Get registered or get jailed: Health dept to eateries

All eateries and hotels, including pushcarts engaged in selling food items across the state, have to register with the health department before August 4 to avoid penalty.
The registration is mandatory under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. If they fail to comply, they will face a six-month jail term besides a penalty that may be extended up to Rs5 lakh.
“We will initiate penal action against those who fail to register themselves or avail of a licence from us,’’ said Anjum Parveez, commissioner, health, family welfare and Ayush services.
According to Parveez, 7,500 hotels, eateries and others engaged in selling food have registered with the health department till June 30.
However, there is no awareness on registration among the people who sell food on the roadside. Many of them find it difficult to visit the health department office.
“I am not aware of the law. No one told me to register my name with the department of health,’’ said K Shanmugam, who maintains a small hotel at Ulsoor.
The owners of hotels and eateries have to come to the Public Health Institute on Seshadri Road to submit the application for registration or to avail of licence. “We are sincerely considering the option of utilising the services of BangaloreOne centres in the city, but a final decision is yet to be taken,’’ Parveez said.
The health department plans a soft launch of the service that enables the people engaged in hospitality business to register their names online. “We are in talks with the National Institute of Smart Government of Hyderabad to introduce the service on a pilot basis in Mysore and Tumkur districts. Based on its success, we will extend it to other districts,’’ he said.
The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, makes it compulsory for those who had got the licence earlier to apply for it again. Eateries or hotels whose turnover is less than Rs12 lakh need not apply, but they have to get registered nevertheless.
Licence is a must for those whose turnover is more than Rs12 lakh per year.

Shortage of staff
Though the health department has made registration of hotels and eateries across the state compulsory, there is acute shortage of food safety officers.
There are about 80 officers against the actual requirement of 258. Bangalore City requires 48 officers, but there are only five. The city needs four officers to monitor a food safety officer, but as of now there is only one.
“The shortage of staff is a cause of concern. The authorities have not taken measures to fill up vacancies for the last few years,’’ said a food safety officer.
However, Parveez is confident of overcoming this problem. “We have already discussed with the finance department to make arrangements for the recruitment of 175 food safety officers shortly,’’ he said.

Crackdown against tobacco sellers in Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA: In a bid to curb rising cancer cases in Himachal Pradesh, the government had banned the sale of tobacco products from Friday onwards but despite ban shopkeepers are still selling the products like gutkha, khaini in their shops due to ineffective monitoring.

After finding no effect of ban orders, now excise and taxation department has decided to launch a drive from Monday onwards to destroy the tobacco products.

According to sources, from the state headquarter of department directions have been issued to all the districts to conduct raids at the shops to act against the erring officials.

"During raids stock of tobacco products would be checked and shopkeepers would have to show the original bills too," said a senior officials from excise and taxation department.

Officials said that despite ban if a shopkeeper sells the product then action under food safety and standards act of 2006. "Besides cancelling the registration and license of such shopkeepers, six months imprisonment and fine upto Rs 5 lakh too could be imposed," added the officials. Sources said that sale of tobacco products like including Khaini, Gutka,pan masala is more in the tourist towns and stockists have hidden their bulk supply and are now clandestinely distributing it to small retailers on demand.

In Shimla sale of such products is more in Mall road area where same is being sold despite ban. Widespread use of tobacco products has resulted into unprecedented rise in number of cancer patients in hill state. Himachal Pradesh had 16405 cancer patients in 2009 that increased to 19705 in 2010 while the number increased to 23241 by 2011-12.

Analysis of rising cases had shown that tobacco consumption was one of the main reasons for cancer.

According to sources apart from registering 2000 new cases each year, state is also witnessing around 200 deaths and this has been established in the study done by cancer hospital in Shimla. Sources said that 45% patients were suffering with mouth and throat cancer caused by excessive use of tobacco products.

Loss of energy

Energy drinks may no longer be able to call themselves that. V. Kumara Swamy on a proposed regulation that seeks to clarify that their kick comes essentially from caffeine

