தரமற்ற எண்ணெய்யால் தயாராகும் இனிப்பு வகைகள் சுகாதாரத்துறை நடவடிக்கை எடுக்குமா?

தேனி, அக். 30:
தீபாவளி பண்டிகை என்றதுமே பெண்கள் மத்தியில் பரபரப்பு தொற்றிக் கொள்வது வாடிக்கை. பெண்கள் வீட்டில் பச்சரிசியை இடித்து மாவு தயாரிப்பதும், கடலை மாவு, உளுந்தம் மாவு தயாரிப்பதுமாக பரபரப்பாக இருப்பர். பெண்கள் வீட்டிலேயே எள்ளுருண்டை, எள்ளுச்சீடை, உளுந்த வடை, பருப்பு வடை, பச்சரிசி மாவினாலான அதிரசம், முறுக்கு வகைகள் உள்ளிட்ட பலகாரங்களை சுத்தமான கடலை எண்ணெய்யில் தயாரிப்பர். இப்பலகாரங்களை அக்கம்பக்கம் உள்ளோருக்கும், உறவினர்களுக்கும், வீட்டிற்கு வரும் நண்பர்களுக்கும் வழங்கி மகிழ்வர். இப்பலகாரங்கள் சுமார் ஒரு மாத காலம் வரைகூட கெட்டுப்போகாமலும், உடலுக்கு ஆபத்தை விளைவிக்காமலும் இருக்கும்.
தற்போது நிலை தலைகீழாக மாறியுள்ளது. பெரும்பாலான வீடுகளில் கடலை எண்ணெய்க்கு பதி லாக சூரியகாந்தி எண் ணெய், பாமாயில் உபயோ கம் அதிகரித்துள்ளது. தீபாவளிக்காக பொறுமையாக மாவு அரைத்து, எண்ணை சட்டி முன்பு அமர்ந்து பலகாரம் தயாரிப்பது வேகமான யுகத்தில் சாத்தியமற்றதாக மாறிவிட்டது.தீபாவளி பண்டிகைக்கு ஏற்படும் கிராக்கியை பயன்படுத்தி பலர் விலை குறை வான பாமாயில், தரமற்ற சூரியகாந்தி எண்ணெய் மூலம் இனிப்புகளை தயார் செய்கின்றனர். இதில் பண்டிகைக் காலத்திற்காக சந்தா நடத்துபவர்கள், உறுப்பினர்களுக்கு இனிப்பு வழங்குவதற்காக தனியார் சிலரிடம் விலைகுறைவாக இனிப்பு ஆர்டர் கொடுக்கின்றனர். ஆர்டர் பிடிப்பவர்களும் தரமற்ற எண்ணெய் மூலம் இனிப்புகளை தயாரித்து வழங்கும் நிலை உள்ளது. தற்போது மழைகாலமாக உள்ளதால், தரமற்ற எண்ணெய்யால் தயாரிக்கப்படும் பலகாரங்களை உண்பதால் சுகாதாரக்கேடு ஏற்பட்டு நோய் பாதிப்பு ஏற்படுகிறது.
சுகாதாரத்துறை தீபாவளி பண்டிகைக்கு தயாரிக்கப்படும் திண்பண்டங்கள் மற்றும் அதனை தயாரிக்க பயன்படுத்தும் மூலப்பொருள்கள் குறித்து ஆய்வு செய்து சுகாதாரமற்ற பொருட்களை தடுக்க நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும் என பொதுமக்கள் கோரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளனர்.

