HC asks panel on pesticides to frame guidelines by mid August

The Delhi High Court today directed an experts committee set up by it to frame guidelines within three months to check presence of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetables available in open market in the city.
A bench of justices S K Kaul and Rajiv Shakdher also accepted a plea of pesticide manufacturers seeking a direction to the panel to allow their suggestions while framing the guidelines.
The court directed the six-member committee of experts to file its report containing the guidelines by August 17.
The bench also included Dr Sandhya Kulshrestha, Secretary of the Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee, in the panel.
Taking suo motu cognisance of a media report, the court had set up the committee in May 10, 2011 to periodically examine the fruits and vegetables available in the open market to check if they contain pesticide residues.
Filing an affidavit before the court, the Centre had informed that the experts committee would be headed by the joint director of the Agriculture Ministry.
On February 14, the Agriculture Ministry had convened a meeting of its senior officials with those of the food safety and standards authority of India (FSSAI) and the Delhi government's health ministry on the issue, the affidavit said.
Besides chairperson Sarita Bhalla, others members include FSSAI director Dhir Singh, scientist N K Sharma, Delhi government's food analyst S M Bhardwaj, Union Agriculture Ministry official Vipin Bhatnagar and senior advocate V K Rao in the committee, it stated.
The court also suggested eminent scientist M S Swaminathan as an "outside" expert for the panel.
However, Swaminathan informed that his hands were full and he was stuck in too many assignments at this present juncture.
As per the media report, some NGOs had conducted a survey and claimed that vegetables and fruits sold in the city's markets contain poisons capable of causing cancer and harming the nervous system and liver.

Defer implementation of FSSA: foodgrain merchants - THE HINDU

Staff Reporter

The Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association has urged the Central Government to defer the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006, which is being implemented since August 5, 2011, till the “defects in the Act” were rectified.
Accompanied by the Dindigul Member of Parliament N. S. V. Chitthan, an association delegation led by president S. P. Jeyapragasam met the Union Minister of Agriculture and Food Processing Industries Sharad Pawar in New Delhi, recently, and submitted a memorandum.
The association said that the FSSA prescribes food quality standards that were akin to European and American standards, which mainly import agricultural produces. Even though the climate and soil types differ across various regions of the country, the Act had specified uniform standards across the country. Qualities like nutritional value, proteins, sugar content and moisture of damaged crops would vary depending upon these factors with uniformity being difficult to achieve.
Further, the Act defines ‘adulteration' on par with other infirmities such as non-compliance in printing of labels or packages.
The offence of misbranding had to be dealt with separately with lesser fines.
Food analytical laboratories
The association contended that the Central Government must establish food analytical laboratories to test quality control in all districts and give accreditation to the laboratories in this sector before implementing the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Mr. Jeyapragasam also called for a single licence to a food business operator as the Act forces one to take a licence to each and every village where a manufacturer sells his/her product.
The Act also mandates that food business operators appoint supervisors with a minimum technical qualification of a degree in science.
As this would cause practical problems, he urged the Centre to enforce this rule only when the workforce of a unit crosses 100.
In view of these problems, he urged Mr. Pawar to defer the implementation of the Act.
He also noted that these issues have been conveyed to the Chief Executive Office of the Food Safety Standards Authority of India, which comes under the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and is implementing the FSSA.

Cola maker to reduce use of controversial chemical

Coca-Cola denies US consumer group’s claim that its colouring ingredient causes cancer; yet the company says it will modify its drinks in India like it has in California 

The Centre for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group in the US, had filed a petition in February 2012 with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of ammonia-sulfit caramel in aerated drinks. Research was conducted on regular and diet Coca-Cola and Pepsi drinks available in Washington, DC. The group claimed the drinks contained high levels of 4-methylimidazole (commonly known as 4-MEI) which can be found in the caramel colouring used in the drinks. and is considered potentially carcinogenic.