Energy drinks in India may soon have to drop the word “energy” and settle for a less glamorous descriptive such as “caffeinated beverage” or “caffeinated drink.” Not just that. If the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has its way, they may also be asked to carry a warning. The FSSAI has proposed that the words “Not recommended for children, pregnant or lactating women, persons sensitive to caffeine” be displayed in a bold font on every can of energy drinks. The FSSAI, a government body that lays down science-based standards for food, has asked the government to carry out the necessary changes in the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, to bring this into effect. Currently, there are no standards for energy drinks in India, apart from the fact that a maximum level of 145 ppm (parts per million) of caffeine is allowed in India in carbonated drinks such as a colas. According to an official of the FSSAI, some of the energy drinks the organisation tested contained as much as 250 to 320 ppm of caffeine. However, energy drinks manufacturers claim that a 250 ml can would contain the same level of caffeine as a mug of instant coffee. If the government goes ahead with the recommendations of the FSSAI, some of the energy drinks in India that are likely to be affected are Red Bull, XXX, Cloud 9 and Burn. Energy drink companies were not available for comment on the guidelines proposed. The FSSAI describes a caffeinated drink as any energy drink that is non-alcoholic, and claims to have the ability to provide heightened energy and alertness. Energy drinks such as Red Bull and others are non-alcoholic beverages that contain stimulants such as caffeine, taurine, guarana ginseng, carnitine and others. “Caffeine remains a major component of these drinks. The fact is they are not energy drinks and the kick comes from the caffeine. The proposed caffeinated drink on the label would state the obvious,” says Bejon Misra, consumer activist and a member of the FSSAI board. Globally, coffee is considered the most common source of caffeine. This is followed by tea, energy and carbonated drinks. According to the FSSAI, caffeine in large amounts, especially over extended periods of time, could lead to a condition known as “caffeinism” that could cause a “wide range of unpleasant physical and mental conditions, including nervousness, irritability, anxiety, tremulousness, muscle twitching, insomnia, headaches, respiratory alkalosis, and heart palpitations.” Although some studies have pointed to cardiovascular diseases as a result of excessive intake of caffeine, others have been rather inconclusive. “One thing is for sure: anything taken in huge quantities, including caffeine, is harmful. It is for us to warn the consumers, and that's what the latest guidelines propose,” says health counsellor and nutritionist Ishi Khosla. “Scientific studies from around the world have showed that caffeine could be harmful for children and lactating mothers. And we also need to warn consumers in general about its possible ill effects,” says Vasundhara Pramod Deodhar, Mumbai Grahak Panchayat and one of the members of the FSSAI. According to Deodhar, since energy drinks in India have been promoted as energy boosters and dietary supplements in some cases, it is imperative that consumers are clearly warned. The energy drinks market in India is estimated to be valued at around Rs 250 crore and is growing at a fast pace of about 20 per cent per annum. This makes proper regulations and labelling even more important, say experts. “Several countries have strict labelling standards and it’s time India had them too. We are merely pointing to the possible ill effects of caffeine through the label. Naturally, it is for the consumer to decide whether to have it or not,” says Deodhar. On the energy drink companies’ argument that a mug of coffee could contain as much caffeine as a can of energy drink, activists say that coffee is consumed in small quantities in India and it cannot be compared to energy drinks. “That’s not an argument at all. In India we have tea and coffee in small quantities and nobody claims that they are energy drinks like these companies do,” says Misra. Since many of the energy drinks are sold in night clubs and people often mix alcohol with them, the danger of side effects is even greater, according to experts. “This is a dangerous trend. People could end up consuming a lot of these drinks along with alcohol,” says Khosla. It was this concern that prompted the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (MFDA) to seize lakhs of crates of a particular energy drink earlier this year, accusing it of flouting the rules on caffeine. According to an official of the MFDA, the current law that governs carbonated drinks could be applied to energy drinks on limits of caffeine. However, energy drink makers dispute this and point to a Madras High Court order that clearly states that energy drinks do not come under the rules laid down for carbonated drinks. That is why, say activists, the government needs to implement the guidelines as fast as possible. “The industry has a simple rule. If possible it would like to keep the consumer in the dark. In such a situation, the onus is on the government to frame the rules to protect consumer interests,” says Misra.

Food inspections intensified ahead of Ramadan

 