குடோன்களில் அதிரடி ரெய்டு மினரல் வாட்டர் கம்பெனிக்கு சீல் வைப்பு ரூ.10 லட்சம் புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல்

ஈரோடு, அக். 30:
ஈரோட்டில் நேற்று அனுமதியின்றி மினரல் வாட்டர் தயாரிப்பு ஆலை செயல்பட்டு வந்தது கண்டு பிடிக்கப்பட்டு அந்த ஆலைக்கு சீல் வைக்கப்பட்டது. மேலும் இதே பகுதியில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை குடோனையும் அதிகாரிகள் கண்டுபிடித்து 10 லட்ச ரூபாய் மதிப்பிலான புகையிலை பொருட்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.
ஈரோடு கிருஷ்ணா தியேட்டர் இந்திராநகர் பகுதியில் அனுமதியின்றி ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ. முத்திரையிடாமல் மினரல் வாட்டர் தயாரித்து விற்பதாகவும், இதே பகுதியில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலைகளை பதுக்கி வைத்து மூட்டை, மூட்டையாக விற்பனை செய்வதாகவும் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர்களுக்கு தகவல் கிடைத்துதது.
இதையடுத்து உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் கருணாநிதி தலைமையில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் முத்துகிருஷ்ணன், பூபாலன், முருகன் ஆகியோர் கொண்ட குழுவினர் அந்த பகுதியில் அதிரடி சோதனை மேற்கொண்டனர்.
அப்போது சுப்பிரமணியன் என்பவருக்கு சொந்தமான ஒரு மினரல் வாட்டர் தயாரிப்பு கம்பெனியில் சோதனை மேற்கொண்டனர். அப்போது ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ. முத்திரையிடாமலும் அனுமதியின்றியும் மினரல் வாட்டர் தயாரித்து விற்பனை செய்தது தெரிய வந்தது. இதையடுத்து அந்த ஆலைக்கு சீல் வைத்தனர்.பின்னர் இதே பகுதியைச் சேர்ந்த லோகேஷ் என்பவருக்கு சொந்தமான குடோனில் அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். அப்போது தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை பொருட்களை ஹான்ஸ், குட்கா, பான்மசாலா போன்ற பொருட்களை பதுக்கி வைத்து விற்பனை செய்தது தெரிய வந்தது. இதையடுத்து அங்கிருந்து ரூ.10 லட்சம் மதிப்பிலான 23 மூட்டைகள் கொண்ட புகையிலை பொருட்களை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.

Training of food safety officers concludes

JAMMU: The five days orientation programme for food safety officers notified by the State under the Provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (FSSA) concluded at Indian Institute of Integrative Medicines (IIIM), Canal Road, Jammu in which 88 Food Safety Officers from different parts of the State participated.
The said programme was organised by Department of Drugs and Food Control Organisation in collaboration with FSSAI, Government of India. It is expected that by means of this programme the modern methods of food safety regulation would percolate to the grass root level enabling officials involved in the food safety work to upgrade their skills in tune with the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Deputy Commissioner of Food Safety, Lotika Khajuria said that this orientation programme will serve as a key component in coordinating strategies among participants i.e Food Safety Officers of the State to perform their legitimate duties as envisaged under FSSAI Act.
The vote of thanks was presented by Assistant Controller Food, J and K, Sanjeev Gupta, who was the Chief Coordinator.

Training with a stipend for rly food vendors

Kochi: How about getting Rs 200 a day to get some tips on cooking?  Faced with the recent barrage of food safety complaints, the railways are wooing vendors to attend its week-long training classes on safe food procedures by providing them stipend.

The classes being held at a three-star hotel in Kovalam since the past one month are open to vendors running railway stalls and pantry cars on a priority basis and for outside parties on availability basis.

“The response for the week-long classes is great as already over 200 vendors attended the programme. Recently, some food poisoning cases in running trains were reported. The training class is part of the vigorous action being taken to control such instances in the future,” a senior railway health official said.

The classes mainly deal with improving the quality of food served, the minimum personal hygiene and that to be followed in stalls and pantry cars besides the best practices to preserve food articles.
Meanwhile, the Thiruvananthapuram division has sought permission of the Railway Board to start more awareness classes among the over 200 staff in 50 pantry cars in trains from the state.

