General points that a food business operator must know about the FSSAI guidelines on equipment, containers & utensils

Utensils in a Commercial Kitchen

Every Food Business Operator is required to follow the guidelines defined under Schedule 4 as per Foods Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) regulations, 2011, to serve the safe, clean & wholesome food to the consumers. FBOs should use the best designed food grade & safe utensils, equipment & materials; all those should be properly cleaned, dried & sanitized. It has to be ensured that no bacteria can breed because of residue remains to cause food borne diseases.

All equipment and containers that come in contact with food or are used for preparation, processing, packaging, serving and storage of food should be made of good quality such as stainless steel / non-corrosive materials. Remember that the disposable items such as straws, paper towels, disposable cups, cleaning cloths and plates must never be reused as they are only single use items.

We are sharing here the general guidelines however there are industry specific requirements as have been mentioned under FSSAI regulations, which we will discuss later.

Requirements & Precautions for equipment and containers 

Only use non-absorbent, food grade quality containers made of corrosive free materials so food does not become toxic

All equipment/containers should be of the design that will allow easy to cleaning

There should be a proper arrangement for cleaning of containers, equipment & machinery parts

Equipment should be placed away from the walls for inspection purposes

Provide well fitted covers for utensils and containers being used for raw materials & finished food products like for storing, cooking & selling items to protect from dust, dirt, flies & insects etc

Keep equipment, containers & machinery in good order in a clean and sanitary condition and in good repair

No container/equipment should be employed for the preparation, packing or storage of food which may cause metallic contamination

Equipment & containers being used for food purposes shall not be used for any other purpose like storing/keeping non-food materials.

Use separate equipment and utensils for raw food and for prepared food and clean/sanitize before each use

Colour code containers and utensils like red for non vegetarian and green for vegetarian foods so foods are never mixed

Only use those stainless steel / aluminum / glass containers, mugs, jugs, trays etc. which are suitable for cooking and storing

Properly mark and store the cleaning & dangerous substances away from food containers to prevent accidental contamination

Requirements & Precautions for food serving utensils etc 

Keep crockery, cutlery and serving utensils clean, hygienic, dry and away from toxic and hazardous elements.

Use potable water and recommended cleaning agents for washing utensils, cutlery

Air dry serving utensils or use sanitized cloth for wiping dry

Instruct serving staff to hold knives, spoons and forks and serving spoons by the handles only

Discard all chipped, cracked serving dishes, glasses and crockery

Do not use chipped enameled containers

25% of fruit, veggies in Coimbatore unfit to eat

Coimbatore:

Close to 25% of the samples of fruits and vegetable taken by the food safety department in the city since January were found unfit for consumption. They contained organisms that could cause severe health problems like diarrhoea and cholera.

The food safety department collected 44 samples of fruits and vegetables this year--four between January and March and 41 between April and June. “Of this, 21 were found to be unsatisfactory for consumption, and of the 21, 12 were found unfit for consumption,“ said designated food safety officer Dr R Kathiravan.

“The samples declared unfit for consumption contained aspergillus (a form of mold) growth and enterobacter, which is a kind of bacteria,“ he said. “These can cause severe health problems and infections from sore throat to dysentery .“

The coating used for fruit and vegetables is also being watched. “The wax coating to increase shelf life and give the fruit a shiny look is allowed, but most producers use a mineral coating that does not wash off. That is hazardous to health,“ said Dr Kathiravan.

The department will soon began mass inspection of cultivators, storage godowns, repacking units, markets and retailers of fruit and vegetables in the district.

Fruit and vegetables are among the 14 items the state food safety department has decided to focus on for the next few months. Other products include milk, tea, sweets, aerated drinks, beverages, oil and certain items served in small hotels and restaurants.

“These were the products that had the most number of consumer complaints,“ said Kathiravan.

Milk and oil are a cause of concern for the department. “According to our standards, a minimum fat content of 3.5% is required in milk though the golden standard is 4.5%. We get complaints that the fat content is as low as 2% and 2.5%,“ said a food safety officer.

