Gutka companies get a kick by subverting the ban

Companies sell tobacco-less pan masala and tobacco separately, claiming that chewable tobacco is not a food product.

They are selling tobacco-less pan masala and sachets of tobacco separately

While gutka in its known form may be banned, its seemingly legal derivatives are still freely available. A multitude of colourful sachets hang in shops, and business is usual for shopkeepers. Although, the only difference though is that for a gutka-like kick one needs to buy multiple products. “We no longer supply gutka. But you can mix these two,” said a shopkeeper in Assaigoli on the outskirts of the city, pointing to two different coloured sachets.

Though the government has banned the sale and making of gutka and pan masala that contain tobacco or nicotine under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, on May 31, companies subvert the ban by selling tobacco-less pan masala and sachets of tobacco separately.

For Rs. 2, customers buy pan masala (with no tobacco, no nicotine printed clearly) and a small sachet of tobacco. Contents of the two are crushed between the palms, mixed well and then chewed. “The taste is terrible. But you get used to it,” said an autorickshaw driver, who was buying two such sachets in Bendoorwell here.

Though the sale of products such as these has reduced by half since the ban, Chandra, a shopkeeper in Marnamikatte, said many resorted to buying tobacco separately. “At least 40 per cent of the customers buy sachets of pan masala and chewing tobacco… The ban is not effective unless chewing tobacco itself is banned.”

The sale of chewable tobacco exploits a loophole in the wording of the Section 2.3.4 of the Regulation, which prohibits addition of tobacco to food, said Vishal Rao, Director, Cancer Prevention and Tobacco Control Project, Institute of Public Health, Bangalore.

“This is a billion dollar industry that is looking at all the ways to flout the law. They claim chewable tobacco is not a food product. This is a technicality, and States are still waiting for a Supreme Court clarification on this,” he said.

He said creating multiple names – Chaini, Zarda, among others – instead of labelling it as gutka was another way to create an “atmosphere of confusion” to circumvent the ban.

While claiming that gutka is not freely available in the district, B.V. Rajesh, Food Safety Officer, said that without a government order, they could not stop the sale of either pan masala or chewable tobacco.

Health risks from arsenic in rice exposed news

Over the last few years, researchers have reported high concentrations of arsenic in several rice-growing regions around the world.
Now, University of Manchester scientists, working in collaboration with scientists at CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology in Kolkata, have proven a link between rice containing high levels of arsenic and chromosomal damage, as measured by micronuclei in urothelial cells, in humans consuming rice as a staple.
Most human cells have one nucleus which contains 46 human chromosomes but when any of these chromosomes are damaged, the part of the chromosome not able to participate in cell division typically remains as small 'micronuclei' in any daughter cells. Increased frequency of these micronuclei has been shown by other groups to be linked to the development of cancers.
The researchers discovered that people in rural West Bengal eating rice as a staple with greater than 0.2 mg / kg arsenic showed higher frequencies of micronuclei than those consuming rice with less than this concentration of arsenic.
The study, published in Nature Publishing Group's Scientific Reports, looked at the frequency of 'micronuclei' – a tell-tale sign of chromosomal damage (that has been shown by others previously to be linked to cancer) – by screening more than 400,000 individual cells extracted from urine samples from volunteers.
The team, funded by the UK India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), chose a study population with relatively similar dietary and socio-economic status that was not otherwise exposed to arsenic, for example, through drinking water.
They demonstrated that the trend of greater genetic damage with increasing arsenic in rice was observed for both men and women, for tobacco-users and non-users, and for those from three different locations within the study area.

