Emulating Dubai-model food safety a ‘ridiculous’ idea, says WHO expert

Dr N.Anandavally, WHO Food Safety Consultant. Photo: Special Arrangement.

“There is no dearth of rules, regulations or laws in India to protect the health of consumers or to ensure fair practices in the food trade. But, laxity or some sort of `misfiring’ at the implementation level has been identified as the key problem facing the State in terms of food safety,’’ says Dr N. Anandavally, Food Safety Consultant of the World Health Organisation.

Talking to The Hindu, Dr Anandavally who is also a member of many expert committees of the WHO and Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), said the reported move to emulate Dubai-model food safety in Kerala was nothing short of a ‘ridiculous’ idea.

Dr Anandavally, who had reviewed the food safety regulations of Dubai Municipality in 2009 and had trained many a senior official at the municipality, says that the rules and regulations in India are more science-based than that of the small Emirate.

She said the food safety rules and regulations in India were developed after continuous monitoring, review and expert consultations over a period of nine years and are at par with that of any developed country. “We have got extra strong teeth, but lack of will and effort to make an effective grind with it is the problem with us, ultimately making a mockery of the entire system itself,’’ she adds.

“Emulating Dubai-model food safety system in Kerala would be a sheer wastage of time and money as our regulations are more science-based and industry-specific that very well spell out a Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), Good Hygiene Practice (GHP), and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) requirements.’’

Dr Anandavally said, unlike Dubai, India has got a diverse food culture and a wide variety of food industries. But, what Dubai is getting are various sorts of processed and imported food, facilitating a more easier control on the clients and suppliers which can never be compared with the Kerala scenario, she adds.

Dr Anandavally said an improved supporting system was a must to ensure a strong food control and safety mechanism in the State.

According to her, basic infrastructure facility is also an important aspect to be taken into consideration while talking about food safety. Water, general sanitary conditions, drainage system, import control on various food items are all good and systematic in Dubai. The cold chain system there works well. There is no power shortage in Dubai. All shops are well arranged there and not to speak of their excellent warehousing and approval system, she said.

She stressed the need to impart proper training to all food inspectors and food handlers in an earnest effort to effectively implement the prevailing rules of the land, instead of blindly following any alien model which would never work in the typical Kerala scenario.

MAALAI MALAR NEWS

Officials seize 1.5 tonnes of beef smuggled from AP

• 
  
  

Caught red handed: The meat seized at Egmore Railway Station in the city on Wednesday | R Satish Babu 

Chennai Corporation officials seized 14 boxes weighing 1.5 tonnes of beef which came from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh via the Circar Express, at the Egmore station here on Wednesday.
Following media reports about meat smuggled in from AP and sold in city shops, Corporation Health officials and Railway officials together conducted a raid at the Egmore station where they seized the meat.
The meat was sanitised and buried in the Corporation dumping ground at Kodungaiyur, said Health officials.
The seized meat, which came packed in ice boxes, had no quality stamps. Officials said that more than half of the boxes contained meat that seemed unfit for consumption.
There was a suspicion whether the meat was from butchered animals or carcasses. Meat sold in the city comes from the Corporation’s slaughter houses, where it is stamped for quality.
Officials said that its source would be difficult to determine. “Meat from the animals slaughtered here would be certified because we will be able to perform a postmortem and ascertain that the animal was indeed healthy. Here, we have no such proof,” said a veterinary doctor.
An official statement from the Corporation said that meat coming into Chennai would be thoroughly checked and confiscated if found to be of poor quality and without the official stamp.

67,500 Sachets Seized,Three Criminal Complaints Filed On First Day Of Ban

Ahmedabad: On Day One of the gutka ban,the state government ensured wide-scale raids on roadside kiosks,shops and pan outlets.Municipal corporations and nagarpalikas all seemed to be trying to rack up impressive raid figures.
In all,67,500 gutka sachets were seized by various urban local bodies,three criminal cases were registered for stocking gutka,and warnings were issued to 3,953 shops where gutka was found,across the state.
On how the authorities plan to deal with people in possession of gutka sachets,or caught consuming them,food and drugs control administration commissioner HG Koshia says,It purely depends on how much gutka the person is carrying.The officer can fine up to Rs 2 lakh but it will depend on the local food inspectors discretion.We do not plan to trivialize the ban by comparing it with liquor seizures during prohibition raids,but authorities will mostly warn consumers, says Koshia.
Interestingly,except for cities and small towns not much action was seen in villages and hamlets.This being an election year,we have been asked to go slow on villages as it may not be taken in the right spirit.Many livelihoods depend on the sale of gutka,pan masala and tobacco padikis, says a senior health department official in Gandhinagar.
Koshia says,For us to take criminal action against anyone,the person has to be carrying at least 400 sachets of gutka.We have registered three police complaints in all two in Surat district and one in Surendranagar.Those convicted will be liable for six months imprisonment and a Rs 5 lakh fine.We have designated food safety inspectors under the Food Safety and Standards Act to fine or seize any food articles that may be dangerous for public consumption, says Koshia.

