Special drive launched for food safety

1,000 samples of every food item to be tested across State in view of Onam

Food safety inspections will be made more stringent as it has come to the notice of the Health Department that adulterated or substandard food items are increasingly reaching the State from across the border with the start of the festive season.

Special squads of the Food Safety wing have started inspections across the State as part of a pre-festival drive to ensure food safety.

The officials have started testing samples of coconut oil coming through check-posts following widespread complaints that engine oil, converted into white oil, was being used to adulterate coconut oil.

A private firm at Palakkad was closed down by the food safety officials on Tuesday in this connection.

Testing of samples of milk coming from across the border has been made stringent as increased quantities of milk will be brought into the State in view of the festival season.

During the last Onam season, the Food Safety wing had detected widespread use of formalin to preserve milk.

Steps have been taken to collect statutory samples of ghee, jaggery, chilli powder, fruits, vegetables, payasam mix, pickles, meat, and cashew nut and send these for lab testing. The services of laboratories in universities and other government enterprises will be utilised for testing the food samples.

In a State-wide intensive food safety drive being launched on Thursday, over 1,000 samples of every food item were tested across the State.

This is the first time since the inception of the Food Safety wing that such a widespread food safety inspection was held, an official release said.

1,000 samples of every food item to be tested across State in view of Onam.

செஞ்சியில் அதிரடி அதிகாரிகள் திடீர் சோதனை 86 பாக்கெட் கலப்பட டீ தூள் பறிமுதல்

மேல்மலையனூர்

செஞ்சியில் அதிகாரிகள் நடத்திய திடீர் சோதனை யில் 86 பாக்கெட் கலப்பட டீ தூள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.

விழுப்புரம் மாவட்ட ஆட்சியர் சம்பத் உத்தர வின் பேரில், மாவட்ட நிய மன அலுவலர் டாக்டர். ஆறுமுகம் வழிகாட்டுதலின் படி செஞ்சி உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் கதிர வன், விக்கிரவண்டி ஒன்றிய அலுவலர் ரவிக்குமார், முகையூர் ஒன்றிய அலுவலர் கணேசன் ஆகியோர் நேற்றுமுன்தினம் செஞ்சி காந்தி பஜாரில் உள்ள கடைகளில் அதிரடி சோதனையில் ஈடுபட்டனர். சரவணா தியேட் டர் அருகே உள்ள கடையில் 86 பாக்கெட் கலப்பட டீ தூள் இருந்தது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது, அவற்றை கைப்பற்றிய அதிகாரிகள் தரமற்ற டீ தூள்களை டீ கடைக்காரர்கள் பயன்படுத்தக்கூடாது என்று எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்தனர்.

மேலும் கலப்பட பொருள் விவகாரத்தில் மக்கள் விழிப்புணர்வுடன் இருக்க வேண்டுமென அறிவுறுத்தினர். கலப்பட பொருட்களை விற்றால் கடை உரிமையாளர்கள், வியாபாரிகள் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்றும் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்தனர்.

சேலம் அருகே கலப்பட டீத்தூள் விற்பனை செய்தவர்கள் மீது வழக்கு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி தகவல்

சேலம், செப்.7:

சேலம் அருகே கலப்பட டீத்தூள் விற்பனை செய்தவர்கள் மீது நீதிமன்றத்தில் வழக்கு தொடர உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் முடிவு செய்துள்ளனர்.

சேலம் அடுத்த ஓமலூரை சேர்ந்தவர் செல்வம். இவருடைய மனைவி பாக்கியலட்சுமி. இவர்கள் அப்பகுதியில் கடந்த சில மாதங்களாக டீத்தூள் வியாபாரம் செய்து வந்தனர். இந்த டீத்தூளில் கலப்படம் உள்ளது என பலர் சேலம் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரியிடம் புகார் தெரிவித்தனர். இப்புகாரின்பேரில் சேலம் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா தலைமையில் அதிகாரிகள் செல்வம் வீட்டில் சோதனை செய்தனர்.

