Specific Requirements and Manner of Labelling of Infant Milk Substitute and Infant Foods : Module 11

Specific Requirements and Manner of Labelling of Infant Milk 

In the earlier articles we have been discussing the general requirements of labeling and the information in general to be given on the label of any package of food. In addition to the general requirements and information, there are also some specific requirements and information, which are product specific and mandatory to be given on the label on the packages of food products. 

The packages of food products like: 

(i) Infant Milk Substitute and Infant foods including Infant Milk Substitute meant for premature baby or meant for babies who are allergic to milk proteins or allergic to milk sugars 

(ii) Edible oils and fats 

(iii)Irradiated foods and 

(iv) Other Food Products namely ; Coffee-Chicory Mixture, milk and milk powder, Compounded Asafetida, Mixed Masala, Iodised salt, Pan masala , Supari ,

Packaged drinking water and many others , are required to give certain product specific information , statements or warnings, which are as given below :- 

1. Infant milk substitutes /infant foods 

The container of infant milk substitute or infant food shall bear the following additional label declaration in the manner give below: 

“IMPORTANT NOTICE” :“MOTHER’S MILK IS BEST FOR YOUR BABY” 

(This declaration shall be given in the center of the label in color contrast of the label and the letter shall be not less than five millimeters .) 

“Infant food shall be introduced only after the age of six months and upto the age of two years” 

“ Infant milk substitute or infant food should be used only on the advice of a health worker “ 

Warning :” Infant milk substitute or infant food is not the sole source of nourishment of an infant” 

Instruction for appropriate and hygienic preparation including cleaning of utensils, bottles and teats .

Wholesale food markets to face random periodic checks by FSSAI

Wholesale vegetable and fruit markets, as well as beverage manufacturers, are soon going to face random periodic checks from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). While planning to focus more on surveillance and sampling, the Authority has constituted a panel to perform inspections on a regular basis, officials said.

"We are soon going to conduct regular inspections of vegetable and fruit markets, as well as of facilities that manufacture fruit-based beverages. Surveillance through sampling is going to be a major area of focus for FSSAI in the near future and we have already started taking steps to facilitate this," FSSAI Chief Executive Officer Dillip Kumar Samantaray told Business Standard.

In a meeting earlier this month, the Central Advisory Committee (CAC) of FSSAI also constituted a surveillance committee to formulate guidelines and detail a framework to carry on these inspections activities, another official said. FSSAI is the regulatory agency to monitor quality of food items, including imported products sold in the country.

The move comes in the wake of a Supreme Court order of last October voicing serious concerns over the harmful effects of carbonated drinks on the health of people. The apex court had asked FSSAI to monitor all manufacturing facilities of carbonated drinks, as well as major fruits and vegetable markets, to keep a tab on presence of pesticide residues in food products.

According to Samantaray, if manufacturing facilities or products sold in markets are found short on compliance, companies can face a hefty penalty under the Food Safety and Standards Act. "In extreme cases, if found guilty, they can also face tough actions, including prosecution," he said.

The panel formed for creating the surveillance framework is expected to give its report within a month, the official said. The report would primarily streamline criterion and processes for these checks. Once the framework is in place, the regulator would start inspections.

While some of the inspections would be carried by the central regulatory agency, it would also be assisted significantly by state level food safety officers. Various state food safety commissioners are also part of the surveillance committee constituted by FSSAI's CAC.

The SC had also directed FSSAI to evaluate the harmful effects of soft drinks on human health and to ensure that all beverages have labels detailing their ingredients, including levels of added chemicals.

Organic' vegetables come under lens

KOZHIKODE: The agriculture department will be extending its scheme of production and marketing of safe-to-eat vegetables through government outlets to more districts. The scheme, launched in association with Kerala Agriculture University last year, also envisages ensuring that vegetables and fruits being sold under the organic brand are pesticide-free.

The department will be collecting samples from parts of the state and testing them at the pesticide residue research and analytical laboratory of the university. The decision follows the detection of pesticide residue in nearly a dozen organic produce being sold at three shops selling organic vegetables and fruits in Thiruvananthapuram.

The pesticide residue research & analytical laboratory had conducted tests on 81 samples of 28 types of vegetables collected from these shops from July 1 to September 30 last year. Pesticide residues above the permissible levels set by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and European Union (EU) were found in seven types of vegetables -- coriander leaves, snake gourd, curry leaves, green chilli, okra, big chilli (sambar mulagu) and vegetable cowpea. The tests had also found pesticide residues in carrot, drumstick and beetroot. Only 46 samples of 18 vegetable varieties were found safe to eat.

Thomas Biju Mathew, professor (entomology), pesticide residue research and analytical laboratory said the highest volume of pesticide residues were found in curry leaf. "Residues of pesticides like malathion, chlorpyriphos, quinalphos, ethion, profenophos and cypermethrin were found in them, and that too above the permissible limit. Profenophos was found at a higher level in coriander leaf, ladies fingers, big chilli and green chilli,'' he said.

"A scientific study on daily consumption of such vegetables is yet to be conducted but they are definitely harmful,'' Mathew said. "We have decided to collect 200 samples a month to conduct tests, which will be double the samples collected now. The tests will also be extended to fruits, processed food products and spices this year."

The officials of the lab have already collected samples of organic vegetables from Kozhikode city.

The agriculture department will be collecting samples of organic vegetables from Ernakulam, Kottayam, Palakkad and Alappuzha in the coming days.

சவுகார்பேட்டையில் குடோனில் பதுக்கி வைத்திருந்த 3 லட்சம் குட்கா பறிமுதல்

தண்டையார்பேட்டை, மார்ச் 31: 

சவுகார்பேட்டையில், குடோனில் பதுக்கி வைத்தி ருந்த  3 லட்சம் குட்கா பொருட்களை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். 

சவுகார்பேட்டையில் உள்ள சில குடோன்களில், தமிழக அரசால் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக், ஹான்ஸ் உள்ளிட்ட குட்கா பொருட்கள் பதுக்கி வைத்து, விற்பனை செய்வ தாக, சென்னை மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகா ரிகளுக்கு தகவல் கிடைத் தது. 

அதன்பேரில், அலுவ லர் லட்சுமி நாராயணன் தலைமையில், ஆய்வாளர் கள் இளங்கோ, சிவசங்கரன், சதாசிவம் ஆகியோர் நேற்று முன்தினம் அப் பகுதியில் உள்ள குடோன் களில் திடீர் சோதனை நடத்தினர். அப்போது, ஒரு குடோனில் 580 கிலோ எடையுள்ள குட்கா பொருட்கள் பதுக்கி வைக்கப்பட்டு இருந்தது தெரிந்தது. அவற்றை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். அவற்றின் மதிப்பு, 3 லட்சம் என கூறப்படுகிறது. இதுதொடர் பாக, குடோனில் இருந்த ஆறுமுகம் (35), ரியாஸ் (32) ஆகியோரை கைது செய்து, குட்கா பொருட்கள் எங்கிருந்து வந்தது. குடோன் உரிமையாளர் யார், எங்கெங்கு சப்ளை செய்யப்படுகிறது என தீவிரமாக விசாரிக்கின் றனர்.

Food labelling requirements – Identification of Lot/Code/Batch number : Module 9

Identification of Batch, Code, Lot 

A batch number or code number or lot number is a mark of identification by which the food can be traced in the manufacture and identified in the distribution, shall be given on the label. 

All the packages of food product having the same batch number or code number are considered to be having the same substance of the same nature, quality and same in all respect. 

In case there is any consumer complaint about any package of food product, then the first step of investigation is to find out the Batch no/ Lot no of that food package and the food packages having the same batch/lot no are examined with respect to the complaint.Either following the consumer complaint or otherwise,if the food business operator considers or has reasons to believe that a food which he has processed, manufactured or distributed is not in compliance with the FSS Act, or the rules or regulations, he shall immediately initiate procedures to withdraw the food in question from the market and consumers indicating reasons for its withdrawal and inform the concerned competent authorities . 

