Who cares even if it is unhygienic?

It is peak of summer season and varieties of drinks are in huge demand especially those made by roadside vendors in the State capital. Unfortunately, it seems neither the officials nor the street cool drink vendors are interested in ensuring hygiene in this natural drinks.
Explaining Food department’s hurdles, Director-in-Chief of Food TP Barnwal told The Pioneer, “There are norms to check these street fruit drink vendors but as of now we have not planned anything. We are facing manpower crunch as food safety officers. Keeping this in mind though we have deployed some staffs but their training is not yet completed.
The training for Ranchi and Hazaribagh blocks has been done. On May 15, it is scheduled in Deoghar and thereafter in Jamshedpur. On May 20 it will be held at Palamau. Once this block level training concludes, we will hold a large level meeting in the state capital and decide about this inspection. The registration of all such stall owners is mandatory. This is to be ascertained by our food safety officers.”
On the other side, Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) Public Relations Officer Naresh Kumar Sinha said, “We have not yet begun the licencing of street side juice stalls but we will start it within one month. Registering such stalls is our responsibility but analysing the quality of water and other food products is not our responsibility.”
Shockingly when The Pioneer interacted with few of the fruit juice vendors, none were aware about roadside stall licensing despite indulged in this business since a long time. “I have heard about street vendor licence in Kolkata but is it applicable in our city?”, asked panipuri seller Ramesh Gupta of Kutchery road.
Adding more to the shock, when asked that whether these officials wash the juice glasses after every customer has his sip of drink they said, “Iss mehngai ke zamane mei kaise har baar detergent powder se dhoyenge! Humlog toh bas subah aur sham dho lete hain ye gilas (In this sky high price era, we are unable to wash the glasses frequently.
We just wash the glasses twice, once in the morning and in evening).”
Be it a mango or gram flour (sattu) or wood apple (bel) or lemon juice or panipuri vendor, none use clean waters. “We use water of our locality’s supply tap water or well,” said Horin Mohanty of Radium road, Prince Kumar near Civil Court, Babulal of Sarjana Chowk. All
three are selling fruit juice for more than five years with this supply water. Babulal
confidently said, “This water is undoubtedly clean.
None of my customers have complained of any sickness yet.”

Expired food items on sale, health staff yet to take note

Moga, May 12
There have been persistent complaints by the local residents that expired food items, particularly juices and soft drinks, are openly being sold by the shopkeepers and vendors in the city but the officials of the municipal corporation and the health department have failed to take note of it.
Ramesh Kuku, a local leader of the wholesale food products dealers association, while admitting that perishable food products are being sold by the shopkeepers beyond their shelf life, revealed that he himself was cheated by a shopkeeper in the old grain market.
Kuku said he bought packets of juice for his grandson from a local shopkeeper but after returning home, he noticed that the products were past their expiry date and the date of manufacturing and expiry had been erased from the labels.
"Most regular customers go by the trust they have in the shopkeepers earned over a period of time. But if they start cheating them, I think the law enforcing agencies should take action against them," he said.
General Secretary of the District Bar Association, Sukhwinder Singh Ramuwalia, said it amounts to violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011. "It is the duty of the district administration and the health department to routinely check the shops and hotels to protect the lives of the people," he said.
Investigations made by The Tribune revealed that there were many agents in Ludhiana who pick up expired products at a nominal price from the wholesale dealers and sell them to the shopkeepers in the small cities and towns to earn a profit. The labels are either erased or even changed to befool the consumers.
A shopkeeper, Rajinder Singh, admitted that sometimes they fail to looking at expiry dates during the rush hours. Another shopkeeper said that on some occasions the staff working on shops misses to see the expiry dates while handing over the products to customers. While some said that they always checked the expiry dates.

CURRIES in a jiffy

Food scienceLeft, Nitin Singh and Hisham Kabir 

at the food processing plant

 

FOOD The first product from CIFT’s business incubation initiative has rolled into the market. SHILPA NAIR ANAND has a taste of ‘Freedom Kitchen,’ the ready-to-cook curries

There is nothing that even remotely spells food at Central Institute of Fisheries Technology’s (CIFT) food processing plants in Willingdon Island. Huge iron and steel machines sit quietly in various corners of the plant as Nitin Singh of CIFT shows us around the processing plants. This looks like an unlikely place for experiments with food. But it is a place which helps budding entrepreneurs develop their products and give wings to their dreams.

