Beware of rotten beef on your plate

KOCHI: Giving scant regard to health concerns of Kochiites, civic authorities hurriedly disposed of approximately 1,000kg of rotten beef seized from a meat dealer in Mattancherry after a raid on Saturday. Food safety department officials, who are empowered to take legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, were not part of the raid. The meat, which was more than one-week old and stored in unhygienic conditions, was reportedly brought from Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The meat was buried at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant without collecting samples for lab tests.
"Since food safety officials were not available, corporation health officials carried out the raid. It was being readied for supply on Saturday evening. It was not suitable for consumption," said health supervisor of city corporation T K Beena, adding that the dealer, Kochukoya, had been supplying such meat for the past one year.
Food safety department officials said that it is not possible to take legal action against Kochukoya as seizing and disposing measures were carried out in their absence. "We had organized joint operations with corporation officials in various parts of the city. But this time we were not informed about the inspection," said district food safety officer K Ajith Kumar.
The civic administration said the dealer didn't have a valid licence for storing and supplying meat. The shed was registered as a facility for peeling prawns. The meat, which was supplied to Kochukoya at Rs10 per kg, was to be sold at Rs 30-40 per kg to restaurants and other eateries. The authorities also seized the goods auto of the dealer. The seized meat included mainly liver and heart. "We were trying to catch this supplier for quite some time. Repeated inspections will be carried out in the coming days to prevent such problems," said chairman of health standing committee T K Ashraf.
Civic authorities registered a case against Kochukoya under the Kerala Municipality Act for operating without a valid licence and storing meat in unhygienic conditions. The meat was stored in ice boxes said officials, adding that it should have been stored at minus 18 degrees.
The cost of beef in city is around Rs 200 to Rs 225 per kg. While beef biriyani is priced at Rs 80-Rs 110, a plate of beef fry/roast costs Rs40 to Rs 80. Meanwhile, Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association denied the claim that the meat was to be sold to restaurants.

FDA probes arsenic presence in rice from India, other nations

The US health watchdog FDA is conducting a detailed inspection of the arsenic level in rice being sold in the American market.

WASHINGTON: The US health watchdogFDA is conducting a detailed inspection of the arsenic level in rice being sold in the American market, including those of basmati variety imported from India.
While an analytical study of more than 1,300 samples of rice and rice products, including basmati from India, did not show any alarming levels of arsenic presence, the FDA will now conduct a "comprehensive risk assessment" study to determine the long-term impact of the arsenic found in rice.
Arsenic is a chemical element present in the environment from both natural and human sources and its inorganic forms have been closely associated with long-term health effects such as higher rates of skin, bladder and lung cancers.
While most crops don't readily take up much arsenic from the ground, rice is different because it takes up arsenic from soil and water more readily than other grains.
In a latest consumer update, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) said it has "increased its testing of rice and rice products" to determine the level and types of arsenic found in these products, usually a life-long dietary staple.
The regulator said its next step will be "to conduct a risk assessment", wherein it would analyse the health risk associated with eating rice and rice products to determine the steps required to minimise the risks for consumers, including vulnerable groups like children and pregnant women.
The draft risk assessment will be made available for public comment following peer review, it said.
Agency scientists have so far determined that amount of detectable arsenic is too low in rice and rice product samples to cause any "immediate or short-term" adverse effects.
US rice imports have been increasing in the last 25 years. Most US rice imports are aromatic varieties from Asia--jasmine from Thailand and basmati from India, the world's largest producer of the aromatic grain.
Total US rice imports for 2012/13 was projected at 19.5 million cwt (centum weight). Indian basmati is one of the most expensive rice in the US as it commands 2-3 times higher price than American domestic long-grain rice.
The results of the analytical study of about 1,100 samples of rice and rice products were released last week, while a preliminary set of results for nearly 200 samples were released in September 2012.
The study of more than 1,300 samples of rice and rice products, which included more than 30 from India, found 0.1-7.2 micrograms of inorganic arsenic per serving in them.
The study of samples from India showed that fully cooked basmati contained up to 0.9 units of inorganic arsenic per serving, boil-in-bag variety had 2.3 units, aged variety had up to 3.9 units, white variety had up to 3.9 units and the brown variety had up to 6 units of arsenic presence.
FDA has cautioned against making any state-to-state or country-to-country comparisons with these results as the number of samples are "too few" to support such an exercise.
While observing that the arsenic presence has been found to be too low so far to have any adverse health impact for short-to-medium term, FDA said that a further study is required to determine the long-term impact as rice and rice products are consumed for a long period of time.
"... what about the long-term impact? After all, rice is a food that people eat over the course of a lifetime," it said.
"The approximately 1,300 analytical results do not tell us what long-term health effect, if any, these levels may have, nor do they tell us what can be done to reduce these levels. The data collection and analysis is the first step in a major effort to understand the overall safety of consumption of rice and rice products in the United States," FDA said.
The FDA has been monitoring arsenic levels in rice for more than 20 years and has seen no evidence of change in levels of total arsenic in rice, it added.

Training programme on food safety

The Department of Micro-Biology, Dwaraka Doss Goverdhan Doss Vaishnav College, Arumbakkam, organised a training programme on ‘Food safety, and its implementation based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP)’ recently.

Shakir Hussain, Trainer, and Systems Auditor (The United Kingdom), ISO 22000, ISO 9001, and HACCP, was the resource person.

Mr. Shakir said HACCP is a systematic approach to hazard identification assessment, and control to ensure safe food.

Food technology is a fast developing area, and implementation of HACCP in food industries will ensure quality food.

Certificates were issued to participants of the programme.

Packaged drinking water units to be streamlined

Health officials to meet association members and explain statutory law

Thorough check:Health officials inspecting a packaged drinking water unit in Nilavarapatti in Salem on Saturday

In a measure to streamline packaged drinking water units functioning in the district, officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will meet the members of Salem District Packaged Drinking Water Association here on Sunday and explain the statutory law that should be followed.

This comes after FSSAI officials inspected 33 units including the 24 ISI-certified ones functioning in the district.

Of the 13 samples taken from these units, laboratory report confirmed six samples as substandard, two as unsafe and one as misbranded.

Recently, the officials sealed a unit in the city that was found manufacturing unsafe water.

The officials have taken samples from all the 33 units and sent them to the Food Analysis Laboratory at Guindy in Chennai.

The report that is produced will be submitted before the National Green Tribunal for further action.

Though the officials have warned the units to maintain quality, many units flout the norms and supply substandard water, which is mostly in the 20-litre can.

Dr. T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Health Administration Department, will make a presentation explaining the need to have the manufacturing date on the can and to cover the can sleeve with brand name.

Also the manufacturers should give authorisation letters to the dealers and the vehicle drivers for transporting the cans with proper bills.

“In spite of insisting on these norms, they do not follow them. Hence they will be instructed to follow the norms without fail,” she said.

She added that the objective was to streamline their business so that people get safe and protected drinking water for the money they have paid.

Officials have inspected 33 units including the 24 ISI-certified ones functioning in Salem district