FOOD SAFETY LATEST: 06/01/2013

Jun 30, 2013

Licence of five eateries cancelled

The special squads engaged by the Commissioner of Food Safety continued inspections at various food business operations, including 118 eateries across the State on Saturday, as part of an intensive drive to ensue food safety and hygiene standards.

Following inspections, the Food Safety wing has suspended the Food Business Operation licence of five establishments, which were found to be operating in extremely unhygienic situations, in violation of the mandatory 30-point food safety and hygiene standards introduced by the Commissioner of Food Safety.

Improvement notices were issued to 55 hotels while a fine amount to the tune of Rs.1.02 lakh was collected from 17 hotel owners.

After the launch of the State-wide raids, food safety officials have so far visited 982 eateries and issued improvement notices to 530 of them.

Eighty three eateries have so far been issued closure notices.

Three hotels shut, 38 get notices in food safety drive

Guidelines include a 30-point agenda for maintaining hygiene

Three hotels have bee issued closure notice and 38 others have been put on notice for improvement in week-long raids on hotels and bakeries in Ernakulam district by Food Safety and Standards officers.

The hotels that have been shut are: Lavanya at Kaloor, Rajadhani at Tripunithura and Your Choice at Irimpanam.

The authorities realised a fine of Rs. 1.80 lakh during the drive in which 73 hotels were inspected.

Fines ranged up to Rs.10,000, said an official. The hotels that have been fined include repeat offenders and the fines are based on the seriousness of the offences.

An official said that there were repeat offenders and compliance level was around 50 per cent. Hotels found guilty of violating the norms for hygiene and food standards are issued notices and they acknowledge the receipt of the notices, said the official.

The official said that this week’s raids were a follow-up action on the guidelines issued by FSSA in August last year. The guidelines included a 30-point agenda for maintaining hygiene in hotels and eateries.

The places where raids were conducted include Ernakulam, Aluva, Kalamssery, Tripunithura, Perumbavoor, Thirvankulam, Koothattukulam, Vazhakkulam, Moovattupuzha and Kothamangalam.

The official said that no fines were imposed on erring hoteliers during the raids and inspections three months in view of the shift from old food safety regime under Prevention of Food Adulteration Act to the new regime. No cases have been taken up for prosecution so far under the FSSA in the district.

Food safety officers had raided ice-making plants last month resulting in the closure of three ice plants after many of the samples tested positive for formalin and ammonium. The closed ice plants were allowed to reopen only after they were fined.

Official says there are repeat offenders and compliance level is 50 per cent.

Notice to 38 hotels for serving stale Food

Kochi Corporation health standing committee chairman T K Ashraf (Left) along with officials of the Health Department displaying the stale food itemss

The officials of the Food Safety Department have conducted raids in 73 hotels in the city during the past one week. As many as 38 hotels were served notice, while three hotels were shut down.
According to officials, three hotels were closed down after unhygienic conditions were reported from there. The department also have collected Rs 1,80,000 as fine from various hotels.
“Three of the hotels were located in Kaloor, Thripunithara and Hill Palace, respectively. During the raid we found that food was prepared in very unhygienic conditions. Plates were not washed, waste was dumped without care, and workers were wearing dirty clothes. The checking would continue as per the food safety act,” an official said.
Officials said that people should be wary of eating food from hotels as most hotels add synthetic colour to the food. “Even though there are natural colours available in the market, hotels use synthetic colours. About 70 per cent of the non-vegetarian food and 40 per cent of the vegetarian food are prepared using colours. This is very harmful, since chances of cancer and infertility occurring are very high. These colours were so sticky that we had to wash our hands several times after collecting samples from the hotels,” officials said.
Food safety officials also found that several bakeries and hotels were using milk which was two to three days old, which actually gets expired in a day.

Manufacturers cash in on loopholes, sell nicotine products openly

The ban on the storage, manufacture and sale of gutka and other tobacco and nicotine products - implemented in almost all parts of the country - aimed at protecting public health and reducing the cases of oral cancer in the country.

The ban comes under the regulation 2,3, 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sale) Act, 2011. But a visit to a pan shop punctures all the tall claims of the government as manufacturers and vendors, taking advantage of the loopholes in the ban, are selling the banned products.

