6th CAC MEETING, DELHI

6th CAC Meeting,Delhi (Dated : 21-01-2012) 6th CAC Meeting in progress   6th Central Advisory Committee meeting of FSSAI was conducted on 18th January at New Delhi. Commissioners of Food safety of major states/UT participated with status report of respective states about the progress made in implementation of FSS Act, Rules and Regulations etc and appointment of regulators as well legal machinery i.e. Food Appellate Tribunals, etc. CEO FSSAI Mr. V.N.Gaur,while welcoming the members, shared the salient points about the recent milk survey report over which the media reports created apprehensions about large scale adulteration in the minds of people. He advised all the states to examine the issues highlighted in the Executive Summary of the report and take appropriate measures. Food Safety Commissioners seeking clarification from CEO   The Central Licensing System(CLS) software developed by NISG has been implemented and licenses are being issued .Initially 5 states have joined for similar templates for state licensing AP, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Delhi however other states also showed eagerness to use the software and accordingly NISG team may contacted. The Food safety Helpline and website, need to be developed by states and each states must appoint a Nodal Officer for issues related to Food Safety till such time complete processes are in place for quick disposal of grievances, if any. Training programs are to be organized on PAN India at select institution and states have to come forward in identifying resource persons and other infrastructure wherever required FSSAI will provide all possible help. Members of CAC   Director (Admin),FSSAI outlined the contribution of Mr V.N.Gaur CEO, to FSSAI who is shortly superannuating. From Ist CAC till the present meeting Mr. Gaur has brought about a distinct integration of various processes enunciated in New law and provided a stable platform for implementing as well as enforcing FSS Act Rules an regulations both in letter and spirit. The house gave an standing ovation to the CEO Mr. V.N.Gaur. Director Admin proposing contribution of CEO to FSSAI   Towards the end CEO emphasized upon licensing and Import food clearances need certain ongoing improvement as first time such a system has been developed and advised states to remain in constant touch with FSSAI about enforcement of Act.

Authorities raid milk sellers, collect samples

JAIPUR: A day after the Rajasthan High Court directed the state government on milk adulteration issue, the Jaipur district administration began raiding milk sellers on Friday. Various newspapers had published a survey report by Food Safety Standards Authority of India that showed 76% of milk in Rajasthan is adulterated.

Mobile laboratories tested about 20 samples of milk in Sanganer and Mansarovar and found 19 to be adulterated with 50% water, a district administration official said. Besides, this, the department collected five more samples and sent them for testing.

The presence of toxic chemicals in adulterated milk could hamper brain development among infants, the doctors claimed. The report of Food Safety Standards Authority of India survey shows that the samples of milk contained chemical substances like urea and detergents. These substances are dangerous for infants.

JK Lon Hospital superintendent Dr SD Sharma said, "Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is essential for brain development. If the milk is adulterated then there are possibilities that the infant will not get DHA. Because of that the development of brain in the infant could be halted. The intelligence quotient among such children would not be as much as in a normal child. In some cases, it could also lead to mental retardation because major development of the brain takes place up to one-and-a-half years."

He said, "The parents give milk to make their children healthy but if the milk is not safe, then it could have adverse effects on health."

The doctors also appealed to the mothers to breastfeed their children. Various studies and researches in the recent past were conducted and held mother's milk as essential for the growth of the baby, which also keeps them safe from consuming adulterated milk.

Gastroenterologist Dr Abhinav Sharma said, "Patients come to me with complaints of gastroenteritis, acute pain abdomen, vomiting, feeling of bloating and sometimes bleeding ulcers. These are all common symptoms caused by consumption of adulterated milk."

The doctors also appealed to the people to check the milk they are consuming as it could lead to serious health problems.

125 food testing labs on cards

PUNE: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has proposed to set up 125 food testing laboratories in the country. The authority has also proposed to form guidelines to keep a check on flavoured drinking water, said V N Gaur, chief executive officer of FSSAI. The proposals have been submitted to the Union government for approval.
Gaur was speaking at the two-day 21st Indian Convention of Food Scientists and Technologists organised on the theme 'Innovations in food science and technology to fuel the growth of the Indian food industry'. Swapan Kumar Datta, deputy director general, Indian Council for Agricultural Research, New Delhi, Vasudha Kamath, vice-chancellor, SNDT University, Mumbai, and G Venkateswara Rao, acting director Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, were present for the convention that started on Friday.
He said, "The proposed labs are meant to undertake tests to check whether the adulteration is chemical, physical or microbiological. Physical category means substandard particles mixed in a product. The 125 primary labs will join the existing 72 labs in the country. Apart from these, there are four central food labs, working as referral labs to the primary labs, providing information about various research projects, their findings and usefulness of technology in the food industry."
Another emerging market is flavoured drinking water, for which there are no guidelines so far, he said. The authority has urged the Union government to initiate a procedure to form guidelines for flavoured drinking water, as there is definition of drinking water, bottled and packaged water, Gaur added.
The FSSAI has also appealed to the government to upgrade and modernise existing food testing labs and open them to packaged food manufacturers, consumers and researchers. The old machinery and lack of funds are limiting the functioning of the labs and their scope, he added.
When asked about the recently released national milk sample survey, in which 70% milk samples were found adulterated, Gaur said, "Out of them, 14% samples had detergent in them, which is a serious health concern. Adding skimmed milk powder or water does not pose any threat, but chemicals could cause serious health problems. The mechanism to check all types of adulteration is in place, but there are issues regarding effective implementation."
S M Naikare, president, Association of Food Scientist and Technologists, Pune chapter, told TOI, "The government has not emphasised processing of ethnic food items that are in huge demand. The copying of western food products has a limited response as food habits of Indians are different. The proposed labs would help keep a check on adulteration and would empower consumers."