இந்த சோதனையில் 250 கிலோவுக்கு மேல் இருந்த கலப்பட டீத்தூளை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். இதை அதிகாரிகள் சென்னையில் ஆய்வகத்திற்கு பரிசோதனைக்கு அனுப்பி வைத்தனர். இந்த ஆய்வில் செல்வம் விற்பனை செய்தது கலப்பட டீத்தூள் என்பது தெரியவந்தது.

இதேபோல் சென்னையில் கலப்பட டீத்தூள் தயாரித்த கம்பெனியிலும் அதிகாரிகள் சோதனை செய்தனர். இந்த சோதனையில் பல ஆயிரம் கிலோ கலப்பட டீத்தூளை பறிமுதல் செய்து, கொல்கத்தாவில் உள்ள ஆய்வகத்திற்கு அனுப்பினர். அதுவும் கலப்பட டீத்தூள் என்பது தெரியவந்தது.

இதையடுத்து உணவு பாதுகாப்பு ஆணையர், கலப்பட டீத்தூள் தயாரித்த சென்னை சேர்ந்த கம்பெனி உரிமையாளர் மீதும், அதை விற்பனை செய்த செல்வம் மற்றும் அவரது மனைவி பாக்கியலட்சுமி ஆகியோர் மீது வழக்கு தொடர உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளார்.

இதையடுத்து இன்னும் ஒரு சில நாளில் இவர்களின் மீது நீதிமன்றத்தில் வழக்கு தொடரப்படும் என்று சேலம் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா தெரிவித்தார்.

FDA unfamiliar dept due to officials' apathy during PFA, states Zagade

While the common man is not aware of every other law-enforcing agency, they are not familiar with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to Mahesh Zagade, commissioner, FDA Maharashtra. He attributed this to the lack of interest shown by officials when the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954 – which preceded the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 – was in place.
Addressing reporters at an interactive session on the role played by the food regulator in the life of the common man in Mumbai on Friday, Zagade said, “FDA has a role to play at every stage in the common man's life, from farm to plate. We start our day by brushing our teeth. The toothpaste we use contains edible ingredients. From the tea we drink to the food we eat, everything contains food.”
“However, the common man is not aware of what he or she is consuming, and whether it is safe for him or her. While everyone knows the names of police officers, advocates, doctors, vegetable vendors, milk vendors and newspaper vendors, there is very little awareness about the food safety officers (FSOs) in a vicinity,” he added.
Zagade said, “I have been state FDA commissioner for over two years now, but I have not faced pressure from any political party to date. Now, I have also permitted the food safety officers (FSOs) to organise press conferences in order to make people aware about the importance of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and their role in safeguarding the health of the 11 crore people that inhabit the state.”
When quizzed about the completion of the licensing and registration process before the February 4, 2014 deadline, he said, “We have sought the help of a non-governmental organisation (NGO). Although festivals and elections are round the corner, we will pool in our limited resources and complete the licensing and registration before the stipulated deadline. According to the Central database, Maharashtra leads the way as far as licensing and registration is concerned, with a combined figure of 3,90,000.”

Adulterated tea swamps Karur

Sale of adulterated tea at roadside shops is enjoying an unbridled run in Karur despite the clutch of law in force to prevent sale of spurious and harmful food items.

``One could see, even before tasting, the adulterated tea being served in roadside shops to gullible customers. The pale yellow colour of the hot liquid served in the glass in Karur shops is clearly distinguishable from the dark brownish original tea colour even in third extraction. “We have lost hope in the officials responsible for monitoring the products in the town limits,” bemoans manufacturing technocrat A. Vidya Sundar of Sakthi Nagar. Consumption of adulterated tea leads to damage of liver and intestine, pharmaceutical sales professional K.Narayanan said.

Stomach ailment for many a travelling professional is mostly due to consumption of spurious or adulterated products and food items, he adds. Common ailments such as gastric ulcer, diarrhoea, continued reflux oesophagitis are caused by food poisoning, Mr.Narayanan adds. ``The food safety officials must be given more teeth and powers to deal with errant traders and tea stall owners. Only strict action, including penal and financial punitive measures, could ensure that the unscrupulous elements playing havoc with the public health be kept under check, ,’’ points out consumer activist S.Gopalan, chairman, Consumer Protection Council.

