JOHNSON & JOHNSON baby powder for lab tests

Months after a 62-year-old woman in the US died of ovarian cancer linked to prolonged use of Johnson & Johnson baby powder, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has slapped a notice on the company.
  

J&J, the world’s biggest maker of healthcare products, was found liable for fraud, negligence and conspiracy in an American civil suit last month.
Months after a 62-year-old woman in the US died of ovarian cancer linked to prolonged use of Johnson & Johnson baby powder, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has slapped a notice on the company. It has also sent for lab tests eight samples of the baby powder it has acquired from across the state.
Additionally, the FDA will also get talcum powder of other brands such as Shower to Shower, Dermicool, Ponds and Nycil tested to ensure no heavy metal is present in the products.
A US court last month directed Johnson & Johnson to pay a compensation of $72 million to the family of Jacqueline Fox, who died due to ovarian cancer after using Johnson & Johnson baby powder for feminine hygiene for over 35 years. She also used another powder, Shower to Shower, which is now owned by Valeant Pharmaceuticals International.
Maharashtra FDA commissioner Dr Harshdeep Kamble said, “We have sent a notice to J&J company and had called its officials for a discussion. We have requested the company to present a study data on the talcum powder.”
According to the US court verdict that came on February 24, J&J was charged with “fraud, negligence and conspiracy” with links established between talcum powder and cancer.
“There needs to be a scientific validation of the cancer causing agents, if any, in the powder,” said FDA Joint Commissioner Omprakash Sadhwani, adding that information on the
composition of the product had been taken from the company. While no decision on prohibiting sale of the baby powder has been taken yet, Sadhwani said even the US FDA was holding deliberations on the product.
The testing of all top talcum powder brands will be conducted at the government-run laboratory in Bandra-Kurla Complex to check if they comply with the Bureau of Indian Standards rules laid down under the Drug and Cosmetics Act. While FDA officials claimed they were “not jumping to the conclusion of carcinogenic properties” of the powder, a check on presence of heavy metals would be done.

Maggi samples found ‘sub-standard’ in UP, Nestle disagrees

According to tests conducted by Lucknow-based state-owned laboratory, ash content in Maggi Masala was found to be 1.85 per cent, which is higer than the permissible limit of one per cent.
District authorities of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh have found fresh samples of instant noodles ‘Maggi’ “sub-standard”, a claim rejected by its manufacturer Nestle India. The samples of Maggi collected from Safedabad in Barabanki district on February 5 “were found sub-standard” District Chief Food Safety Officer Manoj Kumar said.
According to tests conducted by Lucknow-based state-owned laboratory, ash content in Maggi Masala was found to be 1.85 per cent, which is higher than the permissible limit of one per cent.
Notices would be sent to the retailer and the company and, if they are dissatisfied with the report, they can send it to a referral lab at their own expense, Kumar said. However, refuting the findings, Nestle India said, “The quality and safety of our products are non-negotiable priorities for us as we adhere to strict food quality and safety procedures at all times.”
It is apparent from the media reports that standards for ‘Macaroni products’ are being applied for ‘Instant Noodles with seasoning’ which is “erroneous and misleading”, a Nestle India spokesman said.
“We categorically reiterate that testing of ‘Instant Noodles’ against norms set for ‘macaroni products’ will reflect in incorrect results and wrong interpretations.” Industry members, including Nestlé India, have made a representation to the FSSAI to remove this confusion, which is unwarranted, the company said.
Kumar, meanwhile, said if no application was receieved either from the retailer or the company within a month, a case would be lodged in the court of additional district magistrate. “A penalty of upto Rs five lakh could be imposed in this case,” he added.

