Associations take exception to certain provisions - THE HINDU

The Chennai Corporation will no longer issue food licences due to the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) replacing the erstwhile Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFAA). It has directed hotels, restaurants and retailers in the city to approach the office of the Commissioner of Food Safety for issue of food licences henceforth. The FSSA designates the Commissioner of Food Safety as the licensing authority.
Hotels, bakeries, tea-shops, sweet and savouries stalls, departmental stores, vegetable and fruit vendors, everybody selling food items would be coming under the purview of the new Act, say those in various trade associations.
Associations including the Chennai Hotels Owners Association and Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangakalin Peramaipu have raised objections to provisions relating to fine and penalty clauses, the amount of licence fee fixed under the Act and the standards of various products.
K.T. Srinivasa Raja, president, Chennai Hotels Owners Association, said the uniform licence fee would affect small hotels. “We don't know why the government is treating this as revenue instead of as nominal fee. We have already sent a letter to the Central government in this regard and hope we would hear something positive from them,” he said.
Mr. Raja explained that standards including lighting, drainage, consumer safety, food handling, upkeep of kitchens, ingredients used, source of raw materials, shelf life of food products were prescribed by the new Act. It prescribed penalty up to Rs.10 lakh and 6 months' imprisonment, which was being objected to by the trading community, he said.
“There are just too many things and it will take time for those in the industry to understand. We are holding discussions with association members in this regard,” he added. The city has around 10,000 small and big restaurants and eateries and around 3,000 bakeries.
K. Mohan, State general secretary, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaipu, said that in Chennai alone there were 1.25 lakh traders, wholesales, retailers and petty shops.
“The new Act has standards for items including the common coriander, chutney, sambar, idli. It also states that food items should not be sold unpackaged, which means road-side sundal sellers and idli shops would be affected.”
Those having an annual turnover of less than Rs.12 lakh are also to register with the Commissioner. Though standards have been fixed under the Act, there are very few laboratories in the State to check these, he added.

Milk adulteration: Samples from Rajasthan dangerous

Jaipur: It’s now official that milk adulteration is a big problem in Rajasthan. The state government has recently submitted before the Rajasthan High Court the real magnitude of the problem.
Eight per cent of milk samples tested during the month-long period from January 20 to February 20 at laboratories of the state dairy department have been found adulterated. Out of 60,439 milk samples collected from across the state, as many as 4,755 samples were found adulterated. Milk samples from Jhalawar were found the most adulterated, while samples from Dholpur were pure.
The report was submitted before the court by Additional Solicitor General SN Kumawat before a division bench of High Court, comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice NK Jain (First). The court also directed the state government to file a detailed report in three weeks about what action the government has initiated to check the menace.
A total of 2,027 samples were collected under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), out of which 1,479 were examined.
As many as 278 samples were found to be sub-standard (not conforming to standards laid down in Act), while 1,194 were found up to the mark. The samples from Jhalawar were found to be the most contaminated, with 45.39 per cent of total 3,212 samples, were adulterated. Next in line was Baran, with 31.86 per cent samples out of 2,222 samples were adulterated, followed by Bundi 17.4 per cent, Hanumangarh 13.5 per cent and Kota 10.8 per cent.
Best quality milk was found in Dholpur, Karaulli, Jaisalmer, Jaipur Zone I and II, besides Ajmer Zone. While zero adulteration was found in 1,220 samples of Dholpur, 1.19 per cent samples in Karaulli and Jaisalemer were found contaminated. While, 1.72 per cent samples (40 out of 2,329 samples) were found contaminated in Jaipur Zone II, just 4 out of 94 samples were found adulterated in Jaipur Zone I.
Earlier, the National Survey on Milk Adulteration 2011 conducted by the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) whose results were made public last month only had found 76 per cent of milk samples tested from Rajasthan as adulterated.
The worrying part of the study was its conclusion that the ‘packaged milk’ was not absolutely safe and in cases, not milk at all- only reconstituted powdered milk. In Rajasthan, the surveyors studied 103 samples of milk, packaged and open. According to the state report, 78 samples failed the purity test. One out of every five samples in the state that failed test was packaged milk- used widely in urban areas.
Besides water and detergents, strains of hydrogen peroxide, sugar, starch, glucose, urea, formalin and vegetable fat were the common adulterants in milk.

