செயற்கை முறையில் மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்தால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் எச்சரிக்கை

நாமக்கல், மே 7: 

மாம்பழங்களை செயற்கை முறையில் பழுக்க வைத்தால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார். 

நாமக்கல் மாவட்டத்தில் செயற்கை முறையில் மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்வதாக கிடைத்த தகவலின் பேரில், மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவு நியமனஅலுவலர் டாக்டர் தமிழ்ச்செல்வன் மற்றும் அலுவலர்கள் அடங்கிய குழுவினர் குமாரபாளையம் நகரப்பகுதிகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். 

செயற்கை முறையில் பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட மாம்பழங்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். அப்போது முதல் முறை என்பதால் வியாபாரிகளை எச்சரிக்கை செய்துவிட்டனர். 

இது குறித்து, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை நியமன அலுவலர் தமிழ்ச்செல்வன் கூறுகையில், செயற்கை முறையில் பழுக்க வைத்த மாம்பழங்களை விற்பனை செய்பவர்கள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். நன்கு முதிர்ச்சியடைந்த மாம்பழங்கள் இயற்கையாகவே 5 முதல் 6 நாட்களுக்குள் பழுக்கும் தன்மை கொண்டவை. ஆனால் அதற்கு முன்பே பழுக்க வைக்க பல்வேறு முறைகளை கையாண்டு பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்கிறார்கள். செயற்கை முறையில் கார்பைடு கல்லால் பழுக்க வைத்த மாம்பழங்களை சாப்பிடுவதால், நரம்பு மண்டலம் பாதிப்படைகிறது. மூளைக்கு செல்லும் ஆக்சிஜன் அளவு இயல்பை விட குறைவாகிறது. வாந்தி,பேதி மற்றும் பல்வேறு பிரச்னைகள் ஏற்பட வாய்ப்புள்ளது. செயற்கை முறையில் மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்தால், அவை பறிமுதல் செய்து அழிக்கப்படும். 

தொடர்ந்து இச்செயலில் ஈடுபடும் நபர்கள் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். மாவட்டம் முழுவதும் இது தொடர்பான கண்காணிப்பு நடவடிக்கைகள் தொடர்ந்து மேற்கொள்ளப்படும் என்றார். 

FSSAI CEO urges states to follow MP model, tie up with Internet kiosks

D K Samantray, chief executive officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, urged the other states in the country to tie up with Internet kiosks for online licencing and registration, as Madhya Pradesh did last year. They were also urged to charge food business operators (FBO) a minimum of Rs 20 for the service.

Lauding the central state’s food safety commissioner (D D Aggrawal) for the step, he added that it was not just generating revenue for the state, but also making FBO aware of the importance of licencing and registration. Samantray also reminded the states that the deadline by which FBO had to either obtain licences or register their establishments (as the case may be) was August 4, 2014.

Aggrawal said, “With several extensions to the licencing and registration since the first deadline was set in 2011, FBO didn’t show interest in coming ahead and either obtaining licenses or registering offline.”

“I met FSO from all the districts in Madhya Pradesh, discussed the idea of tying up with Internet kiosks and initiated the process. Within a few months, we got a favourable response from the FBO. Food safety officers (FSO) and FSSAI officials trained them in it,” he added.

Tasty mango test missing, health at risk Officials cite staff shortage

Enjoy mango delicacy but at your own risk. 

Without any government check on mangoes hitting the market, the traders have started indiscriminate use of calcium carbide and other chemicals to attract customers. 

Ashish Kumar, designated officer (headquarters), food safety wing, health department, said: “There are only 14 food safety officials in the whole state. What do you expect from them? Forget mangoes, we cannot carry out normal investigation to check quality of food products properly,” said Ashish. 

The senior official added: “Moreover, traders use chemical more on bananas than mangoes for quick ripening of the fruit. So I don’t think there is any need to carry out any drive to check mango quality.” 

However, asked whether any drive had been initiated to check the banana quality, Ashish said in negative. 

The customers, however, were not happy to know that the state government’s food safety wing was not going to check the quality of mangoes available in the market. 

“The officials of the food safety wing are supposed to check the quality of mangoes and if they are not doing this then they are shirking their responsibilities,” said Veena Singh of Kadamkuan. 