“We plan to allocate more food stalls in the division but there won’t be any compromise in quality. Strict enforcement will be done to raise the standard of foods served as was there in olden days,” DRM Rajesh Agarwal said. 

Railways won't compromise on the quality of food: DRM

DRM Rajesh Agarwal at a seminar on ‘Food Safety and Nutrition’, at Ernakulam Junction Railway Station on Tuesday
Taking into account the insufficient number of vending outlets in the Thiruvananthapuram division, the Railways will set up more food stalls with immediate effect, Divisional Railway Manager Rajesh Agarwal has said.
In order to make up for the lack of hygiene and proper standards of the vendors, the division has joined hands with the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Kovalam, to impart one-week training to the vendors who are appointed on contract basis. The initiative started by the Railways two months ago, has already handed over certificates to many vendors at a stipend of `200.
Rajesh Agarwal was inaugurating the seminar on ‘Food safety and Nutrition’ held at Kochi on Tuesday. He said that it was the first such initiative by the Southern Railway to impart an awareness seminar by joining the caterers, food handlers, licensees, vendors of stalls and health inspectors of the Railways. He said that the division would not be lenient on vendors who are slack on serving hygienic and quality food. “We won’t compromise on the orders by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSA) and will punish all those who are found violating the rules and regulations,” he said.
Joint Food Safety Commissioner of the Southern Railway Dr Anil Thomas said that the food safety wing formed by the Zonal Railways in 2012 have started dealing with cases related to inadequate food supply and low quality of the food served on trains and platforms.
So far, the Southern Railway has found 17 non-branded food items and six unsafe food products. A total of four cases have been prosecuted so far. The Railways had recently fined `3 lakh from the contractors, licensees, and vendors who sold unhealthy mango juice on a train, said Designated Officer of Southern Railway Mohan Razan.
According to Anil Thomas, three departments, including the commercial, mechanical and health wings are responsible for proper maintenance of the pantry cars and the quality of food.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager A Sundar emphasised on the need of the vendors to maintain cleanliness and hygienity while food is prepared.
“Gloves and headgear is mandatory while preparing as well as serving food. Menu details of the food products which are being sold on trains should be displayed,” he said.
He expressed dissatisfaction on the qualification of cooks and vendors who are assigned under contract.

Junk food near schools: HC dismisses eatery owners’ plea

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a plea filed by restaurant owners' associations against a Central advisory committee set up to look into the issue of sale of junk food in and around schools in the capital.
The committee was constituted on the order of the High Court, to assist the government in finalising guidelines to control junk food consumption and unhealthy eating habits among children.
The restaurants' associations had challenged the order stating that such a committee violated the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Dismissing the plea, the court of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog in its order said the purpose of the committee was to look at the dietary habits of children and it was not concerned with the standards of food preparation or food safety, which come under the FSS Act.

The court issued had orders to create the committee after the government had submitted draft guidelines on junk food as directed by the court in a PIL filed in 2010 by the NGO Uday Foundation. The NGO had filed the PIL seeking creation of a policy to regulate sale of junk food in and around schools.
"Concern in the writ petition is not with hazardous food or with a standard of food safety envisaged by the Act. The concern is with a dietary habit and promotion of what is popularly known as junk food amongst schoolchildren and, thus, it would be wrong on the part of the applicants to state that the committee constituted under Section 11 — the Central Advisory Committee — cannot be directed to render an opinion. Any committee could have been directed by us to render an opinion," the bench said.
The restaurants' owners' associations had also raised the objection that the court had overstepped its authority by creating a separate "category" of 'junk food' which was not prescribed anywhere in the FSS Act.
"Our decision does not carve out any exception to the definition of food under the Act. It only makes a reference to a specie food. Thus, if food is a genus, junk food would be specie thereof," the court clarified.
The Central government had submitted draft guidelines on sale of junk food before the High Court last month, following which the court had directed the government to create a central advisory committee to consult experts in public health, especially health of the children, the adolescent and the youth. The court has been monitoring the issue since 2010.

