FSOs inspect potable drinking water in Kerala; samples from 14 tankers sent for testing

In a bid to create awareness about contaminated drinking water amongst the people of Kerala, food safety officials have geared up for an effective inspection on the basis of poor standards of drinking water in various corners of the state.

The portable water, which particularly comes from the sources in the eastern region of districts like Puthencruz and Muvattupuzha, were inspected by a team led by Ajith Kumar, recently following a tip-off regarding the standards of water and the tankers carrying it.

“We collected samples from around fourteen tankers as well as from the sources. These have been sent for the bacteriological and chemical tests,” he said, adding that the eight tankers which were inspected at Thiruvankulam were heading with water to various parts of Kochi.

Not only this, he mentioned that the inspection was mainly conducted on the basis of reports of various waterborne diseases like jaundice and hepatitis E and A in these areas.

According to media reports, there had been allegations made from various corners on the standards of the drinking water. Some even claimed that the tankers, which were ideally meant for carrying portable water, also tranported septic waste, and that some distributors had also violated distribution norms.

He then opined that it will become easier for the officials to take action against such violators and penalise the errant distributors when the Food Safety and Standards Act comes into force.

FDA starts registration drive in Nagpur; unlicensed eateries forced to down shutters

Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Maharashtra officials directed several coffee shops and other eateries in Nagpur to down their shutters, because they did not possess valid licenses under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006. Some of these had recently opened. They also started a registration drive on April 17, 2012, and appealed to all food business operators (FBO) in the city to get registered within the next fifteen days.

S B Naragude was the designated officer, under whose guidance a team of food safety officers (FSO) raided the premises of the errant establishments. The people involved in running them were warned that they would remain closed unless and until they obtain and display a license or registration number in the stipulated period. The FSO also expected petty vendors and other small-scale FBO to adhere to the same, and residents of the city to co-operate with them.

A report on the FDA's crackdown on these eateries appeared in a leading English daily in Nagpur. Tejinder Singh Renu, honorary secretary, Vidarbha Taxpayers' Association (VTA) and Nagpur Residential Hotels Association (NRHA),  was critical of a number of provisions of FSSA, which he claims are not just harsh, but also “practically impossible to follow”.

“The court will take its summer vacation shortly. By the time it reopens, I hope more parties would have come forward with their objections to certain sections of the Act (especially Sections 51 to 60, which blatantly promote corruption). Food safety officers charge food business operators heavy penalties, and if they don't pay them, they are forced to shut down their businesses,” he said.

Madurai HC registers, sanctions one licensing case; second postponed to April 19

Of the two cases that were filed in the Madurai High Court against the stringent licensing and registration rules imposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), one was sanctioned and registered on April 18.

“However, owing to the paucity of time, the second case could not be heard. It has been postponed to April 19,” S V S S Velshankar, honorary secretary, Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants' Association, told over the telephone.

Meanwhile, Tejinder Singh Renu, honorary secretary, Vidarbha Taxpayers' Association (VTA) and Nagpur Residential Hotels Association (NRHA), confirmed that he has withdrawn the public interest litigation (PIL) he filed against the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra.

“The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court found a number of issues in it, and some of our recommendations and suggestions were not heard. But we will file it again when we get the required information,” he said.

Review on Cafe Coffee Day

Food Contamination
We visited CCD Lounge yesterday evening in Saket, New Delhi around 6.30 pm. Had ordered some sandwiches and 3 cold coffees, to our horror and disgust we found crushed tetra-pack pieces of paper/plastic and aluminum foil (see attached file).....
All 3 coffess had the same stuff which we found out after drinking the while thing as it had settled in the end.


Upon raising the issue with the manager/in charge, they did not seem to be too apologetic, but said that "this happens"....so first they wanted to replace the coffees, to which we said no and later just sent us the bill without

the coffee charge.....


Don’t want to get into what happened later....but just that all of us are complaining of stomach infections since yesterday night, and we had a 1 yr old kid with us, thank god he did not have the coffee...


I will never go to CCD again, and will surely take this up with the consumer court and The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). will not let CCD get away with this....