DINAMALAR NEWS

Is there toxin in your oat breakfast?

Often touted for boosting cardiac health, oat-based breakfast cereals have now come under the scanner as researchers have detected in them potentially dangerous mould contamination. 

Some oat-based breakfast cereals contain a high-level of mould-related toxin called ochratoxin A (OTA) that has been linked to kidney cancer in animal studies, the researchers, who procured the samples from the US, reported. 

"OTA has been found in all major cereal grains including oat, wheat, and barley worldwide and considered as a potential concern in food safety," said researchers Hyun Jung Lee and Dojin Ryu from the University of Idaho in the US. 

However, the incidence of OTA was highest in oat-based breakfast cereals, followed by wheat-based, corn-based, and rice-based breakfast cereals, the findings showed. 

Scientists do not yet know how the toxin affects human health, but the International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organisation, classifies it as a possible human carcinogen. 

Animals exposed to OTA in experiments developed kidney tumours. 

Although the US does not currently regulate the contaminant, the European Union has set maximum limits for OTA in food (three nanogram/g). 

Ryu and Lee wanted to see how the US breakfast cereals measured up to that standard. 

The researchers tested close to 500 samples of corn-, rice-, wheat- and oat-based breakfast cereals purchased from the US stores over two years. 

They found that in most samples, OTA levels were lower than the European threshold. 

But concentrations exceeded the EU standard in eight percent of oat-based breakfast cereal samples. 

The researchers concluded that oat production, storage and processing need careful review to better protect consumer health. 

The findings were reported in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Lack of infrastructure halting implementation of FSA

SC, HC directions not followed

Srinagar: The state government has failed to ensure strict implementation of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 in the state which is aimed to keep a check on the sale of adulterated food in the valley.

While the act is already in force in the state from many years but due to lack of the required infrastructure the act remains confined to the papers only.

Sources said that the department over the years has failed to upgrade the infrastructure despite numerous reminders from different quarters.“The act is in force but the lack of the required

infrastructure is halting its proper implementation. Proper infrastructure is much need to ensure it throughout the valley,” he said.

Earlier in 2014, the government had constituted a Steering Committee, headed by the Chief Secretary as its Chairman for effective and smooth implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 in Jammu and Kashmir.“The government has constituted this committee to devise a strategy to keep a check on the unabated food adulteration,” sources added.

Meanwhile an official from the Drugs and Food Controller informed that the department has framed a comprehensive proposal regarding its complete implementation in the state.“Right now the act is in place and we recently framed a comprehensive proposal which after

government’s approval will ensure its complete implementation in Jammu and Kashmir,” said an Incharge officer.

She said that they held a meeting with commissioner secretary of health to discuss the up gradation of infrastructure. “Manpower is much needed and we are working to enforce the

implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 with the available infrastructure. We held a meeting and all those issues were discussed,” the Incharge officer said.

It is worth to mention that the Supreme Court of India had also ordered strict implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier in 2012, High Court has directed the state government to report to it about the steps taken with regard to implementation of Food Safety Standards Act of 2006 file compliance report on steps taken to implement Food Safety and Standard Act Food Control Organization Kashmir (FCOK) earlier has booked 422

shopkeepers for violation of Food Safety Act collecting a fine to the tune of Rs. 31 lakh in 2013 while collecting revenue of Rs. 1.25 crore for of renewal of licenses.

The former Minister for Health Taj Mohi –ud –Din had also called for vigorous awareness campaign to educate the masses about the consumption of quality and hygienic food products.

Packaged drinking water may after all be spurious

‘Selling such water drawn from taps in cans bearing ISI symbol amounts to cheating’

Is the packaged drinking water made available in the 20-litre cans at marriage halls and other gatherings unprocessed and spurious? Several packaged drinking water manufacturers and distributors, who had gathered for a meeting convened by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) in Mysuru recently alleged that some unscrupulous distributors were fraudulently filling the cans with unprocessed water from taps and supplying the same to customers in the city.

Even though there is no conclusive evidence of a section of the distributors resorting to such unethical practices, the FSSA officials in Mysuru do not rule out the possibility of spurious water being supplied in the packaged drinking water cans to customers in the city. Worse, they fear that instances of such racketeering could increase in the coming summer months when demand for drinking water increases.

The packaged drinking water manufacturers and the distributors in the city expressed concern over the unethical practice bringing disrepute to their trade.

The FSSA, which has been acting against packaged drinking water units operating without obtaining the mandatory ISI symbol after obtaining licences from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and FSSA, will now be focussing even on the distributors.