Maggi faces more scrutiny in Uttar Pradesh

Barabanki food safety officer Manoj Kumar claims samples of Maggi collected from Safedabad on 5 February were found sub-standard
Barabanki/New Delhi: The district authorities of Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh have claimed to have found fresh samples of instant noodles Maggi “sub-standard”, a claim rejected by its manufacturer Nestle India.
The samples of Maggi collected from Safedabad in Barabanki district on 5 February “were found sub-standard”, district chief food safety officer Manoj Kumar said.
According to tests conducted by a Lucknow-based state-owned laboratory, ash content in Maggi Masala was found to be 1.85%, which is higher than the permissible limit of 1%.
Notices would be sent to the retailer and the company and, if they are not satisfied with the report, they can send it to a referral lab on their own expense, Kumar said.
Refuting the findings, Nestle India said, “The quality and safety of our products are non-negotiable priorities for us as we adhere to strict food quality and safety procedures at all times.”
It is apparent from the media reports that standards for “macaroni products” are being applied for “instant noodles with seasoning” which is “erroneous and misleading”, a Nestle India spokesman said.
“We categorically reiterate that testing of Instant Noodles against norms set for macaroni products will reflect in incorrect results and wrong interpretations,” the company said.
Industry members, including Nestlé India, have made a representation to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to remove this confusion, which is unwarranted, the company said.
Kumar said if no application was received either from the retailer or the company within a month, a case would be lodged in the court of the additional district magistrate. “A penalty of up to Rs.5 lakh could be imposed in this case,” he added.

Milk adulteration rampant in India

A startling six per cent of the samples tested in 2015 by the Ministry of Health had presence of ‘detergents’ in them confirming that ‘synthetic milk’ is a huge problem.

More than two thirds of the milk in India does not meet the food safety standards.
India is today the world’s largest producer of milk thanks to the white revolution. Yet more than two thirds of the milk in India does not meet the food safety standards. Adulteration of milk is rampant; a startling six per cent of the samples tested in 2015 by the Ministry of Health had presence of ‘detergents’ in them confirming that ‘synthetic milk’ is a huge problem.
For a lay person trying to differentiate between contaminated and pure milk is a tall order and only specific chemical tests can reveal the truth. Contaminated milk can be a huge health hazard especially when it has been laced with urea, detergents and other toxic chemicals. Now a cheap milk testing kit has been developed by the Defence Food Research Laboratory (DFRL) in Mysuru, which is a part of the gigantic Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). This kit, which even an untrained person can use at home, helps within minutes detect contamination of six common adulterants in milk.
The kit uses just a few chemicals and strips of paper dipped in a different chemical. A change in colour of the milk or a change in colour of the paper indicates the presence of a contaminant. When detergents are present in the milk, the colour of test turns to green, yellow or blue.
Recently as part of another initiative, Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan unveiled another dedicated system for the detection of adulteration and analysis of milk, developed by Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CEERI), Pilani.
The ‘Ksheer-Scanner’ instantaneously detects the adulterants in milk. It is a low-cost portable system with user-friendly features. It enables detection of contaminants in just 40-45 seconds at the per sample cost of less than 50 paise.
A lot of milk during the festival season is made using detergents and urea. Called 'synthetic milk', it resembles milk but can be very harmful.Every day washing powder and refined oil are mixed and then diluted to make it look and have the consistency of real milk.

New Bureau of Indian Standards law revolutionary: Paswan

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) The Bureau of Indian Standard Bill, passed by Parliament, empowers the government to make hallmarking of gold and silver mandatory and provides for jail up to two years and fine up to 10 times of the goods value in case of violation related to misuse of standards.
Parliament yesterday passed a bill to replace the 30 year- old Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Act. The Bill was passed by Rajya Sabha yesterday after getting the nod of Lok Sabha on December 3, 2015.
Terming the new bill as "revolutionary", Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today said the proposed law empowers BIS to recall products not conforming to standards.
In case of offence committed by any company, he said every director, manager and secretary responsible for the conduct of the business would be liable, irrespective of the fact that the offence has been committed with or without their consent or connivance.
"It is a revolutionary bill. There are various provisions in this bill which are in consumers interest and at the same time manufacturers also have the option for self-declaration," Paswan said while highlighting the main features of the Bill.
The Bill would help consumers to get quality products and would also help in preventing import of sub-standard products, he said, adding that the new law would give a boost to the governments Make in India programme.
"In this Act, there is a provision empowering government for mandatory hallmarking of gold," the minister said.
Stating that there have been complaints about hallmarking of gold that 9 carat gold is being sold as 22 carat gold, Paswan said he has called a meeting of jewellers tomorrow to address this issue.
"This act also make companys top officials liable for the poor quality of goods having BIS standards. For ease of doing business, companies can also self declare that there are goods as per BIS standards," he said.
The minister said the new Bill empowers government to make standards for any product mandatory in national interest or in consumers interest or in interest of environment.
On food products, Paswan said the BIS would now recognise the standards framed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
"Stringent penalty provisions have been made for violation of compliance to the standards which include imprisonment up to two years or with fine up to ten times of the value of goods produced or sold, or with both," an official statement said.
The Bill empowers the government to bring any article, process or service, which it considers necessary from point of view of health, safety, environment, prevention of deceptive practices, security etc, under the mandatory certification regime, it added.

