2-minute comeback: 500 online orders a minute for Maggi

Making a comeback after five months, Maggi noodles are witnessing explosive sales this Diwali, with as many as 500 people placing online orders for it every minute
Here’s a Diwali sale with a difference: if you can’t find Maggi noodles at the local supermarket, you can now register for it online and get a few freebies to boot.


Maggi noodles are back on the shelves five months after they were banned for allegedly containing lead beyond permissible levels.

Five months after it disappeared off shelves, Maggi finally made a comeback on Monday, but it is on the online marketplace Snapdeal that sales have been particularly explosive, with upto 500 people per minute registering to buy the noodles. 

“The response to Maggi’s comeback has been phenomenal. At the peak, we saw over 500 registrations per minute today. We will start shipping Maggi out from November 12,” said a spokesperson from Snapdeal, which has limited stock of the noodles. 

Snapdeal saw as many as 500 people registering per minute for the Maggi 'welcome kit'
In a statement, Nestle said: ‘This partnership with Snapdeal will strengthen our ability to reach Maggi Noodles to our consumers across India.’
The ban
In June, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had found Maggi noodles unsafe for human consumption.
The product was banned across the nation, but the Bombay High Court lifted this ban in August. The HC had then instructed the state to conduct fresh tests, after which it was found that the noodles were safe to eat.
“More than 2,700 samples of Maggi noodles have been tested by laboratories in India and abroad in recent months, and each test confirmed the level of lead to be ‘far below permissible limits’,” said a statement released by Nestle earlier.
Comeback
The noodles will now return to the market in phases, and is currently available in select stores in the city. However, those who have been unable to get their hands on a packet can turn to Snapdeal, which has tied up with Nestle to offer a special welcome kit to noodle aficionados.
The noodles are being sold in what is called the flash sales format, also known as the ‘deal of the day’, in which a website offers a single product for sale for a limited period of time.
Potential customers have to register to avail the deal. Registrations for this kit of 12 packs of noodles, along with freebies, will close as Diwali comes to an end, by 11 pm tonight. Dinesh R Honaje, a college student, was among the several people who registered for the welcome kit.
“I am a Maggi lover, and after it has passed various tests, I find no reason to not to trust the noodles,” he said. However, a few people, particularly mothers, still seemed reluctant to buy the product due to the earlier ban.
Once bitten, twice shy
Post the Maggi crisis, which cost Nestle India R450 crore, managing director, Suresh Narayanan said the company will diversify its product portfolio and also focus on dairy, coffee and beverages as well as chocolates and confectionery, in order to avoid over-dependence on a single product.
FDA speak
The state Food and Drug Administration commissioner Harshdeep Kamble was unreachable, but mid-day asked the joint commissioner (food), Suresh Annapure, whether the food safety watchdog will check samples of the stock being sold online.
He responded saying, “I have been out of town and will be coming back after a week. As of now, I don’t know about the online sales and how this was allowed. As soon as I am back, I will review the situation and decide the plan of action.”
Mothers speak
Nilima Salunkhe, mother of one
In matters of health and safety, even a potential hazard must be avoided. So whether Maggi is banned or not, I am certainly not going to offer it to my kids because it was hard to change get them to move from the tempting noodles to homemade healthy Indian food.
Jyoti Pandey, mother of one
I have been eating Maggi since childhood and have been loyal to the brand, but as of now, I would not serve it to my child. Only after I hear reviews declaring it safe to eat, will I allow my child to have it.
K Vijalakshmi, mother of one
Better avoid something that has been doubted once. Noodles are not good for health, as they contain maida. The food authorities had found high amounts of lead in it, hence, I would not want my daughter to have it.
Mrudula Katdare, mother of two
As long as Maggi has cleared all the FDA-mandated tests, I don’t mind buying and serving it to my children. One cannot forget that the brand has served us all since childhood.