How can the government frame a policy so blindly that the manufacturers are able to flout it openly right under their nose?

Gutka is a mixture of 10 percent tobacco and 90 percent beetle-nut. And the ban was imposed on a food product (gutka), which contains nicotine. Although beetle-nut independently is carcinogenic, defective and addictive still it is not banned because it does not contain nicotine, and is sold freely in the form of pan masala. And the chewable tobacco (zarda), which again contains nicotine, can also be sold separately as tobacco is an agricultural product and cannot be banned when sold separately.

Were the laws to ban gutka just a show-off? There are many such questions that are being raised on this issue. When this citizen journalist asked about this issue to VB Patil, Food and safety commissioner, Karnataka, he said, “We are sensitizing people on this issue, and our field officers are working on this issue.”

The government is taking minimal interest in framing and implementing such laws, which are meant for public welfare. Dr. Pankaj Chaturvedi, head and neck surgeon, Tata Memorial Hospital, and a anti-tobacco activist, said, “The ban on gutka was largely for the vulnerable group like children and ladies. The hardcore addicts of gutka cannot be stopped, they somehow manage to take get it. They almost pay double or triple the amount to get it.”

He claimed the consumption has decreased as the prices have gone up after manufacturers started selling pan masala and zarda in two different sachets.

All the banned and prohibited items are being supplied, just with a small change. This is all because of the laws that are not being implemented properly. The current laws on Food safety regulation and Food safety act of India are not correctly framed. There is a need to amend these laws, and to implement the ban on gutka in an effective manner.

A distributor of pan masala and tobacco says, “Gutka was banned but we are selling pan masala (a mouth freshener) and zarda (chewable tobacco) in separate sachets; it is not at all illegal. It is a good complementary for gutka and the demand for it is also high.” How can the government frame a policy so blindly that the manufacturers are able to flout it openly right under their nose?

- See more at: http://www.merinews.com/article/manufacturers-cash-in-on-loopholes-sell-nicotine-products-openly/15887399.shtml#sthash.2foaXzGA.dpuf

Dinamalar News

Jun 29, 2013

Dinakaran Article

Dinakaran News

Dinakaran & Dinamalar News

TNFS Dept. - Sivagangai Dist. News

Eateries near hospitals serve low quality food

KOZHIKODE: Be more cautious while eating out at hotels and restaurants operating near hospitals, bus stands and railway stations.
According to the food safety department, hotels targeting the floating population are least concerned about the quality and hygiene aspects.
A 'hot spot list' of hotels was prepared as part of the on-going monsoon special food safety drives in the district following the special directive issued by the food safety commissioner.
The list was prepared after collecting information on the operation of hotels. "Most of the hotels listed fall in the regions near bus stands, hospitals and railway station," said Muhammed Rafi, designated officer Kozhikode.
The eateries near hospital and bus stands show lapse in keeping hygiene as they do not depend on regular customers for their business, he added.
The food safety officials had listed more than 50 hotels in the list. According to officials not less than 70 per cent of the hotels in the list were found violating food safety norms. Eateries near education institutions also are included in the list, according to officials.
The special squad started the raids in the district on June 25 and have completed the inspection of over 30 hotels in the list.
Of the total number of inspected hotels 18 were found violating food safety standards.
Attesting the opinion, a food safety official said that hotels operating in rural areas are more conscious of customer satisfaction and health as they would lose their business if some health problems are caused. The hotels near hospitals are exploiting the hapless patients and bystanders by providing low quality food, he added.
While five hotels, two at Moffussil Bus Stand, Canteen at Kozhikode Medical College and two hotels at Cheruvannoor were asked to close down.
The hotels can resume operation only after re-inspection by the officials with the food safety authority, said the designated officer.
Besides, 12 hotels were served notice by the department officials citing lapses on maintaining hygiene. "In most of the cases the serving boys, cooks and other staff of the hotel were not having medical certificates to prove their fitness," said food safety official.
Preservation of cooked and raw meet in the same refrigerator, which would cause cross contamination, absence of lids for cooked food, use of polluted water for cooking were found in hotels those were served notice.
"We have also charged fine on some hotels on reviewing the gravity of their offences," said Muhammed Rafi.The raids will continue in the coming days and all hotels will be inspected, he added.

