Millets in market may up sugar level

Panipuri is trending. But is it safe?

Renu PS remembers cramming down pani puris when she was a student in Manipal. “It was commonly available there and I was having it for the first time,” says Renu, who used to work as a medical microbiologist. “As youngsters, we never bothered if it was healthy. All that mattered was that it was tasty and interesting,” she says.

As a mother of three young children though, Renu’s attitude today to the pani puri stalls, which have mushroomed around Kochi, is quite different. “Now I am concerned about the oil, the fact that they don’t keep the ingredients covered and that they probably reuse leftovers,” she says.

Adding to such concerns of consumers like her, in a recent incident at an outlet in Tripunithura which serves the popular north Indian street-side snack, a woman had vomited immediately after eating it. It prompted the food safety department to conduct raids in outlets in the area. Food safety officer Rani Chacko says that while they conducted a raid at the outlet over consumer complaints of stale pani puri being served, the officers did not find anything seriously wrong. “According to the discretion of the officers, if we feel it is a small issue, as a first step we give a rectification notice. The defects we have pointed out to them have to be tackled in a day before we give them the permission to operate again,” she says.

The food safety department does not have a record of how many such ‘petty retailers’ operate or under what conditions and they take action only if an incident is brought to their notice.

Around the city, at around 4 pm as pani puri sellers begin to set up their carts, they already have a clientele waiting. The vendors come with a large tray of mashed potato which is filled into bite-sized puris and topped with tangy and sweet watery gravy. It is a very hand-intensive operation; the puri is popped, filled and dipped into the water by the vendor.

Die-hard pani puri fans, such as media entrepreneur Jayakrishnan G Pillai who treats his team to pani puri at the stalls, say customers are not here for healthy food. “I grew up in Mumbai and Gujarat, so I feel mentally prepared for a slight lack of hygiene. In Kerala, because we are not used to it, it feels problematic,” he says, adding he suffered food poisoning once from the food, but it did not put him off for long.

Freelance dietician Fiza Nawaz, who did a thesis and documentary on the street food vendors of Kochi, says that she had drawn up a list of risk factors in street food in general and those specific to pani puri and chat stalls. On top of the list were that stalls were located near garbage dumps and the water for washing utensils was not from a tap but from buckets, which meant it was most likely being reused.

“We sent some samples to the lab and found an alarmingly high count of microbes, particularly the staphylococcus aureus, which in high quantities bring on the symptoms of food poisoning,” she notes. She adds that though the food is handled a lot by hand, when the vendor fills the puri with potatoes and the sweet and tangy water, they are not aware of how to use gloves. “They don’t know that the gloves are only for handling the food. Instead, they make the pani puri with it and also handle other things, which destroys the purpose of using gloves,” she points out.

Amit Sarkar, who runs an upscale eatery in Kochi, says that when he and his brother, Sourabh got into the business, one of the things they looked into keenly was hygiene because they are aware of how it is lacking in the stalls, and towards that end they are cautious about the oil, dough, water and the ingredients they use as fillings and storage. To up the ante, they have introduced an automatic pani puri machine, which allows the customers to fill their puris and cuts out the chances of contamination from a third person.

“Almost 60% of vendors buy their puri from one supplier and when we bought from them, we found that it was not very clean and it was high in gluten content, so we started making our own,” says Amit, adding jokingly that his teenage niece prefers the roadside pani puris which are handmade by vendors. 

Munna Yadav, who started his pani puri outlet over two decades ago, says the food is freshly made and leftovers are thrown away. The puris are fried at about 10 am while the other ingredients are made just before the stall is set up at 3 pm. He sells a plate of six at `20 and gets through 800 puris in a day.

Rani Chacko says that though there are no written guidelines for street food vendors, the department is planning a ‘street food hub’ programme, which is in the initial stage, and seeks to identify street food vendors, audit and designate and identify their areas of working. Awareness programmes will also be conducted for them.

DINAMANI NEWS

Zomato operating sans license; food safety dept to take action

The department of food safety of Uttarakhand is mulling to take legal action against the online food platform Zomato as it has failed to provide a satisfactory reply on the department’s notice. The department had found that the license on the basis of which the company was operating in Dehradun had no mention of Dehradun. The department is now contemplating on taking action against the company. “The company is operating here without valid licence in the state, something which invites action. The action may be taken soon,” said an officer of the department concerned while insisting on anonymity. 

The designated officer, food safety J C Kandwal said that a team of the department had recently conducted a surprise inspection of the New Cant Road office of Zomato. He said that the officials of the company failed to show any valid licence to them. Kandwal added that the central license which the company later had submitted to the department did not have any mention of Dehradun.

It is pertinent to mention here that many commercial platforms are operating in the country which is providing cooked food to the customers. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed the state governments to keep an eye on the operation and quality control of the online food platforms.

Chemically ripening of fruits unabated

On an average, 5 to 10 tonnes of mangoes arrive at the market per day. In the coming days, the number of trucks is only going to increase, and there is a need to have a proper mechanism for fruit ripening as per rules – Ashok Kumar, president of the fruit association, Kothapet

Kothapet: The king of fruit has been arriving at the Gaddiannaram Fruit Market since January.

The directive of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to use ethylene gas for ripening of mangoes is also in place.

However, the traders say that the authorities are yet to establish a mechanism for fruit ripening.

The marketing department is yet to set up 'Ethylene Ripening Chambers.' Ashok Kumar, president of the fruit association at Kothapet, says, "On an average 5 to 10 tonnes of mangoes arrive at the market.

In the coming days, the number of trucks is only going to increase, and there is a need to have a proper mechanism for fruit ripening as per rules."

Bainganpalli, Totapuri and Suvarnarekha are the most common that come to the market.

Currently, the price of the fruit is between Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 lakh per tonne based on the type and quality of the fruit.

Use of carbide as a ripening agent is a punishable offence under the FSSAI Act 2006, as the chemical is carcinogenic, a cancer-causing substance or agent.

Mangoes from districts like Nuziveedu, Krishna, Khammam, Mahboobnagar, Nalagonda, Kurnool, Nandyala, Kadapa, Chittoor, Rajampeta and other places come to the market. Apart from the Telugu states, the mangoes are also imported from the states of Kolar District, Karnataka, Dharmapuri District, Tamil Nadu.

These imported mangoes are usually exported to North India, especially to Delhi and Maharashtra, for the artificial ripening of mangoes.

The process of artificial ripening takes around 4 to 5 days to change the color of the mangoes from raw green to ripened yellow.

The sachets of these chemicals are dropped into the baskets of raw mangoes at the time of exporting them from Hyderabad to other parts of India and during the journey, the mangoes are ripened.

Last year, calcium carbide was used as the chemical to ripen mangoes, which was declared to be harmful.

State Food Laboratory officials, who conducted raids, said they found ethylene powder packets stuffed in the boxes of mangoes for the purpose of ripening them.

When the artificially- ripened mango samples were tested, they found high concentrations of calcium carbide.

Cases were booked where the accused were jailed for about 3 months with the penalty of Rs 10,000.

The president of the fruit association, Ashok Kumar, said, "There are retailers who do not have licenses, yet they come and sell their goods and leave, and the responsible officers are not taking any action."

Food safety gets top priority

MANGALURU: Taking cognisance of the incident at a temple in Chamarajanagar that claimed at least 17 lives, government officials and organisers of the Brahmakalashotsava ceremony of the 1,300-year-old Sri Rajarajeshwari Temple, Polali, have been exercising extra caution, especially during preparation of food.

Thousands of volunteers have been divided into several batches and assigned a cross section of responsibilities to ensure that the ceremony, spanning a little less than two weeks, is all hunky dory.

