Raid hits Cuttack eateries

Health squad officials seize stale food from Dama Maharaj shop at Badambadi in Cuttack on Saturday. Picture by Badrika Nath Das Cuttack, May 4: The health wing of Cuttack Municipal Corporation today served a closure notice on a reputed restaurant and sweets manufacturer unit for violating guidelines prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, rules 2011. The health squad officials, who conducted raids on five eateries today, sealed Dama Maharaj shop for stocking stale food items at Badambadi and its owner has been asked to comply within 15 days to resume operation of the shop. The civic body’s health wing seized over two quintals of sweets, including khowa and other food items, stacked inside the deep freezer. No sanitation was maintained inside the shop’s kitchen. “We had conducted the raid as part of our routine enforcement. However, we had specific complaints that many leading sweets selling shops and other hotels and restaurants were serving stale food to the customers,” said P.K. Pradhan, city health officer. He said they conducted the raids keeping in view the various health problems people usually suffer after consuming food from unhygienic roadside eateries. The corporation has issued food licence to over 235 eateries. “We have asked the restaurants to maintain sanitation and ensure that no stale food is served to the people. We are contemplating stern action against violators,” Pradhan said. The corporation officials said over one quintal of stale food that was also seized from various small hotels and roadside eateries were also destroyed today. The drive is likely to continue for another 15 days.

Dinamalar

Artificial fruit ripening centre opened

New artificial fruit ripening centre in Anantapur on Saturday

An artificial ripening centre, first of its kind in the district, which adheres to international standards of artificial ripening of mango and other fruits, was inaugurated at the Anantapur market yard on Saturday by the District Revenue Officer (DRO) Sudarshan Reddy.

The artificial ripening centre, constructed at a cost of over Rs. 60 lakh, is said to be a boon both for the mango farmers of the district as well as the consumers as mangoes can be ripened at around a rupee per fruit.

Farmers can easily afford this whereas the consumers get to consume fresh ripened fruits as against the usually available chemically contaminated ones.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Sudarshan Reddy said that mangoes ripened at the centre using ethylene gas would prove to be beneficial for all, while enhancing the reputation of the district as a key player in the horticulture market in the State and the country.

He reminded all that Anantapur district was the major producer of many fruits like that of sweet lime and musk melon besides sapota and others that are bought directly by traders from across the countryat the market yard in Anantapur.

“Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), in its order dated May 2010, permits the use of only ethylene gas for ripening of fruits,” said V.K. Pradeep Reddy, president of the Horticulturists’ Welfare Mutually Aided Co-operative Society (MACS) Limited.

The Government of India banned the use of calcium carbide as per the rules set out in the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.

The use of calcium carbide attaches to the fruits, thus ripened by it, carcinogenic chemicals like arsenic hydride and phosphorous hydride, Mr. Pradeep said.

Notwithstanding all this, the biggest advantage from the centre stands to be derived by the farmers whose fruits can now be ripened cheaply while delivering an additional benefit of being able to sell the produce directly at the market yard, where the ripening centre has been set up.

Blanket ban alone can stop gutkha smuggling: FDA

NAGPUR: Though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has seized gutkha worth 16 crore despite the state government imposing a ban on its sale and purchase, FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade is seeing this as an achievement and also a failure to stop the interstate smuggling of the contraband. 
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Zagade said he had written to the FDA in other states but it was impossible to control the entry of gutkha into Maharashtra from the states like Uttar Pradesh where there is no ban on its manufacturing. "Smuggling would continue unless there is a blanket ban on manufacturing all over the country. Implementing the ban fully is a difficult task. Gutkha continues to reach the state by road and rail," he said. 
Zagade admitted that implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act was not an easy job with a meagre staff of about 200 personnel and about 20 lakh food operators. But he patted his back as the FDA registered almost 3.75 lakh operators in the state. "We are trying our best to put the food safety and management system under the new act in place to ensure the right to safe food to consumers. We are taking action against misleading advertisements as well," he said.
Talking about the drugs front, Zagade said the administration was coming down heavily on medical shops being run without pharmacists and also implementing the drug price control order effectively. He listed the recent action against Johnson and Johnson and its affiliated companies for selling ethylene oxide sterilized powder. 
Zagade said the new food and drug testing laboratory near Manewada would be ready in two months. FDA is also looking for two acre land for its around 850 crore project for combined facility of laboratory and office.