AMC officials during a raid on a shop stocking gutka in Vadaj

Gutkha demise to revive cigarette demand

COIMBATORE: The recent ban on gutkha by Gujarat and Delhi is likely to increase the demand for cigarettes. With the ban, the number of states restricting the sale of gutkha has reached 11.These states account for about 45% of the cigarette consumption in the country, analysts tracking the sector said.
The Gujarat and Delhi state governments have banned gutkha from September 11 following a notification from the Food Safety Standards Authority of India. The notification bans all food products with tobacco or nicotine. Other states that have done so in the past are Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand, Punjab and Chandigarh. However, there is no restriction on sale of loose tobacco or smoking tobacco products in these states.
"We see this as a positive for cigarette companies considering the hike in excise and VAT rates in recent central and state budgets on bidi and gutkha," analysts at brokerage firm Anand Rathi said. Cigarette accounts for only about 15% of the tobacco consumption in the country, they said.
While smokeless tobacco makes up nearly 50% of the tobacco consumption in the country, bidis account for 35% of the consumption. Though loose tobacco and cigarettes are consumed by different types of people, the ban would be a positive for cigarette companies, analysts said. " We expect low-end (cigarette) brands to benefit. Also, we estimate the new cigarette of 64-mm to command higher volumes, finding favour with former gutkha consumers."

Corporation to intensify checks on hotels

Corporation has submitted before Kerala High Court that inspections are being randomly conducted in hotels and restaurants in Kochi to ensure the quality of food.
“So far a total of 162 hotels have been inspected, with notices served to 72 hotels. The Corp also issued closure notices to five hotels. The two squads who have been entrusted with the job have been conducting searches to ensure that the food items prepared and stored are done so in a clean and hygienic environment. The squad is also checking if the ingredients used for the preparation meets quality standards. The squad has also considered the drainage and sanitation facilities,” says Ajith Patil, Secretary, Cochin corporation.
Corporation made the submission on a petition filed by advocate Baisil Attipetty asking to ensure the quality of the food supplied in hotels in Kochi city and other places.
The petitioner also sought a directive to the State requesting to issue an order to the Kerala Hotel and Restaurants’ Association and its members to sell food in accordance with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. He also pointed out the recent Shawarma issue which claimed the life of a student in Bangalore. The petitioner stated that every citizen has a right to have hygienic and safe food from hotels. The petitioner further sought a directive where a detailed bill must be given to consumers and the price list of all the food items sold must be displayed.

Many countries crack down on MHA supplements

Several countries have, in recent months, cracked down on the manufacture, supply and sale of products containing methylhexaneamine (MHA) as dietary supplements, leading to speculation that the substance may no longer be available as an across-the-counter nutritional aid.

Last month, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of the U. K., ruled that products containing methylhexaneamine needed to be removed from the UK market because of “potential risks to public safety.”

Stimulant

The drug, also known by several other chemical names, including dimethylamylamine (DMAA), is an ingredient of many dietary supplements that are used by sportspersons. Other supplements have also been found contaminated often with this drug which is categorised as a stimulant and banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

It has been claimed during the past few years that MHA was derived from the geranium plant, especially its oil and root extract. Being a natural substance, and as part of dietary supplements, it escaped regulations applicable to drugs in several countries.

One of the most popular products containing MHA, Jack3D, produced by USP Labs, Dallas, Texas, has been ordered to be removed by retailers, among other supplements, by the MHRA, UK. In a release dated August 28 last, the MHRA stated that Jack3D was an “unlicensed medicinal product”.

The UK decision followed a similar action by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia, early last month banning the use of DMAA which is also considered as a ‘party drug’.

