence’ from the common service centres to run their shops illegally,” said an observer.
However, the common service centre has no right to give such NOCs to any of the shops. “However, they have made a business out of it. They are not just making and supplying NOCs but they also are making those out to open meat shops to shell out extra money which is around Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,000 for making such NOCs,” the observer added.
Quizzed over the matter which is posing health hazards to the people aside from trashing the rules, the designated officer, Food Safety, GC Kandwal said, “As we are aware of the issue, our inspectors regularly go out on inspection and cancel the invalid NOCs. There are around 10 cases which we have slapped on such meat shop owners in the city. Things are now under process.”
Speaking of the matter, an officer of the food safety department said that such common service centres are illegally granting NOCs. “Operation of such centres can be stopped as per law,” he said.
Queried, the MCD chief health officer Kailash Joshi said, “The role of MCD is to take action whenever a complaint is filed with us. We check the proper sanitation of the places besides responding to the complaints filed by the people. Our team checks all these things and the shops found on the wrong side of the law are appropriately punished.
1L Food Biz Operators to be imparted training in Punjab
All big and small Food Business Operators (FBOs) in Punjab would be imparted training in wake of the glaring flaws observed during the inspections conducted by the Food Safety Teams in the past couple of months, KS Pannu, Commissioner Food Safety Punjab said on Saturday.
"It has been observed that FBOs knowingly or unknowingly overlook the norms laid down by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Compromise with the food quality is a serious health concern and can not be ignored," said Pannu.
Under Tandrust Punjab Mission, healthy and hygienic food is an area of primary focus, so it has been decided to provide intensive training to all the FBOs registered with the department, which includes nearly one lac big and small FBOs, the official said.
The training would focus on all the aspects of providing healthy and hygienic food, do's and don'ts of processing and cooking food, hygiene of the work place and the work force as well as prohibition of usage ingredients of restricted by FSSAI would be impressed upon the FBOs, said Pannu.
The Commissioner Food Safety informed that the training would be imparted by an organisation registered with the FSSAI as training partner and expression of interest has been invited by the department from the interested organisations. Soon the training would be undertaken by the shortlisted organisation. Pannu said training would also be imparted to all the Rehriwalas serving food and snacks to the people in markets and on roadsides. However, it would be absolutely free of cost for them.
Feb 16, 2019
Hyderabad: Unclean hotels exploit apps
Any hotel can get provisional registration from FSSAI for Rs100.
Many manage their business with the temporary provisional certification.
Hyderabad: Many restaurants in the city that do not maintain hygiene standards are taking advantage of online food delivery platforms like Swiggy, Zomato and Uber Eats to sell food.
Exploitation of the loopholes in certification of FSSAI, which is one of the main criteria of the food delivery app, is giving edge to these hoteliers.
Usually, before partnering with any restaurant or hotel, some online platforms visit the place to check out kitchen cleanliness and other hygiene parameters, but many are selected solely upon certification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the respective state food agencies.
But the loopholes in the process of attaining certification from FSSAI is helping these restaurants creep in into the online platforms.
According to Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation’s food safety wing officials, “Restaurants are getting certification through e-seva and other online portals in the beginning, which is supposed to be verified directly by the food inspectors in later stages. However, the checking part is not taking place because of insufficient food inspectors.”
Anyone with Rs100 can get an Food Safety and Standards Authority of India provisional registration from the single-window clearance, which would be valid for a year.
This quality certificate has become the main criteria for online platforms to include the restaurant on their platform. According to the official, only a few restaurants are having the original registration.
Many manage their business with the temporary provisional certification.
There is also a mechanism in place for the online food delivery apps to inspect restaurants through third party auditors, who are experts in the field of hygiene and conduct surprise physical audits in participating restaurants.
However, not many restaurants fear this once-in-a-blue moon inspection carried out by a private agency. So, they continue to cook in their contaminated kitchens.
When it comes to ratings, it’s the customers who can rate the restaurant, based on quality of food delivered.
Though delivery boys visit the restaurant daily, they have no say on how bad the kitchen is in this matter.
Focus on use of artificial colouring in snack items
Madurai: Claiming that college students in Madurai are largely unaware about the health hazards of eating snack items in which excessive artificial colouring is used, the Madurai food safety department will be conducting intense awareness campaigns in college campuses in the next few months. Sources from the department said that the practice of adding excessive synthetic colouring was still rampant in several shops.
The first such campaign – as part of the ‘Eat Right India’ initiative – was held at the Lady Doak College (LDC) on Friday, where an inter-college festival was organized. The department put up several food stalls, in which food items that were unsafe (due to the addition of synthetic colours), safe and healthy were on display.
Students who visited the ‘unsafe food stall’ to buy snack items like cakes, sweets, murukku etc., were give awareness talks on why such food items should be avoided. The food safety department officials even asked the students to dump the ‘unsafe food items’ in the garbage.
According to the designated officer (DO) for the Madurai district food safety department, Dr M Somasundaram, the department came up with this initiative since there was very less awareness among youngsters about artificial colouring in food items and because youth generally only preferred items that were visually appealing and colourful. “Our main aim behind coming up with these campaigns is to inform youth about how unhealthy the sweets and savouries prepared with excessive colours are and on helping them choose healthier or at least safer variants,” he told TOI.
Speaking about the health hazards of excessively coloured food items, Somasundaram said that it could cause harmful effects in people of all age groups. “The known fact that such food items could increase the risk of cancer is just one of the many health hazards. Right from causing attention deficit hypersensitivity disorder (ADHD) among children to causing migraine among women, there are several other health hazards,” he said.