Flexible packaging: All wrapped up to ensure food safety

With FSSAI focusing on quality and nutritional standards, big brands are giving packaging prominence on their food processing quality checklist
Our practices with respect to consuming food and beverages have been changing over time. In today’s day and time, one of the most important aspects of food safety is packaging. The rapid urbanisation and pace, rising population, and growing purchasing power of consumers have led to changes in the consumption patterns of buyers. These factors have in turn led to consumers progressively relying on convenient, ready-to-eat food products.
The amount of packaged food and beverages we consume is startling. Thus, it is about time we focus on figuring out the finer aspects of packaging to ensure safe food. Today, safe food is accorded the highest priority by end consumers. Consequentially, appropriate packaging, which preserves the nutritional value of food, is the need of the hour.
Nowadays, consumers are well informed, socially connected and are very discerning when it comes to consumption of food products. One such consumer-influenced trend which is gaining importance in the packaging industry is the need to espouse ‘sustainability’.
With consumers becoming increasingly aware of global environmental issues, it is imperative to understand the importance of communicating your brand’s commitment towards sustainability in an engaging way, on the packaging. This will enable the brand to attract and retain consumers.
Secondly, being health conscious, these days, consumers demand that health credentials of the product be displayed on the package; thus, allowing them to make informed choices about their food. Thirdly, with today’s increasingly busy lifestyles, consumers seek smaller, lighter and easily disposable packaging; thus, making their consumption easier.
Innovations such as flexible packaging have led to a remarkable shift in the food packaging industry. It is durable, lightweight - hence, reduces transportation costs - and occupies less space as compared to the other packaging products. Flexible packaging products are made of flexible materials such as plastic, aluminium and paper. There is a detailed conversion process that they have to undergo including printing, lamination, coating and extrusion. In order to produce high quality flexible packaging materials, the adhesive used is a key factor. The film composition, the printing ink as well as the adhesive need to be aligned to deliver the required properties of modern flexible packaging.


Henkel India's S Sunil Kumar With ever-changing consumer preferences, organised retail chain formats and the changing dynamics of the population, there is significant growth being predicted in the Indian packaging industry, and the consequent upsurge in demand for modern packaging methods. The Indian packaging industry, which is growing at an approximate rate of 15 percent annually, is estimated to become the fourth-largest packaging market in the world, with revenues of $ 43.7 billion in 2016. The market research reports have also estimated the flexible packaging market in India to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 15-16 percent over the next 5 years.
Some recent events have been very critical for the food industry. With the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) getting more focused on promoting a consistent nutritional standard, big brands are giving packaging prominence on their food processing quality checklist. How does packaging affect food safety? Flexible laminates comprises of different layers and each of these layers has a different role to play. Among others, a flexible pack mainly contains films, inks, adhesives and coatings, and each of these components contribute to food safety.