COMFED milk as per national parameters of purity : Minister

Patna, Feb 27 (PTI) Bihar government today reiterated that the milk being marketed by the State Cooperative Milk Producers Federation Limited(COMFED) among the consumers in the state was as per national parameters of purity.

The milk being marketed by the COMFED in Sudha brand in Bihar was as per the national parameters of purity, the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Giriraj Singh told the legislative council. He was replying to a question raised by the CPI(M) MLA Vasudev Singh in this regard. Referring to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) report claiming cent per cent adulteration of milk produced in Bihar,

Singh said that the central agency has not clarified as to where from samples were taken for testing. The Animal Husbandry and Fisheries minister said that the FSSAI was yet to respond to a letter that he had written seeking details of the milk samples taken by it for testing. Singh said that the milk was sold in Bihar both by organized and unorganized milk producers and he could speak for purity of the milk being marketed by the COMFED.

FAQ ON FOOD SAFETY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Stale or bland food, ring it out!

KOCHI: If you have had a bitter experience with the food served in a restaurant or delivered by a caterer, fret not, here comes the solution. The government is going to introduce a toll-free number through which you can register the complaint with food safety officers.

The facility is expected to be functional by August. “The government has decided to introduce the toll-free number as per the directions of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India,” said joint food safety commissioner Anil Kumar.

“The process is on, and the number would be introduced only after looking into every aspect,” he said. “The type of complaints have also to be looked into. It’s modus operandi is also under discussion,” he added.

Once the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 is fully implemented in the state, the toll-free facility would have its impact. “The Act will ensure hygiene and quality of food products. More such reforms will be followed,” chief food inspector of Ernakulam Muhammed Rafi said.

Officials in the Department of Health said that this facility would make the whole system vibrant. It would keep tabs on hotels, restaurants and food chains. With this facility people would have a direct link with the enforcement agency which would streamline the whole process, the officials said.

“The general public can also inform us if they come across instances of caterers or hoteliers transporting food in an unhygienic manner,” they said.

Further, owners of food outlets can register complaints against the officials through the number. “If they think that any official was targeting them and their shop was sealed purposefully, they can complain against the official concerned,” they said. The facility can also be used for making suggestions as well, they added.

Spices board workshop to focus on food safety

The Spices Board and World Spice Organisation are jointly organising a one-day workshop on ‘Food safety' with special reference to spices in Kochi on February 29. The workshop will focus on highlighting the concept of food safety, an issue of concern in the present context along with the need to comply with the terms and conditions of various food safety acts. 

Strict regulations for food safety and standards have been put in place from August 5, 2011. Spices Board and World Spice Organisation through this campaign would offer a platform for the public to gain insights into the great challenges of this issue. 

Mr Udai K Saxena, Joint Secretary of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists, India, and a member of FSSA Committee of experts on categorisation of food products codes will lead the discussions for the day. 

To ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption, the Food Safety and Standard Act of 2006 has to be carried out with no compromise. The workshop will discuss provision and overview of FSSA 2006 and basic concept of food safety and hygiene with specific reference to the spice industry. Registration and Licensing regulations, general hygiene requirements for it and procedure of new and renewal of license are topics that will be discussed. The workshop will also confer packaging and labelling regulations especially for spices and laboratory and sampling analysis that determine food safety standards. 

Deliberations on food safety and standards for the workshop are expected to bring awareness on the subject and will be beneficial to the participants mainly farmers, traders and exporters, a press release issued here said.

Puneites, look where the pani in your pani puri comes from

Puneites who want to have some sumptuous pani puri or south Indian food items near the Shaniwarwada chowpatty on Bajirao Road should exercise caution as the water used for preparing these food items is drawn from a nearby public toilet which is in complete
shambles.
In the pic: A helper employed with a pani puri vendor near Shaniwarwada reaches a public toilet with two cans attached to a cycle

 
When the DNA team visited the spot at around 11 am, a boy working for a food vendor was caught filling water in four big cans from the public toilet under the bridge in front of Shaniwarwada.
In the pic: A pani puri stall owner taking water from a public toilet at Bajirao Road near Shaniwarwada

