Jan 30, 2014

ஓட்டலில் வாங்கிய குளிர்பான பாட்டிலில் புழுக்கள்: உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறை அதிகாரிகள் நடவடிக்கை

ஓட்டலில் வாங்கிய குளிர்பானத்தில் புழு நெளிந்ததால் மாநகராட்சி அதிகாரிகளிடம் சமூக சேவகி புகார் செய்தார். உடனடியாக ஓட்டலுக்கு விரைந்து சென்ற உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரிகள் அங்கு சோதனை நடத்தி காலாவதியான குளிர்பான பாட்டில்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.
குளிர்பான பாட்டிலில் புழு கிடந்தது பற்றி அதை வாங்கிய ‘எக்ஸ்னோரா’ நிறுவனத்தின் பொதுச் செயலாளர் நிஷா கோட்டா கூறியதாவது: 
மெரினா கடற்கரையில் காந்தி சிலை பின்புறம் ஒரு ஓட்டல் உள்ளது. ராணி மேரி கல்லூரி நிகழ்ச்சிக்கு குழு உறுப்பினர்களுடன் வந்திருந்த நான், குளிர்பானம் குடிக்க அந்த ஓட்டலுக்கு சென்றேன். ரூ.15 கொடுத்து குளிர்பானம் வாங்கினேன். பாட்டிலுக்குள் ஏதோ நெளிவதுபோல இருந்தது. அருகே கண்ணை வைத்துப் பார்த்தேன். பாட்டிலுக்குள் புழுக்கள் நெளிந்துகொண்டிருந்தன. 
அதிர்ச்சி அடைந்து கடைக்காரரிடம் கேட்டேன். ‘நாங்கள் வாங்கி விற்பதோடு சரி. குளிர்பான ஏஜென்ட்தான் இதற்கு பொறுப்பு. அவரிடம் பேசிக்கொள்ளுங்கள்’ என்று கூறி, குளிர்பான ஏஜென்ட் சுரேஷ் என்பவரின் டெலிபோன் எண்ணைக் கொடுத்தார். அவரை தொடர்பு கொண்டு கேட்டேன். அவரோ, “பாட்டில் குளிர்பானங்கள் எல்லாமே இப்படித்தான் இருக்கும். நாங்கள் ஒவ்வொரு பாட்டிலாகப் பார்த்தா வியாபாரம் செய்ய முடியும். உங்களை யார் வாங்கி குடிக்க சொன்னது” என்று பொறுப்பில்லாமல் பேசினார். 
உடனடியாக சென்னை மாநகராட்சி சுகாதார அலுவலர் குகானந் தத்தை தொடர்புகொண்டு, நடந்த விவரங்களை கூறினேன். அடுத்த சில நிமிடங்களில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரிகள் 4 பேர் அங்கு வந்தனர். கடையில் சோதனை நடத்தி, காலாவதியான குளிர்பான பாட்டில்களை கைப்பற்றிச் சென்றனர். 
குளிர்பான பாட்டிலை வாங்கிய போதே, மூடி துருப்பிடித்து இருப்பதைப் பார்த்து கடைக்காரரிடம் கேட்டேன். ‘கடல் காற்றில் எல்லா குளிர்பான மூடிகளும் ஒரே மாதத்தில் துருப்பிடித்து விடும்’ என்று சர்வசாதாரணமாக கூறுகிறார். மூடியைத் திறக்கும் போது துரு உள்ளே விழுந்தால், அருந்துபவர்களுக்கு வயிற்று வலி உள்பட பல உபாதைகள் ஏற்படும். பொது மக்களின் உடல்நலத்தில் வியாபாரிகளுக்கும் பொறுப்பிருக்கிறது. அவர்கள் லாபத்தை மட்டுமே நினைக்க கூடாது. பொதுமக்களும் விழிப்புணர்வுடன் இருந்தால்தான் இதுபோன்ற தவறுகளைத் தடுக்க முடியும். இவ்வாறு நிஷா கூறினார். 
நீங்களும் புகார் செய்யலாம் 
உணவுப் பொருட்கள் தரம் குறைந்திருந்தாலோ, கெட்டுப் போயிருந்தாலோ, பூச்சிகள், குப்பைகள் அல்லது வேறு ஏதா வது கிடந்தாலோ 9444042322 என்ற எண்ணில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறையினரை காலை 10 மணி முதல் மாலை 5 மணிக்குள் தொடர்பு கொண்டு புகார் கொடுக்கலாம்.

Food Safety License’ Must for Food Business Operators

As per a recently passed directive by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), all those in food business, including road side canteens and hotels, have to obtain a license/registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, before February 4. 
Operators running operations post 4th Feb without license would be levied a penalty upto Rs. 5 lacs and/or imprisonment upto 6 month. 
The directive,first passed in month of November 2013, declares that all Food Manufactures, Packers, Wholesalers, Distributors & Sellers, Hotels, Restaurants, Clubs, Canteens and Caterers must have food safety license. 
The prime objective of the directive is ensuring that the food items served are hygienic, wholesome and free of contaminants. 
According Kailash Sharma, President, Hotel Association Udaipur, around 450 members of the association operating across various hotels in Udaipur have already applied for license.Besides the hotels, the association also has 60 restaurants as members, all of whom have also duly applied for license. 
For those who are yet to apply for license, last date of getting the license is 4th February.The form is available for download on FSSAI’s website.

DINAMALAR NEWS


Food Safety officials raid shops

unfit for use:Food Safety and Drug Administration officials destroying outdated cold drinks in Tiruvarur on Wednesday.