In case, if the regulator is suspicious about the quality of any packaged food ,then he takes the sample of the packaged food product of the particular Batch or Lot No. for its quality check.He takes the required number of the food packagings having the same batch/ lot number and sends it for analysis. In case of any violation in the sample of food packages the entire quantity of the same batch or lot is considered to be in violation of the food laws . The legal action may be initiated against the offenders and/ or the manufacturer or the processor may be directed that the entire quantity of the particular Batch or Lot No is traced and the food be recalled. 

“Recall” means action taken to remove a marketed food product from distribution, sale and consumption that may pose a safety hazard to consumers and the procedure followed for the same is called food recall procedure. 

When the circumstances require for Food Recall , it is the responsibility of every food business operator to inform the competent authorities of the action taken and to follow such conditions and guidelines relating to food recall procedures as the Food Authority may specify by regulations. In this regard the Food Authority has yet to notify the regulation, however draft regulation for Food Recall Procedure has appeared on the FSSAI website for public objections and suggestions. 

From the Food Business Operator point of view, it is better, if smaller quantity of the food product is processed in one lot. 

The Food Business Operator may note that the packages containing bread and milk including sterilised milk are not required to mention Batch/Code/Lot No. 

A food has to bear a label of lot/batch/code from the time of its raw shape like at farm level till it becomes a final product for sale. Information like date of harvest, farm identification and who handles the produce from grower to receiver, scanning a product at the point of picking or loading, the recognition through batch/code/lot number is required to be maintained to track the culprit in cases of complaints. 

Every food business operator has to define & mention Batch, Lot, Code number on all the containers of the product, to be referred under incidents of examination on suspicion by the regulatory body or on action upon consumer complaints.

Most juice outlets in Kochi function by flouting food safety norms

Fruit shops in the city continue to violate the guidelines prescribed by the Food Safety Commissioner, with the department officials unable to check flouting of norms. A scene from a city juice shop in Kochi on Thursday. 

Water and other ingredients used is suspected to be contaminated 

Locating a juice shop in the city fully complying with the guidelines prescribed by the Commissioner of Food Safety may be a Herculean task this summer.

With shops mushrooming in every nook and cranny in Kochi, Food Safety officials seem groping in the dark on how to curb the violations.

Even though reports on use of contaminated ice have come down gradually, they admitted that the majority of the shops store ice in thermocol boxes against the prescribed rules. As per the guidelines, ice should not be stored in polystyrene boxes, but in freezers or ice boxes.

Many juice shop owners now claim that they use water supplied in cans by private manufacturers of bottled drinking water. But there is little check on whether these suppliers meet the safety standards.

Food safety guidelines recommend that the water being used should be from a source of impeccable quality and the quality of the water source should be tested every six months at a government-approved analytical laboratory. Shop owners should also keep these reports in the shop.

A ride along the main city roads reveals that only a few shops adhere to another major guideline recommending prominent display of the licence or registration details as per the Food Safety and Standards (FSSA) Act, 2006.

Use of low quality milk, especially that brought from outside the State, is also rampant in juice shops offering milk shakes. 

The Food Safety Department has no clues on whether the shops were storing milk in freezers well beyond the expiry period.

Customers can report cases where they found juice being prepared in unhygienic environments. 

They should also ensure that shop owners clean the implements used for preparing juices mainly mixers, juicers and strainers after every use.

The Food Safety guidelines also prescribe that the refrigerator and freezer should be cleaned regularly and the last date on which it was cleaned should be displayed on the fridge.

All food items, including water, in the shops should be stored in covered containers of food grade quality. The fruits should be of good quality, with no trace of fungus. The fruits should be washed and refrigerated.

All employees in juice shops should have medical fitness certificates. They should strictly follow hygienic practices in handling food. Those with any skin conditions or infectious diseases should not be allowed as employees in food businesses.

Organic food may not lower cancer risk

 

Scientists found no evidence that regularly eating a diet that was grown free from pesticides reduced a woman's overall risk of cancer.

Summary

Eating a well-balanced diet which is high in fruit and vegetables – whether conventionally grown or not – can help reduce your cancer risk. 

High-fat diet in puberty may up breast cancer risk

Eating chicken may stave off colon cancer in teens

Eating organic foods may not lower the risk of developing cancer, a new study has claimed. 

Women who always or mostly eat organic foods are no less likely to develop cancer than women who eat a more conventional diet, according to the study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

to help us personalise your reading experience.

Cancer Research UK scientists from the University of Oxford found no evidence that regularly eating a diet that was grown free from pesticides reduced a woman’s overall risk of cancer. 

The researchers asked around 600,000 women aged 50 or over, who were part of a project, named Million Women Study, about whether they ate organic foods, and tracked the development of 16 of the most common types of cancer in a nine year period following the survey. 

Around 50,000 women developed cancer in this period. 

The scientists’ analysis found no difference in overall cancer risk when comparing the 180,000 women who reported never eating organic food with around 45,000 women who reported usually or always eating organically grown food. 

When looking at the results for 16 individual types ofcancer they found a small increase in risk for breast cancer but a reduction in the risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma in women who mostly ate organic food, although these results could be partly due to chance and other factors. 

“In this large study of middle-aged women in the UK we found no evidence that a woman’s overall cancer risk was decreased if she generally ate organic food,” said Professor Tim Key, a Cancer Research UK epidemiologist based at the University of Oxford and one of the study authors. 

“More research is needed to follow-up our findings of a possible reduction in risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma,” Key said. 

“This study adds to the evidence that eating organically grown food doesn’t lower your overall cancer risk. But if you’re anxious about pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables, it’s a good idea to wash them before eating,” said Dr Claire Knight, Cancer Research UK’s health information manager. 

“Scientists have estimated that over nine per cent of cancer cases in the UK may be linked to dietary factors, of which almost five per cent are linked to not eating enough fruit and vegetables. 

“So eating a well-balanced diet which is high in fruit and vegetables – whether conventionally grown or not – can help reduce your cancer risk,” Knight said.

Appeals court rules in favor of meat labels

Appeals court rules in favor of meat labels, denies industry attempt to block them

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal appeals court is allowing labels on certain cuts of meat to say where the animals were born, raised and slaughtered. 

The appeals court decision issued Friday dismissed an attempt by the meat industry to block the rules, which took effect last year and require packaged steaks, ribs and other cuts of meat to include country of origin labels. The industry has long fought the labels, saying they are costly and provide no health benefits to the consumer. 

In court, the meat industry said the rules go beyond what Congress intended and violate First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. The industry argued that the rules violate the U.S. Constitution because they force meat producers to provide information about their products, and that the information is of no real value to the consumer. 

Judge Stephen F. Williams of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled those claims were unlikely to succeed in court and refused to block the labeling rules, agreeing with a lower federal court. 

Williams wrote that the labeling "enables a consumer to apply patriotic or protectionist criteria in the choice of meat," and "enables one who believes that United States practices and regulation are better at assuring food safety than those of other countries, or indeed the reverse, to act on that premise." 

He said those goals are worthy of what he called a "minimal" intrusion on the meat industry's First Amendment rights. 

The lawsuit was led by the American Meat Institute, which represents the nation's largest meatpackers, and joined by other meat industry groups. In a statement, the American Meat Institute said it was disappointed by the ruling and disagreed with it. James H. Hodges, interim president and CEO of AMI, said the group is "evaluating our options moving forward." 

The meat industry has argued that the paperwork to make the labels possible is burdensome and that it's not practical to keep cattle and hogs from other countries separate from domestic animals. 

The labeling rules have support from consumer groups, environmental groups and some farm groups. Cattle ranchers who raise cattle near the northern border and compete with Canadian ranchers have been most supportive of the rules, which Congress first wrote in 2002 and later revised in 2008 after years of haggling with the meat industry. 

Under the rules, labels must specify that a meat product was "Born in Mexico, raised and slaughtered in the United States" or "Born, raised and slaughtered in the United States." 

The Agriculture Department has also prohibited meat processors from mixing meat from animals born, raised or slaughtered in other countries with meat from the U.S.

Is GM the way to go?

The Hindu Environment Minister Veerappa Moily’s decision to allow field trials of genetically modified food crops marks a major shift in official policy on a highly contentious issue. 

