WHO had asked India to ban toxin that killed children

(Reuters) - The pesticide that killed 23 schoolchildren last week is a nerve poison banned by many countries because of what the World Health Organisation (WHO) describes as its "high acute toxicity".
As early as 2009, the United Nations health agency urged India to consider a ban on the pesticide monocrotophos - the substance said by a magistrate investigating the deaths to be the cause of the poisoning.
It had also warned that in India - against strong international health warnings - many pesticide containers are not thrown away after use but recycled and used for storing water, food and other consumables.
In last week's case in Bihar, the children fell ill within minutes of eating a meal of rice and potato curry in their one-room school. They were vomiting and convulsing with stomach cramps - symptoms that experts say would be common in poisoning with such a toxic chemical.
The lunch was part of India's Mid-Day Meal Scheme, which aims to tackle malnutrition and encourage 120 million poor children to attend school. It had already drawn widespread complaints over food safety.
An initial forensic investigation found the Bihar children's meal had been prepared with cooking oil that contained monocrotophos - a substance that belongs to a family of chemicals called organophosphates that share a common mechanism of toxic action.
"Basically they are nerve poisons," said David Coggon, a professor of occupational and environmental medicine at Britain's University of Southampton.
"They interfere with transmission between one nerve and another, or with transmission between nerves and muscle cells."
BANNED IN MANY COUNTRIES
According to WHO, swallowing just 120 milligrams of monocrotophos - the weight of about five grains of rice - can be fatal to humans. Initial symptoms can include sweating, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision and hyper-salivation, or foaming at the mouth.
Monocrotophos controls a range of pests from aphids to caterpillars, mites, moths, stem borers and locusts on various crops such as cotton, rice and sugarcane.
According to a detailed 2009 WHO report on the health risks of monocrotophos in India, the countries and regions that have banned its use include Australia, Cambodia, China, the European Union, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States. Its import is illegal in at least 46 countries.
Yet in India, monocrotophos "is widely used and easily available", and is frequently linked to fatal poisoning, both accidental and intentional.
"Its low cost and many possible applications have kept up demand in India despite growing evidence of its negative impact on human health," the WHO report said.
And although both the WHO and the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation the recommend puncturing and crushing pesticide containers to prevent people using them for anything else, in India "the reality is different", the WHO said.
"Many pesticide containers, because of their sturdiness and look, are often later used to store objects, food grains and water, and sometimes even medicines."
Coggon said that, while a ban on monocrotophos would doubtless help reduce its risks in India, using it more safely could also help to minimise reduce the threat.
"It's about trying to develop a safety culture," he said. "It's about developing systems that will ensure these things are handled as safely as possible - having the right sorts of containers, the size, the formulation ... and educating people about the use of chemicals in general."

Food safety officials to visit schools in Kovai district

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  Schools covered under the mid-day meal scheme will be inspected to ensure that safe food is served to the students

With reports of food poisoning posing a threat to school children’s health in the mid-day meal scheme coming from several places, the food safety department in the district has decided to conduct random inspections of schools that are covered under this.

Speaking to Express on Sunday Dr R Kathiravan, designated officer of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Coimbatore, said that schools covered under the scheme in the district would be visited by the FSSAI team from Monday. He said that random inspections would be done at government and city Corporation schools that are covered under the scheme.

“The aim of the inspection is not to scrutinise any schools or find fault with them, but to make sure that the mid-day meal in schools is prepared and served in healthy and hygienic conditions,” Kathiravan said.

The inspection will be conducted by 31 officers working under the FSSAI in the district. These officials will visit the meal preparing facility at schools between 11.30 am and 1.30 pm.

If unhygienic conditions are detected in the meal preparation at any school a report will be handed over by the inspecting team to the collector and the director of food safety, Chennai. “We are planning to go ahead with inspection as a routine activity of food safety officers to ensure that safe food is served to students,” Kathiravan said.