Alternative food stalls like ‘safe and traditional food’ and ‘healthy food’ where food items were sold at a subsidised cost of Rs 5 and Rs 10. In safe and traditional food stall, snack items like multi-grain kalakala, pearl millet-based sweets and savouries and traditional drink like panagam were put up for sale, while in the ‘healthy food stall’ items prepared with bitter gourd, banana flower and banana stem, white and black chickpeas, lima beans, white peas, horse gram etc – that are low in fat, salt and sugar – were on sale.
Meanwhile, a source from the department said that they resorted to this form of campaign because, even after repeated action and measures against sweet stalls and bakeries, usage of excessive artificial colouring was still rampant. “Only during last Diwali, we seized large amounts of sweets and savouries in which excessive colouring was added, but even now, it hasn’t reduced by a large extent. So we thought one way of effectively curbing it would be through reducing the demand for such food items by creating awareness among the youth,” the source said.
Some of the health hazards due to regular consumption of sweets, savouries and other desserts in which excessive artificial colours are added (according to food safety department)
1. Attention deficit hypersensitivity disorder among children
2. Migraine among women
3. Exacerbation of skin allergies and conditions like asthma
4. Indigestion and stomach pain
5. Issues to kidney
6. Increased risk of cancer
Snack items made with following vegetable, sprout and pea varieties that are healthy (as recommended by the food safety department)
1. Banana flower and flower
2. White lima beans
3. Green peas
4. Lima beans
5. White peas
6. Red kidney beans
7. Cowpea
8. Organic raw groundnut
‘Safer’ snack items (according to doctors and nutritionists)
1. Adhirasam
2. Peanut jaggery balls
3. Rava laddu
4. Rice murukku
5. Sesame jaggery balls
Madurai food officials find a novel way to promote healthy eating among youngsters
MADURAI: The Madurai district food safety department on Friday conducted a novel initiative to promote healthy eating among youngsters. It set up food stalls on Lady Doak College campus where an inter-college cultural festival was being held. Officials spoke to the participants about safe, unsafe and healthy eating methods.
The stalls that were put up broadly classified into ‘unsafe food stall’, ‘safe and traditional food stall’, ‘healthy food stall’ and ‘alternative food stall’.
In the unsafe food stall, items like cakes, sweets and savouries that were very colourful were put up. As the students came to purchase those items, food safety officials gave an awareness talk on how eating items in which synthetic colours were used and on how it could increase the risk of cancer.
“Eating food items in which high amount of artificial colouring is used is highly unhealthy. As students visit this stall and wanted to buy certain snacks, we are asking the students themselves to dump such items in the garbage,” designated officer for district food safety department Madurai Dr M Somasundaram said.
The officials claimed that this initiative was first-of-its-kind in Madurai and that it was done as part of the Eat Right India campaign. “More such events would be held in other colleges in the district,” a food safety officer said.
In the 'safe food' stall, snack items in which there was no artificial colouring and other traditional items like multi-grain kalakala, pearl millet-based sweets were displayed.
In healthy food stall, snacks made with banana stem, lima bean, white chickpeas and others which were low in salt, sugar and fat were displayed.
In the alternative food stalls, pearl millet and other healthy grain-based snack items were displayed.
Food safety dept to promote double-fortified salt among women
Madurai: In order to address the issue of anaemia among girls and women, the Madurai food safety department will promote the usage of double-fortified salt by coming up with awareness initiatives across the city, especially in women’s and co-education colleges.
Officials told this to TOI on the sidelines of an inter-college festival at the Lady Doak College (LDC) held on Friday, where an exclusive stall was put up to check for the fortification of salt and to create awareness among the participants about double-fortified salt.
While fortified salt has only iodine content, in double-fortified salt, iron is also added. Though this product is yet to be come to the market, officials said they would conduct enough awareness so that when double-fortified salts are made available in the shops, people would buy it.
“While the iodine deficiency has been majorly curbed, it is now important to ensure that the issue of anaemia is also addressed. We’re promoting double-fortified salt because iron-deficiency anaemia is quite prevalent,” the official said.
A source from the food safety department said that efforts were being taken to make double-fortified salt available in Madurai as soon as possible. “In market, it could be available in a year’s time,” the source said.
Bakery raided in Ongole
Vigilance and Enforcement officials raiding Ismail Sweets and Bakery in Ongole on Friday
Ongole: The vigilance, legal metrology, and food safety officials raided the famous Ismail Sweets and Bakery in Ongole on Friday, collected the samples and booked non-compliance case on the management.
The Vigilance and Enforcement officer BT Naik said that as per the orders of the District Vigilance and Enforcement department officer M Rajani and under the supervision of the DSP L Ankaiah, they raided the Ismail Sweets and Bakery along with the legal metrology and food safety department officials.
He said that they have collected samples from the oils, creams being used in the preparation of food items in the bakery and found discrepancies in the information provided on eatables and scales.
He said that the legal metrology department has booked a case on the management and announced that action will be taken on them after the test reports of the samples are received.
Feb 15, 2019
EDITORIAL: Food inspection should be made effective
Innaugurating new facilities in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, State Health Minister K K Shailaja had declared that all medical colleges in the State will be made mini cancer centres.
More cancer centres are necessary as the number of cancer cases are scarily on the rise in Kerala. The cancer threat has reached a point when cancer care facilities will also have to be incorporated in Taluk hospitals.