“While consumers accuse producers of adulterating it with water, producers insist that there are cycles during which the cow produces milk with less fat,“ said the official. They are also trying to identify people involved in filtering used oil and selling it to smaller players like roadside eateries.

Though traders have got a six-month extension, till February 4, 2015, inspections and filing of cases will continue, said officials.

Expired food products, banned goods seized

In a surprise raid conducted simultaneously on all the four major streets in the town, Food Safety and Drug Administration unit officials in coordination with other department officials, seized expired food articles, banned ghutkas and tobacco mixed goods on Tuesday.

Divided into four teams -- each team comprising 15 officials from the Food Safety and Drug Administration unit, Labour Department and municipality — the officials seized the food products, most of them stocked beyond expiry date.

“The value of the goods was about Rs. 65,850 and were destroyed immediately,” said V. Varalakshmi, Designated Officer, Food Safety and Drug Adminisration who led the raid.

The officials conducted the inspection at 183 shops located on the East, North, South and West Main streets.

“Under the directive of the district administration, notices have been issued to the shop keepers warning them against the sale of the banned goods or expired eateries,” the official said.

Details

All the details of the traders would be recorded in the official registers and in case of recurring offences, legal action would be initiated against them,” she said. Such raids would also be conducted in other parts of the district, according to official sources.

Food safety officials press for prosecution of trader held for adulterating edible oil

IMPHAL, The case against M/S Ajay Traders for adulteration of edible oil has been placed before the Imphal East ADM Adjudication Office for prosecution on July 21.

It may be recalled, a raid by the police on June 9 at around 11:45 am in a godown at Khabam Lamkhai, sensationally revealed the organised crime of this trading firm.

According to an official source, the concerned food safety office has pressed for prosecution after the Commissioner Food Safety verified the adulteration report of the seized edible oil from the State Food Testing Laboratory at Lamphel. The Commissioner Food Safety has given the go ahead for launching a case against Ajay Traders on July 14.

The seized oil samples collected from the spot were sent to the State Food Testing Laboratory for examination on June 9.

The Food Safety Officers of the State had earlier cancelled the license of Ajay Traders and sealed the shop of Moolchand Paean at Thangal bazaar.

The report from the laboratory was received on June 30 and sent to the Imphal West Medical Director. The report revealed the presence of unhygienic husky grains and earthy materials in the oil sample.

According to the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2011, the accused proprietor can be awarded penalty through prosecution. The errant shopkeeper has to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh under section 56 for engaging in unhygienic and unsanitary process with food products. He may have to pay Rs 2 lakhs under section 57 for engaging in food adulteration not causing injury to health. Under Section 63, selling food products without an official licence can land one into prison for six months or a fine of Rs 5 lakhs.

The sources said that the case has been placed before the ADM adjudicating officer for food safety and his verdict is awaited.

Meanwhile, the Central government has directed the State government to conduct sustained and extensive drives at districts, municipal areas, panchayati areas to monitor the compliance of food safety standards, but as yet the State government has not been able to follow the directives due to lack of manpower.

Though the State Cabinet has approved the development of infrastructure and the addition of manpower by recruiting more food safety officials, the food safety officials are still facing a lot of problems.

Recently, the Assembly has also allocated funds for food safety but on account of financial constraints the staffs can’t perform drives to check the registration of licence for standard food in our State

Consignments of stale fish, meat seized

Officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Railway police combined to seize several consignments of fish, meat and vegetables on Monday and destroyed them after it was found that they were past their use by date.

The consignments of food articles arrived at the South Railway Station by the Chennai-Alleppey Express and FSSA officials were tipped off about the condition of these items by the Intelligence wing.

Two of the 24 boxes, comprising fish, meat and vegetables, were found unfit for human consumption, said the official. He said that these boxes were taken away and destroyed in the presence of their owner.

The official said that though they were informed by the owners of the food items that these consignments were meant for supply to a ship’s canteen there were no papers to prove the claim.

Banned tobacco worth Rs2.18 lakh seized

NAGPUR: A banned consignment of flavoured tobacco, worth Rs 2.18 lakh, was intercepted by a squad of Lakadganj police following an input on Monday at Satranjipura. One person has been arrested.