DUBAI: The Food Control Department at Dubai Municipality (DM) is well geared up for Ramadan in order to preserve the health and safety of members of the community during the Holy Month. The civic body will carry out regular inspections throughout the month to make sure that food establishments meet the hygiene requirements for the transporting, storage, preparation and display of foodstuffs. During Ramadan, it is a common practice among the public to buy snacks sold on the streets. Consumption of fried foods in the month of Ramadan is more, and therefore the DM is focused on the quality of oil used in frying foods and making sure places of storage and preparation areas of foods are hygienic. The expected rise in temperature and humidity during the Ramadan will accelerate the damage to and deterioration of the food in the absence of complying with the rules by keeping each food item within the appropriate temperature range. The municipality on Sunday has issued a memo in this regard to all food outlets to ensure that food is prepared and displayed safely during the month. According to the order, the food outlets including eateries, bakery outlets, restaurants, cafeterias, catering service establishments and retail shops require a separate Municipality permit to display and sell snacks, sweets and other traditional food items. Khalid Mohammed Sharif, director of Food Control Department at DM, said, “All foods should be sold in closed display cases in a clean area, free of spills, dirt and pests. The snacks should be sold in clean packs. Open displays will not be permitted.” “Food handlers who sell snacks should maintain high standards of personal hygiene by wearing gloves and head covers. They should also have occupational health cards,” added Sharif. The municipality will make ensure that foods are cooked at appropriate temperatures, and after preparation they are preserved at temperatures of more than 65˚C for keeping them hot and less than 5˚C for keeping them cool. Not keeping food at temperatures in the range between 5˚C and 65˚C is highly risky and may lead to food decaying and incidence of food poisoning, warns Bobby Krishna, senior food safety officer at the municipality. “All snacks with stuffed meat, vegetables and eggs should be kept hot at 65˚C or above until sold. Certain snacks like pakoras and fries that are not stuffed can be kept for not more than two hours from the time of preparation,” he explained. “Proper temperatures help control the growth of pathogens (agents such as bacteria that can cause disease) in food. Food held out of temperature is considered a serious risk factor,” he added. “Open display of food leads to contamination and renders the food unsafe for human consumption. Bacteria, viruses and other pathogens can find its way into the food through contaminated environment, people and pests,” said Krishna. Sharif called upon the food establishments to apply before the Holy Month for special permission to display and sell food during Ramadan to ensure that they comply with the hygiene requirements for external display. He advised consumers not to buy food from outlets that do not follow the municipality rules. “If you find food displayed in the open, please report to us at 800-900.” Food outlets fined Meanwhile, inspectors in Ajman have fined hundreds of food related establishments for not meeting the requirements of food safety in the emirate in the first six months of this year, officials have told. Municipality inspectors made 17,243 inspections and fined 1,328 establishments that were in violation. The figures also showed that the municipality received a total of 1,052 complaints from the public on food outlets. The Municipality Food Control Laboratory also examined 4,485 samples of food items from 642 food outlets both licensed and those seeking a licence and found only 46 samples not fit for human consumption. There were no comparative figures given in previous years. Yahya Ibrahim Ahmed, director general of Ajman Municipality and Directorate of Planning, said they were tightening their food control inspections all over the emirate to ensure that residents’ lives were not at risk of food poisoning. “We are adding about 12 new devices in the central food laboratory, including devices that would examine samples of milk and juices not present in the laboratory before,” he said. Eng. Khalid Moeen Al Hosani, director general of Public Health and Environment Department at the Municipality, said inspections were to be intensified as part of the municipality’s preparations for the Holy Month of Ramadan. “We have made all the arrangements to ensure that inspectors reach every corner of the emirate and ensure that the food in the market does not affect the health of our fasting residents,” he said. Meanwhile, in a pre-Ramadan special inspection drive on high-risk food outlets in Madinat Zayed in the Western Region, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) inspectors issued 19 warnings and destroyed 16 kilogrammes of food items. No violations were charged because of considerable improvement in adherence to food safety standards in general in the city. Targeting a total of 34 food outlets in the city which included restaurants, cafeterias, bakeries and confectioneries, meat and fish shops and the central market, the three teams of inspectors also tried to raise the level of food safety awareness among workers in the outlets. Mohamed Jalal Al Reyaysa, director of Communication and Community Service at ADFCA, said the authority was spreading its wings far and wide in order to ensure a food-safe Ramadan for all citizens, residents and visitors. “In view of the Ramadan rush in food outlets, we are now conducting rigorous inspections at all food establishments, especially the high-risk ones so that the Holy Month passes off without any untoward incidents caused by unsafe foods. We call upon the public to bring to our notice any food safety violations they come across,” he added.

Food adulteration menace: FSSAI drafts policy to reward whistleblowers

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is giving final touches to a draft reward scheme for whistleblowers providing information on cases of food adulteration. This was informed to FnB News in a chat over telephone by an official from FDA Maharashtra.

The notification has been proposed to cover areas such as information that would qualify for rewards under the scheme, persons who would be able to furnish information under the scheme, mechanism for receiving the information under the scheme and further processing of information, and disbursement of the reward and fund allotment.

As per Section 95 of the FSS Act - "The state government may empower the commissioner of food safety to order payment reward to be paid to a person who renders assistance in the detection of the offence or the apprehension of the offender from such fund and in such manner to be prescribed by the state government."

