மெய்யாலுமா?

ஏ.டி.எம்.., மன்னிக்கவும். ஏ.டி.எம். பிரச்னையில் மட்டுமா காவல்துறை மெத்தனமாக இருக்கிறது. பான்பராக் குட்கா விவகாரத்திலும்தான். பான்பராக், குட்காவுக்கு அரசு தடை விதித்துள்ள நிலையில் அந்த ஒரு "பிராண்ட்' பான்பராக் மட்டும் பரவலாக விற்பனையாகிறதே எப்படி என்று கேட்கிறார்கள், இப்போது தொழில் இழந்து வெங்கட்ரமணா, கோவிந்தா என்று அலறும் ஏனைய பான்பராக் விநியோகஸ்தர்கள். கும்மிடிப்பூண்டியில் இந்த பான்பராக்கைத் தயாரிக்கும் நிறுவனத்துக்கும் ஒரு அமைச்சருக்கும் தொடர்பாமே. அவரது உத்தரவின் பேரில்தான், இந்த "பிராண்ட்' பான்பராக் விற்கும் கடைகளில் சோதனை இடப்படுவதில்லையாமே, மெய்யாலுமா?

5000 pouches of Gutka/Khaini seized in Shimla

Shimla, Dec 7 (PTI) About?5000 pouches of Gutka/Khaini, were seized from a store in Shimla during a joint raid conducted by the police and health wing of Shimla Municipal Corporation today.

Sale and storage of Gutka/Khaini is banned in Himachal Pradesh under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Earlier, three persons, who were caught with Gutka/Khaini in their stores in Shimla, were fined Rs one lakh each under the same law.

Milk safety sinks amid dearth of food officers

The Supreme Court might have prescribed punishment of life imprisonment to people indulging in production and marketing of adulterated milk, Jharkhand is apparently not in a position to catch the real culprits when it comes to implementing the order.

As against 24 Food Safety Officers required to be appointed in the State, on one each in every district, to collect food samples including milk, which is quite vulnerable to be adulterated, just nine such authorities are on the job here. The officers are also doing multi-tasking. Worst is the lone presence of Food Analyst who is often overburdened with the samples collected and test those to certify their edibility.

The situation is so when the Government under the Jharkhand Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011 says Food Safety Officer shall be a whole time officer and even Jharkhand High Court had taken suo-motto cognizance on the basis of the report published in The Pioneer on January 11, 2012.

“We have been able to collect five samples related to milk and milk products since September. In one case of October, conviction has been made. But considering the spread of the area and quantum of supply more and more samples should be collected. It is because the State does not have sufficient man power in place,” said Director, Food Safety of the State Health Department TP Burnwal. Food samples coming for testing remained just two in September, one in October and again two during the presiding month.

Jharkhand figures among top in the list of States consuming vegetable diets more as per the National Sample Survey Organisation data released recently. This left Jharkhandis depending heavily on milk and related products. Though the reality puts alarm bell ringing in light of milk samples the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) had collected last time. Report of FSSAI had reveled in 2011 that not a single sample of milk collected from the State was up to the food safety standards. Things have not changed much thereafter in Jharkhand.

“We have cases of water mixing more in numbers. But have found samples which have been unfit for consumption. If more samples come for testing I guess the cases of adulteration would certainly go up,” said JK Singh, the lone Food Analyst Jharkhand has thus far. Though there are brands like Sudha, Dairy Fresh, Medha and Shayam who deal in packaged milk, considerable amount of supply is dependent on gwalas (milkmen) making merry of the provisions made.

“In the case of milk, instances of water being mixed are more that lower fat content. It is also important to note that most of the milk business is in unorganised sector and it is very difficult to rein the milkmen,” KP Singh, Food Safety Officer for Ranchi. Singh revealed that in last one year about 100 cases of food adulteration had been detected out those 55 were educative in nature and thus fined while 44 considered unsafe and sent to the CJM for prosecution

“Mixing is there but not so dangerous to health to consumers. It is because milkmen here do not use substances like Urea to make synthetic milk. In most of the cases water and starch is mixed to befool the lactometer tests. But we have our own test labs where milk coming from the registered farmers gets tested before being packed and supplied,” said Saif Khan of Dairy Fresh.

The brand is supplying about 10,000 liters of milk in Ranchi and around daily. Khan also admits that after the Food Safety Act coming into force mentality for adulteration has gone down, at least at organised level. Cases of fatal adulteration in milk products go up during festival seasons and marriages which make life of consumers in danger even further.