No more hassles

Hisham Kabir of Ideal Caterers is the first entrepreneur to complete business incubation, courtesy the Business Incubation Initiative of CIFT, Matsyapuri. ‘Freedom Kitchen’ is what Hisham calls his brain-child. His product, he says, is about freedom from chopping, cutting, cleaning and stewing in front of the kitchen ‘fires’ and about cooking easy.

Three ready-to-cook gravies – Kumarakom fish curry, Nadan chicken curry and Kerala chicken curry were the first to roll out. It is as simple as cutting open a vacuum-packed pouch, adding the contents to fish or chicken (half kg), water and cooking for 10 minutes. The gravies are available in supermarkets around the city and are priced at Rs. 69 per packet but are currently available at Rs. 49 as an introductory offer.

“We, Malayalis, have a problem with consuming anything ready-to-eat. Some degree of cooking has to be involved for that sense of safety while eating something out of a packet,” says Hisham. He says his product is perfect for these rushed times when none has the time for anything let alone cooking. “Don’t we all do it, cook chicken curry and freeze half of it for use the next day? This is where I got the idea which ignited the spark.”

With the seed of an idea firmly planted in his mind he set about looking for the know-how. Extensive research yielded no results until somebody suggested CIFT. He found, online, that CIFT had been doing work in the field of food processing. CIFT provided him the solutions he was looking for. This came with years of experience in food processing, machinery and with experts ready to provide any help, and game for any adventure.

“We had not done anything so far with chicken as our area of expertise was more to do with seafood. But when Hisham came up to us with his business proposal we decided to work with him and we are proud that he has ‘graduated’,” says Dr. T. K. Srinivas Gopal, Director, CIFT. Hisham joined CIFT’s business incubation initiative in 2011 and his products hit the market this year.

The plan was, initially, to ‘get into’ frozen foods and he worked extensively on developing frozen food, with the CIFT team’s assistance, but he quickly realised that besides attitudes to ready-to-eat food, there were practical and logistical constraints.

Storage, at his end and at the stores, would be a problem and improper storage would impact the product. Hence, ready-to-eat Amritsari fish curry and Spaghetti Bolognese, besides other products, gave way to ready-to-cook curries. While talking about trials Hisham says he gave biriyanis a shot, but gave up because “it wasn’t viable!”

These lessons in reality, as he calls them, helped him immensely. After repeated rounds of experimentation with various quantities and combination of masalas and cooking Hisham and his team struck upon the perfect recipe.

This experimentation also involved conducting consumer surveys based on samples and tasting, and the feedback was incorporated into the recipes. These preservative-free gravies have a shelf life of 18 months. Packaging using Retort Technology ensures that there is no bacterial contamination.

The packaged gravy, which is cooked 75 per cent, is put into the Retort machine where it is cooked at extremely high temperatures and cooled immediately. The initial cooking of the ingredients involves manual labour but after that it is all mechanised. Once the product development at CIFT was done, Hisham started production at a factory in Kothamangalam.

Hisham’s background in catering and the restaurant business made conceiving the recipes easy. This gave him the confidence to venture into a not-so virgin territory. “We know about cooking huge quantities, about masalas and recipes and that is our USP. Ours is not a by-product of a masala business.”

The going has been tough, at times, he says, he was tempted to give up but did not entertain the thought for “too long.”

Experience has taught him many lessons which, he jokes, he will put in a book, ‘What They Don’t Teach at IIM’. But the best advice he has got and will offer is “get started and just do it.”

Ban comes as a boon to put oral cancer at bay

• ESCHEW THE HABIT:Chewable tobacco products that were seized by Corporation health officials during a raid at Aarapalayam bus stand in Madurai on Saturday.

The psycho-active substances badly affect key enzymes and hormones in the body

Next time when you feel like chewing tobacco, say ‘gutka’ or ‘pan masala’, just think for a while.

The habit will not only eat away your vital parts of your body but will also make you an offender as the State Government has banned chewable tobacco production, possession, distribution and its sale in Assembly on May 8.

While doctors and public health experts have welcomed the ban in view of rising number of oral cancer cases, the official machinery will launch a crackdown after a G.O. is issued anytime from now.

