Retail chain told to pay 10,000 for hair in packet of sugar

Chennai: Among the various grocery items P Jotheswaran purchased at a retail chain’s outlet in Perambur two years ago was a 1kg packet of sugar. But the packet worth 199.50 had something he didn’t bargain for: Two strands of hair. 

These have now cost Spencer’s Retail Ltd and a repacking unit 10,000, which is the compensation awarded by the district consumer disputes redressal forum to Jotheswaran for deficiency and negligence in service. 

In his complaint, Jotheswaran said a despite a legal notice seeking explanation for the presence of hair in the packet, Spencer’s did not give a reply. An analyst at the King Institute in Guindy, where the packet was sent for examination, confirmed the “packet had extraneous material.” Had the sugar in the packet been consumed, it would have been “hazardous to health,” the petition said and sought a compensation of 50,000. 

Spencer’s said it had only marketed the sugar packed by Venketesh Repackers of Seevaram and, hence, it was not liable to pay the compensation. It said “the analyst’s report was vague” and there was no possibility of the packet having human hair. The customer did not produce the packet before Spencer’s and it had sent a reply on receiving the complaint. “As the complainant did not sustain any health problems, the complaint was filed for monetary gain,” it said. 

The bench comprising president R Mohandoss and member A Dayalan said Spencer’s should have been more vigilant. “They cannot wash their hands off saying they had nothing to do with packaging,” it said. It pointed out that the analyst’s report proved the presence of “alien particle” and the purchase of such a product would have caused “severe mental agony” to the customer.

அம்மா' உணவகங்களுக்கு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை உரிமம்

Food Safety and Standards Act

The Regulation 2.2.1 of Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, prescribe conformity with the IS standards for packaging materials including tin for storing of food product products intended for sale in the Country. These IS standards are notified by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). 

The implementation and enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Rules, Regulations made there under rest with State/UTs Governments. Random Samples of food items are drawn by the State Food Safety Officers and sent to the laboratories recognized by FSSAI for analysis. In case where samples are found to be not conforming to the provisions of the Act and the Rules and Regulations made there under, penal action is taken against the offender. 

Specific data of violations of regulations relating to packaging material, is not maintained centrally.

Harmonization of the national standards for packaging material with those of international standards, by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), is a continuous process.

This was stated by Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare in a written reply to the Lok Sabha today. 

Misuse of Oxytocin Injection

There have been some reports in the Media regarding the use of oxytocin injection being administered to cattle by dairy owners and also to increase the size of vegetables and fruits by farmers in the country. However, there is no scientific data available on the extent of these practices. 

Following the reports of use of the artificial coloring / ripening agents in vegetables/ fruits, a Joint Committee for Research on Food Safety, was constituted in August, 2010 under Co-Chairmanship of the Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Director General, Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) to address the various issues relating to the safety of using ripening and coloring agents, and any other relevant issues in nutrition and food safety which emerge from time to time. In pursuance of the recommendation of the above mentioned Joint Committee, the following research studies to generate information / data regarding the extent of use and effect of oxytocin in animals and vegetables have been completed: 

i) Survey to assess the use of oxytocin in production of vegetables. 

ii) Effect of oxytocin injection on yield and quality of bottle gourd. 

iii) Assessing the thermal stability of oxytocin in milk and digestive stability of oxytocin in vitro. 

iv) Effects of oxytocin exposure on reproduction in adult male and female rat. 

Implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act/ Rules/ Regulations rests with State/ U.T. Governments. The Commissioners Food Safety/ Food (Health) Authority of States/ UTs who are responsible for implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 and Rules/ Regulations made thereunder in their States/ UTs, have been requested from time to time to keep a strict vigil on use of carbide gas and other hazardous chemicals for ripening of fruits and to take legal action for violation of the above provision of the Act/ Regulations. The State Governments have also been advised to educate the public through print and electronic media against consumption of such artificially ripened fruits and vegetables. State Governments have taken measures in this regard, such as ordering the Food Safety Officers (FSOs)/ Designated Officers (DOs) to keep a watch on fruit markets, inspection of fruit market, fruit stalls/ godowns, taking samples of fruits, vegetables & milk, educating fruit vendors to refrain from using these chemicals, etc. 

This was stated by Sh Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare in a written reply to the Lok Sabha today.

Scrap food safety Act, traders urge Centre

The Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu has urged the Centre to revoke the Food Safety and Standards Act “as thousands of traders were being adversely affected by its provisions.”

A delegation of the organisation, led by A.M. Vikrama Raja, president, presented a memorandum to this effect to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad in New Delhi recently, according to Ve. Govindarajalu, treasurer of the organisation.