In the private sector also, facilities are expanded for cancer treatment. What is startling is, the number of cancer patients is also increasing with the increase of facilities. A number of patients are in queue for radiation in radio therapy departments.
Now, an in-depth study and research into the reason for the shocking rise in the number of cancer cases has become a necessity.
The opinion that totally-altered food habits of Keralites are inseparably linked to cancer disease is getting stronger and stronger.
The statement that use of food articles containing poisonous substances gifts Malayalis with several kinds of diseases is not simply made. Even food articles considered safe have been found to be containing poisonous substances at a dangerous level.
Experts’ warning is that poisonous contents are there in vegetables, fruits, fish and even tender coconut water. It is the responsibility of Food Safety department to ensure that people eat safe food. But whether it is doing that duty seriously is doubtful. They just conduct raids and inspections now and then for the sake of their existence. There a lot of proofs to show that vegetables and fruits reaching here from other states have residue of poisonous fertilizers. Also, the fact that stationaries reaching here are adulterated is not at all a secret.
When all such materials are uncontrollably being sold on one side, more and more new hospitals are mushrooming on the other side.
Meanwhile, the government is not able to ensure that people get poison-free food, despite the findings that cancer cases are increasing due to current food styles.
It is unfortunate that food safety is not becoming even a topic of discussion. The relationship between cancer and tobacco products is something that people have been hearing since long back. Despite strong restrictions, tobacco products are easily available even in make-shift shops. Banned tobacco products worth crores of rupees are seized every day. But still their transport, sale and use are taking as usual.
Reuse of oil used to fry food is dangerous practice but this practice is not brought under any examination. There was an announcement from Food Safety department that it would start steps to curb this practice.
The standing instruction is that food manufacturing units using more than 50 litre coconut oil every day should take special permission for this.
There is no guarantee on products that reach markets from here. Usually complaints are not given as no mishap occurs. Consuming fried and grilled items make people unhealthy easily, according to findings. This is a sector which needs constant checking.
Unhealthy food habits also lead to heart ailments and high BP besides cancer. When steps are taken to expand cancer treatment facility, laws on food safety should also be made stringent.
Adulterated peas seized from factory
Jaipur: If you are purchasing frozen peas or having its curry in a restaurant or dhaba, beware. A team of food safety officers on Thursday raided a factory ‘Sai Boil Peas’ situated at Saket colony of Adarsh Nagar. The team found that rotten peas were boiled and were laced with refined oil, caustic soda and synthetic green colour to make them “saleable” and “tempting”. The factory was supplying these adulterated peas to restaurants and dhabas in Adarsh Nagar, Raja Park, Tilak Nagar and nearby colonies.
Acting on directions of Dr Narottam Sharma, chief medical and health officer, a team of food safety officers raided the factory. “It was found that these peas were packed and supplied to restaurants, dhabas and to bakeries and were used in curries, sandwiches and other food items. We have collected two samples from the spot and have destroyed nearly 200 kg of peas produced in the factory,” said an officer. Officials said that usually, frozen peas are sold at Rs 100 to Rs 120 per kg, but to entice the customers, these adulterated peas were sold at Rs 50 to Rs 60 per kg.
“These were also being supplied to some of the vegetable shops,” said an officer. “The consumption of such peas can lead to stomach ailments including ulcers and in the long run, it can also affect the kidney and liver,” said Sharma.
Kerala takes the lead in tackling trans fat hazard
• The year-long action plan has specific components on building awareness on trans fat amongst food business operators (FBOs) and giving them scientific sessions and training on how they can keep their food TFA-free.
Key highlights
• In a first, Kerala has formulated a draft action plan against trans-fat. Trans-fat are made by adding hydrogen to liquid vegetable oils to make them more solid. It is used to increase the shelf life of foods. The WHO estimates that consumption of partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (PHVOs) high in trans-fat leads to more than 5lakh deaths annually due to cardiovascular disease.
• Kerala’s action plan against trans-fat envisages
a) massive awareness campaign on harmful effects on trans-fat and high fat, sugar, salt (HFSS) foods,
b) identify supply and monitor retail sale of PHVOs,
c) provide scientific sessions and training to food business operators on using TFA free alternatives,
d) monitor and test food samples to keep use of trans-fat at check.
• Kerala’s initiative has been supported by Vital Strategies-a global public health organization, the nutrition wing of the World Bank, WHO, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
• FSSAI- the regulatory body for food safety and quality in India-had launched “Heart Attack Rewind”, a mass media campaign. It calls for eliminating industrially-produced trans-fat in the food supply.
• The FSSAI has set a target of less than 2% TFA content by 2022 in India.
• In 2018, WHO had launched REPLACE- a comprehensive plan to eliminate industrially-produced trans-fat from the global food supply by 2023.
GOACAN to start consumer rights awareness month
PANJIM: Starting Friday, the consumer and civic rights forum - GOACAN will observe Consumer Rights Awareness Month with a focus on the Right to Seek Redressal as part of its ongoing Consumer Literacy Campaign.
The month long awareness drive which seeks to remind consumers to Assert their Rights and Assume their Responsibilities will end on March 15, World Consumer Rights Day.
Forum’s coordinator Roland Martins said besides participation of consumer forum volunteers in different villages, GOACAN would also take the assistance of the Consumer Welfare Clubs (CWC) in High Schools, Higher Secondary Schools and Colleges during this awareness drive.
“The awareness drive will highlight the rights of consumers under the Consumer Protection Act 1986, the Standards of Weights & Measures (Packaged Commodities) Rules 1977, the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the BIS Act 2016. We will give special focus to the consumer's Right to Seek Redressal with regards to LPG cylinders, cable TV, fair price shops, electricity, post offices, mobile & landline telephones, bus transport and service at public toilets among other issues,” he said.
