Food Safety Surveillance to be Intensified

PALAKKAD: The district Food Safety Department (FSD) will conduct a general inspection in all the shops in the district on April 13 and 14 to ensure food safety in view of the Vishu celebrations.

“Usually during festive seasons the town and its environs come alive as people throng restaurants and food-related establishments. No food business operator should resort to unhygienic practices and sell substandard food. We will be inspecting shops to check for unhealthy practices and seize any article of food if found unsafe to eat. Action will be taken against those eateries that do not comply with the norms,” said N Haleel, district officer of the FSD.

He also said that samples of rice, vegetables, and fruits will be collected from shops to check for its quality.

“People should report to the FSD if they spot any sale of unhygienic food items,” added Haleel. 

In the wake of Vishu, the market is flooded with adulterated coconut oil and as many as nine coconut oil brands were banned by the FSD.

Marathon for food safety held in Kalaburagi

Hundreds of students from Mahadevappa Rampure Medical College, run by Hyderabad Karnataka Education Society in Kalaburagi, participated in the Marathon for the cause of food safety to mark World Health Day 2015 here on Sunday.

More than 200 students, staff members, the Dean M. Bhandari and Medical Superintendent of Basaveshwar Teaching and General Hospital S.R. Harwal gathered at college campus to participate in the marathon event that was flagged off at 8 a.m.

The event was organised by Neoteric committee constituted by MBBS final year students to spread awareness with the theme - “Food Safety: from farm to plate, keep food safe”.

The students also displayed posters on food safety and explained the measures for food safety in brief at Sardar Vallabhbhai patel chowk where the marathon event culminated.

Ban sought on slaughtering of all animals in open places

PANAJI: Animal lovers have approached the National green tribunal (NGT) seeking a total ban on slaughtering of all animals in an open place. 

They have sought to "ban the illegal slaughtering of all animals in the state of Goa except in notified slaughterhouses possessing the consent/permission to operate from the Goa state pollution control board and the disposal of the waste generated there is at designated dumping sites and in accordance with law". 

The animal lovers have pointed out that about 9,000 litres of blood is discharged into the Mandovi river and other rivers daily from the illegal slaughterhouses. As a result, the residents of Goa and adjoining states are compelled to use such polluted and contaminated water of the rivers Mandovi, Zuari, Talpona, the peition alleged. 

The petition stated that the Food and drugs administration (FDA) raided 77 illegal meat /mutton shops in the state of Goa and stopped illegal sale of meat/mutton. The FDA said that practically all meat business carried out by vendors is unlicenced. The petition states that the department has inspected 58 meat shops in South Goa and 19 shops in the north and inspection of the 77 stalls has revealed that all were without the food safety licence, which is mandatory under the law. 

Social activist Kashinath Shetye, one among 13 animal lovers in the petition, said that owing to such horrifying and anarchical conditions at illegal slaughterhouses, the risk of communicable diseases is extremely high. A large meat-eating population is also being put to a great risk of life and health as the people are not aware of the appalling conditions under which animals are slaughtered, transported and sold. They do not know that the meat offered to them for consumption comes from a healthy or a sick and diseased animal. 

"The tribunal should be pleased to direct the state of Goa and GSPCB to take strict action against violators for the pollution caused due to illegal slaughtering in the state of Goa and submit a compliance report of the same to this tribunal," the petition said. 

Animal lovers, in their petition, also sought a direction to GSPCB to conduct a study about the damage caused to the environment owing to the illegal slaughtering of animals and forthwith initiate remedial measures to remedy the damage caused by the pollution in the state of Goa.

Go milk' compromising with quality, say people

Jammu, Apr 12: The double toned 'Go Brand' milk is compromising with the quality, according to many people in Jammu.
Many residents of Purani Mandi, Lower Mastgarh, Link Road, Peer Mitha, Lakhdata Bazar and Pacca Danga said the 'Go Brand' milk is not of absolute thickness and hence deficient in nutrient components indispensable for the growth of children.
Others complained that the milk is adulterated with skimmed milk powder.
Pertinently, under the supervision of Municipal Commissioner, Kiran Wattal, the Food Wing of JMC headed by Health Officer, Dr. Mohammad Saleem Khan and Food Safety Officers had lifted samples of double toned milk 'Go Brand' during routine checking in August 2014 from the premises of M/S Best Price, Wall Mart India Pvt. Ltd. Akhnoor Road, M/S Parag Milk Foods Pvt. Ltd., Akali Kour Singh Nagar, Digiana, Jammu (Distributor/Supplier) of the 'Go Brand'.
The samples were sent to the Food Analyst, Jammu for analysis. About 4,503 litres of the milk was seized and kept in the custody of designated officer (Health Officer) JMC.
The Food Analyst on September 20, 2014 had reported that the samples were mis-branded and accordingly prosecution was launched in the court by the Food Safety Officers Ashwani Kumar and Parveen Gupta.The court after hearing, convicted accused parties i.e. M/S Best Price, Wall Mart India Pvt. Ltd and M/S Parag Milk Product Pvt. Ltd and imposed a fine of Rs. 20,000 on them. The court also ordered that the seized product was not safe for the consumers and be destroyed.