The organisation said that traders were portrayed as criminals and were liable to heavy penalties and even imprisonment for violation of the provisions of the Act. Small traders and even roadside vendors were affected by the Act. Although the traders’ associations had sought various changes in its provisions, the demand had not been considered so far. Hence, the Act should be revoked. Otherwise, the deadline for obtaining licences (February 3, 2014) should be extended by a year, Mr. Govindarajalu said.

Food units cold to registration deadline

Even as the February 4 deadline for food business units to register themselves under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2011 is approaching, only 605 units of the district have applied for registration so far. 

The government had earlier allowed the food business operators to get themselves registered under the act till February 4 this year, but it later extended the time-line to February 4, 2014.

The health department had issued 657 licenses to the applicants. To sensitise stakeholders several camps were also organised in various blocks of the district but to no avail. 

However, district officials said that a series of meetings were conducted at the district and block levels to sensitise traders to the provisions of the act. The fear of traders was exaggerated, the officials said.

The eateries and canteens situated in schools and colleges of the district have shown reluctance in the registration and only five of the educational institutes had registered themselves in the district so far. More than 100 schools and colleges are there in the district and every institute has the provision of canteen and cafes. 

Talking to HT, district health officer Dr Guriqbal Singh said that after February 4, we would initiate penal proceedings against the defaulters, which could also lead to sealing of the eateries. 

“Despite our notices and intimations, schools, colleges and other eating joints had not responded. We have prepared a list of all eligible units after conducting a survey. Initially, we had planned to issue notices to these units but after the deadline is over, we will proceed under the provisions of law,” Singh said.

“We have also decided to organise camps for the registration of grocery shops, sweet owners and other eateries at block levels in the district as demanded by the people in a meeting held by the district authorities,” he said.

We would ensure that food supplied to people was safe by issuing licence to micro and small traders and other commercial establishments engaged in food businesses, preventing sale of food products hazardous to public health, creating awareness of food safety, and conducting surveillance, he said.

According to Food Safety and Standards Act 2011, food businesses with an annual turnover exceeding Rs. 12 lakh require a licence while earning below that needs registration and milk sellers with 500 litre sale requires licence and below that needs registration. The registration fee is Rs. 100, while it varies between Rs. 2,000, 3,000 and Rs. 5,000 for licence.

“There is a provision of fine up to Rs. 5 lakh or imprisonment up to six months if an eatery is found running without a licence or a registration,” Dr Singh said.

Marriage palaces and caterers are also required to get themselves registered or be licenced from the food safety wing.

Block-wise registration so far

                          licences        registration

Kapurthala              200             200

Phagwara               150              85

Sultanpur Lodhi      150              50

Dhilwan, Nadala, Begowal       157 270

Eatery owners told to get licences renewed

Jammu, December 13

The Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has issued a final warning to the owners of eateries to renew their licences under the new Food Safety Act by February 4 next year or face suspension of their licences. Despite warning, most of the traders have not complied with the order for the last two years. 

The food business include small retailers, roadside food vendors, hawkers, stall holders, cottage industries relating to food business and meat/mutton/poultry units with slaughtering capacity of two larger animals or 10 small animals or 50 poultry birds per day.

An official said, “Keeping in view the health aspects, the municipal corporation has been organising awareness camps at different places to urge people associated with the food business for need to maintain cleanness, but no strict action has been taken against the violators.”

All food business operators have been directed to renew their existing licences and registration granted under the repealed Act/order under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and Food Safety and Standards (Licencing and Regulation of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, by February 4 next year.

Municipal health officer Dr Vinod Sharma said routine inspections were being carried out in the city and samples were being taken. “About 50 suppliers were today made aware about the need to have fit-for-consumption certificate,” he said. Dr Sharma said an awareness camp was today organised at Rehari and all shopkeepers were asked to keep milk testing machines at their shops for checking of milk as well as display the rate list.

Move to ban arecanut opposed

MLC K. Monappa Bhandary and Senior Congress leader B. Janardhana Poojary condemned a move by officials of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to classify arecanut as a substance injurious to health.

Mr. Poojary said elected representatives should unite in the fight against any move to ban arecanut.

Taking exception to a letter by an official of the ministry to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on September 6, 2013 in this regard, Mr. Bhandary claimed there was no proof that arecanut caused serious health hazards. Mr. Bhandary, in a release, claimed that the Cancer Biology Laboratory, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi has clarified that arecanut does not cause cancer.

He alleged that the move to ban arecanut indicated that the Union government had bowed to the pressure by the cigarette lobby. The move also showed that the Union government does not have concern for arecanut growers, he said.