Munna, a mango seller near Anta Ghat, said: “Calcium carbide generates maximum artificial heat which helps ripen the mangoes within 25-26 hours. Calcium carbide can be used on only those mangoes, which are 30-40 per cent ripe. We use it because it helps ripen mangoes in one go while all mangoes would not ripe together, if natural process is followed.” 

The reason that Munna came up is quite interesting also. “Calcium carbide is cheap. It is available at a rate something between Rs 60 and 70 per kg. We need just 10gm for 10-12kg of mangoes.” 

When this correspondent asked how they use it, Munna said: “At first, calcium carbide has to be crushed and kept in a piece of muslin cloth. The packet of calcium carbide has to be kept in the basket of mangoes for 25-26 hours. In case calcium carbide is not used in the right proportion, it would damage all mangoes instead of ripening them.” 

Shailendra Kumar, seen picking up mangoes in a market, said: “We don’t know whether these luscious fruits are chemical-laced or not. I am a mango lover since my childhood. It would have been nice if the government intervened into the monitoring factor to check whether calcium carbide is used to ripen the mangoes or not.” 

On the other hand, Ashish of the food safety wing attributed one of the reasons of not checking the mango quality to the infrastructure problems at Combined Food and Drug Testing Laboratory, Kadamkuan, the lone state-run laboratory. 

Sources said the food safety wing is already facing major crisis. 

It does not have food analyst at its Combined Food and Drug Testing Laboratory because of which samples are sent to Mineral Area Development Authority (Mada), Dhanbad. 

The Dhanbad laboratory takes 15-20 days to send the test report while according to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the report should be sent to the authority concerned within 14 days of the receiving of the sample so that the authorities concerned can take action but this norm is hardly being followed. 

The Agamkuan lab also does not have a director and a deputy director for many years. 

Many posts like that of assistant director, public analyst and assistant public analyst are lying vacant. 

The health department’s food safety wing has also miserably failed to keep a tab on eateries, which are still flouting the hygiene norms in the absence of proper checks. 

At present, there are only four technicians in the laboratory because of which carrying out regular food testing has become a difficult task for the food safety wing. 

Corpn officials up the guard for 'King of fruits'

With the onset of mango season, people have already started flocking to markets to get their hands on the ‘king of fruits’. While Indian mangoes are popular across the world, they also seem to have gained notoriety for artificial ripening. 

Earlier, the task of curbing artificial ripening of mangoes rested with the Corporation’s Health Department. After the enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act, the Food Safety and Standards Enforcement Department has taken up the mantle of cutting down the supply of low quality mangoes.

According to an official of the Food Safety Department, the enormous influx of mangoes during the season makes it difficult to effectively monitor them. But the department has been conducting regular checks at important marketplaces, especially the Koyambedu Market. “We have seized huge amounts of calcium carbonate, other liquid chemicals and compounds used for ripening mangoes artificially. But sadly, it is still prevalent,” said an official. 

Consumption of artificially ripened mangoes is known to cause several health problems. “They are undoubtedly a serious health hazard. One of the main health implications is severe gastritis. They cause vomiting, nausea and other health problems,” said the city health officer of the Chennai Corporation.

The Food Safety Department, with the help of the Corporation’s Health Department, has resorted to surprise raids to curb the menace. “On the orders of the Food Safety Department, we conducted several surprise raids at important markets. It is from markets such as Koyambedu that most other smaller markets and vendors source their mangoes. Keeping a check on mangoes in big markets has definitely helped bring down the menace,” said a health department official. 

Apart from the chemicals, the officials also seize the mangoes that have been artificially ripened and destroy them using bleaching powder, during the raids. “Many vendors, fearing loss of merchandise, exercise more caution while sourcing mangoes now,” said an official.

The Food Safety Department and the Corporation’s Health Department have been conducting regular checks at places where sales of low quality mangoes is prevalent, such as the Marina Beach. “Recently, we conducted a surprise raid at the beach and scanned for low quality fruits, unhygienic oil and ingredients such as meat. We bleached over 285 kilograms of meat during the raid,” said an official in charge of the raid.

The public finds it difficult to ascertain which mangoes are artificially ripened, said officials. “The only way is to buy from trusted outlets, and be cautious while buying from roadside vendors,” said a health officer.

Artificially ripened mangoes destroyed

Food Safety Officers carried out surprise raids on the shops selling mangoes on the Mahatma Gandhi Road here on Tuesday.