We asked you if you think India needs GM crops. Here are some of our best responseGenetically modified seeds in India can cause incalculable harm to our environment and human health. These seeds are subjected to a genetic material from soil bacterium (Bacillus thuringiensis) which releases toxins that kill both pest and beneficial insects. Due to the effect of Bt in soil, many weeds called the super weeds and super bugs start dominating the field which is herbicide-resistant that plague farmers. Furthermore, these seeds do not produce second generation seeds for sowing. The bitter truth is that these seeds are the brainchild of some multinational companies that are interested only in making money.

B.Deepna, Class VIII, Amrita Vidyalayam, Ettimadi, Coimbatore. 

*** 

Genetically modified (GM) crops have many potential advantages in terms of raising agricultural productivity and reducing the need for pesticides. They might also pose hazards to human health, from toxicity and increased risk of allergies, for example. However, particularly in Europe, regulations designed to ensure adequate safety of GM technologies may go too far. 

K.Thendral, Class VIII, Nava Bharath International School, Annur 

*** 

Even though India is an agricultural country, there is not enough crops for its people. In some lands, cultivating hybrid variety crops will produce good crops. People can get good food and become healthy because of this hybrid variety crops. This will allow them to do their duties correctly which will rise the productivity of India. 

B.Gokulnath, Class XI, Cheran MHSS, Karur 

*** 

In many developed countries GM foods are illegal. When it is not good for them, how can it be good for us? I prefer organic food as it is much healthier than GM food. I don’t understand why Mr. Moily has taken such a hasty decision when the issue is in the Supreme Court. 

M. Keerthi, Class X, Teja Vidyalaya, Kodad 

*** 

GM crops need less pesticides. The cost of growing decreases, due to this. Food prices even decrease. But there are even disadvantages using them. The taste of food changes. It causes harm to other organisms. Possible damages may occur to the environment. Even unforeseen risks and damages may take place. So, it is better if we do not use GMO crops for our food. 

G. Amit , Class VI, Sri Gowthami Smart School, Rajahmundry.

Indians consuming imported GM-processed food, parliamentary panel says

NEW DELHI: India doesn't allow commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops but Indians may well be consuming GM processed food- knowingly or un-knowingly. 

A Parliamentary panel has brought this out in the open by pointing out shortcomings in the functioning of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which has failed miserably to check import of such products. 

Taking note of the government's response over various issues concerning GM food crops, the committee on agriculture - which submitted its report to Lok Sabha speaker on March 15 - pointed out that "there is no check on GM processed food and other items coming from outside the country or being produced here" in India. 

It gave an example of cotton seed oil, produced in the country from Bt Cotton which is the only genetically modified crop allowed for commercial production. The cotton seed oil is, incidentally, widely used in India as cooking oil. 

After making its point, the panel - headed by CPM Lok Sabha MP Basudeb Acharia - also asked the government to "investigate the matter without further loss of time". 

The panel's report comes at the time when the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) is planning to keep in abeyance its controversial August, 2007 notification - which allows the import of GM foods into India without its prior permission - for another three or six months, beginning April 1. 

The required order will be notified by the ministry soon as the period of existing notification will expire on March 31. 

The ministry has continuously been keeping the notification in abeyance since February 2008. At present, any genetically engineered organism can be imported (either for research or for restricted lab trial) only after the prior permission Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC). 

The ministry's order, keeping the 2007 notification in abeyance, has been in tune with what the Supreme Court's direction in response to a petition six years ago. The court had directed the ministry to put such order on hold till the controversial issue of transgenic crops is finally decided by it. The apex court will begin its hearing on April 14.

கடைகளில் காலாவதி உணவு பொருட்கள் விற்பனை - நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க கோரிக்கை

பரமக்குடி, மார்ச் 28: 

பரமக்குடி நகர் பகுதியில் உள்ள மளிகை கடைகளில் காலாவதியான உணவுப்பொருட்கள், ஐஎஸ்ஐ முத்திரை இல்லாத உணவுப்பொருட்கள் விற்பனை செய்யப்படுகின்றன. சுகாதாரத் துறை அதிகாரிகள் சோதனை நடத்தி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும் என பொதுமக்கள் வலியுறுத்தி வருகின்றனர். 

பரமக்குடியில் உள்ள மளிகை கடைகள், பெட்டி கடைகளில் விற்கப்படும் பிஸ்கட் பாக்கெட்டுகள், குளிர்பானங்கள், தண்ணீர் பாக்கெட்டுகள்ள மற்றும் பாக்கெட்டுகளில் அடைத்து விற்கப்படும் மசாலா பொருட்கள், பேரிச்சம்பழம் ஆகியவற்றில் தயாரிப்பு தேதி, முடிவு தேதி இல்லை. சில பாக்கெட்டுகளில் இந்த தேதி பிரின்ட் செய்யப்பட்டிருந்தாலும், அவை காலாவதியான பின்னர, அந்த தேதிகளை அழித்து விடுகின்றனர். பொதுமக்களும் இந்த முறைகேட்டை கவனிக்காமல், இந்த பொருட்களை வாங்கி செல்கின்றனர். 

இவ்வாறு காலாவதியான பொருட்களை வாங்கி சென்று சாப்பிடும் பொதுமக்கள் உடல்நலக் குறைவால் அவதிப்பட்டு வருகின்றனர். எதனால் இந்த உடல்நலக்குறைவு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது என்பதை கூட கிராம மக்கள் உணர்வதில்லை. 

வாந்தி, வயிற்றுப்போக்கு உள்ளிட்ட பாதிப்புகள் ஏற்பட்டால் மட்டுமே, இந்த உணவுப்பொருட்களால் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது என்பதை உணர்ந்து கொள்கின்ற னர். 

எனவே பரமக்குடி நகர் பகுதியில் உள்ள கடைகளில் சுகாதாரத் துறை அதிகாரிகள் அடிக்கடி சோதனை மேற்கொள்ள வேண்டும் என்றும் காலாவதியான உணவுப்பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்து வரும் கடைகளின் உரிமையாளர்கள் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும் என்றும் பொதுமக்கள் வலியுறுத்தி வருகின்ற னர். 

பரமக்குடியை சேர்ந்த ராஜேந்திரன் கூறுகையில், நகர் பகுதியில் கிராம மக்கள் அடிக்கடி வந்து செல்லும் இடங்களில் உள்ள கடைகளிலும், பஸ் ஸ்டாண்ட், அரசு மருத்துவமனை அருகே உள்ள கடைகளிலும் காலாவதியான உணவுப்பொருட்கள், குளிர்பானங்களை கடைக்காரர்கள் விற்பனை செய்கின்றனர். பஸ்களை பிடிக்க செல்லும் அவசரத்தில் செல்லும் பயணிகள் இந்த உணவுப்பொருட்களின் காலாவதி தேதியை பார்ப்பதில்லை. இதனால் கிராம மக்களிடம் கடைக்காரர்கள் தைரியமாக காலாவதியான உணவுப்பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்கின்றனர். 

மேலும் காலாவதியான பிஸ்கெட் பாக்கெட்டுகள் உள்ளிட்ட பொருட்களை மிக குறைந்த விலைக்கு கடைக்காரர்களிடம் மொத்த வியாபாரிகள் விற்பனை செய்து விடுகின்றனர். தெரிந்தே இந்த முறைகேட்டில் ஈடுபடுவோர் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும் என்றார். 

8.10 லட்சம் மதிப்பிலான புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல்

கிருஷ்ணகிரி, மார்ச் 28: 

கிருஷ்ணகிரி மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர் (உணவு பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவு) டாக்டர் கலைவாணி, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் ராஜசேகர், மதுவிலக்கு அமல் பிரிவு எஸ்ஐக்கள் ரவீந்திரன், ராமதாஸ், ஏட்டுகள் பிரபு, செந்தில்குமார் ஆகியோர் கிருஷ்ணகிரி & பெங்களூர் தேசிய நெடுஞ்சாலையில் குருபரப்பள்ளி ஆற்று பாலம் அருகே நேற்று வாகன தணிக்கையில் ஈடுபட்டிருந்தனர். 