In order to encourage inflow of information from all stakeholders regarding adulterated food and unsafe food, the FSSAI has proposed to introduce a reward scheme for whistleblowers from funds being made available to state governments under a Centrally-sponsored scheme.

Under this scheme, a whistleblower may inform the apex regulatory body or the food safety officers about the offence regarding the manufacture, storage, and distribution of any kind of article of food for human consumption and that which is sub-standard, or sale of misbranded food or one which contains extraneous or adulterated matter.

The actual award under each category would depend on the nature of the offence for which the information would be provided.

In this regard, state governments would be allotted funds annually for disbursal of rewards under the scheme.

Improper labelling, misbranding of food products; new task for regulators

Even as the deadline for food business operators (FBOs) to obtain licences and registrations under the FSS Act, 2006, - August 5, 2012 - is fast approaching, the state Food & Drugs Administration and Food & Drugs Control Administration (FDAs and FDCAs) have another key issue to deal with - labelling practices.

The regulatory officials have to deal with two types of offenders in this area. The first category is the unbranded sector which does not conform to the labelling rules laid down in the Act and the other is a part of a sector engaged in mass production of 'branded' edibles with vague labels. To be precise, the latter can be called as companies manufacturing 'misbranded' products.

Expertspeak

The unbranded food sector is highly scattered and that is perhaps the reason why it is difficult for the FDA and FDCA to track the violators, a professor of nutrition told.

Manisha Parelkar, associate professor, food science and nutrition, S P N Doshi Women's College, Mumbai, said, "The unbranded players face one major challenge - they cannot avail the services of a labelling consultant. Moreover, they lack the technical expertise their counterparts in the organised sector have, and would not be able to spend as much as them."

Speculating about the role of the regulatory body, she said, "It is a broad-based role, and isn't limited to merely framing policy and making decisions, but also includes activities such as appointing the scientific committee that will review and approve the rules."

"FSSAI currently seems to be in a state of flux and is streamlining itself to undertake its activities better. There are not enough people to make sure the branded sector is adhering to the rules and regulation, so their main focus is working in tandem with the existing players in this sector. Once the systems and core guidelines are in place, the unbranded sector will not have any grievances," Parelkar said.

Nutritional information complex
Parelkar welcomed the stipulation in the Food Safety and Standards Act that says, "All food packs should contain the nutritional information in it."

However, she added that since it is numeric information - for instance, an edible has X number of kilocalories, and its protein, carbohydrate, vitamin, mineral and fat content are Y, Z, A, B and C respectively - only a handful of people from outside the industry understand it.

"The background information about a product should be mentioned clearly on the pack, and there should be more non-numeric information. But in a nutshell, we can say that unbranded products need to become compliant with the requirements of CODEX and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006," she said.

Ajit Mota, proprietor, Mota Chips, said, "There are many home-based industries that make namkeen in Dharavi and Ghatkopar. They sell misbranded products and often deceive the customer into buying a product whose ingredients are sub-standard. They are not bound by various kinds of tax obligations. Restaurants actually prefer to purchase these because they are cheaper."

Customer's grievance
It came to notice that a customer recently visited two stores. At one he saw a packet of ready-to-cook (RTC) chapattis costing Rs 10, and from the other, he bought the same product costing twice that.

"Both the products were obviously unbranded. While no information about the product was given on the Rs 10 pack, only half the information - namely the contact details of the company; the nutritional information; the cooking method, and a storage tip - was provided on the Rs 20 pack," said the customer, on condition of anonymity.

He added, "The pack did not contain the three most important details, namely the MRP, the batch number of the product and its use-by date. Instead, there was an instruction which simply read, 'See on pack'. Finding none on the pack, I opened it and read the information inside it, but it was illegible."

FDA's take

When contacted, K V Sankhe, joint commissioner (food), Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, said, "The customer should write a letter, contact via e-mail or call to the office of the joint commissioner (Greater Mumbai Division), Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, informing him about the same."

When asked what information the label on a food pack should contain, he replied, "Apart from the contact details of the company and the nutritional information, it is mandatory to include the MRP, the batch number of the product and its dates of manufacture and expiry."

If any of, or all, these details are missing on the pack's label, Sankhe said it must be reported in detail to the state FDA or the concerned zonal office, who will arrive at the outlet from which it was bought and the manufacturer's premises and conduct a raid on the same.

When quizzed about the punishment a violator is liable for, he said, "That depends on the offence. Various levels of offences are mentioned in the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, and so are the corresponding monetary fines or terms of imprisonment. It also depends on whether the result of an FDA raid matches the claim of the aggrieved customer. We cannot even take a tall claim lightly."