Toxic substance

“The TGA urges people not to obtain, supply or use DMAA. DMAA is a toxic substance with dangerous side effects. Buying such substances over the internet is risky.”

The TGA statement said that on August 2 last, the Western Australia State Coroner found that a mine worker had died from taking DMAA, which he had bought over the internet. The TGA ban includes personal use of DMAA, whether “bought over the internet or not”.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), USA, issued warning letters to 10 manufacturers of dietary supplements including USP Labs, last April stating that they were marketing the products without having submitted evidence of their safety to the FDA.

The FDA said in a release that since such manufacturers had not submitted evidence of safety, products containing DMAA would be considered as “adulterated”. The FDA move followed a decision of the US Department of Defence that temporarily banned the sale of products containing DMAA within military facilities following deaths of two soldiers suspected to be due to DMAA use.

Health Canada had categorised DMAA as a medicinal product as far back as August 2011, and stated that any product containing DMAA required authorisation from Health Canada as a drug in order to be sold legally in Canada.

Industry’s take

The MHA supplements industry has repeatedly stated that the products are safe and they actually contain natural ingredients. The claim that geranium oil contained MHA, as reported in a single research by a group of Chinese scientists in 1996, has since been challenged by a few other studies notably by a group of Australian scientists in 2011.

Health Canada stated last year that there was no credible scientific evidence to show that DMAA had been “captured as an isolate of a plant”.

Without verification by competent authorities, and mainly based on internet searches, many so-called ‘experts’ in India had branded MHA as an ingredient of geranium oil since it was brought into the Prohibited List in January 2010. It was also suggested that massaging with geranium oil or using lotions, soaps or face-packs containing the substance could trigger a ‘positive’ test for MHA.

No regulation in India

There is no regulation in India to oversee supplements distribution or sale. A number of foreign products are available in the market and are often sold near gyms, and at venues holding sports events. These arealso available on the internet.

A spokesman for the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on Tuesday that regulations for supplements distribution in the country could soon be in the offing.

Japan's move to inspect Indian consignments for Ethoxyquin rattles shrimp exporters

Shipments stalemate: The overnight notice to India regarding the default standard fixed was not based on any scientific studies on safety evaluation.

Thiruvananthapuram/Visakhapatnam, Sept. 12: 

The sudden move by the Japanese Food and Safety Authority to impose compulsory testing for Ethoxyquin in shrimp consignments from India on the basis of a default standard of 0.01 ppm has rattled shrimp exporters from Andhra Pradesh, even though there has been no rejection of consignments from the State yet.

According to Raju K. Joseph, Deputy Director of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), here, a team led by the Chairman of the MPEDA visited Japan in the first week of September to reassure the authorities that there was absolutely no danger and “the default standard of 0.01 ppm is not based on any scientific studies nationally or internationally.”

Delegation meets minister

The delegation met with the Japanese Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare, Yoko Komiyama, and requested urgent intervention in the matter. It requested the Minister to issue instructions for keeping the orders at the default standard in abeyance for the time being.

The Chairman, MPEDA, requested the Minister to look at the issue compassionately since lives of more than 50,000 aqua farmer families were involved, apart from setback to exporters. The Japanese Minister has since referred the issue to the Food Safety Commission which is the nodal agency for giving advice on the matter.

Mandatory testing

The Chairman of MPEDA pointed out that the overnight notice to India regarding the decision and the fact that the default standard fixed was not based on any scientific studies on safety evaluation, nationally or internationally.

It was also pointed out that there were no international norms/Minimum Residue Limits fixed for Ethoxyquin in shrimps as there was insufficient scientific evidence to show it was not safe for human health.

Studies carried out by these countries had not thrown up any risk warranting the fixing of an MRL for fish and shrimp.

It was also mentioned that even Japan permits an MRL of 1 ppm for fish.

Shrimp feed

Joseph said fishmeal was an important ingredient of shrimp feed and to protect the feed from rancidity a large number of anti-oxidants were being used. “Ethoxyquin, being one of the most popular and effective anti-oxidants, finds its way into the shrimp through the feed. There are a number of shrimp feed units in AP using the substance. Therefore, they are also worried by the move of the Japanese inspecting agency. In fact, it affects everyone in the industry from the aqua farmer to the exporter,” he explained.

He said till now only consignments from West Bengal had been affected, but AP, being the foremost State in aquaculture, may also be hit in future.