DINAMANI NEWS

Ghulam Nabi Azad assures traders to defer Food Safety and Standards Act

A delegation of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) meets Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Wednesday at his residence at New Delhi. 

New Delhi, January 16, 2014: A delegation of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) met Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad yesterday at his residence at New Delhi and while presenting a detailed memorandum on The Food Safety and Standards Act requested him to defer the Act for at least one year and constitute a Joint Committee of Senior Government Officials and Leaders of Trading Community to make an in depth study of the Act and to recommend the Government necessary amendments required to be made in the Act to make it simple and enabling easy compliance.

The CAIT delegation was led by its Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal and was comprised of prominent trade leaders from different States including A.M.Vikram Raja and K. Mohan from Tamilnadu, Ramesh Khanna from New Delhi, Mahesh Bakhai from Maharashtra, etc. K. V. Thangabalu, Member of Parliament also accompanied the delegation.

Azad while realising the fact that not only the small traders but even other sections of society which are connected with the issue are facing lot of harassment and corruption at the hands of the Inspectors of Government Departments in different States who are victimising the traders on pretext of certain provisions of the Act which are impracticable, has assured the delegation that he will defer the Act and will constitute a Joint Committee of Senior Officials and Trade Leaders to have a re-look at the said Act and suggest the amendments necessary to make it a law which can be comply easily. He also said that the Government wants a law to ensure good quality food available in the Country which may not prove to be hazardous for the health of people but at the same time it is not the intention of the Government to put traders or any other section into difficulties.

Prior to it the delegation presented an exhaustive memorandum to Azad detailing the provisions of the Act which are much detrimental to Indian Food business and other allied sectors. The delegation also apprised him that in spite of clear instructions of the Government to go lenient on the Act, the Inspectors in various States are extorting huge money from the traders on one pretext or the other. The traders are subject to lot of harassment, corruption and victimisation at the hands of Inspectors. In fact, there is more Inspector Rule prevailing in the Country which needs to have a check else the trade will be distorted to a great extent.

Food Safety Act will increase corruption, say grain merchants

The central government’s one of the most ambitious schemes to ensure availability of quality food products through Food Safety and Standard Rules 2011 is facing stiff resistance from the grain merchants. The traders will be launching an agitation from Friday. 

Indore grain merchants’ association claimed that the step will only increase corruption. As per the rules, 6 months imprisonment and penalty up to Rs 5 lakh on finding any merchant farming, selling or having the stock of substandard grains.

As per the rules, any merchant found cultivating, selling or having stock of substandard grains will get 6 months imprisonment and will have to pay a penalty up to Rs 5 lakh. 

“The rules state that no action will be taken against the farmers, who cultivate the crops of substandard quality. Besides, many times, the quality of crops gets affected due to use of fertilisers, weather and other reasons. However, if the traders/merchants purchase the same crops, they will be punished,” said Indore Grain Merchants’ Association president, Nandkishore Agrawal.

He said that keeping a check on the weather that often has adverse effects on the crops is not pragmatic.

He claimed that if the government wants to implement the rules without any changes then it should first provide such amenities and infrastructure that can help us in following such rules.

The president said that if they will not buy grains from the farmers to avoid action, the farmers will have to suffer huge loss. It will also lead to scarcity of the food grains in the market. 

The Merchants Association also raised objection on making it compulsorily to have the license for trade from February 4.

“We had launched a series of protests against these rules in 2012 and had only withdrawn the same on the CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s assurance,” he said. He added that as the government has decided to impose the rules from February 4, we will launch an agitation from Jan 17 by submitting a memorandum to the Mandi secretary and district collector seeking appropriate action.

The merchants will burn an effigy of the Food Safety and Standard Rules, 2011 at the Mandi compound on the next day and will stop buying the foodgrains of substandard quality from Jan 20, if no action is taken in this regard, added the president.

Ganja peddlers switch to selling gutka

CHENNAI: Many smugglers who used to deal with ganja have shifted to gutka and pan masala after its ban because of the lower risk and better returns. 

Inspections conducted by the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drugs Administration has found that nearly half the number of shops in the city are selling banned tobacco products at inflated prices ever since the ban on sale of gutka and pan masala products was implemented in May 2013. 

Between June and December 2013, food administration officials conducted raids at 1,410 shops and found 686 shops with stocks of banned pan masala products. The department had seized 65 tonnes of banned products worth 2.24 crore from these shops in the same period. 

Food administration official said poor enforcement against banned chewable tobacco manufacturing units in other states is behind the gradual rise in smuggling. This has prompted some ganja peddlers to switch to these pan masala items. 

A senior food administration official said that a majority of these racketeers are based in the neighbouring states, and they smuggle in the goods using transport and parcel firms. "They have also started supplying these banned chewing products to retail shops in smaller quantities after a series of seizures of large quantities," the official said. 