அப்போது அவ்வழியே வந்த மினிலாரியை நிறுத்தி சோதனை செய்தனர். அதில் 8 லட்சத்து 10 ஆயிரம் மதிப்பிலான தடை செய்யப்பட்ட ஹான்ஸ் 45 மூட்டைகள் இருந்தது தெரியவந்தது. இந்த பொருட்கள் அனைத்தும் பெங்களூரில் சுரேஷ் என்பவரிடமிருந்து ஈரோட்டில் உள்ள சத்தீஷ்குமார் என்பவருக்கு, சேலம் மாவட்டம் செம்மாண்டப்பட்டியை சேர்ந்த லாரி ஓட்டுனரான கார்த்திக் (28), கிளீனர் ரங்கநாதன் (23) ஆகியோர் மூலம் எடுத்து செல்வதும் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது.

பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை பொருட்களை மாவட்ட கலெக்டர் ராஜேஷ் பார்வையிட்டு, இதன் மீது உணவு பாதுகாப்பு தர நிர்ணய சட்டம் 2006ன் கீழ் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கவும், பொருட்கள் அனைத்தையும் நுகர்பொருள் வாணிப கழக கிடங்கில் வைத்து சீல் வைக்கவும் உத்தரவிட்டார்.

Declaration of “Net Quantity” on food labels : Module 8

Net Quantity 

The net quantity of contents is the statement on the label which provides the actual amount of food in the container. 

From the net quantity mentioned on the label of the food product, the buyer can assess that for purchasing the particular quantity, how much he has to pocket out and he can also compare the quantity and the price of the similar product of different manufacturers. 

Though as per food laws FSS (Packaging and labelling) Regulation, 2011, it is not mandatory to mention the minimum retail price of the product, but the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, makes its mandatory to mention the Maximum Retail Price (MRP) as well as the net weight of the food product along with guidelines that specific food commodities like biscuits, bread, tea, cereals and pulses etc. are to be packed and sold in recommended standard packages. The Food business Operator has also to follow the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, in this regard. 

The declared quantity on a package should be accurate and it should not be less than the declared quantity, otherwise it will make the food product misbranded which attracts penalty. The Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations 2011 notified by FSSAI requires that: 

(i) Net quantity by weight or volume or number has to be declared on every package of food; 

(ii) If a food is packed in a liquid medium, then the net quantity along with the drained weight of the food shall be mentioned on the label. 

(iii) In case of a package contains a large number of small items of confectionery and each wrapped separately, where it is not possible to exclude the weight of the wrappers, in this case the net weight may also include the weight of the wrapper. 

The accurate amount of contents or weight have to be mentioned on the food label, else the food product would be treated as misbranded and liable to be penalised under the regulations.

Choco crunch

Melting moment The best chocolates don’t lose shape and stay crisp even when not refrigerated

How well do you know the chocolate you are in love with?

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get,” is a quote made popular by the Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump. But if you kept the life-chocolate box analogy aside and analyse the chocolate itself, what would you get?

A recent study by Consumer Voice magazine looked at the various attributes of dark and milk chocolate brands available in India. In a country where Cadbury’s is synonymous with chocolate, Amul turned out to be the top performer both among milk and dark chocolates, as well as the most value-for-money brand. Nestle ranked second among milk chocolates. The testing centres were accredited to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories.

Cocoa solids, the leftovers from cocoa butter extraction, are a key determinant of chocolate taste. The more the cocoa solids present, the more intense the taste. This factor was given a weightage of 15 in the analysis. National standards decree a minimum of two per cent cocoa for milk chocolates and 12 per cent for plain/dark chocolate. Among milk chocolates, Amul had the most cocoa solids, with a score of 12.36, followed by Hershey’s with 10.43. Amul Dark scored over Cadbury’s Bourneville too.

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) stipulates that sugar should not exceed 55 per cent by mass, but Hershey’s (56.59) and Cadbury Dairy Milk (55.68) overshot that, the study found. Lindt Lindor contains the least (39.13) and yielded more calories than any of the other tested brands. It also contained the highest amount of cholesterol. Nestle Milk yielded the most calories after Lindt, but had the least cholesterol.

When cholesterol is mentioned, can fat be far behind? Fat, whether it’s milk solids or cocoa butter, is what imparts richness. The more the amount of fat, the richer and smoother the chocolate. Under Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Rules, total fat in chocolate should not be less than 25 per cent by mass. Lindt topped the charts here as well (45.14 per cent). However, Lindt Lindor contains vegetable fats (coconut, palm kernel and palm oil), which are not permitted by BIS, says Consumer Voice. Nestle Milk had the second-highest amount of fat (33.13 per cent).

And then we come to carbohydrates, which raise blood sugar more than any other nutrient. The study found Cadbury Bourneville contained the highest amount, followed by Hershey’s and Cadbury Dairy Milk.

Bourneville had the highest melting point (43 {+0} C). A high melting point is an advantage as the chocolates are less likely to lose form and crispness even when not refrigerated.

Mostly it’s good news for consumers. No synthetic food colour was detected, and moisture, which could play spoilsport, was less than one per cent. There were checks for yeast and mould, E. coli, S. aureus and salmonella, which could manifest due to poor hygiene in manufacture or storage. All the microbes were well below the maximum permissible limit, but Consumer Voice sounds a note of caution — that FSS rules do not mandate a standard requirement. The tests were mainly based on the Indian Standard specification for chocolates (IS: 1163–1992) and relevant FSS Rules 2011.

In the case of packaging, the study points out that Hershey’s did not feature a green/red dot to indicate vegetarian/non-vegetarian ingredients. Except for Chocon Milcreme, none of the brands mentioned the percentage of cocoa solids they contained.

Vitamin C is a weekly dose of consumer empowerment

Penalty for possessing adulterant

Subject to the provisions of this chapter, if any person who whether by himself or by any other person on his behalf, imports or manufactures for sale, or stores, sells or distribute any adulterant shall be liable – 

- where such adulterant is not injurious to health, to a penalty not exceeding two lakh rupees; 

- where such adulterant is injurious to health, to a penalty not exceeding ten lakh rupees. 

In a proceeding under sub-section (1), it shall not be a defence that the accused was holding such adulterant on behalf of any other person.

Tax Hygiene Uncalled For On Packaged Food Products: PHD Chamber

Mr. Vijay Sardana, Co-Chairman, Agri Business Committee of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday asked the state governments to stop levying packaged food products with multiple taxes which are imposed on hygiene in poultry sector to enable India realize the real potential of food processing industry including that of poultry products. 

Addressing a roundtable on Poultry Marketing under aegis of the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Sardana said that nowhere in the world hygiene tax was imposed on packaged food products barring India. This is leading to health and food safety issues and preventing investments in India's infrastructure sector. 

In case, if it wanted its food processing industry to grow to its real potential, such illogical measures need to be shunned, especially when the unpacked food products are allowed to be sold off without any taxes he cautioned pointing out that food safety can not be compromised. 

Different states levy packaged food products with different slabs of tax hygiene ranging from 10 per cent to over 25 per cent without consulting the industry which not only discourage the entrepreneurs but also disconnect them with the consumers in the entire value chain of the industry, pointed out Mr. Sardana. 

He prescribed a multi-pronged strategy to market poultry products which include a suitable connect between farmers, middle men and retailer so that each stake holder's share of profit is protected in an equitable manner. Co-operative market approach was also recommended by him to sell off meat and poultry products. 

Global CEO AB Agri, Mr. David Yiend and Mr. Simon, representing AB Agri also shared their global experience with Indian poultry industry also stressing that time has come to look at livestock issues seriously in India.

கிருஷ்ணகிரி வழியாக வடமாநிலங்களுக்கு செல்லும் கலப்பட மரவள்ளிக்கிழங்கு மாவு - விவசாயிகள் சங்கம் புகார்

கிருஷ்ணகிரி, மார்ச் 27: 

கிருஷ்ணகிரி மாவட்டம் வழியாக கலப்பட மரவள்ளிக் கிழங்கு மாவு வடமாநிலங்களுக்கு கொண்டு செல்லப்படுகிறது என தமிழக விவசாயிகள் சங்கம் புகார் தெரிவித்துள்ளது. 