Panel on junk food in schools to stay

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Tuesday rejected objections by the food and beverages industry and refused to modify its earlier order constituting a panel to frame guidelines on sale of junk food in school canteens.
A division bench of Chief Justice N V Ramana and Justice Pradeep Nandrajog highlighted that their September 4 order "brings out that the concern in the writ petition is not with hazardous food or with a standard of food safety envisaged by the Act" and refused to scrap the committee.
It pointed out the concern is with a dietary habit and promotion of what is popularly known as junk food among schoolchildren and thus it would be wrong on the part of the representatives of food and beverages industry to state that the "committee constituted under Section 11, i.e. the Central Advisory Committee, cannot be directed to render an opinion. Any committee could have been directed by us to render an opinion".
The representatives had sought review of the order on the ground that the high court had carved out a new term "junk food" as the Food Safety Act doesn't make any differentiation on this ground. However, HC brushed aside the objections, saying the PIL raises the issue of sale of what is popularly known as junk food in the canteens of the schools, resulting in not only child obesity but also in other critical disorders and diseases.
The PIL, filed by Uday Foundation, also highlighted that various states in USA have already banned junk food sale in schools until at least after lunch. Similarly it cites a decision in England where fast food takeaway joints near schools have been declared unlawful.
The bench also argued that its order notes that the Act does not contemplate regulation of what may be called a 'junk food' since junk food is referred in the context of an eating habit i.e. consumption of junk food becoming a dietary habit.

சுகாதாரமற்ற இறைச்சி விற்பனை நகராட்சி அதிகாரிகள் மெத்தனம்

ஆத்தூர்: ஆத்தூர், நரசிங்கபுரம் நகராட்சிக்குப்பட்ட கறிக்கடைகளில், சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில், இறைச்சி விற்பனை செய்து வருகின்றனர்.
ஆத்தூர் மற்றும் நரசிங்கபுரம் நகராட்சி பகுதிகளில், 100க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கறிக்கடைகள் உள்ளன. நகராட்சி பகுதிக்குள் கறிக்கடை வைக்க, நகராட்சி நிர்வாகத்திடம் உரிய அனுமதி பெறவேண்டும்.
இறைச்சி வெட்டுதல் மற்றும் கையாளும் பணியில் ஈடுபடும் கடை உரிமையாளரும், உரிமம் பெற்றிருக்க வேண்டும். கறிக்கடையில் வெட்டப்படும் எலும்பு உள்ளிட்ட கழிவு பொருட்களை, மூடியுள்ள தொட்டியில் போட்டு வைக்கவேண்டும். ஆடு, மாடு மற்றும் கோழிகளை ரோட்டில் வெட்டக் கூடாது. நகராட்சிக்குட்பட்ட இறைச்சி கூடாரங்களில் தான் வெட்ட வேண்டும்.
ஆனால், நகராட்சி அனுமதி பெறாமல், சுகாதாரமற்ற முறøயில் பல இடங்களில், இறைச்சி விற்பனை செய்கின்றனர்.
ஆத்தூர் கிரைன்பஜாரில், 10 லட்சம் ரூபாய் மதிப்பீட்டில் கட்டப்பட்ட ஆடு அடிக்கும் தொட்டி, திறக்கப்படாமல் மூடிக்கிடக்கிறது. இதனால், ஆடு, மாடு, கோழிகளை சாலைகளில் அறுப்பதால், சுகாதார சீர்கேடு ஏற்படுகிறது.
இது குறித்து, நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டிய நகராட்சி அதிகாரிகள் மற்றும் சுகாதார அலுவலர்கள் கண்டுகொள்வதில்லை.