2 Filthy sweet shops sealed in Bus stand

FDA seizes edible oil stored in old tins

PUNE: Food and drug administration (FDA) officials on Monday seized edible oil worth Rs 69,238 stored in old tins from a packaging unit in Dehugaon.
Recycling tins to store oil is not allowed under the new Food Safety and Standards Act. "During a routine inspection, our officials found the oil packed in old tins. We seized 508kg refined soyabean oil worth Rs 45,456 and 298kg imported palmolein oil worth Rs 23,872," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
Food safety officials Sachin Adhav and Nilesh Khose carried out the action under the guidance of Shivkumar Kodgire, assistant commissioner (food), FDA.tnn
"The unit owner would import palmolein oil in bulk and would manage branding, labelling and packaging at his unit located Dehugaon," said Kodgire.

Sweet shops in Sectors 21, 23 inspected; samples of khoya, petha sent for analysis

Measures to prevent food adulteration during festive season.
Chandigarh: Food Safety Officers Surinder Pal Singh and Bharat Kanojia raided sweets shops. Under the supervision of Dr Rajinder K Sharma, Designated Officer and in-charge Food Safety Administration, Chandigarh Health Department, Chandigarh, a joint team of Food Safety Officers Surinder Pal Singh and Bharat Kanojia raided sweets shops here on Monday at Sectors 21 and 23 of Chandigarh for inspecting sweets manufacturing units in the said area.
All the four manufacturing units in Sectors 21 and 23 Chandigarh were inspected. Along with this the sweet shop in the area of Sector 45, Burail and Sector 44, Chandigarh were also inspected. Two samples including Khoya Burfi, Petha Sweet and Khoya were taken and sent to Food Analysis Laboratories, Chandigarh for analysis and examination.
The Food vendors were also instructed to keep hygiene and quality standards according to Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. It was brought to the notice of all shop owners that manufacturing, selling, storing of food articles in unhygienic condition, substandard food, adding any adulterant in food, stale food, unsafe food, which is injurious to health of the general public will be fined a sum of Rs ten Lakh and imprisonment up to seven years. The consumers and general public are made aware of safety and standards of food materials.

Maggi comes back with flash sale on Snapdeal

After mobile phones, now Nestle's Maggi is being sold via unique "flash sale model" on e-commerce platform Snapdeal, with the online retailer seeking registrations of buyers for the instant noodles brand that made a comeback Monday after a gap of five months.

Maggi was banned after it was allegedly found to have lead content beyond permissible limits.
Flash sales or deal-of-the-day is an e-commerce business model in which a website offers a single product for sale for a limited period of time. Potential customers have to register to avail the deal.
Snapdeal will open up registrations Monday evening and the sale will begin from November 12, it said in an emailed response.
The e-commerce company, however, did not disclose the quantity of packets that will go on sale and said "limited stock will be available".
Maggi is now back on retail shelves in select markets from Monday, five months after it was banned for allegedly containing lead beyond the permissible limit.
Nestle India, which sells the Maggi brand, is rolling out the product in a staggered manner across the country, except in eight states where it is still not allowed.
Maggi has been relaunched in 100 towns through 300-odd distributors and will be rolled out in many more areas in the coming days, Nestle India Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan said.
The popular brand of noodles had passed tests by three government-accredited laboratories, as ordered by the Bombay High Court which in August had lifted ban on the instant noodles that was imposed by food safety regulators.
It paved way for Nestle India to bring back Maggi in the market after it was banned in June by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which stated that it was "unsafe and hazardous" for consumption due to presence of lead beyond permissible limits. The company withdrew the noodles brand from the market.

பதப்படுத்தப்பட்ட இறைச்சியை சாப்பிடுவதால் புற்றுநோய் ஏற்படும் ஆபத்து: உலக சுகாதார நிறுவனம் எச்சரிக்கை