During the month, GOACAN would also publicise official email IDs and telephone numbers of the Grievance Redressal Officers of government departments and highlight the redressal avenues available such as Consumer Conciliation Committee, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forums and the Goa State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission.
Feb 14, 2019
FSSAI introduces restriction on eatery owners from using same batch of cooking oil more than thrice
In order to curb the consumption of 'frying fats', the FSSAI and the FDA have brought in a restriction for eatery owners prohibiting them from using the same batch of edible/cooking oil more than thrice.
March 1 has been set as the deadline for eatery owners to adhere to the new guidelines
Mumbai: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is all set to impose a new rule on eateries and restaurants which will prohibit them from cooking more than three times with the same batch of cooking oil. The central body has sent notices to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) departments of all states asking them to ensure that the practice is implemented by March 1.
In its notice, the FSSAI has asked FDA to ensure that the new rule is imposed and adhered to by restaurant and eatery owners before the stipulated deadline. This rule will apply for all eateries and restaurants using more than 50 litres of oil per day. The rule has been brought into effect as per Section 16 (5) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The FSSAI also said that starting March 1, it will conduct inspections across the country to ensure that the rule is being adhered to by eatery and restaurant owners. These owners have been asked to prepare and maintain a daily chart recording their daily consumption of oil in addition to keeping a log of their purchase of edible oils.
Pallavi Dadare, commissioner of FDA (Maharashtra division) told media outlets that repeated use of cooking oil leads to changes in the physiochemical, nutritional and sensory properties. Total polar compounds (TPCs) formed in the oil during frying are called 'frying fats' and the rule is aimed at curbing the consumption of these 'frying fats'.
Kochi: Stale food seized from eateries
KOCHI: The health officials of Tripunithura municipality conducted raids in three leading hotels in the town on Tuesday.
The stale food seized from these restaurants – dishes of meat, fish and egg – were displayed at the reception of the municipal office along with the name tag of eateries.
Officials of the food safety department had earlier conducted a raid at a prominent juice chain in Tripunithura following complaints by customers who were given stale pani puri. A woman who ate pani puri from the outlet on Saturday had vomited immediately. Aluva food safety officer V Shanmukhan rushed to the eatery after they complained to the state food safety commissioner. “We have sent the food samples to Kakkanad lab for analysis. After getting a detailed lab report, we will take stringent action against the outlet,” the food safety officer said.
The raid by municipal health officials on Tuesday was carried out to ensure food safety in eateries.
Food safety officials in the district on Tuesday conducted inspections in shops and food-processing centres in select panchayats. Raids were also conducted in bar hotels and restaurants and tankers transporting drinking water.
Food safety nodal officer for the district said around 110 inspections were carried out by the department on Tuesday. The inspections were carried out in Varapuzha and Payipra, which are among 11 panchayats selected in the district as food safety panchayats.
Food safety officer for Muvattupuzha said they mostly checked licences of eateries.
“We have issued around 50 notices across the district following this,” said a department official.
The department would also conduct food safety awareness programmes in the 11 selected panchayats from Friday. The process of making these panchayats safe for food consumption would be complete by March 31.
The department officials in association with the excise department also conducted raids in select bar hotels in the district. This is following a directive from the excise commissioner asking for joint raids to ensure quality of food served in bar hotels.
The officials also conducted inspection of water tankers to ensure safety of drinking water supplied to apartments and regions with water scarcity. “All the tanker lorries that we inspected had proper licence. We have collected water samples and we would take action if they are found to be filthy,” an official said.
Food watchdog FDA to ensure Mumbai restaurants do not keep reusing stale oil
From next month, the food watchdog will scrutinise restaurant records to check whether they are re-using stale oil beyond the permissible limit
Reusing oil too many times can lead to severe health issues.
Soon citizens won't have worry whether their French fries or bhajias were cooked in stale oil. Come March 1, restaurants and eateries will find it hard to keep re-using stale oil, with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carefully watching their oil consumption.
Re-using oil can cause severe health issues like high cholesterol, blood pressure and liver issues. The new rules of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) now prohibit cooking more than three times with the same oil. To ensure that the rule is followed, eateries will be required to keep a log of their purchase and use of edible oils from March 1. The FSSAI has directed all Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) across the country to notify restaurants using more than 50 litres of oil per day to maintain a daily chart.
As per the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration) First Amendment Regulations, 2017, use of edible oils more than three times is forbidden, as it leads to severe health consequences. "Repeated usage of cooking oil leads to changes in the physiochemical, nutritional and sensory properties which cause severe health issues. During frying, total polar compounds or TPCs are formed in the oil, which are also called frying fats. The regulation has been introduced to stop this," said Pallavi Dadare, commissioner of FDA (Maharashtra).
As per the new rules, the TPC limit is 25 percent, beyond which the oil is not suitable for use. "To ensure that such used cooking oil is neither directly used in the food preparation nor reentered into the food chain, it has been decided that all Food Business Operators whose consumption of edible oils for frying is more than 50 litres per day, shall maintain the records and dispose used cooking oil to agencies authorised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India or Commissioner of Food Safety of States/UTs from time to time," reads the notification sent by FSSAI.
