Medical Officers get additional charge of Food Safety Officer

The State Health Department on Wednesday issued a letter to the effect that all Medical Officers in-charges of Primary Health Centres in the State henceforth would have the additional charge of Food Safety Officers in their area.

Though, the department has justified this decision saying that it was according to the Rule-2.1.3 of the Food Safety & Standard Rules, 2011and section-37 of the Food Safety & Standard Act, 2006 there have been suggestion that the department had taken the steps in wake of Jharkhand High Court stricture.

An official in the Food and Drug Testing Laboratory in Namkom said, “This hurried assignment of extra duties have been affected because the department had to appear in the Jharkhand HC and justify why the HC should not appoint a committee of its own and probe the cases of adultery.”

Earlier in January 2012 the Jharkhand HC had issued notices to the Chief Secretary of the state, Principal Secretary of the Animal Husbandry Department and Principal Secretary of the Health Department seeking their reply on the steps being taken by the State Government to curb adulatory in food after media report of rising cases of milk adulteration.

The HC had taken the suo motto cognisance of the reports published in newspapers. April 22 is going to be fourth appearance of the department in that connection.

While Health secretary refrained from making any comment on the matter he said that the department had taken several steps for stopping adulteration of food.

State’s Director in Chief of Food TP Barnwal said that the Food and Drug Testing Laboratory in Namkom was short-staffed and the decision to give additional charges to the MO in-charges would strengthen them with around 200 food safety officers.

He said that these officers would perform two types of tasks. One, they will collect the samples of food and edible items from their regions and send it to the laboratory for testing. Second, they will also recommend whether or not business operators in their areas should be issued the business licences.

On the questions of the recruitment of permanent staffs on different vacancies in the department he said that delay happened because there was no rule book for the appointment.

“The rule book is in making. We hope it will be completed within maximum of six months from now. And from then on the recruitment might take not more than six months. Thus within a year from now we will make permanent appointments,” he said.

What is wriggling in your drinking water?

Water supplied through tanker lorries plying across the city was also found not satisfactory.

Tests show most well water, packaged water contaminated with coliform bacteria

What’s colourless, tasteless and odourless? Definitely not the water you get.
Investigations conducted at government laboratories have revealed increasing levels of contamination in well water, drinking water supplied through tanker lorries and packaged drinking water.
Tests at the Government Regional Analytical Laboratory at Kakkanad and the Food Quality Monitoring Laboratory under the Council for Food Research and Development in Konni between March 20 and April 5 have found that water quality in 15 wells (from which water was drawn for supply in apartments and commercial establishments in the city); 15 tanker lorries used for drinking water supply and 18 brands of packaged drinking water was ‘not satisfactory’.
Faecal coliform bacteria or E.coli was found in wells located in Churnikara panchayat, Eloor, Aluva and Kalamassery. Samples collected from a well near HMT at Toshiba junction found that the coliform count was 1600 organisms/100 ml against the prescribed limit of 10 organisms per 100 ml. Excessive acid content was found in wells located in Mattakuzhi, Vaikom; Kuttikkattukara, Eloor and Aluva.
Water supplied through tanker lorries plying across the city was also found not satisfactory. Most of the samples showed high acid content. Residual chlorine was above the prescribed limit of 0.3 ppm (parts per million). Iron content was also high in most of the samples tested at the Government Regional Analytical Laboratory at Kakkanad. Coliform count was 1600 organisms/100 ml against the upper limit of 10 organisms per 100 ml in a water sample.
Sixteen brands of packaged drinking water in Ernakulam were found contaminated with E.coli and coliform bacteria. Tests conducted at the Food Quality Monitoring Laboratory under the Council for Food Research and Development in Konni found that coliform count and E. coli were less than 2 organisms/100 ml against the rule that coliform bacteria or E. coli should not be present in packaged drinking water. Excessive acid content was found in another packaged drinking water sample.
Reacting to the increasing incidents of contamination of drinking water, Food Safety Commissioner Biju Prabhakar said that stringent action would be taken against tanker lorry operators found supplying contaminated water to the public. He said the drive would be extended across all districts in the coming days.
However, Mr. Prabhakar pointed out that action against the packaged drinking water companies will be initiated only after collecting ‘formal samples’. Only a marginal presence of coliform bacteria was found in the samples tested at the laboratory in Konni. But we will continue our drive against the violators, with the scientific collection of water samples already progressing in various areas, he said.

Officials warn traders against using harmful chemicals

Huge amount of artificially ripened mangoes were seized from the traders in Erode on Friday. The fruits were later dumped in the Vendipalayam compost yard.- PHOTO: M. GOVARTHAN

 

More than three tonnes of mangoes that were artificially ripened using chemicals were seized during a surprise check conducted by a team of food safety and health officials, here, on Friday.
Following reports that the fruit traders were using chemicals such as calcium carbide to induce ripening, the officials checked the mangoes stocked in the godowns and wholesale stalls at Nethaji market, Kongalamman Street and Masjid Street.
They found huge amount of mangoes that were ripened prematurely using banned chemicals in many godowns and seized them.
The mangoes were later dumped at the Vendipalayam compost yard.
Officials cautioned that stern action would be initiated against the traders who indulge in the harmful practice. They further said similar checks would be conducted across the district frequently.
Health officials said that consumption of artificially ripened mangoes would cause many problems including neurological disorders.
“The artificially ripened fruit will lack the distinctive aroma that naturally ripened mangoes have. It will also look uniformly coloured, while the naturally ripened one will show gradients in yellows and greens. If the mangoes have wrinkles, avoid them,” says a horticulture official here.