Unfit for use:Food Safety and Drug Administration officials destroying outdated cold drinks in Tiruvarur on Wednesday.
The officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department conducted surprise checks in various shops near the bus stand in Tiruvarur on Wednesday and destroyed outdated bottle drinks. A team of officials, led by R. Ramesh Babu, Designated Officer of the department, conducted the check.

In a release here, Mr. Babu appealed to the members of the public to contact his office by calling 04366241034 during working hours for giving vital tips about the sale of outdated bottle drinks.

Banned tobacco products seized

Food Safety Department officials seized banned tobacco products worth Rs. 50,000 from shops in Gobichett-ipalayam town on Wednesday morning. The raids were carried out by a team led by G. Karunanidhi, District Officer for Food Safety and Drug Control, with support from the Revenue Department. Cases would be registered against the sellers of illegal tobacco products, Mr. Karunanidhi said. But, the officials who acted on a tip-off are at a loss to make out how the illegal tobacco sale could be curbed in the long run. They say it is difficult to cut the supply line to the shops that continue to sell banned tobacco products to a trusted customer base. Officials are able to act on specific information.

Hold CMs’ meeting on Food Safety Act, Chouhan urges PM

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has requested Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to urgently convene a meeting of all Chief Ministers to ascertain their views regarding implementation of provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. He sought Prime Minister's indulgence in keeping the implementation of the provisions of the Act under abeyance till the issues are fully resolved.
Chouhan said that provisions of the Act need reconsideration as they are impractical and cannot be implemented. He said that small business operators have been adversely hit on account of the stringent provisions of the Act. Unable to cope with the high benchmarks prescribed, which in some cases are impractical, most will be forced to close their businesses.
Chouhan brought to the notice of the Prime Minister extreme hardships being faced by very small food business operators (FBOs) in Madhya Pradesh. He said that entire country is facing similar problems on account of promulgation of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The Chief Minister said that the State Government is deeply concerned and conscious of the need to provide safe food to the people. However, in doing so, it would not be appropriate to treat all categories of FBOs by the same yardsticks of registration.
The Chief Minister said that another impractical provision is that the Act treats unprocessed commodities such as food grains, on the same footing as processed, packaged or cooked and ready to consume items. This has resulted in traders refusing to purchase food grains from farmers. Chouhan said that he is aware of the observations of the Supreme Court on the issue of food safety and standards.
However, it is necessary that the Central Government place the facts in the correct perspective before the court. If this is done the court would take a reasonable view in the matter.

Schoolkids Hospitalised after Having R-Day Refreshments

Nearly 200 children from various schools in Kottarakkara who took part in the procession conducted as part of the Republic Day celebrations in Kottarakkara on January 26 were admitted to various hospitals with food poisoning.
Kottarakkara police and Food Safety Officials said that the sweets and the drinks supplied during the procession were contaminated and it might have caused diarrhoea, vomiting and stomachache among the children. A procession was taken out with students after the Republic Day flag hoisting on Kottarakkara Boys Higher Secondary School Ground. Various associations and voluntary organisations supplied drinking water and sweets to the children.
Ironically, this service turned out to be an agonising time for the students as nearly 200 pupils from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Boys HSS, Girls HSS, Mar Thoma HS, Valakom and Mar Thoma HS, Kottarakkara are still in hospitals with stomach pain, diarrhoea and vomiting.
The children started vomiting vigorously on Monday afternoon and were admitted to the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital and various other private hospitals in the vicinity. There was a rush of children and parents to hospitals in Kottarakkara even on Tuesday afternoon. This created panic in the region and Food Safety officers, Police and other associations rushed to the hospitals to assess the situation.
In the meantime, Food Safety Officer A K Mini collected samples of water and food materials supplied to the students and sent them to the Government Analytical Lab in Thiruvananthapuram. “Most probably the poisoning was caused due to contaminated water or ice. We requested the Lab to get the test results at the earliest and once we get it the real cause of this mishap can be ascertained,” said Mini.

Fungous cakes seized

IMPHAL, Jan 29:along with seizing some packets of fungous Sandwich Cake (real cream in between) from a Mantripukhri godown for sample reference to a food testing laboratory, Federation of Regional Indigenous Society (FREINDS) has sealed the storage facility and banned sale of the food item with immediate effect pending report of the sample examination.
According to FREINDS secretary (Organisation) Pebam Premkumar, the Mantripukhri godown storing the food product of retail outlet Sangai Beverages Enterprises, MG Avenue was checked by its volunteers this morning based on a complaint about discovering fungus in the food cake.
Identifying the retail trader to newspersons as one Sunil Prasad (36) s/o Jagnarayan of Bihar and the dealer as Rajendra Singh of Punjab, Sunil said during random checking by unwrapping of the food packages stored at the godown many of said cake brand were found to be fungous.
Some of the packages were also opened before the mediapersons wherein presence of fungus could be confirmed.
the godown storing over 50 cartons of the food item has been sealed, handful collected to be sent for testing at a food laboratory and sale of the same banned in the State with immediate effect, he maintained.
Sunil opined that the food items might have been brought to Manipur and intentionally adulterated so that the people suffer from impotency.
With regard to the manufacture date of food item branded 'Bisk Farm Sandwich Cake' labelled as December 2013, he said the date of manufacture being changed/rewritten on the package to mislead the consumers cannot be ruled out.
if the manufacture date is real and duly conformed to food safety measures there should be no fungus in the food item, Sunil pointed out.
Sandwich Cake is a product of Kolkata-based Saj Food Products Pvt Ltd.