'Kummatikka' juice will give Mammookka diarrhoea

Kochi: The heat may have left you with no choice. But if you value your health, stay away from roadside vendors and cool bars even if you are desperate for a cool drink.

A random sampling of five popular fresh juices and drinks in and around Kochi, done by the Times of India (TOI), found that the microbial content in them were very high, as much as by several thousand times above permissible levels.

TOI team took samples of non-packaged `fresh' cool drinks and juices from MG Road, KSRTC Boat Jetty , Hospital Road, Marine Drive and High Court Junction, covering the area on a hot summer day , last week.

The samples included iced juices of pineapple, watermelon, orange, `kulukki sarbath' and `sambharam' (butter milk). The samples were taken in sterilized bottles in an hour to a private National Accredi tation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories-certified (NABL) laboratory in the city.

They were tested for microbial count, total coliform bacteria and formalin, usually found in ice. The laboratory was also asked to test them in rela tion with safe drinking water parameters and check for unusual difference that could be considered dangerous for human consumption.

The results showed that `kulukki sarbath' had 8,700 microbes in one ml against the limit of `less than 50', which is the permissible limit. In the case of pineapple juice, this was 9,300ml, watermelon 7,500 ml, with orange juice showing the highest level at 9,800ml.The total coliform bacteria per ml was over 1,200 in case of all samples except `sambharam', which had around 990. The absence of `formalin' in samples was a big surprise as all of them were iced drinks.The presence of formalin, used to preserve fish, in ice used by unscrupulous cool bars had led to annual raids by the food safety department.

According to food safety of ficials, this could be because of the awareness and hygiene campaign carried out by them at ice manufacturing units."We had campaigned hard to ensure strict hygiene in ice factories," said K V Shibu, assistant commissioner of food safety, Ernakulam. However, he added that the situation was not under control. "There are small vendors who go around in bicycles selling ice. These are sometimes used to preserve fish. That's probably why you find e-coli in juices," he said.

While there are no cases against ice manufacturers, food safety officials said that they were planning to inspect and monitor the entire sale of ice.

The department has also initiated a drive to collect samples of juices and other soft drinks from several areas in the city and send them for testing.

"Maximum samples will be collected in the next two days.We'll continue the drive till the end of this month. We will proceed against all violators," Shibu said.

"In tests done on packaged drinking water, the department had found the presence of e.coli at a very high level. A criminal case was registered against a popular drinking water supplier," he said.

An `invitation' for Hepatitis A, rotavirus

Kochi: What does the presence of microbes and e-coli in the juice mean to your health?

"This can happen if people making and serving the drinks have not bothered about hygiene. If they are suffering or recovering from typhoid, cholera or jaundice, then it could be dangerous for those consuming the drink," said senior gastroenterologist and IMA Cochin secretary Dr Rajeev Jayadevan.

Microbes in drinks could lead to Hepatitis A or being infected by rotavirus. "You could end up with severe diarrhoea. Jaundice is also a major threat. Some people have severe abdominal pain which resemble an appendicitis attack," he said.

Lack of hygiene, failure in washing fruits properly and the dumping of faecal matter into waterbodies are the major reasons for the presence of microbes and e-coli in juices tested by TOI.

Dr Rajeev opined that people should drink water when they were thirsty instead of juices. "I would advise people to eat fruits which is much safer for the stomach and general health."

9 Patanjali products samples sent to Bhopal for quality check

Bhopal: After Maggi, Patanjali's noodles and other products of the fastest growing FMCG brand in the country are under scanner. Madhya Pradesh government has collected samples of nine products of Ramdev's company during a three-day campaign in Guna district to check food product quality.

"We have taken samples of food items like cow ghee, biscuits, atta noodles from four firms. The samples were collected to check quality under Food Safety and Standards Act of India (FSSAI)," said additional district magistrate Niaz Ahmed Khan in Guna. The samples were sent to Bhopal for testing, he said.

Patanjali products under scanner include atta noodles, iodine salt, coconut biscuit, ghee, black pepper, dalia, crushed sugar, rice and Natkhat biscuit.

The samples were collected from four firms - Kirana Sathyanarayan Mandir shop, Patanjali Chuikitsala Seva Kendra, Patanjali Arogya Kendra and Nikunj Sales.

In last one year, Rs 2 crore were collected as fine in Guna district from companies, including Priya Gold, Diamond tea, Haldiram under FSSAI. Food safety officer of Guna had recently issued notices to Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and south Indian star Mahesh Babu for promoting soft drink Thums Up. This came after Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found samples of Thums Up 'misbranded'.

Absence of lab facilities driving State exim cargo to Chennai

The State has a long way to go to leverage the advantage of having the second longest coastline in the country. Even after two years, facilities required by exporters have not been created and coupled with this, imposition of taxes on imports has become a major obstacle to the growth process.

Andhra Pradesh is a major importer of pulses and due to the five per cent VAT levied in the State has resulted in importers routing pulses from Myanmar through Chennai and selling it in the State. The ports in the State are standing to lose out traffic of at least 1,000 containers per month during peak season.

Memorandum

Chillies from Guntur are still routed through Chennai as the State does not have an office and laboratory of the Spices Board to test samples and certify the product as fit for human consumption, officials of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust submitted in a memorandum to Visakhapatnam MP K. Haribabu.