Govt revokes ban on sale of loose edible oil

AURANGABAD: The state government on Monday issued a notification revoking ban on the sale of loose edible oil. The government said that the lack of infrastructure required for packing edible oil is not in place and it will take another year for doing so.
The ban had forced the oil industry to hike the prices as they had to spend money on packing edible oil.
Besides, people from the weaker sections of society were also forced to purchase oil packs of 500 grams as oil with smaller packing was not available.
In August 2011, the state government had imposed a ban on the sale of oil in loose form as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (prohibition and restriction on sales) Regulations, 2011. According to the regulation, no person was allowed to sell or expose for sale, distribute, offer for sale, dispatch or deliver to any person edible oil in loose form.
Following the directions, the Food and Drug Administration officials had started penalizing shop owners and firms between Rs 25,000 and Rs 1 lakh for violating the orders.
In its notification on Monday, a copy of which is with TOI, the government stated that the decision to revoke the ban has been taken in 'public interest'. It stated that the food business operators do not have the necessary infrastructure for packaging edible oil in 100, 200 and 300 grams. It also stated that the tin plates required for packing edible oil in 100, 200 and 300 grams capacity are not available in sufficient quantity. It will take at least a year for making available such provisions, the notification stated.
Highly placed sources at the secretariat said that since the ban came into place, the prices of edible oil kept on increasing as the manufacturers were charging packing cost on the final product, which directly percolated to the common man. Thereafter, the government was under constant pressure to take measures to control the rising prices.
After failing to do so, the government finally decided to revoke the ban, sources said.
The notification also states that most of the people in the state are farm workers and small and marginal farmers. Besides, many people in urban areas of the state reside in slums and are mostly labourers and workers, it stated.

Gutka seized, illegally run packaged water unit sealed

Illegal goods:Gutka products worth Rs. 10 lakh that were seized from shops at Indra Nagar in Erode on Tuesday.

Officials of Food Safety department confiscated Rs. 10 lakh worth pan masala, gutka, and Hans from shops, and sealed an illegally run packaged water unit, at Indra Nagar in the city on Tuesday evening.

G. Karunanidhi, District Officer for Food Safety and Drug Control, who led the operation, said the banned items were confiscated from shops in Laskhmi Narayanan street. They would be destroyed on Wednesday, the official said. Shops found indulging in surreptitious sale of these products would be dealt with severely, he said.The illegal functioning of the packaged water unit, was noticed during the course of the clampdown on the shops, Mr. Karunanidhi said.

The unit was issued a notice a month back for not having secured Indian Standards Institution (ISI) certification.The unit did not comply with the regulations of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi. Hence it had to be sealed, said the offical.

Safe food on the plate

For scores of students staying in hostels, bachelors and many families, the wayside “Thattukadas” have remained a favourite, despite the innumerable fashionable joints that have sprung up in various parts of the city.

Food served hot and tasty and affordable and safe — because it is prepared in limited quantities inside homes — has been the USP of these eateries. Despite occasional complaints, the small-time vendors have for long served a requirement for cheap and tasty dinners for night owls and film-goers.

With the Food Safety and Standards Act being strictly implemented in the State, food safety officials have managed to register a good number of these vendors as food business operators. “The food served by ‘Thattukadas’ is safer than what is served in many other eateries because no storage is involved. They serve food cooked on the spot and finish off whatever raw materials or food prepared for cooking that they bring with them every evening. The problem is not with their food but with the environs in which it is cooked and served,” Commissioner of Food Safety Biju Prabhakar says.

“Most of them set up shop near some waste dump or over open drains, because it is convenient for them to throw away waste water. Cooking in unhygienic environs is a violation of the Act. Another potential problem is with regard to the safety of the water they provide to customers, for drinking as well as for washing. There are also issues in the case of bigger wayside eateries, where the food handlers and those engaged to serve food often do not follow hygienic practices,” he says. Food safety officials have initiated awareness classes for “Thattukada” owners on food safety issues and how food should be handled safely. The vendors were brought together with the help of SEWA, and more such classes would be held.

