May 30, 2012
Restaurant kitchens to mop up or face music
| It is the time-tested formula of carrot first, stick later. East Singhbhum health officials are telling eatery and restaurant owners to learn about the newly formulated Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (updated in 2012). If they don’t, they must eat the humble pie, which include registrations getting cancelled. After a spate of meetings with eatery owners, district health officials are taking help of trade and commerce bodies to make small-time restaurants and roadside vendors aware of the food act, especially its provisions on hygiene. On Monday, additional chief medical officer (ACMO) Swarn Singh held a meeting at his chamber with Jamshedpur Chamber of Commerce officials. On Tuesday, health officials sent messages and data sheets to other trade outfits. “We held talks with Jamshedpur Chamber of Commerce members and apprised them on the legal aspects of the act. Now, they will spread the message,” said Swarn Singh. Health officials will also meet members of Singhbhum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and market officers (bazaar officers) across neighbourhoods. Officials will hand them pamphlets on provisions and best practices. “We want restaurants, hotels and eateries to know the rules and regulations regarding manufacture, processing and handling of food so that they are prepared during a surprise raid,” added the ACMO. Once lessons are over, tests (read inspections) will start. “Inspections in eateries of East Singhbhum were supposed to start from May last week, but district food inspector Krishna Prasad Singh was on leave. Once Singh is back, we will form a four-member team to verify if provisions of the food act are being followed,” said the ACMO. It means surprise checks in kitchens of hotels and restaurants. If hygiene is lacking, owners will get improvement notices. During the next check, if standards are not found to have improved, the eatery’s name will be sent to New Delhi, with a recommendation to cancel its registration. |
Take up registration, traders told
The Designated Officer for the district Dr.Dakshinamurthy and officials of various department explained the provisions of the Act.
Contaminated water tied to Illness
MADURAI: A week-long inspection by the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department at the hostel inside the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) revealed that unhygienic living conditions, poor maintenance of water tanks and supply of contaminated food were to blame for the recent outbreak of diarrhoea among nursing students.
On Thursday, when a team from the department checked the hostel canteen, they found that cool drinks and milk products in the refrigerator were contaminated.“We have seized those items,” food safety officer K Saravanan told Express. Saravanan said when they inspected the nursing hostel, they found that the food kept in the storeroom were unsuitable for consumption.“The storehouse was not maintained. Insects were found in pulses and rice.”
On Thursday, when a team from the department checked the hostel canteen, they found that cool drinks and milk products in the refrigerator were contaminated.“We have seized those items,” food safety officer K Saravanan told Express. Saravanan said when they inspected the nursing hostel, they found that the food kept in the storeroom were unsuitable for consumption.“The storehouse was not maintained. Insects were found in pulses and rice.”
Food licence tastes bitter
Restaurant owners and vendors in Bokaro are upset with the district health department's diktat to apply for licence or register by August 7 in compliance with the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration) Regulations, 2011, fearing it will lead to inspection raj.
According to assistant chief medical officer of Bokaro Arjun Prasad, owners of restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, sweet shops, fast food joints and roadside eateries will have to obtain licence or registration certificate from the department.
"We are surveying various blocks of Bokaro to identify the number of such operators as well as making them aware about the mandatory requirement for licence or registration for each of them before August 7," said Prasad, adding that about half-a-dozen shop-owners had already applied for registration/licence.
President of Bokaro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sanjay Vaidya, however, termed the department's notice draconian saying it would encourage inspection raj.
He argued that health officials would enjoy a free reign and demand bribe from the vendors in the name of issuing licence or registration.
"Big operators such as restaurant owners will remain unaffected, but roadside food stall owners will suffer, as they will be pressured by officials for granting licence or registration," said Vaidya, adding that the administration should launch awareness programme on hygiene instead.
Sanjay Singh, who runs a chowmein stall at Sector 12, said, "I barely manage to earn enough to feed my family. Where will I find the time to make rounds of offices to obtain a registration certificate?"