Pizza, delivered with a side of attempted rape

There’s one thing that an Indian household has always had: trustworthy strangers. Home delivery may be a modern term, but it’s been part of the average Indian home for decades. Thanks to people like the vegetable and fruit seller, the person who brings the ironed clothes and the domestic help, an Indian household is an ecosystem composed partially of strangers. In it, the food delivery man is a recent entrant, but he has quickly become entrenched in the daily routine of urban Indian households. Especially the pizza delivery boy.

According to a report by the National Restaurant Association of India, around 80% of consumers order in food at least twice a month at the minimum. Italian cuisine — which in home delivery terms consists mainly of pizza – is the most popular cuisine to be ‘ordered in’ in India. The pizza delivery boy is someone most people wait for anxiously and greet with a grin. He isn’t someone from whom we expect to need protection.

File photo of pizza. Image courtesy IBN Live

It’s this assumption that led to a young woman being assaulted and almost raped by a pizza delivery boy. A 17-year-old delivery boy returned after making an initial delivery on some pretext, and after attempting to rape the woman, bashed her head in, and then ran away.

Turns out, there is no official vetting process to decide delivery boys. Amar Jhunjhunwala, 46, who owns a fast food joint in Chembur that enjoys enthusiastic patronage from families in the neighbourhood, said, “I’ve never done a background check on a delivery boy, I have to admit. Why would I feel the need? And none of the other restaurant managers I know have done it either. It’s the most basic function of a restaurant.”

But can’t delivery boys at least be vetted as those who have been in the restaurant’s employ for a while? “It actually works the other way,” says Jhunjhunwala, who ran a burger joint in Andheri (East) for five years before starting his second restaurant in Chembur. “Boys work in delivery, and slowly make their way up to the kitchen and managerial roles. Of course, with this incident, I’m sure all restaurant owners are going to be very careful.”

Someone who won’t have a chance to be careful is the owner of Chovisum, the outlet whose delivery boy is guilty of assault and attempted rape. The owner, Swapnil Parab, has seen his business disappear since the incident. “The boy was a dropout who usually never makes deliveries,” Parab insisted in media reports in the Mumbai Mirror and the Hindustan Times. “It was just this time…he’s ruined my business.”

Is there any hope for a regulatory process to be enforced in the restaurant delivery business? According to a member of the National Restaurant Association of India, who spoke to us on the condition of anonymity, it’s almost impossible. “There are many neighbourhood restaurants which are not accounted for by us,” he said. But he admitted that more can be done to ensure a consumer’s safety. “An in-house vetting process should be non-negotiable.”

At present, the Food Safety and Standards regulations are the only rules by which Indian restaurants have to abide. These regulations cover aspects like salary and training of restaurant employees, but do not touch upon home deliveries, which are an increasingly important part of the Indian food industry.

Till then? Recently, after reading the report of the 25-year-old woman being assaulted by the Chovisum employee, a friend of mine and I tried to reconfigure the logistics of accepting home delivery.

“Should we keep the door-chain latched and pass the money through it?” she suggested.

“But a pizza won’t fit through the chain-gap,” I pointed out.

“I guess we could ask them to leave it outside, and take it when the delivery guy is done,” she said triumphantly.

So this could soon be the new guideline to prevent rape: skulk behind your door when receiving a delivery, wait till the sound of steps has faded away, then dart out quickly, grab your food and run back in.

