Strengthen food safety mechanism in Rajasthan: HC to govt

Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday expressed its displeasure over not providing the necessary infrastructure to Food Safety Appellate Tribunal and issued directions to the chief secretary to strengthen the food safety mechanism in the state.

The division bench of Justice Ajay Rastogi and D C Somani in its order on suo motu petition on food adulteration said "in compliance of court order the government appointed the presiding officer but as far as budget, infrastructure, logistics and staff are concerned, we are not satisfied with the steps that have been taken by the government."

It said as the Appellate Tribunal, it is expected that there should be a separate budget head and complete staff at its disposal. 

"Orders passed from the office of directorate, medical & health services are on record but the ground reality, even as on today there is no building and logistics provided where the officer, who has been appointed to man as the presiding officer of the Food Safety Appellate Tribunal, could function and almost three months have rolled after the officer being appointed on January 29 this year."

The court observed "It is a sorry state of affairs that the government is not taking such matters seriously."

Taking note of the fact that appointment of food safety officers has not received required attention of the officials of the state, the court issued many directions.

The court said the chief secretary of the state would ensure that the cadre rules for appointment to the post of food safety officer were approved and notified by the state of Rajasthan within one month from today.

Secondly, the chief secretary of the state would draw tentative schedule regarding recruitment/appointment/promotion of food safety officers and the food safety officers to be appointed should have requisite qualification as per rule 2.1.3 of the Rules of 2011.

Thirdly, qualified food safety officers should be appointed within a period of three months from the date of framing and approval of cadre rules by an independent agency like Rajasthan Public Service Commission or Subordinate Services Board, whichever may be applicable or by an independent committee to be constituted by the chief secretary of the state of Rajasthan.

The court said to give effect to above directions, the state of Rajasthan should scout for the best talent, who is conversant with modern techniques regarding manufacture and processing of safe and wholesome food, and such officers to be inducted should be capable of ensuring that unsafe, sub-standard, mis-branded food is not sold in the state of Rajasthan and the state is free from sale and import of adulterated food.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Maggi Effect: Food Safety Regulators Plans Specific Regulations For Noodles

In June last year, FSSAI had banned Nestle's Maggi noodles over allegations of high lead content and presence of MSG.

NEW DELHI: In the wake of Maggi controversy, food safety regulator FSSAI is working on new regulations for quality standards of instant noodles to better regulate the quality of taste-maker and other ingredients.

The new regulations by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is aimed at brining in more clarity in the quality standards, sources said.

This will be the first time that FSSAI would come up with quality standards specifically for instant noodles. So far, there have been one common standard for various kinds of ready-to-cook products including noodles.

The new norms would clearly set the permissible limits of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and Ash content and also state the specific standards for taste maker, a key ingredient in the instant noodles, sources said.

Earlier on April 1, the FSSAI had asked state authorities to launch proceedings against only those noodle or pasta companies that taste-enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) in their products despite carrying 'No MSG' or 'No added MSG' label on the packets.

Glutamate is naturally found in some common foods such as milk, spices, wheat, vegetables, etc.

Presently there is no analytical method to determine whether MSG was added to the product during manufacturing or it was naturally present in the product. This can however be checked through inspection of manufacturing premises.

In June last year, FSSAI had banned Nestle's Maggi noodles over allegations of high lead content and presence of MSG.

The Bombay High Court however later lifted the nationwide ban imposed by Indian food regulators on Maggi noodles, and asked Nestle India to go for a fresh test of samples in three independent laboratories across India.

Nestle re-launched Maggi noodles in Indian markets in November 2015.

Take your pick of the choicest mangoes

If you are particular about eating only naturally ripened mangoes, you can head to the Mango Mela to be organised by the Department of Horticulture at Curzon Park in Mysuru from May 27 to 29.

The mela comes at a time when concern has been expressed from various quarters over the use of calcium carbide, a chemical banned under the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) Act, for artificially ripening the mangoes.

While most food scientists and technologists have cautioned the public against consuming the calcium carbide mangoes, which has flooded the market, Senior Assistant Director of Horticulture, Mysuru, Dinesh Kumar told The Hindu that the main purpose of the mela is to ensure availability of naturally ripened mangoes, besides creating a market for the farmers.

Most middlemen and traders resort to artificially ripening mangoes with calcium carbide. “The calcium carbide will not be easily washed off the mangoes. The residual effect can cause health problems. Only naturally ripened mangoes will be available at the mela,” Mr. Kumar said.

