குழித்துறை, களியக்காவிளையில் ஓட்டல், பேக்கரிகளில் அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு-கெட்டுப்போன உணவு பொருட்கள் அழிப்பு

மார்த்தாண்டம், அக்.15:
குமரிமாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் சாலோடீசன் தலைமையிலான குழுவினர் நேற்று குழித்துறையில் உள்ள ஒருசில ஓட்டல்கள், பேக்கரிகளில் சோதனை நடத்தினர். அப்போது ஒரு ஓட்டலில் வீடுகளில் பயன்படுத்தும் கேஸ் சிலிண்டர் பயன்படுத்தியது தெரிய வந்தது. அங்கிருந்த 3 சிலிண்டர்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன.
மேலும் ஓட்டலில் விற்பனைக்கு வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த கெட்டுப்போன இறைச்சி, காலாவதியான எண்ணெய், பலநாட்களான தயிர் போன்றவற்றை பறிமுதல் செய்து அழித்தனர். அந்த ஓட்டல்களுக்கு அதிகாரிகள் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்தனர். மேலும் அந்த பகுதிகளில் உள்ள கடைகள், பேக்கரிகளில் சோதனை நடத்தினர். இதில் காலாவதியான உணவு பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.
களியக்காவிளை:
இது போல் களியக்காவிளை பகுதியில் உள்ள மளிகை கடைகள், பேக்கரிகள், மளிகை அங்காடி போன்றவற்றில் அதிகாரிகள் நேற்று திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். இதில் காலாவதியான எண்ணைகள், மசாலா வகைகள், கேக் உள்ளிட்ட பேக்கரி பொருட்கள், அதிக நாட்களாக பதப்படுத்தி வைத்திருந்த மீன்கள் விற்பனை செய்வது தெரிய வந்தது.
அவற்றை அதிகாரிகள் கைப்பற்றி களியக்காவிளை சந்தைக்கு கொண்டு சென்று அழித்தனர். மேலும் காலாவதியான பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்தால் கடைகளுக்கு சீல் வைத்து, அபராதம் விதிக்கப்படும் என எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்தனர்.
பெயரளவுக்கு சோதனை
மார்த்தாண்டத்தில் ஏராளமான ஓட்டல்கள், பேக்கரிகள், டீக்கடைகள் உள்ளன. பெரும்பாலான ஓட்டல்களில் சுகாதாரமற்ற நிலையில் தான் உணவு பொருட்கள் விற்பனை செய்யப்படுகிறது. மார்த்தாண்டம் பகுதியில் உள்ள ஓட்டல்கள் மற்றும் உணவு பொருட்கள் விற்பனை செய்யும் நிறுவனங்களில் அதிகாரிகள் சரியாக சோதனை செய்வதில்லை. பெரிய ஓட்டல்கள், பேக்கரிகள் உள்ளிட்ட நிறுவனங்கள் அதிகாரிகளை சரிகட்டுவதாக கூறப்படுகிறது. இதனால் பெயரளவுக்கு மட்டுமே சோதனை நடத்தி விட்டு, பெரிய நிறுவனங்களை கண்டு கொள்ளாமல் செல்வதாக பொதுமக்கள் குற்றம் சாட்டி உள்ளனர்.

Reusing Cooking Oil? Not a Great Idea

Indian cooking is incomplete without the use of oil. Almost every recipe starts with a few spoons of oil. We use it for sautéing, for the quintessential tadka and not to forget for deep frying mouth-watering pakoras, bondas and vadas. Oil is an essential ingredient required to satiate Indian food palette.
Due to heavy usage of oil in restaurants and households oil is recycled for economic purposes. How safe is this practice of reusing cooking oil? The reused oil does not contain the nutritional benefits your body needs. “A study conducted by the students of Surgical Gastroenterology Department at the Madras Medical College (MMC) revealed that 90 percent of those suffering from food pipe cancer had been consuming food prepared with reheated or reused cooking oil.”
For all the street food lovers, here is an eye opener: The study mentioned above also stated that most street food is made with reused oil and contains food additives rich in saturated and trans fat that can be carcinogens or trigger cancer.
Reused oil can create free radicals, which can be carcinogenic. These free radicals attach themselves to healthy cells. This can result in an increase of bad cholesterol levels and block arteries as well. Spanish researchers found that people whose kitchens combined any type of oil that had been reused many times were more likely to have high blood pressure than people whose cooking oils were changed frequently.
Some other hazards of reusing cooking oil are: Acidity, heart diseases, alzheimers, parkinson’s disease and irritable throat. Nutritionists recommend using a fresh batch of oil each time to avoid diseases.
Also when you store used oil bacteria begins to feed on the food particles left in the oil. This can lead to fatal food poisoning. Very few people are aware of the dangerous effects of recycled cooking oil. It is now time to understand them and adapt ourselves to healthy cooking habits. Some bad cooking habits are difficult to break and most of the times we are also unaware of the hazardous effects of certain cooking practices.
Here are some bad cooking habits to get rid of:
Do not heat oil until it smokes: We often heat the oil in the pan until it becomes really hot. This is a bad practice- As heating oil until it smokes destroys the oil’s beneficial antioxidants and form harmful compounds.
Do not use non-stick pan on high heat: High temperatures cause the non stick lining to release PFCs (Perfluorocarbons) in the form of fumes. PFC’s can cause liver damage and also developmental problems.
Best oils to use: Extra virgin olive oil and Canola oil are considered as the best oils to use. Soybean oil and palm oil can be skipped due to their poor nutritional content.
Shop healthy: Healthy cooking starts with a healthy grocery list. Stock your refrigerator with fresh, organic foods. Try to include lean proteins and unrefined grains.
Watch your diet and protect your health. After all health is wealth!