தமிழக விவசாயிகள் சங்க மாநில பொதுச் செயலாளர் ராமகவுண்டர் கிருஷ்ணகிரி மாவட்ட கலெக்டர் ராஜேஷிடம் அளித்துள்ள புகார் மனுவில் கூறியிருப்பதாவது: 

தமிழகத்தில் சேலம், நாமக்கல் மற்றும் தர்மபுரி மாவட்டங்களில் லட்சக்கணக்கான விவசாயிகளால் மரவள்ளி கிழங்கு சாகுபடி செய்யப்படுகிறது. இவை, அந்தந்த மாவட்டங்களில் உள்ள மரவள்ளி கிழங்கு அரவை ஆலைகளுக்கு தரமான கிழங்கு மாவு ஜவ்வரிசி மற்றும் ஸ்டார்ச் தயாரிப்பதற்காக அனுப்பப்படுகிறது. 

இவ்வாறு அனுப்பப்படும் மரவள்ளி கிழங்குடன், சில ஆலைகளில் மக்காச்சோள மாவு கலப்படம் செய்து, அத்துடன் அரசால் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட விஷத்தன்மை உள்ள ரசாயனங்களையும் சேர்த்து கிழங்கு மாவு ஜவ்வரிசி மற்றும் ஸ்டார்ச்சுகளை தயாரிப்பதாக தெரிகிறது. 

இவ்வாறு தயாரிக்கப்படும் கிழங்கு மாவு ஜவ்வரிசி, அரசு உணவு தரக்கட்டுப்பாடு அனுமதி பெறாமல், கிருஷ்ணகிரி மாவட்டம் வழியாக வணிகவரி மற்றும் எந்த விதமான பரிசோதனையும் இல்லாமல் வடமாநிலங்களுக்கு கொண்டு செல்லப்படுகிறது. இந்த பொருட்களை உண்பவர்களுக்கு ரத்த அழுத்தம், சர்க்கரை நோய், புற்றுநோய், ஆண்மை இழத்தல் மேலும் பல மோசமான நோய்கள் உண்டாகும். மேலும் இதனால் அரசுக்கும் வரி இழப்பு ஏற்படுகிறது. 

இதை தடுக்கவில்லை என்றால், வருங்காலத்தில் மரவள்ளிக்கிழங்கு மதிப்பூட்டப்பட்ட பொருட்களுக்கு கெட்ட பெயர் ஏற்பட்டு, நுகர்வோர்கள் இதை ஒதுக்கித்தள்ள வேண்டிய நிலை ஏற்படும். இதனால் மரவள்ளிக்கிழங்கு விவசாயிகள் பாதிக்கப்படுவார்கள். 

எனவே, தமிழக அரசு மற்றும் மாவட்ட நிர்வாகம் கலப்பட பொருட்கள் வெளி மாநிலங்களுக்கு கொண்டு செல்லப்படுவதை கண்டறிந்து, தடுக்க நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும். தரமான பொருட்கள் மட்டுமே கொண்டு செல்ல அனுமதிக்க வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு அந்த மனுவில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

சவுகார்பேட்டையில் இரண்டரை டன் குட்கா பொருள் பறிமுதல்

சென்னை, மார்ச் 27: 

சென்னை முழுவதும் அரசால் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக், ஹான்ஸ் உள்ளிட்ட போதை பொருட்கள் கடைகளில் விற்கப்படுவதாக உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு தகவல் கிடைத்தது. இதைதொடர்ந்து, சவுகார்பேட்டை பந்தர் தெருவில் நேற்று முன்தினம் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் செபராஜ், சுந்தரேசன், இளங்கோ ஆகியோர் தலைமையில் சோதனை நடத்தப்பட்டது. அப்போது, அங்கிருந்த குடோனில் அரசால் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக், ஹான்ஸ், புகையிலை உள்ளிட்ட போதை பொருட்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். மேலும் அங்குள்ள கடைகளில் சோதனை நடத்தியதில் மேலும் சில புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன. 

தொடர்ந்து இரு தினங்களாக நடத்திய சோதனையில் 2,500 கிலோ புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டு, கொடுங்கையூர் குப்பை கொட்டும் வளாகத்துக்கு கொண்டு சென்று, ராட்சத குழிகள் தோண்டி புதைக்கப்பட்டன.

சென்ட்ரல் ரயில் நிலையத்தில் ஆந்திராவுக்கு கடத்த முயன்ற 22 மூட்டை பான்பராக் பறிமுதல்

சென்னை, மார்ச் 27: 

தமிழக ஆளுநர் ரோசய்யா, நேற்று மாலை 4.45 மணிக்கு சென்ட்ரலில் இருந்து ஐதராபாத் எக்ஸ்பிரஸ் ரயிலில் ஆந்திராவுக்கு புறப்பட்டுச் சென்றார். 

இதனால் முன்னெச்சரிக்கை நடவடிக்கையாக சென்ட்ரலில் டிஎஸ்பி தில்லை நடராஜன் தலைமையில் இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் அழகர்சாமி மற்றும் ரயில்வே பாதுகாப்பு படையினரும், ரயில்வே போலீ சாரும் இணைந்து, நேற்று காலை முதல் தீவிர கண்கணிப்பில் ஈடுபட்டிருந்தனர். பாதுகாப்பு ஏற்பாடுகளுடன் சோதனை களையும் செய்தனர். 

அப்போது பார்சல் அனுப்பும் இடத்தில் 22 மூட்டைகள் இருந்ததை பார்த்து சந்தேகத்தின்பேரில் அவற்றில் ஒன்றை பிரித்தனர். அதில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக், புகையிலை பொருட்கள் இருந்தன. விற்பனைக்கான பாக்கெட்களில் அடைக்காமல் மூட்டையில் மொத்தமாக திணித்து வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்தது. ஆந்திர மாநிலம் விசாகப்பட்டினத்திற்கு அனுப்ப பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டிருந்த ஒவ்வொரு மூட்டையிலும் 55 கிலோ பான்பராக், புகையிலை பொருட்கள் இருந்தன. 

சுமார் 10 லட்சத்துக்கும் அதிகமான மதிப்புள்ள பான்பராக் மூட்டைகளை கைப்பற்றி ரயில்வே போலீசார் வழக்கு பதிவு செய்து விசாரித்து வருகின்றனர். இந்த மூட்டைகளை பதிவு செய்ய கொடுத்திருந்த சென்னை முகவரி போலியானது என்று கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது. மேலும் விசாகப்பட்டினம் முகவரி குறித்தும் விசாரணை நடத்தப்படுகிறது. பறிமுதல் செய்த மூட்டைகள் நீதிமன்றத்தில் ஒப்படைக்கப்பட்டன.

Food labelling requirements – Date of Manufacture or Packing and Best Before or Use By Date : Module 7

Date of Manufacture or Packing and Best Before or Use By Date 

Information about dates on pre-packaged food product is a valuable source of information about the life of the packaged food product for the consumers. Date of manufacture or packing on the labels provides an information about the age of the product and from this date the consumer can assess, how old the product is ? Whereas, the Best Before Date or Use by Date indicates the remaining healthy life of the unopened product. Best Before Date is the date by which it is expected that the unopened food, when stored under appropriate conditions, will retain its freshness, taste, nutritional value and all other claimed qualities. A “best-before” date, tells when the potential shelf-life period of the unopened foods ends. One can consume foods after the “best before” date has passed.

However, when this date has passed, the food may lose some of its freshness and flavour, or its texture may have changed. Some of its nutritional value, such as vitamin C content, may also be lost. Remember that “best before” dates are not indicators of food safety, neither before nor after the date. They apply to unopened products only. Once opened, the shelf life of a food may change. 

“Best before” dates do not guarantee product safety. However, they do give you the information about the freshness and potential shelf-life of the unopened foods you are buying. 

The Indian Food Law, FSS (Packaging and Labelling ) Regulations,2011,notified by FSSAI, defines the terms like , Date of Manufacture , Date of Packing, Best Before Date and Use by Date . The Regulation makes it mandotary that the information about the Date of manufacture or packing and Best Before or Use By Date has to be mentioned on the label on the package of the food product. 

