Though name of former Health secretary K Chandramouli’s for appointment as head of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been cleared by the PMO’s Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), the undue delay in his joining has left the Authority’s staff a confused lot. “Many important decisions have been put on hold and the Authority has not held its meeting for the past four months after the previous chairperson PI Suvarthan superannuated last September.
Jan 23, 2012
LONG WAIT
Though name of former Health secretary K Chandramouli’s for appointment as head of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been cleared by the PMO’s Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC), the undue delay in his joining has left the Authority’s staff a confused lot. “Many important decisions have been put on hold and the Authority has not held its meeting for the past four months after the previous chairperson PI Suvarthan superannuated last September.
Drink urea with your glass of milk
Milky Way
According to a recent study conducted by Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), 70 per cent of milk distributed in Delhi does not subscribe to the fixed safety norms, however, the Delhi government claims that none of the samples checked were found containing any harmful adulterants like detergent or urea.
While this controversy gathers steam, Metrolife discovers how Delhiites are reeling under this debate. A pregnant Anshul Garg said, “A common man does not have any other choice. I get milk from the vendor and we do not check its quality. Two days back I developed some kind of allergy from milk and my doctor has now recommended that I stop having this milk. As a mom to be I have to take milk, but this news has shocked me.”
The study conducted this month also found that the milk was adulterated with skimmed milk powder and glucose, or more shockingly hydrogen peroxide, urea and detergent.
Hydrogen peroxide is used in bleach, while urea is commonly used in fertiliser.
Veena Mehta, a professional said, “There should be strict vigilance on each plant and dairies to ascertain the reality. We need solutions for these issues and the government just cannot keep numb about the health of its people.”
Almost 70 per cent of the 1,791 samples taken nationwide were contaminated or watered down, according to the report.
Out of 33 Indian states, non-fat adulterants were found in all the milk samples from West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand.
“I have children at home to feed milk and all this news about adulteration has shocked us. What to eat and what not to eat is the basic question? What do we feed our children? This is the question of our health. The government has to do something about it as soon as possible,” said Aarti Sharma, a homemaker. Same was the case with Renu Gupta, a professional, “We came to know about this study and next will be food items.
What will we have? Why is there so much corruption everywhere?”
Delhi fared worse than most states, with as many as 70 per cent of the samples tainted. Goa and Puducherry conformed to the standards with no indication of adulteration in their milk.
The study across 33 states has revealed that milk was adulterated with detergent, fat and even urea, besides the age-old practice of diluting it with water.
According to a recent study conducted by Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), 70 per cent of milk distributed in Delhi does not subscribe to the fixed safety norms, however, the Delhi government claims that none of the samples checked were found containing any harmful adulterants like detergent or urea.
While this controversy gathers steam, Metrolife discovers how Delhiites are reeling under this debate. A pregnant Anshul Garg said, “A common man does not have any other choice. I get milk from the vendor and we do not check its quality. Two days back I developed some kind of allergy from milk and my doctor has now recommended that I stop having this milk. As a mom to be I have to take milk, but this news has shocked me.”The study conducted this month also found that the milk was adulterated with skimmed milk powder and glucose, or more shockingly hydrogen peroxide, urea and detergent.
Hydrogen peroxide is used in bleach, while urea is commonly used in fertiliser.
Veena Mehta, a professional said, “There should be strict vigilance on each plant and dairies to ascertain the reality. We need solutions for these issues and the government just cannot keep numb about the health of its people.”
Almost 70 per cent of the 1,791 samples taken nationwide were contaminated or watered down, according to the report.
Out of 33 Indian states, non-fat adulterants were found in all the milk samples from West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand.
“I have children at home to feed milk and all this news about adulteration has shocked us. What to eat and what not to eat is the basic question? What do we feed our children? This is the question of our health. The government has to do something about it as soon as possible,” said Aarti Sharma, a homemaker. Same was the case with Renu Gupta, a professional, “We came to know about this study and next will be food items.
What will we have? Why is there so much corruption everywhere?”
Delhi fared worse than most states, with as many as 70 per cent of the samples tainted. Goa and Puducherry conformed to the standards with no indication of adulteration in their milk.
The study across 33 states has revealed that milk was adulterated with detergent, fat and even urea, besides the age-old practice of diluting it with water.
