Delhi to ban junk in school canteens?

Delhi could become the first state in the country to ban sale of junk food like pizzas, burgers, pakoras and carbonated soft drinks in its school canteens.
The Delhi high court on Wednesday asked the Delhi government not to wait for the all India guidelines to be framed by Union health ministry to ban sale of junk food in school canteens saying it was empowered by its own school education rules to do so.
“By April 17, we want to know what instructions can be issued by the Delhi government to ban sale of junk food and carbonated drinks in schools canteens. Education directorate can invoke rule 43 of the Delhi School Education Act to do so”, a bench of chief justice D Murugesan and justice VK Jain said.
“Centre will take its own time by forming committees, ordering surveys etc. It is to be remembered that health ministry was for the first time asked to frame guidelines last year January and till now they are not done with their survey. Delhi government can act on its own if it wants a fast ban”, the court said.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by social activist Rahul Verma of NGO Uday Foundation seeking a ban on junk food in schools across the country. “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 in classrooms about good nutrition ... on the other hand, we continue to make junk food available to them.”, he said.
Verma said most schools allow easy access to junk foods and carbonated drinks for children in canteens and nearby shops.
The health ministry told the court it was determined to ensure that only hygienic food is made available to students and also plans to gradually ban “unhealthy” junk food. Additional Solicitor General appearing for the ministry Rajeev Mehra said Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has entrusted the task of framing the guidelines to AC Nielsen QRG-MARG pvt ltd
The agency has been asked to conduct a nationwide survey of existing standard of food supplied in school canteens and suggest measures to improve them.
“There are several reported incidents of food poisoning in the schools due to unhygienic food served in schools.
There is an increase in the quantity and variety of junk foods sold within the school premises that may have deleterious effect on child health both in short and long term. Incidents may be many more but they go unreported due to interior location and poor communication”, the ministry told the court.

Squads find water supply norms flouted

Special squads of the Food Safety Commissioner conducted widespread inspection of tanker lorries distributing drinking water in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode, and Ernakulam districts on Tuesday and detected a lot of irregularities in the quality and safety of the drinking water supplied, besides violation of the food safety norms.

The Food Safety wing carried out the inspections following reports that the guidelines issued in January by the Food Safety Commissioner regarding the quality of water and the manner in which it should be transported were being observed more in the breech.

In the inspections conducted in urban and suburban areas in Thiruvananthapuram district, food safety officials issued strict instructions to the Executive Engineer, Kerala Water Authority, that drinking water be supplied only to those tanker lorries that have food safety licence and that adhere strictly to the norms.

Water samples were collected from ten tanker lorries and sent to the Government Analysis Laboratory for testing. Notice was issued to those tanker lorry owners found violating the food safety norms. Inspections were carried out to test water quality at the SUT Hospital canteen and the Nathan hotel at Peroorkada and the latter was issued notice under the Food Safety Act. In Ernakulam district, five tanker lorries were served notice for not possessing the Food Business Operator (FBO) licence and the water samples from these lorries were sent to the Ernakulam regional analytic lab for testing.

Water samples from three drinking water sources were collected and sent for testing. Food Safety Commissioner Biju Prabhakar said that as a first-time exercise, only the notice was being issued to those violating the food safety norms. In the next phase of inspections, steps will be taken for legal prosecution of the offenders, including imposition of fine. The tanker lorries will also be seized. The public can complain to the Food Safety toll-free line (1800 425 1125)

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Water tankers inspected in three districts

Food safety toll-free number is 1800 425 1125

Adulterated oil, rotten ingredients, Bhopal street food is poison: Report

Bhopal: This is a Bhopal specific report based on a survey of the city’s hawker’s corner which has about 300 food stalls. However, it could very well be a story of street food stalls in every Indian city.
For those who relish the fried rice and chowmein that the street vendor near your school or college sells, here’s an eye–opener that could very well make you lose your appetite. The latest report of the Food Security Department reveals some distasteful truths that are shocking to say the least.

The noodles, dosas and chole you so enjoy at your  street food vendor’s  could be actively harming your health in more ways than you can think of. Food security officials have published a report based on investigations conducted between October 2012 to January 2013.

 

A highlight of the report is that a majority of the ingredients whether it be food or drinks are sub-standard and not fit to be eaten at all. 