Restaurants will have to submit data such as name of the oil, quantity of oil taken for frying, quantity discarded at the end of the day, date and mode of disposal and which agency the oil was handed over to. "Overuse of edible oils can lead to health issues like high cholesterol, blood pressure and liver issues. It is always advisable not to use same cooking oil on a regular basis. This accountability can help to control this habit in hotels," said Dr Saurav Mehta, a general physician.
‘Obesity rate doubled in State in 10 years’
Lack of nutritious food or unhealthy eating habits, both seem to have a major impact on the population of Jharkhand. Sharing data on obesity and malnutrition in State, Deepika Anand, nutritionist at World Bank, informed obesity and overweight has doubled in both men and women in a decade.
Comparing the data of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 3 conducted in 2005-06 and NFHS 4 conducted in 2015-16, she said, “When in 2005-06, 4.9 per cent men and 5.4 per cent women were overweight, it has increased to 11.1 and 10.3 per cent respectively in 2015-16.”
She also shared non communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart problems are responsible for 48 per cent of total disease burden of the State and cardiovascular diseases are among top 10 leading cause of death in the State for people above 40 years of age.
At the same time under nutrition indicators in the State also show that underweight children and anemia among the population in general is a major problem in Jharkhand.
“Anemia among women in Jharkhand is 65.2 per cent, which is much higher than the national average of 53 per cent. However, a more shocking indicator is anemia among men, which is 29.9 per cent in State, as compared to 22.7 per cent in the country,” Anand said.
As far as children under the age of five is considered, 45.3 per cent children are stunted (low height for age) in Jharkhand as compared to 38.4 per cent in country, 29 per cent are wasted (low weight for height) against 21 per cent in country and 47.8 per cent children are underweight against the average of 35.7 per cent at national level.
A programme organised by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and World Bank in the city on Wednesday focused on the Eat Right India Movement in order to prevent the citizens from falling prey to malnourishment, overweight or other health issues caused by unhealthy eating habits.
The Swasth Bharat Yatra to spread the message of Eat Right Movement was flagged off from six districts across country, including Ranchi on October 16, 2018 and culminated at New Delhi on January 27, 2019.
Anand said, “Now that the yatra is over, we are aiming to spread the message of healthy eating through awareness programmes like these. Our three focus areas are eat healthy, eat safe and eat fortified.”
She pointed out that the largest increase in the disease burden from 1990 to 2016 was observed for diabetes with a growth of 80 percent.
“Of the total disease burden, 1/10th was caused by a group of risks including unhealthy diet, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and overweight,” she said.
The data further showed that the per capita consumption of sugar has risen from 22 gm/day in 2000 to 55.3 gm/day in 2010. Likewise, salt consumption ranges from 9 to 12 gm per capita per day which is twice the recommended dietary intake of 5 gm/day by World Health Organization.
The programme focused on reduction of health risks by eating healthy. Some of the major tips shared included gradual reduction of oil in daily diet, tracking the consumption of oil in the home on monthly basis, measuring cooking oil with spoon rather than pouring directly from bottle, avoiding reheating the oil, choosing lean meat over red meat among many others.
Anand said, “Follow 7Cs, check for spoilage, clean hands and food, cover food, cook properly, control temperature, consume food hygienically and avoid cross contamination in order to provide food contamination.”
Feb 13, 2019
Govt eases rules for budget hotels seeking food licences
- Budget hotels will not require star rating certificates for seeking food safety licences
- The hospitality industry in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.1% in 2022, according to a report by KPMG
NEW DELHI: The government has relaxed norms for budget hotels in procuring food safety licences to promote ease of doing business for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the hospitality industry.
The move comes in the wake of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) receiving several representations from stakeholders to review the provisions requiring hotel food business operators (FBOs) to furnish star rating certificates from the ministry of tourism’s Hotel & Restaurant Approval & Classification Committee (HRACC) while applying for a fresh licence or to renew a licence.
FSSAI, the food safety regulation arm of the health ministry, has said budget hotels will not require star rating certificates for seeking food safety licences.
“It has been brought to the notice of FSSAI that the scheme of certificate of star ratings to the hotels by the ministry of tourism (HRACC) is voluntary and many hotels particularly small hotels do not go for star certification under the scheme. However, licensing authorities insist on the production of the certificate of ratings even from small or tiny hotels at the time of applying for fresh licence or renewal of licence. As a result, the hotel industry is facing difficulty in getting licences for hotels," Parveen Jargar, joint director (regulatory compliance), FSSAI said in his order dated 7 February.
Mint has reviewed a copy of the order.
“As per the licensing criteria, hotels with ratings of five star and above require central licences and hotels with rating four star and below with a turnover above ₹12 lakh require a state licence. It is clarified that the criteria for hotels for state licence includes both star category hotels (one star to four star) as well as non-star category hotels, including all those hotels that have not opted for star rating," the order said.
The ministry of tourism has formulated a voluntary scheme for classification of operational hotels under the star category—5 Star Deluxe, 5 Star, 4 Star, 3 Star, 2 Star, and 1 Star—and the heritage category—Heritage Grand, Heritage Classic, and Heritage Basic. The aim is to provide contemporary standards of facilities and services available on the hotels.
“Small and budget hotels will now have an opportunity of improving their services instead of running around for paper work. This will encourage the hotel industry," said Arup Mitra, professor, health policy research unit at the Institute of Economic Growth. The hospitality industry in India is expected to grow at 16.1% CAGR in 2022, according to KPMG.
India Brand Equity Foundation, a trust established by the department of commerce, ministry of commerce and industry, said the travel and tourism sector in India comprised 8% of the total employment opportunities generated in India in 2017, providing employment to about 41.6 million people during the year.