They found heaps of artificially ripened mangoes there. The officials seized about 100 kg of such mangoes and also two kg of powdered calcium carbide used for hastening the ripening process.

The officials warned the traders of stringent action, as provided under the Food Safety and Standards Act, if they continue to market such pre-matured fruits and usage of chemicals for their ripening. Consuming unnaturally ripened mangoes would result in mouth ulcers, skin rashes and gastric problems. Such fruits would have uniform colour on the skin sans the natural aroma.

It is suggested that before consumption the fruits should be washed under the tap (running water) for few minutes and the skin should be peeled off.

Later, the officials took the seized fruits to the municipality grounds and destroyed the lot.

Chemically ripened mangoes: man denied bail

A District Additional Sessions Court here on Tuesday denied bail to a city resident accused of ripening mangoes chemically using calcium carbide. Sanu E.D., 38, of Nettoor, was arrested here last month after police and food safety officials found calcium carbide being used to ripen mangoes at his godown at Maradu. The court said that Sanu could potentially influence the materials in the case if he were released on bail at this stage of the investigation. “Having regard to the nature and gravity of the offence reportedly committed by the petition, it is undesirable to release him on bail at this stage,” the court noted in its order.

Food safety

This refers to the public notice issued by SMC regarding banning the use of Ajinomoto (Monosodium Glutamate).) The SMC has done a remarkable job by dealing with such a grave problem. The food in restaurants and wazwan is relished by one and all without knowing the secret behind its taste. The use of synthetic colors is commonly accepted by all resulting in extreme thirst but regarding the health intricacies everyone is not fully aware. The restaurant owners/chefs should restrict the use of such hazardous chemicals believing that the human lives are very very precious.

Energy Drinks : Physiologists Social Concern-K. K. Deepak

Now a days, the consumption of functional foods is on the rise to impart additional positive physiological effects. They are available in many forms like antioxidants, minerals, stimulants, energy, vitamins, dietary fiber etc. Their proponents claim multi-purpose use like enhancing general health effects, concentrated dose, disease specific claims, improving cognitive abilities, muscle strengths, mind stimulants for better performance etc.

I would like to draw attention towards the so called "energy drinks" and "energy shots". The consumption of these drinks is in fashion and it has become a status symbol too. This is probably due to simple (mis)understanding that energy drinks have instant positive physiological effects on several parameters. These energy drinks are different from other beverages in the sense that when a young person needs them for energy, he needs a lot and he needs them quite frequently. This desire to have more combined with poor knowledge about the adequacy of consumption result in overdosing. According to a recent newspaper report the overdosing of energy drink led to a teenager falling seriously ill, developing kidney failure and subsequently he had to be hospitalized and put on artificial ventilation (1).

The larger question still remains: Are these energy drinks worth the claim ? Current research published in IJPP in the last issue (Goel et al 2014) is an eye opener (2). The authors have shown that in a regular dose, the energy drinks are in no way different from regular isocaloric drinks in terms of physiologic benefits. Not only this, there are several other reports on harmful effects of energy drinks (3). The evidence put forth clearly suggests serious lacking of Physiology Education among teenagers/parents/society. Energy drinks appear to be a misnomer in the sense that most of them contain caffeine as main ingredient and sometimes some additional ingredients to create a blend. To a layperson it gives false impression that it is better for energy, although any sugary drink will illicit the same physiological response. It would be wise to discourage the use of catchy names given to these drinks which neither enhance energy levels nor stimulate cognitive functions beyond sugary drinks. Therefore, there is a need to change the nomenclature of these category of drinks to sound more appropriate. As of now it appears there are no regulations regarding these issues. Our Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) must do something in this regard. Among several mandates of FSSAI, the following mandate is important with reference to the current context. One of the mandates is: "To collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various contaminants in foods products, identification of emerging risks and introduction of rapid alert system" (4).

The question still remains who is going to advise FSSAI about physiological implications of functional foods. Therefore, regulations of foods standards and safety (when there are high industry and commercial stakes) require a concurrence among academicians, regulators, industry and media. Such concurrence is needed to balance the overdoing by any one of the components. There is a need to develop nutritional standard based on research and implement them seriously. The information about composition, dosage for various ages and the physiologic benefits must be made available in public domain and on the product. 