The US FDA, however, said that there were no definite studies to prove the claim. A US FDA spokesperson said, ‘A consumer would have to drink more than 1,000 cans a day to reach the doses administered that have shown links to cancer.’

Despite the FDA’s clean bill, Coca-Cola has decided to reduce the amounts of 4-MEI used in their drinks in the US (in a phased manner, first in California). Coca-Cola’s official website states:?‘We have asked our caramel manufacturers to modify their production process to reduce the amount of 4-methylimidazole in the caramel.’

While Coca-Cola denied the “false and outrageous claims”, both Coke and Pepsi have modified the formulations of their drinks in the US. But have they done so in India as well?

Kamlesh Sharma, GM, public affairs and communication, Coca-Cola, India referred to the statement issued by Indian Beverage Association (IBA) which says that there are no adverse health implications from the use of caramel colouring. ‘This puts the issue in the right perspective,’ he said.  When asked if Coca-Cola in India would be modified to remove 4-methylimidazole, he sent us links to Coca-Cola’s official statement.  ‘We have asked our caramel manufacturers to modify their production process to reduce the amount of 4-MEI.’

Right Choice made several attempts to contact PepsiCo India for this report. The company did not respond to our calls and emails.

WHAT IS 4-METHYLIMIDAZOLE?

A statement issued by the Indian Beverage Association states, ‘The compound 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI or 4-MI) is a byproduct formed in certain foods and beverages during the heating, roasting and cooking process and is virtually ubiquitous – found in trace amount in foods and beverages that have been commonly consumed for decades.

‘It should be noted that 4-MEI is not added to food or beverage. Since 4-MEI may be formed when caramel colouring is made, caramel-containing foods such as cereals, beverages, baked goods, confectionery products, dairy products and condiments like soya sauce may contain detectable amounts of the compound.

‘The level of 4-MEI in caramel is regulated nationally by Food Safety Standards Authority of India, which is at par with that prescribed by FAO/WHO, Codex Alimentarius and the European Food Safety Authority. Leading public health organisations have reaffirmed safety of caramel. Hence, consumers have no reason at all to entertain any health concerns.’

TANUVAS taking steps to check extensive use of antibiotics - THE HINDU

“The Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) is taking all steps to check extensive use of antibiotics that result in antimicrobial resistance to facilitate better livestock exports,” Vice-Chancellor of the university R. Prabakaran told The Hindu .
He was here recently to chair the World Veterinary Day celebration organised by TANUVAS and the Veterinary College and Research Institute (VC&RI), Namakkal.
The Vice-Chancellor said that the celebration's theme for this year was ‘Antimicrobial Resistance' and added that both under dose and over dose would result in antimicrobial resistance.
On steps to monitor extensive use of such medicines, he said that the varsity would soon establish two state-of-the-art facilities at an estimate Rs. 9.86 crore.
“They are funded by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and machineries will be installed in a month or two,” the Dr. Prabakaran said. Some of the tests that can be carried out in these labs include checking residues such as pesticides, antibiotics and faecal residues.
“It would even make it possible to identify if the chicken or cattle has been fed with genetically modified crop varieties and presence of mycotoxins,” he said.The labs will grade livestock products based on presence of residue. “Each country has a minimum and maximum permissible level for importing livestock products and this grading will help exporters to reduce presence of residues or to focus on countries that fit into their based on the results”, Dr. Prabakaran observed.
“These labs will also be a boon for domestic consumers as the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 requires livestock products to have its quality and presence of microbial residues printed on them – in India”, the VC said.
“A proposal of TANUVAS to set up a facility exclusively for surveillance of emerging and remerging poultry diseases at Rs. two crore has been sanctioned by the state government at the principle level and is awaiting sanction of funds from the union government”, he said.
About reducing residues in the feed, he urged poultry farmers to use antibiotics only when it is inevitably required. “Use them only under supervision of veterinarians as dosage should not be decided by the farmer, while antibiotics should be withdrawn from broiler chicken a week before marketing it”, he concluded.