Most of the small “Thattukadas” serve standard home-cooked fare while less than five per cent of these joints serve non-vegetarian fare. Eggs are an integral part of the fare offered by all, and one complaint which reached food safety officials was about the quality of the eggs.

One idea that Mr. Prabhakar has put forth is that safe zones be created for wayside vendors of food. The government can earmark areas where good lighting and safe water can be provided, where the vendors can set their carts and sell food. He suggests that Chala is one area, which can remarkably be turned around into a food street as in say, Bangkok, by evening, as most businesses here shut shop by the end of the day and the area is practically empty.

He has mooted that mobile fast food vendors be encouraged to be more hygienic and a stamp of approval be given to those units which follow the 30-point guidelines drawn up under the Food Safety Act.

500 kg of pan masala product seized

A team of officers from the Food Safety Authority (FSA) seized more than 500 kgs of a pan masala product, which is reported to contain magnesium carbonate, an inorganic salt and mono sodium glutamate (ajinamoto), sometimes used as a food additive.
Laboratory test
An FSA official said that 520 kgs of a brand of pan masala product was seized from a godown in Paathalam, west of Kalamassery and statutory samples sent to the Regional Analytical Laboratory for further tests. The godown in which the substance was stored has been sealed, the official said.

Enjoy sweets but watch out for adulteration

ALLAHABAD: If you have a sweet tooth, especially during Deepawali, better watch out. The juicy and sweet gulab jamun you love to enjoy may have boiled potatoes. Same could be true for delicious pista barfi too even though it may have the requisite green colour due to peas and not pista.
With the festive season round the corner, adulteration is at its peak as the consumption of sweets, spices, fruits and other eatables is on the rise. Various teams of food safety and drug administration department are conducting raids in various markets to check the menace.
However, in comparison to the magnitude of adulteration and high demand for sweets, their efforts seem to be miniscule. Their task is arduous as five festivals would be celebrated from November 1 (Dhanteras) to November 5 (Bhiaya Duj) and suppliers are well aware of the potential high demand in coming days.
"Sweets with fancy price tags can pose a health hazard if rampant adulteration and poor hygienic conditions prevailing in kitchens and workshops are any indication," said head department of MLN Medical College's gastroenterology department Prof Manisha Dwivedi. Since, adulteration was on the rise, one must be cautious while buying favourite sweet, she added. Soaring prices of ingredients complicate the problem as manufacturers use sub-standard oil along with banned toxic food colours and flavours, said the expert.
Similarly, Prof Jagdamba Singh of the department of Chemistry of Allahabad University said that bright pink, green and yellow sweets look attractive but these colours could be harmful. The sweet makers make excessive use of colours.
"Food grade colours like tartarazine, indigo carmine, fast green and sunset yellow are found in many food items. The situation can be alarming as against the prescribed norm of 100 parts per million (ppm), some of the colours have up to 200 ppm," said Prof Singh.
Chief of department of food safety and drug administration, Hari Mohan Srivastava, who is closely associated with raids on various vendors, be it khoya, paneer (cottage cheese), sweets, oil, spices or vegetables, said "It's better to go for light coloured sweets or more better if you simply go for sweets made of Besan (gram flour) and Chhena as there is less chance of these ingredients being adulterated. For Chhena it is easier to see the symptoms in terms of sweets being stale and moreover it is preserved in refrigerator. But refrain from paneer and sweets made from khoya. If you want to savour khoya sweets then try to purchase it from a reputed shop."
Regarding purity of khoya and paneer, the official said that any product made from milk had to be a bit sweet in taste. Adulteration of any kind would add tartness to the taste. Likewise, for testing purity of khoya, simply rub it on your palm. If it is pure, rubbing would leave your palm oily, he added.
"During sample collection, we have found either turmeric powder or refined oil in sweets. Fat content has been found to be less than prescribed limit in pure ghee sweets. Refined oil has no odour and can be used in place of ghee without detection," he added.
"Toxic colours are easily available and cheaper. Above all they make sweets look attractive. This entices consumers, especially children. However, they could be carcinogenic. Similarly, milk is commonly adulterated with water and may even be contaminated with urea, vanaspati and starch," he added.
"Leave alone adulteration in khoya or sweets made from it, spices too are being adulterated. Papaya seeds are mixed with black pepper, brick dust in chilli powder, synthetic colouring in dried red chillies, rice husk in jeera and garam masala, coloured chalk powder in turmeric powder and ordinary tree bark in Cinnamon. These are only some of the ways to adulterate spices," said another officer.
Unhygienic conditions in which sweets are produced to cater to Diwali demand is another health hazard. "While buying milk and milk products, consumers should ensure that the products are fresh with good flavours and texture," said Dr Manisha Dwivedi.
"Given the possibility of adulteration in sweets that I may be distributing in family, many of my friends have opted for dry fruits. Although they are a bit costlier but more nutritious," said Urmila Upadhayay.