Dr Deepa Prabhu, taluk health officer, Bantwal, told TOI that a team of six officials has been tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that food and beverages provided to devotees are of superior quality. “To ensure this, the officials personally consume the food at least one hour before it is served to devotees. “Only after we are fully convinced about the quality of food and beverages, do we let them out of the kitchen,” she said, adding the officials check for the quality every single time it is prepared.

Also, samples of food are kept in cold storage for at least 48 hours from the time they are cooked, in case they are to be subjected to tests in case of any eventuality.

“Though we have ensured cleanliness, we have sent samples of water and food to the laboratory in Mysuru for documentation. Reports are awaited,” she said.

Chandrahasa D Shetty, convener, Polali Brahmakalshotsava committee, said only batches of cooks are permitted in the kitchen on a rotational basis and those without any business at the kitchen are denied entry. He said CCTV cameras have been installed at multiples points in the kitchen and store room.

Deepa said all six wells, from which water is drawn for drinking and cooking purposes, are subjected to at least a couple of rounds of cleaning and chlorination.

The Ullal city municipal council has also swung into action in contributing towards hygiene. Unlike the general practice, where kitchen waste used to be dumped in pits created in nearby fields and only disposed after the conclusion of festivities, all wastes are taken away to the dumping yard at Pacchenady every few hours. For this purpose, the Ullal CMC has granted four tempos. Two more tempos are likely to be pressed into action for the remaining days as more batches of devotees are expected.

Special emphasis has also been laid on maintaining cleanliness in all the 80 toilets that have been set up near the temple premises. In addition to chemically treating these toilets, a team of 40 members from Kollegal have been employed to clean them regularly.

It is also pertinent to note that 60 members from Patanjali Yoga Shiskahana Samiti and 200 volunteers from Maroli Suryanarayana Temple have been striving round the clock to keep the rest of the premises in good health.

Indore: Food safety officers raid milk parlours, collect samples

Indore: Keeping in view Holi festival falling next week, the food and drug administration (FDA) department is gearing up to check sale of adulterated food specially milk, milk products and mawa sweets as their consumption increases during festivities. The department on Monday launched a campaign against sweetmeat shops across the city to check milk and milk products. “In first phase of action, we are taking action against milk parlours and seizing samples of milk and milk products,” said chief food safety officer Manish Swami.

He said department has collected samples from eight milk parlours and warned shop keepers to be ready for penal action if they fail to maintain hygiene. “In the second phase of campaign, we will crack down on shops selling mawa sweets, namkeens (salted snacks) and beverages, he added. “Department officers were asked to take action against sellers of milk products, sweets and namkeen before festivities begin in city. Our target is to take 40 samples in a month. But we will target vendors who are selling unhygienic and stale products,” Swami said.

Cross inspection

The food and drug administration department will cross check. The officials from Dhar and Barwani district will come to Indore for inspection while officials from Indore will go to other districts. “It is a new practice by department to create transparency in process and to avoid any unnecessary allegation,” he added.

FSSAI forms 3 teams to monitor quality of drinks served at juice outlets in Kozhikode, Kerala

FSSAI forms 3 teams to monitor quality of drinks served at juice outlets in Kozhikode, Kerala

Kozhikode, Mar 12 (KNN) Following drastic rise in temperature during the last few days in the city, more and more juice outlets are coming up in the city. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued advisory to the sellers to strictly follow the provisions of food safety and standard act.

FSSAI has also advised buyers to avoid products that are sold in open and those perched by flies and insects and also to check and inform the concerned authorities if they find any violations

The FFSAI has formed 3 teams to monitor the quality of drinks served in these outlets in the coming days.

The officials have also strictly warned the sellers to not sell any products without the license or registration issued by the food safety regulator in order to ensure quality and hygiene.

This will also help the customers to identify shops that are licensed to sell the products. The shops found not running in hygienic condition will have to face consequences.

Gloves, head cover and aprons are a must for the people making juices or any eatery products from their respective outlets, said FSSAI assistant Commissioner Eliyamma.

Banned gutka worth Rs 3 lakh seized in Erode district

ERODE: Food safety officials have seized banned gutka products worth Rs 3 lakh from a godown at Perundurai here on Saturday evening. They have also seized a van that was parked on the godown premises with tobacco items in it.

Dr T Kalaivani, district designated food officer, said they have seized 210kg banned tobacco products from the Kannan grocery store at Perundurai. “We carried out a search at the store based on a tip that it had stocked a large quality of banned gukta products for sales in retail market.”

During the raid, food safety found banned tobacco products in its godown and a van parked on its premises. The officials have collected samples of the seized items and sent them for lab test.

“The accused will be produced in court and action will be initiated against them shortly,” Kalaivani told TOI.

Thermo Fisher Scientific to Open Food Safety Customer Solution Center in India

Collaboration with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to develop next generation chromatography and mass spectrometry workflow solutions

THERMO FISHER Scientific Inc., announced its intent to open a Global Customer Solution Center in partnership with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in Ghaziabad, India. The collaboration was confirmed during the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) - India chapter conference between Thermo Fisher Scientific and FSSAI. 

The new Food SafetyCustomer Solution Center will focus on meeting and exceeding the demands of scientists in food and beverage laboratories by developing critical workflows and integrated solutions that help build food safety capacity in India.

With the food and beverage industry committed to making what we consume healthier and safer, the Thermo Fisher Customer Solution Center will serve as a regional hub for scientists, partners and the FSSAI to collaborate with subject matter experts. The skilled analysts at the Center will focus on development, training and support for next-generation workflows and integrated solutions across chromatography and mass spectrometry, in collaboration with the FSSAI. 

The opening marks the continuation of Thermo Fisher’s global strategic initiative that includes Customer Solution Centers in China, and others planned for the U.S. and Europe, all of which are scheduled to be opened by mid-2019.

“The announcement is a testament to our commitment in bringing world-class food testing technologies to India. It helps us realize our mission of enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer,” said Amit Chopra, managing director, India and the Middle East, Thermo Fisher.

“The opening of the Food Safety Customer Solution Center in India demonstrates our unwavering commitment to support the food and beverage industry in providing safer, more nutritious and better-informed choices for its customers,” said Mitch Kennedy, president, chromatography and mass spectrometry, Thermo Fisher. 

“The FSSAI establishes science-based standards for articles of food and regulates their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food to the country's 1.3 billion citizens," said Pawan Agarwal, chief executive officer, FSSAI. "The collaboration between the FSSAI and Thermo Fisher at the Food Safety Customer Solution Center in Ghaziabad will help us build new workflows for food safety testing, train our food centers of excellence, and help build capacity and expertise in the region," said Bhaskar Narayan, Ph.D., advisor of quality assurance, FSSAI.

Health department raids: Unsafe food colours, impurities found

JAIPUR: Recently conducted raids at city’s restaurants, food item godowns and food processing units have brought shocking results to the fore. People are not aware that most food they are consuming might be adulterated or impure. 

From using unsafe synthetic food colours to compromising with food purity, health department’s food safety officers have found that all during their raids conducted in January and February. Even powdered spices are being sold in the market without packaging it. There are provisions under Food Safety Standard Act, which do not permit sale of spices without packaging. This year, food safety officers have taken their efforts to a new high to ensure availability of food safety but what they have found during their inspections could be just the tip of the iceberg.

“We have found that food handlers at restaurants were not having any kind of medical fitness certificates. The certificate is necessary because if someone has tuberculosis and he is preparing or serving food, he may infect others. Also, if a food handler is suffering from any skin infection, he may transmit it to his clients. Under Food Safety and Standard Act (FSSA), there is a provision of fitness certificate, but we found that the restaurants are violating the norm of FSSA,” said a health department official. 

