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All eateries now need corpn health dept nod

Licences To Be Issued Only After Inspection

Chennai: A situation where you can walk down the street and buy a cup of tea or ‘bajjis’ and not worry about falling sick is what the Chennai Corporation intendsto achieve.Its officers will no longer issue trade licences to eateries with flies buzzing above the food or rats running around in kitchens.
    Small or big eateries, including roadsidestalls, private canteens and restaurants, will havetoseekclearancefrom the corporation’s health department for getting licences to operate. This is to ensure that food stalls maintain hygienic conditions and prevent spread of food and water-borne diseases. Earlier, trade licences for commercial establishmentswerebeing issuedby the civic body’s revenue department.
    Replying to a question from AIADMKcouncillor MDhanaramesh at the council meeting on Thursday on whether the health department cleared licences given toeateries, mayor Saidai S Duraisamy said that according to procedure the health department was supposed to give a no-objection certificate. “According to a 2003 court ruling, they are supposed to give an NOC. I believe that the trade licence for eateries should be issued by the health department and not merely cleared by them,” he said.
    When an applicant comes for a new licence or for renewal, assistanthealthofficers and sanitary inspectors will inspect the premises. They will check whether the establishment has adequate space to cook in a hygienic manner, heat sterilization facilities for vessels, outlet for drainage water, access to drinking water, toilets, rodent control and hygienic surroundings. “This is to ensure that the establishment does not create problems for the neighbours or vice versa,” said a senior corporation official.
    They believe this is first step to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. “If people have hygienic food and water, chances of contracting diseases like cholera, diarrhoea, typhoid and jaundice is minimised,” saidtheofficial.
    The applicant will have to get clearance from the land and revenue department which will look at the legality of land ownership or lease agreement. A single window system where an applicantcan upload his filled-in form will make this easier. This will be cleared by both departments after the inspections are completed.
    Every restaurant or eatery will also have to get a licence from the commissionerate of food safety, which will focus on the quality of food served. “Thereis no overlap of responsibilities. They will analyse the food cooked and served. We are concerned about the overall hygiene in corporation limits,” said the official.
THE CHECKLIST When an applicant comes for a licence, health officers will inspect the premises to check if the eatery has:
Adequate space to cook in a hygienic manner Heat sterilization facilities for utensils Outlet for drainage water Access to drinking water and toilets Taken rodent control measures Hygienic surroundings

6 Kerala warehouses sealed & 7,000 tonnes of adulterated pepper seized

Six National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX)-accredited warehouses in Kerala were sealed recently, following complaints that the stock of black pepper was adulterated. Food safety authorities, who sent the seized samples to the laboratory for tests, are now awaiting the results.

When contacted the Commissionerate of Food Safety, Government of Kerala, K Ajith Kumar, designated officer, Ernakulam, confirmed this, and added, “About 7,000 tonnes of black pepper have been seized.” The cost of the stock is approximately Rs 300 crore.

“The warehouses are located in the districts of Ernakulam and Alappuzha,” he added. NCDEX accepts black pepper deposits as per its standard specifications only. The issue of mineral oil – with which the pepper samples were found to be adulterated – was raised for the first time.

Mineral oil is deemed unfit for human consumption, and is not permitted to be used in any edible commodity. It was perhaps used to suppress fungus or moulds and give the spice more weight and its characteristic dark black colour.

NCDEX's corporate services department is looking into buyers' complaints for mineral oil content, and is in touch with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for further course of action.

Method to make black pepper
Black pepper is produced by cooking the unripe (green) drupe (fruit) of the pepper plant briefly in hot water. This is done for two reasons – to clean them, and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures the cell walls in the pepper, hastening the work of the browning enzymes during drying.

The traditional method is to dry the drupes in the sun for several days, but now machines are also used for the same purpose. At this stage, the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled layer, which is black in colour.

The dried spice is called black peppercorn. At some places, the berries are manually separated from the stem and sun-dried, thus eliminating the boiling process. After the peppercorns are dried, the berries can be crushed to extract pepper spirit and oil.

Uses of the derivatives

• Pepper spirit is used in aerated beverages such as Coca-Cola and a number of medicinal and beauty products
• Pepper oil is used as an oil in ayurvedic massage, and used in a number of beauty and herbal treatments