“Such illegal practices by the distributors cannot be ruled out. We will begin inspecting the water cans being ferried by the distributors. They will have to produce the cash bills and other necessary documents to prove that the drinking water they are transporting is filtered, checked for fungal and bacterial contamination, ozonized and undergone all the other stipulated processes for packaged drinking water,” said Food Safety Officer H.N. Satish, who is also the in-charge Designated Officer for FSSA in Mysuru Rural.

By selling such non-purified water drawn from the taps or borewell in water cans bearing ISI symbol amounts to not only cheating, but could also prove to be a health hazard, leading to water-borne diseases and diarrhoea, added Food Safety Officer M.S. Lokesh, who is also the in-charge Designated Officer for FSSA in Mysuru Urban.

Some unscrupulous distributors are believed to be resorting to refilling the cans once packaged by drinking water manufacturer with water from a different unit, which is against the basic safety parameters. “It is not difficult to cover the water cans with caps readily available in the market,” he added. The FSSA has now made it mandatory for the distributors to be registered with them. “Though there are around 400 distributors in Mysuru city, barely 50 are registered with us”, Mr. Satish added.

The FSSA, which will carry out a drive against the distributors in the coming weeks, will collect samples of the water from the cans and subject the same to tests at the Food Testing Laboratory.

Report to food authority if you find water can sans ISI symbol

The Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) has appealed to the general public to inform the authority if they come across any packaged drinking water manufacturing unit selling its cans without ISI symbol.

The public can inform the Designated Officer of FSSA, NPC hospital premises, Nazarbad, Mysuru, either through phone on 0821-2438144or e-maildomcca2013@gmail.com

All packaged drinking water units have been instructed to strictly adhere to the safety parameters prescribed for them that include using only groundwater drawn from borewell. As part of the process, water should be subjected to proper filtration, a chemical analysis for fluoride and arsenic content, and it has to be checked for bacterial and fungal contamination.

After completing the process, water should be filled in the can, sealed and stored for at least 48 hours before the same are distributed to consumers.

Strict action will be taken against the manufacturers and distributors failing to abide by the rules, said a press statement from the FSSA, Mysuru.

Safety first is Tocklai maxim - Tea research institute lab to check residue levels; ACMS-CCPA sign agreement for three years

Jorhat, Feb. 26: The Tocklai Tea Research Institute is preparing itself for "testing" times.

It has planned to set up a world-class laboratory to test maximum residue levels in tea, the first of its kind in the country to be instituted by the tea industry.

Industry sources said there are only six laboratories to test the maximum residue levels, with the Tea Research Association having two small labs - one in Calcutta and another at Tocklai here. United Planters' Association of South India has one and private companies own the rest.

Tea Research Association vice-chairman P.K. Bezboruah told The Telegraph about the laboratory today on the sidelines of the inaugural function of a two-day national seminar at the institute.

He said Tocklai has decided to set up the laboratory to test samples of tea in view of strict food safety laws coming into place in the country.

The seminar is on Plant Protection in Tea: Recent Advances, organised by the association in association with Tea Improvement Consortium National working Group on Plant Protection. Former Tea Board chairman and Assam additional chief secretary M.G.V.K. Bhanu inaugurated the seminar.

The seminar hopes to disseminate knowledge on recent advances in plant protection strategies. It will discuss ways to develop mechanisms to cope with the situation arising out of the inherent ability of insects to adapt to new host plants and restrictions on use of toxic chemicals after the implementation of the plant protection code from January 1.

Bezboruah said a Rs 55-crore proposal to set up a state-of-the-art analytical laboratory at Tocklai and another at Dibrugarh was submitted to the Union commerce ministry nearly six months ago, and the Centre was in the process of sanctioning it.

Bezboruah, a well-known tea planter and former chairman of the Assam Tea Planters' Association, said at present, the Tocklai laboratory could test only four tea samples per day, but the two proposed laboratories would be able to test 100 samples per day.

The Tea Research Association's vice-chairman said in view of the implementation of the plant protection code, the management of a tea estate has to certify that toxic chemicals banned under the code have not been used in the plantations while sending the stocks for sale.

He said a planter could be made liable for prosecution if random checks on tea carried out by the government found any material which could pose health hazards to consumers. A planter could face criminal charges if anything toxic was found in tea and the maximum residue level was above the prescribed limit.

Bezboruah said there would be a huge demand for tests on tea samples daily and hence a modern big facility was the need of the hour.

The secretary of the association, Joydeep Phukan, said anticipating this huge demand, it has decided to expand its facilities.

The association's director, N. Muraleedharan, in his welcome address, outlined challenges like climatic change affecting production, difficulties in tackling pests and the need for strict adherence to rules set by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.