Around Rs 45 crore set aside for upgrading food testing labs

Around Rs 45 crore from the Central and State Governments has been set aside for ensuring basic resources for implementing the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 in the state, Health Minister V S Sivakumar announced on Wednesday. He was speaking at the inaugural session of the World Food Day celebrations.
“Around Rs 9 crore from the State Government has been set aside for enhancing facilities in food testing laboratories across the state and to bring in more enforcement personnel,” the Minister said adding that 87 new posts in addition to that of two joint commissioners have been created for the Commissionerate of Food Safety. “The Central Government aid of around Rs 36 crore would also help in the upgradation of food safety laboratories and setting up of new ones,” the Minister said. “New labs will soon be constructed in Kasaragode and Palakkad, and the food testing lab in Sabarimala will also be scaled up,” Sivakumar said. “In addition to this, three mobile food testing laboratories for analysing vegetables, meat and milk products in the state will be started,” he said.
The Minister further announced that the deadline for all food business operators including street vendors to renew or obtain new licences and register themselves in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2011 has been extended to February 2014.

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

All food manufacturers require FDA licence

AURANGABAD: All food manufacturers - from small retailers to hawkers to canteens and starred hotels - will have to register with or obtain a licence from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) as part of a change in the administrative regime for the industry.
"Hoteliers, traders and food joints who had earlier registered under the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation also need to get themselves registered with the FDA according to the Food and Safety Act 2006 to avoid inconveniences, like imprisonment and fines," FDA joint commissioner (Food), Aurangabad division, Chandrashekhar Salunke said.
"Manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, hawkers, weekly market sellers, small-scale industrialists, hoteliers, fruit and vegetable vendors, paan kiosk-owners, fish sellers, poultry businessmen, fair price shop owners, self-help groups and milk collection centres with a business of less than Rs 12 lakh per annum have to register themselves with the FDA. If the annual business is more than Rs12 lakh, then the businessman has to obtain a licence from the FDA. Earlier, as per the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, urban local bodies had the power to issue licences. Now, as per the Food and Safety Authority, only the state FDA can issue them," Salunke said.
"While the earlier licensing or registration process was from the context of adulteration, the whole process is now harmonized globally to the aspect of food safety in general," he added.
Manufacturers or sellers of food articles, ranging from a retailer, hawker, itinerant vendor to temporary stall holder, distributor of food at religious or social gatherings with a turnover of less than Rs12 lakh, will have to register themselves by submitting the application Form A for specific periods with the FDA.
Other food business operators whose annual turnover exceeds Rs12 lakh have to obtain a licence from the FDA's designated officer by filling in Form B.
"If the existing food licences are still valid, then no licence or registration fees will have to be paid for the remaining period of validity. But they have to renew the registration or licence 30 days before the expiry date or else be fined Rs 100 per day," said the FDA official. All registration or licences granted under the regulation will be valid for a period of one to five years, as chosen by the food business operator, the source added.
Salunke said as per the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) Act, 2006, people involved in food business sans procuring the FDA licence and violating norms would face imprisonment of six months and Rs 5 lakh as fine.

FDA seizes gutka worth Rs 66,000 from Pimpri grocer

PUNE: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials seized gutka worth Rs 66,250 from a grocery shop in Pimpri on Wednesday morning.
"We received a tip off following which our officials raided the shop around 7 am. The shop is located near Jhulelal Mandir, main bazaar in Pimpri. Banned products like gutka, paan masala, scented supari (areca nuts) and scented tobacco. We will lodge a complaint against the shop owner," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
Food safety officer Ravindra Nagavekar, Ramakant Kulkarni, Parag Nalawade, Rajendra Kakade and Kiran Jadhav conducted the raid under the guidance of Dilip Sangat and S S Desai, both assistant commissioner (food).
Ever since the ban on gutka came into force in July 2012, the city unit of the FDA has seized gutka worth Rs 2.45 crore as part of raids conducted at 128 establishments.
After the state government's decision to extend the ban on the sale of gutka and paan masala by another year, the city unit of the FDA has started implementing the ban strictly and is set to take strict action against the offenders. The ban, which was imposed by the FDA from July 18, is not just limited to gutka and paan masala, but also includes the ingredients required for their preparation such as scented areca nuts and scented tobacco.
However, the ban excludes untreated tobacco and areca nuts, allowing for their manufacture, storage, distribution and sale.