The regulations define: 

a.“Date of manufacture” means the date on which the food becomes the product. 

b. “Date of packaging” means the date on which the food is placed in the immediate container in which it will be ultimately sold; 

c. “Best before” means the date which signifies the end of the period under any stated storage conditions during which the food shall remain fully marketable and shall retain any specific qualities for which express claims have been made and beyond that date, the food may still be perfectly safe to consume, though its quality may have diminished. However the food shall not be sold if at any stage the product becomes unsafe.

d.“Use – by date” or “Recommended last consumption date” or “Expiry date” means the date which signifies the end of the estimated period under any stated storage conditions, after which the food probably will not have the quality and safety attributes normally expected by the consumers and the food shall not be sold.

7.1 Date of manufacture or packing: 

The date, month and year in which the commodity is manufactured, packed or pre-packed has to be given on the label in the prescribed manner : 

In case the Best Before Date of the product is more than three months then only the month and the year of manufacture, or prepacking is required to be mentioned. 

In case the packaged food product has a short shelf life of less than three months than the date, month and year in which the food commodity is manufactured, prepared or pre-packed is required to be mentioned. 

7.2 Best before and Use By Date: 

The month and year in capital letters up to which the product is best for consumption has to be mentioned on the label, as given below :— 

“BEST BEFORE ……..MONTHS AND YEAR 

OR 

“BEST BEFORE ……..MONTHS FROM PACKAGING 

OR 

“BEST BEFORE …………MONTHS FROM MANUFACTURE 

In case of packages containing the food commodity of perishable nature which has a short shelf life i.e. pizza, doghunts,khoya, paneer etc. The date, month and year in capital letters up to which the product is best for consumption has to mentioned on the label as given below. 

“BEST BEFORE ……….DATE/MONTH/YEAR” 

OR 

“BEST BEFORE……..DAYS FROM PACKAGING” 

OR 

“BEST BEFORE …….. DAYS FROM MANUFACTURE” 

In case of Aspartame and Infant milk substitute and Infant Foods, Use by Date/recommended last consumption date/expiry Date has to be mentioned. Best Before Date is not required to be given on such packages.

In case of wines liquors and alcoholic beverages containing more than 10% of alcohol, Best Before Date, Use by Date or Expiry Date is not required to be mentioned. 

From the manufacturer or packers point of view it is important to note that he has to ensure that his unopened pre-packaged food , when stored under appropriate conditions, retains its freshness, taste, nutritional value and all other claimed qualities , atleast upto its Best Before Date. 

If there are any particular storage conditions for the product to maintain its shelf life, these must be pointed out. However, as a rule it is recommended to always describe the necessary storage conditions for a food product. 

Shelf life should be established for all products by conducting planned and carefully executed shelf life studies. 

To make sure food lasts until its date, it’s important to mention storage instructions, such as ‘Keep refrigerated’ and ‘Store in a cool, dark place’ on the label. 

A consumer will always be interested to know about the life of a packaged food product, so the label should have the information about the date of manufacture or packing and best before or use by date.

Online facility launched under Food Safety Act

Those dealing in food business in the state will no more have to visit the office of civil surgeon or district health officer to apply for registration or to obtain licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, as the health department has launched an online facility for the purpose. 

The department has already organised official training for its food safety officers and other health staff to facilitate people. A team of experts has also held an exercise for them in districts recently. 

The health department would soon send computers, scanners and printers to the headquarters besides an operator who will be assigned by the department to handle online applications. 

The food safety officers have been ordered not to entertain any application regarding food licence through offline mode this week. 

For the online facility, applicants can log on to the designated website foodlicensing.fssai.gov.in, where they will have to register as users after furnishing details of the business. After that a fee has to be submitted as per the government order. Then, the applicant would have to fill up the form for seeking registration/issuance of licence and upload scanned copies of the required documents on the website. 

Even after the facility goes online, applicants will also have to send documents and receipt through registered post to the office of district health officer. 

After getting the application through online mode, health workers will visit the shops or manufacturing units for physical verification of the premises. 

Food business operators with an annual turnover of above Rs. 12 crore it is must to have a licence and those who earn less than Rs. 12 crore a year must get a registration certificate, as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. 

Sources said till date, nearly 1,600 eateries have got licences and nearly 8,200 joints, including stall holders, hotels, restaurants, canteens, dhabas, food carts, sweetshops, tea stalls, grocery stores, meat sellers and milk sellers, have got themselves registered with the department. 

Sources added that if the Centre has been continually putting pressure on the state health department to start online facility as eight states have already implemented this system. 

They said due to general elections, the Centre had extended the deadline from February 4 to August 4. The health department would start issuing challans to those, who fail to enroll under this Act. 

They added that earlier, the deadline for registration and getting licences were extended two times, from August 5, 2012, to February 4, 2013, and then from February 4, 2013, to February 4, 2014 and later to August 4. 

"Once the code of conduct ends, the department will also publicise the online facility," they said. 

Earlier, the district health officials held camps asking shopkeepers and other outlet owners to apply for licence or registration manually. 

According to the Act that was implemented in August 2011, a food business with an annual turnover exceeding Rs. 12 lakh requires a licence, while those earning below that need registration only. 

The fee for registration is Rs. 100, and for a licence it varies from Rs. 2,000-Rs 3,000 and Rs. 5,000 depending on the category of the business. 

When contacted, state food safety commissioner Hussan Lal said, "As of now, application for licence will be taken through online facility and after few weeks application for registration will also be accepted online."

MoFPI issues guidelines to implement HACCP, ISO 22000 & qty mgt system

The Ministry of Food Processing and Industries (MoFPI) issued the revised grant guidelines for the implementation of hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP), International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) 22000 and 9000, good hygiene practices (GHP), good management practices (GMP) and quality management systems during the 12th Five-year Plan period.

Under this scheme, grant-in-aid is provided to set up food testing laboratories, upgrade quality control mechanism and implement of HACCP/ISO22000/ISO14000/GHP/GMP and TQM systems in food processing units.

In this regard, proposals for financial assistance for the total quality management (TQM) system have to be submitted to the ministry. The revised guidelines will come into effect from April 1, 2014, and are aimed at motivating the food processing industry to adopt food safety and quality assurance mechanisms to enable adherence to stringent quality and hygiene norms, and thereby protect consumer health.

MoFPI also wants to prepare industry to face global competition in the post-World Trade Organisation (WTO) regime and to enhance product acceptance by overseas buyers, besides keeping the Indian industry technologically abreast of international best practices.

The grant would be reimbursement of expenditure incurred to acquire these certifications. For the consideration of the grant, the preference would be given to proposals for units processing perishable items such as fruit, vegetables, milk, meat and poultry. The reimbursement of expenditure will be released by MoFPI in one installment after obtaining necessary certification and submission of requisite documents.

Pattern of assistance 

According to the notification by the ministry, all implementing agencies [namely Central and state government organisations, the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), universities and the private sector] would be eligible for reimbursement of 50 per cent of the cost of consultancy fees, fees charged by the certification agency, plant and machinery, technical civil works (TCW) and other expenditure towards the implementation of the TQM system in general areas subject to maximum limit of Rs 17 lakh, and 75 per cent in difficult areas subject to a maximum of Rs 22 lakh. 

The difficult areas include Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, the north-eastern states, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) areas of states.

Eligibility criteria 

The Central and state government organisations, IITs, universities and the private sector will be eligible for reimbursement of expenditure towards the implementation of the TQM. 

The scheme provides one-time reimbursement only against an industrial entrepreneur memoranda (IEM)/permanent small-scale industry (SSI) registration/industrial licence and FSSAI licence. 

The applicant should not have obtained/applied for grant/subsidy from any ministry and department of the Central government, government organisations and agencies and state governments for the purpose of adoption of the TQM system. 

And the expenditure incurred on the project for the TQM system after the date of receipt of application and proposal by the MoFPI for grant-in-aid will be considered for reimbursement. 

Meanwhile, further, the ministry has also issued revised guidelines for setting up food testing laboratories and the upgradation of quality control and for the remaining period of 12th Five-year Plan. 

Tariq Anwar, minister of state, MoFPI, informed that the ministry implemented the scheme for quality assurance, Codex standards, research and development and other promotional activities.

Food labelling requirements for declaring Food Additives : Module 6

Declaration regarding Food Additives 

Food additives are substances which are technologically required for the manufacturing of food and also added to food to preserve flavour or enhance its taste and appearance. They include antioxidants, preservatives, coloring and flavouring agents, and anti-infective agents. Most food additives have little or no nutritional value. 

