Jul 25, 2012

STATUTORY ADVISORY FOR EXTENDING TIME PERIOD


PROCEEDINGS OF THE CFS, KERALA


DINAMALAR NEWS


DINAMALAR NEWS



List of Hotels closed after issuing improvement notices in the State of Kerala

List of Hotels closed after issuing improvement notices in the State of Kerala in
the inspections conducted as per the directions from the Commissioner of
Food Safety, Kerala.
Thiruvananthapuram District:
1. Devi Hotel, General Hospital Jn.
2. Lakshmi Hotel, General Hospital Jn.
3. Meera Hotel, General Hospital Jn.
4. Hotel Ananthapuri, Kesavadasapuram
5. Hotel Radhakrishna, Medical College
6. Hotel Maloo, Kazhakoottam
7. Chicken Corner, Kazhakoottam
8. Coffee Bar, Medical College
9. Medical College Hospital Canteen 1
10. Medical College Hospital Canteen 2
11. Medical College Hospital Canteen 3
12. Hotel Ansari, Neyyattinkara
13. KSRTC canteen, Neyyattnkara
14. Hotel Subhash, Neyyattikara
15. Hotel Aryas, Nedumangad
16. Hotel Bismi, Vizhinjam
17. Thripthi Hotel, Vizhinjam
18. Surya Fast Food, Mukkola
19. Hotel Bismi, Balaramapuram
20. Immanuel Hotel, Mukkola
Pathanamthitta
1. Hotel Arya Bhavan, Near KSRTC, Pathanamthitta
2. Evergreen continental, College Road, Pathanamthitta
3. Hotel Ambika, Kozhencherry, Cherukol Road
4. City Bakery
5. Kavungal Hotel, Adoor, Kadavumgal
6. Aditya Hotel, Panappilly
Ernakulam
1. Hotel Nalanda, Near South Railway Station, Ernakulam
2. Hotel Saphire, Opp.Airport
3. Hotel Rolex, Opp.K.S.R.T.C
4. Hotel paradise, Edappally
5. Taza Taste, Palarivattom(Shawarma)
6. Hotel Malabar, Anakamaly
Thrissur
1. Hotel Priya, Ayyanthole
2. Hotel Royal Palace, Aswini Hospital Jn.,
3. Hotel Welcome, Choondal
4. Hotel Kanishka, Guruvayoor
5. PV’s Plaza, Thrissur
6. Panicker’s Hospital canteen, Kodungallur, Thrissur
7. Anupama Hotel, Mala
8. Flower Hotel, Mala
Kozhikkode
1. Brothers, Puthiyangadi
2. Hotel Highway, Chemanchery
3. Hotel ‘D’ Chandra, Kozhikkode
4. Super Hotel, Kunnamangalam, Kozhikkode
Palakkad
1. KSRTC Canteen, Palakkad
2. Malabar Spicy, Palakkad
Kollam
1. Hotel Plaza, Near KSRTC Bus stand , Kollam
2. Hotel New Arya Bhavan, Near KSRTC Bus stand , Kollam
3. Hotel Chix, Kollam

Compulsary registration for food outlets soon

Compulsary registration for wayside food outlets and those selling food items prepared from homes will be implemented soon. It would be as per the new rule in the Food Safety Act. As per the government order, registration should will be made mandatory by August 4. As per the new rules, food selling outlets are classified into two sections, one where the annual sales is more than Rs 12 lakh and the second below Rs 12 lakh. With this, not only hotels, fish, meat stalls, cool drink shops, wayside shops all would come under the rule.

The aim is to include all under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Registered food outlets should display the registration number on the cover of the food item being sold. Registration would be given only after examining the surroundings where food is prepared and examining the hygiene. Medical certificates along with registration is needed for those who prepare the food