பதப்படுத்தப்பட்ட இறைச்சியை சாப்பிடுவதால் புற்றுநோய் ஏற்படும் ஆபத்து உள்ளதாக உலக சுகாதார நிறுவனம் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளது.
அதேநேரம் இறைச்சியை பதப்படுத்தி ஏற்றுமதி செய்வதற்கு அதிக தண்ணீர் செலவிடப்படுவதால் எதிர்காலத்தில் இந்தியாவில் தண்ணீர் தட்டுப்பாடு அதிகரிக்கும் அபாயம் உள்ளது.
கடந்த சில ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு அமெரிக்காவின் தேசிய சுகாதார நிறுவனத்தின் நிதியுதவியில் மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்ட ஆய்வில், சிவப்பு இறைச்சி, பதப்படுத்தப்பட்ட இறைச்சியை உண்பதால் இதய நோய், புற்றுநோய் ஏற்படும் வாய்ப்புள்ளது என்று தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.
இதை இப்போது உறுதி செய்துள்ள உலக சுகாதார நிறுவனம், சிவப்பு இறைச்சியை உண்பதால் குடல் புற்றுநோய் வருவதற்கான வாய்ப்பு மிக அதிகமாக உள்ளது என்று எச்சரித்துள்ளது.
பிரிட்டனைச் சேர்ந்த புற்றுநோயாளிகளில் 19 சதவீதம் பேர் புகையிலைப் பழக்கத்தாலும் 3 சதவீதம் பேர் இறைச்சி சாப்பிடுவதாலும் இந்நோயால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டிருப்பதாக ஆய்வில் சுட்டிக் காட்டப்பட்டுள்ளது.
இந்தியாவில் இறைச்சி உண்ணும் பழக்கம் அண்மைகாலமாக அதிகரித்து வருகிறது. ஆனால் வெளிநாடுகளை ஒப்பிடும்போது இது மிகவும் குறைவு. சீனாவில் ஒருவர் ஆண்டுக்கு 10 கிலோ கோழி இறைச்சி சாப்பிடுகிறார். இது இந்தியாவைவிட 10 மடங்கு அதிகம். இதேபோல மாட்டிறைச்சி உண்பதிலும் சீனா மற்றும் மேற்கத்திய நாடுகளைவிட இந்தியா மிகவும் பின்தங்கியே உள்ளது.
இந்தியாவில் பதப்படுத்தப்பட்ட இறைச்சியை சாப்பிடுவதும் மிகவும் குறைவாகும். பெரும்பாலும் கோழி இறைச்சிதான் அதிகம் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது.
தண்ணீர் தட்டுப்பாடு
இந்தியாவைப் பொறுத்தவரை இறைச்சி சாப்பிடுவதால் ஏற்படும் பாதிப்புகளைவிட இறைச்சி ஏற்றுமதியால் அதிக பாதிப்புகள் ஏற்படுகிறது.
உலகளாவிய அளவில் இறைச்சி ஏற்றுமதிமதியில் இந்தியா முன்னணியில் உள்ளது. பொதுவாக இறைச்சியை பதப்படுத்தி ஏற்றுமதி செய்வதற்கு அதிக தண்ணீர் செலவிடப்படுகிறது.
ஒரு கிலோ இறைச்சியை பதப்படுத்தி ஏற்றுமதிக்கு தயார் செய்ய சுமார் 16 ஆயிரம் லிட்டர் தண்ணீர் தேவைப்படுகிறது. அதேநேரம் ஒரு கிலோ காய்கறிகளை பதப்படுத்தி தயார் செய்ய 320 லிட்டர் தண்ணீர் இருந்தால் போதுமானது.
இந்தியாவில் பெரும்பாலான பகுதிகளில் தனிநபருக்கான தண்ணீர் தேவையைக் கூட பூர்த்தி செய்ய முடியாத நிலை உள்ளது. ஆண்டுதோறும் வயிற்றுப்போக்கு உள்ளிட்ட காரணங்களால் நூற்றுக்கணக்கான குழந்தைகள் மடிகின்றன.
இந்நிலையில் இறைச்சி பதப்படுத்துதலுக்காக அதிக தண்ணீரை செலவிட்டால் எதிர்காலத்தில் தண்ணீர் தட்டுப்பாடு அதிகரிக்கும் அபாயம் உள்ளது.
சுற்றுச்சூழல் பாதிப்புஇதுதவிர இறைச்சி பதப்படுத்துதலால் சுற்றுச்சூழலும் அதிகம் பாதிக்கப்படுகிறது. உலகளாவிய அளவில் கால்நடைகளால் 18 சதவீதம் பசுமைக்குடில் வாயு வெளியாகிறது.
மாட்டிறைச்சி உற்பத்திக்கு இதர கால்நடைகளை விட 28 மடங்கு கூடுதலாக நிலம் தேவைப்படுகிறது. இதனால் பெரும்பாலான நாடுகளில் மாட்டிறைச்சிக்கு பதிலாக காய்கறி உற்பத்திக்கு முன்னுரிமை அளிக்கப்படுகிறது.
இந்திய மாட்டுப் பண்ணைகளில் இப்போது அதிக அளவில் ஆன்டிபயாடிக் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது. இதன்காரணமாக மருந்துகளுக்கு கட்டுப்படாத பாக்டீரியாவின் பாதிப்பு அண்மைக்காலமாக அதிகரித்து வருகிறது. இத்தகைய பாக்டீரியாவால் இந்தியாவில் ஆண்டுதோறும் 58 ஆயிரம் பச்சிளம் குழந்தைகள் உயிரிழக்கின்றனர்.
இது ஓர் அபாய எச்சரிக்கை ஆகும்.