Besides, it has also been found during inspection that a restaurant selling Chinese food had kept vegetarian and non-vegetarian food at the same place, which is violation of FSSA. The health department had seized three such restaurants in past two months for violating FSSA norms. The three restaurants were re-opened only after renovation, as directed by the food safety wing.

Also, the food safety officers claimed that among the total pulses samples, there four samples of pulses they had taken have failed quality test. The pulses were containing synthetic food colour, which were unsafe. Besides, the health department is awaiting more test report of samples of food items during their raids.

Punjab to conduct gap analysis of its food lab

CHANDIGARH: For increasing efforts to control the menace of food adulteration and make it more effective, Punjab government has decided to improve the functioning of the state food laboratory, Kharar.

For this purpose, it has been decided to get a gap analysis conducted for which the process for hiring a consultant has been initiated. At present, the laboratory is facing shortage of infrastructure and manpower. A micro-level survey for every test/calibration parameter of the laboratory will also be conducted besides a detailed study of all activities of the laboratory. For helping employees perform better, specialised training will also be imparted.

Commissioner, food and drug administration, Punjab, K S Pannu shared that a detailed gap analysis of infrastructure, manpower and processes would be conducted to ascertain the shortcomings. Accordingly, corrective steps will be taken. “Once the corrective steps will be taken, the department will get the lab accredited from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL),” said Pannu.

In the last one year, the Punjab government has tightened the noose around traders by carrying out a sustained drive against spurious food products. About 30% food samples collected between July 2018 to January 31, during raids in different parts of Punjab were found unfit for human consumption. A total of 7,615 samples of different food items, including milk, milk products and bakery products, of which 2,099 samples were found of sub-standard quality while 86 were found unsafe for human consumption.

As many as 1,625 cases have been filed in the court of additional deputy commissioners and 51 in the courts of chief judicial magistrate. During the seven months in only one case the accused was sentenced with six-month imprisonment.

Food and drug administration raised Rs 1.69 crore by imposing fine in 954 cases as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act.

To facilitate quicker analysis of samples, followed by quick action on the defaulters, the government recently roped in another laboratory Punjab Biotechnology Incubator (PBTI) in Mohali had been notified as referral laboratory by the government under Food Safety and Standards Act. Besides, two scientists of the PBTI had also been appointed as food analysts under the Food Safety and Standards Act by the government of India, whereby their services can be utilised by the state government.

Consumer bodies suffer due to shortage of manpower

Vijayawada: In a striking revelation it has been found that the implementation of consumer rights and strengthening of enforcement agencies is very poor in Andhra Pradesh as compared to other southern states. Two major departments of the state - the Legal Metrology and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) have been crippled by staff crunch for more than two decades, especially post-bifurcation. 

Vikas Pandey, president, AP Consumer Rights Organisation, said, “Despite repeated pleas to civil supplies commissioner in 2018, the Legal Metrology department has not been beefed up. Our departments do not have the necessary manpower to tackle various consumer rights violations such as tampering of weighing instruments to MRP violations.” 

“We are now used to the drill of submitting pleas for increasing the manpower and resources to the civil supplies ministers every year,” the officials say.

From ghee adulteration to drinking water, Krishna district and Vijayawada have emerged as a hub for sub-standard and unsafe food products in Andhra. In the last three years, police and food safety officials cracked down over 70 ghee adulteration rackets in Vijayawada alone. But these were only a small part of the problem.

Dr Krishna Veni, a nutritionist running a private clinic in Vijayawada said, “ Artificial ripeners like ethylene can cause an intestinal disorder. An apple a day might keep the doctor away but a waxed apple might need a doctor’s appointment eventually. The effects of these adulterants may not be visible immediately but it has a harmful effect with other food products that people consume.”

According to WHO and Central Public Health norms, one food inspector is required to manage a place with 1 lakh rural population or 50,000 urban population. Going by that norm, Krishna district is short of 57 food inspectors and Andhra requires more 629 food inspectors.

There are routine violations of maxim retail price and discrepancies in weighing scales in the state. Even fair price shops do not give consumers any protection, hitting hard the lower middle class and BPL families.

Thermo Fisher Scientific to Open Food Safety Customer Solution Center in India

Mumbai:Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., the world leader in serving science, has announced its intent to open a Global Customer Solution Center in partnership with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in Ghaziabad, India. The collaboration was confirmed during the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) – India chapter conference between Thermo Fisher Scientific and FSSAI. The gathering had more than 300 dignitaries including international visitors, government officials, industry leaders and scientists from food research institutes. The new Food Safety Customer Solution Center will focus on meeting and exceeding the demands of scientists in food and beverage laboratories by developing critical workflows and integrated solutions that help build food safety capacity in India.

With the food and beverage industry committed to making what we consume healthier and safer, the Thermo Fisher Customer Solution Center will serve as a regional hub for scientists, partners and the FSSAI to collaborate with subject matter experts. The skilled analysts at the Center will focus on development, training and support for next-generation workflows and integrated solutions across chromatography and mass spectrometry, in collaboration with the FSSAI.

“Today’s announcement is a testament to our commitment in bringing world class food testing technologies to India. It helps us realize our mission of enabling our customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer,” said Amit Chopra, managing director, India and Middle East, Thermo Fisher.

“The opening of the Food Safety Customer Solution Center in India demonstrates our unwavering commitment to support the food and beverage industry in providing safer, more nutritious and better-informed choices for its customers,” said Mitch Kennedy, president, chromatography and mass spectrometry, Thermo Fisher. “The new Center is uniquely placed to help scientists, partners and regulatory bodies, like the FSSAI, collaborate to increase food safety and quality, while expanding capacity and productivity of food testing in the region.”

“The FSSAI establishes science-based standards for articles of food and regulates their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale, and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food to the country’s 1.3 billion citizens,” said Pawan Agarwal, chief executive officer, FSSAI. “The collaboration between the FSSAI and Thermo Fisher at the Food Safety Customer Solution Center in Ghaziabad will help us build new workflows for food safety testing, train our food centers of excellence, and help build capacity and expertise in the region,” said Bhaskar Narayan, Ph.D., advisor of quality assurance, FSSAI.

Today’s opening marks the continuation of Thermo Fisher’s global strategic initiative that includes Customer Solution Centers in China, and others planned for the U.S. and Europe, all of which are scheduled to be opened by mid-2019. Each site will:

· Embrace the opportunity to collaborate with customers and partners in the development of next-generation workflow solutions in chromatography and mass spectrometry

· Provide complete workflows to enable scientists to reach new levels of productivity

· Create a Center of expertise to spread analytical knowledge within the local community, and provide access to collaborative solutions to overcome unique and emerging analytical challenges

Inspection at Saras milk collection point

Jaipur: Health department’s food safety wing conducted inspection at milk collection point of Saras dairy at Chomu which found that the test kit given by Jaipur Dairy was lying seal packed.

The manufacturing date of test kit is August 2018 and April 2019 is printed on it as a date of expiry. The test kit was given to collection point of Saras dairy for checking adulteration and contents such as urea, starch, salt, neutraliser, sugar and other such substances. The food safety wing officers informed Jaipur dairy officers about it. The officials said that there is no testing of milk conducted and no record has been kept. The health department officials have collected one sample of milk.

