License Mela @ Coimbatore on 23.12.2012 - FSSAI AD

Tea Board asks NIN to analyze iron filings in tea

India’s National Institute of Nutrition (NIN) is conducting toxicology studies to determine to what extent iron filings present in tea powder are harmful to human health, according to an industry body.

The country’s food safety and standards regulator, after consultations with the Health Ministry and the Tea Board, has capped the maximum limit for iron particles in tea powder at 150mg per kilogram, for now.
Worldover, permissible levels for iron filings in tea ranges between 120mg/kg and 500mg/kg, a recent Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) media release stated.
The NIN report, expected a year from now, will help the industry in better determining the permissible level of iron filings in tea powder, said Mohan Kumar, director, Tea Research Institute, The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (UPASI).
CTC tea powder is bound to have some iron filings in it because of the “nature of the manufacturing process,” Kumar said.
“Tea leaves are withered in a sieve fitted with a mesh and leaves are cut using rollers. Facotries use magnets to remove iron filings from tea powder, but some iron particles will remain,” Kumar said.
The Tea Board has sanctioned around Rs.25 lakh to the NIN for the toxicology studies, Kumar said.
Tea makers operating within the ‘prescribed limit’ of 150 mg of iron filings per kilogram of tea cannot be prosecuted till November 23, 2013, the FSSAI media release stated.
The National Institute of Nutrition is located in Hyderabad. India is the second largest producer of tea, after China.

Quality issue in warehoused pepper

The Kerala unit of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has sealed the entire quantity of pepper stored in six warehouses at Kochi, Kerala, about 5,000 tonnes worth Rs 18 crore, after saying it found traces of mineral oil in the stock. The warehouses were accredited by the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX).
FSSAI acted on complaints by a couple of participants in the exchanges. Said an FSSAI official from Kochi, “We have sent the sample of pepper to the laboratory and the report is awaited. We have asked the warehouse keepers not to engage in any trading without our permission.” Chillies and other spices stocked in these godowns have also been blocked for delivery.
Used to improve pepper’s appearance, mineral oil’s use here is prohibited globally. Tasteless and odourless, it is used in baby lotions, cold creams, ointments and cosmetics. Following the global norm, the Indian government has prohibited its use in food articles.
 

PEPPER TROUBLE

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India seals six NCDEX-accredited warehouses Finds traces of ‘mineral oil’ - a prohibited substance — in pepper deposited in various godowns No mention of mineral oil in contract specification FMC to look into such statutory issues now

However, a clause prohibiting use of mineral oil was not mentioned in the contract specification designed by the exchange and approved by the commodity derivatives market regulator, the Forward Markets Commission (FMC). It was assumed the global norm would be obeyed. Though most export specifications specifically mention ‘free from oil wash’, the local specifications usually do not.
“The exchange has sent its officials to look into the matter. We are in touch with FSSAI for further course of action,” said an NCDEX official.
Late last month, FMC investigated the issue on complaints by a Mumbai–based commodity manufacturer and trader. Its officials inspected and found the pepper stored in these warehouses conforming to the quality specified in the contract specification. Hence, the regulator gave a clean chit.
An FMC official said, “The complaint lodged with us was primarily with regard to high moisture content and light berries in the product. We found no truth in this complaint. Apparently, the complainant is sitting with high stocks, which it bought at very high prices. Since, the price has crashed since then, the complainant is furious.”
Pepper prices have fallen around 15 per cent in the past three months, to trade at Rs 35,450 a quintal today for delivery in February 2013 on the NCDEX, from Rs 41,500 a qtl on September 20.
Ramesh Abhishek, the chairman of FMC, said, “The mineral oil issue has been raised for the first time. We would look into all standards set by various agencies, including FSSAI and other statutory bodies, and take a view soon.”
Traders fear no delivery of pepper on the NCDEX platform, as the exchange does not have any in any other warehouse.