Physiologists, pharmacologists and Nutritional scientists have contributed to the understanding of mechanisms and application of nutrients and food supplements. They need to further expand the in-depth research to verify the tall claims of large number of functional foods visible in media. The experts should write in-depth reviews after meta-analysis in the field and should create consensus statement or position statement. One such position statement for the purpose of athletes and sportspersons is available in literature (5). The media should focus on these issues and should invite physiologists/pharmacologists as experts to express their opinion about relevant research findings and knowledge. They should be a part of the decision making wherever the academic knowledge is required. The research on nutritional supplements should be treated like pharmaceutical research, as the consequences of nutritional supplements do have effects beyond physiology in terms of both positive or negative effects. Thus, it is the social responsibility of physiologists, pharmacologists and nutritional experts to widen the knowledge base in the field to create consensus statements, and social awareness of the knowledge in the field.

Food joints outside lal dora face closure

Chandigarh, May 6

The UT Administration will not issue food license to the restaurants, bakeries, dhabas and other food joints operating outside lal dora limits of the city. 

With these orders, these food joints will now face closure as without food license running these units will be illegal.

As per the recent orders issued by UT Home Secretary-cum-Commissioner of Food Safety under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, no premises outside Lal Dora (Abadi-Deh) will be issued any license/registration. Besides, no renewal of license/registration of premises which fall outside Lal Dora will be done if they have issued food licenses/registration under FSS Act 2006 or Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

A senior official of the UT Administration said not only outside Lal Dora, but now within the city no objection certificate (NOC) from Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), Estate Office and Municipal Corporation is required to be submitted for issue of food license if food business operator is running business in residential premises, basements and on the upper floors of shop-cum-flats (SCF).

On these directions, Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) President Charanjiv Singh said before closing down these units, the UT Administration should provide proper space to these people, where they can run their units legally. The administration should also take suggestions from various traders’ body on this issue before initiating any action, he suggested. 

SAD Councillor Malkiat Singh said instead of stopping issuing licenses to people who are running food joints outside Lal Dora the Administration should extend Lal Dora limit in city villages.

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo to remove controversial ingredient from drinks

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have stood by the safety of the ingredient, which is used to distribute flavors more evenly in fruit-flavored drinks.

NEW YORK: Coca-Cola and PepsiCo said on Monday they're working to remove a controversial ingredient from all their drinks, including Mountain Dew, Fanta and Powerade. 

The ingredient, called brominated vegetable oil, had been the target of petitions on Change.org by a Mississippi teenager who wanted it out of PepsiCo's Gatorade and Coca-Cola's Powerade. In her petitions, Sarah Kavanagh noted that the ingredient has been patented as a flame retardant and isn't approved for use in Japan and the European Union. 

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have stood by the safety of the ingredient, which is used to distribute flavors more evenly in fruit-flavored drinks. But their decisions reflect the pressure companies are facing as people pay closer attention to ingredient labels and try to stick to diets they feel are natural. Several major food makers have recently changed their recipes to remove chemicals or dyes that people find objectionable. 

While food companies stress that the ingredients meet regulatory requirements, their decisions reflect how marketing a product as "natural" has become priority and a competitive advantage. 

PepsiCo had said last year that it would remove brominated vegetable oil from Gatorade. On Monday, the company said it has since been working to remove it from the rest of its products. PepsiCo also uses BVO in its Mountain Dew and Amp energy drinks. 

The company, based in Purchase, New York, didn't provide a timeline for when it expects the removal to be complete. 

Earlier on Monday, Coca-Cola had also said that it's removing the ingredient from all its drinks to be consistent in the ingredients it uses around the world. In addition to Powerade, Coca-Cola uses BVO in some flavors of Fanta, Fresca and several citrus-flavored fountain drinks. The company said BVO should be phased out in the US by the end of the year. 

Coca-Cola said it would instead use sucrose acetate isobutyrate, which it noted has been used in drinks for more than 14 years, and glycerol ester of rosin, which it said is commonly found in chewing gum and drinks. 

A Coca-Cola spokesman, Josh Gold, noted that BVO isn't used in many other countries, but said it would be phased out in Canada and Latin America as well. 

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health advocacy group, notes that the Food and Drug Administration permitted the use of BVO on an interim basis in 1970 pending additional study. Decades later, the group notes that BVO is still on the interim list. 

