Food business operators advised

Port Blair

13 Apr 2013

The food business operators licensed under Food Safety and Standard (Licensing & Regulation of Food Business) Regulations, 2011 have been advised to submit annual returns on or before 31st May each year for the period 1st April to 31st March of every financial year to the Licensing Authority in the prescribed form D-1 and every licensee engaged in manufacturing of milk/or milk products shall file half yearly returns for the period 1st April to 30th September and the 1st October to 31st March of every financial year in for D-2.

Any delay in filling return beyond 31st May of each year shall attract a penalty of Rs.100/- per day of delay. Further any application for the renewal of a registration or license granted under above regulations shall be made in form A or B as the case may be, not later than 30 days prior to the expiry date indicated in the license/registration certificate. Any renewal application filed beyond the period mentioned above shall be accompanied by a late fee of Rs.100/- per day for each day of delay. Hence, all food business operators are advised to adhere with the time limit, according to the Food Safety Department.

Mango milkshake for just Rs.15? FDA will find how

Despite its costly ingredients, roadside vendors are selling the drink at low prices
This is the question dogging Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Pune for the last few days: Considering the cheapest variety of mango would cost Rs10 per piece and the price of milk costs Rs35 per litre on an average, how can a glass of thick mango milkshake cost Rs15?
With the summer reaching its peak, most people tend to frequent roadside stalls for a quick cold drink or iced gola to beat the heat. “But recently we got information that some street vendors sell mango
milkshakes for Rs15 a glass. How is that possible considering the price of basic ingredients like mangoes and milk used? Surely there is something wrong here. And this is just one food item but during summer, people also gorge on cold drinks and ice-creams at roadside stalls without bothering about quality,” said Kekare.
In many instances, street vendors use sub-standard raw materials, preservatives and colour that can
seriously harm people and this drive would ensure such instances are avoided.
While the public may not be bothered, the FDA officials are worried and this summer, they have decided to kick-off a special drive to ensure hygiene and quality is scrupulously maintained at these stalls.
Not just that, the department has decided to ensure that all roadside vendors get registered with the FDA and if any registered vendor is found using sub-standard material, the strictest action would follow.
For this purpose, the department has set its sights on the city’s busiest streets followed by most favoured ‘khau-gallis’ (eatery spots) of the city.
“During summer, people eat out at street vendors’ stalls and at most times during the rush, the quality of food items gets compromised. This results in food and waterborne infections. This year, we have decided to have an intensified campaign against roadside stalls ensuring they get registered, follow all quality controls. We will check their raw materials and final products, handlers and storage conditions,” said Kekare. The drive would especially concentrate on stalls selling cold drinks, ice golas, milkshakes and sherbets, which are most popular during summer. More than two dozen staffers of FDA would be involved in this special drive.
What OFFICIALS will check for
- Stalls should be registered with FDA under Food Safety Standards Act, 2006
- Raw material, water are of good quality, stored in clean conditions
- Prepared food is covered
- Regular cleaning of machine and equipment
- Cleanliness of food handlers

Nutrition and food safety

Experts working on child education have different views on Mid-day Meal scheme. While National Steering-cum-Monitoring Committee on Mid-day Meal member Ashok Rao talked about laying emphasis on nutrition and food safety in the entire process, Sanjeev Rai who has worked on primary education for decades argued that instead of compartmentalising children’s education into separate blocks, it was high time that the government “conceptualise an integrated education model for the children in the 3-18 years age group where they can get quality food and learning in a safe environment.”

Mr. Rai underscored that the Municipal and State Government schools, which over 80 per cent of India’s poor, Dalit, minorities and other marginalised communities have access to, come lowest in the hierarchy of the government schooling system. Unlike Navodaya and Sainik schools, the rest of the government schools are not the priority of the policy makers, he added.

Opposing the idea of contract system to NGOs, Mr. Rao said the contract and tendering process of the MDM was done as if it was some real estate deal. He suggested the idea of community kitchen near the school concerned, arguing that in the case of centralised kitchens which are located in far off areas, the nutritional and food safety aspect get ignored.

“If one lakh children have to be served at 11 a.m., then the food has to be prepared by 6 a.m., after which it travels for over 4-6 hours in delivery vans. So what was fresh does not remain so when it is finally served. Has anybody tried to find out that in the food, which has been repeatedly found to be anything but nutritional, what kind of bacterial activity must be taking place in those 4-6 hours?” he asked.

Report of Committee on Subordinate Legislation - Implementation of The Food Safety and Standards Act,2006

Source:http://niyamasabha.org/codes/rpt_sublegin.htm

House panel moots steps to ensure food safety

Poor infrastructure and staff shortage have hampered the enforcement of food safety standards, creating conditions conducive to the rampant sale of adulterated food in Kerala, the Assembly Committee on Subordinate Legislation has found.

In its 11{+t}{+h}report submitted to the House on Tuesday, the committee chaired by M.Ummer said the creation of infrastructural facilities was inadequate to support the transition from the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act to the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA).

Noting that the absence of laboratory facilities to test food samples was a major inadequacy in the State’s food safety regime, the report recommended the establishment of accredited food analytical laboratories in all districts.

Mr.Ummer told reporters that the panel had called for infrastructural improvement to secure NABL (National Accreditation Board for testing and calibration of Laboratories) accreditation for the regional food analytical laboratory at Thiruvananthapuram first and the two other regional government laboratories in the next phase.

The report highlighted the need to establish a food safety appellate tribunal and special court and appoint public prosecutors. It also called for steps to appoint food safety officers for each constituency.

The committee proposed the creation of a database of food vendors in each constituency to be inspected by designated officers. It mooted monthly inspections of pre-metric hostels, anganwadis and food godowns to ensure proper storage, quality of stocks and cooking environment.

The panel also recommended periodic inspections of eateries at tourist destinations and food processing factories.

Inspection of food items brought into the State through check posts and formation of district level vigilance squads are other major recommendations in the report.

State pulls up 43 shops & eateries for violating safety norms

RANCHI: In a bid to tighten noose around the shopkeepers supplying adulterated eatables, the food and safety department of the state government has filed cases against 43 shops and hotels here for violation of rules.

According to the additional chief medical officer N N Sengupta, the cases were registered against some of the major hotels and shops after department officials raided them and found violation of the food and safety standard norms.

Sengupta said the raids were being carried out after the Jharkhand high court took suo motu cognizance of a PIL T P Burnwal, the director in chief of the department, said the PIL

on implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 filed in 2012. The high court has asked the department to file a detailed report by April 22 about the quality of food in restaurants, mineral water, sauces, sale of banned gutkha and spurious drinks in the city.

The cases registered include misbranding of baby corn and paneer by a couple of hotels and some shops.

According to the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, there is a provision of imprisonment for major defaulters and a provision of fine up to Rs 10 lakh in minor cases. Sengupta said, "In general kind of cases, the offenders can get away with penalty; those charged with injury to health might be subjected to imprisonment also."

Officials said a special team would carry out inspections in Ranchi shops during the next five days. "We have found that several vendors are selling spurious drinks and mineral water with expiry labels and logos of branded products," said a senior official.

The department is also planning to spread awareness among vendors about maintaining the quality of food products and banning sale of gutkha in the city.

Cuddalore Food Safety Dept. News

Puthandu Vazhtukal!

May this year’s Puthandu bring in affluence and joy to you and to all of your family members. Puthandu Vazhtukal!