70% samples of curd in Sangrur district fail test

Sangrur, October 31
About 70 per cent samples of curd, 57 per cent of cheese, 36 per cent of desi ghee, 27 per cent of milk and 43 per cent samples of mustard oil collected from across the district failed to pass the test of food safety standards. These samples were collected during the past nine months by the health authorities and tested by the Food Analyst Punjab, Chandigarh.
Ten samples of curd were collected from January to September, out of which seven failed the test while four out of seven samples of cheese were not found to be up to the mark. Likewise, four out of 11 samples of desi ghee, 20 out of 74 samples of milk, nine out of 21 samples of mustard oil too failed the test.
Three samples of cold drink, four samples of refined oil, five of sweets, two each of pickle and ice cream, one each of pulses, gram flour, maida, tea leaves also failed to meet the food safety standards.
The district health authorities had collected 328 samples of various food items in Sangrur district, of which 69 failed the test on account of being unsafe, substandard, misbranded or having misleading statement on cover under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Of the 69 failed samples, nine samples (two of desi ghee, six of milk and one of refined oil) were declared unsafe for human consumption while the remaining 60 are substandard, misbranded or misleading.
Expressing concern over the failure of samples of milk and its products and mustard oil, District Health Officer Dr Surinder Singla said adulterated mustard oil could lead to skin diseases and hair fall. Besides, adulterated milk and milk products were also harmful for human consumption to a great extent.
Dr Singla said under the Act, for an unsafe product, a judicial court could award punishment up to life imprisonment and fine up to Rs 10 lakh and for a substandard food item, a penalty up to Rs 5 lakh could be imposed by the court of Adjudicating Officer-cum-Additional Deputy Commissioner.
He could also impose a penalty up to Rs 3 lakh for a misbranded item and up to Rs 10 lakh for a misleading statement on a product.
Dr Singla said they were in the process of initiating cases in the respective courts.
Report card
57% samples of cheese, 43% of mustard oil, 36% of ghee too were found to be below safety standards
These samples were collected during the past nine months by the health authorities and tested by the Food Analyst Punjab, Chandigarh

Traders protest food safety Act, online trading

Members of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, Vellore, stage a protest in Vellore on Friday.

A woman selling greens on the roadside can now be slapped a fine of Rs. five lakh and imprisoned for six months for not possessing a licence as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act.
“Such regulation will come down hard on roadside vendors and we have been repeatedly demanding that these provisions be amended and the Act simplified,” R.B. Gnanavelu, secretary of Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, Vellore, said.
On Friday, traders belonging to the association staged a protest to reiterate their demand to review the Act. They said that this act was brought into effect to allow foreign companies to set base in India, while wiping out domestic retailers.
The traders also opposed online trading and called for a ban. “These online trading firms pay only service tax to the government, leading to huge revenue loss. Consumers make online purchases for things such as electronic goods and clothes. These products do not have a guarantee and customers cannot ask for an exchange,” he said.
Online trading affected the livelihood of traders across the country. “Online retail sector had a business worth Rs. 21,000 crore every year, and this will increase to over Rs. 85,000 crore in four years,” he said.
Traders said foreign companies invested in these online trading firms and this should be banned considering the welfare of the public, government and traders.
C. Krishnan, president, Tamil Nadu Vannigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, Vellore, was present.
“The Act will help foreign companies set base in India and wipe out domestic retailers”

‘Ban online trading’

The members of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate on Friday demanding the Government to slap a total ban on online trading. They also demanded the Government to totally revamp the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
They said that online trading would immensely harm retail trading, besides leading to tax evasion.
Already many laws existed to ensure food safety and maintain the standards. The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 accounted for many conditions which would totally paralyse the trade.
S. K. Periasamy, district president of the Peramaippu, led the agitation.

BCIC’s Nov 7 seminar on FSSAI to help F&B players navigate regulations

Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) would organise a seminar, titled ‘FSSAI 2014: Navigating the Dynamic Regulatory Landscape’ on November 7, 2014 at Hotel Le Meridian, Bengaluru.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) priorities are to lay down science-based standards for food products and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
“The seminar is intended to educate the participants on how the FSSAI has been implemented, explore the changes experienced by the industry and seek resolutions to the bottlenecks in implementing the law,” said T S Sampath Kumar, secretary general, BCIC.
“There is an urgent need for an clarification on certain clauses of the new Act. In this endeavour, we have invited leading industry and government experts to provide the much-needed clarity and assist the industry to effectively traverse the regulatory landscape,” he added.
“Although the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), 2011, have been designed to keep up with the changing needs, confusion has persisted, throwing up several challenges for the industry. There are serious doubts on licencing, product approvals, labelling, export implications and key amendments,” Kumar informed.
The seminar would addressed by industry and government representatives, including Varun Berry, managing director, Britannia Industries (who would provide a business perspective on the regulatory landscape), and P S Vastrad, health and family welfare commissioner, Karnataka.
A technical session would be moderated by Murali Ganesan, chairman, expert committee on agro and food processing, BCIC.
Vijay Sardana, past director, Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry (CIFTI), and Cynthia Joseph, business relations, Equinox Labs, would speak about the implications of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, and FSSR, 2011, on the food and beverage sector. The latter would also provide an understanding of FSSR, 2011’s Schedule IV guidelines.
Dr Sattigeri, former director, Central Food Laboratory, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, would provide an introduction to Codex and the alignment strategy with FSSAI.
There would be a presentation on product approval by Sunil Adsule, director, regulatory affairs, Coca-Cola India Inc.
Dr M Kannan, deputy director, FSSAI, Chennai, would speak on the labelling requirements and issues on import.
Sachin Achintalwar, senior manager, regulatory affairs, AB Mauri, would provide an introduction to global regulations.
BCIC stated that policy-makers, enforcement authorities, food safety officers, food technologists, food importers and exporters, representatives of the hotel and catering segments and food consultants would be required to attend the seminar.
“Participants would benefit from the insights of the new Regulations, enabling them to capitalise on the opportunities in agro food processing,” said Sampath Kumar.