'Zero tolerance' against food adulteration, warns A.K.Walia

Health Minister Dr. A.K. Walia has directed the Commissioner, Food Safety to take stringent action against unscrupulous food business operators indulging in food adulteration. He emphasised that public health is of prime concern to the Delhi Govt. and any violation on this count will not be tolerated. He was reviewing the implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act. in Delhi with the Commissioner and other Senior Officers of the Food Safety Deptt.
Noticing the need for greater vigilance, Dr. Walia directed that food safety officers must regularly visit the field during monsoon and on festival days to ensure that food business operators strictly follow food and safety standards. He directed that the food safety department official must further step-up strict prosecution action against the violators.
Dr. Walia informed that during the month of August, Food Safety Department launched prosecution action against food business operators whose food samples were found to be unsafe. Challans were issued in respect of eight operators as their samples contained sub-standard, extraneous matter or were mis branded.
Giving details he said that food safety officials during this month lifted 48 samples out of which eight samples were found unsafe, one sample each was sub-standard and misbranded whereas two samples contained extraneous matter.
The Health Minister warned the food business operator to maintain strict safety standard as per Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006. Any violator, he warned, will be strictly dealt with and prosecuted as per the existing provisions.

Milk adulteration racket at chilling plant unearthed in Maharashtra

A milk adulteration racket was on Wednesday busted at a Government chilling plant near Gondia in Eastern Maharashtra, officials said. Acting on a tip-off, a joint team of local police and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials raided the centre, located off NH-6 on Kohmara-Saundad Road under Duggipaar Police Station, and unearthed the racket, they said.
According to assistant police inspector Sachin Patil, the chilling centre, established in 1979, receives 5,000 litres of milk daily.
Rajendra Hanuman Prasad Dhole, an employee at the unit, use to mix around 200 to 300 litres of water in pure milk. To increase fat content, he use to mix non-permissible malto dextrine powder, syrup liquid and other chemicals in the milk, he said.
The raiding team seized powder used for adulteration and also destroyed some 500 litres of milk.
The milk from the chilling plant was being supplied to Chandrapur's Government Milk Scheme.
An offence under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 has been registered against Dhole.

Drive against rodents kicks off

  

Chennai Corporation launched an intensive programme to curb the rat and dog menace on Wednesday in the city, after being pulled up by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa. A total of 240 teams, including sanitary officers, health and food safety officials, inspected hospitals, marketplaces, bus stands and godowns in the city.

According to the civic body officials, this intensive programme of eliminating rodents would continue for the next 15 days. Between Tuesday and Wednesday, 27 dogs were rounded up from the Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children in Triplicane where the body of 12-day-old infant was found with injuries on her face on Monday. The pre-term baby had been declared dead by hospital authorities on Sunday evening and the body had been stored in a nearby room instead of being handed over to the family. The next morning, the family, hailing from the nearby Ayodhya Nagar slum, refused to take possession of the body as a portion of the face was damaged.

The family and other frequent visitors to the hospital said that dogs and cats had a free run at the hospital. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa held a meeting on Tuesday and issued a directive to the Chennai Corporation and other local bodies in the State to launch a cleaning programme at hospitals.

Corporation officials said they conduct such cleaning drives regularly but this time, a special intensive programme has been taken up. The officials are using pesticides like Ratol, which is injected in tomatoes or such food to attract the rats. The insecticide acts on the animal’s hepatic systemand damages its renal functioning. On Wednesday, officials were seen identifying rat burrows in the Government Kilpauk Hospital’s premises.

Hospital authorities blamed rat infestation on the poor hygiene practices of the visitors. Animals and rodents are attracted to leftovers and improperly discarded food, a health official said. On Wednesday, discarded food was seen near the neonatal ward of Kilpauk Hospital. Needless to say, there were also several rat burrows. Corporation officials said “rat fall” – the head count of rats killed – would be available around 11 a.m. on Thursday. Other animals would be subjected to the approved birth control programme and would not be killed.

“Process to ensure food safety for school kids is on” - THE HINDU

It would also study food habits of school children, food handling and hygiene practices in school kitchens, safety standards of ingredients in foods prepared at school canteens.

The Union Government on Wednesday informed the Delhi High Court that the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had given a contract to market research company A C Nielson ORG-MARG Pvt. Ltd. for framing guidelines to make available quality and safe foods at schools across the country.

Counsel for the Government submitted before a Division Bench of the Court comprising Justice A. K. Sikri and Rajiv Sahai Endlaw that before framing the guidelines, the company, among other things, would review the present status of safety and food quality and hygiene conditions in school premises.