FDA extends ban on Chinese milk products

PUNE: Extending the ban on Chinese milk products by a year, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Friday said that they would initiate strict action against those found selling them in and around Pune.
The ban on import of milk and milk products, including chocolate products, candies, confectionery and food preparations having milk as an ingredient, from China has been extended from June 23.
"Import of milk and milk products from China has been banned in the country as melamine, an industrial chemical which could prove to be harmful if consumed, was found in some dairy products imported from China. The ban has been in force since 2008 and was extended periodically. An extension in ban of one more year from June 23 has now been granted," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune division.
Melamine is described as being harmful if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Chronic exposure may cause cancer or reproductive damage.
The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India held consultation with the concerned departments and ministries to review the ban on June 6, based on which, the ban has been extended. The ban on Chinese milk products has been extended at least five times since 2008.
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade had first banned import of Chinese milk products in September 2008 after reports suggested that they contained melamine, which damages kidneys in the long run.
"Chinese dairy farmers were using this chemical to increase their profit margins. First, they diluted milk by 30% and to show it has good protein content, they added melamine which is rich in nitrogen the way proteins are. A quality control equipment is designed to detect nitrogen and not melamine," said another official.
"Most of the chocolates were passed off as good by the quality control system after the equipment detected required nitrogen content in milk products," the official said.
The ban has also been extended as doubts lingered about any improvement in the quality of milk from China.

TNFS Dept. - Salem Dist. News

41 குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்களின் தர பரிசோதனை முடிந்தது: ஜூலை 2ல் அறிக்கை தாக்கல்

சென்னையில் செயல்படும், குடிநீர் தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனங்களில் இருந்து, விற்பனைக்கு அனுப்பப்படும் குடிநீர், பாதுகாப்பற்றதாக இருப்பது ஆய்வில் தெரிய வந்ததால், தேசிய பசுமை தீர்ப்பாயம் (தென் மண்டலம்) தானாக முன் வந்து, வழக்கு பதிந்து விசாரித்து வருகிறது.

சென்னை, காஞ்சிபுரம், திருவள்ளூர் மாவட்டங்களில், அனுமதியின்றி செயல்பட்ட, 92 குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள் மூடப்பட்டன. இதில், 85 நிறுவனங்களின் குடிநீர் மாதிரி எடுத்து பரிசோதித்ததில், தர பரிசோதனையில் தேறிய, 51 நிறுவனங்கள் மீண்டும் செயல்பட அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டன. பசுமைத் தீர்ப்பாயம் உத்தரவின்படி, மீதமுள்ள, 41 நிறுவனங்களில், மாசுக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரிய அதிகாரிகள், மீண்டும் குடிநீர் மாதிரிகளை எடுத்து, தர பரிசோதனைக்காக, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறையிடம் ஒப்படைத்தனர். உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறையின் ஆய்வகத்தில், இரண்டு வாரமாக பரிசோதனை நடந்தது. பரிசோதனை முடிக்கப்பட்டு, அது பற்றிய விவரங்களை, உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறை, முறைப்படி, மாசுக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரியத்திற்கு நேற்று அனுப்பப்பட்டது. இதில், எத்தனை நிறுவனங்களின் குடிநீர் தரமாக இருந்தது. எத்தனை நிறுவனங்களின் குடிநீர் தரமில்லாமல் இருந்தது என்ற விவரம், ரகசியமாக வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இது குறித்து, மாசுக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரிய அதிகாரி ஒருவர் கூறுகையில், "41 நிறுவனங்களில், இரண்டாம் முறை எடுத்த குடிநீர் மாதிரி பரிசோதனை முடிவு கிடைத்துள்ளது. இதை ஒருங்கிணைத்து, அறிக்கை தயாரித்து வருகிறோம். அந்த அறிக்கை, ஜூலை, 2ம் தேதி, பசுமைத் தீர்ப்பாயத்தில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்படும்' என்றார்.
இரண்டு மாதத்திற்கு மேலாக முடங்கியுள்ள, 41 குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்களும் மீண்டும் செயல்படுமா என்பது, ஜூலை, 2ம் தேதி தெரிய வரும்.

Jun 28, 2013

Statutory Advisory

Maalai Malar News

Dinakaran News

TNFS DEPT. - THANJAVUR DIST. NEWS

Dinakaran News

Dinamalar News

Food business licensing procedures go online

New process:A view of the page in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India website that food business operators must use to apply online for licence.

All firms must get licence before February 4, 2014

The Tamil Nadu Food Safety Department has taken online the licensing procedures for food businesses in the State. The food business operators can now apply or renew licences without ever having to come to any office of the Food Safety Department.