 
After filling the cans, the boy put the cans on his bicycle and took them to his stall.
An employee of a provision store located near the toilet, said, “This is the daily practise of these pani puri vendors and we have been witnessing this since long but no one cares about it.”
In the pic: The cans are filled with water from the toilet which is in shambles

 
At the stalls, all the cans were kept near the steel water tank to be used as potable water and for preparing food items.
In the pic: He takes the cans filled with water and comes out of the toilet

 
There are hundreds of street food vendors who get water from filthy places to prepare food items which adversely affects Puneites’ health.
In the pic: He puts the cans on the cycle and goes to the stall

 
Moreover, it is shocking that street food lovers never think about the hygiene at these stalls.
In the pic: He reaches the stall and stops the bicycle 

We are helpless: Food and Drugs Administration of Pune

A day after DNA reported on pani puri vendors near Shaniwarwada using water from a public toilet to prepare food items, it is shocking that such incidents can go on unabated as regulatory bodies don’t have the manpower to keep these instances under check. Minimum standards of hygiene like source of water, raw materials used in preparing food items are a must and food stall owners violating norms face punitive action from Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), which is food licensing authority for city. However, when asked how many drives were taken in past six months against mobile food vendors and fines collected, FDA officials gave vague excuses. “We have 32 food inspectors; each one compulsorily visits 10 sites and takes five samples every month. We also act after receiving complaints. However, I don’t have figures for last six months as a new act has just been implemented and we are issuing licenses and registrations under it. There is hardly any time for big raids at present,’’ said Chandrashekhar Salunkhe, joint commissioner (food), FDA Pune. The new act in question is Food Safety Act that came into force on August 5, 2011. Under the act, those doing any food-related business above Rs12 lakh have to procure a licence while food-related business less than 12 lakh including food stalls, hawkers, canteen owners, tea shops, milk shops, those manufacturing and re-packaging food and others have to get registered at a nominal fee of Rs100. FDA says the number of food establishments registered under Pune district is 4,400. When asked if thisfigure was realistic, FDA officials said they have no idea. “We can only talk of registered establishments. How can we estimate the number of unlicensed stalls? Our officers are asking them to get registered. Until now, there was no control over these stalls owners. At least under the new act, even a vada pav vendor will have to give us his address and identity proof. If there is some untoward incident, like the unfortunate pani puri vendor, we can at least trace him,’’ said FDA’s assistant commissioner DR Sawant. He added that to get registration for a food stall, no inspection of premises is required. “No, it is not that we don’t inspect food stalls. We don’t need to inspect them before registering them. The shops are inspected only if we suspect foul play,’’ said Salunkhe. A food vendor has only to write on a paper that he is using potable water or quality raw materials. If there is a drive against street vendors, he might or might not get caught in the net. FDA’s joint commissioner (drugs) BR Masal defended his department stating that the number of food vendors was too huge and staff strength of FDA too small.“Keeping avigil at every stall isn’t possible considering our staff strength. Even if we raid these stalls and fine them, they don’t stop their business. They start their business in another area within a few days,’’ he said.

TUV SUD Recognized by FSSAI to Carry Out Food Safety Inspections, Audits and Testing

-- In a first, FSSAI authorizes external agencies to carry out inspection and audits on its behalf
-- German certification major TUV SUD is the only company to obtain recognition for carrying out food testing services as well as auditing/inspection

TUV SUD South Asia has been authorized by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to undertake the inspection/audit of Food Business Operators on their behalf in terms of provisions under Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration) Regulations, 2011. This inspection/audit would enable the FBOs (Food Business Operators) to demonstrate compliance to requirements laid down under FSS Act and rules/regulations made thereunder, thereby leading to issue of FSSAI License including its renewal thereafter. Responsibilities for TUV SUD in its new role will include inspecting food businesses for basic sanitary and hygiene requirements, conducting preliminary inspection of newly established FBOs, routine and surprise inspections as directed by the FSSAI, conducting periodical audits at least once a year for food businesses, verifying rectification of deficiencies pointed out by the FSSAI, guiding and advising license applicants applying for the license. The accreditation further authorizes TUV SUD to award the Food Safety Management System (FSMS) certificate as per FSS Act that is mandatory for all Food Business Operators and issue certification for FSMS.