Prosecutions in Goa

Goa's Food and Drug Administration says that it has conducted raids on the premises of a number of establishments that manufacture unbranded food products.

Rajiv Korde, a food inspector with the state FDA, told FnB News via telephone, "We have, in fact, filed a number of prosecutions in the district collector's office. We now await the consent."

A large section of the Goan population consumes non-vegetarian food. Korde said it is mandatory to clearly indicate that the product contains meat on the pack. "The symbol for non-vegetarian food is a brown dot, and the symbol for vegetarian food is a green one," he said.

As regards the punishment for offences, Korde echoed the sentiments expressed by Mumbai's Sankhe. "The Act lays down the offences and punishments." The FDA inspector said people found violating any provision of the Act can be fined a sum ranging between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 5 lakh; and in addition, he/she could be sentenced to or imprisoned for a specified term.

Farsan, paneer samples fail

The violators are manufacturers of unbranded farsan and paneer, said Korde, who is based in Ponda, Goa. "Although they possess the licenses, about a dozen or so were found indulging in unethical practices like misbranding, and we've cracked down on a few of these players," he said.

The proceedings are yet to be initiated by the collector of North Goa (Korde's home district), who is the adjudicating officer. He mentioned the teething troubles they are facing because they are yet to make the transition from the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, which came into effect in 1954, to the FSSA.

"Once he starts the process, it is binding on him to complete the same within 60 days, as stipulated by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006," said Korde

Food safety norms for roadside eateries to come into force

CHENNAI: Taking up the cause of food policing, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has come out with a set of guidelines for roadside eateries and fast food shops in the country and sent it to the National Food Safety Authority.

If implemented, street food vendors will be forced to adopt better hygienic practices.

All mobile and fixed roadside eateries will come under the purview of guidelines under IS 2492, the hygiene standard for restaurants. Quality of raw materials for food preparation, transportation and storage of food items, locations of street food stalls, etc will be checked under the new guidelines. Currently, street food vendors do not adhere to any guidelines or standards for food safety. Many of them are situated near drains and dustbins. Even the cooking oil is procured from eateries which sell their used oil to roadside vendors. And the food is stocked in shabby conditions, putting at risk the health of consumers.

K Anbarasu, deputy director general, BIS southern region said hygiene in densely populated areas is still a challenge for health initiatives. "The new guidelines and storage rules for water, milk, tea or coffee powder, fruits, vegetables and the meat is expected to bring an important change in street food operations," he said.

"The kitchen utensils and cutting tools should be clean and disinfected. Personal hygiene of vendors will also be checked. Use of newspapers for packaging will be stopped," said a BIS official.

BIS officials said food inspectors from local bodies should enforce these guidelines mandatorily for thousands of such shops in the cities. However, senior officials in the Chennai Corporation said there is a huge shortage of manpower in the food safety and control department. "We are short of staff to even conduct inspections based on written complaints. Without appointing adequate officers, it will be difficult to enforce the new guidelines," said a senior official.

In Chennai, majority of the poor depend on street food as restaurants are beyond their reach. Sumesh Jha, a construction labourer who has been staying in Chennai for four years, says he gets a chicken biriyani for Rs 35 from a street vendor in Egmore. "When I get 350 for a day's work, how can I spend 100 or 150 for a biriyani from a restaurant?" he asked.

Food Safety Act needs to be implemented at holy town

Katra, July 15: It is sad to say that despite passing of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 in J&K state, its implantation in letter and spirits is not gaining ground. It is well known fact that for having darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi Ji every day hundred of devotees used to visit base camp Katra and for the well-being of devotees at least Food Safety Act needs to be implemented vigorously, locals said. But concerned departmental officers are least bothered about the health hazards that can give rise to number of diseases after in taking contaminated foods generally sold out at reharis and shops under open sky.
In the town, there are number of dhabas, reharis at every nook and corner, where every day hundred of yatris have food, snacks and refreshment diet. But concerned departmental and administrative officers never seem to be serious enough to check about the level of hygienic food being served to devotees at number of reharis and dhabas. Youths including Sachin Sharma, Ankush Singh, Pardeep Kumar, Sandeep Sharma blamed the departmental officials who occasionally visit to collect fine just as an eye wash. One can even visit at the licensed reharis parked at main bus stand and Jammu- Udhampur roads to check the quality of food is being served to devotees. Surprisingly reharis are parked outside the Urianls at main Bus Stand Katra.