After Maggi, booze chocolates on food watchdog radar

Liquor chocolates, popular as Diwali gifts and otherwise, may soon be withdrawn from shop shelves as the government is planning a crackdown on sale of these chocolates.

Maggi may have returned to the market but Delhiites are in for another disappointment soon. Liquor chocolates, popular as Diwali gifts and otherwise, may soon be withdrawn from shop shelves as the government is planning a crackdown on sale of these chocolates. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), liquor chocolates are strictly prohibited in India and its sale is illegal.
The FSSAI said it would pick up samples to conduct quality check and if alcohol content is found in these chocolates, action would be initiated against the manufacturer and the seller. During festive season, markets in several Indian cities, particularly the metro cities, get flooded with liquor chocolates. The sale goes up by almost two to three times during Christmas and New Year.
The sale of liquor chocolates is also in violation of the Delhi Excise Rule. An excise department official said it is mandatory to procure license to sell any commodity containing alcohol in Delhi. In addition to this, consumption of liquor is prohibited for those below 25 years of age in the Capital. In a crackdown, the Mumbai Police had arrested a woman for making liquor chocolates without obtaining license from the excise department. In Mumbai, it is also mandatory to have an alcohol permit to buy these chocolates, violation of which can lead to penalty or arrest under the Bombay Prohibition Act.
In response to an RTI query, the FSSAI said even imported chocolates containing alcohol is not permitted in Indian markets. "The FSSAI does not permit alcohol in chocolates. Hence, liquor chocolates imported from other countries are not allowed to be sold in Delhi's markets," said the RTI reply. The food safety regulator admitted that it has never conducted any quality check of these chocolates and hence there has been no penalty against violators. "It is a serious matter. Consumption of liquor chocolates could be injurious. We will take strict action against the manufacturers and sellers if the samples are found to have alcohol content," said a senior FSSAI official. "If ingredient lists of imported chocolates contain alcohol, the entire consignment is immediately rejected," said the official.
The RTI applicant had also sought information on the countries from where liquor chocolates are imported in India and penalty imposed on these sellers. However, the department had no information in this regard. Sources said liquor chocolates are also available in duty-free shops at various airports in India.
In Delhi, not only are imported chocolates mostly from Belgium sold, but a large number of local chocolate manufacturers openly operate. Liquor chocolates are also sold through online portals like amazon.com, craftsvilla.com, candywarehouse. com, germandeli.com and many more. The popular liquor chocolate brands being sold in Indian markets include VooDoo and Anthon Berg.
Local manufacturers told Mail Today that these chocolates are preferred by youths in the age group of 20 to 30 years. "Liquor chocolates are manufactured on a large scale in Delhi. Orders are generally placed online. The price varies between Rs 20-25 per piece or Rs 1,000-1,500 per kg," said a Delhi-based seller of liquor chocolates. Another seller in Gurgaon said local chocolates are in demand due to easy availability. These chocolates come in the shape of tiny edible bottles made of chocolate and filled with liquor.
Doctors and experts have also warned against consumption of liquor chocolates. Doctors said liquor chocolates contain hydrogenated fats or the trans fats that can lead to a host of lifestyle illnesses like coronary heart disease, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and cancer. Hydrogenated fats are fatty acids created while making these chocolates.