We are honoured by the responsibility we have been entrusted with and look forward to working with the FSSAI to safeguard the interests of Indian consumers, said Pankaj Jaiminy, AVP, Food Safety, TUV SUD South Asia Pvt. Ltd.. We have run food safety inspection and certification programs with private companies and governments around the world for close to 5 decades globally. In India we have a highly experienced team working out of three food testing laboratories across the country, who will apply both their global experience and deep local knowledge to support the FSSAI in devising and improving food safety norms in India. TUV SUD is the only agency who has been recognised for both food testing and inspection/auditing by FSSAI.

This is the first time the FSSAI has authorized external agencies to carry out inspection and audits of FBOs. The FSSAI Act implemented on 5th of August 2011 requires all food manufacturers to acquire a FSMS license. Applying for a FSMS certification is mandatory for all FBOs applying for the first time, however for those seeking renewal, the certification procedure is voluntary. TUV SUD will also be training new food business operators towards Food Safety Management and Systems along with verifying complaints filed with the FSSAI. In addition to TUV SUD, four other private agencies have been similarly accredited by the FSSAI to carry out similar services.

Clarification regarding appointment of Food Inspectors employed by the Municipal Corporations/Councils, as the FSO and DO under the Provisions of FSS Act,2006

Social cause: Retired bureaucrats help set up food testing laboratory in Indore

INDORE: A Centre-funded food testing laboratory is in the offing in Indore at the initiative of retired bureaucrats, who have come together for a social cause under an NGO - Centre for Consumer Protection Research and Awareness (CCPRA).
The state-of-the-art laboratory, which would come up on the campus of Oriental University here, is expected to be functional within six months.
"The laboratory is being set up under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, and would be empowered with special surveillance powers to carry out testing and inspection of samples of food items across Madhya Pradesh," said a former IAS officer, K S Parmar, who is the organizer of CCPRA. He further said that since the laboratory would be accredited by the government of India, the report prepared by it would be valid in the court of law.
The demand for the laboratory arose from the fact that Indore has become a hub of manufacturing and sale of adulterated food items. During festive seasons, the district administration and the civic body jointly carried out raids seizing large quantities of adulterated food items.
"This would be an added help to the authorities as the laboratory can suo motu collect samples and test them," said Parmar.
Moreover, Madhya Pradesh being dry-port area, the food items meant for export and import can be tested at the proposed laboratory for a fee.
"Though, the laboratory would be solely funded by the ministry of food processing, the maintenance and running cost of it will have to be borne by the private Oriental University," he said.
The CCPRA applied for the laboratory under a Union government scheme for setting up of food testing laboratory.
"We are happy to house the laboratory," said Dr Narendra Virmani, vice-chancellor, Oriental University. He assured all cooperation for setting up the laboratory. The scheme has a provision to allow a state government or any recognized university to set up the laboratory.
"In Madhya Pradesh, there is only one state laboratory for referral and food testing at Bhopal. So there was an urgent need for another one," he said.

MINUTES OF 6TH CAC MEETING OF FSSAI

Health experts have banned it so why can you still buy Gutka on the street?

The country's food regulator has banned it; health experts have been seeking a ban; even the health ministry favours a ban.
Yet, nothing seems to be moving towards the implementation of a ban on gutka
In a new push towards banning gutka, the health ministry has now decided to ask states to implement new rules notified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which clearly state that 'tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products'.

Nothing seems to be moving towards the implementation of a ban on gutka

According to a 2004 Supreme Court ruling, gutka is a food product.
Keshav Desiraju, additional secretary in the health ministry, admitted on Tuesday that the FSSAI notification prohibits the use of tobacco in food items.
Yet he shied away from calling it a ban on gutka, saying it was a legal issue. However, he said, action needs to be taken by state governments and it does not need the Centre's directions to implement the rules.
'We are issuing instructions to state governments to implement the FSSAI notification,' Desiraju said. Health activists alleged the Centre is not taking proactive action to ban gutka because of the strong tobacco lobby.
'The Supreme Court in 2004 also said that the power of banning an article of food or an article used as ingredient of food belongs to the central government,' Bhavna Mukhopadhya, director, Voluntary Health Association of India, said.