FDA facilitates State-wide training of FBOs

Directorate of Food and Drug Administration, Punjab has commenced the campaign of training all licensed/registered Food Business Operators

Chandigarh, March 7: The Directorate of Food and Drug Administration, Punjab has commenced the campaign of training all the licensed/registered Food Business Operators in the State, informed KS Pannu Commissioner FDA . Giving details Pannu said that ten companies registered with the FSSAI as training partners have been roped in for the task and each company has been entrusted with work of imparting training on an average in two-three districts.

He said that as per the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, it is necessary for all Food Business Operators(FBOs) to maintain purity and quality of food items. It is also necessary that the personal hygiene of the workers engaged in making, serving, selling and transporting food and drink items as also the cleanliness of the premises where food business is operating, is maintained.

On account of deficiencies in the matter of cooking/making, storage, serving, selling, transporting, personal hygiene of workers and cleanliness of premises, not only the health of consumers is put at stake but also the Food Business Operators become liable for fines and punishment under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, said he.

The Commissioner further said that in view of this, it has been decided to conduct training of Food Business Operators regarding the provisions of Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006 related to safety, quality standards, personal hygiene and cleanliness, so that necessary awareness in this regard could be created. Under the Section 16 (3) (h) of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, there is a provision of providing training to Food Professionals or their employees.

In fact, FSSAI issued a notification on April 25, 2018, whereby, training has been made mandatory for the FBOs who have taken the license of the food products business, said Pannu. Keeping this in mind, it has been decided under the Mission Tandarust Punjab that at least one representative of the food processing companies working in Punjab should be trained under the campaign.

He said that the FDA staff, the health inspectors, multi-purpose health workers and mass media wing of Health Department is mobilising the Food Business Operators to participate in the training either at personal level or through a representative so that quality and cleanliness standards of food being served in Punjab could be improved. Officials of the Department and the training partners shall contact the Food Business Operators for this purpose in the days to come. He said FBOs can contact District Level Designated officer of Food Safety or Civil Surgeon for queries if any.

The training would focus on all the aspects of providing healthy and hygienic food to the people. The do’s and don’ts of processing/cooking the 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. He said that training would involve a fee of Rs. 600/- , to be borne by the Food Business Operator but it would be imparted to the all Rehriwalas, absolutely free of cost.

1,800kg adulterated besan seized

Jaipur: Health department’s food safety wing seized 1,800 kg of adulterated besan (gram flour) from Manu Vihar of Vishwakarma Industrial (VKI) area on Wednesday. 

It is not for the first time that they have found such adulteration. On February 26, the food safety wing had seized flour mills owned by a businessman for allegedly selling gram flour, which was actually a mixture of semolina, corn flour and gram flour. They had seized 4,500 kg of flour.

Health department officials claimed that since they have found such adulteration in gram flour in two different raids, they have become alert on it and taking all possible measures to prevent such activities in the city. 

Chief medical health officer Dr Narrottam Sharma said that they have collected three samples of adulterated besan and seized 1,800kgs of besan. “They were using semolina as an adulterant, which comes in much lesser prices than gram pulse. Besan should have flour of gram pulse. But adding semolina is an act of fooling the consumers for charging money for gram flour but actually selling semolina,” he said.

The food safety wing officials said that when they entered a room, where they found that workers were preparing besan. “Semolina is sold at Rs25 per kg but the accused preparing adulterated besan using semolina was selling it at Rs58,” he said. 

“We have seized 300kgs of semolina,” the health department officials said.

Besides, a health department team collected sample of black salt at Automobile Nagar. They put the black salt in water, which gave pink colour, but if black salt is genuine, it should give green colour when it is dipped in water, the officials said.

Company selling ‘diabetic care’ products busted

Jaipur: Health department’s food safety wing unearthed a unit, which was producing juices and supplements and selling it with the label of ‘diabetic care’ on it.

Centre team of food safety wing of health department claimed that it is prohibited in the provisions of Food Safety and Standard Act (FSSA). “One cannot sell food with such labels. It is an offence under FSSA as it is misleading,” said Dr Sunil Singh, state nodal officer, food safety, health department. 

Besides, the centre team of food safety wing also found that the unit, which is situated in Muhana Mandi area, was using expired flavours in juices. “They were preparing juices and supplements for a Noida-based firm. They were selling it at Rs 72 to the Noida-based firm but had an MRP of Rs 1,200,” said Dr Singh.

Officials said that people suffering from diabetes are being fooled and cheated by such companies producing supplements and juices and attracting consumers with labels like ‘diabetic care’ or other such misleading words. After being attracted towards such food items, the customers fall in trap of such companies and get ready to shell out any amount.

Food safety dept to crack whip on unlicensed food biz operators

Madurai: It seems that the year-long awareness programmes conducted by the food safety department on the importance of getting a licence have not brought about the desired effect among the food business operators (FBOs). Irked over the denying attitude of a section of FBOs, the officials have started cracking the whip against the offenders.

FBOs are those involved in manufacturing, processing, packing, storing, transporting and distributing food materials. The licence from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandatory for the FBOs whose sales are Rs 3,000 or more a day. While it has been estimated that there are around 75,000 FBOs across Madurai district, only 4,156 of them, which is less than 6%, have taken the license so far.

Instead of getting licence, FBOs have obtained registration certificates from the food safety department by paying Rs100, which is meant for hawkers and roadside vendors only.

The licence is important in ensuring the quality of products that reach customers. In the absence of such a licence, it is difficult for the department to close in on the erring FBOs when a complaint is raised, food safety officials said.

Designated officer for food safety, Madurai district, Dr M Somasundaram said, “We have started action. No one can claim that they are unaware of the rule, since we have extensively conducted awareness camps,” he said. It has started issuing notice under Section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. FBOs served with the notice would have 15 days to get the licence, failing which they will face jail term up to six months and a fine amount up to Rs 5 lakh, he said. Officials said that there are three kinds of licences available at the fee slabs of Rs2,000, Rs3,000 and Rs5,000 per year. One can also opt for a five-year licence by paying the required amount.

Traders from the city said that the food safety officers assigned for each area have earned bad reputation in the past for bribery. Owing to this, the traders are skeptical of approaching the FSOs. Although the scenario has changed in the last one year, the information is yet to reach the traders and stakeholders.

President of Tamil Nadu Food Grains Merchants’s Association S P Jeyaprakasam said that many do not come forward due to the tedious process involved in getting the licence. There is no one-time licence and the traders have to renew it every year. A trader or manufacturer who has multiple outlets in the state or the country has to take multiple licenses. “We have taken the grievances to the ministry concerned. They have acknowledged the issues, but they have not made any changes so far,” he said.

Dr Somasundaram said that people can finish the work and payment online. There are several designated centres in and around the city to get the work done.

President of Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industries N Jagadeesan said, “We too have conducted five rounds of sensitization meetings and have sent circulars to our members asking them to take the licences, but for some reasons they are not forthcoming,” he said.

India to adopt WHO standards for food safety; trans fats on its way out!

The FSSAI has proposed an amendment to 'Food Products Standards and Food Addictive Regulations, 2011' in order to limit trans-fatty acids in all oils.

The regulation is necessary for Punjab as it is one of three states with the highest prevelance of cardiovascular diseases.

New Delhi: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed an amendment to 'Food Products Standards and Food Addictive Regulations, 2011' in order to limit trans-fatty acids in all oils and fats to not more than 3 percent by January 2021 and to not more than 2 percent by January 2022. 

According to a report in the Indian Express (IE), the civil society representatives and consumer activists have favoured the proposed amendment as a notable milestone to keep up with the World's Health Organisation call for global elimination of industrially-produced trans fat by 2023. 