Image courtesy: Henkel Let us take the example of adhesives, one of raw materials used in flexible packaging, which are used to bond the different layers together. On the one hand, there is a possibility of food getting contaminated with substances used for packaging, such as adhesives, while on the other hand, losses from food could take place through migration into packaging. Migration could lead to quality loss of the packaged food, health hazard due to the transfer of dangerous substances from the packaging into the food, or sometimes even make the packaged food inedible. This might result in a withdrawal of the packaged foodstuff from the market. Thus, packaging is a vital part of food safety. Therefore, it is crucial for the existing players and the upcoming enterprises in the packaging and adhesive industries to come up with solutions that can help the brand owners to ultimately deliver the best quality product to the end consumer.
Food safety needs to be considered by all stakeholders of the value chain. All the components used to make the packaging material need to fulfil requirements of the relevant regulation (like for example FDA, EU framework). Moreover, we should have more communication among all stakeholders so that knowledge is shared and alignment is ensured. Lastly, it is important to use right tools for risk assessments and conduct regular product safety audits.
In conclusion, as the need of the industry today is to reduce the pressure on bottom lines, each stakeholder of the flexible packaging value chain needs to focus on safety, quality and productivity.

தோல் பதனிடும் உப்பை சமையலுக்கு பயன்படுத்தும் ஓட்டல்கள்

கம் பம், மார்ச் 10:
கம் பம் மற் றும் அதன் சுற் றுப் புற பகு தி க ளில் ஒரு சில ஓட் டல் க ளில் தோல் பத னி டும் உப்பை சமை ய லுக்கு பயன் ப டுத் து வ தாக குற் றச் சாட்டு எழுந் துள் ளது. எனவே, உணவு பாது காப்பு அதி கா ரி கள் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும் என பொது மக் கள் கோரிக்கை விடுத் துள் ள னர்.
கம் பம் மற் றும் அதன் சுற் றுப் புற பகு தி க ளில் உள்ள ஓட் டல் க ளில், சமை யல் எண் ணெயை மீண் டும், மீண் டும் பயன் ப டுத் து கின் ற னர். ஆடு, மாடு க ளின் தோல் மற் றும் மீன் பதப் ப டுத்த பயன் ப டும் அயோ டின் இல் லாத உப் பை பயன் ப டுத் து கின் ற னர். மேலும், சில ஓட் டல் க ளில் அடுப்பு எரிக்க கொட்டை முந் திரி ஓடு களை பயன் ப டுத் து கின் ற னர். எரிக் கும் போது கொட்டை முந் திரி ஓட் டில் இருந்து வெளி யே றும் புகை யா னது புற் று நோய் வர கார ணம் என தெரிந் தி ருந் தும், விலை குறைவு என் ப தால் பயன் ப டுத் து கின் ற னர்.
கடந்த சில மாதங் க ளுக்கு முன் உணவு பாது காப்பு திட்ட அலு வ லர் கள் இப் ப கு தி யில் சோதனை நடத்தி, ஓட் டல் க ளில் இருந்து கெட் டுப் போன உணவு வகை கள், இறைச்சி, பல முறை பயன் ப டுத் தப் பட்ட சமை யல் எண் ணெய், அயோ டின் இல் லாத உப்பு, காலா வ தி யான தண் ணீர் பாட் டில் கள், தின் பண் டங் கள், உண வில் சேர்க் கும் கலர் பவு டர் ஆகி ய வற்றை பறி மு தல் செய் த னர். பின் னர் கடைக் கா ரர் களை எச் ச ரித் த தோடு விட் டு விட் ட னர். ஆனால், இன் ன மும் சில கடை க ளில் அடுப்பு எரிக்க கொட்டை முந் திரி ஓடு க ளை ப யன்படுத்தி வரு கின் ற னர். தவறு செய் யும் கடைக் கா ரர் கள் மீது உணவு பாது காப்பு அதி கா ரி கள் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும் என பொது மக் கள் கோரிக்கை விடுத் துள் ள னர்.