Eatery licence a must for canteens in Mumbai

MUMBAI: Canteens across the city catering exclusively to "in-house clients" in schools, colleges, offices or hospitals will have to acquire a licence like commercial establishments. The little-known rule, though mandated under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act of 2011, is gradually being implemented in the city.

Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found out that the canteen of Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies was operating without a licence. The institute's canteen was served a notice, besides being pulled up for glaring hygiene violations.

"The canteen will be allowed to operate again only after they have made the necessary rectification and get a licence," FDA's joint commissioner (food) Suresh Annapure said. "The FSS Act mandates that any and every kind of eatery will have to function with a licence. It does not matter if they are catering only to their own staffers," he said. He added that hospital canteens have been most proactive in adhering to this new rule. "Almost all hospital canteens have acquired the licence from us barring a few, who have just initiated the process," he said. Though the FDA's priority remains commercial outlets, they act as and when there are complaints about any particular establishment. Educational institutions come under the surveillance, only after there are complaints.

In the JBIMS case, the FDA officials acted on a tip-off. The in-charge director, Kavita Laghate, said the canteen manager had claimed that they did not received any notice from the FDA. "We are already discussing with Mumbai University's engineering department for the building's maintenance. There have been no major complaints from the students in the past and the contractor is with the institute for the last three years," said Laghate.

Last year, the FDA had conducted surprise checks on two canteens in the varsity's Kalina campus and found that they were operating without a health licence. The check was conducted after students complained of unhygienic food served to them on the campus. Unhygienic canteens across institutions are increasingly becoming a concern among students and parents. The premier IIT-B's campus was no exception to the rule, when around 600 students took to bed after they consumed Chinese food from their canteen in 2011.

Existing law enough to punish guilty: Officials

JAIPUR: The Supreme Court's (SC) decision on life imprisonment for people indulging in production and marketing of adulterated milk may have been welcomed by the public, but Rajasthan, the second largest producer of milk in the country, seems unconcerned about framing stringent laws against it. Officials claim that the existing law has enough provisions to punish the guilty. 

The SC has asked all the states to amend their laws as it felt that punishment of six months behind bars under Food Safety Act is not adequate. The court also asked the states to present a report on what actions they are taking to eliminate the menace of adulterated milk. 

Rajasthan which contributes nearly 12.5% of the total milk production in the country is, however, pressing for the enforcement of existing law under Food and Safety Act. "There are clear guidelines for punishment up to one year and six years along with a heavy fine of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 6 lakh. There are also provisions for life imprisonment in case of someone dies due to adulteration. We will study the order and see what exactly has been asked," said BR Meena, food safety commissioner, Rajasthan. 

In a report submitted to the apex court in July, the Central government stated that 68.4% of the milk samples collected from rural and urban areas of all states failed to meet the norms of food safety and standards (FSS). It included both packaged and loose milk. Rajasthan's production of milk for the year 2013 is expected to be nearly 15 million tonne. The daily consumption of milk in the state stands at 20 lakh litre out of which branded milk is nearly 18 lakh litre and the rest is loose milk. 

Experts have already raised their concerns over the quality of milk in view of the statistics presented in the Supreme Court. "It is a situation of great worry. We have to be more cautious as our stakes are high in this sector," said Ajay Kumar Gehlot, vice-chancellor, Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. 

However, officials assert that fears are unwarranted. "Since August 2012 when law became effective, we have collected almost 8,000 samples, out which 60% are of milk. Not a single case of unsafe adulteration has been found. There are instances of mixing like addition of water in pure milk which make it substandard. It should also be dealt with strictly but unlike other states in Rajasthan we do not get milk mixed with urea," added Meena.

Amul Dairy receives CII national food safety award

VADODARA: The Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers' Union Limited (KDCMPUL) popularly known as Amul Dairy has received the CII National Award for Food Safety 2013 for its outstanding performance in the dairy sector manufacturing, large food business category. 

The award was received by Dr K Rathnam, general manager (operations) of Amul Dairy in a recently held function at New Delhi in presence of national and international dignitaries. 

The national award for food safety was instituted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to promote internationally benchmarked best practices on food safety.

Old Perambur abattoir very pathetic: TNPCB

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) on Friday said the condition of the existing slaughterhouse in Perambur was ‘very pathetic’ and blamed the Chennai Corporation for the delay in commissioning the modern abattoir constructed recently.