600 kilos sweetmeats destroyed, 33 adulterated khoya samples seized

The teams constituted by the UT Administration to check adulteration in food items has destroyed 600 kg of sweetmeats and has seized 33 number of samples on suspicion of adulteration till now in Chandigarh.

Aimed at preventing food adulteration during this festive season, the UT Administration had initiated an intensive drive on October 14 to check adulteration in food items in Chandigarh. UT Home Secretary-cum-Commissioner Food Safety Anil Kumar on Tuesday in a meeting with designated food safety officers reviewed the ongoing drive against adulteration of sweetmeats in the city.

During the meeting, it was informed that about 600 kg of sweetmeats (Mithai) prepared under unhygienic conditions/exposed to dust and flies were destroyed and 33 number of samples were seized on the basis of suspicion of adulteration of khoya/khoya products in Chandigarh. UT Commissioner Food Safety Anil Kumar called upon the manufacturers to prepare the sweetmeats under most hygienic conditions and to maintain all standards of Food Safety, failing which they will be liable for action under Food Safety and Standards Act.

As spurious khoya and desi ghee are supplied to the market during festive season, the Administration is making efforts to ensure that unadulterated eatable items reach the city markets. The Administration has already issued warning to shopkeepers and vendors to refrain from such activities. If any shopkeeper or vendor is found selling adulterated food, strict action will be taken against them under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and under Section 2 of  the epidemic diseases Act  1897 (Central Act No.III of 1897).

Eliminating poison

October 29, 2013,

The high levels of pesticide and insecticide residues in food articles are a serious public health hazard in the country. Many food items being sold in the market are also known to contain unacceptable levels of veterinary and anti-biotic drugs which contaminate food items at the time of production of crops or later.
 This is different from the deliberate adulteration of food items and is more difficult to control. The Supreme Court has told the Central and state governments and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to conduct periodic checks of fruit and vegetable markets and monitor the contents of soft drinks. Harmful substances are present in many of these items of common consumption. The order was in response to a public interest litigation which sought better regulatory control over chemical content in  them. The court has held that the availability of safe food is part of the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution and so the authorities had the responsibility to ensure the supply of uncontaminated food.
India is among the largest users of pesticides in Asia. The levels of use are much higher in the Green Revolution states than in others.  Many pesticides which are banned in other countries and are notified as harmful by the World Health Organisation are freely used in the country. Even those which are prohibited by the government are used. When they enter the food chain they create many health problems and disorders. The serious consequences of the use of endosulfan are well-known as they have been studied and recorded. The application of pesticides and insecticides keeps increasing also because more and more quantities  have to be used when pests and insects develop resistance  to them. They also upset the balance of life in nature by eliminating some species of insects.