Prasad, however, pointed out that the new regulations were being implemented nationwide after they were formulated last year to bring about transparency.
The officer claimed that local bodies such as Mineral Area Development Authority, which issued licences to the shops and restaurants until now, did so without following standard norms.
Under the new regulations, he added, "all operators who record annual sales figures of over Rs 12 lakh will have to apply for licence and will be charged a fee of Rs 2,000".
He added that licences would be renewed every year.
Shop owners or vendors with annual sales below Rs 12 lakh will have to apply for registration at a fee of Rs 100.
Errant operators are liable to cough up fines between Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh.
"The regulations also provide for penalties and imprisonment for food adulteration," said Prasad.
According to assistant chief medical officer of Bokaro Arjun Prasad, owners of restaurants, hotels, grocery stores, sweet shops, fast food joints and roadside eateries will have to obtain licence or registration certificate from the department.
"We are surveying various blocks of Bokaro to identify the number of such operators as well as making them aware about the mandatory requirement for licence or registration for each of them before August 7," said Prasad, adding that about half-a-dozen shop-owners had already applied for registration/licence.
President of Bokaro Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sanjay Vaidya, however, termed the department's notice draconian saying it would encourage inspection raj.
He argued that health officials would enjoy a free reign and demand bribe from the vendors in the name of issuing licence or registration.
"Big operators such as restaurant owners will remain unaffected, but roadside food stall owners will suffer, as they will be pressured by officials for granting licence or registration," said Vaidya, adding that the administration should launch awareness programme on hygiene instead.
Sanjay Singh, who runs a chowmein stall at Sector 12, said, "I barely manage to earn enough to feed my family. Where will I find the time to make rounds of offices to obtain a registration certificate?"
Prasad, however, pointed out that the new regulations were being implemented nationwide after they were formulated last year to bring about transparency.
The officer claimed that local bodies such as Mineral Area Development Authority, which issued licences to the shops and restaurants until now, did so without following standard norms.
Under the new regulations, he added, "all operators who record annual sales figures of over Rs 12 lakh will have to apply for licence and will be charged a fee of Rs 2,000".
He added that licences would be renewed every year.
Shop owners or vendors with annual sales below Rs 12 lakh will have to apply for registration at a fee of Rs 100.
Errant operators are liable to cough up fines between Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh.
"The regulations also provide for penalties and imprisonment for food adulteration," said Prasad.
Red gram used in Vemulawada temple prasadam
KARIMNAGAR: Authorities of the Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy temple in Vemulawada are reportedly procuring sub-standard red gram containing harmful chemicals for preparation of prasadam, putting the lives of devotees at risk.
The shocking fact is revealed by a report prepared by the Central Food Laboratory, Kolkata, which analysed the red gram samples sent to it by Karimnagar district food inspector in March this year.
The report says, the red gram supplied to the temple by a Hyderabad-based trader contains Tartrazine, a synthetic lemon yellow food colouring, at more than permitted levels. Earlier, the State Food Laboratory also reported that the red gram supplied to the temple contained Tartrazine.
Red gram is used for preparing naivedyam, prasadam and in temple canteen at Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy temple and scores of devotees visiting the temple daily are taking the prasadam. Health experts term Tartrazine as an unhealthy addictive which has various side-effects like anxiety, migraines, asthma, blurred vision, eczema and other skin diseases.
Sources said, a Hyderabad-based trader supplied about 500 kg of red gram to the temple about six months ago. On reliable information, Karimnagar district food inspector P Preetam Kumar raided the temple store room on March 13. Samples of red gram and jeera, obtained during the raid, were sent to Central Food Laboratory in Kolkata for analysis which confirmed the presence of Tartrazine at more than permitted levels.
The temple management is now claiming that the samples collected by the food inspector were donated to the temple by some devotees and wrote a letter to the district food inspector in this regard.