Grahak Panchayat delegation meets food and drugs administration

NAGPUR: A delegation of AkhilBharatiyaGrahakPanchayat, Vidarbha branch, met the joint commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA-food) S G Annapure and demanded action against fruit sellers using carbide for artificial ripening of fruits and adulteration in milk.
Annapure has assured the panchayat members about continuous monitoring not just for these two but all the food stuff including oil and dairy items. asKeeping a watch on fruit sellers and milk and dairy products is a part of our daily monitoring. We continuously raid outlets of wholesalers as well as retailers. But we do respect the request of the panchayat and will maintain a watch on them,a? he said.
Gajanan Pande told TOI there were lots of complaints about adulteration of milk using urea. So the organization decided it to bring it to the notice of FDA. Ripening of fruits like mango, banana and mousambi using carbide was also common. FDA has the power to fine up to Rs5 lakh for substandard items and Rs2 lakh for adulterated foods. In fact, a fine as high as Rs10 lakh could also be levied on those engaging in any kind of false and unauthorized advertising.
Annapure pointed out that the department had recently fined Rs 1.80 lakh and destroyed 10,000 litres of milk. Small food vendors, especially those selling Pani Puri, have also been fined time and gain. Gutka sellers have always been on the radar of FDA. FDA has seized gutka worth Rs 72 lakh. Under the new Food Safety and Standards Act the department has collected a fine of Rs12.5 lakh, he informed.

Government to address pesticide safety

The Department of Agriculture is gearing up to establish a State-wide network of laboratories equipped with facilities to detect pesticide residue in horticultural products.

The laboratories will be set up under a programme to ensure the supply of safe-to-eat products for consumers and minimise health hazards posed by constant exposure to pesticide residue in vegetables and fruits.

The government has issued directions to vegetable farmers to stop the indiscriminate use of pesticides and instead turn to biocontrol agents, pheromone traps, and other safe pest control methods. “The farmers will have to utilise 40 per cent of the Rs.10,000 subsidy per hectare on safe plant protection methods. The government, on its part, will ensure adequate supply of inputs for farmers,” said P. Rajasekharan, Chief (Agriculture), State Planning Board.

He told The Hindu that the production of safe-to-eat vegetables would require elaborate facilities for testing pesticide residue.

“The laboratories will be set up in the next phase.” He said the programme assumed relevance in the light of the forensic report that revealed pesticide contamination to be the cause of the noon meal tragedy that claimed 23 children in Bihar.

“The unfortunate incident has to be seen as an opportunity for us to address the pesticide safety issue,” he said.

KAU initiative

Meanwhile, Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) has launched efforts to sensitise vegetable farmers in Thiruvananthapuram district on the need to adopt safe plant protection practices. The KAU is on the lookout for farmers willing to produce safe-to-eat products and is working on the establishment of a monitoring mechanism to detect pesticide contamination at source, said Thomas Biju Mathew, Principal Investigator of the project. The Pesticide Residue Research and Analytical Laboratory at the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, had detected heavy pesticide contamination of vegetables imported from Tamil Nadu. Analysis of samples of curry leaf, coriander leaf, mint leaf, and green chilly regularly supplied from big farms at Kaaramada near Mettupalayam had showed heavy load of Profenofos and Chlorpyrifos, organophosphorous fertilizers not recommended for vegetables.

Samples of okra, cabbage, and cauliflower grown in farms near Coimbatore also revealed high levels of pesticide residue.

The laboratory is developing protocols for consumers to remove pesticide residues from high risk vegetables and fruits. The KAU is also preparing to establish another laboratory at the College of Agriculture, Padannakkad, Kasaragod, this year.

The university has tied up with the Kerala State Horticultural Products Development Corporation (Horticorp) to promote safe-to-eat vegetables under the brand name Amrut.

Dr. Mathew said that the pesticide contamination of vegetables produced outside the State could be addressed only by involving the food safety wing and stepping up vigilance at check-posts. He said it would require stern action such as heavy fines and return of consignments, to deter farmers in neighbouring States from exporting pesticide contaminated vegetables to Kerala.