Chewable tobacco, being an edible product, the imposition of ban will be exercised under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

The Indian Public Health Association (IPHA) feels that the ban is better late than never because of the intensity of the damage in users.

“It is time smokers realised the dangers of tobacco, especially in the chewing form. Thirty per cent of tobacco-related deaths is because of direct consumption of gutka and pan masala,” says S. Elango, IPHA State President and former Director of Public Health.

Oncologists are hopeful that the ban will bring down number of cancer cases in future. They call for a greater vigilance in urban and rural areas by agencies, including police, health and food safety departments.

S.S. Sundaram, Head of Department of Surgical Oncology, Government Rajaji Hospital, said the ban would ensure positive results.

“Many people do not know chewable tobacco leads to oral cancer. This is more dangerous than the cancer caused by cigarette smoking,” he cautioned. This view is echoed by a few other leading oncologists who are worried about the growing number of cancer cases.

According to K.S. Kirushna Kumar, Head, Department of Radiation Oncology, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre, young people in the age group of 30 to 40 years are falling prey to gutka and pan masala as they are not aware of the long-term implications.

“My observation is that this habit is more prevalent among lower middle class and poor people. There have been cases where tongue had to be fully removed due to the severity of oral cancer. Imagine if you end up losing tongue and can’t speak,” he cautions.

G. Amarnath, Senior Consultant, Clinical and Radiation Oncology, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, urges youngsters to understand that gutka and pan masala are psycho-active substances which badly affects key enzymes and hormones in the body.

“They cause throat cancer, will damage oesophagus, gastro-intestinal track, stomach, pancreas and being addictive products they will affect the mind too. Nearly 20 per cent of my patients is suffering oral cancer. As chewable tobacco comes in attractive packets, youngsters are getting tempted,” he laments.

Apart from strict implementation of ban, Dr. Elango says, the State Government should levy surcharge, education cess and taxes on tobacco products so that people may hesitate to buy.

Campaign

“It is time to have a sustained campaign to educate people that chewing of tobacco will disfigure palate, mouth, tongue, gums and lips. During a survey done by IPHA in 2011, we found that people of Tamil Nadu are acquiring chewable tobacco habit from workers of the northern states coming here. Anyway, now we are very hopeful that oral cancer cases will come down in next five years due to the ban,” he expresses confidence.

Dr. Elango cites the examples of France, Thailand and Indonesia where cigarette sales had come down drastically because of higher taxes.

Treatment cost

Dr. Kirushna Kumar says that the cost of treatment is another important factor to be borne in mind as people have to shell away at least Rs.3.5 lakh for oral cancer treatment. Dr.Sundaram says prevention is better than cure since oral cancer figures in the top five forms of cancer and young adults becoming patients at their prime age.

The Madurai Corporation too is on its part ready to implement the ban by extending support to the Food Safety Wing.“We will swing into action once the G.O is issued. Inspections will be done at places in Madurai to seize gutkha and pan masala,” assures Yasodha Mani, City Health Officer.