Unlabelled honey seized by FDA

Continuing their aggressive drive against substandard foodstuff, food safety officers on Thursday seized 30 litres of honey from vendors around the Kadamba bus stand in Margao.

With honey in demand for use in sweets and as part of the offering for Ganesh pooja, the state Food and Drug Authority has been keeping an eye for spurious produce. The confiscated honey was unlabelled and suspected to be adulterated. The seizure was valued at over 9,000.

The officers also conducted surprise inspections of godowns stocking fruits in Salcete taluka, to check for artificial ripening and chemical contamination. The officers collected samples for analysis, a statement from FDA said

IIT-M students protest poor quality of canteens

 

The students said the food was sub-standard in the six messes of the institute, all of which are managed by private caterers

Nearly 800 students of IIT–Madras protested outside their mess on Friday against the low quality of food served in the messes of the institute.

The students said they had taken up the matter with the administration on several occasions but there had been no improvement in the quality of the food.

“Earlier, we would at least get one banana or a slice of watermelon every day. Now, we have to pay extra for anything nutritious — boiled eggs, all fruits, paneer and chicken. The available food is very sub-standard,” said a student.

The situation prevails in the six messes of the institute, all of which were managed by private caterers, students said.

“We spend nearly Rs. 80 on food every day. However, the food items are stocked up in a very unhygienic way. The dishes are never cleaned properly,” another student said.

The students said they had repeatedly written to the administration about the issue. Many students had also staged a protest last year but no action had been taken, they said.

They said the student-managed messes in IIT-Kanpur and IIT-Bombay served larger quantities of food of a better quality and at comparable prices. “However, here they are under the administration, which outsources it to caterers. It is high time the administration listened to us,” said a student.

During the course of the protest, the students marched up to IIT-M director Bhaskar Ramamurthi’s house. In a discussion that lasted till midnight, the director responded to the questions raised by the students.  

A senior professor at the institute said rising prices were one of the reasons for the dip in the quality of food, but denied that it was in any way sub-standard.

IIT-M officials said the menu had been fixed when the tenders were floated a couple of months ago, and it was difficult to change it.

 “We have always taken students’ feedback and complaints seriously. We will certainly look at improving the quality of the food,” a professor said.

Health Min turns a blind eye to food safety

On one hand, the Government went overboard in pushing its Food Security Bill but on the other, the Health Ministry has turned a blind eye to safety of food - if one goes by the composition of the 15-member Food Authority , the highest decision making body of the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI).

A look at the profile of many members nominated in the Food Authority shows that major sectors related to fruits, vegetables, vegetable oil and farm output of food grains have been largely ignored. The large meat and bakery/ confectionery sector too has been ignored. Instead, a representative from the not so voluminous prawn industry, one Balasubramanium has been reappointed.

Moreover, despite Supreme Court’s strictures, the Ministry has appointed two members namely Gurudayal Tuteja and Lalitha Ramakrishna Gowda, who have conflict of interest. Gowda and Tuteja are already on the scientific panel of the FSSAI. As per rules, they cannot be appointed in two panels of the food regulator.

Also, the Ministry has nominated a member, Shreya Pandey, who is associated with a beverage MNC, as a representative of the All India Food Processors, as per the notification issued by the Ministry.

“The Supreme Court has in 2011 passed strictures to the Food regulator to reconstitute the scientific panel and have independent scientific persons and not individuals who have conflict of interest. But this time it has bent the rules while constituting the Food Authority,” said Santosh Kumar Mishra from Lok Jagriti, which has filed a case in High Court against the ‘mis-governance and mismanagement’ in the FSSAI.

Mishra said that Pandey has been nominated as an industry member despite her company not agreeing to the report of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on carbonated drinks.  When asked, Joint Secretary (Health Ministry), AK Panda said, he would look into the matter.

The appointment of K Chandramouli as chairperson of the FSSAI is already under the scanner of the Supreme Court with a PIL alleging that he did not fulfill the eligibility criteria for the post as desired under Section 5 of the FSS Act.  The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Government in the matter.