Farmers have to be made aware of the harmful effects of using chemicals-based pesticides. Organic farming has not taken off in the country and its products are very costly also. Studies should be made of alternatives to chemical pesticides and they should be made available. The authorities should also ensure that the laws which are meant to avoid contamination of food articles with pesticides are implemented effectively. The government told the court that the Food Safety and Standards Act has provided a regulatory regime to take care of all fears in this respect. But its claim is hard to accept.

Supreme Court turns down plea to ban PET bottles, packaging

Environmentalists say fresh studies suggest they may be harmful to health

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal against the decision of the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had dismissed a public interest petition seeking ban on PET (thermoplastic polymer, polyethylene terephthalate) in packaging food, drugs and beverages.

The petition was filed by Prani Mitra Samiti (Pramisha), a non-governmental organization (NGO). While dismissing the special leave petition, the apex court upheld the high court verdict, which based its order on the fact that under the Food Safety Act, PET packaging had been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 26 years ago.

Environmentalists say scientific studies by independent groups show chemical elements in PET bottles react with chemical components in drugs and cause leaching in different temperature conditions. These companies might have BIS clearances, but the government should reconsider use of PET bottles in the light of fresh studies, they say.

Public interest petitions were filed in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, saying PET polluted beverages and caused environmental hazard; several courts have rejected petitions on the subject. NGO’s approached the health ministry for a ban on PET packaging for medicines, saying leaching can have a carcinogenic impact.

Health ministry sets up expert committee

The health ministry set up an expert committee to look into the matter after two Dehradun-based NGOs intensified protests against PET bottles and demanded complete ban on its usage. Coloured and uncoloured PET bottles are used as primary packaging material in pharmaceutical liquid orals, suspensions and dry syrups. The expert committee has submitted its observations to the Drug Testing Advisory Board (DTAB) and it is scheduled to be discussed in next meeting.

The bench of Chief Justice P Sadashivam and Justice Ranjan Gogoi rejected the plea outright last Friday. The bench observed that the petitioner should have presented scientific studies or details in his plea against PET packaging. The bench then asked the petitioner's advocate Gautam Awasthi to read the Madhya Pradesh High Court order in detail before dismissing the case.

The high court judgement stated that PET bottles have already been certified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and there is no specific study by any recognised institution to show otherwise that such packaging is hazardous to the health of consumers or the environment. Further, the high court order took cognisance of the pollution control board's response that PET bottles are recyclable and are not harmful to human beings.

Mithaiwallas hit as HC refuses to stay ban

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court on Tuesday refused to stay a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) circular banning the use of edible silver leaves (varq) for sweetmeats, in a setback for mithaiwallas.
A division bench of Justices S C Dharmadhikari and Gautam Patel heard a petition by Shree Mumbai Misthan Vyavasai Sahakari Mandal Ltd challenging the October 24 circular to regulate the sale of mithai during Diwali, particularly the use of the edible foil.
Advocate Anjali Purav argued that the BMC could not have issued the circular when the sale of food was controlled by the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA). She said the BMC was usurping the competent authority's power under the act. "If I am not able to sell these sweets, who is responsible for the loss?'' Purav asked. She said crores worth of business would be lost and lakhs of employees would suffer, affecting their fundamental right to carry out trade and business. She said that the circular favoured those against Indian sweets and would impact Diwali sales.
BMC advocates Suresh Pakle and Trupti Puranik submitted that the civic body, by exercising its powers under BMC Act, "had power to issue the circular in public interest and no defect and deformity could be attributed to it".
The judges said the issue whether provision of the BMC Act would prevail over the FSSA required consideration and admitted the petition. They said they could not grant interim relief to the petitioner as prima facie BMC has the power to act and safeguard public health through the sale of food articles through shops it issued licences to.
They said the authority which granted licences had powers to ensure conditions are complied with, and if there was a breach to ensure consequences are visited. They also said the fundamental right to carry out trade and business was subject to reasonable restrictions.