The pattern observed was broadly similar to that previously seen for people exposed to arsenic through drinking high arsenic well waters, which has caused devastating health impacts, including cancers, in many parts of the world.
The authors say their work raises considerable concerns about health impacts of consuming high arsenic rice as a staple, particularly by people with relatively poor nutritional status – perhaps as many as several hundred million rice-eating people.
Professor David Polya, who led the Manchester team in the University's School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, says, ''Although concerns about arsenic in rice have been raised for some time now, to our knowledge, this is the first time a link between consumption of arsenic-bearing rice and genetic damage has been demonstrated. As such, it vindicates increasing concerns expressed by the European Food Safety Authority and others about the adequacy of regulation of arsenic in rice.
''In the absence of contamination, rice is an easily stored food that provides essential energy, vitamins and fibre to billions of people around the world, but a small proportion of rice contains arsenic at concentrations at which we have observed significant genetic damage in people who consume it as a staple food. We hope that our work will encourage efforts to introduce regulatory standards for arsenic in food, and particularly in rice, which are more consistent and protective of human health.''
Dr Ashok K Giri, who led the Indian research team, adds, ''Although high arsenic in rice is a potential threat to human health, there should not be any panic about the consequences, particularly as the health risks arise from long-term chronic exposure.
"We can avoid high arsenic rice by taking proper mitigation strategies for rice cultivation; moreover, one CSIR institute in India has already identified a number of Indian rice varieties which accumulate lower concentrations of arsenic, so we can easily address future human health risks with proper mitigation strategies
"Results of this study will not only help to understand the toxic effects caused by this human carcinogen but also these results will help the scientists and regulatory authorities to design further extensive research to set improved regulatory values for arsenic in rice, particularly for those billions of people who consume 10 to 50 per cent rice in their daily diet.''
The paper, is titled High arsenic in rice is associated with elevated genotoxic effects in humans, by M Banerjee, N Banerjee, P Bhattacharjee, D Mondal, P R Lythgoe, M Martínez, J Pan, D A Polya and Ashok K Giri.

Maha relief: Chewable-tobacco is no more

State decides to ban all forms of chewable tobacco, except raw tobacco and raw supari.



Tough days are ahead for tobacco addicts. The state has decided to plug the loopholes in the gutka ban by prohibiting the sale of all forms of chewable tobacco except raw tobacco and raw supari.
The commissioner of food safety, Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), government of Maharashtra, has issued an order under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, banning the manufacture, storage, distribution, or sale of tobacco and betel nut, which is “either flavoured, scented or mixed with any of the said additives, and whether going by the name or form of gutka, paan masala, flavoured / scented tobacco, flavoured / scented supari, kharra (also known as mawa, it is a mixture of tobacco and betel nut)”.
“Except raw tobacco and raw supari, all other tobacco products will be banned,” FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said. Scented supari, scented tobacco and mawa too would be banned. Zagade said they had banned mawa last year too but had not mentioned it specifically.
Officials, however, said kimam and zarda used in paan will not be banned. The reason: tobacco is being consumed occasionally in small quantities. But the government will undertake a sensitisation programme for such consumers.
At present, the commissioner can ban any harmful product for one year in public interest, minister of state for FDA Satej Patil said. The government wants the Centre to extend this one year period indefinitely. Twenty-eight states and five union territories have already banned gutka.
After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, the government banned gutka in the state on July 20, 2012 for a period of one year. The FDA seized gutka worth Rs20.74 crore — the highest haul in the country — and destroyed gutka / pan masala / tobacco related products worth nearly Rs13.53 crore in the past year.
The government has written to the railways as well about gutka being brought, clandestinely, into the state. A survey by NGO Salam Bombay Foundation in 2013 found that schoolchildren benefited from the ban on gutka and paan masala.

Panel bans illegal herbal water units

Licence Must To Get Back To Business
Chennai: Continuing its crackdown on illegal packaged drinking water units in Tamil Nadu, the National Green Tribunal’s southern bench on Monday banned the manufacture, transport and sale of unlicensed herbal or flavoured water until further orders. “They can’t be in the business until they get licence under the Food Safety Standards Act,” the bench said.
The bench, comprising Justice P Jyothimani and technical member Prof R Nagendran, passed the interim order on a petition filed by the International Herbal Water Foundation seeking to implead as a party in a suo motu proceeding initiated by the tribunal against illegal water units.
“We will not permit anyone to operate without a licence,” the bench said. The green panel has been acting on the results of the water sample tests conducted by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board and Food Safety and Drug Administration Department since March this year. In May, 34 units failed the tests and nine others failed the tests in June.
Industry sources said the ban will not have much impact on the market as herbal water suppliers caters to a minority of households. Also its space is likely to be occupied by other packaged water brands, though they are costlier.
According to the International Herbal Water Foundation, there are 400 herbal or flavoured water units in the state and the products come with tags like ‘zeera,’ ‘amla’ and ‘vettiver.’ Herbal or flavoured water is not packaged drinking water, as defined under the Prevention of Food Adulteration rules, since it contains an additive or flavouring substance. Hence there was no obligation to have a mandatory certification of BIS, it argued.
BIS pointed out that there were no Indian standards available for flavoured water. The units with BIS licence undergo water sampling tests every year by paying a fee of 1 lakh, while 400 herbal or flavoured units go scotfree.
V Murali, founder patron of the Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Association, argued that those who lost BIS licences owing to poor water quality launched herbal units later.
Advocate R Suresh Kumar, appearing for the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, said water came under the category of food according to Section 3 (J) of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and should be regularly tested by the authorities.
When the foundation contended the units were willing to undergo tests, the bench observed: “The fact remains that the units are yet to be certified by the authorities.”
The tribunal asked the manufacturing units to file applications with the department of food safety within a week. The authority should file a report to the tribunal during the next hearing, the court said.
OUT OF FAVOUR
There are around 400 herbal/flavoured water units in TN, with tags like ‘zeera,’ ‘amla’ and ‘vettiver’
They are not governed by BIS, Food and Public Distribution or PCB
Herbal/flavoured water units do not get ISI certification and evade mandated annual water sample testing by BIS
It is alleged that
those who lose BIS licences launch herbal water units
With Food Safety Standards Act, 2011, units will have to get licences by February 2014