Centre-state divided over grub trade permit

The (kitchen) knives are out between the Centre and the state government over issuing licence/registration to food businesses in Jharkhand.
According to the Food Safety and Standards Act (2006), any company/vendor/hawker/transporter involved in the grub trade has to seek mandatory licence or registration (as applicable) latest by February 4, 2013.
The Centre's nodal agency for quality control and monitoring ' the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ' has decided to host a daylong camp on FJCCI premises in Ranchi on Saturday (December 22) for spot submission of forms.
The FSSAI even published an advertisement in this regard on Thursday.
However, the state food control department ' authorised to issue licence/registration in Jharkhand ' claims it has no knowledge of any such camp and will not entertain requests for permits on the said occasion.
"We don't have any intimation from the Centre. We should have been informed officially. I came to know through newspapers as you did. Since we were not, we are not technically involved with the camp," state food controller T.P. Burnwal said.
Admitting that licensing and registration was necessary for quality control of food being sold in the market, Burnwal claimed his department had already started doing so over a month ago. "Till November 21, we approximately registered 2,035 firms and issued around 803 licences. We will continue with our business and are not concerned with the camp," he added.
Manoj Naredi ' the former FJCCI president who has been made nodal officer by FSSAI to facilitate the licensing process ' said he was not sure what the state's gripe was.
"The camp is happening and it has been divided into two parts. The first half will generate awareness, while the latter will invite requests for spot registration/licence. The authority for final issuance, however, lies with the state if the business is small and with the Centre if it is big. The jobs are defined and we fail to understand why the state department should have a problem," he added.
Those in the know claim the sole reason why the department is unhappy is that the FSSAI roping in FJCCI blocks the commission bounty.
"Hefty sums are involved as officials extort food vendors in the name of issuing licence/registration. That is where the itch is. With the FJCCI involved, food inspectors and other officials may not get a chance to interact with independent vendors directly," said a trader, requesting anonymity.
The normal rate of acquiring licence/registration depends on the turnover.
For vendors, cart owners, food manufacturer, retail outlet owners, transporters, et al, whose annual turnover is less than Rs 12 lakh, the registration fee is a paltry Rs 100.
The cost of licence for small traders (turnover between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 25 lakh) is Rs 2,000. Big traders pay Rs 3,000, while manufacturers (Rs 25 lakh and above) cough up Rs 5,000. Giant firms, which manufacture and also maintain depot/stocks under the same brand name, are required to fork out Rs 7,500.

VTA delegation apprise FDA Minister Naik on FSS Act threatening closure of existing establishments

 

Nagpur News : A delegation of Vidarbha Taxpayers Association (VTA) led by its Vice President Shrawan Kumar Malu met Minister for Food & Drug Administration Manohar Naik and submitted memorandum highlighting various provisions of Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006 (FSS Act) being implemented in State through Food and Drug Department (FDA), which is severely threatening closure of existing Food Businesses and also resulting in drastic rise of corruption.

Shrawan Kumar Malu submitted before FDA Minister that this Act is literally threatening of closing down practically all old Food Business Operators (FBO) in the State as many provisions in the Regulations are practically impossible to comply with and has also given unprecedented powers to the Food Inspectors leading to Inspector Raj.
Tejinder Singh Renu, secretary of VTA requested FDA Minister that time extended by FSSAI as prescribed in 2.1.2 – License for food business of Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation 2011 by 6 months would drastically prove insufficient and as such State Government should demand further extension.
Renu also submitted that the said Act is being enforced retrospectively, as FDA is demanding affidavit from existing FBOs along with application for registration under the Act, to comply with all provisions of Schedule IV within one year of taking registration under FSS Act, wherein many provisions are impossible to comply as such leading to litigation.
VTA in its memorandum specifically mentioned that they are not against the laws or provisions for safety of people, who may be get affected by unsafe food or adulteration, but the system adopted to cover one & all, small to big, that too overnight may surely boost corruption. Such implementation of Act should have been imposed slowly and gradually in a developing country like ours.
Agreeing to the various issue raised, FDA Minister specifically mentioned that State Government shall surely write to FSSAI as well as Union Government for appropriate amendments so that such ambiguity is resolved without harming livelihood of the people engaged in food business.
Others present in the VTA delegation were Pawan Chopra – Treasurer, Joint Secretaries Hemant Trivedi and Praveen M. Agrawal, executive body members Amarjeet Singh Chawla and Yogi Singh.