Scotch shipment held up over non-compliance

1% of the shipments has been rejected so far this year, compared to under 2% last year.
NEW DELHI: For all the noise by foreign chocolate manufacturers and scotch and wine makers over the food safety regulator holding up consignments, it turns out that around 1% of the shipments has been rejected so far this year, compared to under 2% last year.
What's more, the maximum number of rejections was due to the absence of the date of manufacturing and the manufacturer's name — issues seen as critical from safety point of view — followed by labeling-related issues and the lack of ingredients list, official data accessed by TOI has revealed. There are several cases where goods with unpermitted ingredients were being imported into the country but were stopped at ports.
Over the past few months, chocolate, food and alcohol importers had created a lot of noise over shipments being rejected on various grounds, with some going to the extent of suggesting that several important ingredients used by specialty restaurants were not available due to Food Safety Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) crackdown. There have also been suggestions that it would be tough to find imported chocolates this Diwali. But data tells a different story. Between April and August this year, of the 304 consignments that were not issued the 'non-compliance certificate,' 26, which is the maximum number, related to flavours, which are added to various food products. This was followed by alcohol (17), beverages (16), chocolates (14) and confectionary (13). In case of chocolates, several consignments of global giants were rejected as they contained vegetable fat, which was as high as 70% in some cases and were being brought into the country as dark, white or milk compounds, said sources familiar with the development.

Is it really all doom and gloom for wine lovers in India?

 

"I cling to the belief that there are good times ahead for wine enthusiasts, but from what I hear these are sad days indeed for our young wine culture," writes Reva K. Singh in her Editor's Note. "Illogical, contradictory and vague government regulations have sent the industry into a tailspin."
The hospitality industry is facing a severe shortage of wine and other premium alcohol beverages. Speciality restaurants are finding it difficult to maintain a good wine list or offer their patrons authentic gourmet fare due to the paucity of imported ingredients.
I'm told containers of wine and luxury foods worth millions of rupees have been turned back or are languishing in our ports waiting for clearance. The root of the problem apparently is the heavy-handed strictures of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Wine importers say that the FSSAI's insistence on minutiae such as the format of manufacturing and expiry dates printed on labels even when they are in step with Codex - the global standard for such imports - has affected the supplies of premium alcoholic brands as well as luxury foods such as artisanal cheeses, foie gras, Swiss chocolates and so on.
But it's not all doom and gloom for us wine drinkers. After all, wine shops haven't downed their shutters and it's still possible to plan wine dinners and enjoy a meal with a glass of good wine at a restaurant. The Sommelier India Wine Circle is doing well and organised a spate of high-end wine dinners recently.
Many prominent international producers are staying the course and continue to export to India. I read an encouraging report the other day in the international wine press expressing confidence in the Indian consumer and Bordeaux-based American négociant, Jeffrey Davies who runs Signature Selections is actively looking to expand in India.
"We're sifting through the current wine & spirit importers and distributors to figure out who'd be the best fit for our range of wines," Davies asserts in the article, "Fine Wine Trade Eyes Up India" in The Drinks Business.
He believes that as Indian consumers learn more about wine, starting with drinking our own wines, the Indian wine market will continue to grow. What's more, he thinks others in Bordeaux feel the same way.
"With the tremendous slowdown in China, and a certain slowdown in America, they're looking to other markets within the BRICs. Russia's having embargo troubles, so India and Brazil are becoming areas of interest.
Let's hope our monumental import restrictions and complex procedures don't dampen his spirits (pardon the pun), even though Davies knows what he's up against.
"The current duty situation is a limiting factor, and I don't think it's going to change any time soon," he acknowledges. "We ran some cost analysis and found that a wine that left Bordeaux at say €5 ended up on a retail shelf in India at €25."