‘If name describes product quality, it can be trademark’

Panel Upholds Delhi Co’s Rights Over Rice Brand
Chennai: Can a product’s namewhichdescribesits quality be used as a trademark? Yes, says the Intellectual Property Appellate Board, which has upheld the trademark ‘Bemisal’ (which in Hindi means matchless)usedby a Delhi-basedcompany for its rice brand. However, the board said a name which simply denotes a product cannotbe regarded as a trademark.
Simply put,theorder means a company can sell apples under the trademark ‘delicious’, whichis a quality,but notunder ‘apple’, which just denotes the product. The IPAB bench also said whether the product stands up to its name or not could be decided only by the market, an IPABbenchsaid.
Delhi-basedKBRLLtdstarted selling rice under the trademark ‘Bemisal’ in 1981. It filed a case in a Delhi court saying another company, P K Overseas Private Limited, was using a trademark that was “phonetically and visually identical and deceptively similar” its trademark. The court on July 6, 2010 restrained PK from using the trademark. PK then approachedtheIPABin appeal.
PK said the word ‘Bemisal’, which meant matchless/having no comparison in Hindi, could not be used as a trademark as it could only indicate the kind and quality of goods. As the trademark was not distinctive, its proprietary rights could notbeclaimed,itsaid.
The IPAB circuit bench consisting of vice-chairman S Usha and technical member V Ravi, at its hearing in Delhi, pointed out that Section 32 of the Trademark Act “protects the registration on the ground of distinctiveness in certain cases.” It said KBRL Ltd had a domesticsalesof morethan 69 crore since 1999 and the companywasexporting ricetoseveral countries such as Kuwait, Bahrain, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia andCanada.
“The balance of convenience is in allowing the mark to remain on register,in partbecause the respondents are valuable foreign exchange earners for the country. The old theory that some trademarks are incapable of distinguishing the goods andservices andcan never serve as the badge of origin has been relaxed under the current act,” the bench said last week. “However, there is one limitation —the actual nameof goods and services, such as ‘apple’, could not be regarded as a trademark,” it said, dismissing the appealfiledby PKOverseas.

தயாரிப்பு விவரம் இல்லாத உணவுப் பொருட்களை விற்பனைசெய்தால் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் அதிகாரி எச்சரிக்கை