 

The department has specific instructions to monitor the food served in such stalls with full permission to destroy any stalls that are found to be faulty.

Among the areas surveyed were-New market, MP Nagar, Habibganj, Subhash Nagar, Kolar, Saket Nagar, and Arera colony hawker’s zone food stalls.
An official at the CMHO office said that the most harmful practice is that most of the cooking is done out in the open and the display is also open on the counter.
This not only ensures that flies feed on them, but they are also open to the dust and grime from the streets around.

Most stalls have been issued notices to improve the conditions in which they cook and serve customers.

 

Food security officials will be cracking down a second time on the stalls that have received notices.

 

The oil used for cooking is used and reused.

 

Foodstalls serving Chinese

seldom change the oil they use for frying noodles and other items!

 

Many of them use the oil that has already been used for frying bhatures to fry noodles and rice!

 

Vegetarian and non-vegetarian food items are rarely kept separate!

Some startling revelations 

• Palm oil is mixed in edible oil.

 

• Samosas are made with rotten potatoes.

 

• Decayed flour used in vegetarian balls used for many Chinese dishes. 

 

• Rotten soya is mixed in chowmein.

 

• Peanuts are used instead of gourd in Sambhar.

 

• Water is mixed in tomato sauce.

 

• Low quality masalas used to spice vegetable dishes.

 

• Fried rice is cooked in burnt oil.

 

 (Information based on report of Food Security Department)

Keep off food colours: Experts

INDORE: That tempting brown pastry at the bakery, bright yellow jalebi, and blue coloured ice ball to relieve you from the heat. The colourful eatables may look like a good treat for your taste buds, but it might as well get you many life threatening diseases. Food colours that have become irreplaceable ingredients of most of our meals might help improve appearance of a dish. But it can be responsible for causing many irreversible effects on our health.

From carcinogens or cancer causing agents in some cases containing toxins like lead and arsenics, a few food colours might lead to severe health hazards. Gastroenterologist Dr Atul Shende sharing his recent experiences wherein food colours came up to be as cause of certain abdominal ailments, said, "Recently we have been receiving many young patients with pancreatitis, it's a condition where pancreas is known to get inflamed. The most common cause for this condition is alcohol consumption or gall bladder stone."

Elaborating, he said, "But in last few cases, patients I treated for this condition were young children. Also, all of them said they had consumed chocolate or black forest pastry, which are known to contain brown food colour. "Not that it had been studied yet, but Shende seemed to be sure of his observation and might take the matter up the matter with food officer." "We are not very sure of the chemical composition of the brown food colour, but I am confident that it has to be blamed. With the uniformity in the cases of pancreatitis and their causes there nothing to suggest otherwise, we might write to the food officer about it in the future."

It's not just one colour which can be treated as a health hazard, chief dietician, Mohak Hospital, Dr Preeti Shukla said, "Food colours that we add to our meals at home to make our food look attractive can cause lifelong damage to body and brain. There are certain colours which cause insomnia, lack of appetite, gastro intestinal problems, skin problems, and some can even lead to cancer. I personally suggest my patients to stay away from such ingredients."

Although there is no getting away from these colours when decide to go out and eat "When you eat at a hotel, and if you happen to order a dish which might have added colours, it would show on your fingers even when washed. So avoid ordering the same dish the next time you eat out or may be eat somewhere else. Eating Chinese food outside can also lead to many health troubles, it contains Ajinomoto or Monosodium glutamate (MSG) which known to have many harmful effects."

Food Officer Indore, Manish Swamy said, "Packaged food that sells in markets normally have food grade colours and are used to according to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. Apart from that we conduct regular inspection at eateries and hotels in the city. At an average, 10 hotels are inspected every month. Action is taken against any one found violating rules."

PIL For Ban on Junk Food in Schools: HC Seeks Govt Reply

The Delhi High Court today asked the city government if it had issued any direction to schools on regulating sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around their premises even as the Centre said it would come up with guidelines on the issue by July.

Issuing notice to Delhi government on a PIL seeking ban on sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around schools, a division bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice V K Jain sought its response by April 17.

"We want to know whether the Delhi government has issued directions to the schools here regarding sale of junk food and carbonated drinks under the Delhi Education Act," the bench said.