The president of Generation Saviour Association- an NGO which works for better health of the youth in Punjab, Opinder Preet Kaur told IE, they are planning to work on verticals, one being policy and other is its implementation. The people of Punjab need to change their cooking habits and the bigger challenge is to reach out to the rural people and educate them about the side-effects of consumption of trans fat. 

She further added that the regulation is necessary for Punjab as it is one of three states with the highest prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. 

Meanwhile, Anjali Borhade director of Disha Foundation told IE that the reduction in the limit of trans-fatty acids in all oils will have a significant impact on the health of people living in Punjab. She also emphasised that now that the government has done its bit, it is now their turn to educate people about the repercussions of consuming trans-fat.

Molasses ban faces hurdle in Assam

Chief minister Sonowal had on Monday directed the chief secretary to ban molasses

The State Public Health Laboratory has punched holes in Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal’s order to ban molasses (laligur) as it is not listed in the Food Safety Standards Act, 2006.

Sonowal had on Monday directed the chief secretary to ban molasses after investigations into the hooch tragedy, which killed 165 tea plantation workers and left several others blind and ill in three tea gardens of Upper Assam’s Jorhat and Golaghat districts, revealed the main ingredient in Sulai, a locally made liquor, to be molasses, a byproduct of sugar refining,

Though a gazette notification on the ban has not been issued, sources in the laboratory said enforcing the same might be a challenge as molasses is an illegal food item.

“Molasses is not listed in Section 3(1)(j) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which includes consumable food items. So, its sale, purchase, storage or consumption as a food item, directly or indirectly, is an illegal activity. There is no question of banning something that is already illegal,” an official at the laboratory told The Telegraph on condition of anonymity.

The act consolidates laws relating to food. Under it, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.

Anupam Gogoi, a food analyst in FSSAI, said molasses and liquid jaggery, both called laligur in Assam, are different.

“While liquid jaggery is the initial extract from sugarcane or dates (the two primary sources of jaggery in India), molasses is a byproduct, a waste left after the refined solid jaggery is extracted. The first is fit for human consumption but the other is mostly used for veterinary or industrial purposes,” Anupam said.

Molasses is distilled to produce ethanol, which is used in medical wipes and antibacterial hand sanitisers.

Akhil Gogoi, adviser to Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), said molasses used to enter Assam from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar as veterinary supplies but the state government had recently allowed its procurement for industrial purposes with magisterial permission.

“In north India, cows are fed molasses during pregnancy but Assamese farmers generally use jaggery instead of the cheap substitute. After the government granted the magisterial permission, a few warehouses stored it as industrialingredient but sold it illegally to small shops and those who made Sulai (hooch) from it,” Akhil said.

Jorhat-based trader Mahesh Beria was arrested from Jonai in Upper Assam’s Dhemaji district on Monday and two godown owners in Golaghat were detained on February 23 on charges of selling molasses.

650 food adulteration cases in Pb in 3 months

Chandigarh: The food-safety wing of the health department kept its guard up against unscrupulous food businesses even after the festival season was over this time. As part of the state government’s Mission Tandrust Punjab, the commisionerate of food and drug administration carried out 3,000 inspections of food items in between November 1, 2018, and January 31, 2019.

The department registered 650 cases of food adulteration. In all, the commissionerate fined 600 food business operators, with the total penalty amounting to Rs 65 lakh. It organised 270 awareness camps to raise awareness against food adulteration. The two food-safety vans of the department checked 2,400 samples of food items. When it comes to seizures, milk and dairy products were found to be the most adulterated. The department seized 2,700kg of milk and dairy products. It also seized 315kg of sub-standard fruits.

Punjab food and drug commissioner K S Pannu, also the mission director of Tandrust Punjab, warned of stricter action against those still indulging in adulterating food items. He said raids will continue and the department will request courts to impose heavy fines on those found guilty.

FSDA starts drive against adulterated food ahead of Holi

Meerut: Ahead of Holi, the Food Safety and Drugs Authority (FSDA) started their drive against adulterated food items on Monday. The drive, which will focus on adulterated food items and will continue till March 19, will for the first time see transportation of samples to Lucknow on the same day so that reports can arrive within four days. Earlier, reports took one to three months to arrive and, hence, action was delayed. The food items on which special attention will be paid include oil, ghee, besan, chips, papad, khoya, sweets and others.

“We have identified places in the city where inspections will be carried out and suspected items will be seized or their samples taken – depending on how suspected the items in question look like. For the first time, the samples collected will be sent to the Lucknow testing laboratory that day itself and will be delivered there by an official. This is being done so that the reports, which otherwise took one month to three months to arrive, can come within four days,” said Archana Dheeran designated officer of FSDA (Meerut).

The areas identified include Khiwai, Sardhana, Naglakhumba, Jainpur, Mawana and others. These areas have been identified as major manufacturers are based here – from where the city shops purchase items which they sell further. Special care will be taken for addition of colour to food items.

“Meanwhile, we are conducting surveys and awareness drives to inform shop owners that if they sell any suspected items, a case will be filed against them and they will be dealt according to the law,” Dheeran said.

Stale food new threat in online food delivery

Kochi: The spurt in demand for online food delivery among the residents of Kochi has brought to the fore a threat of stale food being given to customers. 

The food safety department said that since January they have been getting complaints of stale food being delivered to customers. “We receive at least one complaint every week over the phone,” said food safety vigilance squad official Sakkir Hussain. 

Last month, a customer from Kakkanad complained that he had to seek medical help after having a food item that was delivered online.

However, officials said it is difficult to initiate action against erring hoteliers. “The problem we face is that the food is not served as packaged products where manufacturing and expiry dates, content details, price and address of the manufacturing company are a must. These details are not available on food packets purchased online. If we register a case on the basis of stale food served online, it cannot be proved in the court. We can prove it only when the customer gets hospitalized and the doctor advises medication for food poisoning,” said Hussain.

“The life of cooked food is two hours. Hoteliers themselves say they can’t ensure the quality of the food that they cooked much earlier in the day. In some complaints, we found that there is a delay in food delivered to customers due to slew of factors, including traffic,” the official said.

Meanwhile, officials said some customers are also misusing the opportunity to threaten the hoteliers citing small issues in the food. “Some customers threaten hoteliers saying they will publish news on the issue on social media. Scared over dent on the image of the hotel, hoteliers have been forced either to cut down the price or to provide food for free. Later both parties keep this issue out of public domain,” the official said.

Kerala hotel and restaurants’association (KHRA) officials admit that hotels have been forced to compromise on the quality of food when it is delivered online at a cheap rate. “There is no mechanism available to check the quality of food delivered online. Some kinds of food such as mayonnaise and Arabic food items get sour fast. We don’t know from where the delivery boys buy the food. Besides, ordering food online also generate huge plastic waste, which endanger the nature. The online food delivery system needs intervention of the state government. The government should bring in a mechanism to control a system where no one is responsible for delivering stale or unhygienic food,” said KHRA general secretary G Jayapal.

Wardha FDA withdraws Satara infant food for violations

Nagpur: The Wardha unit of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has withdrawn the entire material of an infant food product with brand name ‘Healthy Magic Brand’ for various violations of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSA) Act. The manufacturer, M/S Anupreet Product from Karad in Satara district, has been producing the product even without the basic permission of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Food safety officer Raviraj Dhabarde, who is the investigation officer, told TOI that the product is wrongly branded. Infant foods are to be given to children above the age of six months but this brand is being sold for children below four months of age. The infant food is available in two brands — Real mix vegetable-Infant Food-Anupreet Healthy Magic Brand and real Mix Fruits again with same brand name.