Licence and registration compulsory under Food & Safety Act

FEROZEPUR :   A meeting of the representatives of various unions with regard to implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act.  The meeting was presided over by Dr.Jasbir Singh Minhas.

 

Speaking on this occasion, Dr.Gupta, District Health Officer informed that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has been established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 which consolidates various acts & orders that have hitherto handled food related issues in various Ministries and Departments. 

 

FSSAI has been created for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. 

 

He further said that every person dealing with the articles of food will have to obtain a licence and registration is mandatory under Food Safety and Standard Act and the minimum fee for registration having business transactions less than Rs.12 lakhs is Rs.100 and Rs.2000 above Rs.12 lakhs per year but the registration is compulsory for doing the business irrespective of the amount of transaction. He also made it clear that in the event of both non-registration and obtaining a licence, penalty and even imprisonment under the Act can be imposed.

Unhygienic food lays students low - THE HINDU

Vasudha Venugopal

The quality of rice is poor and even the ice cream served occasionally stinks, say students

There are few checks on the quality of food served in college canteens, especially when it comes to those in residential college campuses in the city's outskirts. Last week, nearly 38 students of SSN College of Engineering were admitted to a private hospital after complaining of severe dysentery and vomiting after consuming food in the mess of the college hostel that houses nearly 300 female post-graduate students. “We ate parotha at night and the next morning, most of us were unwell. The college doctor was no help and so we went to Chettinad Hospital here,” said a student.
“However, when the hospital officials asked us for a police complaint, our hostel administration asked us to go to another hospital. There, seven of us were administered drips, while the rest were put on medication,” she added.
In the aftermath of this incident, students protested and refused to eat in the canteen leading to the intervention of lecturers who promised to look into the issue. The students pay nearly Rs. 2,000 monthly to the college for food alone, and nearly Rs. 4 lakh on the PG course. Nearly 2,200 of the 3,600 students live in the college hostels.
Students point out that this is not the first time such an incident had occurred. “The rice is of poor quality and even the ice cream occasionally smells bad. But since not many people actually fall ill, the administration brushes the issue aside saying, “You shouldn't expect very high standards,” a student said.
Kala Vijayakumar, principal, SSN group of institutions said the college has instituted a rigorous process to monitor the quality of food and hygiene. “We have already appointed additional staff. Also, the student committee decides the caterers, from a list given to them. The checks were always there but now, they will be more stringent and frequent,” she said, adding that the contactor had already been warned. “I think the students panicked. It was just a one-off incident and we will make sure it is not repeated,” she said.
Students in many colleges feel that since most canteens serve outsourced food, managements shirk responsibility if the food turns bad.
Last August, the State government integrated the Food Safety Wing of the Directorate of Public Health with the Department of Drugs Control Administration to form, ‘Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration' department (TNFS&DA). All hostels and canteens on campus will now have to register under the new Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006 and the department will be responsible for ensuring food quality and safety standards.
But the fact that most colleges are outside the city also takes them outside the purview of the designated officer for the city. However, 32 designated officers have been formed to look into the quality of food served by hotels and caterers in the different districts across the State.
Many of the 79 colleges, mostly engineering campuses that fall in the purview of Kancheepuram district, are yet to seek licenses from the TNFS&DA. “Many of them do not clean their overhead tanks every 15 days as per rules,” says B. Bharanitharan, designated officer (Kancheepuram). “All colleges with canteen facilities, caterers and restaurants need to have licenses before August. It takes at least 50 days for us to process the license, to check the kitchen sites, hygiene conditions and quality of provisions,” he said.
The department, which is in the process of issuing licenses, at present, conducts checks only based on public complaints. “But we will soon have a helpline that students can call whenever they have problems with the food served in the colleges,” Dr. Bharanitharan added. EOM

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