Meanwhile, Additional Solicitor General(ASG) Rajeeve Mehra told the bench that the central government would finalise the guidelines by July this year to regulate the availability of junk foods and carbonated drinks within 500 yards of a school.

Earlier, the government had informed the court that 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 Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that in pursuance of the court's earlier order, 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 report had stressed the need for guidelines saying besides the students studying in public schools, there are more than twelve crore children 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.

In January last year, the court had given six months' time to FSSAI for framing guidelines on banning sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around educational institutions in the country.

The court had also asked the FSSAI to consult the All India Food Processors Association (AIFPA) and restaurant associations for framing the guidelines.

AIFPA, in its application, had said that it deals with processing of fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, milk and milk products and also the manufacturers of biscuits and confectionery products and may give some precious pieces of advice to the FSSAI.

The court was hearing the PIL filed by Rakesh Prabhakar, a lawyer for NGO 'Uday Foundation' seeking a direction banning sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around schools.

College canteens yet to junk colas, fast food

MANGALORE: The Union ministry of health recently made a suggestion to shun junk food and carbonated drinks in school and college canteens. Though most college canteens in undivided Dakshina Kannada district serve junk food and carbonated drinks, schools in the region are taking measures to prevent students taking to unhealthy food habits.

Students of Yenepoya School are not allowed to bring either lunch or breakfast to the school. Since 2007, the school authorities have been serving vegetarian breakfast and lunch for its students.

Manjunath CK, principal told TOI that the move is aimed at preventing students from eating junk food. Welcoming the health ministry's suggestion, Manjunath said, "We are not providing carbonated drinks. Instead we give them fruits three times in a week."

However, there is confusion regarding eatables that come under junk food category. Though junk food has not been defined under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the Union ministry of health has consider food items with high fat, salt and sugar and with little or no protein, minerals and vitamins as unhealthy foods.

Presidency School has a cafeteria and students can either bring lunch from home or can have it in cafeteria. Kailash Pawar, principal, said that they offer pure fruit juice made in cafeteria to students. "We offer puffs and samosas and we are confused whether it is a junk food or not. If the government terms these two eatables as junk food, we will stop serving it," he added.

Cambridge School also has a similar cafeteria system.

TC Shivashankara Murthy, vice-chancellor of Mangalore University said , "We are not aware of the suggestion of withdrawing junk food. But we will ask the canteen committee to submit a report on this suggestion. Based on the report, we will take a decision as to withdraw junk food in the canteen."

Dr K Ramnarayan, vice-chancellor of Manipal University, said this is positive initiative by the government in view of students' health. "But it is left to students to decide what kind of food they want to consume. If government asks colleges to withdraw junk food and carbonated drinks from canteens compulsorily, we will stop serving it," he added.

FDA launches drive against synthetic khoya

KANPUR: In a drive against adulterated and synthetic 'khoya', the Food and Drug Authority (FDA) officials on Tuesday raided the Khoya mandi in Govind Nagar locality. The FDA officials confiscated seven quintals of allegedly adulterated khoya and destroyed it later.
Following a tip off, the FDA team lead by Yogendra Kumar, Additional City Magistrate (ACM), Kanpur Nagar, raided the Khoya mandi at Govind Nagar on Tuesday afternoon. The team was also accompanied by police force. The FDA team collected various samples of khoya from the mandi and sent it for adulteration test.
A large quantity of unidentified khoya was seized as well. Despite the best efforts of team no one claimed the seized stuff.
The ACM informed that during the inspection, approximately seven quintals of 'mawa' or khoya was seized from the Mandi. The brokers and khoya sellers ran away from the spot after seeing the FDA and police vans.
"When nobody come forward to claim the khoya, it was destroyed by adjudging the same as adulterated. The entire khoya was thrown in Govind Nagar drain. The team also collected samples of khoya from the Mandi," added the ACM.
He informed that keeping in mind the Holi festival and dumping of adulterated khoya in various mandis of the city, the district administration was making continuous raid in mandis and other areas where sale of khoya is being done in large quantity.
The FDA team also raided two sweets shops and took legal action against a shop for burning kerosene oil in making sweets. The team seized around 55 liter of kerosene oil from the shop in Govind Nagar area.
"As the sweet samples are yet to be traced as adulterated, the shopkeepers have been released. If the item is found adulterated, strict actions will be taken," added ACM.