Dhabarde said that the samples have been sent to adjudication officer SR Kekare, the FDA joint commissioner at Nagpur. If violation is established, the manufacturer will be liable for at least a Rs10 lakh fine. The raid was carried out under the guidance of GB Gore, the FDA additional commissioner (food) at Wardha.

As per the FSSAI regulation, the product should not carry the picture of a mother or a child whereas this product carries a photo of children.

There are also irregularities in packaging and labelling, said Dhabarde. He said that it was mandatory for the manufacturer to mention that ‘mothers milk best for your baby’, which is missing from the label. The packet should also carry a warning that the food should be used only on the advice of a health worker. It should also carry a warning that infant food is a milk substitute or it is not the sole source of nourishment for an infant.

There should also be a statement on the process of manufacture (eg spray dried) except in case of infant foods where it is replaced by warnings about the health hazards associated with improper hygiene while preparing the food for the baby. It should carry warnings like use of clean utensils, bottles and teats.

It should also say that not to use fewer scoops as it would dilute the required concentration of the food and not provide sufficient nutrients required by the baby’s body. The pack should also carry directions of use and instructions for the discarded or the leftover feed. The pack should never mention words like ‘energy food’ full protein food, complete food, health food etc.

Street food stalls at Girgaum, Juhu beach get FDA clean tags

MUMBAI: Love street food but worried about hygiene? Worry no more if you are at Juhu and Girgaum Chowpatty, says the state’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as fast food stalls on the two beaches have got a ‘Clean street food hub’ tag. After Ahmedabad’s Kankaria Lake area, Mumbai is the second city in India to bag the certification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The FSSAI granted the tag to the stalls at these popular beaches last week after they cleared the final round of audits. Around 80 stalls in Juhu and 30 at Girgaum Chowpatty that offer pani puri, pav bhaji, sodas and gola were overseen by the FDA while effecting process changes over the last six months. “The tag is a seal of assurance that the food has been cooked in clean condition, following standard hygiene practices, and is absolutely safe to eat,” said Pallavi Darade, commissioner, FDA. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will unveil the Girgaum hub of these clean food stalls on Tuesday. 

FDA’s joint commissioner Shailesh Adhao said that the vendors were taught and trained about hygiene practices, starting from cooking in clean water, wearing caps, aprons and gloves, ensuring personal hygiene and appropriate garbage disposal, demarcating cooking and non-cooking area, and pest control. “The FDA also helped them refurbish their stalls, light them up properly and select raw material,” said the commissioner. The owners had to get medical fitness certificates for their staffers, which is one of the key requirements of the Food Safety Act. Adhao said stall owners have been taught about the Act and penalties that any violation could attract. They will be audited by the FDA every three months.

FDA’s next step is to push more street food vendors to get the certification from FSSAI that started the initiative across country last year under Project Clean Street Food. Darade said corporates too have chipped in to provide potable water by installing purifiers.

Already applied for licence: Zomato on FSSAI licence notice

Zomato has said it has "already applied for a licence for...operations in Dehradun" and other cities. This comes after the FSSAI asked Zomato to get a food safety licence to continue its operations. 

The FSSAI, citing Section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, said no person or firm can carry out food business without a licence.

Commissioner assures action: Food Safety Analyst demands ‘bribe’ from budding Kashmiri entrepreneur to clear his product even after the nod from FSSAI

Jammu, Mar 2, CNS: A young entrepreneur from Kashmir Valley has accused Jammu based Food Safety Laboratory of maligning his brand and image. The entrepreneur alleged that Food Safety Laboratory of Jammu demands bribe from to clear his brand though the Kolkatta and Kashmir based food safety laboratories have already cleared the name of his brand.

At a time when unemployment menace has engulfed the State, Faizan Muhammad from Hyderpora who has earned a Management Degree from AMITY University started his business venture of Iodized Salt by his own Brand namely (Samzan Salt) in 2017.

“I am completely disappointed the way a Food Analyst from Jammu Laboratory demanded bribe from me,” Faizan told news agency CNS.

While divulging information about his venture, Faizan Muhammad said that recently, he launched ‘Double Fortified Salt’ (Iron+Iodine) which was selected for a Government tender for supply to the ICDS Department Jammu and Kashmir.

“The Salt samples were tested in Food Safety Laboratory in Kashmir Province and also Jammu Province under same batch and lot. While Kashmir Province Laboratory conformed to the standards prescribed for iron and iodine under regulation of (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) FSSAI, however, to my shock, same was tested by the Food Safety Laboratory Jammu and did not pass the product and declared the sample report as substandard and mis-branded for the reasons better known to them,” he said.

“After the negative report from Jammu Laboratory, my product was forwarded to FSSAI referral Lab Kolkata, West Bengal and product was declared as a standard one after passing all tests. The positive report that I received from FSSAI Kolkatta exposed the the sinister motive of Jammu Laboratory. When I raised the issue with Jammu based Food Analyst, he was will to clear my product provided i grease his palm. He demanded Rs 5 lakh bribe.”

The budding entrepreneur added that it is a norm in Jammu based Food Safety Laboratory to harass entrepreneurs so that bribe can be extorted from them. “It is crystal clear that Food Safety Laboratory of Jammu Province deliberately provided negative report of the sample of my Salt vide Batch Number 10. It’s not only the question of rampant malpractices but Jammu Food Safety Laboratory is playing with the lives of common people. There are ample chances that this laboratory may pass adultered products as well for money,” he added.

Faizan said that he also filed an application under Right to Information Act seeking details from Jammu based Food Safety Laboratory about all tested products from couple of years.

I request Governor Administration, Divisional Commissioner Jammu and Anti-Corruption Bureau to look into the matter so that corrupt elements can be taken to task.

Commissioner, Food Safety Department, Dr Kabir Dar confirmed that the entrepreneur has complained about corruption. Dar said he has already constituted an inquiry committee and waiting for the report. “We will initiate action once the report will be submitted,” Dar claimed. However, the entrepreneur has refuted the claim of the Commissioner Food Safety saying that report has already been submitted and no action is being initiated against the corrupt elements.

Formalin in fish: DC Dimapur calls committee meeting

March 2, 2019

Dimapur, March 2 (MExN): The Deputy Commissioner and Chairperson DLSC, Dimapur, Kevekha Kevin Zehol has informed that the District Level Steering Committee (DLSC) constituted under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 will have a meeting to discuss on the “menace of the use of formalin” in consumable items, at DC’s Conference Hall on March 4, 11:00 am. He has further informed that the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Pangnyu Phom will address the gathering, a DIPR report informed.

Therefore, the following members have been requested to attend the meeting: The Chief Medical officer and member Secretary DLSC, The Commissioner of Police, Dimapur, The Administrator DMC, Dimapur, The Food Safety Officer, Dimapur, The SPO (FSSAI), FSO & Lab team Kohima, The District Agriculture Officer, Dimapur, The District Horticulture Officer, Dimapur, The Chief Veterinary Officer, Dimapur, The District Fishery Officer, Dimapur, The District Land Resources Officer, Dimapur, The Asst. Director Supply, Dimapur, The Project Director DRDA, Dimapur, The District Education Officer, Dimapur, The District Social Welfare Officer , Dimapur, The District Industry Officer, Dimapur, The Medical Superintendent, Civil Hospital, Dimapur, and the DPRO, Dimapur. 

Campaign for clean street food hub begins in Jaipur

JAIPUR: The health department has launched ‘campaign for clean street food hub’ in the city. The health department is identifying areas which have developed as hubs for street food. Also, the number of food vans has risen significantly in the city. It has become a challenging task for the health authorities to ensure sale of hygienic food on the streets. 