MINUTES OF THE 8th CAC MEETING



















EXTENSION OF SCIENTIFIC PANELS


AHAR members to get lessons in hygiene

There is perhaps nothing as important in the food industry as food safety and hygiene practices. Which is why DNA, in association with Equinox Labs, is organising a session to educate over 200 members of AHAR — Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association and students from its catering college about the importance of maintaining a hygienic kitchen and serving safe and healthy food.
No matter how tasty the food, if it is not prepared in a hygienic and healthy manner, it’s sure to destroy the business and reputation of any restaurant or hotel. Customers patronise a food establishment with the implicit trust that they will be served food prepared in a clean and hygienic way and it’s extremely important for restaurants to abide by this trust.
In the session, hoteliers and restaurant owners will be made aware of the hygiene norms established by the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and will also be guided on how to comply with these norms effectively.
The responsibilities that members of the food industry have in providing health and hygienic food will be emphasised as will the penalties for not adhering with the rules set by the FSSAI. Any questions that the participants might have will also be answered by the experts present at the session.
Given that the monsoon in Mumbai comes with its share of gastrointestinal illnesses, food safety and hygiene gains even more importance during the rainy months. Hence, they should be at the top of the list of priorities for all members of the food industry.
Through this latest event under the Hygiene for Kitchens campaign, DNA aims to make it safer for all Mumbaikars to go out and enjoy the gastronomical delights the city has to offer, no matter what time of the year.
This Hygiene for Kitchens session will be conducted on Thursday between 4pm and 6pm at Hotel Krishna Palace Residency in south Mumbai

Now, VTA sends letter to FSSAI seeking extension to licensing deadline

With August 5, 2012, the last date for compliance with Licensing and Registration under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), 2011, just around the corner, industry groups are urging the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country's apex food regulator, to extend the deadline. In fact, one of them, the Nagpur-based Vidarbha Taxpayers' Association (VTA), has called them pro-FDI regulations, which could bring the Inspector Raj back, and expressed hope that the deadline is extended by at least a year.

Tejinder Singh Renu, honorary secretary, VTA, and Nagpur Residential Hotels Association (NRHA), has sent a letter titled, "Appeal for extension to one year deadline expiring on August 4, 2012, as stipulated under Regulation 2.1.2 of Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011."

It was addressed to Dr Manmohan Singh, prime minister; Sharad Pawar, minister of agriculture and food processing industries; Ghulam Nabi Azad, minister of health and family welfare; K Chandramouli, chairman, FSSAI; and Mahesh Zagade, food safety commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra.

"We welcome the repealing of various Central Acts such as the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954; Fruit Products Order, 1955; Meat Food Products Order, 1973; Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947; Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order, 1988; Solvent Extracted Oil, De-oiled Meal and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967; Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992; etc. after the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which came into force across the country on August 5, 2011," the letter said.

It stated, "However, on close scrutiny of the Act, Rules and Regulations of the Food Safety and Standards, we found that the provisions mentioned therein are in favour of foreign direct investment (FDI), and are literally meant to shut down small- and medium-sized food business establishments and clearly support only multi-national corporations (MNCs)."

The letter criticised FSSAI for its failure to strike a balance between the existing procedures followed and surprisingly making the same provisions from farm to fork. "That means a petty dhaba and a seven-star hotel will have to comply with the same norms, as no parameters or gradation is described in the FSSA, 2006," it said.

Although FSSAI was incorporated to lay 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, the letter states, "Without studying the Indian market, agricultural procedures and other parameters, the Act has been enacted, which we feel has been done in haste and the FSSAI has not given the stakeholders a lawful opportunity."

564 water units have no ISI certification, State tells court

The State government on Tuesday informed the Karnataka High Court that 564 mineral and packaged drinking water units in the State were functioning without the ISI certification and only 224 such units had ISI certification from Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).
This information was given to a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Aravind Kumar during the hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition complaining that a large number of such units are operating in the State without the mandatory ISI certification.
Government counsel R.G. Kolle told the Bench that the authorities had issued notice to 491 units and had closed down 27 units that had no ISI certification.
In Bangalore urban district, there are 69 units operating without ISI certification as against 96 with the certification.
Meanwhile, some of the manufacturers disputed the position of law on mandatory requirement of ISI certification from the BIS after enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which became operative from 2011. Counsel for some manufacturers pointed out that there was insufficient number of laboratories of the BIS to test water.
After hearing the contentions, the Bench asked the State Commissioner of Food Safety to be present in the court on Friday while directing the government to file an affidavit on the steps proposed for testing water supplied by such units to ensure safety of drinking water.