The draft agriculture development policy, now under the consideration of the government, has recommended popularisation of cheap, quick, and non-destructive methods of detecting pesticide residue in raw fruits and vegetables.

It has also stressed the need to promote organic pesticides.

Dinamalar News

Better labs to ensure food Safety

Laboratory facilities across the State will be developed and enhanced at a cost of Rs. 50 crore to strengthen the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar said here on Sunday.

In a press release, he said steps would be taken to improve the facilities at the Government Analysts’ Laboratory here and the regional analytical laboratories in Ernakulam and Kozhikode and to secure accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Laboratories. New labs were being planned in Kasaragod and Palakkad.

Three new mobile labs will be started for improving emergency food safety testing facilities, Mr. Sivakumar said.

Food Safety and Standards Act is being strengthened in the State with Central assistance. A total of Rs. 12 crore is being provided, including a Central assistance of Rs. 9 crore, for completing the development initiatives at the Thiruvananthapuram laboratory during 2013-16. The proposal for securing NABL accreditation for this lab is being submitted in December. He said the development of the regional labs in Kozhikode and Ernakulam was being taken up at Rs. 24 crore, including a Central assistance of Rs. 18 crore.

Watch out! Roadside food may be spoilt

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  THE HINDU A roadside vendor does brisk business at Begum Bazaar on Sunday. - Photo: Nagara Gopal
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The midday meal tragedy in Bihar has put the spotlight on the public of the quality of food we eat, especially from unorganised eateries

It is like sitting on a tinderbox and blissfully unaware as to when it is going to blow up! This is the situation most Hyderabadis find themselves in, when it comes to purity of food served in small and medium hotels, food mess and roadside bandis.

The midday meal tragedy in Bihar that claimed the lives of two dozen children has stirred up fear among the public of the quality of food that they eat, especially from unorganised eateries.

While the authorities maintain that there is a system of control and accountability in place to regulate established food outlets, it is the ‘fly-by-night’ operators who are hard to control as they largely remain out of the official radar.

Many also point out that there are small and medium-sized eateries that procure plastic drums and vessels, which are meant only for industrial purposes, to store food.

Ice is another major ingredient that every food outlet in the city serves to its customers. However, there is no arrangement to verify the quality of ice that eatery managements use to preserve food.

The suburbs have more than 100 ice factories, but majority manufacture it for industrial purposes. There are very few who manufacture ice for domestic use by using potable water. Sadly, customers are unaware of the kind of ice being served to them.

Doctors say there are many ways that food can get spoilt.

“Food materials are stored in godowns or warehouses for a long time, and the raw material can come into contact with toxins released by rats and other rodents, bacteria and fungi. There are instances where eateries procure containers and vessels, which have already been used by industries. Such vessels will have remnants of harmful chemicals,” says senior general physician Dr. B. Vijay Kumar.

A major hurdle that the authorities face in regulating unorganised eateries is that they do not have licence to operate or serve food to the public under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Moreover, GHMC food inspectors cannot even collect food samples for chemical analysis from such eateries because they do not have a permanent address.

Meanwhile, authorities claim the situation is improving.

“Voluntary organisations are frequently organising training and orientation programmes for street vendors by collaborating with us. In addition, the public should also keep their eyes open and alert the authorities in case they witness something suspicious,” says GHMC Food Inspector, Balaji Raju.

FDA to ensure your kid eats healthy food

Food authority officers to inspect all self-help groups supplying mid-day meals to children for food-handling procedures; may even take samples for tests if necessary

After 23 children died of food poisoning subsequent to eating their mid-day meal in Bihar, the Pune division of Food and Drug Administration is taking all possible steps to ensure that such an incident doesn’t happen here.

The FDA plans to inspect all Self-Help Groups (SHG) for food-handling procedures, and may even take sample of food for tests.

“We have a list of the SHGs that are licensed or are registered according to the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 (FSSA). We plan to appoint a Food Safety Officer (FSO) for each area, who will check each and every SHG site where the food is prepared. Besides, he’ll inspect the food-handling procedure and may even take samples if required,” informed Sashikant Kekare, joint commissioner, FDA (Food).