Kavanagh, the Mississippi 17-year-old, had been planning on launching another petition on Change.org asking PepsiCo to remove BVO from all its drinks. She wasn't immediately available for comment late Monday. Earlier in the day, however, she said, "It's really good to know that companies, especially big companies, are listening to consumers."

Strict vigil on for forced ripened mangoes

With the food and drug administration (FDA) keeping a vigil, no cases of artificial ripening of mangoes using chemicals have been detected so far in this mango season.

However, availability of artificially-ripened mangoes and other fruits in the market cannot be ruled out as chemical-induced ripening can take place before their transportation to Goa.

Inter-state monitoring, however, is necessary for such activities to be properly addressed. "My department can take care of the problem within the state, but how do we check for the use of harmful chemicals when the mangoes are being transported from places like Belgaum. The transportation time is just enough for the chemical to poison the fruit and evaporate without being detected," said director of the food and drugs administration Salim Veljee.

Artificially ripening mangoes using calcium carbide or its fumes is prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food and Safety Standards Rules and Regulations. Veljee said, "Anyone breaching the law will be severely penalized."

However, it is not easy to book the, FDA director said. Users of such methods can be booked only if proper circumstantial evidence is collected against them. Those using carbide fumes are many times left scot-free as no evidence is found against them. The FDA in Goa conducts frequent inspections at fruit yards, wholesale fruit godowns to curb the use of such chemicals.

Mangoes are also ripened artificially using plant growth regulators like ethephon, which is not as harmful as calcium carbide, but can be misused nevertheless. The directorate of agriculture provides this chemical to be used as a fertilizer for plant growth and not to ripen fruits.

Another artificial and non-harmful method to ripen mangoes is the cold process method which uses equipment to ripen mangoes in a few hours. "There is only one private agency in the entire state, which is based in Ponda who has such equipment. This method is economically not feasible at the moment, but this can be changed if the central government under its central schemes and subsidies provide such equipments to all the major cities in Goa", said Veljee.

Locals however still believe in ripening mangoes the old traditional way without the use of any perilous chemicals. "The mangoes should be aired well till all of its sap dries off and then it should be covered with hay for a period of six days, sometimes with some weight on top of it. The warmth from the hay helps the mangoes ripen naturally," said Madhu Gauns, a local farmer from Neura.

Locals believe that artificially grown mangoes taste sour and may appear ripe but are generally raw inside. "We have been and always will use our traditional methods," said Gauns.

A rich fruit spread topped with honey

Their pick:Fruit-lovers can pick from a wide range of mangoes at the National Honey and Mango Festival which got off to a start at the Sooryakanthi grounds in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday

Additional Director-General of Police R. Sreelekha examined the fruit she had just been given with apparently mild trepidation. “You must eat it like that,” said Balachandran Nair, chairman, Sanghamythri Farmers Producer Company Ltd., indicating that the fruit should be devoured without it being sliced or peeled.

The fact that anyone can bite into the fruit and feel no irritation or burning sensation was testimony to how clean and chemical-free the mangoes grown by the farmers under Sanghamythri were, Mr. Nair said.

“I have never eaten a mango like that before, but it tasted fine,” Ms. Sreelekha said.

She was among the visitors to the National Honey and Mango Festival which got to a start at the Sooryakanthi grounds here on Monday. The Sanghamythri stall alone displayed 12 varieties of mango grown by farmers in and around the district and stored in a ripening chamber at their head office at Pallichal. The process entailed the use of no artificial preservatives or chemicals to hasten ripening, Mr. Nair said.

“It is because people are now more aware and careful, they purchase less from retail stores or wholesale markets bringing down the price of the fruit compared to last year,” said Muraleedharan, a farmer. A kg of Kottukonam Varikka , for instance, cost over Rs.140 last year, but, this year it has not risen over Rs.100. Customers were also drawn to a small, more rotund variety of mango – partly because of its rather endearing name, Chakkarakutty .

“We source it directly from an orchard in Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu,” said Muraleedharan, adding that there was once a time when this type was in abundance in Kerala. “Now, you have rubber plantations taking over the existing orchards and there are a few lucky households where trees still stand,” he said.

Food safety officials were monitoring the fruits brought to the fair this year. Use of chemicals would entail strict legal action against the group concerned, sources said.