Temple EO T Appa Rao told Express that he had no knowledge about such report and would react only after going through it thoroughly. The report was sent to the food safety commissioner’s office in Hyderabad. Another report is being prepared , to be submitted to the joint collector and adjudicating officer for further action.
The shocking fact is revealed by a report prepared by the Central Food Laboratory, Kolkata, which analysed the red gram samples sent to it by Karimnagar district food inspector in March this year.
The report says, the red gram supplied to the temple by a Hyderabad-based trader contains Tartrazine, a synthetic lemon yellow food colouring, at more than permitted levels. Earlier, the State Food Laboratory also reported that the red gram supplied to the temple contained Tartrazine.
Red gram is used for preparing naivedyam, prasadam and in temple canteen at Sri Rajarajeswara Swamy temple and scores of devotees visiting the temple daily are taking the prasadam. Health experts term Tartrazine as an unhealthy addictive which has various side-effects like anxiety, migraines, asthma, blurred vision, eczema and other skin diseases.
Sources said, a Hyderabad-based trader supplied about 500 kg of red gram to the temple about six months ago. On reliable information, Karimnagar district food inspector P Preetam Kumar raided the temple store room on March 13. Samples of red gram and jeera, obtained during the raid, were sent to Central Food Laboratory in Kolkata for analysis which confirmed the presence of Tartrazine at more than permitted levels.
The temple management is now claiming that the samples collected by the food inspector were donated to the temple by some devotees and wrote a letter to the district food inspector in this regard.
Temple EO T Appa Rao told Express that he had no knowledge about such report and would react only after going through it thoroughly. The report was sent to the food safety commissioner’s office in Hyderabad. Another report is being prepared , to be submitted to the joint collector and adjudicating officer for further action.
Your milk packet may contain sewage water
Four vendors, who used to fill empty milk packets with gutter water and sell it to customers in Vile Parle (East), have been arrested
Acting on a tip-off, Vile Parle cops arrested Ramesh Jhala (32), Ravi Anguri (29), Narsingh Ongalu (29) and Anjaya Ongalu (42) and seized 181 adulterated milk packets and 160 litres of adulterated milk. “They were playing with the lives of their customers, especially children. It is not just adulteration but a slow poison for consumers,” said a police officer from Vile Parle police station.
Seedy business: Cops seized 181 adulterated milk packets and 160 litres of adulterated milk from the four accused who were engaged in the business since six months at Vile Parle (E)
The accused were produced at Bandra Magistrate court and have been remanded to police custody till May 31. Further elaborating on the modus operandi, cops informed that the accused had devised two methods to adulterate milk packets. In the first method, they would tear open branded milk packets, and mix dirty water in them before sealing them with a stapling machine.
In the second method, the vendors would rummage through garbage bins and collect empty milk packets. They would then fill 60 per cent milk in the packet and mix it with 40 per cent gutter water, and seal it with a burning candle. Cops got specific information about milk adulteration being carried out in Vile Parle (E) from an informer on Sunday, and under the supervision of senior police inspector Talegaonkar, PI Tavre hatched a plan with PSI Vidhate, Patil and Mudhiraj to nab them. On Monday at around 7 am when the accused were about to sell the milk packets, cops arrested them. Cops have now requested residents to destroy empty milk packets, so that they cannot be used again.
Corpn seals its canteen
Chennai: The Chennai Corporation on Monday sealed its canteen after officials found that adulterated food was being sold. The move comes after Mayor Saidai Duraisamy and a team of officials inspected the canteen, run by the employees’ cooperative society.
Duraisamy said that food was served in unhygienic conditions and the price was high. "The canteen would be renovated and will be opened after 15 days,” he said. The canteen was sealed under the Anti-Food Adulteration Act.
Duraisamy said that food was served in unhygienic conditions and the price was high. "The canteen would be renovated and will be opened after 15 days,” he said. The canteen was sealed under the Anti-Food Adulteration Act.
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