In November last year, food administration officials seized 32.5 tonnes of banned tobacco products worth 1 crore from a transport firm in Royapuram. It had also instructed transport and parcel firms to stop transporting gutka and pan masala consignments from other states. 

Another official said poor coordination of the department with Southern railway, transport department, police and corporation has led to an increase in the illegal trade. "It's difficult to check each bag and consignment at railway stations and bus depots. Action happens often on specific tip-offs," he said. 

Ashok Modi, a resident of Sowcarpet said sale of these products is rampant in areas like Mint Street and Broadway. "The wholesalers earn huge profit after the ban, since they sell at a higher price and they don't have to pay tax. The banned stuff is easily available in our area," he said. 

Health experts said chewable tobacco is a major cause of mouth cancer, which constitutes the largest number of cancer cases among men in Tamil Nadu. A regular consumer says ban on tobacco products has not made any difference other than the increase in the price because of black marketing. "It's available everywhere in the city. But they are selling pan masala and chewing tobacco separately after the ban. It gives us the same taste and the kick of gutka," he said.

Foods that keep you young

Here are a few natural food items that can help you remain young and healthy 

Looking young is the foremost priority of most people these days. Not just women, even men are wary of ageing. Instead of using the number of anti-ageing creams that have flooded the markets, one can go the natural way and opt for fruits and vegetables to help fight all age-related problems. Here are a few superfoods that can help control ageing and make you look younger - 

1. Avocado - Apart from being high in Vitamin E, avocados are rich in antioxidants which help protect the skin. Avocados help in regenerating skin cells which makes your skin look fresh, giving a more youthful complexion. 

2. Kidney beans - These pulses are full of fibre and potassium which help reduce the cholesterol levels and thus reduce the risk of any heart disease. But their major health benefit is that they are packed with proteins. 

3. Dark chocolate - Any chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa is full of proteins and Vitamin B. Regular small bites into this chocolate will help burn fat and improve your skin and hair. 

4. Broccoli - Broccolis are a great source of fibre and Vitamin C which not only help control weight, but also help to fight heart diseases. 

5. Blueberries - Blueberries are rich in Vitamin C, which help in easy circulation of blood. Blueberries also contain certain minerals which help control the anti-ageing process. High in potassium, these berries help fight puffiness.

Hotels upset over hygiene raids

Kochi: The special ‘Operation Hot Water’ drive launched by the Ernakulam district panchayat and the health department against eateries and other food outlets has angered the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association (KHRA) which feels they are overstepping their duties.

Noting that with the enforcement of the Food Safety Act, the role of civic authorities has been restricted to checking sanitary and hygienic conditions of eateries, KHRA state general secretary , Jose Mohan warned the association would strongly protest the closure of hotels by the civic authorities and the health department.

“They have no legal right to inspect the quality of food served take samples or seize stale food. They can only check the general hygiene of eateries. Going by the provisions of the Food Safety Act, only a qualified food analyst can collect food samples,” he said.

District panchayat president Eldhose Kunnappally , however justified the drive, saying that Operation Hot Water was essential to curb the possible outbreak of water-borne diseases. “Though the Food Safety Authority alone has the right to check the quality of food served, civic bodies can inspect the sanitation in eateries.

We planned the drive after water-borne diseases were reported from Pindimana and Pallarimangalam panchayats. Commercial ice used in the welcome drink served during a function in these areas had led to several cases of typhoid,” he added, regretting that many eateries that did not care for hygiene were affecting the health of the people who frequented them.

“ During the raid we found many hotels and bars e functioning in very poor hygiene conditions,” he said. District food safety officer, Ajith Kumar, when contacted by Deccan Chronicle, said only the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had the right to cancel licences of eateries, and even so it acted with caution in the matter.

“Although the authority has the right to serve closure notice, such an extreme step is taken only in rare situations when a hotel is causing serious public health problems. Usually, we serve notices to eateries asking them to rectify things,” he explained.

Operation Hot Water Gathering Steam

The inspections on hotels and restaurants in the district as part of the ‘Operation Hot Water’ continued on Thursday. According to the District Medical Officer, inspections were conducted on 315 hotels in the district out of which two hotels were closed down. Another 100 hotels were served with notices.

The drive was launched on Wednesday and on day one, the authorities have inspected 548 hotels and closed down 12 facilities citing unhygienic conditions.The Operation Hot Water Mission was launched jointly by the Ernakulam District Panchayat and the Health Department. The major aim of the drive was to prevent epidemic outbreak and maintaining hygiene in eateries and food outlets in the district. The drive will be carried out till January 25.