The health department officials said that directions have been issued to conduct inspections at street food hubs in the city. The health teams will check if the street food vendors are following Food Safety and Standards Organisation of India (FSSAI) norms. Moreover, the officials will encourage street food vendors to procure health fitness certificate from doctors. Also, the vendors will be encouraged to wear aprons along with gloves to ensure cleanliness and hygiene to prevent spread of food-related illnesses.

Over the past few days, the health department has claimed seizing adulterated and sub-standard food items by conducting sudden inspections.

Clean street food hub campaign launched in Jaipur

JAIPUR: Health department has launched ‘campaign for clean street food hub’ in the city. The department is identifying areas which have been developed as hub for street food. Over the past few years, street food hubs have cropped up in the city in increased numbers.

Also, numbers of food vans have also rose significantly as it is a new trend in the city. It has become a challenging task for the health authorities to ensure sale of hygienic food from street food hubs.

Health department officials said that directions have been issued to conduct inspections at street food hubs in the city. The health department teams will check if the street food vendors are following Food Safety and Standards Organisation of India (FSSAI) norms. The officials will encourage street food vendors to procure health fitness certificate from doctors. Also, they will encourage them to wear aprons along with gloves and other items to ensure cleanliness and hygiene to prevent chances of spread of food-related illnesses.

Over the past few days, health department has claimed to seize adulterated and sub-standard food items by conducting sudden inspections. It has also taken action against three restaurants in the city and directed them to renovate their establishments for ensuring hygienic facilities for customers in past one month. They three restaurants in different parts of the city are undergoing renovation for re-opening them.

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Govt approves centrally sponsored ‘fortification of rice’ scheme

Govt approves centrally sponsored ‘fortification of rice’ scheme Govt approves centrally sponsored ‘fortification of rice’ scheme

To address the issue of micronutrient deficiency and anemia in the country, among its various fortification of food schemes, the Government of India has now approved the centrally sponsored pilot scheme on ‘fortification of rice' and its distribution under public distribution system (PDS) for a period of three years.

Under the scheme, milled rice will be mixed with a premix containing vitamins and minerals post-harvest.

As per the Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, iron, Vitamin B12, and Folic acid are the mandatory nutrients for the fortification of rice, the kernels of which are added into the regular rice kernels in 1 to 100 ratio.

“Sixty per cent of our population consumes rice as their staple diet. It is very important to reach out to this section. The discussions for the fortification of rice started in August, and we have now got approval for the pilot scheme. This is a great initiative which will help the vulnerable groups. In the future, we intend to scale-up from pilot projects,” said Rohini Saran, Deputy Lead, FFRC.

Fortification standards have also been operationalised by the Food Safety and Security of India (FSSAI).

In the first phase, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerela, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, are among the 15 states to get the fortified rice.

Niti Aayog shared the list of one district in each of the 15 states for the pilot project, states that had an aspirational district were asked to nominate the aspirational districts first. 

Niti Aayog Advisor, Alok Kumar, shared that this initiative will go a long way in addressing the issue of micronutrient deficiency along with the other projects including anemia mukt Bharat and fortification of salt.

“The fortification will improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health,” said a senior official.

FSSAI to increase testing, enforcement activities to ensure food safety

New Delhi, Feb 28 () Food safety regulator FSSAI will test more samples and increase enforcement activities to ensure availability of safe food to people, its CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said Thursday.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has done a survey on milk recently and it would like to conduct surveillance across all the food categories, he added.

Agarwal also assured food businesses not to be scared with the increased enforcement as it is meant for ensuring safe food supply in the markets.

"We in FSSAI have recognised the importance of food testing and analysis. Our laboratories are essentially the heart of our food safety ecosystem," he said while addressing a conference on food safety organised by AOAC India, an analytical body.

It is important to put up quality food testing system for developing a robust food safety ecosystem, he said.

Stating that strengthening of lab system is "very critical", Agarwal said FSSAI is attempting to create the foundation for a national network of well-functioning credible food laboratories.

"I must confess that only some initial work has been done," he said.

In the last few years, FSSAI has given thrust to improve government labs through financial support and also notified private labs, he added.

However, a lot more needs to be done in the area of building capacity of analytical staff for these labs.

Agarwal pointed out that less samples are being tested in the country by enforcement agencies as well as food business operators. He asked corporates to double the samples for food testing conducted by them.

FSSAI's CEO also emphasised on the need to expand surveillance activities and said the state agencies are increasing their headcount to carry out inspections and testing."We are monitoring to ensure that enforcement activities increase. This is not to scare food businesses. This is to see that food that are available in market place is safe," Agarwal said.

SHRC seeks report from govt on food adulteration

Jaipur: Taking cognizance of the news reports on food adulteration especially peas, almonds, milk and other things including fruits and vegetables, the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) on Thursday issued notices to the additional chief secretary, medical health and family planning government of Rajasthan and have sought a detailed reply. The government is asked to put on record the action taken on the food adulteration and on how many cases were registered and sent for prosecution. 

A division bench comprising SHRC chairperson Justice Prakash Tatia and member Justice Mahesh Chandra Sharma have asked the state government to reply what kind of punishment available in cases of food adulteration.

“Specific information citing how many posts of employees and officers are sanctioned and if there has been any rise in the posts in the past 10 years for the employees and officers involved in food safety,” Justice Tatia remarked.

The SHRC also said that in February, 2019 various modules of food adulteration running at various food processing units were bust by the food inspectors.

Bench has also asked the state government to put on record as to how many were prosecuted for food adulteration and how many got convicted. “The kind of punishment available in food adulteration cases needs to be specified. The state government needs to inform as to how many got convicted in food adulteration cases, how many got acquitted and how many cases were withdrawn against the accused,” the SHRC said.

Zomato gets notice from FSSAI, asked to get food safety licence

Dehradun: Online food delivery service Zomato was given a notice from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Wednesday, and asked to get a food safety licence for their operations. Officials from nagar nigam inspected the Zomato state head office situated at Cantt Road and issued a notice on behalf of FSSAI to the food delivery service for not having food licence/registration under section 31 of The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which stipulates that “no person shall commence or carry on any food business except under a licence.”

Sources said that although the Zomato authorities claimed that they do not prepare food themselves and are only engaged in supply, they were still issued a notice asking for procurement of food safety licence since “they are engaged in last-mile delivery and hence responsible for safety of food products.” 

Ramesh Singh, food safety officer of the nagar nigam, who headed the team, added that the online food delivery service was further asked to produce the lists of the food manufacturers with whom they are dealing with along with their FSSAI licences and registration numbers. “The FSSAI has also sought the medical certificates of all the employees who work with food outlets associated with Zomato who are directly involved in food preparation and packaging,” he said.

The Zomato authorities have been given seven days time to provide the details sought by FSSAI.

The action by the food safety authority comes after its chief executive had sometime back announced some new guidelines under which even food delivery chains need to procure relevant licences. He had termed these guidelines as aimed at building confidence in the e-commerce food business so that last-mile delivery is undertaken by trained personnel and that the safety of food products is not compromised at the time of delivery.

Authorities from Zomato couldn’t be contacted for their response even after repeated attempts.

Noodle-making unit without licence seized

Jaipur: A unit producing noodles at Kalwad Road was seized on Wednesday by health department’s food safety wing as it was functioning without a licence.

“Workers did not have any medical fitness certificate and they were producing noodles in unhygienic condition,” said Dr Sunil Singh, state nodal officer, food safety, health department. Dr Singh said they have also seized 50kg of raw material for producing noodles. Another team seized paneer from Hida Ki Mori. The officers said the paneer did not have required fat. They destroyed 250kg of paneer.