Police had information that some suspicious consignments were being smuggled into the city after eight plastic-made sacks were offloaded near a garage at Satranjipura by a vehicle. When the cops reached, the vehicle had already left the place but the consignments were still on the road. Police team under assistant PI DD Niley found the packs of flavoured tobacco in the sacks despite its ban under relevant provisions of the Food safety and standards Act, 2006.

There were 14 cartons, having around 560 sealed containers of the flavoured tobacco, in the sacks. Police also took the person accompanying the sack, identified as Sajid Samad Pathan, into custody. It's learnt that Pathan had placed order for the tobacco with a dealer in Gujarat who had sent the consignment.

Food and drug administration officials too later joined the raid along with Lakadganj police. The seized consignment was handed over to the FDA officials.

No check on eateries serving unhygienic food outside hospitals

Amritsar, 

The sale of unhygienic food outside government health institutions continues unabated. Heavy rush of patients at government hospitals, especially at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital and the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital, has resulted in the mushrooming of various illegal eateries.

Most of the eateries are cooking food in unhygienic conditions. A number of these eateries are running from makeshift shacks.

A large number of the eateries can be seen outside the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital. Visitors to the government hospitals said attendants of the patients often eat at these eateries as the canteens in the hospitals failed to serve good food.

A visitor to the Civil Hospital said, “The government should rope in contractors to run the canteens so that quality food could be provided to the attendants of the patients.”

The people also demanded that the Health Department should collect food samples from the eateries so that the quality of food could be improved.

District Health Officer Dr Shivkaran Singh Kahlon said to ensure the sale of better quality food was a priority. He said food samples from the eateries outside all government hospitals would be collected and action would be taken against the eateries selling unhygienic food.

FOOD SAFETY ACT Deadline for registration extended again

Amritsar, 

The deadline for registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act has been extended to February 4, 2015. The deadline for the registration had ended on August 4.

Though a large number of food establishments has registered under the Act, many failed to comply with the directions. The deadline for the registration has already been extended four times.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, had become operational on August 8, 2011. The government had instructed all food establishments to register by March 31, 2012. However, due to the poor response, the deadline was extended.

Then, again, on various occasions, the deadline was extended. As per the instructions, all food establishments with an annual turnover of less than Rs 12 lakh are required to get registered. The firm with a turnover of over Rs 12 lakh will have to obtain a mandatory licence from the Food Safety and Standards Authority.

The online registration was introduced recently to make the process easier. A health department official said, “All those who fear law have already got registered. Some people always postpone their decision until the authorities deal with them sternly.”

Indian tea is totally safe; industry follows high standards: Government

The government today rejected the findings of a global NGO Greenpeace, saying that Indian tea is totally safe and the industry follows high standards.

"The Tea Board of India having reviewed the findings of the Greenpeace study can confirm that all the samples tested comply with the Indian laws and regulations, designed to protect consumers. Indian teas are well regarded the world over and are totally safe following stringent standards," an official statement said.

According to reports, Greenpeace India in its report 'Trouble Brewing' has revealed the presence of pesticides in Indian tea. The samples have tested positive for a hazardous pesticide - Monocrotophos.

Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her tweet said that Indian teas meet the highest standards of safety.

The statement said that the Tea Board would like to dispel any misconceptions about Indian tea in the eyes of consumers at large.

"The Indian tea industry led by the Tea Board of India has been constantly taking steps to make tea cultivation even more sustainable and reduce reliance on synthetic plant protection products to ensure that Indian tea continues to meet the high standards consumers expect," it said.

The steps include launch of trustea, an initiative which will have certified at least 50 million kilograms of tea by December 2014.

The Board is open to collaborating with all stakeholders to help make tea production in India more sustainable in the long run, it said adding it was in this vein that Tea Board organized a seminar for Greenpeace to interact with the small growers in the tea sector recently.

India is the world's second largest tea producer after China. India's tea production in 2013-14 increased by about 8 per cent to 1,224.48 million kg on account of higher output in Assam and West Bengal.

Assam and West Bengal are the major tea-producing states, accounting for 80 per cent of India's total output. Tea production in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka was up 13 per cent at 244.47 million kg.