There are 121 SHGs that are registered with the FDA. Besides, the authorities have slapped notices to SHGs that haven’t registered yet.

The Pune division of the FDA even held a meeting of SHGs, which was attended by 16 groups. Shivaji Desai, assistant commissioner, FDA (Food), said, “We had called meeting of the various SHGs that supply mid-day meal to various city schools to inform about the drive.”

Midday meal safety norms to be painted on Bihar schools walls

The instructions being prepared with the help of food experts will include giving knowledge to principals about first aid measures in cases like that of Dharmasati Gandaman primary school in Saran district.

PATNA: Facing the ire of people over the midday meal tragedy, the Bihargovt plans to provide printed instructions to school principals about food quality and safety besides painting the norms on the schools walls.
"We are readying detailed instructions about maintaining quality and safety of food served under midday meal scheme in schools," Director midday meal scheme, R Lakshmanan said.
The instructions being prepared with the help of food experts will include giving knowledge to principals about first aid measures in cases like that of Dharmasati Gandaman primary school in Saran district.
In the wake of the tragedy, many medical experts voiced that ORS should have been provided to the ill for immediate relief. These things should be known to school principals to face challenges of such nature immediately, Lakshmanan said, explaining the need for first aid protocol being issued to the principals.
The Bihar midday meal director said that besides providing printed instructions about safety and quality of food to be served under the programme, the details would be painted on the walls of schools for everyone to see and follow.
A forensic report had yesterday confirmed the presence of poisonous pesticide in the midday meal served to the students of the school in Chhapra where 23 children died after taking the contaminated food.
The midday meal scheme, a flagship programme of the Union government, is given in 70,200 schools of Bihar covering more than 1.30 crore children.

Dinamalar & Dinakaran News

Tobacco products worth Rs.10 lakh seized from Sampark Kranti Express

Seventy bags of banned chewing tobacco products worth Rs.10 lakh were seized from the parcel van of Sampark Kranti Express in an early morning raid conducted by the Food Safety Wing officials at Madurai Railway Junction on Saturday.

Acting on specific information received from Punjab, the team reached the railway station by 3.30 a.m. and waited for the train.

As soon as the Nizamuddin-Madurai Sampark Kranti Express arrived, the team, led by J. Suguna, Designated Officer for Food Safety, Madurai district, began searching for the parcel bags in the luggage coach and found the chewing tobacco products.

“There were no names of persons who sent them or to whom they were supposed to be delivered in Madurai. We are enquiring about it with the help of Railway Police,” she said.

Four Food Safety Officers — V. Raja, S. Ramesh, L. K. Muralidharan and K. Saravanan — carried out the search along with the Railway Police and police personnel from Karimedu station.

Dr. Suguna said the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department had been conducting inspections ever since the State Government had banned chewing tobacco products.

“This was the first time that we had conducted raid on a train in Madurai. The seizure gave us suspicion that some bulk purchases are happening here despite the ban,” she said.

Collector and top railway officials were informed of the seizure of tobacco products. Railway police are investigating the matter.

Virudhunagar

Similarly, 10 parcels of chewing tobacco products, weighing over 500 kg and worth about Rs.6 lakh, were found unclaimed at the railway station in Virudhunagar on Saturday.

M. Kavikumar, Designated Officer, District Food Safety Wing, told The Hindu that the Railway Police alerted that 10 bags containing sachets of the banned product arrived by the Mysore-Tuticorin Express.

The parcels were addressed to one Mani of Mahatma Gandhi Road in Madurai.

He said the consignee must have found the situation not conducive for collecting the parcels in Madurai and let them go to Virudhunagar. Investigation was on to check the veracity of the address, he said.

Samples would be sent to the laboratory in Tirunelveli district to check whether the consignment was free from tobacco and nicotine, as stated on the parcels. If the claim was true, it would be handed over to the claimant. Otherwise, action would be taken as per rules, said Mr. Kavikumar.