Patent granted to kit prepared by Haryana Univ for testing urea in milk

The newly established Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, has been granted a patent by the Government of India for commercial production for the “Urea Detection in Milk” technology developed by its Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Sciences for testing Urea in milk.

 The Milk Testing Kit had been available for common public use since last year. According to the technique, a drop of reagent is put on a filter paper and then a drop of milk is also put on the reagent. If milk contains urea, a yellow colour ring develops within 2-3 minutes on the walls of milk-pot. The kit is available at the Farmer Service Centre of the University and at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Karnal.

Patent granted to ‘Urea Detection in Milk’ technique in Haryana - THE HINDU

The Hindu - An official testing the quality of milk in Kochi to check the flow of low quality milk in the market during festive season. A file photo: Vipin Chandran. 

Patent for the technology of ‘Urea Detection in Milk’, developed by a scientist of Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar, has been granted by the Patent Office.

P K Kapoor, Head of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, College of Veterinary Sciences, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Hisar informed that a patent has been granted by Government of India to the technology of ‘Urea Detection in Milk’. 

It has been developed by Dr. Gulshan Narang, Disease Investigation Officer of the department.

In this technique, a drop of reagent is put on filter paper and then a drop of milk is also put on the reagent, if milk contains urea, yellow colour ring develops within one minute around the milk.

This technique is very simple and does not require costly equipments, said Dr. Narang. 

This test can be performed by any lay person and even at the site of collection of milk. This kit is also available at “Kisan Sewa Kendra”, Hisar and “Krishi Vigyan Kendra”, Karnal, he said.

Dr. Narang said that the urea is very hazardous for health, and this technology has more significance during summer and festival season when demand of milk is high and some bad elements produce synthetic milk.

OFFICERS APPOINTED UNDER FOOD SAFETY AND STANDARDS ACT 2006

NAGAPATTINAM The district administration has appointed food safety officers under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, that came into force since August last year. At the State level, food safety and drug administration is being monitored by a food safety commissioner and at the district level by food safety officers.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 consolidates all existing food laws and repeals eight statutory food-related laws.

With the coming into force of Food Safety and Standards Act, the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954; The Fruit Products Order, 1955; The Meat Food Products Order, 1973; The Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947; The Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order, 1988; The Solvent Extracted Oil, De oiled Meal, and Edible Flour (Control) Order,1967; The Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992; Essential Commodities Act, 1955 relating to food along with the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939; stands repealed since August 5,2011.

Food producers, distributers, retailers, vendors, road-side hawkers, caterers, marriage caterers, and water suppliers are henceforth not required to have their activities registered with the local bodies or other concerned entities under any of the aforementioned expired laws.

All registrations of such activities shall be defined by the new Food Protection and Standards Act, and aforementioned activities shall be registered and licences renewed solely under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

According to a department release, applications for licenses and registrations may be obtained from the concerned Food Safety Inspectors, on payment of requisite fee.

According to the release, A. Jeganathan, has been designated district food safety inspector, and the following persons designated as food safety officers for various blocks:

A.T.Anbazhagan(94435 26579) for Thirumarugal; K.Kodandabani (99421 84685) for Vedaranyam; S.Peter Pugazhendhi(94437 02460) for Keezhayur; A.Sathish(97861 47236) for Keezhvelur; M.Anthiony Prabhu(95436 97607) for Thalainayar; A.Maharajan(99765 59438)for Nagapattinam; R.Thavapalan( 99426 93266) for Semmanarkoil; P.Srinivasan(94425 75044) for Sirkazhi; C.Senthikumar(94890 07659) for Kollidam; D.Sekar (94439 85754) for Mayiladuthurai block; R.M.Praveen Raghu(94876 41649) for Kuthalam; V.Muthayan(94434 85271) for Mayiladuthurai Municipality; V.Balaguru(94867 19030) for Vedarnayam Municipality.

Any complaints of irregularities in quality of goods shall be brought to the notice of the food safety officers.