It would also study food habits of school children, food handling and hygiene practices in school kitchens, safety standards of ingredients in foods prepared at school canteens, mess or under mid-day meal scheme and availability of infrastructure, counsel for the Government submitted.

The Court had in January this year given six months to FSSAI to hold deliberations with experts and frame necessary guidelines to make healthy food available at school canteens.

The Bench was hearing a public interest litigation by non-government organisation Uday Foundation seeking a complete ban on sale of junk food and carbonated drinks in school premises as well as within their 500-yard radius.

The petitioner submitted that it had been proved conclusively through researches that the fat-rich and fibre-deficient junk foods and carbonated drinks affected the mental and physical growth of children.

The petitioner sought framing of a national policy for school canteens to ensure quality and nutritious food to children across the country during their formative years.

Coke gets nod to produce energy drinks in India

Get ready for made-in-India energy drinks. Coca-Cola has received clearance from the government to manufacture energy drinks in the country. “We have got the clearances last month,” said a Coca-Cola spokesperson.
Coca-Cola is the first multinational company to secure government approval to produce energy drinks in India. “We do propose to manufacture the product in India, but this is at a very initial stage of planning,” the Coca-Cola spokesperson said in an emailed response.
Coca-Cola launched its energy drink, Burn, in India in December 2009. Prior to that, the cola major had launched another energy drink, Shock, in 2001, which failed to penetrate the Indian market. The company currently imports Burn from Malaysia to sell in India.
In India, Burn primarily competes with PepsiCo’s SoBe (launched in 2008), Red Bull and Power Horse that are marketed in India by two eponymous Austrian companies. Indian firm Goldwin Healthcare also markets Cloud 9 as an energy drink. Burn, priced at Rs 75 for a 300-ml can, is available in a few cities, including Mumbai, Delhi/NCR and Bangalore. Coca-Cola sells Burn in 80 countries across the world.
Energy drinks — essentially, non-alcoholic high-calorie caffeinated beverages — are popular among young people, especially at gyms, sports events and bars. As part of their marketing strategy, some energy drink makers link with high-octane sports. Red Bull, for instance, owns a Formula 1 car racing team.
The market size of energy drinks in India is estimated at about Rs 500 crore, growing 25 per cent year-on-year, according to a study by Technopak Advisors. The carbonated drinks market is close to Rs 6,000 crore and is growing by 10-12 per cent annually, according to the study.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has recently said energy drinks would now be called “caffeinated drinks” and packs should contain the statutory safety warnings, specifying “not recommended for children, pregnant or lactating women, persons sensitive to caffeine and sportspersons”. Energy drinks are banned in some countries, such as Denmark, Uruguay and Turkey. In Sweden, they are banned for sale to children.
The draft regulation on energy drinks — yet to be published — sets the upper limit of caffeine in a caffeinated beverage at 320 mg per litre or parts per million (ppm). According to the Coca-Cola website, Burn contains 0.03 per cent of caffeine in a can of 300 ml. Currently, the prescribed upper limit of caffeine in soft drinks and aerated sugar water is 145 ppm.

All-India survey of food served in school canteens

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will engage an agency to conduct a nationwide survey on the standard of food supplied in school canteens and suggest measures to improve them. During hearing on a PIL seeking a ban on the sale of junk food within 1,500 feet radius of schools, additional solicitor general Rajeev Mehra, who appeared for the health ministry, told the court: "There are several reported incidents of food poisoning in schools due to unhygienic food served in canteens. There is an increase in the quantity and variety of junk foods sold within the school premises that may have harmful effect on children's health both in short and long term. There may be many more incidents but they go unreported due to schools located in far off places and poor communication." Mehra submitted to the court a 'call of expression' for hiring the agency to frame the guidelines. The court had in October last year directed the Centre to immediately implement its plan to completely ban junk food and carbonated beverages from schools.
Petitioner Rahul Verma of NGO Uday Foundation told the court: "It is time we change the way kids eat in schools. Such a ban will set new standards for healthy food. On one hand, children are taught about good nutrition ... on the other hand, we continue to make junk food available to them."
The court had also given six months time to FSSAI to frame guidelines for banning junk food and aerated drinks in and around educational institutions.
The court had also asked the FSSAI to consult the All India Food Processors Association (AIFPA) and restaurant associations for framing the guidelines.