Check Milk & Milk Products for Adulterants with simple tests at Home

Milk & Milk Products
Festivals are always celebrated with sweets and various food products. However, since food adulteration is at its peak during the festive season, we have come up with a list of doable tests to detect some common adulterants in Milk & Milk Products which may help you keep safe. Merely inspecting milk or food visually may not be helpful enough to detect an adulterant as they are concealed very skillfully. Adulterants in food can pose a serious health risk. Carry out these simple tests at home to ensure that you are consuming safe and adulterant free food during the festive season. The following information is being shared with you as per the guidelines from FSSAI.
Home tests for adulteration in milk and milk products
Water in milk is easy to detect with this simple test. Place a drop of milk on a polished slanting surface. If water is mixed in the milk it will glide down swiftly. If the milk is pure it will glide down slowly and will leave a white trail behind.
Starch: Add a few drops of tincture of iodine or iodine solution to a little milk. If the milk turns blue it means it contains starch. Iodine solution is easily available in medical stores.
Starch like mashed potatoes in khoya and khoya products, chenna and paneer: Boil a small quantity of sample food product in water. When the heated mixture becomes cool, add a few drops of iodine solution. If the colour of the mixture turns blue it means there is starch in the food product.
Urea: Place a teaspoon of milk in a test tube or glass container. Add a teaspoonful of soya bean or arhar dal powder to it. Mix up the contents thoroughly. After five minutes, dip a strip of red litmus paper into the mixture. Wait for half a minute. If the red litmus paper has changed colour from red to blue it means there is urea in the milk.
Detergent: Take 5 to 10ml of milk and an equal amount of water in a container. Shake it up well. Lather formation indicates detergent in the milk.
Test for Glucose/Invert Sugar: This kind of sugar syrup is added to milk to increase the consistency and enhance the taste. Take a diabetic test strip and dip it in the milk for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If the test strip changes colour, then it shows that the sample of milk contains glucose. If there is no change in the colour of the strip it proves there is no glucose in the milk.
Synthetic milk: Synthetic milk contains white coloured water, paint, oils, alkali, urea and detergent. Synthetic milk tastes bitter, has a soapy texture when you rub it between your fingers and it turns yellowish on heating.
Synthetic milk-test for protein: Milk can easily be tested by Urease Strips. Urease Strip is a biostrip based on enzymatic assay and is available in medical stores. The colour chart of the Urease Strip test given below will show the quantity of urea present in milk.

No.	Urea in Milk (g/L)	Colour of the Strip
1	0-0.2	Yellow
2	0.2-0.7	Peach
3	0.7-1.20	Reddish Brown
4	1.20-1.70	Pink
5	1.7-14.00	Magenta