Food safety officials seize three tonnes of mangoes

COIMBATORE: Food safety officials, in Erode, on Friday seized three tonnes of artificially ripened mangoes sprayed with organophosphate based insecticide, an artificial ripening agent. The compound is toxic and is part of the same chemical family of compounds that are found in various harmful pesticides and even nerve gas agents.

"Based on a tip off, we raided the shops and confiscated the artificially ripened mangoes. They were sprayed with pesticide for quick ripening which is being widely used as a substituent for calcium carbide these days," said G Rameshkumar, designated officer, Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, Erode.

The artificially ripened mangoes were seized from three fruit warehouses in Nethaji whole sale fruit market in Erode. Officials claimed the traders were spraying pesticide on the mangoes to ensure the entire bunch becomes ripe within five to six days. They acknowledged it difficult to identify fruits ripened by spraying the pesticide which is available in the open market at Rs 1200 per litre.

"These artificially ripened fruits have a pink tinge on their outer skin but that cannot be the only factor to confirm the presence of the toxic artificial ripening agent," Rameshkumar added.

The team raided more than 15 fruit storage spots in the market from where retail fruit merchants in Erode and nearby areas procure their fruit consignments for sale. Erode corporation officials were also present during the raid and later seized fruits were destroyed by dumping them in the corporation compost yard in Vendipalayam, Erode.

‘Beware of artificially ripened mangoes’

 

Calcium carbide used for artificial ripening of mangoes being removed at a shop in Chinna Kadai Veedi in Salem on Friday.— PHOTO: P. GOUTHAM
 

Beware! All the mangoes you buy from the market may not be naturally ripened. Consuming mangoes that are artificially ripened using calcium carbide causes serious health hazards including diarrhoea, burning sensation in abdomen, skin ulcers, irritation in mouth, nose and throat and also peptic ulcer.
Though use of the chemical is banned under The Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, wholesalers, retailers and small traders continue to use carbide so that mangoes get ripened between 12 and 24 hours (natural ripening takes two to three days). With the mango season setting late and the demand at its peak, traders in the district find it difficult to meet the requirements. Hence, the artificial ripening comes handy for them and the consumers’ health is taken for granted.
“Ethylene gas fastens ripening in mangoes. The mangoes were plucked prematurely and artificial ripening is done to make a quick buck. It has no Vitamin A, but poses only health risk,” says a dietician of a private hospital.
On Friday, a team led by T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, inspected shops in Chinna Kadai Veedi and found over hundred kg of carbide used for ripening more than three tonnes of mangoes. She warned traders that action would be taken against them if they used carbide. She asked them to dilute 0.1 mm of Ethrol, which improves colouring and uniform ripening, in 10 litres of water and spray it over the mangoes so that ripening takes place in less than two days.
She toldThe Hindu that naturally ripened mangoes would become yellow gradually and have good aroma. “Instead of buying ripened mangoes, people can buy mangoes and naturally ripen them at home by placing them in a container for three days,” Ms. Anuradha adds.

TNFS Dept - Salem District News

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"கார்பைட்' மாம்பழம் கண்டுபிடிப்பு 2 டன் பறிமுதல் செய்து அழிப்பு

 

சேலம்: சேலம், பழ மார்க்கெட்டில், கார்பைட் கல் மூலம் பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட, இரண்டு டன் மாம்பழங்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்து, அழிக்கப்பட்டது.உணவு பாதுகாப்பு சட்ட விதிகள்படி, "கார்பைட்' கல் கொண்டு பழங்களை பழுக்க வைக்கக் கூடாது என்று, கலெக்டர் மகரபூஷணம் எச்சரித்துள்ளார். இந்த எச்சரிக்கையும் மீறி, சேலம்சின்னக்கடை வீதியில் உள்ள பழ மண்டி, கடைகளில் கார்பைட் கல் பயன்படுத்தி, பழங்கள் பழுக்க வைக்கப்படுவது குறித்து, கலெக்டருக்கு புகார் சென்றது.கலெக்டர் உத்தரவுப்படி, மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர் டாக்டர் அனுராதா, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் பாலு, திருமூர்த்தி, இளங்கோவன் உள்ளிட்டோர், சின்னகடை வீதியில் உள்ள பழ மண்டிகளில், திடீர் ஆய்வுப் பணி மேற்கொண்டனர். பத்து பழ குடோன்கள், 40 கடைகள் என மொத்தம், 50 இடங்களில் ஆய்வு செய்தனர்.அப்போது, "கார்பைட்' கற்களை கொண்டு பழங்கள் பழுக்க வைத்திருப்பதை அதிகாரிகள் கண்டு பிடித்தனர். பழ மார்க்கெட்டில், கார்பைட் கற்கள் மூலம் பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட இரண்டுடன் மாம்பழங்களை, அலுவலர்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்து அழித்தனர்.மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா, கடை வியாபாரிகளிடம், கார்பைட் கல் கொண்டு பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்தால், சட்ட ரீதியாக கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்று எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்தார்.டாக்டர் அனுராதா கூறியதாவது:கடை வியாபாரிகளிடம், ஏற்கனவே கார்பைட் கல் கொண்டு பழத்தை பழுக்க வைக்கக் கூடாது என்று எச்சரிக்கை செய்தும், கார்பைட் கல் பயன்படுத்தியுள்ளனர். வைக்கோல், எத்திலீன் மூலம் பழங்களை பழுக்க வைக்க கடை வியாபாரிகளுக்கு அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. தொடர்ந்து, கார்பைட் கல் கொண்டு பழம் பழுக்க வைப்பவர்கள் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்.இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்