Healthy Eating:Watch out for poisonous packaging

When it comes to eating street food, we often spend a lot of time worrying about what’s in the food, but not enough time worrying about what the food is in. Be they bun kebabs, samosas or any other downtown snack, odds are that the food you buy from street vendors will be wrapped in a newspaper. Now, here’s why this is bad news for you:
Wrapping fried food in newspapers is a very unhealthy practice and is very much prevalent in Kashmir and its consumption is injurious to health, even if the food has been cooked hygienically. The reason is simple; the hot oil in, say, pakoras, facilitates the seeping of chemicals from ink and paper into the food. The newspaper ink contains many hazardous chemicals which can trigger serious health problems.
Exposure to a class of organic chemicals called arylamines, such as benzidine, 2-Naphthylamine and 4-Aminobiphenyl, is associated with high risks of bladder and lung cancer. Apart from these, printing inks also contain colorants, pigments, binders, additives and photo-initiators (used for speeding up the drying process of the ink), which have harmful effects.
There are literally thousands of ink chemicals and a majority of them can be dangerous for consumers. Newspapers are usually produced by a system called offset-web printing, which requires a certain consistency of the ink (it needs to be very thick) and a particular means of drying. For the former, mineral oils (petroleum-based) and solvents such as methanol, benzene and toluene are used; and for the latter, heavy metal (Cobalt)-based drying agents are used. None of these should be used in food packaging, as they are also classified as harmful and can be perilous for consumers’ health.
Some offset printing ink formulations use vegetable oils rather than mineral oils; however, they have strong odours and should not be used in food packaging. Given the long-term risk from protracted exposure from an early age, the sale of such tainted foods to school children, a common sight in all our cities, must also be avoided and there is an urgent need to raise awareness on this issue.
Mineral oil-based printing inks for newspapers contain mineral oil which consists of various types of hydrocarbon molecules that can exist as Mineral Oil Saturated Hydrocarbons (MOSH) and Mineral Oil Aromatic Hydrocarbons (MOAH). These hydrocarbons usually convert into gases by evaporation that eventually penetrates food items.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives, the safe upper limit for the MOSH in foodstuffs is 0.6mg/kg. Older people, teenagers, children and people with compromised vital organs and immune system are at a greater risk of acquiring cancer-related health complications.
Another similar problem which has been noticed in the city is that fast food restaurants are packing burgers and soups in thin, transparent plastic bags, as takeaways. These clear synthetic bags are typically made of polyethylene (polythene) and the principal potential ‘migrant’ agent is ethylene. There are a number of potential additives to polythene, such as anti-static agents, ultra-violet protection and flame retardants. These additives can be very dangerous if they move into the takeaway food.
In a recent commentary in the prestigious British Medical Journal ‘Food packaging and migration of food contact materials: will epidemiologists rise to the neotoxic challenge? J. Epidemiol’ by Muncke J, et al. (Feb 2014) scientists say that most food contact materials (FCMs) are not inert. Chemicals contained in the FCM, such as monomers, additives, processing aids or reaction by-products, can diffuse into foods and this chemical diffusion is accelerated by warm temperature.
The scientists further say that FCMs are a significant source of chemical food contamination. As a result, humans consuming packaged or processed foods are chronically exposed to synthetic chemicals at low levels throughout their lives.
Formaldehyde, another known carcinogen, is widely present at low levels in plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate. Other chemicals known to disrupt hormone production and used in food and drink packaging, include Bisphenol A, tributyltin, triclosan and phthalates.
While using teabags, some people squeeze the teabag using the label fixed at the other end of the thread. As it can leak the ink from the label, it is recommended that the teabags should be sueezed by using the thread only.
In our state of Jammu and Kashmir , there is Food Safety and Standards Act 2006,rules/regulation 2011 that can be used to have the food samples tested for potential hazards at government level as provided under Section 38 and 47 of the Act through Food Safety Officers .Even the Purchaser can get the food sample tested at his own as provided under section 12 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, in case the sample fails in testing government is supposed to refund the cost of sample and other expenditure to the purchaser and Designated Officers are supposed to initiate action against defaulters.In case the sample declared unsafe in testing. The offence is punishable with an imprisonment for a term which may be extended to six years and also fine which may extend to five lakh rupees. The government can also use Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 to control wrapping of fried foods in newspapers and banning the use of plastic bags for takeaways soups and other food items.
- The writer is Food Safety Officer Srinagar and can be reached at Loneshabir73@gmail.com