The FSSAI decided that hotel FBOs will have to upload on the online food licensing and registration system (FLRS) a declaration stating whether they are star or non-star hotel. In case of star hotels, they will be required to submit a star certificate issued by the ministry of tourism.
Soon, your street food will have much needed hygiene
Kozhikode: Street food is usually considered unhealthy and it’s frowned upon to indulge in your favourite treats. This reputation has been built on the assumption that street foods have questionable hygiene standards.
But all this is about to change as the district assistant commissioner of food safety will launch an initiative to convert the beach stretch into ‘clean street food hub’.
A proposal in the regard has been submitted to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The project will ensure that street food vendors at the beach stretch (city corporation office to Lion’s Park) maintain quality and hygiene of the food delivered to customers.
FSSAI will conduct a pre-audit before giving final approval to transform it into a clean street food hub. The vendors who sell food items must comply with stipulated norms of FSSAI will be issued licence.
The project aims at ensuring healthy, hygiene and safety standard of street food and holistic development of the street food vendors.
There are framed guidelines for upgrading the existing infrastructure of street food clusters to make it safe and hygienic.
The parameters include best practices for garbage disposal, maintaining personal hygiene, demarcating cooking and non-cooking area, working street lights, pest control and overall cleanliness among other things.
The scheme will bring them all under the Food Safety and Standard Act. The project will also empower street vendors with basic knowledge about food safety and ensure that they maintain personal hygiene and uses safe drinking water.
It will also ensure that the food is protected from pests and dust and the vendors use clean utensils to cook.
Proper disposal of waste will be carried out. The officials will also conduct a training programme to create awareness about the norms of Food Safety and Standard Act.
According to the office of the assistant commissioner of food safety Kozhikode, preliminary survey has identified a total of 98 street vendors at the beach stretch.
P K Aleyamma, assistant commissioner of food Safety, said FSSAI officials will conduct a pre-auditing before giving the. “Only licensed vendors will be allowed to operate on the stretch,’’ she added
“Reuse of oil and usage of artificial colours that pose threat to your health will not be allowed once the project is implemented,’’ she said adding that the scheme will be extended to other streets as well.
The ‘Clean Street Food Hub’ initiative will raise hygiene standards and revolutionise street food vending in the city, making it popular among both domestic and international tourists while also preserving rich culinary heritage.
The initiative will nudge the street food vendors into a food ecosystem where the Indian street food vending will be looked up with high esteem at a global level.
Non-branded ice creams found contaminated with high bacterial presence: CERC findings
Many micro-organisms, including dangerous ones, thrive between 20°C and 40°C; the temperature of most rooms. Frozen food, which is stored well at below zero°C, is therefore not a hospitable environment for them. In a freezer, microbes become dormant, but don’t die (you can’t kill them with cold). Danger, therefore, could lie just outside the freezer door.
With ever-increasing varieties of flavours and combinations, ice creams are a gourmand’s delight, but a majority of brands available in the market are contaminated with dangerous bacteria and fungi.
The common health issues associated with contaminated ice cream are diarrhoea, vomiting and skin rashes to serious ones like gastroenteritis and typhoid. Listeriosis can cause nasty stomach pains, a fever and vomiting.
Sometimes having our favourite non-branded ice creams may render us to harmful bacteria, said a study by Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC). In the findings, atleast 70 per cent of the samples of non-branded ice creams showed presence of Coliform count which is much above the prescribed limits. This is an indication of possible faecal contamination which through no proper hygiene maintained at the disposal end due to unhealthy manufacturing practice.
CERC tested 10 samples of non-branded ice cream from different parts of Ahmedabad as per norms of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Out of ten, seven ice cream samples had a very high content of Coliform count in it. CERC suggested that manufacturers should obtain ingredients from licensed sources only and store both ingredients and final product at proper temperatures. All equipments should be cleaned and sterilized, hygienic practices be followed during preparation and at the times of serving. The surrounding area of outlet also counts into the vicinity of cleanliness.
Children of vulnerable age groups, especially from poorer families form the bulk of its consumers, hence greater care to be taken by test-labs to check the microbiology of the ingredients, said a statement from CERC.
Rajesh Gandhi, president IICMA (Indian Ice Cream Manufacturing Association) and MD Vadilal Ice Cream said, “It is difficult to conclude in a situation like this but IICMA can take up a lead role in educating the manufacturers and training them to follow hygiene practice at all the levels of ice cream making”.
“It is necessary to create awareness among the manufacturers to improve the microbiology standards in the product which will make food safe for the consumers by good manufacturing practice”.
According to Gandhi, raw materials and ingredients added before the process of pasteurization of milk can kill the bacteria but after the process is complete and then adding ingredients no re-pasteurization process can be performed on the finished product. Contamination can even occur after pasteurization by mishandling of the product, unclean tanks and utensils, areas of manufacturing and serving areas.
“Basically faecal contamination is present from small-time ice cream makers who manufacture at small scale where there are no test labs or testing equipments.
Beside awareness and support from FSSAI and state government, good manufacturer must follow production procedure with greater responsibility.
Bigger brands need to be more careful and have strict parameters to follow to give healthy products to the consumers”, concluded Gandhi.
Shabbir Patel, Director, Fun India Dairy, is of the opinion that the contamination is found in the product where sanitization is not handled properly.
