Government takes on food contamination with plans for ‘product recall’ safeguard

Government takes on food contamination with plans for ‘product recall’ safeguard 

Shaken with the rising incidents of adulteration of food products manufactured in India and sold locally and abroad, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) – under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare – is all set to usher in a ‘product recall’ procedure to ensure food safety in the country. 

Once the procedure is in place, any food product, ranging from tinned products to packaged milk, if found to be counterfeit, adulterated or contaminated, can be seized and recalled at the production stage, retail stores or even from consumers. 

If a product is found to be spurious, the entire quantity of the item produced in the ‘production batch’ period will be recalled. It could be thousands of butter packets belonging to the specific period in question, or lakhs of baby food packets. 

It would also be possible to trace and remove a tainted product at any part of the supply chain.

In November last year, Tasty Nuts, a variety of spice-coated fried peanuts, from Haldiram’s Nagpur plant were recalled in Australia as the product was found to be contaminated with aflatoxin, a highly toxic compound. The product was recalled from retailers and even consumers.

Sixteen food samples collected

Ludhiana, February 28

The Health Department today collected 16 samples of food on the directions of Civil Surgeon Dr Subhash Batta. 

The samples were taken under the supervision of District Health Officer Dr Avinash Kumar.

The team collected samples of juice, salt and soda from Dugri, the sample of pastry was collected from Ladowal. Another sample of juice was collected from Noorpur Bet and Mallak Pur. A sample of tea was collected from Haibowal while samples of cold drink and water were collected from Civil Lines.

From Ghumar Mandi, the team collected the samples of tea, daal and cold drink while the samples of soda and salt was collected from Ferozepur Road. The samples of “namkeen” and juice were also collected from Sarabha Nagar. The samples have been sent to food laboratory in Chandigarh.

CMO Wokha on food safety

As per the provision laid under Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and Rules 2001, the designated officer (chief medical officer), Wokha has reminded all the food business operators in the district to obtain the FSS license or register their food business establishment (Food Manufactures, Distributors, Stockiest, Agencies, Departmental Supplies, Wholesellers, Retailers, Hotels, Restaurants, Canteens, Pharmacy selling food items, all petty Food Business operators etc.) from the office of the designated officers (CMO) on or before March 25, 2014. 

Operating Food Business without the FSS license or registration will attract penalty up to Rs.Five lakh and imprisonment up to six months under Section 63 of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006.