Official sources told The Hindu here on Thursday that Tamil Nadu was the ninth State in the country to take the licensing procedures online.

This step had been mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Act. The online facility was launched by State Food Safety Commissioner Kumar Jayanth in Chennai on Tuesday.

Sources said that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, a statutory body that implemented the Act, would conduct training programmes for food business operators on the new procedure. Officials here said that they would assist the applicants during the initial period with the online application process.

Licence was mandatory for all food business concerns with an annual turnover of above Rs. 12 lakh. At present, 2,156 firms in Coimbatore had obtained licences, an official said, adding that the total number of food business firms here would be around 8,500. All the firms must get licences before February 4, 2014.

According to the officials, Form B application, submitted for getting the licence, would no longer be issued in paper form and could be obtained only online.

Applicants would have to go to the website www.fssai.gov.in and choose the option ‘Food Licensing & Registration System (FLRS)’ to commence the process. Once the Form B was submitted, the applicants would have to remit the requisite fee to the treasury, scan the receipts and other relevant documents such as identify proofs and upload them to the website.

However, a senior official said that for this step alone, applicants also have option of sending the documents and receipt through registered post to the Designated Officer of Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (Food Safety Wing) in the district.

After this, Food Safety Officers will conduct the physical inspection and would submit their reports online. All the 32 Food Safety Officers in Coimbatore district had been issued with an internet-enabled tablet for the purpose.

Once their reports were scrutinised by the Designated Officer concerned, the applicant would be issued Form C or the licence.

The applicant could track the status of the application during any stage of the process through an Application Reference Number. If any clarifications were needed, the applicant would get an email automatically.

1,000 kg of gutka, pan masala seized

BannedThe stash was found in homes in Ayanavaram and Vadapalani. Officials burnt all the products at the Kodungaiyur dumping yard

Over 1,000 kg of chewable tobacco products stored clandestinely in various houses in Ayanavaram and Vadapalani were seized on Thursday.

A massive raid conducted by the food safety department, with assistance from the Chennai Corporation and the police, led to the seizure of gutka and pan masala, which are banned, carcinogenic products.

Since the ban came into effect in May, the food safety department has cracked down on business units that sell the products. To circumvent this, wholesalers began storing products in residential properties, officials said.

On Thursday evening, 1,060 kg of the products were destroyed at the Kodungaiyur dumping yard. However, so far, no legal action has been taken against the wholesalers.

Officials said the screening of retail and wholesale shops will continue, but four teams of 25 officials each have also been asked to search houses connected to those in the business. “We are now educating food business operators, including 56 wholesalers in Chennai district. The raids will continue daily,” said S. Lakshmi Narayanan, designated officer of the department.

A chunk of the wholesale dealers operate from Sowcarpet and T. Nagar. An official on one of the teams said that while retailers have taken the products off their shelves, they continue to sell them clandestinely. “We have to educate proprietors at all such outlets,” he said.

Since the ban is only for products that contain tobacco, officials said businesses that sold pan masala or gutka could get their products tested in accredited laboratories. If the products did not contain tobacco, they could be sold. “Pan masala mixed with tobacco or nicotine is banned. The regular kind can be sold,” said Dr. Narayanan.

The State government banned the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of carcinogenic chewable forms of tobacco based on a proposal submitted by the State Tobacco Control Cell.

The present ban is legally tenable as it relies on the Food Safety and Standards Act, which has provisions to prevent tobacco and nicotine from being used as ingredients in food.

Drive against tobacco products to be intensified

Five teams of officials from the Food Safety Department, which have been formed to seize tobacco products such as pan masala and gutka from dealers, will intensify their exercise from Friday.

The State Government has banned production, possession, distribution and sale of these products.

It was notified in the gazette on May 23 and traders were given time till June 22 to remove all these products.

The five teams will work as per the direction of M. Kavikumar, Designated Officer, Food Safety Wing.

Collector T.N.Hariharan said those who witnessed the sale or purchase of these goods could contact the following numbers 9443268149 or 04562252255 for action.