உணவால் பக்தர்கள் பாதித்தால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை சமயபுரம் கோயில் பூச்சொரிதல் விழா ஓட்டல், அன்னதானம் வழங்குவோருக்கு எச்சரிக்கை

திருச்சி, மார்ச் 10:
சம ய பு ரம் கோயில் பூச் சொ ரி தல் விழா வில் ஓட் டல், அன் ன தா னத் தால் வழங் கப் ப டும் உண வால் பக் தர் கள் பாதித் தால் கடும் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என்று மாவட்ட நிர் வா கம் எச் ச ரிக்கை விடுத் துள் ளது.
திருச்சி சம ய பு ரம் மாரி யம் மன் கோயில் பூச் சொ ரி தல் திரு விழா வரும் 13ம்தேதி தொடங்கி நடை பெற உள் ளது. விழா வில் திருச்சி உள் ளிட்ட சுற் றுப் புற மாவட் டங் க ளி லி ருந்து லட் சக் க ணக் கான பகத் தர் கள் பங் கேற்க உள் ள னர்.
இதை யொட்டி தனி யார் ஓட் டல், விடு தி க ளில் பரி சோ தித்த தர மான உண வு களை வழங்க வேண் டும். சுத் தி க ரிக் கப் பட்ட குடி நீரை மட் டுமே வழங்க வேண் டும். உணவை வியா பார நோக் கத் து டனோ அல் லது அன் ன தா ன மா கவோ வழங் கு ப வர் கள் தர மாக வழங்க வேண் டும்.
அன் ன தா னம் செய் ப வர் கள் மற் றும் உணவு விடு தி கள் நடத் து ப வர் கள் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை யி ன ரி டம் அனு மதி பெற்ற பின்பே உணவு வழங் கு தல் வேண் டும். உணவு தயார் செய்ய பாது காப் பான குடி நீர், உணவு தயா ரிக் கும் இடம் மற் றும் விநி யோ கம் செய் யும் இடம் சுகா தார முறை யில் இருந் தி ட வும், உணவு தயா ரிக் கும் போது காலா வ தி யான, கலப் ப ட மான, தடை செய் யப் பட்ட உண வுப் பொ ருட் களை கொண்டு உணவு தயா ரிக்க கூடாது. தயார் செய் யப் பட்ட உணவை விநி யோ கிக் கும் முன் பும், விற் ப னைக்கு முன் பும், உணவு மாதிரி எடுத்து வைத்த பிறகு பாது காப் பான முறை யில் விநி யோ கிக் க வும், விற் பனை செய் ய வும் வேண் டும். உண வுத் தட்டு மற் றும் பேப் பர் கப் பு களை சுற் றுப் புற சீர் கேடு இன்றி பாது காப் பாக அப் பு றப் ப டுத்த குப் பைத் தொட் டி கள் அமைத் திட வேண் டும். அன் ன தா னம் செய் ப வர் கள் பிளாஸ் டிக் பைக ளில் அடைக் கப் பட்ட குடி நீர் மற் றும் உணவு பொருட் கள் வழங் கக் கூ டாது. உணவு தயா ரிப் ப வர் கள் மற் றும் பரி மா று ப வர் கள் தன் சுத் தம் பேணப் பட வேண் டும். உணவு வழங் கு ப வர் கள் வழங் கும் உண வி னால் ஏற் ப டும் உபா தை க ளுக்கு அவர் களே பொறுப் பா வார் கள். வழங் கப் ப டும் உண வி னால் பொது மக் க ளுக்கு பாதிப்பு ஏற் பட் டால் சட் டப் படி கடும் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும். தர மற்ற உணவு குறித்த தக வல் களை டாக் டர் சுரேஷ் பாபு, மாவட்ட நிய மன அலு வ லர் உணவு பாது காப்பு மற் றும் மருந்து நிர் வா கத் துறை, ரேஸ் கோர்ஸ் ரோடு, டி.வி.எஸ் டோல் கேட், திருச்சி 620021, என்ற முக வ ரி யில் தெரி விக் க லாம். மேலும் தொலை பேசி எண் 0431-2333330, 99654-61230 என்ற எண் க ளி லும் தொடர்பு கொண்டு தொிவிக் க லாம். இவ் வாறு மாவட்ட நிர் வா கம் தெரி வித் துள் ளது.

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