நாகப்பட்டினம், ஜூலை.23-தயாரிப்பு விவரம் இல்லாத பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்தால் சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்று உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார்.இது குறித்து நாகை நகராட்சி உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் ஏ.டி.அன்பழகன் வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிக்கையில் கூறியிருப்பதாவது:- கலப்படம்நெய் என்பது பாலில் இருந்து தயாரிக்கப்படுவதாகும். அதற்கு தனிப்பட்ட குணாதிசயங்கள் உள்ளன. உணவு பகுப்பாய்வு செய்யப்படும்போது அதற்கென உள்ள அனைத்து வகையான பண்புகளையும் கொண்டிருந்தால் மட்டுமே அது நெய் என கருதப்படும். இது தவறும் பட்சத்தில் கலப்படம் அல்லது தரம் குறைந்த பொருள் என்று முடிவு செய்யப்பட்டால் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தர நிர்ணய சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். இந்தநிலையில் தாவர எண்ணெய்கள், மிருகக் கொழுப்புகள் மற்றும் வேதியியல் பொருட்களை கொண்டு தயாரிக்கப்படும் ஒன்றை நெய் எனக்கூறி விற்பனை செய்வது உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரச்சட்டப்படி குற்றமாகும். தயாரிப்பு விவரம்இந்த பொருட்கள் மூலம் உடல் உபாதைகள் ஏற்பட வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. மீறினால் சட்டப்பூர்வமாக நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். மேலும் பள்ளிகளுக்கு அருகில் உள்ள பெட்டிக்கடைகளில் குடிசைத் தொழில் என்ற பெயரில்ரஸ்னா பாக்கெட் விற்பனை செய்யப்படுகிறது. விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் குளிர்பானங்களில் தயாரிப்பு விவரம், தேதி, முகவரி உள்ளிட்ட எந்த விவரமும் இல்லாமல் விற்பனை செய்தால் சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். எனவே தயாரிப்பு விவரமற்ற உணவுப் பொருட்களை வாங்கி விற்பனை செய்ய வேண்டாம் என்று கேட்டுக்கொள்ளப்படுகிறார்கள். மீறி விற்பனை செய்பவர்கள் மீது சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். இவ்வாறு அந்த அறிக்கையில் அவர் கூறியுள்ளார்.

ரூ.15 ஆயிரம் மதிப்பிலான புகையிலைப்பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல்

கொரடாச்சேரி பகுதியில்

ரூ.15 ஆயிரம் மதிப்பிலான புகையிலைப்பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல்

உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் நடவடிக்கை

திருவாரூர், ஜூலை.22-கொரடாச்சேரி பகுதி யில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் மேற் கொண்ட திடீர் சோதனையின் போது ரூ.15 ஆயிரம் மதிப்பிலான புகையிலைப் பொருட் கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட் டன. புகையிலை பொருள் விற்பனை குட்கா, பான்மசாலா போன்ற மெல்லும் புகை யிலைப் பொருட்களை விற் பனை செய்ய தமிழக அரசு தடை விதித்துள்ளது. தடையை மீறி புகையிலைப் பொருட்களை கடைகளில் விற்பனை செய்பவர்கள், விற் பனைக்காக இருப்பு வைத்தி ருப்பவர்கள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க உத்தரவிடப்பட் டுள்ளது. திருவாரூர் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள கடைகளில் புகை யிலைப் பொருட்கள் விற்பனை பற்றி கண்காணிப்பு செய்ய கலெக்டர் நடராசன் உத்தர விட்டுள்ளார். இதன் பேரில் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் ரமேஷ்பாபு தலைமையிலான உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் அடங்கிய குழுவினர் மாவட்டம் முழுவதும் திடீர் ஆய்வுகள் மேற்கொண்டு புகையிலைப் பொருள் விற் பனையை கண்காணித்து கடைகளில் விற்பனைக்கு வைக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும் புகை யிலைப் பொருட்களை பறி முதல் செய்து நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொண்டு வருகின்றனர். பறிமுதல்கொரடாச்சேரி பகுதியில் உள்ள கடைகளில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் ரமேஷ்பாபு தலைமையில், கொரடாச்சேரி உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் செந்தில் குமார் மற்றும் அலுவலர்கள் அடங்கிய குழுவினர் திடீர் சோதனை நடத்தினர். இதில் கடைகளில் விற்பனைக்காக இருப்பு வைக்கப் பட்டிருந்த மெல் லும் புகையிலைப் பொருட் களை பறிமுதல் செய்து மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலகத்திற்கு எடுத்துச் சென்றனர். பின்னர் அவை தீயிட்டு அழிக்கப்பட் டன. தீவிர நடவடிக்கைகள்இதுபற்றி மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் ரமேஷ்பாபு நிருபர்களிடம் கூறியதாவது:-மாவட்டத்தில் புகையிலை பொருள் விற்பனை மற்றும் பயன்பாட்டை முழுமையாக தடுக்கும் வகையில் தீவிர நடவடிக்கைகள் மேற் கொள்ளப் பட்டு வருகின்றன. கொரடாச்சேரி பகுதியில் புகையிலை பொருள் விற் பனை குறித்து திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டது. இதில் ரூ. 15 ஆயிரத்து 800 மதிப் பிலான புகையிலை பொருட் கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன.கொரடாச்சேரி பகுதியில் புகையிலை பொருள் விற் பனை குறித்த தகவல் களை 9788683354 என்ற எண்ணில் தொடர்பு கொண்டு தெரிவிக்க லாம்.இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறி னார்.