Honey safety norms in place soon
The government is putting in place safety standards for honey after it has been found that lots, even those sold by top brands, had traces of antibiotics and pesticides in them.
The Food And Safety Standards of India (FSSAI) will soon make it mandatory that honey samples conform to these regulatory measures before they can be declared safe for consumption.
The new standards have been approved by the scientific committee of the experts and are likely to be notified soon by the government. While the new standards specify that there “should not be any residue of antibiotics in honey”, the FSSAI will also list down antibiotics that should remain absent from honey before it is made available for the consumers.
The standards for honey prescribed under prevention of food adulteration rules only specify the maximum limits of heavy metal etc. So far, there are no standards for antibiotics in honey in India. In last few years, there have been reports of antibiotic contamination in honey exported from India and also in honey available in the domestic market.
Earlier, the food and feed control authorities of the member states of the EU had also found Indian honey contaminated with prohibited antibiotics, like nitrofuran and chloramphenicol, tetracycline and streptomycin.
Experts say even that recently the samples picked up by FSSAI too found antibiotic residue in honey. “The laboratories will have a clear mandate. The list of antibiotics will be given based on limit of quantification,” FSSAI CEO V.N. Gaur said.
Those manufacturers which are found not conforming to the standards and thereby making it “unsafe” will face imprisonment and severe punishment that may include closing down of manufacturing unit.
Experts say that move gains significance keeping in view the recent reports of drug resistant bugs present in India. “The presence of antibiotics unnecessarily enhances immunity which could harm the body in the long run. The problem of presence of drug resistance bugs can also not be ignored,” said a senior official.
The Food And Safety Standards of India (FSSAI) will soon make it mandatory that honey samples conform to these regulatory measures before they can be declared safe for consumption.
The new standards have been approved by the scientific committee of the experts and are likely to be notified soon by the government. While the new standards specify that there “should not be any residue of antibiotics in honey”, the FSSAI will also list down antibiotics that should remain absent from honey before it is made available for the consumers.
The standards for honey prescribed under prevention of food adulteration rules only specify the maximum limits of heavy metal etc. So far, there are no standards for antibiotics in honey in India. In last few years, there have been reports of antibiotic contamination in honey exported from India and also in honey available in the domestic market.
Earlier, the food and feed control authorities of the member states of the EU had also found Indian honey contaminated with prohibited antibiotics, like nitrofuran and chloramphenicol, tetracycline and streptomycin.
Experts say even that recently the samples picked up by FSSAI too found antibiotic residue in honey. “The laboratories will have a clear mandate. The list of antibiotics will be given based on limit of quantification,” FSSAI CEO V.N. Gaur said.
Those manufacturers which are found not conforming to the standards and thereby making it “unsafe” will face imprisonment and severe punishment that may include closing down of manufacturing unit.
Experts say that move gains significance keeping in view the recent reports of drug resistant bugs present in India. “The presence of antibiotics unnecessarily enhances immunity which could harm the body in the long run. The problem of presence of drug resistance bugs can also not be ignored,” said a senior official.
January 31 is last date for registration for food manufacturers in Patiala
The health and family welfare department, Government of Punjab, has made it mandatory for those in the business of manufacturing and selling food products for human consumption to register by January 31, 2012.
During a brief telephonic conversation with Dr Virinder Singh Mohi, Patiala’s civil surgeon, said, “The health department is committed to providing hygienic food to the residents of the city.”
He said, “The state government implemented the Food Safety and Standards Act in August 2011 according to the guidelines issued by the Central government. Under this Act, all establishments dealing with food have to complete their registration and acquire the requisite licenses.”
Dr Mohi added, “It is mandatory for every restaurant, bakery, sweet shop, motel, dhaba or confectionery store, whose annual sales exceed Rs 12 lakh, dairy and milk unit whose milk production is between 500 and 50,000 litres a day, processing unit for refined oils whose capacity exceeds two metric tonnes per day, three-star hotel or restaurant whose business is more than Rs 12 lakh per year and slaughter house with 2-10 large animals, 10-150 small animals, 50-1,000 poultry birds and meat processing units whose capacity is 500 kilograms per day to apply for the license and register at the civil surgeon's office in Patiala.”