Meanwhile, the representatives of Kerala Hotel and Restaurants Association (KHRA) came out against the inspections. They said though the association is not against ‘Operation Hot Water’ drive, they will protest against the closing down of hotels.

“As per the Food Safety Act, only a food analyst can check the quality of the foods and collect food samples from hotels. All that the Health Department can do is check the hygienic conditions of the outlets. Here they are inspecting the quality of the food and are serving closure notices without proper quality check,” he added.

However, the representatives of local bodies said though the Food Safety Act has imposed certain restrictions on the role of local bodies, but still the power to check only hygienic conditions in eateries are vested with them.

“The Operation Hot Water was launched to prevent the outbreak of water borne diseases and other epidemics during the summer. Such cases were reported at Pindimana and Pallarimangalam panchayats in the district. Not only hotels we are also conducting inspections on ice factories and bakeries,” said district panchayat president Eldhose Kunnappally.

The decision to launch the Operation Hot Water Drive was taken at a review meeting attended by Eldhose Kunnappilly, district medical officer Dr Haseena Mohammed, local body representatives and the heads of various departments concerned.

315 eateries raided on day 2 of sanitation drive

Health officials inspect the kitchen of a hotel in Kochi on Thursday. 

Raids on eateries in the district, codenamed “Operation Hot Water”, continued for the second day on Thursday. Of the 315 outlets raided, two were closed down (one each in Vengoor panchayat and Malippuram panchayat) and 100 of them were issued notices. Raids were conducted by a team of health officials as part of the sanitation drive to check the spread of communicable diseases.

The decision to conduct a 10-day raid was taken at a review meeting conducted by the District Panchayat, District Health authorities, people’s representatives and heads of various departments in the district.

On Wednesday, 548 places were raided. Twelve of the outlets were asked to close down while notices were served on 225 outlets. There were 71 inspection teams on the first day, while on the second day, there were 43 teams that went around the district.

On a drive to check water-borne diseases in the coming months, the Health teams inspected various wayside stalls selling watermelons, sugarcane juice, sip-ups, non-branded aerated drinks, and ice creams. Raids were also meant to check ice meant for preserving fish being used in other food items.

Action was taken against hotels, hostels, bars, toddy shops and petrol pumps that did not provide sanitised toilet facilities.

The raids were supervised by District Medical Officer Hasina Mohammed and district rural officer P.N. Srinivasan. Eldose Kunnapillil, District Panchayat President, in a statement, said that the raids would be intensified in the coming days.

NHC Foods to benefit from FSSAI ban on unpackaged and unbranded spices

NHC Foods could benefit from the implementation of a ban by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on the sale of unbranded and unpackaged powdered spices and condiments. 

It also called for the adherence to the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011. 

The end consumer can now be assured of an unadulterated product, and would also be aware of the details of the product he is consuming.

Prices of white arecanut recover

Farmers, wholesale, and retail traders played a pivotal role in deciding the areca nut market.

After witnessing a downward trend last month believed to be due to reports over the Union government’s move to ban areca nut, prices of white areca nut (called chali) have recovered now.

The prices of ‘hale adike’ (old stocks of 2012-13 season harvested between November and March) which were hovering around Rs. 195 per kg till December 10 last month began to drop to reach Rs. 180 a kg in about ten days.

It was after December 10 that media began reporting about a letter (of September 6, 2013) written by an official of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India “…requesting to examine the scientific evidences on the harmful effects of areca nut with a view to initiating necessary action to classify areca nut as an injurious substance and accordingly prohibit its use as ingredient in any food product.” 

Following this there were debates and protests over the move to ban areca nut.

Ramesh Kainthaje, a member of G. V. Joshi committee on production cost of areca nut, a farmer and a close observer of areca nut market, said that following the reports there was panic flooding of areca nut to markets by farmers which pushed the prices down by Rs. 15 per kg. Prices began to go up after State ministers stated that it would not be banned and the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad (on December 27) stating that the move had been put on hold. Prices began to recover from the last week of December after farmers began to hold the produce, he said.

Price on Wednesday stood at Rs. 195-197 per kg, Mr. Kainthaje said.

He said when compared to the prices prevailing during the same period last year, the prices are up by Rs. 15 this year. 

Last January, the price of ‘hale adike’ was hovering around Rs. 185 per kg, he said.

Concurring with this M. Suresh Bhandary, managing director, the Central Areca nut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (Campco), said farmers, wholesale, and retail traders played a pivotal role in deciding areca nut market. 

The reports did shook farmers this time who released old stocks held by them. Farmers were apprehensive that like gutkha, the government indeed might ban areca nut.

Sridhar G Bhide, former president, Mangalore Agriculturists’ Sahakari Sangha and presently its director, said traders were behind the fluctuation in price. They made use of the advantage of the reports and brought the prices down. Traders played a pivotal role in it, he said.