HC pulls up govt for non-implementation of Food Safety Act

Directs Chief Secretary To File Response Or Appear In Person

Srinagar, June 27: Expressing displeasure for taking its directions on a Public Interest Litigation seeking to curb food adulteration in a ‘casual manner’, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Thursday directed the Chief Secretary to ensure the implementation of the directions or appear before the court on the next date of hearing on August 2.
A division bench of High Court comprising the Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice D S Thakur passed the direction on a PIL filed by Advocate Sheikh Muhammad Ayoub seeking implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 and Food Safety and Standard Rules, 2011.
“Official respondents are taking the directions issued by this court in a casual manner therefore while granting time as per the prayer made by the respondents, we direct the Chief Secretary to ensure the directions are carried to the hilt” the division bench said.
It said if the directions are not implemented within four weeks granted, the Chief Secretary would appear in person before the court on the next date of hearing.
The court has passed several directions to the state government to implement Food Safety and Standard Act and Food Safety and Standard Rules hitherto.
Earlier the court had directed the state government to collect samples of spices, manufactured by factories and/or industrial units in the state, on weekly basis for laboratory testing. The Court directed the government to punish those found indulging in adulteration.
The Court said the samples should be sent to the concerned laboratories in accordance with the mandate contained in the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.
In order to maintain food standards in their respective districts, the Court had directed all the District Magistrates to “closely monitor the functioning of the authorities responsible to maintain food standards in their districts.” The DMs were directed to convene fortnightly meetings of all officers for this purpose.
The court directed the government to take necessary steps for making provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act effective and visible on the ground level. The petitioners were represented by advocates S M Ayub and T H Khawaja while SAAG, J A Kawoosa defended the state.

Govt taking our directions on FSSA in ‘casual manner’: HC

CS asked to carry orders ‘to the hilt’ or appear before court

Srinagar: The J&K High Court on Thursday criticised the government for taking its orders regarding implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 (FSSA) in a “casual manner” and directed the Chief Secretary to ensure its various directions are “carried to the hilt.”
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, a bench of Chief Justice, Justice MM Kumar and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur, made it clear that if the needful was not done by August 2, the Chief Secretary shall appear in person on the next date of hearing.
As soon as the hearing in the PIL, which seeks complete implementation of FSSA, began on Thursday senior Additional Advocate General JA Kawoosa moved an application for granting eight weeks more to file status report about the directions issued by the court last month.
However, before allowing the prayer made by the Senior AAG, the court sought details about the measures taken for the implementation of the FSSA.
The bench said that various directions were passed by the court in its orders on December 31 last and May 25 this year for government to comply with.
On December 31, as many as six directions were issued by the court and government was required to file a detailed status report by second week of February, the court said. “However no status report with regard to steps taken for making the provisions of the FSSA effective and visible on the ground has been filed,” the bench said. “Nor necessary staff has been made available to constitute service in terms of the Act, so as to avoid any confusion in its implementation.”
The bench observed that there was also nothing on record regarding lifting of samples on weekly basis from all factories and industrial units which manufacture and produce spices of all kinds.
Besides, in its orders on December 31, the court had directed government to test milk sold in the open market; district magistrates to closely monitor functioning of the authorities responsible for maintaining food standards in their respective districts; to inform it about number of slaughter houses in each district; and lastly it had asked government to provide information about the result of samples referred for testing in the past.
On May 25, the court had sought a report regarding infrastructure, machinery and manpower in Food Testing Laboratory Srinagar to examine adulteration in food items.
“Directions were issued for filling up of various posts and up gradation of Food Testing Laboratories,” the bench said. “We had also highlighted that government may consider giving independent charge of the post of Commissioner (under FSSA) so that he may prove effective in discharge of his duties rather than giving additional charge to an officer already occupied with various other functions.”
In wake of the repealing of Food Adulteration Act by the government, the court said that it has gathered an impression that “earlier mechanism is gone, new mechanism is not in place.”
While senior AAG appeared for official respondents in the PIL, the petitioner Advocate Sheikh Ayoub was present in person alongside advocate TH Khawaja.