Is this the end of 'Delhi belly'? Capital to get eight 'safe zones' where street food vendors are trained in food hygiene

If you have been giving up your favourite roadside delicacies for fear of falling sick, we may have some delicious news for you.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is creating eight 'safe street food' zones in Delhi where food lovers can gorge on tikkis, golgappas and chaat without being worried about falling ill.

The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), which is working with FSSAI on the project, has pledged that the vendors in these zones will follow the best hygiene practices and food handling methods.

Hygiene push: A few vendors were sent to Singapore for the World Streetfood Congress in May this year to learn about the best food practices

NASVI is training nearly 2,000 vendors in these eight zones, following which the concept will be replicated in other parts of the capital. By December, all vendors serving safe food will also carry the stamp of NASVI to reassure consumers of its quality.

The association has already started the training process and is bringing together 500 vendors from across the city on October 21 for an elaborate workshop.

The eight zones - Nizammuddin, Chandni Chowk, Sarojini Nagar, Karol Bagh, Paharganj, New Delhi Railway Station, Tilak Nagar and Krishna Nagar Jheel - have been taken up in the pilot project because of their popularity and high footfall.

In consultation with the government and food safety experts, NASVI has prepared elaborate guidelines to be followed by every vendor, which cover things as basic as not touching any part of the body while cooking and serving food, or specific techniques for food storage and handling.

"Vendors in these zones have been put together in groups for better cooperation and monitoring. We have appointed peer leaders for every area who would make sure that vendors follow the set standards. Their role will be crucial for the creation of such zones," said Arbind Singh, founder and coordinator, NASVI.

Any new vendor who sets up a shop in the area will be brought into the loop by these peer leaders.

The registration of street food vendors by the Delhi Government under the Food Safety and Standards Act is yet to be completed, as the food safety department did not have enough staff to carry out the process.

NASVI plans to professionalise the whole industry by bringing all stakeholders on board with its plans.

"The zones were identified in June this year and the training of street vendors has already begun. A few such vendors had also gone to Singapore for the World Streetfood Congress in May-June this year and learnt about the best practices. They will share them with other vendors at the training sessions," said Ranjit Abhigyan, programme coordinator, NASVI.

NASVI has already sent a detailed project report to FSSAI following a survey of the vendors. The association met 139 food sellers in the eight zones to discuss the issues they had and also their level of awareness.

The survey found that 127 admitted to scratching their body parts while cooking, all but one failed to wear aprons, and none of them used gloves while on the job. Most were unaware of the storage techniques for raw, cooked and leftover food.

Street vendors campaign as healthy food providers

On the occasion of World Food Day Wednesday, street food vendors across the country launched a campaign to promote their potential to provide healthy and nutritious food, a statement said here.

"We are the guarantors of food security and have the potential to provide healthy and nutritious food," read banners that have been put up by street vendors at several locations here.

The campaign will continue till Oct 26 and includes food safety and hygiene training Oct 21 for the street vendors.

Representatives of World Health Organisation (WHO), ministry of health and family welfare and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will participate in the training.

FDA warns over unhygienic sweets

The Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) warned sweet vendors against improper and unhygienic preparation, transportation and storage of sweets, warning them of severe action.

In a statement to the press, Director of FDA Salim Veljee said that the FDA has been receiving several complaints from consumers that the sweets they buy go bad the very next day.
“The department has been receiving several complaints where the sweets especially pedhas and barfis went rancid the very next day. We warned the vendors not to mix old sweets while preparing fresh sweets. This is the main cause why sweets go bad, turn sour or get discolored,” Dr Veljee explained.
The FDA also warned the sellers and manufacturers that they should not transport sweets without refrigeration or through railway which does not offer refrigeration services.
“They were warned that they should not transport sweets either by road or railway without refrigeration and ensure that all such products carry proper labelling declaration of the manufacturer from where it is procured and also to ensure that they procure such items only from licensed FSSAI vendors,” Veljee said.
The meeting, attended by around 40 leading sweet marts/mithai vendors from Panjim, Mapusa, Ponda, Vasco, Margao was scheduled ahead of the festive season.
Ahead of Ganesh the FDA had conducted several raids on sweet shops and seized a consignment of sweets from the railways that was unmarked and arrived at the Vasco Railway Station.
The vendors were also informed about the need to maintain strict sanitary and hygienic conditions at premises where sweets are prepared and the importance of use of permitted colours and limits, as excess use of colours can lead to adverse impact on health. They have to also strictly use silver leaves and not aluminum leaves, which are not permitted under the law.