AIFPA hosts ‘All India Food Safety Summit — 2011’

An important part of the Summit was the session on the standards for food additives, packaging and labeling.

Highlighting the achievements and hurdles in the functioning of the food processing industry in India, the All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA) today organized the ‘All India Food Safety Summit — 2011’ at Hotel Le Meridien. The Summit was followed by an awards function, where awards and scholarships were given to food processors, entrepreneurs and others for exemplary contributions to the development of the food processing industry. The Government is been fully committed to food safety, which is of paramount concern for the consumer’s well-being. Innovative Food Safety Management Systems such as Good Management Practices (GMP), Good Hygienic Practices (GHP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) are inbuilt in the new Regulations. At the 67th Annual Conference of AIFPA, sessions were conducted covering the issues and challenges relating to licensing, registration and enforcement. Various aspects about the smooth transition of the industry from the earlier Act/Rules/Orders to the new norms were discussed. The uniformity in implementation of the Rules and Regulations in various states was discussed as an area of concern. An important part of the Summit was the session on the standards for food additives, packaging and labeling. It highlighted the way to make the Regulations more effective by harmonizing the essential elements of earlier Food Acts, certain provisions of Legal Metrology and certain standards of BIS. During the award session, the importance of the sector for inclusive growth of the country, especially in rural areas. The CEO of Food Authority, Shri V N Gore, delivered an important Key Note Address. Dr V Prakash, distinguished scientist of CSIR India & President, Nutrition Society of India, delivered a special address. Stated Mr. Piruz Khambatta, President, AIFPA and Chairman, Rasna, “After serving the cause of the industry for more than 60 years, AIFPA has been taking fresh initiatives to accelerate the industry’s growth. The Summit has been organized to addressing the missing links in the implementation of ‘The Food Safety & Standards Rules & Regulations — 2011’, which became operational recently this year.” Mr. Khambatta also mentioned, “Development of Food Processing Industry is of prime importance for food security, controlling food inflation, and for prosperity in rural areas.” He has stressed that Central and State government bodies should work closely with industry to ensure this happens as the industry could do for rural India what IT has done for urban India. He also emphasized that India could rightly become the food factory of the world. What the sector needs for this, however, is accelerated reforms.

Bottled water ‘safer’ – but industry still needs improvement

THE SAFETY AND quality of bottled water in Ireland has significantly improved in the past number of years – however a small proportion of bottled water is still deemed unsafe, according a new Food Safety Authority of Ireland survey.
The survey showed that two per cent of samples failed microbiological standards last year, in comparison to 7 per cent in 2007. However, researchers warn the industry is still in need of improvement as four of the 748 samples taken were marked as unsafe for human consumption due to the presence of E.coli and/or Enterococci, and subsequently removed from the market.
The FSAI said that in all cases where non-compliance was noted manufacturers were required to take immediate corrective actions, and in the cases where safety was breached the manufacturers recalled the affected batches from the market and the FSAI issued alert notices on its website.
“Bottled water receives no further treatment by the consumer before consumption so its safety and quality are of paramount importance,” said Dr Wayne Anderson, Director of Food Science and Standards, FSAI. “The FSAI welcomes the significant improvements in the microbiological safety and quality of bottled water but there is still work to be done to ensure that no harmful bacteria make it into water and we would urge manufacturers to review their food safety management systems.”
The samples were taken from a range of retail outlets and bottled water manufacturers throughout the country between September and December 2010.
The main findings included:

• Nineteen of 748 bottled water samples collected were unsatisfactory on at least one microbiological safety standard
• Four samples were found to contain E.coli and/or Enterococci
• Four (separate) samples were found to contain P.aeruginosa which, while not a health risk to the general population can be considered a risk for severely immunocompromised people in hospital
• Eleven samples tested positive for coliforms which indicate possible poor hygiene during the bottling process or poor quality of the source water
• Three unsatisfactory samples (two positive for E.coli and one for P.aeruginosa) were part of batches of bottled water distributed outside of Ireland

The FSAI informed hospitals regarding the water which contained P.aeruginosa, and also notified the European Commission rapid alert system in relation the batches that had been distributed to other countries.
Labelling
The survey also showed that improvement was required in relation to labelling standards, as 55 per cent of samples labelled as natural mineral water or spring water were not compliant with existing legislation.
Certain bottled water requires the name of the spring, as well as the location at which the spring is exploited, to be printed on the label – but just 45 per cent of the 323 water samples labelled as natural mineral water carried both of these statements.
Anderson commenting that labelling was clearly an area for improvement, saying: “Labelling must be compliant with all requirements in the legislation so that consumers are informed correctly about the nature of the product they are consuming”.