FDA shuts down four jaggery production units in Daund

Pune: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials on Tuesday shut down four jaggery production units in Daund in Pune district for using non-edible synthetic colour and violating food safety norms.

The officials also seized stock of adulterated jaggery worth over Rs3.72 lakh from the four units. 

“These are small production units. We have decided to intensify our surveillance in the area after the crackdown on Tuesday,” Suresh Deshmukh, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune, said.

Assistant commissioner Arjun Bhujbal, who spearheaded the raids, said, “Using synthetic non-edible colour is a grave violation under Food safety and Standards Act 2006. We have issued a stop-activity notice and asked them to shut down their premises for not adhering to food safety norms.” Daund taluka is a jaggery production belt in Pune district. 

Study: Food-borne diseases cost India $15 billion a year

NEW DELHI: Unsafe food still costs India as high as $15 billion annually, even though it has almost halved from $28 billion estimated last year, a recent World Bank report says underlining the "unnecessarily high" economic burden caused by food borne diseases. 

India along with China accounts for 49% of the total economic burden due to food borne diseases (FBDs) in low and middle income countries and for 71% of the total burden in Asia. However, China alone accounts for over $30 billion of the total burden, double as compared to India, the report shows. Animal source foods estimated to account for 21% of India's food borne diseases burden, whereas it accounts for 59% in China. The report, title 'The Safe Food Imperative', was discussed recently during the first international food safety conference organised by the World Health Organisation.

Acknowledging India's efforts in last few years to streamline food safety regulations, the report said India, along with few other countries , has demonstrated that better health and commercial outcomes are possible with the joint involvement of public agencies, businesses, and consumers in food safety. 

Of late, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has taken a series of measures including stringent packaging and labelling norms, regulation of restaurant and street food as well as inspections and sampling of food products to ensure quality of food in India.

Globally, Asia and sub-Saharan Africa have the highest incidence of FBDs, along with the highest rate of deaths due to FBDs and the greatest loss of disability adjusted life years (DALYs). LMICs in south Asia, south-east Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to account for 53% of all illnesses due to FBD, 75% of deaths, and 72 % of DALYs related to FBDs.

Think before you buy ‘not so safe’ bottled water

A GWMC official says there are several unauthorised (Drinking Water) plants in the city which pose massive health risk to lakhs of people who consume the so called 'mineral' water

HEALTH RISK: Many water plants are not authorized and they do not adhere to the norms stipulated by the government.

Warangal Urban: Are you consuming bottled drinking being passed off as ‘mineral water’ in Warangal? Think twice before purchasing, because majority of the water plants are not authorized and they do not adhere to the norms stipulated by the government. While there are about 160 water plants, only about 15 of them have reportedly got the due permissions from different government organisations and agencies including the Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation (GWMC).

“These unauthorised plants pose massive health risk to lakhs of people who consume the so called mineral water. Though the GWMC is considering a crackdown on companies selling packaged water without proper certification from agencies like Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Indian Standards Institute (ISI), Food Safety Department and Pollution Control Board (PCB), officials of the Food Safety and Vigilance Department are not bothered to take action against these unauthorised water plants,” a senior GWMC official said.

GWMC Medical and Health Officer (MHO) Dr B Raja Reddy, on Monday slapped a fine of Rs 20,000 on the management of ‘Harsha Enterprises and Water Suppliers’ being run from Ramky Enclave locality in Warangal for running the water plant without due permission. “The management does not have the trade licence from the GWMC, there is no permission from either the BIS or the ISI,” Dr Raja Reddy told ‘Telengana Today’.

Meanwhile, some activists are urging the government to take stringent action on the unauthorised water plants. Founder president of Society for Public Welfare and Initiative (SPWI), Dr Devath Suresh said that some water plants owners are even resorting to false propaganda that they are selling ‘mineral water’ though it is packaged drinking water.

“Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) established standards for packaged drinking water and packaged natural mineral water, with set quality parameters. The rules come under mandatory BIS certification according to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on sales) Regulation, 201,” he said adding that ‘no person shall manufacture, sell or exhibit for sale, Natural Mineral Water and Packaged Drinking water, except under the BIS Standard Mark.’

“Keeping in mind the rising demand of packaged drinking water, it becomes important for officials to monitor the quality and ensure it’s licensed by concerned authorities to safeguard the consumers’ health. All the concerned departments must take the action to protect the health of the people,” said Dr M Sheshu Madhav, a children’s specialist, Hanamkonda.

Meanwhile, sources said that owners/ managements of these water plants, who enjoy political patronage, are even threatening the officials of the GWMC of dire consequences, if they seize the plants referring on charges of not having trade licences. “Even the water plants run by a noted social service organisation in Warangal does not have proper permissions,” said an official from the GWMC and rued about their inability to act against them.

Telangana tops in food fraud

Hyderabadi biryani samples tested over last two years by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) labs were found to be unsafe for consumption.

HYDERABAD: For ardent lovers of biryani, Hyderabad is nothing short of heaven. Look close enough, and you will find something special to dig into, in every nook and corner of the city. The fragrant dish is a sight to the sore eyes as well -- a golden cloud made with basmati and spiced just right.However, think twice before getting enamoured by this golden cloud once again. Because according to a food safety official in the city, many biryani samples tested over last two years by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) labs were found to be unsafe for consumption. 

Reportedly, these biryani outlets were using artificial colours that could prove harmful to people’s health to increase its appeal.The list of adulterated products in the State, however, is definitely not limited to just biryani. 

According to the reply to a question on food adulteration that was tabled in the Lok Sabha recently by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health, about a quarter of all the food being sold in the state of Telangana by restaurants and other food outlets might be adulterated and unfit for consumption.

In the two years of 2016-17 and 2017-18, up to 22 per cent of the 2,303 food samples, collected from Food Operating Businesses (FOB) in Telangana and tested in FSSAI labs, were found not to be conforming to the standards set by FSSAI. 

This puts Telangana right at top in the list among those States, of which most of the food samples collected were found to be adulterated and ultimately, unfit and unhealthy for consumption. A number of food safety authorities in Hyderabad revealed to Express that a majority of the adulterated samples are actually packaged dairy products. However, products like biryani and mangoes figure in the list too. 

“In curry points, dal samples were found to contain prohibited colours. The primary issue with fruits is the usage of artificial ripeners,” said a food safety official.According to the FSSAI report tabled in the Lok Sabha, out of 1,480 food samples that were tested in Telangana in 2016-17, 330 were found to be non-conforming to FSSAI standards. This led to the filing of as many as 188 criminal and civil cases. In 2017-18, 175 of the 823 samples tested were found to violate the prescribed standards, following which 40 cases were registered.

Two flour mills seized for selling semolina in gram flour packets

JAIPUR: Two flour mills owned by a businessman were seized as he was allegedly selling gram flour, which was actually a mixture of semolina, corn flour and gram flour. The health department officials seized 4,500 kg of flour.

Health department’s food safety wing conducted inspection in Ramganj area on Tuesday. They found that a businessman was allegedly selling gram flour packets. But, when the food safety officers checked it, they found that gram flour was just five percent, while 60% content was semolina and 35% content was corn flour. The health department officials said that though the other contents they found in the packets, which was being sold as gram flour, were edible but the owner has cheated his customers. “The prices of Semolina are much lesser than the prices of gram flour. To make more money, the owner was mixing cheap semolina in gram flour and he was selling it as gram flour packet,” said a health department official.

Besides, the firm has food licence for wholesale but it did not have the manufacturing and packing licence of food products. Officials said that he was supplying his products in Bandikui and Uniyara.