“The annual licensing fee ranges between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000, depending upon the size and volume of output of a unit,” he said. He added that the volume of sales a unit registered would be gauged from the annual sales tax or value-added tax (VAT) returns.
Dr Mohi categorically stated that vendors, retailers, hawkers and even those who were itinerant would not be exempt from the rule. “They will have to pay an annual registration fee of just Rs 100 per annum.”
“If any food business operator fails to comply with the rule, he is obviously liable to be punished. We will not be too harsh on the smaller vendors, but if a big player bends the rule, we will have no choice but to initiate action, by way of either a monetary fine or imprisonment, against him,” he further said.
During a brief telephonic conversation with Dr Virinder Singh Mohi, Patiala’s civil surgeon, said, “The health department is committed to providing hygienic food to the residents of the city.”
He said, “The state government implemented the Food Safety and Standards Act in August 2011 according to the guidelines issued by the Central government. Under this Act, all establishments dealing with food have to complete their registration and acquire the requisite licenses.”
Dr Mohi added, “It is mandatory for every restaurant, bakery, sweet shop, motel, dhaba or confectionery store, whose annual sales exceed Rs 12 lakh, dairy and milk unit whose milk production is between 500 and 50,000 litres a day, processing unit for refined oils whose capacity exceeds two metric tonnes per day, three-star hotel or restaurant whose business is more than Rs 12 lakh per year and slaughter house with 2-10 large animals, 10-150 small animals, 50-1,000 poultry birds and meat processing units whose capacity is 500 kilograms per day to apply for the license and register at the civil surgeon's office in Patiala.”
“The annual licensing fee ranges between Rs 2,000 and Rs 3,000, depending upon the size and volume of output of a unit,” he said. He added that the volume of sales a unit registered would be gauged from the annual sales tax or value-added tax (VAT) returns.
Dr Mohi categorically stated that vendors, retailers, hawkers and even those who were itinerant would not be exempt from the rule. “They will have to pay an annual registration fee of just Rs 100 per annum.”
“If any food business operator fails to comply with the rule, he is obviously liable to be punished. We will not be too harsh on the smaller vendors, but if a big player bends the rule, we will have no choice but to initiate action, by way of either a monetary fine or imprisonment, against him,” he further said.
Karnataka plans new food lab, hires staff for better FSSA implementation
Karnataka plans new food lab, hires staff for better FSSA implementation
Karnataka has now speeded up efforts to ensure preparedness in terms of infrastructure and personnel to help the industry adhere to the Food Safety & Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.
The state, which has four food labs, is now looking to have a fifth facility in Bangalore, under the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project, which is funded by the World Bank.
The state is also contemplating on setting up mobile vans to simplify the surveillance of food units at a faster pace. Further efforts are on to offer online issue of licences and renewal. In this regard, the Union government has now software to network the state food commissionerates across the country. Karnataka is hoping to be among the first to install the same.
Further the state will also set up helplines and a website to solve the issues of the industry in terms of comprehending and consulting the finer points of the Act.
In this regard, the state has identified four food safety labs for which NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) certification is being sought and currently a Gap Analysis is on to help compare the actual performance with potential performance, according to B S Ramaprasad, Karnataka commissioner for food, directorate of health and family welfare.
The four labs present in the state are being upgraded with the help of state health department and national rural health mission scheme. Also the notification pertaining to food safety officers is complete. Training to food safety officers has been imparted, recruitment of adjudicating officer is complete and constitution of special courts in the 30 districts of the state is also through.
“The cog in the wheel is the required staff, laboratories and related infrastructure. While we have 104 FSO, there is a shortfall of 130 personnel. We have designated district surveillance officers to oversee the inspection of food joints at all levels,” he added.
He further stated, “Going hand in hand with the required labs and FSOs, we are now on an aggressive drive to implement information, education and communication (IEC) which combines strategies, approaches and methods that enable individuals to correctly understand the FSSA.”
On a concluding note, he said, “The key task for the food industry is to remain self- compliant, implement recall and improve tasks which will help it to easily adhere to the FSSA. For the government it is the challenge of taking the stakeholders into confidence.”
Karnataka has now speeded up efforts to ensure preparedness in terms of infrastructure and personnel to help the industry adhere to the Food Safety & Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.
