TNFS Dept. - Salem Dist. News

Rotten non-vegetarian food seized in city

Health officials conduct surprise inspection in restaurants

Decaying food:Health officials seize rotten chicken items in a restaurant near Five Roads in Salem on Wednesday. –PHOTO: P. GOUTHAM

Health officials on Wednesday conducted surprise inspections in four restaurants on Junction Main Road in the city and seized 65 kg of rotten non-vegetarian items that were ready to be served to customers.
Based on complaints from the public that the quality of non-vegetarian food served is poor and not prepared in a hygienic environment, a team led by T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department inspected two restaurants near Five Road Junction on Junction Main Road on Wednesday afternoon.
They found rotten chickens mixed with masala and kept in refrigerators, ready for preparation to be served for customers, upon receiving orders.
Officials also found grilled chicken and tandoori items left to dry in an open place in an unhygienic environment in a restaurant and seized 50 kg chicken.
Officials also inspected three more restaurants and found prawns and fish items in rotten stage.
As many as 15 kg were seized and the restaurant owners were warned of further action if hygienic food items were not served to customers.
Notices were issued to them following the inspections and they were asked to respond within 15 days about the corrective measures that they have taken.
Health officials said that the rotten chicken and non-vegetarian items were served with cooked masalas and hence customers could not feel the stale nature of the food.
“The non-vegetarian items were stored in refrigerators for many days and served. Most of them were rotten,” they added.


குடிநீர் விற்பனைக்கும் "செக்'

சேலம்:சேலம் மாவட்டம் தலைவாசலில் உள்ள தனியார் குடிநீர் ' நிறுவனத்தில் சுத்திகரிக்கப்படாத தண்ணீர் கேன், பாக்கெட், பாட்டில் மூலம் விற்பனை செய்வது தெரியவந்தது. தண்ணீரில், ஏரோபிக் மைக்ரோபையல் கவுன்ட், 20 சதவீதம் இருக்க வேண்டும். ஆனால், இந்த நிறுவனத்தில் காற்றில் உள்ள கிருமிகளில், 76 சதவீதம் தண்ணீரில் இருந்தது சோதனையில் தெரியவந்துள்ளது. இதையடுத்து, குடிநீர் சுத்திகரிப்பு நிறுவனத்தை மூடவும், ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ., முத்திரை வாங்கிய பின், நிறுவனத்தை திறக்குமாறு மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளார். அதே போல், மேலும், இரண்டு சுத்திகரிப்பு நிறுவனங்கள் தண்ணீர் குடிப்பதற்கு ஒவ்வாதது, என சோதனையில் தெரிய வந்துள்ளதால், அந்த நிறுவனங்களை இயங்க தடை விதிக்க நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டுள்ளது.

TNFS Dept. News

Ban on Gutka in West Bengal – Inside Story

Bengal is finally pulling down the shutters on Gutka consumption, after Supreme Court directed states and Union Territories to ban the manufacture, storage and sale of smokeless tobacco. The law has been put into effect on and from May 1, 2013 and will continue to for a period of one year. The food safety office has even ordered to cut down the distribution of food products containing tobacco or nicotine in the state.
The state health minister Chandrima Bhattacharyya has reported the concern of the Bengal Chief Minister on addiction to gutka, pan masala and other such products. As per the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2009-10, 36.3 % of Bengal’s population is tobacco users. The report further states that 25.8% of males and 17.8 % of females are mostly addicted to gutka. Doctors For You (DFY), an NGO, has earlier filed a litigation in Calcutta High Court stating it as a serious issue, especially when children at the ages of 18-19 are getting addicted to it. The easy availability has further made the addiction viral and invariably a difficult task for total eradication.
Mamata Bannerjee has further added 10% tax hike on cigarettes, immediately after the gutka ban notification was declared. But the effectiveness of the ban is yet to be seen because law enforcement on smoking has not seen much success. The prohibition on public smoking was enforced in the state and a number of smokers have been fined for violating the norm. But with time, people were regularly spotted smoking publicly and the authorities hardly paid any heed.
Sale, manufacture and distribution of smokeless tobacco have already been banned by 23 states that include, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Punjab, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Mizoram, Sikkim, Orissa and Kerala, — and five Union Territories including Daman & Diu,  Dadar Nagar Haveli, Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh,. These states and union territories have followed the regulation issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, on August 1, 2011. Now, the Supreme Court is asking for an explanation from those states, which have not yet followed the notification from the Centre. 
 Though the state government of Bengal has been pondering over the issue since last year, it has finally accepted the order keeping in mind the interest of public health. Here are some of the side effects of tobacco products like gutka or pan masala that every individual should be aware of.