In hand-made ice cream we find contaminants more than the automated ice cream making. When the surrounding area of factory is not clean, the product manufactured is infested by coliform bacteria. These bacteria cannot be seen with naked eyes. Another issue is dirty water which is a prime source of bacteria contaminant. Though water when boiled kills the bacteria, but doesn’t necessarily kill it. It stays dormant till the ice cream is back in liquid form. CIP (Cleaning In Place) is process where the machines are sterilized with chemicals and hot water and cleaned thoroughly to kill maximum germs.
Many a times big brands too overlook or bypass certain criteria of cleanliness. The government can help by implementing certain rules and policies to keep a close check on these brands of ice cream. They can take stricter action so that the ice- cream makers organized or unorganized must follow the sanitization procedures and adhere to it strictly. Times have changed recently as there is more awareness of clean food. Food operators and Environmentalists are closely following the food safety laws stringently abiding to it”.
Mukesh Kothari, Managing Director Manmohak Ice cream and Vice President All India Association of Small Scale Ice Cream Manufacturers, said, “As things are getting costlier day by day things, the manufacturers are thinking on the cost-cutting grounds resulting in use of cheap raw materials which can come with contamination. Therefore to draw more customers to the shop they sell cheap ice creams”.
Usually in India there is shortage of clean drinking water. Small manufacturers opt to take unclean water basically from washrooms already contaminated by coliform which comes from human faecal.
Kothari replied, “People don’t know what they are consuming. It’s cold, sweet and tasty, that is what they count on. According to me it is better to consume ice cream from reputed brand only, because big producers take ultimate care while manufacturing. They can’t stake their name in the industry, so they more often than not follow stringent rules and stick to it with no compromise of any sort”.
To summarise the finding of CERC, the Regulatory bodies should constantly monitor quality to ensure food processing standards are maintained at production, processing, packaging and storage stages. Primarily, food handlers need to be educated on the importance of good sanitary practices along with consumers who also need to follow similar pattern. The contaminations can also happen from the consumer end too.
On the part of consumers, CERC suggested that consumers should buy ice cream from reputed shops only after checking the expiry date. They should store ice cream in the freezer after purchase. Never consume re-freezed ice cream. “Ice cream can pose a danger after purchase if it has melted and then been re-frozen. It can cause food poisoning.
Ice cream melts fairly rapidly at room temperature and the milky, the sugary, liquid concoction is a perfect petri- dish for certain bacteria like listeria, essentially the second time you dig into the tub.
The Impact
Coliform bacteria can cause bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections and typhoid.
Overuse of synthetic food colour is linked to cancer, DNA damage and attention-deficit disorder and hyperactivity in children.
Cross Contamination
Another way in which ice cream can become dangerous is through cross contamination with other harmful food stuffs. The main concern here is that spoons and scoops used to distribute the ice cream from tub to bowl have many nasty bugs and tiny organisms on them: for instance, if they’ve come into contact gone-off ice cream.
Colour coding your equipment is always helpful in keeping cross contamination to a minimum.
Bad ingredients
Unfortunately, there are certain ways in which ice cream can poison someone by no fault of their own. One example is that of contaminated ingredients.
Like shampoos, soaps, body washes; commercial ice cream is also filled with toxic ingredients. In addition to the usual milk, sugar and cream, ice cream is made with harmful emulsifiers and additives including:
Calcium sulfate, Polysorbate 80, Magnesium hydroxide, Potassium Sorbate, Mono- and Diglycerides, Sodium Phosphate, Carrageenan, Artificial Flavors etc…
Each one of these is added to the ice cream you see on store shelves and in shops the with the sole purposes of making this treat look, feel and taste better. In other words, they are used to make ice cream more appealing to the human eye and to our taste buds, though none of these ingredients provide any form of nutritional value. What’s more, they can have harmful effects.
For instance, while Polysorbate 80 is used as an emulsifier, Polysorbate 80 has been found to negatively affect the immune system and cause severe anaphylactic shock which can kill. Other ingredients have been found to have carcinogenic effects and are poisonous to humans.
It’s better to suspend operations after any incidental reports of the deadly outbreak of contaminants by the ice cream and entire food industry on the whole.
The message: manufacturers, suppliers, distributors and so forth are all capable of causing accidental harm to the consumer. There’s not much consumers can do about this, however, beyond only buying from trusted brands. But, then again, even the best brands need to trigger recalls now and again, holding no proper guarantee of the best food. So perhaps it’s better to simply hold your nose and chew (or… wait, how do you eat ice cream?…)
Feb 12, 2019
India doesn’t define ‘Junk Food’, invites manipulation
New Delhi, Feb 11: When the whole world is fighting against the ill effects of Junk Food, India is yet to define what junk food is.
'Junk Food' is not defined under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Regulations thereunder, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State of Health and Family Welfare, informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Junk food is a pejorative term for food containing a large number of calories from sugar or fat with little dietary fiber, protein, vitamins or minerals.
Instead, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prepared guidelines, that too as per the directions of the Delhi High Court.
The guidelines titled as 'Guidelines for making available Wholesome Nutritious, Safe and Hygienic Food to School Children in India' have been prepared by an expert group /central advisory committee.
The Delhi High Court had issued directions while hearing the petition No. 8568 of 2010 titled 'Uday Foundation for Congenial defects and Rare Blood Vs UOI & Others'.
Since India has not 'officially' defined Junk Food, it has left open the door for the multinational junk food giants to manipulate country's health policies in connivance of government officials. Here is the latest example how efforts are on to manipulate India's food policy, which if successful, will not only affect current population but also future generations.