The sales section aside, the Horticulture Mission also had a tent meant for display and decorative purposes alone. Over 135 kinds of mangoes were laid out here, labelled in English and Malayalam, followed by a brief description of its texture and flavour. Several stalls were yet to be occupied, especially at the section displaying honey products, but officials said that many were due in from other parts of the State by Tuesday. The fair will continue till May 11.

New edible film kills bacteria in meat

Summary

The film protects meat from spoilage using essential oils or nano particles and being edible, could be incorporated into the meat products.

A new dissolving film that kills bacteria in meat and could be eaten along with the food has been developed. The film protects meat from spoilage using essential oils or nano particles and being edible, it could even be incorporated into the meat products.

Using films made of pullulan – an edible, mostly tasteless, transparent polymer produced by the fungus reobasidium pulluns – researchers evaluated the effectiveness of films containing essential oils derived from rosemary, oregano and nano particles against food borne pathogens associated with meat and poultry.

The results demonstrate that the bacterial pathogens were inhibited significantly by the use of the antimicrobial films, said Catherine Cutter, professor of food science at The Pennsylvania State University.

She hopes that the research will lead to the application of edible, antimicrobial films to meat and poultry, either before packaging or, more likely, as part of the packaging process.

In the study, researchers determined survivability of bacterial pathogens after treatment with 2 per cent oregano essential oil, 2 per cent rosemary essential oil, zinc oxide nano particles or silver nano particles.

The compounds then were incorporated into edible films made from pullulan, and the researchers determined the antimicrobial activity of these films against bacterial pathogens inoculated onto petri dishes.

The researchers experimentally inoculated fresh and ready-to-eat meat and poultry products with bacterial pathogens, treated them with the pullulan films containing the essential oils and nano particles, vacuum packaged, and then evaluated for bacterial growth following refrigerated storage for up to three weeks.

“The results from this study demonstrated that edible films made from pullulan and incorporated with essential oils or nano particles have the potential to improve the safety of refrigerated, fresh or further-processed meat and poultry products,” said Cutter.

“The research shows that we can apply these food-grade films and have them do double duty – releasing anti microbials and imparting characteristics to protect and improve food we eat,” said Cutter.

The study was published in the Journal of Food Science.

Big Bazaar outlet issued notice for 'misbranding'

The BBMP’s Health department has served a notice on Big Bazaar’s Koramangala outlet for allegedly selling misbranded food items.

The BBMP officials have closed down the store till further orders and have asked the store authorities to provide a detailed report on the food commodities being sold at their store.

Acting on a tip-off by the crew of a regional news channel, the department officials along with the inspectors of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) raided and inspected the food items sold at Big Bazaar stores across the City.

During the raid at the Koramangala store, the officers asked the customers to leave the place. The health inspectors noticed that the commodities purchased by the crew of the news channel did not reflect on the store’s purchase database.

The health inspectors also found that the details about the food items such as date of manufacture, expiry and batch numbers were missing from the labels of some commodities, while others didn’t have labels.

According to a health inspector, a packet of Bengal Gram (Chana Dal) did not have a label containing batch number or expiry date. 

When questioned, the staff said the label might have come off while handling or some customer might have removed it intentionally.

When a health inspector asked why many food items that had neared expiry date were still on the shelves, the staff said that normally a week before the expiry date, the items were cleared from the shelves.

For the past one year, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has appointed designated officers and food safety inspectors to conduct routine tests on food items in the City.

Shivaraj Hegde, designated officer, FSSAI, said that as per the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, there were various criteria that a store had to maintain and meet. 

“A trader is liable to a penalty ranging from Rs one lakh to Rs 10 lakh if the store fails to meet the standards as per the regulation. With regard to the inspection at the Big Bazaar outlet, we are yet to analyse and impose a fine,” he said.

Eleven food samples collected

Ludhiana, May 5

The Health Department today collected eleven food samples from different localities on the directions of civil surgeon Dr Subhash Batta under the supervision of Dr Avinash Kumar, district health officer (DHO). 

Four samples of milk were collected from Islam Ganj area while sample of paneer was collected from Tajpur road. DHO Avinash Kumar said the samples of curd, biscuit, chutney and ghee were collected from different shops on the Chandigarh Road. The samples of paneer patty and bread bun were collected from McDonald’s, Khanna. 

The samples have been sent to food safety lab at Chandigarh for testing.