• Carcinogenic effects in mouth, liver, cervix, stomach, prostate and lung, are some of the most common outcomes.
• The tobacco users can even face breathing trouble due to the allergic reactions of nicotine.
• Skin discoloration, dilated pupils, blurred vision, muscle stiffness are some of the effects that addicts may face.

The ban is undoubtedly a positive step taken by the West Bengal state government. The more stringent is the authority on the Gutka consumption the better it is for the health of the people of the state.

Check quality

The union health ministry has ordered an investigation by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)  into persistent complaints about the poor quality of  drinking water supplied in bottles.

Though the investigation was based on complaints  from Delhi the study will cover  other parts of the country too as similar complaints  are come from everywhere. The FSSAI proposes to  ask state food departments to collect samples from the sources from where water is drawn, check the quality of the water sold and look into the procedure being adopted to purify water. The complaints  have mostly been about  contamination and the high level of chemicals found in the water. These chemicals are used to purify water but they themselves become a health hazard. Studies conducted  some years ago had found that  bottled water in many parts of the country was contaminated and had an unacceptable level of harmful bacteria. The situation may not be very different now. 

Bottled water is a largely unregulated business in the county with multinationals and small water bottling units existing side by side. There are thousands of bottling units which operate without a licence.  Many of them do not have a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) mark.  Some of them misuse the ISI mark or use fake marks. Most  do not employ a microbiologist and do not have a laboratory which is necessary to test and certify the quality of  water. These are all known to authorities but the packaging units have continued with their unhealthy mode of operations. The bottled water business is worth Rs 2500 crore and it is increasing at the rate of  20 per cent every year. While the volume is increasing there is a possibility that quality might further go down.

The government’s action should not end with the investigations to be conducted by the FSSAI. It is certain that the results will reveal that the quality of bottled water needs vast improvement. Strict steps should be taken to ensure that bottled water is clean and conforms to the best specifications of quality. The use of bottled water is increasing because people want to avoid contracting water-borne diseases. But the bottled water itself should not itself pose a danger to health. All units, big or small, branded or unknown, should be made to implement the best standards of quality.

Food Order

Companies importing food supplements were already upset with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India over its recent order, applying an international standard on imported food items. The order is said to have caused a pile-up at the ports because many consignments do not adhere to those standards. Now, the head of a parliamentary panel has also found fault with the order. Brajesh Pathak, BSP MP and chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health Ministry, has written to the Health Ministry, saying that the order was issued without going through the 'parliamentary process' and without taking stakeholders into confidence. Pathak has demanded a review of the order because this was likely to adversely affect the domestic food industry. Last heard, the Health Ministry is preparing a detailed rebuttal to Pathak's letter.

Whose baby is Food Safety and Standards Act?

Srinagar, May 21: The J&K government is yet to come clear on implementing agency for the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. At least three departments—Local Bodies, Commissioner Food Safety and Municipal Committees—are implementing provisions of the Act, making it ineffective. 
 Presently the Act is implemented in the twin cities of Srinagar and Jammu by the respective municipal corporations. In towns and notified areas of Jammu and Kashmir, it is implemented by Local bodies. And ironically the Commissioner, Food Safety, who should look after the implementation according to the law, is devoid of any administrative control over Municipal Corporations and Local Bodies.
 “Since there is no single agency to implement the Act, it becomes easy for the three departments to pass the buck as and when the complaints surface,” said an official, privy to the issue. “It seems officials at the helm of affairs have deliberately muddled the implementation to allow some elements to benefit from lax food safety measures.” According to the Act, food safety officers are subordinate to designated officers and Food Safety Commissioner notified under the Act. “One fails to understand why they are put under different controlling authorities. This only causes confusion,” an official source said.
 Recently the confusion surfaced after the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) authorities passed an Order No SMC/PS/Secy/537 asking Health Officer and Food Safety Officers to report before them.
 “The SMC officers claim that FSSA rules are not finally cleared by Law department and may not be applicable to them. They also say that the Food Safety Officers draw the salaries from their department and are under their control,” sources said. In its response letter to Secretary, the Health Officer had said that there was no provision under FSSA under which Health Officer is required to report to Joint Commissioner or any other SMC officer.
 Secretary SMC has clearly mentioned that FSSA was not applicable to them. “Ask them to report to Joint Secretary’s office as FSSA-2006 is not applicable to us till issue is finally cleared by Law Department,” the note reads. Deputy Commissioner Food Safety J & K, Nazir Ahmed Wani said, “At block level we have food safety officer and designated officers at district level. In case of Health Officer SMC, he/she will have to report to both.”