K. Karthikeyan, joint chief of environmental engineering of TNPCB, made this submission in a reply affidavit filed before the National Green Tribunal, Southern Bench, which heard a petition filed by G. Arun Prasanna, trustee of People for Cattle in India, that sought to ban illegal slaughtering.

The TNPCB official said the modernisation of the existing abattoir in Perambur had been carried out by Hind Agro Industries Limited under the design-build-operate-transfer system. ‘Consent to operate’ had been issued to the slaughterhouse.

However, during an inspection last month, the modern slaughterhouse was found to be unoccupied while slaughtering continued in the conventional ‘unhygienic’ manner, said the TNPCB.

The TNPCB official said, “In the existing house, slaughtering of animals is done on the floor and there are no arrangements for collecting blood, offal. Solid and liquid wastes are discharged into the sewer line and stormwater drain, located at the entrance, which run into Buckingham Canal.”

“The butchers also indulge in practices inimical to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and rules and regulations of Food Safety and Standards Act, and supply unhygienic meat to customers,” said TNPCB.

The TNPCB official said despite issuing show-cause notice to the Corporation, for discharge of untreated effluents from its slaughterhouse in Perambur, the civic body had not furnished a reply.

TNPCB also said such notices were issued to the Corporation for discharge of effluents from slaughterhouses in Saidapet and Villivakkam in 2012. The deputy commissioner informed TNPCB that action had been taken to rectify the defects in the effluent treatment plants installed in those facilities. Necessary orders would be issued to the Chennai Corporation for compliance.

The Bench, comprising its judicial member, Justice M. Chockalingam, and expert member, Prof. R. Nagendran, expressed dissatisfaction with the reply filed by the Chennai Corporation and directed its counsel to file a detailed reply in the next hearing.

The Perambur slaughterhouse has been modernised but slaughtering continues in the old facility

Indian Olive Association writes to ASCI claiming 'non compliance' by Marico

The Indian Olive Association (IOA) complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Thursday that Saffola, Marico's flagship edible oil brand, hadn't stopped disparaging olive oil.

NEW DELHI: The battle over health claims between olive oil brands such as Leonardo and Borges and Marico's Saffola refuses to die down. 

The Indian Olive Association (IOA) complained to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on Thursday that Saffola, Marico's flagship edible oil brand, hadn't stopped disparaging olive oil. 

"This is in continuation to the complaint made by the Indian Olive Association regarding misleading claims published by Marico in newspaper ads, online media and product labels," said the letter addressed to ASCI secretary general Alan Collaco, which ET has reviewed. 

IOA had written to ASCI in October against Saffola's ads and the complaint had been upheld. 

"However, Saffola is continuing to advertise using the misleading claims," IOA said. 

Ads for Saffola Total say it offers better protection than olive oil on parameters such as absorption, multi-seed content and that it is better for Indian cooking. 

That's ruffled feathers at IOA. 

"Various healthy oils make claims and highlight benefits of their brands, but don't attack each other directly in ads. It's not professional ethics," IOA president VN Dalmia said. "It should be left to consumers to judge which oil is better for them." 

Saffola Total is fortified with ingredients such as antioxidants that have various health benefits, according to Marico. 

"Our ad is following the ASCI guidelines," a company spokesman said. "Our product claims are backed with strong scientific research and proof of claim. We have always had responsible communication and will continue to do so." 

Olive oil is an emerging category worth Rs 500 crore and companies such as Dalmia Continental, which sells Leonardo, and Spain's Borges have been positioning their brands on the health platform, besides saying that olive oil is suitable for Indian cooking. 

ASCI, on its part, declined to comment on the latest skirmish between the two sides. "In case there is noncompliance, we will take it forward with the concerned ministry," Collaco said. 

Dalmia said IOA planned to bring the issue to the attention of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the regulatory body under the ministry of health that oversees food quality, hygiene, advertising claims and claims on product labels. 

India has seen several examples of competing brands disparaging each other through advertising. 

This summer, consumer goods giants Hindustan Unilever and Reckitt Benckiser were involved in a bitter ad war. Reckitt Benckiser's commercial for its Dettol Kitchen dishwashing and kitchen cleaning gel took on HUL's Vim dish washing detergent. Two years ago, HUL's ads for Rin detergent had attacked Procter & Gamble's Tide. The complaints ended up in court.