Dinamalar News

அனுமதியில்லாத "ஹெர்பல்' குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள்: உற்பத்தி, விற்பனைக்கு பசுமை தீர்ப்பாயம் தடை

சென்னை: அனுமதியின்றி செயல்படும், "ஹெர்பல்' குடிநீர் உள்ளிட்ட, அனைத்து விதமான குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்களின் உற்பத்தி, விற்பனைக்கு இடைக்கால தடை விதித்துள்ள பசுமை தீர்ப்பாயம், "ஒரு வாரத்தில் அனுமதி கோரி, உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறையிடம் விண்ணப்பிக்க வேண்டும்' என, கெடு விதித்துள்ளது.

குடிநீர் தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனங்களிலிருந்து அனுப்பும் குடிநீர் தரமாக இல்லை என, தெரிய வந்ததால், சென்னையில் உள்ள தென்மண்டல பசுமை தீர்ப்பாயம், தானாக முன் வந்து, வழக்கு பதிந்து விசாரித்து வருகிறது. இதில், சென்னை, காஞ்சிபுரம், திருவள்ளூர் மாவட்டங்களில், பல நிறுவனங்கள் மூடப்பட்டு, தர பரிசோதனைக்குப் பின், செயல்பட அனுமதி தரப்பட்டுள்ளன. இந்த நிலையில், "ஹெர்பல், பிளேவர்டு' குடிநீர் என்ற பெயரில் இயங்கும் குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள் தொடர்பான விசாரணை, பசுமை தீர்ப்பாயத்தில் (தென் மண்டலம்) நேற்று நடந்தது, "பிளேவர்டு' குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள் சார்பில், "வெட்டிவேர் உள்ளிட்ட மணம் வீசும் பொருட்கள் கலந்து குடிநீர் தயாரிக்கிறோம். எங்கள் நிறுவனங்கள், உணவு பாதுகாப்புச் சட்டத்தின் கீழ் வருவதால், ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ., சான்று பெற முடியவில்லை. உணவு பாதுகாப்புச் சட்டத்தின் கீழ் அனுமதிக்க கோரி விண்ணப்பிக்க, அடுத்த ஆண்டு பிப்., வரை அவகாசம் உள்ளது' என, தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது. பசுமை தீர்ப்பாய நீதிபதி ஜோதிமணி, உறுப்பினர் பேராசிரியர் நாகேந்திரன் பிறப்பித்த உத்தரவில், "அனுமதி பெறாத," ஹெர்பல்' குடிநீர், "பிளேவர்டு' குடிநீர் உள்ளிட்ட எல்லா விதமான குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்களிலும், குடிநீர் உற்பத்தி, மார்க்கெட்டிங், விற்பனைக்கு இடைக்கால தடை விதிக்கப்படுகிறது' என, உத்தரவிட்டனர். மேலும், "அனுமதியில்லாத குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள், முறையான அனுமதி கோரி, ஒரு வாரத்திற்குள் உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறையிடம் விண்ணப்பிக்க வேண்டும். உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறை, குடிநீருக்கான தர விதிமுறைகள் உள்ளதா என, ஆய்வு செய்து, அதன் அறிக்கையை, அடுத்த விசாரணையின் போது சமர்ப்பிக்க வேண்டும்' எனவும், உத்தரவிட்டனர். வழக்கின் விசாரணை, ஆக., 26ம் தேதிக்கு ஒத்தி வைக்கப்பட்டது.