If any additives are added to the food, it shall be mentioned on the label in accordance to the Food Safety and Standards (packaging and Labelling) Regulations 2011, notified by FSSAI. 

When the food additives are used in the food , class titles of the food additives are mentioned together with the specific names or recognized international numerical identifications or ISN of the food additives. 

The classes of the additive are as acidity regulator, color preservative etc. 

Addition of colors and/or Flavours— 

(a) If color has been added to any article of food, it shall be mentioned in capital letters, just beneath the list of the ingredients on the label as 

CONTAINS PERMITTED NATURAL COLOUR(S)

OR

CONTAINS PERMITTED SYNTHETIC FOOD COLOUR(S)

OR

CONTAINS PERMITTED NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC FOOD COLOUR(S) 

After mentioning it along with the name or INS no of the food color, the name of the color need not be mentioned in the list of ingredients. 

If flavouring agent has been added to the food, it shall be written just beneath the list of ingredients on the label attached in capital letters as below: 

CONTAINS ADDED FLAVOUR (specify type of flavouring agent) 

(c) If both color and flavour are used in the product, a combined statements shall be mentioned, as 

CONTAINS PERMITTED NATURAL C0LOUR(S) AND ADDED FLAVOUR(S)

OR

CONTAINS PERMITTED SYNTHETIC FOOD COLOUR(S) AND ADDED FLAVOUR(S)

OR

CONTAINS PERMITTED NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC FOOD COLOUR(S) AND ADDED FLAVOUR(S) 

In case, artificial flavouring substances, has been attached then the common name of the flavours or ISN No. shall be given. In case of the natural flavorings substances or nature identical flavouring substances has been added then the class name of flavours shall only be mentioned 

Though it is accepted that for selling a food product, additives like antioxidants, preservatives, colouring and flavouring agents, and anti-infective agents are required to give taste, flavour, appearance etc, but the consumer has to be informed of all above discussed in this article.

Nestle opens food safety research centre in Beijing

LONDON: Nestle, the world's largest food company, has opened a food safety research centre in Beijing aimed at supporting Chinese authorities as they strengthen food safety policies and standards, the company said on Tuesday. 

Food safety is a huge issue in China after scandals involving tainted milk, recycled "gutter oil" used for cooking and donkey meat found to contain traces of fox meat. 

Nestle said the new operation will provide early management of food safety issues and collaboration with local universities, research institutes and government agencies, while also helping to run food safety training programmes. 

The centre is located within Nestle's existing research and development operation in Beijing.

Seminar on 'changing role of diet' held

CHANDIGARH: PGI's School of Public Health and Govt Home Science College's Department of Foods and Nutrition hosted an ICMR seminar on "Updating the knowledge and skills about recent advances in nutrition: Changing role of diet in 21st century in India". The seminar was organized by Dr Ravneet Kaur, under the guidance and supervision of Dr Amarjeet Singh. 

The participants comprised of Community Medicine residents and dieticians from Govt. Medical College Sector 32 and Govt. Multi Specialty Hospital Sector 16 -1, Faculty and students of Govt Home Science College Sector 10, Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management Sector 42 and Selected food Business Operators form Chandigarh. Approximately 100 participants attended. 

Anil Kumar, Commissioner Food Safety and Home Secretary attended as a special guest to address the delegates about food safety issues. He brought out that with the increase in eating out culture of our society food safety has become an important concern. He emphasized that food safety is a shared responsibility which needs to be shared by all. 

Dr Nancy Sahini updated the audience on recent advances in renal nutrition. Dr Puja Dudeja discussed nanotechnology in food processing. Sukhwinder Singh, FSO, UT Chandigarh address issues related to licensing and registration of eating establishments. Apart from updating the participants on various aspects of diet and nutrition, the conference focused to bring all the relevant stakeholders who are dealing with food safety on one platform.

Chinese develop colour-coded gel-like smart tag to detect spoiled food

Chinese scientists developed a colour-code-based gel-like smart tag to detect the freshness of such food items as milk, juices and canned meat even without opening the containers. It could be customised for other food and beverages products also.

Chao Zhang, the study’s lead researcher, is a Peking University scientist. She and other researchers had been working on the system for the last three years, and presented the report on the colour-changing food deterioration tags at the recent meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Consumers can find whether a carton of milk has turned sour or has spoiled without opening the containers with the colour code-based tag. The colours signify a range between 100% fresh and 100% spoiled. 

If the tag is red or reddish-orange in colour, it means the food item is fresh. Over time, its colour changes to orange, yellow and finally green, which indicates that the food is spoiled. The tag is inexpensive and safe.

It could be widely programmed to mimic almost all ambient-temperature deterioration processes in foods. The use of the tags could potentially solve the problem of knowing how fresh packaged perishable foods remain over time. 

“Even if manufacturers, grocery-store owners and consumers do not know whether the food has been unduly exposed to higher temperatures (which could cause unexpected spoilage), the tag still gives a reliable indication of the quality of the product,” the report said. 

Technology 

“The whole idea is to use a chemical reaction to track, mimic and indicate the deteriorative processes (like microbial growth) in perishables.” Zhang said. 

“The kinetics of both microbial growth and chemical reactions are temperature sensitive, so if we could somehow manage to make them parallel to each other, then you could tell the quality of the perishables by checking how far the chemical reaction has proceed,” she added.

”And some information about this particular chemical reaction we used for the tag, namely silver overgrowth on gold nanorods. Metallic nanostructures can impart very intense colours, which are affected by their chemical composition, size and shape,” Zhang stated. 

“The gold nanorods we used here are red in colour. During the reaction, silver is deposited on their surface, changing their composition, size and shape. As the silver layer thickens, the tag evolves from the initial red colour to orange, yellow, green, and even blue and violet,” she added. 

”We found simple methods to control the kinetics of this reaction. For example, the red-to-green duration at room temperature can be widely tuned from minutes to months, covering the kinetic features of a wealth of perishables,” Zhang said. 

She added, “So for a specified perishable, we could customise a tag by altering the recipe to make sure it has the same kinetic features as the perishable.”

“We hope to put this smart tag into real-world applications. This technique has been patented in China, and we are seeking possible collaborations with people in the industry. And quite excitingly, we have got a few contacts since the ACS meeting,” Zhang added.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Food labelling requirements for declaration of Veg & Non-Veg : Module 5

Declaration of Veg Non veg 

India has a large audience for both Veg & Non-Veg food, but some of the communities are restricted by religion where Non-Veg food is not entertained, also there are people who have their personal preference for ‘Veg only’ food items. To safeguard the interests and the sentiments of such people a food product label must have the identification mark “Veg” or “Non-Veg” for the category of food. 

It is mandatory for all food manufacturers to indicate as to whether the food item contains any non-vegetarian ingredients or not. To enable the consumer to know whether any packaged food is vegetarian or non-vegetarian, this will be indicated in the form of a brown circle in square or green circle in a square on the package. A brown circle is to indicate the presence of non-vegetarian ingredients in the food item, while a green circle indicates that the food item is vegetarian. The green circle and brown circle in a square are indicated as veg & non-veg logos respectively. 

Let us first understand as per food laws what is a non-vegetarian food and what is vegetarian food. 

“Non- Vegetarian Food” means an article of food which contains whole or part of any animal including birds, fresh water or marine animals or eggs or products of any animal origin, but excluding milk or milk products, as an ingredient. 

“Vegetarian Food” means any article of Food other than Non- Vegetarian Food. 

The Veg , Non veg logo should be placed near the product name so that consumer can easily identify the product that the product is vegetarian or contain any non-vegetarian content. 

(i) The size of the logo depends upon the size of the product. The size of the logo i.e. the diameter of the circle and side of the square shall be in accordance to the size of the label. 

(ii) The package of “Non Vegetarian” food shall have a symbol and color code as given below to indicate that the product is Non-Vegetarian Food. The symbol shall consist of a brown color filled circle having a specified diameter at the centre of the brown square. 

BROWN COLOR 

Logo for Non veg 

If any article of food contains egg only as Non-Vegetarian ingredient, the manufacturer, or packer or seller has to mention the same along with the said symbol. 