Laboratory Testing Procedures for Checking Adulterants in Milk and Milk Products

Laboratory Testing for Dairy Products

Milk is a product that is always in demand and when supplies cannot be met then adulterators indulge in dangerous techniques by using cheap alternatives to increase the volume of milk. Sometime back, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had released a document which described the procedures that laboratories can use to analyze adulterants in food products.
The below information would be useful while testing Milk & Milk Products:
Vanaspati in milk: Place 3ml of milk in a test tube. Add 10 drops of hydrochloric acid and one teaspoonful of sugar to the milk and mix thoroughly. If the mixture turns red after 5 minutes it means vanaspati is present in the milk.
Vanaspati in sweet curd: Place one teaspoonful of sweet curd in the test tube. Add 10 drops of hydrochloric acid. Gently shake the test tube to mix contents thoroughly. If curd changes colour and becomes red after five minutes it means vanaspati is present in the curd.
Vanaspati or margarine in ghee: Take a test tube with a stopper. Place one teaspoonful of melted ghee with an equal quantity of concentrated hydrochloric acid in the test tube and add a pinch of salt to this. Shake for one minute and let it stand for five minutes. The presence of vanaspati or margarine is indicated if the lower acid layer turns crimson.
Formalin in milk: Formalin is used by adulterators as a preservative. Test requires that you place 10ml of milk in test tube. Carefully add 5ml of concentrated sulphuric acid to the milk by pouring it along the side of the test tube. Ensure that the milk and sulphuric acid do not mix. The appearance of a blue or violet ring at the point where the two liquids meet indicates the presence of formalin in the milk.
Salt in milk:
Place 5ml of silver nitrate reagent in a test tube. Add 2-3 drops of potassium dichromate reagent to this. Further add 1ml of milk to this test tube and shake to mix thoroughly.
If the contents of the test tube turn yellow it means the milk contains salt.
If the colour of the mixture changes to chocolate or reddish brown it means there is no salt present in the milk.
Sugar is in milk: Place a 3ml sample of milk in a test tube. Add 2ml of the hydrochloric acid and after that 50mg of resorcinol. Sugar is present in the milk if the colour changes to red.
Ammonium sulphate in milk: Ammonium sulphate is used by adulterators to increase the lactometer reading of milk. Take 5ml of hot milk in a test tube. Add a suitable acid like citric acid. This will curdle the milk, now separate the whey by filtering it. Place the filtered whey in another test tube and add 0.5ml of 5% barium chloride. If there are precipitates, it indicates the presence of ammonium sulphate.
You can also check for ammonium sulphate through a second method. To 5ml milk in a test tube add
5 ml of 2% of sodium hydroxide
5 ml of 2% sodium hypochlorite
5 ml of 5% phenol solution
Heat this mixture for 20 seconds in a vessel of boiling water.
If the light blue mixture changes to a deep blue colour, it means ammonium sulphate is present in the milk.
However, if the colour changes to pink it means there is no ammonium sulphate in the milk.
Hydrogen peroxide in milk: Place 5ml milk in a test tube. Add 3 drops of paraphenylene diamine and shake well. Presence of hydrogen peroxide is confirmed if the colour of the milk changes to blue. In a second testing method place a 10ml milk sample in a test tube, add 10 -15 drops of vanadium pentoxide reagent and mix well. If the milk changes colour to pink or red it indicates the presence of hydrogen peroxide.
Sodium bi-carbonate/neutralize in milk: Place 3ml of milk in a test tube and add
5 ml of rectified spirit to it, now add 4 drops of rosolic acid solution. Sodium bicarbonate will be present if the colour of the milk changes to red/ rosy.
Boric acid in milk: Place 3ml of milk in a test tube. Add 20 drops of hydrochloric acid and shake the test tube to mix up the contents thoroughly. Dip a yellow paper-strip into this mixture and remove the same after one minute. If the colour of the strip changes from yellow to red, followed by a further change of colour from red to green it indicates the presence of boric acid in the milk. Yellow paper strips are prepared by dipping stripped pieces of filter paper in an aqueous solution of turmeric and then dried completely.
Blotting Paper in Rabri: Place a teaspoonful of rabri in a test tube. Add 3ml of hydrochloric acid and 3ml of distilled water. Stir the contents with a glass rod. Remove the rod and examine it. If fine fibres are seen on the glass rod it means there is blotting paper in the rabri.
Use of coal tar dyes in ghee, cottage cheese, condensed milk, khoya, milk powder: Add 5ml of dilute sulphuric acid or concentrated hydrochloric acid to one teaspoonful of food product sample in a test tube. Presence of coal tar dyes is indicated if the colour changes to
Pink in case diluted sulphuric acid is used for the test
Crimson in case concentrated hydrochloric acid is used. If using hydrochloric acid shows no change in colour then dilute it with water to see the colour result.
Fat removed from milk: If fat has been removed from milk then the lactometer will show a reading of above 26 but the milk will appear thick.

Food dept kicks off anti-adulteration drive ahead of Diwali

DEHRADUN: With the festival of lights barely a week away, the food safety and standards department has started keeping tabs on the quality of edibles being sold in the state, to keep adulteration of food products, especially sweetmeats, in check.
The department has started working earlier than usual this year, keeping in mind that they had collected over 95 adulterated food samples from all over Uttarakhand last year.
All the sweet manufacturing and processing units in the state have been identified and listed to make supervision easier. Initially, the hygiene standards of the units and their workers are being inspected.
"This time we have started the drive quite early. We have been issuing hygiene guidelines to sweet manufacturers as they are gearing up for the festive season," said Anoj Thapliyal, food security officer, Dehradun.
In the later stages, quality of food products and manufacturing techniques involved will also be reviewed. Manufacturing substandard products unfit for consumption will be considered quality violations, while irregularities in labels and packaging will be counted among technical violations.
The department plans to intensify field visits and sample testing from next week, prosecuting violators as per Food Safety and Standards Act (2006).