The state, which has four food labs, is now looking to have a fifth facility in Bangalore, under the Karnataka Health Systems Development Project, which is funded by the World Bank.
The state is also contemplating on setting up mobile vans to simplify the surveillance of food units at a faster pace. Further efforts are on to offer online issue of licences and renewal. In this regard, the Union government has now software to network the state food commissionerates across the country. Karnataka is hoping to be among the first to install the same.
Further the state will also set up helplines and a website to solve the issues of the industry in terms of comprehending and consulting the finer points of the Act.
In this regard, the state has identified four food safety labs for which NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) certification is being sought and currently a Gap Analysis is on to help compare the actual performance with potential performance, according to B S Ramaprasad, Karnataka commissioner for food, directorate of health and family welfare.
The four labs present in the state are being upgraded with the help of state health department and national rural health mission scheme. Also the notification pertaining to food safety officers is complete. Training to food safety officers has been imparted, recruitment of adjudicating officer is complete and constitution of special courts in the 30 districts of the state is also through.
“The cog in the wheel is the required staff, laboratories and related infrastructure. While we have 104 FSO, there is a shortfall of 130 personnel. We have designated district surveillance officers to oversee the inspection of food joints at all levels,” he added.
He further stated, “Going hand in hand with the required labs and FSOs, we are now on an aggressive drive to implement information, education and communication (IEC) which combines strategies, approaches and methods that enable individuals to correctly understand the FSSA.”
On a concluding note, he said, “The key task for the food industry is to remain self- compliant, implement recall and improve tasks which will help it to easily adhere to the FSSA. For the government it is the challenge of taking the stakeholders into confidence.”
PIL seeks certification to check milk adulteration
MUMBAI: A public interest litigation has been filed in the Bombay High Court against largescale adulteration of milk. It urged the court to direct setting up of an agency to certify milk with a 'Milk Mark' which would ensure quality and a 24-hour helpline for complaints.
The PIL was filed by homeopath Dr Sreedevi Mehta, chemical engineer Karan Doshi and Vidhvatta Malhotra, a homemaker who has a two-year-old child. The state, commissioners for Food Safety and Food and Drugs Administration, the BMC and ministry of health and family welfare have been made parties.
The petitioners said they became aware after reading news reports about the alarming portions of mass adulteration of milk that is consumed by almost every household in the city. They were "shocked and aghast", to learn that the National Milk Survey found nearly 70% of 1,791 samples picked up from 33 states and union territories had failed to conform to Food and Safety Standards Authority of India.
"It is a very sorry state of affairs wherethough unknowingly people are consuming urea, detergents, bad sugar, harmful chemicals and several other contaminants by drinking adulterated milk every day," the petition states. The petitioner urged that like AGMARK, which is a quality certification for agricultural products, milk must also be certified by a 'Milk Mark', certified by an authority at the state-level.
They also urged for a 24-hour helpline for people to register complaints so that raids, if necessary, are conducted and the guilty booked.
The PIL was mentioned by their advocate Advait Sethna before a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Roshan Dalvi and has been posted for hearing on January 25.
The PIL was filed by homeopath Dr Sreedevi Mehta, chemical engineer Karan Doshi and Vidhvatta Malhotra, a homemaker who has a two-year-old child. The state, commissioners for Food Safety and Food and Drugs Administration, the BMC and ministry of health and family welfare have been made parties.
The petitioners said they became aware after reading news reports about the alarming portions of mass adulteration of milk that is consumed by almost every household in the city. They were "shocked and aghast", to learn that the National Milk Survey found nearly 70% of 1,791 samples picked up from 33 states and union territories had failed to conform to Food and Safety Standards Authority of India.
"It is a very sorry state of affairs wherethough unknowingly people are consuming urea, detergents, bad sugar, harmful chemicals and several other contaminants by drinking adulterated milk every day," the petition states. The petitioner urged that like AGMARK, which is a quality certification for agricultural products, milk must also be certified by a 'Milk Mark', certified by an authority at the state-level.
They also urged for a 24-hour helpline for people to register complaints so that raids, if necessary, are conducted and the guilty booked.
The PIL was mentioned by their advocate Advait Sethna before a division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Roshan Dalvi and has been posted for hearing on January 25.
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