The issue was raised with Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu during the recently concluded Maritime India Summit in Mumbai, Visakhapatnam Port Trust Chairman M.T. Krishna Babu told the MP and urged him to follow it up with Centre for speedy resolution.

Statutory bodies

Further, the State needs statutory bodies like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Port Health Officer in Visakhapatnam to certify that the imported fruits are in order without any chemicals that are harmful for human consumption.

There is no office of Assistant Drug Controller in the State because of which all the pharmaceutical imports are being routed through Chennai. The ADC certifies the specific drugs that are allowed to be imported or exported.

Post bifurcation, the State has tremendous opportunity for development utilising its resources to the maximum, the BJP State president said at the ceremony to flag off the container cargo ship SSL Visakhapatnam, after its maiden call at the Visakhapatnam Port on Thursday.

State needs statutory bodies like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Port Health Officer in Visakhapatnam to certify that the imported fruits are in order without any chemicals that are harmful for human consumption

Single window customs declaration to boost exports: CBEC

New Delhi, Apr 22 (PTI) The tax department has put in place an integrated single window customs declaration system to encourage exports by improving ease of doing business.

Speaking at an FIEO event, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) Chairman Najeeb Shah said that many government departments dealing with animal quarantine, plant quarantine, and agencies like Drug Controller, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and Textile Committee are on board.

"In line with the objective to enhance the ease of doing business, integrated declaration under the customs single window has been implemented under which exporters would not be required to take permission from other agencies," Shah said.

He further said there is complete disbursal of duty drawback electronically and hardly any claim is pending as on date with customs authorities, particularly with JNPT Customs.

"Exports-imports play a crucial role in an economy and CBEC has taken several steps to reduce transaction cost and time and ease of doing business," Shah added.

GOVT FREE TO CONDUCT INQUIRY AGAINST FOOD ANALYST: HC

Clubbing petition by Food Analyst Kashmir Hamidullah Dar challenging strictures passed by Judicial Magistrate Budgam, the High Court asked its Registry to club the petition with PIL against the food adulteration that the court is already hearing.

The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Friday held that the government is free to conduct inquiry against Food Analyst Kashmir that has been initiated against him following the directions of a Budgam court in Food Adulteration case. 

Clubbing petition by Food Analyst Kashmir Hamidullah Dar challenging strictures passed by Judicial Magistrate Budgam, the High Court asked its Registry to club the petition with PIL against the food adulteration that the court is already hearing. 

“Registry shall take steps for listing the matter along with the PIL after seeking orders from the Chief Justice. Till listing of the matter along with the PIL, respondents are free to conduct inquiry against the petitioner already initiated,” a bench of Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey said in its order. 

Court of Judicial Magistrate Budgam imposed Rs 9 lakh penalty on a dairy company-- M/s Khyber Agro Farms Pvt Ltd, Lethpora Pampore-- and sentenced its in-charge operation, Muhammad Shafi Ganie to six months imprisonment under sections-- 51 (sub standard), 52 (misbrand) and 59 (unsafe food) of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 after laboratory tests found presence of detergent in its toned milk samples. 

Expressing its displeasure over his conduct, the court directed to remove Food Analyst Hamidullah Dar from the present assignment saying process should be initiated against him to declare him deadwood. 

“Let displeasure of the court be conveyed and reflected in his serve records as this court lacks trust in him and justice has been all time casualty at his hands,” it said. 

“Person like Hamidullah Dar is more dangerous than a fatal disease like cancer for the entire nation and incapacity and compromise with the nature of job like Food analyst Kashmir cannot be accepted by any standards of expectations where lives of the citizens are involved” the court observed. 

The Sessions Court Budgam, subsequently, stayed the judgment 

In a Plea, Dar has approached now High court seeking directions for expunging the strictures made against him by the court of Judicial Magistrate Budgam and against his inquiry initiated by the government in compliance of court directions. 

Additional Advocate General M I Dar while questioning the maintainability of the petition told the court that the order under challenge is appealable before court of Sessions Judge Budgam. He said the accused has already preferred an appeal before the said Sessions Court and the Judgment of trial court has been stayed. 

He also submitted that a division bench of High court is seized of the matter related to adulterated food in the PIL no 3 /2016 which, he pleaded, has direct bearing on the issue involved in the present petition. 

“Notwithstanding the observations of the judicial magistrate in the judgment, otherwise also the government is not powerless to deal with the petitioner for his alleged involvement in allowing the people to consume adulterated food items,” he pleaded. 

Referring to Supreme Court Judgment, Counsel for petitioner, Altaf A Haqani, pleaded that in terms of Article 226 of the Constitution of India and under Section 561-A of CrPC, the petition is maintainable. 

After hearing the parties the court directed its Registry shall take steps for listing the matter along with the PIL (03/2016) after seeking orders from the Chief Justice. “Till listing of the matter along with the PIL, respondents are free to conduct inquiry against the petitioner already initiated,” the court said.

Box 

“Person like Hamidullah Dar is more dangerous than a fatal disease like cancer for the entire nation and incapacity and compromise with the nature of job like Food analyst Kashmir cannot be accepted by any standards of expectations where lives of the citizens are involved,” the court observed.