Adulteration: Bitter truth about sweets

LUCKNOW: Sweets being served by some of the renowned shops in the city are heavily adulterated and spurious a report released by Food Safety and Drug Authority said here on Wednesday.

The FSDA raided on December 30 when six teams went in different directions of the city to assess the quality of sweets being sold in shops. The teams raided nine shops in posh areas and collected 20 samples which were sent for analysis. The results were announced by FSDA commissioner Badal Chatterjee who said, "Eight of the 20 samples failed quality standards and two of the failed samples were found unsafe for consumption."

He added that one of the unsafe samples belonged to a shop in Telibagh area. "Presence of detergent power was detected in khoya barfi samples picked from here," Chatterjee said, adding that other unsafe samples were reported from a popular shop in Hazratganj area. "Chemical colours were used instead of food grade colours to beautify the sweets," the officer told reporters.

Remaining six samples were found substandard. Gomtinagar restaurant and sweet shop was using poor quality deshi ghee and khoya. Similarly, khoya samples from Indiranagar based shops also failed. Bad quality refined oil was being used in a Hazratganj shop. Samples collected from an Aashiana sweet shop faultered on packaging standards. Raids were conducted on bakeries before Christmas.

Special helpline to ensure food safety at fete

The Food Safety Authority has come out with special helpline numbers to accept complaints on the quality of food supplied by eateries in the city during the State school arts festival. Citizens can contact the authority at 8943346564, 8943346612, and8943346191. A toll-free number 18004251125 too will be available.

M.K. Raghavan, MP, inaugurated the media committee office of the State School Arts Festival at the Malabar Christian College High School building here on Wednesday. Identity cards for the mediapersons were distributed on the occasion.

FDA cracks whip on foreigners selling wares at Arambol

MAPUSA: On Wednesday evening, officials of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) confiscated food items being sold by foreigners at Arambol beach. The tourism department will soon be reporting the matter to the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRRO).

Tourism director Ameya Abhyankar confirmed this saying, "No permission has been given by the tourism department even though the foreigners are paying sopo to the local panchayat. We are planning to take action and to report the matter to the FRRO for further action. Flying squads have also been deputed."

The action comes a day after TOI reported in its edition dated January 14 that since the start of the tourism season in November 2014, every evening at 5, around 250 foreigners flock to Arambol, not as tourists, but as businessmen/women, sitting in a 300m-long line and selling food items like momos, pizzas, sandwiches, salads, tea, coffee, soups etc, at a spot on the beach they call the "Arambol sunset point".

While business, which goes on till 9pm, is brisk for the tourists from Russia, Israel, China and Nepal, locals operating shacks in the vicinity claime that their business is down by 50%.

Taking cognizance of the TOI report, food safety officers Rajiv Korde, Rajatam Patil and Shailesh Shenvi visited the beach site late Wednesday evening and found four foreigners selling artificial jewellery, food articles and other general items by displaying them on clothes spread on the beach. All the four foreigners were served with unlicensed operation notices and their activities were immediately stopped. These four foreigners were warned of legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the Rules /Regulations 2012 if they are found selling goods again.

"The foreigners were directed to obtain all approvals from the local authorities, including holding a business visa, to undertake such activities. As other articles, like artificial jewellery, do not fall under the purview of the FDA, they were not ceased. Only the food items were confiscated," FDA director Salim Veljee told TOI.

Veljee said that other departments like the tourism department and local panchayat should also remain vigilant over such illegal activities.

Shopkeeper held for selling gutka; 4 companies also booked

A 70-year-old grocery shop owner was today arrested for allegedly stocking and selling banned gutka worth over Rs one lakh at his shop in Badlapur in the district. 

The state police, for the "first time", has also booked the manufacturing companies of the banned substance found at the shop in order to find out how despite a ban, the gutka was still being sold in Maharashtra. 

The accused, Guruling Veerabhadra Hore, of Shirgaon in Badlapur, was arrested after the Food and Drug Administration raided his shop last evening and seized gutka worth Rs 1,35,720 of various brands, Assistant Police Inspector P B Bondve of the Badlapur (East) police station said. 

Besides Hore, police have booked four gutka manufacturing companies located in various parts of the country. 

"It is for the first time that besides the one who stocks and sells gutka, the manufacturers of the banned substance have also been booked. We have done this as we want to carry out a deep inquiry into how despite a ban, gutka is still being sold in Maharashtra," Bondve said. 

Hore and the manufacturers have been charged under sections of Food Safety and Standards Act, he added. 

The Maharashtra government has banned sale and manufacturing of gutka, paan masala and all types of processed or packaged tobacco.

சங்ககிரி கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு

சேலம் மாவட்டம், சங்ககிரி பழைய பேருந்து நிலையப் பகுதியில் மாவட்ட உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை நியமன அலுவலர் டி.அனுராதா புதன்கிழமை திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டார்.

மாவட்ட உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை நியமன அலுவலர் டி.அனுராதா தலைமையிலான அலுவலர்கள் சங்ககிரி பழைய பேருந்து நிலையம் அருகேயுள்ள பேக்கரிக் கடைகள், ஹோட்டல்கள், தேநீர், குளிர்பானக் கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டார்.

அப்போது, காலாவதியான குளிர்பானங்களை பறிமுதல் செய்து அழித்தனர். மேலும், ஹோட்டல்களில் சோம்பு, சர்க்கரை, கடுகு உள்ளிட்டப் பொருள்களில் ரசாயனக் கலவைப் பூச்சு உள்ளதைக் கண்டறிந்து கலப்படமற்ற பொருள்களை பயன்படுத்துமாறு அதன் உரிமையாளர்களிடம் அறிவுறுத்தினார். இந்த ஆய்வினால் அந்தப் பகுதியில் பரபரப்பு ஏற்பட்டது.