Traders booked for attacking food official

GREATER NOIDA: Three shopkeepers have been booked for allegedly attacking a food safety officer in Bisrakh on Wednesday. Police said the officer, Shivnath Singh, was beaten up as he and his team was collecting samples in the area. 

"An FIR has been registered against Ajay, Sanjay and Dinesh, all local shop owners, for interrupting a government servant while he was on duty," said a senior police officer. 

Singh also alleged that shopkeepers had torn the papers in which the team was noting down the records for future references. 

Following the incident, a team was rushed to the spot but the attackers had fled. Manhunt has been launched to nab the culprits," the official added.

ஓமலூரில் காலாவதியான குளிர்பானங்கள், உணவுப் பொருள்கள் அழிப்பு

ஓமலூர் பேருந்து நிலையம் உள்ளிட்ட பகுதிகளில் புதன்கிழமை ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்ட சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை அதிகாரிகள், காலாவதியான குளிர்பானங்கள், உணவுப் பொருள்களை கைப்பற்றி அழித்தனர்.

சேலம் மாவட்டம், ஓமலூர் பகுதியில் உள்ள கடைகளில் பாதுகாப்பற்ற முறையில் உணவுப் பொருள்கள், குளிர்பானங்கள் விற்பனை செய்யப்படுவதாக உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை அதிகாரிகளுக்கு புகார்கள் சென்றன. இதனையடுத்து, மாவட்ட உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை நியமனஅலுவலர் டி.அனுராதா தலைமையிலான குழுவினர் பேருந்து நிலையம், அதனைச் சுற்றியுள்ள கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர்.

உணவு விடுதிகள், சிற்றுண்டிகள், குளிர்பான நிலையங்கள், பழக்கடை, பலகார கடைகளில் இந்த ஆய்வுகள் நடைபெற்றன. உணவு விடுதி, சிற்றுண்டிகளில் இரு நாள்கள் பழைமையான இறைச்சிகளைப் பதப்படுத்தி விற்பனை செய்வதும், மனித உயிருக்கு ஆபத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும் வகையில் பழைய எண்ணெய் மூலம் உணவுப் பண்டங்கள் தயாரிப்பதையும் அதிகாரிகள் கண்டறிந்தனர். இதையடுத்து, அனைத்தையும் பறிமுதல் செய்து அவர்கள் முன்னிலையிலேயே அழித்தனர்.

இதைத் தொடர்ந்து, குளிர்பான கடைகளில், வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த காலாவதியான குளிர்பானங்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டு அழிக்கப்பட்டன.

மேலும், கார்பைடு கல்களைப் பயன்படுத்தி பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட மாம்பழங்கள், அழுகிய நிலையில் இருந்த பழங்களை பறிமுதல் செய்து அழித்தனர். மேலும், பேருந்து நிலையப் பகுதியில் விற்பனைக்காக வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்து, தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலைப் பொருள்கள் அடங்கிய இரண்டு மூட்டைகளும் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன. மக்கள் உடல் நலத்திற்கும், உயிருக்கும் ஊறு விளைவிக்கும் வகையில் உணவுப் பொருட்கள் விற்போர் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை நியமன அலுவலர் டி.அனுராதா தெரிவித்தார்.

Ban on 4 more coconut oil brands

The Commissioner of Food Safety has banned the sale, distribution, and stocking of four more brands of coconut oil in the State as tests show these brands as adulterated.

The brands which have been banned are Kera Nanma, Copra Naad, Coconut Naad, and Kerasree. So far, 12 brands of coconut oil have been banned in the State by the Food Safety Commissioner because of quality issues or adulteration.

An official release said that Sections 18 (1), 26 (2) (ii), 27 (1) and 36 (3) (b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) were being applied, in the interest of public health, in banning these brands from the market.

Any attempt to sell these brands or continuing to stock these for sale was punishable under the FSSA, with a fine of up to Rs.2 lakh, the statement said.

The public can inform the toll free number of the Food Safety wing, 1800 425 1125 FREE, if they spot the banned brands for sale anywhere in the market.

10 tonnes of chemically ripened mangoes seized in Goa

Panaji: Nearly 10 tonnes of artificially ripened mangoes were seized in Goa during a raid on Wednesday, an official said. The mangoes were later destroyed.

Food and drugs administration officials destroyed the mangoes

The mangoes, mainly of Ratnagiri Alphonso, Pairi and Mancurado varieties, had been artificially ripened using a chemical called Ethrel and were stored in a godown at Sirsaim village, located 25 km north of Panaji.

Food and drugs administration officials destroyed the mangoes, he said.

“The lot was seized from a vendor and would have been transported to the market for sale in a few days. About 10 tonnes of mangoes of several varieties were destroyed,” food safety officer Rajiv Korde said.

Mangoes are the staple fruit with the advent of summer along the Konkan region, which includes Goa.

FDA destroys 12 tonnes of force-ripened mangoes

MAPUSA: The food and drugs administration (FDA) on Wednesday seized and destroyed about 12 tonnes of mangoes which were allegedly ripened artificially. Based on a tip-off, the FDA inspectors raided a godown at Sirsaim, and seized three varieties of mangoes - Pairi and Afonso - procured from Ratnagiri and Mancurad bought locally.

Rajeev Korde, senior food safety inspector, FDA, said vendor Sham Dhargalkar bought mangoes in bulk to sell them during the five-day Shirgao zatra that starts today.

Korde said they had to destroy the seized mangoes at Ganeshpuri, Mapusa, on Wednesday itself, as they had no place to store them. The chemical used to ripen the mangoes was Ethrel, which is harmful for human consumption. Korde said that while the chemical is used to encourage plant growth, it can't be applied after the crop is harvested.

The FDA team comprising Flavia D'Souza, Sudhakar Parsekar and Sudit Naik also seized chemical bottles- four empty and two full-used to ripen mangoes. Mangoes dipped in Ethrel ripens within 48 hours and any trader selling artificially matured fruit is set to gain as decay of the fruit is delayed. It doesn't turn soft or soggy like a natural mango foes two or three days later after maturity. Also, mangoes ripened artificially look attractive and have no creases," he said.

The FDA has registered an offence against Dhargalkar and further investigation is under way. Two years ago, in a major raid in Vasco, FDA had seized 25 tonnes of mangoes ripened artificially.

FDA seizes 10 tonne of artificially-ripened mangoes

The mangoes which were seized at Sirsaim.

MAPUSA: The food and drug administration (FDA) on Wednesday seized around 10 tonne of mangoes at Sirsaim, Bardez that were being chemically ripened in violation of food laws.

“Around 10 tonne of mangoes of various varieties including Ratnagiri Hapus, Pairi and Mancurad, that were being chemically ripened in violation of food laws, were seized at Sirsaim by the food and drug authority,” said senior food safety officer Rajiv Korde.

“The mangoes were ripened using a chemical which is a plant growth regulator. Through this treatment of chemical, mangoes get artificially ripened in 24 hours with a yellowish colour while the natural ripening process takes around four to five days,” the officer said.

He said the etheryl treatment, a chemical solution like carbide, used in the artificial ripening of mangoes, could be harmful for consumers.

The artificially-ripened mangoes were allegedly brought from the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, according to the information available from sources. These mangoes were seized by senior food safety officer Rajiv Korde, who was assisted by officer Flavia D’Souza and staff Sudhakar Parsekar and Sudip Naik.

The person carrying out artificial ripening of fruits could get punishment upto 3 years of imprisonment or fine of upto Rs 5 lakh or both under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” the senior food safety officer said, adding that, “the seized chemically ripened mangoes will be destroyed and buried so that the animals don’t consume such mangoes.”