The package of Vegetarian Food shall bear a symbol and color code as given below to indicate that the product is Vegetarian Food. The symbol shall consist of a green color filled circle, having a specified diameter not less than the minimum size inside the square with green outline having specified size. 

GREEN COLOR 

Logo for Veg 

There are some products like carbonated water and liquid milk which are exempted from this provision, hence these markings are not required on these products. 

So, it is mandatory that labeling of every food product should indicate “Veg” or “Non-Veg” element in the ingredients through recommended marks on the label enabling the user to make a choice.

Local players take on cola big boys

Guwahati-based company launches range of carbonated soft drinks 

Guwahati, March 23: Local aerated drinks will share shelf space with multinational brands this summer. 

Less than a year after a local beverage company forayed into the aerated drinks market for the first time in the Northeast, Guwahati-based New Era Food and Beverages today launched its range of carbonated soft drinks in Assam. 

“We have come up with four flavours — Coke Star, Orange Splash, Lemon Pie and Lichi Punch — in 170ml to 2-litre pet bottles. The products have been launched in the Assam market and very soon we will expand our operations to Meghalaya, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh,” Narendra Sharma, chief executive officer of New Era Beverages, told The Telegraph. 

Assamese singer Bornali Kalita unveiled the products here today as the brand ambassador. 

Amingaon-based Sakshi Agro Beverage, a sister concern of Silver Drop Foods and Beverages Private Ltd, had in May last year entered the non-cola segment with three varieties — Jeera Masala, Clear Lemon and Orange — under its Ohlay brand. 

New Era, which launched its operations this year, said more varieties are in the pipeline. “In April we are coming up with mineral water while a mixed fruit beer and a digestive drink, Fusion Bull, will be launched in May,” Sharma said. 

The company has a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant near Rangia on National Highway 31, about 50km from here. The plant has a production capacity of 10,000 litres per day. “We have invested Rs 3 crore on equipment procured from Gujarat,” Sharma said. 

The company said it would rely on product quality and a sustained marketing strategy to penetrate the market. 

“We have laboratories approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and appointed a team of experienced chemists and microbiologists to conduct tests on the raw materials. The Changsari-based Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology helps us with advice as well,” he said. “We will step up our marketing campaign in the run-up to Rongali Bihu and during June-July.” 

The processing of water is carried out in a reverse osmosis plant that has advanced technologies such as dual media filter, anthracite filter, iron remover, softener, micron cartridge filter, ultraviolet systems and EMF (electro-magnetic field). 

On pricing, Sharma said they have kept the rates lower than the multinational brands by at least Rs 4 to Rs 6. 

New Era has recruited over 40 local workers in its Rangia plant. “All of them are from Assam and have been trained in manufacturing and allied processes,” he added. 

The bib cola companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have a combined market share of over 95 per cent in the Northeast. So, the entry of local companies into the carbonated beverages industry can be considered a bold yet calculated step. 

Sakshi Agro, for instance, has in the past 10 months made “slow and steady” progress. “The progress so far has been slow and steady. This month, we forayed into the cola segment with Cola Cool and came up with another variety, Cloudy Lemon,” K.K. Bajaj, the managing director of Sakshi Agro Beverage, told this correspondent today. 

SPARKLING STATISTICS 

The Rs 60-billion carbonated soft drinks industry in India is growing at 5% annually 

Consumption is the highest in the cola segment, followed by the non-cola and energy drinks segment 

According to industry body Assocham, the non-carbonated drinks industry in India is growing at a compound annual growth rate of about 35% and the market is likely to touch Rs 54,000 crore by 2015 

Greater disposable incomes, particularly in urban areas, and health consciousness are factors fuelling the growth of the non-carbonated drinks segment

ASCI reduces average complaint processing time to 12 days

It has also achieved over 90 per cent compliance of its decisions. This achievement has come even though the number of complained against ads has increased more than 10 times

The advertising content self-regulatory body, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), now delivers its Consumer Complaints Council’s (CCC) decision on a complaint against an objectionable advertisement within an average of just 12 days from the date complaint is received.

With the public and regulators demanding that ads which are a) misleading or make false claims, b) indecent , c) showing hazardous activities and d) unfair to competition should be promptly removed or modified, ASCI has taken effective action to reduce the complaint processing turnaround time from 45 days two years ago to just 12 days currently. Some of the actions taken by ASCI to achieve this drastic lowering of the turnaround time are:

1) From monthly meetings two years ago, CCC now meets weekly by having two CCCs instead of one earlier and total number of CCC members going up from 21 to 28;

2) The turnaround time taken at ASCI to process a complaint and time provided to the advertiser to respond to the complaint has been significantly reduced with the use of email and technology;

3) Intra-industry complaints among ASCI members are being resolved in just seven days via Fast Track Complaint (FTC) process which was introduced in 2012. FTC, which handled 30 complaints in 2013-14, has been very popular among ASCI members who are seeing real time and cost savings by not taking the matter to the courts on intra industry ad content disputes;

4) In the recent past ASCI also introduced ‘Suspension Pending Investigation’ (SPI) by which ASCI can order an extremely objectionable ad to be removed immediately pending investigation and CCC decision.

Under its National Advertising Monitoring Service (NAMS), ASCI has started tracking in print and TV all ads against which complaints have been upheld. The results show that over 90 per cent of such “upheld complaints” ads do not reappear or are appropriately modified. ASCI has now started reporting non-compliant upheld ads (i.e., upheld ads which reappear) to regulatory authorities such as the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting (MIB), the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), the Medical Council of India (MCI), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for taking action as per the law of the land.

The faster complaint turnaround time and improved compliance upheld complaint decisions by ASCI has taken place at the same time when the number of complained against ads processed by ASCI has increased more than 10 times. In 2011-12, the number ads processed by ASCI were 176 which, post the NAMS initiative in 2012-13, increased to 784 and for April 2013 to February 2014 (11 months), ASCI has handled complaints against 1,833 ads.

Commenting on these developments, ASCI Chairman Partha Rakshit said, “ASCI’s effectiveness and credibility as an advertising self-regulatory organisation has increased several fold with speedy redressal of complaints and high compliance of CCC’s decisions by advertisers. Regulatory bodies like MIB, DCA, FSSAI and FDA now recognise and support our self-regulation work with the inclusion of ASCI in the Inter-Ministerial Monitoring Committee formed to review misleading ad content.”

State regulators asked to boost efforts to monitor drug quality

India's drug regulator has asked state-level watchdogs to increase efforts aimed at monitoring the quality of medicines sold in the country, a top official has said.

"We have told the state drug controllers to keep a close watch on the quality of medicines being made and marketed in India," G.N. Singh, the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), told Business Today recently. "They (the state drug controllers) are taking extra care and I am in touch with them on this on a regular basis."

Singh, who heads the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, said that efforts were being made to increase monitoring across the country and wherever required, the DCGI would get involved and support state regulators. He said that 2014 will be dedicated to "patient and animal safety". He added that all drug manufacturers have been told that if at any time, a watchdog in a highly regulated market like the US flags any concern over the practices of a company, the manufacturer should bring it to the notice of the concerned state drug controller and the central regulator.

The remarks gain significance in the light of some leading Indian drug companies such as Wockhardt and Ranbaxy coming under the scanner of the US Food and Drug Administration over manufacturing practices at several factories. FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, in her recent visit to India, had also announced plans to work closely with Indian drug regulatory authorities.

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration of Maharashtra has issued three show-cause notices to Wockhardt between February 11 and March 14. The notices relate to issues such as handling and storage of raw material, data integrity and possible violation of some provisions of the Indian Drugs and Cosmetics Act and licencing conditions, Viraj T. Paunikar, Joint Commissioner at the state regulatory agency, told BT. 

The notices were issued to the company's three units in Aurangabad-two at Waluj and one at Chikalthana. Wockhardt Chairman Habil Khorakiwala, when contacted over the phone, said he was not aware of any such development, though Paunikar pointed out that the company had responded to some of the earlier notices, which were being examined.

R.L. Meena, the drug controller in Andhra Pradesh, said that, six months ago, a committee on good manufacturing practices had been formed under the initiative of the DCGI with some drug controllers like those in Orissa, Chandigarh and Hyderabad as its members. This committee, he said, had last month submitted its recommendations to the DCGI.