TRANSFER IN HEALTH & FAMILY WELFARE DEPT. - GOVT. PRESS RELEASE

DINAMALAR NEWS

Get licence to run food business: Haryana govt

All food business operators in Haryana are now required to be registered or licenced in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
A spokesperson of the Food and Drugs Administration Department said any person undertaking food business, whether it is for profit or not-for-profit, is required to obtain the requisite license or get registered under the Act.
He said Rs 100 would be charged as the registration fee from food business operators, while Rs 5,000 would be charged as licence fee from three star and above hotels, and the manufacturers or millers.
Besides, Rs 2,000 will be charged as licence fee from all food services providers including restaurants, boarding houses, canteens of schools, colleges, offices and institutions, and caters, banquet halls with food catering, food vendors like dhaba wallas and from any other food business operator.

Saying no to burgers and chips

Children are among the biggest consumers of junk food. A recent Delhi High Court ruling could make it tougher for junk food sellers to target them, reports V. Kumara Swamy

When he visited his children’s school, Rahul Verma was astonished to see the amount of junk food and carbonated drinks they were consuming. “I was shocked to see small children munching chips and gulping colas in the school’s cafeteria. It was clear that I had to do something about it,” recalls Verma, co-founder, Uday Foundation, a Delhi-based social organisation. Verma got busy collecting information on the effects of junk food, and in December 2010, he filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court. The Uday Foundation’s demands included the banning of junk food and carbonated drinks in schools, discouraging the availability of “unhygienic food” within 500 yards of schools, a comprehensive school canteen policy with emphasis on healthy nutrition and the banning of junk food and carbonated drink advertisements in the media. In his PIL, Verma argued that with a large number of schools tying up with fast food chains, junk food and colas had become the norm at many school canteens. So it was high time that the Delhi High Court cracked down on these educational institutions. It was also around this time that the World Health Organization (WHO) came out with a report, stressing that junk food should be banned in schools and playgrounds around the world. Acting on the PIL, the Delhi High Court recently gave the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) six months to come out with a set of guidelines to implement the banning of junk food in and around schools. FSSAI is a statutory body under the ministry of health and family welfare that lays down standards for articles of food in India. “It's a welcome decision,” says Verma. “Now we are waiting for the guidelines. I hope these will be implemented across the country one day.” Junk foods are basically processed foods such as pizzas, burgers, soft drinks, candies and so on, which often have a higher ratio of calories than unprocessed foods. High on “empty calories”, junk foods lack essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids and fibre. The effects of junk food can be seen on youngsters who visit Ekta Tandon, a Delhi-based nutritionist and dietician at DailyDiet.in, clinic and website. “Most of the kids are overweight and are already facing several health problems. I have no doubt that it is due to the excessive consumption of junk food,” says Tandon. She says that since children spend a major part of their waking hours in school, it is essential that they eat healthy food. In 2011, a survey spread over two years and conducted by Delhi-based doctors Anoop Misra and Seema Gulati came to the conclusion that more than 40 per cent of children ate out one or more times a week. Also, at least 70 per cent of them ate chips one or more times a week. Several schools across the country participated in the survey. “There is no doubt that parents also play a huge role in children consuming empty calories. But schools add to the problem if junk food is easily available there,” says Dr Gulati, head, nutrition research group, National Diabetes, Obesity and Cholesterol Foundation (N-DOC) and Center of Nutrition and Metabolic Research (C-NET), Delhi. Abhisheka Kumar whose daughter studies in pre-nursery in Presidium, Indirapuram, on the outskirts of Delhi, says that since some schools serve breakfast and lunch in their in-house canteens, the onus is on the parents to demand that their wards are provided with healthy meals. “Some of these schools have menus that rival those of upscale restaurants. Parents whose children study in such schools should refer to the judgement and say enough is enough,” says Kumar. Gulati too fears that if the situation persists, it will lead to the development of diabetes and metabolic syndrome epidemics among children at a faster clip. Even the FSSAI admitted in the Delhi High Court that there is a “positive correlation between the consumption of foods with “empty calories” and chronic degenerative diseases as well as hypertension, obesity, cardiovascular problems and glucose intolerance.” Some educational institutions say they have already instituted a policy of providing healthy food at their canteens. For instance, Tagore International School in Delhi has been following a “no junk food” policy for sometime now. “We have given a list of food items that our cafeteria people can sell. Carbonated drinks, samosas, burgers, chocolates are now a big no-no,” says Madhulika Sen, principal and chairperson, Tagore International School. The human resources development ministry too has done its bit. For instance, it has instructed all Navodaya Vidalayas under it to provide healthy food at schools and hostels. Kendriya Vidyalayas too have been asked to avoid keeping junk food items in their canteens. But there’s still a long way to go. For instance, it won’t be easy to stop the selling of junk food within 500 yards of schools. “The 500 yard rule is a bit of a stretch as there are many schools which are in the middle of market areas,” says an FSSAI official. For people like Verma, though, the battle has just begun. “It’s just the beginning. We hope to bring pressure on every state in country to ban junk food,” he says. Consumers, specially the parents of small children, will hope that he wins the battle.