Beware of sweet adulteration, Diwali’s round the corner

With the onset of festive season, how can adulteration be far behind? Increased consumption of sweets means more demand for dairy products providing an opportunity to unscrupulous elements to make quick money by selling substandard stuff. Moreover, with a low conviction rate the repeated raids by the health authorities fail to act as a deterrent to check food adulteration.
Around Diwali every year at least 8-10 lakh sweet boxes (1 kg each) are sold in Chandigarh, but even after paying more customers are not sure of getting unadulterated food. The failure of health authorities to prove the allegations due to improper sampling have led to a high rate of acquittal. In the past four months, about 20 cases registered under prevention of food adulteration have been disposed of and only in one case allegations were proved and a person convicted. Around 250 cases are pending under the Prevention of Adulteration Act.
In June, a court held Anil Thakur hailing from Himachal Pradesh guilty and imposed rs15,000 fine on him. Thakur of AB foods situated in Sungal and Rampur Tea estates, Palampur, was convicted for misbranding. The health department had seized 20 bottles of orange squash from a shop in Manimajra. Setting the record straight, Dr KS Rana, designated officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act, said, “The low conviction has been an area of concern but with the new act - Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 - which replaces the prevention of food adulteration act, the conviction rate has improved. Most of the cases are still pending in the courts.”
Food adulteration cases registered under the prevention of food adulteration have been pending for more than two decades. After being pending for so long, all a person, if convicted, gets minimum sentence of one day of sitting in court and a maximum of imprisonment of a few months. Most of the cases registered in the city are for misbranding. “The cases of misbranding are more in the city as compared to food adulteration,” said Dr KS Rana, designated officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
No awareness on new Act
The lack of awareness among small vendors selling edible items about the Food Safety and Standards Act that provides for mandatory registration of shopkeepers dealing with sale of edible items is another area of concern. As per the Act, those associated with the food business and having turnover of `12 lakh per annum and above have to procure licence. Outlets having annual turnover less than `12 lakh have to get registration done under the act. “The awareness among resident is low but we hope that all vendors will be registered by February. The process of licensing is on and once done will definitely help check food adulteration,” said Dr Rana.
DC directs health dept to be vigilant
SAS Nagar DC Tejinder Pal Singh Sidhu directed the health officials to keep a close watch on defaulters and initiate action against them. Approximately one quintal cream, which was in unwanted condition, was destroyed on the spot.

Expired food products are sold in Puducherry, alleges BJP

The Puducherry unit of the BJP has alleged that expired food products are being sold in large quantities across Union Territory in the absence of periodic inspections by officials of the Department of Food and Drug Administration.
BJP general secretary R.V. Saminathan said, “In most of shops, expired food substances such as soft drinks and biscuits are being sold freely. As there are no sufficient numbers of inspectors to conduct inspections and prevent sale of expired foods, all walks of people, including schoolchildren, buy only these foods.”
In a memorandum, he alleged that Chinese milk chocolates and crackers banned by the Union government were sold in super markets and shops. Packed water bottles without ISI marks were supplied to people at functions.

Health officials order closure of engineering college hostels

Two hostels and a canteen of an engineering college in the district have been ordered to be shut down in a raid conducted by Health officials on Tuesday.
District Medical Officer Haseena Mohammed passed the orders after health officials found that the hostels and canteen of Jai Bharat College of Management and Engineering, Vengola, Perumbavur, were functioning in an unhygienic condition.
The team also conducted checks at the Sree Narayana Gurukulam College of Engineering at Kadayiruppu, where a few students had complained of nausea after consuming food from the hostel mess on Saturday evening, said a communication. Health officials will carry out inspection at hostels and canteens of educational institutions in the district.

Officials wary of action against retailers in run-up to Deepavali

Abuse of electricity, adulteration major concerns
Sources in the Food Safety Department say that several shops protested when food samples were taken to test for adulteration.
A Food Safety Officer said that some of the shopkeepers questioned the timing of the raids and inspections, stepped up ahead of Deepavali.
The reason for taking samples, the officer added, was to crack down on adulteration during the festive season. Many shops resort to adulteration to meet the demand which increased exponentially. The officials are apprehensive that shopkeepers can term the raids as an attempt to “extort” money during the run-up to Deepavali.
D. Nandakumar, president of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Coimbatore, says that the festive season is the time when retailers are busy and expect a huge crowd.
Officials should issue prior notice to the traders before an inspection so that designated persons are deputed by the business establishments to answer queries by the officials.
Fear of corruption charge or complaints of extortion should not deter the official machinery from enforcing rules. Officials should conduct checks in a transparent manner so that it does not lead to complaints of demand for money. Traders should also comply with the norms, says K. Kathirmathiyon, secretary of Coimbatore Consumer Cause.