Guidelines on junk food in schools to be framed; FSSAI to HC

The task of framing guidelines on making available quality and safe food in the schools has been assigned to AC Nielsen QRG-MARG Pvt Ltd, the Delhi High Court was today informed.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) told a bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw that in pursuance of the earlier direction, it has given the task to formulate the guidelines to the private firm after inviting proposals from various expert agencies who do similar work.
The court took into records a report submitted by the FSSAI and fixed the hearing on the PIL on March 22 next year.
The report stressed the need for guidelines saying besides the students studying in public schools, there are more than twelve crores children are studying in government-run primary and upper primary schools in the country.
"There are several reported incidents of food poisoning in the schools due to unhygienic food served there," it said adding that hence, it necessitated the framing of guidelines.
Detailing the scope of study and subsequent guidelines, the FSSAI, in its report, today told the court that AC Nielsen QRG-MARG Pvt Ltd will review the present status of the safety and quality of food and also the sanitary and hygiene conditions of the food which is available in the school premises.
The court had earlier in January given six months time to FSSAI for framing guidelines on banning the sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around educational institutions in the country.

Punjab govt approves proposal to ban gutkha, pan masala; implementation soon 

Chandigarh: The Punjab Government on Monday banned the sale, storage, manufacture and distribution of Gutkha and Pan masala or other items with tobacco and nicotine content in the state.

An official spokesperson said that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had cleared the file and approved the proposal by the state Health and Family Welfare Department to ban the Gutkha and Pan masala in the larger interest of public health.

Recently, several states including Kerala, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have banned tobacco in gutkha and pan masala, as required under the Food Safety and Standards Authority Act which prohibits adulteration of food items.

New evidence from a government-sponsored survey of tobacco use prevalent in north India has shown that health warnings have helped a large majority of smokers in quitting the habit.

Cigarette smokers in Chandigarh found health warnings to be helpful in helping them quit. In Chandigarh, India's first smoke free city, 58 per cent adults who thought of quitting did so after reading and seeking health warnings.

Activist urge Uttar Pradesh government to ban Gutkha

LUCKNOW: Social activists in the city have demanded that Uttar Pradesh must ban Gutkha as it is categorised as a food item by Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006. As per the act, no food item can contain tobacco or nicotine. Talking to TOI after an interaction with several NGOs, coordinator for Citizen News Service, Bobby Rama Kant said that Regulation 2.4.3 of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006, notified for implementation from August 5, 2011 by the Government of India (GOI) states: "tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products".

The Supreme Court has clarified, "since pan masala, gutkha or supari are eaten for taste and nourishment, they are all food within the meaning of Section 2(v) of the PFA Act." The pressure group had written to Health and Family Welfare Minister Ahmed Hasan on the count who has expressed his deep concern on the alarming levels of tobacco consumption in UP state due to which people have to deal with life-threatening serious diseases such as cancers, heart diseases, respiratory diseases and other chronic ailments.

Shri Ahmed Hasan said that the government must act without delay to save lives which are lost due to these diseases attributed to tobacco use. Former senior faculty of Loreto Convent and Editor CNS Shobha Shukla said that "according to the UP state adult tobacco survey data, 49% men and 17% women use tobacco in some form or the other. 35.4% men use smokeless tobacco (such as Gutkha) and 23.9% men use smoking forms of tobacco such as cigarettes or bidis. 13.7% women use smokeless forms of tobacco (such as Gutkha) where as 4.6% women smoke tobacco.

Many states in India have already banned Gutkha, such as: Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Goa, Haryana, Punjab, and Gujarat; and Delhi state is likely to announce the ban on Gutkha very soon as per news reports. The ban in Delhi will not be fully effective unless there is a ban on Gutkha in Ghaziabad and NOIDA as well which are part of the NCR. Tobacco is established to be a lead cause of life-threatening non-communicable diseases such as heart diseases, stroke, cancers, respiratory illnesses, diabetes, among others. We believe there should be a ban on all forms of tobacco in the interest of public health. Government loses more money in treating tobacco-related illnesses than the revenue it gets from tobacco industry.

Gutkha ingredients too banned: FDA chief

NAGPUR: It is not just gutkha that has been banned by the state government but also its constituents that can be combined to make gutkha or pan masala. However, the ban on such ingredients seems to have got buried in the fine print of notification of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). Enforcing the ban on such material could take some more time as the matter is in court and everyone is awaiting its decision.
Food Safety Commissioner and Commissioner of FDA in the state Mahesh Zagade preferred not to answer questions on this subject here on Monday. He was in city to inaugurate a training programme on the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 (FSSA) that came into force last year. He also dodged questions on ban on tobacco.