Food Act: HC gives govt two months to comply with orders

Srinagar, June 27
Expressing displeasure over the lacklustre response of the authorities to the directions issued for implementation of the Food Safety Standards Act and rules, the J&K High Court has given the state government two months to comply with its directions issued from time to time, failing which, the Chief Secretary has been directed to appear in person.
These directions were issued by a division of the High Court headed by the Chief Justice MM Kumar in a PIL seeking court directions commanding the respondents to implement the Food Safety Standards Act 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Rules 2011.
Earlier, the state counsel had sought two months time for compliance with the court directions in the PIL and had also submitted a formal application in this connection.
The court has been seeking compliance with the set of directions issued by it in the PIL from time to time, more particularly the directions issued on December 31, 2012.
The directions included constitution of a separate food safety organisation, appropriate service as envisaged under the Food Safety & Standards Rules 2011, creation and appointment of the staff to man the organisation and setting up of a functional laboratory for testing food samples for adulteration.
However, as the matter came up for hearing today, the bench expressed its displeasure over non-substantial implementation of most of the directions issued by the court in the matter so far.
“The court expressed its displeasure over the tardy response by the government functionaries towards implementation of the Food Safety Standards Act 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Rules 2011 and has now granted J&K government two months time to comply with the directions,” advocate Tassaduq Khawaja, who is representing the petitioners in the PIL, said.
In case of failure to do so, he said, the court has further directed that Chief Secretary MI Khanday will appear in person on the next date of hearing, fixed after two months.
What does the PIL say?
The PIL has sought court directions commanding the respondents to implement the Food Safety Standards Act 2006 and Food Safety & Standards Rules 2011
It has been submitted that “non-implementation of the Act and rules by the state government is a grave issue and the matter requires to be dealt with seriously” to check adulteration of food items and eatables
The government has often come under criticism for lack of seriousness about implementing the Food Safety and Standards Act in the state
The PIL argued, “The authority in question in the PIL is not in a position to take any action against the person found guilty under the Act and Rules.”

Periodic Inspections For Hygienic Food

Restaurants should be under scan on a regular basis in order to prevent the hitches caused by unhygienic food

On Jun 27, 2013

Trivandrum: As the city has witnessed a couple of incidents related to unhygienic food catered by the restaurants, it is high time to make inspections periodic, instead of random surprise checks by the authorities.

“Though Food Safety Authority does random surprise checks, it is not enough,” an officer from the District Medical Officer’s (DMO) office added. He opined that there should be periodic checks on whether the rules are being followed or not. He stressed that even if the inspections are random and surprise ones, it should be periodic. “Only this will make hotel owners follow the rules and keep their establishments hygienic. Not keeping a healthy environment in their institutions can lead to even death,” he added.

Cooks and waiters infected with communicable diseases like Typhoid, Cholera, Dysentery, Diarrheal diseases and Hepatitis B could easily transfer these diseases to their customers if they are allowed to work in restaurants. Simple things like not washing hands for 5-10 minutes after attending nature’s call can also cause to spread infection.

The restaurant owners who tend to violate these mandatory laws on food hygiene are viable to the cancellation of their licenses.

Image courtesy: The Hindu

According to the procedure, there is a penalty for violation for the first time, while second time attracts legal action against them. Provisions are there in law to provide compulsory compensation from the owners of such restaurants to those who are hospitalised or deceased.

Public can inform suspected food poisoning cases to Food Safety Authority, District Medical Officer, and other local bodies. Only the active participation of public can help control this nuisance.

One hotel closed, 21 eateries fined in raids

District Food Safety Officer K.Ajith Kumar conducted checks in various eateries in the city and closed down Hotel Lavanya in Kaloor and fined 21 other hotels and bakeries on various grounds.
Most of the hotels and bakeries had a clean dining room, but the kitchen areas were found wanting, Mr. Kumar said.
The hotels were fined on various accounts like reuse of oil, unhygienic storage of prepared food, store area that did not have proper moisture control, using old and unclean utensils, cobwebs in the kitchen, and broken or dilapidated condition of kitchens.
The guidelines issued under the Food Safety Act along with a Malayalam transcript had been given to all the outlets through their associations, said Mr. Kumar. He said the raids would continue for another couple of days.
Raids were conducted for the past three days on hotels and bakeries in the city area, Aluva, Koothatukulam and Vazhakulam. In the city 19 outlets were inspected and improvement notices were issued to seven units.
In Aluva, 10 establishments were raided and improvement notices issued to seven units while in Koothatukulam and Vazhakulam areas inspections in 14 units were held of which 9 were given improvement notices.
The raids were conducted on the orders of the State Food Safety Commissioner Biju Prabhakar.

