'Tech-based Solutions for Spice Sector'

Active involvement of stakeholders in sustainability initiatives and need for technology-oriented solutions are the major concerns to be addressed by the spices sector. 

This was the finding of the four-day World Spice Congress, which concluded here on Wednesday.

As of now, the drivers of sustainability are mostly consumers and suppliers, but it is necessary that initiatives for the same should reach the producers also. This is one of the major challenges the sector needs to address immediately, said the panelists at the plenary session of the congress.

It was also stated that the agricultural sector is facing acute shortage of manpower. Therefore, the need for technology-oriented solutions is critical in the sector. 

Innovative technology needs to be used to produce high-quality goods which conform to global food safety norms and effective branding needs to be put in place to create an impact in the world market.

Addressing the congress, Rajeev Kher, Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, said that India has ample potential in terms of promotion of non-conventional applications and exports of innovative products derived from spices. 

The focus should be on non-traditional aspects of spices in sectors such as healthcare, fragrances, cosmetics and garments, which in turn has the capacity to define a new market for Indian spices, globally.

US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, who addressed the delegates, expressed satisfaction at the Indo-US collaboration designed to enhance systematic responses for addressing challenges related to food safety and the spice industry.

The World Spice Congress saw the participation of delegates from 45 countries. The event had about 460 delegates from India and 265 participants from other countries. 

The next World Spice 

Congress is proposed to be held on an even more extensive scale, with active participation from national spice associations and global spice associations from other spice-producing countries.

US inspectors shutter California slaughterhouse Associated Press

HANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Federal inspectors shut down a central California slaughterhouse that supplies beef to the National School Lunch Program because of unsanitary conditions.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a statement Tuesday that the conditions prompted it to withdraw inspectors and suspend operations at Central Valley Meat Co. in Hanford, about 30 miles south of Fresno.

"The plant's suspension will be lifted once we receive adequate assurances of corrective action," the agency said.

Company representatives didn't immediately return a phone message left by The Associated Press on Tuesday evening.

In 2012, Central Valley Meat Co. shut down for a week after Compassion Over Killing, an animal rights group, sent videos to federal officials showing workers torturing cows with electric prods and spraying hot water on the animals, the Los Angeles Times reported (http://lat.ms/1m8qZU8).

The abuse led to the end of the company's relationship with In-N-Out restaurants. The national lunch program and McDonald's also suspended purchases.

Federal inspectors didn't find that the animals' treatment affected food safety.

The facility reopened after submitting a plan of action that included training its workers to use electric prods correctly and banning taking in cows not able to walk or stand.

Last September, Central Valley recalled 58,000 pounds of beef for the school lunch program after federal officials said the meat possibly contained pieces of plastic. There was no recall in Tuesday's announcement.

Running out of time: Govt introduces two bills, Rajya Sabha passes four Bills without discussion

 NEW DELHI: Running out of time to complete pending legislative business in the current session of Parliament, the Upper House on Wednesday introduced two bills and passed four others including the ones to protect the right of urban street vendors and safeguard them against harassment by police and civic authorities.

Though the two bills - one to bring uniformity in the tenure, allowances and retirement age of chairpersons and members of the various tribunals and other one relating to food safety and standards - were introduced in the din, the members passed the four pending Bills with voice votes when the House was in order.

Since members from all political parties agreed to clear these proposed legislation quickly without any discussion, the House passed all the four Bills within 30 minutes.

The bills which were passed include setting up Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agriculture University in Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh, converting the Bengal Engineering and Science University in Sibpur, West Bengal, into an institute of national importance and the one relating to provide secretarial assistance and other benefits to former governors.

The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, 2014 -- which provides for protection of livelihoods rights, social security of street vendors -- was passed by Lok Sabha in September last year.

Allaying apprehensions of MPs about adequate representation to vendors and others in panels for decision like determination of natural market, the housing and urban poverty alleviation minister Girija Vyas assured them that 40% members of the 'Town Vending Committees' will be from amongst street vendors including women and persons from SC/ST categories.

The Bill has provision to constitution of a 'Town Vending Authority' in each local authority to ensure participatory decision making for aspects like determination of natural market, identification of vending zones, preparation of street vending plan and survey of street vendors among others.

Responding to members' concerns over identification of street vendors, the minister said that a survey for this purpose would be taken up at the earliest to ensure certificates to street vendors.

The National Institute of Technology, Science Education and Research (Amendment) Bill, 2013 was passed after minister of state for HRD Shashi Tharoor moved it in the absence of HRD minister M M Pallam Raju who is a Lok Sabha member of Congress from Andhra Pradesh

Raising objections to Tharoor moving the bill in the absence of Raju, BJP member Ravi Shankar Prasad raised a point of order saying a bill can be moved only by a cabinet minister and not by a junior minister unless permitted to do so. He also sought to know why Pallam Raju was not present in the House for passage of the Bill. Deputy chairman P J Kurien, however, said the Chair has allowed him to do so.

The bill, which also seeks to transform the university into Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST), was passed by Lok Sabha in December.

The bill to bring uniformity in the tenure, allowances and retirement age of chairpersons and members of the various tribunals functioning in the country was introduced by the law minister Kapil Sibal. The bill provides chairpersons and members of tribunals a uniform tenure of a maximum of five years. But, they will have varied retirement ages of 70 years for a Supreme Court judge and 67 years for a High Court judge.

The retirement age of 65 has been proposed for those who join tribunals from the administrative side. As of now, some tribunals have a three-year tenure for retired judges, while others provide for five years.

The other bill was introduced by the health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad. It is related to amending the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The current Parliament session will end on Friday.

SMC serves ‘improve notice’ to KU cafeteria

Srinagar, Feb 19: In an effort to make summer capital Srinagar a “best food city,” Srinagar Municipal Corporation Wednesday raided cafeterias at University of Kashmir, filing a challan against a cafeteria owner at the varsity for using excessive “mono sodium glutamate and synthetic colouring agents” in food which is hazardous for human consumption.

An SMC team lead by Health Officer Dr Shafkat found out Iqbal Library cafeteria “in gross unhygienic conditions.”

The officials said that the SMC food safety team will be regularly inspecting canteens in University premises.

The canteen was not just found in gross unhygienic conditions, but the utensils along with the insanitary food items were confiscated by the team on spot.

Officials said a challan was framed against the manager of the cafeteria which was later produced before the court of Municipal Magistrate Srinagar.

“The manager was warned to desist from using such non permitted food colours. If he doesn’t improve his services, strict action will be taken against owner of the cafeteria,” SMC spokesperson said in a statement here. “Some of the food stuff was also destroyed for using harmful chemicals.”

The cafeteria owner was directed to keep the premises well sanitized and fully hygienic in future “otherwise the cafeteria shall be sealed down.”

Dr Shafkat said such inspections would continue in and around the university.

The health officer said that the spice contains coloring agents like Carmoisine and Tartrazine which can cause serious health hazards on consumption.

Notably the Health Department of SMC recently cracked whip on some of the local companies for using the substandard material in their production. SMC has also prepared a prosecution case against the Company under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.