What Can Honey Do For Your Health

Around the world and throughout many ages, honey has been one of the most preferred breakfast ingredients for most people. Although, most people love honey for its mouth-watering taste, they tend to forget that honey has a vast repository of health benefits, as well. Moreover, honey can be consumed in many ways. It might be directly eaten, or mixed with a juice or just smeared on the bread like jam. A drink of honey mixed with limejuice, some herbs and cinnamon is also delicious. The best thing about honey is that you can consume it in any way you like. However, knowing about health benefits of honey might guide you in understanding the purpose of having honey regularly, apart from the reason of its obvious taste.

About honey
Honey is a carbohydrate compound that is easily absorbable in comparison to sugar. This helps in heat generation, replacement of energy and formation of some tissues. Honey is often considered being a better choice in comparison to milk, sugar canes and starches. This is because milk acts as a breeding ground for bacteria while sugarcane and starches have to go through a process of digestion. On the other hand, since bees have predigested the honey, the sugar in it is already inverted and concentrated. This is beneficial for people with weak digestion lacking in amylase and invertase, as the stomach is saved from extra labor. Now, since you have an idea about the trivia of honey, it is time to move on to its organic health benefits.
Organic food health benefits of honey
Honey as a natural energy booster: Honey being a natural resource of carbohydrate gives our body the necessary energy and strength, which is capable of boosting the performance, endurance levels of the muscles and reducing fatigue from the muscles in athletes. The glucose present in the honey assimilates in the body quickly and checks fatigue while you are exercising and the fructose gives energy that sustains for long. Due to this, honey is even considered better than any forms of sugar to keep the blood sugar levels in control. It also helps in restoring glycogen after a workout and recovery of the muscle.

Honey as a builder of immunity system: Honey can help you to stay fit and healthy as it helps in building the immunity system of your body. This is due to the anti-bacterial properties and presence of antioxidants like nutraceuticals in honey that helps in removing free radicals from the human body.
Honey has anti-cancerous properties: Honey with its anti-tumor properties and elements prevent the spread of carcinogen in the body.
Other miscellaneous functions of honey

• Honey is a great remedy for arthritis pain, athlete foot and yeast infection.
• Honey has antiseptic properties that make it capable of preventing growth of some bacteria and treat external wounds like burns and cuts. It also prevents infections of all sorts and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent. It also contains anti-fungal properties.
• Honey works great for combating hangovers as it has “sobering agents”, which accelerates the oxidation process of alcohol.
• Anti microbial properties enable honey to treat a sore throat, as well. That is why professional singers mostly use it to relax their throats.
• Honey helps insomniacs and cures their sleeplessness.
• Honey acts as sweetener, yet helps in loosing weight by digesting the body fat.
• Vitamins and minerals like Calcium and Iron is present in honey, which are good for health.
• Honey helps in imparting a smooth skin, which acts perfectly when combined with milk.

Tips on how and when to have honey
The following are some valuable tips about how to have honey to your daily dose of nutrition:

• Have a spoonful of honey before you go out for a workout, it will assist you in covering an extra mile.
• Add honey to your tea or spread it on hot toast to free yourself from the early morning lethargy.
• Have a sandwich with honey, ham and butter to maintain energy throughout the day.
• Add honey to your lemonade to have a fine share of health and taste.
• Blend liquid honey, natural yogurt and orange juice to get an awesome healthy smoothie.
• Add a spoon of honey to hot milk or chamomile tea.

Honey is such a common ingredient that is found in everyone’s kitchen. It is not only available in the supermarkets, but also in the organic food online stores, as well. So, order your stock of honey today and start reaping benefits from tomorrow by adding a spoonful of honey to food to take you one step towards healthy living.

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