However, Zagade told reporters after the inaugural function that the FDA had till now seized gutkha worth Rs5-7 crore. He also stated that the FDA was making efforts to convince neighbouring states also to ban gutkha so that its smuggling could be controlled. On FSSA, Zagade said implementation of the Act in the state had already fetched Rs45 crore revenue to the state as licence fees from the food joints. He explained that the Act had provision for compensation to a person claiming any disease or damage to body through consumption from unhygienic and contaminated food. It also had provision of recall system of a batch of any food item that violated the Act.
"The Act is more of a preventive measure than penal one. It has provisions for control of anything unhealthy being consumed by people. It is targeted at improving quality of foodgrains, vegetables, fruit and cooked and packed foods," he said. Zagade informed that the FDA had prepared a proposal of Rs800 crore for setting up of seven stationary and 37 mobile food testing laboratories for better and faster implementation of the Act.
The FDA commissioner also suggested his own administration and staff were not doing their job as desired. In his one and half-hour presentation in the inaugural session, he pointed out that the staff was not proactive, not working in mission mode, not delivering fully what was expected of it. Zagade said the administration lacked the visibility. "Our job is to prevent damage to human body due to consumption of any contaminated food. There is nothing more precious than human life and FDA should be its biggest guardian, even more than doctors," he told his officers.

Scientists work on probiotics for Indians

In the backdrop of numerous probiotic products in the market, Indian scientists are developing local strains of the bacteria to suit Indians better.
Government authorities are also bringing in guidelines to regulate clinical use of probiotics.
“A strain of lactobacillus plantarum from the Indian population has been submitted to the Institute of Microbial Technology for approval. Once it is approved, we will ask for phase one trials,” said Dr Sunita Grover, principal scientist, National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal.
She spoke on the sidelines of the 1st Annual Conference and International Symposium organised by the Probiotic Association of India (PAi).

With the theme ‘Probiotics for human health — New innovations and emerging trends’, the conference discussed production and use of probiotic organisms, and impact of probiotic foods in health, immunity and preventing diseases.

Probiotics are human health-friendly bacteria, which include lactobacillus and bifidobacteria. Usage of their various strains is claimed to improve overall health as well as some specific disorders.

K Chandramouli, chairperson, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), said, “There is a plethora of myths associated with probiotic food and their usage. The situation is further complicated due to lack of government regulatory quality control standards for probiotic foods in India, though Indian guidelines for probiotic cultures and foods have recently been launched by the Indian Council of Medical Research in collaboration with the union department of biotechnology.”

Pointing to limitations of the use of probiotics, PAi secretary Dr V K Batish said, “If an infant is healthy, then probiotics are good. But if the child has compromised immunity, then doctors have to be careful in giving probiotics.”

Food safety act has few takers among industry

KOCHI: The food business operators in the state, which mainly include hotels and restaurants, continue to be at loggerheads with the food safety authorities.
This despite the fact that Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the ministry of health and family welfare recently decided to extend the deadline to renew their licences under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006 to January 2013.
The earlier set deadline was August 5. But most of the food business operators in state did not renew their licences or take steps to improve hygiene in their outlets under the norms of the act.
The Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi has already demanded a cut in the licence fee and a reduction in the fine amount that is likely to be imposed on offences booked under the act. They had also issued a circular to all its members asking them not to renew their licences.
Under the act, fine up to Rs 10 lakh can be imposed even for small violations. The act stipulates that food business operators with an annual turnover up to Rs 12 lakh should pay a registration fee of Rs 100. Those with a turnover of over Rs 12 lakh have to remit a fee of Rs 5,000.
Meanwhile, an official of the food safety commissionerate in the state capital, said they will continue with the raids in hotels and restaurants and issue notices to voilators even though the deadline to get new licence has been extended.
Earlier the authorities had raided various hotels and restaurants across the state and issued notices to 696 of them to improve hygiene. They also asked 73 food outlets to close down.
With hotels protesting against raids, the authorities had also issued a 30-point guideline in the last week of July to ensure hygiene in hotels.
However, Jose Mohan, general secretary of the Kerala Hotels and Restaurants Association, maintained that most association members have renewed their licences. But he did not mince any words against the food safety officials. "The food safety commissioner does not have any authority to issue guidelines. We are planning to stage a protest in front of the secretariat on September 4 as the government has not called us for talks till now."