Aurangabad FDA seizes 900kg 'special barfi' from unlicensed luxury bus

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra officials in Aurangabad seized 30 bags of sweets, each weighing 30kg, from a private luxury bus that arrived in the city's Cidco area from Ahmedabad.
The sweets, locally marketed as special barfi, were estimated to be worth over Rs 1 lakh, and were brought to the city in unhygienic conditions. The company that owned the bus was fined Rs 15,000 for not having procured licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.
Chandrashekhar Salunkhe, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Aurangabad, said, “About 900kg of special barfi was seized following a tip-off, and samples of the same were sent to the laboratory for analysis. We are awaiting the results of the test, based on which further action will be taken.”
“The sweets, which had travelled for about 10 hours in humid temperatures alongside tubes, tyres and other rusted material, were to be delivered at Parbhani. While transporting food, it should be stored in clean and dry conditions with other food items only,” he added.
Workshop
Meanwhile, Salunkhe and other senior FDA, Aurangabad, officials attended a workshop on the disadvantages of using calcium carbide for fruit ripening, organised in the city by the state food regulator recently.
Speaking at the workshop, agricultural equipment supplier Ganesh Kulkarni said, “More than 95 per cent of the fruit sold in the local markets are artificially ripened. Consuming these may take a toll on the health of the consumers.”
“Although the government has banned the use of the chemical to accelerate the ripening of the fruit, many traders and fruit growers continue to use calcium carbide for the purpose to make a bigger profit,” he said.
Kulkarni said that those who consume the fruit become susceptible to a host of ailments, including mouth ulcers, gastric problems and skin rashes. “In the long run, it could also cause asthma and cancer,” he added.
“In artificially-ripened fruit, only the outer layer becomes yellowish and the inner part remains raw. Calcium carbide is used to ripen huge quantities of mangoes, bananas and other fruit,” Kulkarni said.
“Unscrupulous traders want to make a quick buck by bringing in artificially-ripened mangoes before those which go through the natural process of ripening (which takes longer) to enter the market,” he added.
Kulkarni propagated the scientific method of ripening, stating that it could be done using ethylene and under controlled conditions of temperature and relative humidity. He said, “The growers can get a uniform appearance and quality of ripe fruit under these conditions.”
He explained that fruit are exposed to ethylene under controlled conditions, a uniform rate of ripening could be achieved. “When growers use calcium carbide, it reacts with moisture in the air and releases acetylene, which stimulates the ripening process. It changes the colour of fruit very fast, but the inner part does not get sweet. But when natural ethylene is used under controlled conditions, the fruits ripen as a whole,” he added.
Milind Sewalikar, a fruit grower who adopted safe methods for ripening, also shared his experiences with the participants. He said growers could use simple and cost-effective techniques in place of calcium carbide, adding that there are other methods available for growers.
“We can control the temperature and humidity to achieve the desired results,” Sewalikar added.

Citizens call Food and Drug Administration about mangoes with carbide

PUNE: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials' appeal to the citizens for information on artificial ripening of mangoes with calcium carbide has led to a steady stream of calls.

"We receive around 20 to 25 calls every day from vigilant citizens to report artificial mango ripening activity in their neighbourhood. Our food safety officials visit the place for inspection. In one such case, a trader was found artificially ripening of mangoes using calcium carbide in a temple," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.

In the last few days, FDA officials have seized a huge stock of mangoes artificially ripened with calcium carbide which is hazardous to health. After the seizure, the FDA officials made an appeal to the public to inform them about any suspicious activity related to mangoes following which officials started receiving phone calls from citizens.

Unscrupulous traders continue to use calcium carbide to ripen fruits like mangoes and apples, even though the carcinogenic chemical was banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and Regulations (FSSR), 2011, Kekare said.

The excessive use of calcium carbide to ripen fruit can lead to cancer in the long run.

"Mangoes normally ripen at the end of April. But mangoes which are available in the market before Gudi Padwa are ripened by using acetylene gas produced from calcium carbide, said a mango trader.

Mangoes cannot be ripened in 12 hours. It is the skin of the fruit that turns yellow, when acetylene gas is used as a catalyst to ripen it.

Industrial-grade calcium carbide contains traces of arsenic and phosphorous, which are harmful to the body. It damages the skin, kidneys, heart, liver and causes ulcer and gastric problems.

Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA said, "Raw mangoes are packed in cartons and one sachet of calcium carbide is kept between each layer. Some traders put packets of calcium carbide to give maximum amount of artificial heat to quickly ripen the fruits. Carbide is used for welding purpose and even a small quantity consumed may lead to serious health issues."

Check for carbide

*If a lit match stick is held slightly closer to the surface of a carbide ripened mango, it will give out sparks or catch fire, due to the acetylene gas released in good amount. Calcium carbide produces acetylene gas when it comes into contact with moisture. This gas is inflammable.

* Fruits that have a uniform colour, for example, a bunch of bananas with uniform colour, are more likely to have been artificially ripened. Wash the fruits thoroughly before consuming. Keep them under running water for a few minutes and cut them into pieces instead of eating them directly. Do not buy fruits when these arrive in the market before the due period. There are high chances that they are artificially ripened.

* The use of calcium carbide turns the outer skin of the fruit yellow and even saffron. But, the inner portion of the fruit remains unripe. The fruit looks ideal for consumption but the sweetness is missing. Carbide kills the sugar content and every other nutrient in the fruit.

Dinamalar