One hotel closed, 21 eateries fined in raids

June 27, 2013

One hotel closed, 21 eateries fined in raids

June 27, 2013

KVVES protests against raids

Raids on hotels and food outlets is merely an excuse to harass small-time businessmen, the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) said on Thursday. It was responding to a series of State-wide raids conducted by food safety officials.

In a release, the traders’ body said these raids were unfair on the small trader and amounted to effectively crippling his business.

It said food safety officials had no authority to order the closure of and charge cases against food establishments, as it came only under the power of the Revenue Divisional Officer.

Jun 27, 2013

After the ban, gutka hits market in another form

Bangalore, Jun 27: The government might have enforced a ban on manufacture, storage and sale of gutka and other tobacco and nicotine products, with a good intention of protecting public health. But, a visit to paan shops reveal a trend that defeats the whole purpose and, reduces the legislation to paper.

Manufacturers have found an ingenious way to supply their clientele tobacco and paan masala (both not banned when sold individually) in separate sachets, which, when combined gives the same mixture as gutka.

The government order of the ban signed by Food Safety Commissioner V B Patil on May 30, says that manufacture, storage, sale or distribution of gutka and paan masala “containing tobacco and nicotine as ingredients” is prohibited in the State.

The ban is based on regulation 2,3, 4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sale) Act, 2011, which prohibits the use of tobacco, nicotine or any other products injurious to health in food products.

Sachets of such paan masala without any tobacco and nicotine along with sachets of zarda are gradually flowing into shops all over the City. “It is in such a complementary form that gutka and paan masala are now being supplied separately to shops and demand is also high,” said a supplier.

A number of shopkeepers to whom Deccan Herald spoke, claimed that while there was no sale of paan masala and gutka in the past few days, their respective suppliers have assured them of a fresh supply in the new complementary form soon.

One major gutka company in the country already has its product in the market in such a form. In Maharashtra, the ban on gutka and paan masala is wider in ambit and includes magnesium carbonate (carcinogenic substance) and any other substances that constitute gutka and paan masala.

“In different states the order of the ban has been worded differently, and governments will have to be vigilant to any such market tactics that may require an amendment to the rule,” said Dr Upendra Bhojani from the Institute of Public Health, Bangalore.

Since the ban came into force from June 1, a number of manufacturers in the state have suffered huge losses according to a gutka retailer in the City. “Manufacturers here will be resorting to this kind of a production from July. In fact, it is nothing new and as it is going on all over the country.

The industry has to survive somehow or the other,” he said. In Bihar, the sale of paan masala has been going on in such a complementary form despite the ban, Dr Bhojani said.

Implement ban on tobacco products properly, says CPI

The ban on storage and sale of gutkha and pan masala should not remain as a mere notification, it should be implemented in letter and spirit,said Communist Party of India state secretary
R Viswanathan

Addressing reporters here on Wednesday, the CPI leader welcomed the prohibition of gutkha and pan masala for a period of one year and said the commissioner of food safety, Ragesh Chandra, should ensure that the ban on the products is implemented right from the Chief Secretariat of Puducherry.

Viswanathan charged that some of the top officials of the administration, including IAS officers, were using the banned products in the secretariat.

147 hotels raided

Special squads of Food Safety officials from various districts conducted raids on 147 hotels in the state and suspended the Food Business Operator (FBO) licence of 10 establishments.

The raids were conducted following the instruction of the Food Safety Commissioner to ensure 30 guidelines for cleanliness in hotels. A total of 10 eateries lost their licences and were closed down.
Around 90 hotels were given improvement notices and a total fine to the tune of Rs 1,13,500 was imposed on 23 hotels.
A total of 60 hotels had been closed down following the recent raids and imposed a fine of
Rs 4,48,500.