FDA asks edu, WCD officials to check mid-day meals

AURANGABAD: The food and drugs administration has sent notices to the education and the women and child development officials across the state to take extra care in the preparation and serving of mid-day meals and follow the norms laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The step comes in wake of the death of 23 students after consuming mid-day meal in Bihar.
The notice directs the officials concerned to follow the norms laid down in the schedule IV of the FSSAI. The education officers for primary and secondary education in municipal corporations and councils, officials of the women and child development department across the state have been asked to ensure that the food business operators (ones preparing and supplying mid-day meals) strictly follow the hygienic and sanitary practices, including food safety measures.
FDA (food) Aurangabad division, joint commissioner, Chandrashekhar Salunke said that strict action would be taken against those found violating the norms laid down in the FSSAI notification.
Assistant commissioner (food) and designated officer, FDA Aurangabad, Milind Shah told TOI, "Following the Bihar incident, the FDA commissioner has sent notices across the state to all the concerned departments."
The officials concerned have been asked to ensure that the FBOs prepare and supply food from a clean location, continuous supply of potable water is available for cooking. Moreover, the cooks preparing mid-day meals should be medically fit and free from any kind of diseases. The food handlers have been asked keep their nails and hairs trimmed, Shah added.
Sources in FDA said that notices had been sent to the block education officers and they have been asked to maintain the record of the potable water being used at the schools and also by the FBOs preparing food.

Put genetically-modified crop trials on hold for now: Supreme Court Panel

A technical committee appointed by the Supreme Court (SC) has recommended an indefinite moratorium on open field trials of genetically-modified (GM) crops till the deficiencies in the regulatory and safety systems are effectively addressed.

ET SPECIAL:

NEW DELHI: A technical committee appointed by the Supreme Court (SC) has recommended an indefinite moratorium on open field trials of genetically-modified (GM) crops till the deficiencies in the regulatory and safety systems are effectively addressed. The recommendations, if accepted by the court, would have a serious impact on the commercialisation of GM crops. In its final report, which was submitted to the court last week, the six-member committee reiterated the recommendations made in its interim report last October.

"Based on the examination of the safety dossiers, the Technical Expert Committee has found in unambiguous terms that at present, the regulatory system has major gaps and these will require rethinking, investment and relearning to fix. These need to be addressed before issues related to tests can be meaningfully considered. Till such time, it would not be advisable to conduct more field trials. A deeper understanding of the process of risk assessment is needed within the regulatory system for it to meet the needs of a proper bio-safety evaluation," the final report states.

On Bt food crops intended for commercialisation, the committee has reiterated that there should be a moratorium on field trials until there is a definitive number of studies on their long-term study. The 10-year moratorium suggested in the interim report has been dropped. Of the 91 applications for field trial before the GEAC, 44 are GM food crops.

The committee felt that the safety of Bt food crops particularly on the issue chronic toxicity has not been established. "This needs to be done before it can be considered safe," it said. The report stressed that the largest deployment of transgenics world-wide is in soybean, corn, cotton, and canola, all of which are used primarily for oil or feed. "Nowhere are Bt-transgenics being widely consumed in large amounts for any major food crop that is directly used for human consumption. The TEC could not find any compelling reason for India to be the first to do so," the committee's final report states.

The report makes the case that the quality of information in several of the applications is far below what is required for rigorous evaluation by a regulatory body and is unlikely to meet international regulatory guidelines. The committee has suggested setting up a secretariat comprising dedicated scientists with area and bio-safety expertise. It has suggested collaborating with the Norwegian government and the GM regulatory body as it "is one of the few that are attuned to considering socio-economic issues that would be important in the Indian context." It recommends that the new bio-technology regulatory be housed in the environment and health ministry, identification of specific sites for conducting of field tests and mandatory stakeholder participation as part of risk-management strategy. The Technical Expert Committee suggested that trials should be only allowed on land owned by GM crop applicant and not on leased land.

Food safety: Government to spend Rs 50 crore

The State Government will spend Rs 50 crore on expanding the facilities in government laboratories in the state as part of ensuring food safety, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said on Sunday.
“Steps will be taken to raise the Government Analysts Laboratory in Thiruvananthapuram and the Regional Analytical Laboratories in Kozhikode and Ernakulam to international standards by obtaining the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation,” he said. New labs will be started in Palakkad and Kasaragod for strict monitoring in the border districts of the state. “The government is also planning to roll out three mobile labs for prompt inspection of food items,” Sivakumar said. These projects will be implemented jointly by the state and Central Governments. A sum of Rs 9 crore-Rs 12 crore as central assistance - would be spent on the Govt Analysts Laboratory, Thiruvananthapuram, between 2013 and 2016 as part of the project. Applications for the NABL accreditation would be submitted in December. The regional laboratories in Ernakulam and Kozhikode will be renovated using Rs 24 crore. “Of the total sum, Rs 18 crore will be Central assistance and the rest will be state share,” the Minister said.