The FSSAI, country's top food regulator, launched 'The Eat Right India' movement in July, 2018 to improve public health in India and combat negative nutritional trends to fight lifestyle diseases and spends crores of taxpayers' money on advertisements to keep Indians healthy. However, a watchdog organisation has accused the FSSAI of providing a 'government platform' to the multinational torchbearers of junk food to influence India's food policies.
The India Resource Center (IRC), an international campaigning organisation based in Berkeley, California, has written a letter to Pawan Agarwal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), FSSAI, and highlighted the conflict of interest in the FSSAI. Amit Srivastava, Coordinator, IRC, has also marked the copy of letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda.
Citing a BMJ report entitled "Making China safe for Coke: how Coca-Cola shaped obesity science and policy in China", Srivastava apprises Agarwal of how Coca-Cola and other companies worked through the China branch of International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) to influence China's public health policies, including a "shift aligned with Coca-Cola's message that it is activity, not diet, that matters-a claim few public health scholars accept".
ILSI is a non-profit organisation founded by Alex Malaspina, former senior vice president at Coca Cola, and acts as a front group for food, beverage and agrichemical companies, says the letter. However, ILSI Global website describes itself as a nonprofit, worldwide organisation whose mission is to provide science that improves human health and well-being and safeguards the environment. Srivastava further adds that ILSI has a chapter in India as well, and counts Coca-Cola India's Director of Regulatory Affairs as its Treasurer, and representatives from Nestle and Ajinomoto among its board of directors.
"Not surprisingly, ILSI has organised conferences in India downplaying the role of sugar and diet, and promoting increased physical activity as the solution to obesity. What is particularly disturbing is the central involvement of key FSSAI functionaries - who are meant to regulate these junk food companies - in the ILSI organisation itself," says the IRC letter.
Mentioning the conflict of interest, the letter says the Board Member of ILSI-India Dr. Debabrata Kanungo is also on the FSSAI's Scientific Panel on Pesticides Residues and Scientific Panel on Food additives, Flavourings, Processing aids and Materials in contact with food. ILSI- India website displays name of Kanungo as Member of Board of Trustees and introduces him as "Consultant (Medical Toxicology and Risk Assessment), CIB & RC. Govt. of India, (Retd.), Faridabad".
The letter further states that Dr. B Sesikeran, who is on the Board of Trustees of the global ILSI as well as ILSI-India Board member, is also a member of FSSAI's Scientific Panel on Functional foods, Nutraceuticals, Dietetic Products and Other similar products.
In April last year, the FSSAI had come out with the draft of Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2018 that propose mandatory red-label marking on packaged food products containing high levels of fat, sugar and salt. But, the government had to put on hold the draft after some stakeholders expressed concerns.
The FSSAI then set up a group of experts to look into the issue of labelling and made B. Sesikeran head of the group. The other members are director of National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) Hemalatha, and Dr. Nikhil Tandon. Srivastava has also questioned Sesikeran's appointment at the FSSAI's expert committee to look into the draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations 2018.
"The presence of these two individuals (Kanungo and Sesikeran) in such critical positions within FSSAI constitutes a significant conflict of interest. They are representing the industry front group, ILSI, and their inclusion in the scientific panel runs counter to the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006," the letter says and demands removal of Kanungo and Sesikeran from FSSAI panels. Sesikeran's name has been displayed on ILSI Global website as well as ILSI-India website as Member of Board of Trustees.
Citing a 2011 Supreme Court, Srivastava writes that "the inclusion of the two members mentioned above violate the spirit and intent of the Supreme Court decision given the central roles that both members play as board members of ILSI".
The apex court had pulled up FSSAI for keeping Pepsi and Coca-Cola representatives on a committee looking into the alleged use of harmful chemicals in soft drinks and directed the food regulator to renotify all such panels within two weeks and remove names associated with industrial houses.
However, how seriously the FSSAI takes directions of the Supreme Court could be gauged by a news report of last year. Also Read | Government bans junk food advertisements on cartoon channels FSSAI CEO Agarwal was quoted by PTI on August 17, 2018 as saying that FSSAI will go ahead with the labelling norms even if there is no consensus on the matter after the (Sesikeran) panel's suggestions.
Know all about Ashwini Kumar Choubey Political CareerNetworthContactBiography Now, the ball is in the court of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda. It will be interesting to watch what action he takes on the matter that involves a larger public interest.
Nescafe “Instant” Coffee: HC asks FSSAI & Health Ministry to take action against Counterfeit product manufacturers.
Delhi High Court Judge, Justice Pratibha M. Singh in the matter of SOCIETE DES PRODUITS NESTLE S.A & ANR v. MOHD ZAHID AND SONS & ORS has asked Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for taking steps for curbing the menace of manufacturing of counterfeit goods.
Nestlé, a world renowned company in the FMCG sector had filed a John Doe suit in the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi for preventing various third parties that were found by Nestlé to have been actively involved in facilitating the illegal distribution, manufacturing, offering to sell and sale of counterfeit NESCAFÉ instant coffee.
The present John Doe suit was filed by Nestlé in the interest of its brand and the public at large who ought to be protected from being subject to counterfeit edible products, which was granted by the Hon’ble High Court of Delhi. During the raids conducted by the Local Commissioners, multiple manufacturers were found to be counterfeiting food products.
The matter recently came up before the Hon’ble Mrs. Justice Pratibha M. Singh who, considering the gravity of the issue of Food counterfeit sought involvement of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to investigate about the license status of counterfeit manufacturers listed in the suit and also suggest steps already taken and can be further taken in order to stop sale of counterfeit food products revealed in the suit vide order dated 20.12.2018.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)