Thirty stalls with various varieties such as Alphonso or Badami, Raspuri, Mallika and Malgova, besides the pickle variety will all be available at the mela.

The Horticulture Department, which is holding its 16th mela, had already trained mango farmers to naturally ripen the mangoes. Mr. Kumar, however, said spraying of ethylene gas for ripening the mangoes is not harmful. Ethylene is a plant hormone that aids ripening, he said.

A Mango Price Fixation Committee comprising the Deputy Director of Horticulture Basavaraj, officials from HOPCOMS, professors from the College of Horticulture, Mysuru, and a couple of farmers will meet on the eve of the mela to fix the price of various varieties.

“There will be a uniform price for one particular variety of mango. The public can buy from whichever stall they wish, but the price of one variety will be uniform across the mela,” he said.

The price will be fixed in such a manner that the farmer will get his due and the consumer will also not feel the burden.

Mango Mela to be held from May 27 to 29

Naturally ripened mangoes assured at the mela

30 stalls will be put up at Curzon Park

Raspuri, Alphonso or

adami, Malgova varieties to be sold

Valley’s Sole Food Lab Defunct; Court Seeks Reports, Govt. Clueless

We don’t know what poison we feed to our children: Div Comm

SRINAGAR: Despite alarming rise in the cases of food adulteration, Kashmir valley’s sole food testing laboratory at Dalgate Srinagar remains virtually in-operational as it lacks infrastructure and is short of staff.

The laboratory which caters to 7 million souls has one food analyst and a technician. These two members have to conduct the tests of various food materials collected from the markets. 

“Hardly any testing is done in the laboratory,” an official of the department, requesting anonymity said. “A food sample is sent to the referral laboratory for analysis once in a blue moon. The laboratory is defunct.”

“We have taken a few samples from the market and we are in the process of checking them for results,” Food Analyst, Sumeet Singh, said.

The officer, however, did not remember the number of samples or the kind of samples lifted from the market.

Earlier talking to Kashmir Observer, Irfana Ahmad, Commissioner Food and Drug Control Department Kashmir had expressed her inability to do anything on this count, saying: “I don’t know what happens to the samples we collect from the market.

The same story was repeated by Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety, Hilal Ahmad Mir, who said that he had no idea how many samples were collected and sent to the laboratory for analysis in the past year.

A staffer at the lab told Kashmir Observer on April 26 that, the lab is not conducting any tests for long now. “They don’t do it. Once in a month they forward one odd sample of milk or biscuit to the central laboratory,”he revealed. On Tuesday, after the lapse of 21 days, insiders at the lab said, nothing has changed at the lab and authorities remain unmoved.

When the issue was brought in to the notice of Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, Dr Asgar Hassan Samoon, he said he’d summon the concerned officials to his office in one of these days and seek an explanation. “We don’t know what poison we may be feeding to our children and it’s a pity Kashmir hasn’t any efficient laboratory to monitor the quality of eatables we consume on daily basis,” Dr Samoon said.

“You must talk to the Health Minister in this regard,” he advised.

Attempts to get hold of the Health Minister, however, didn’t materialize.

The Honourable High Court after taking a suo moto cognizance of various media reports regarding the adulteration of food, had asked the state to answer why there wasn’t a proper food testing laboratory under Jammu and Kashmir Food Safety and Standards Act in the state. 

A division bench comprising of Justice Muzaffar Hussain Attar and Justice Ali Muhammad Magray while passing the judgement had said,: “There is no food testing laboratory worth the name under Jammu and Kashmir Food Safety and Standards Act in the state. It appears that people of the state are made to consume adulterated food.”

“All those responsible to check this adulteration probably have forgotten to perform their statutory duty,” the bench observed while hearing a Public Interest Litigation against food adulteration. “The statement made at bar by the learned counsel for the respondents and even by Commissioner Food Safety is enough to shake conscience of every sensitive soul, in so much as, there is no paraphernalia available in the state of Jammu and Kashmir in accordance with the mandate contained in provisions of Jammu and Kashmir Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006," the bench observed.

While asking for substantial reports from the authorities regarding the food adulteration, the court has marked that the previous report filed by the commissioner of Food and Drug Control Department is not satisfactory. The court has asked for fresh reports from the concerned authorities.

As the fears of food adulteration continue to haunt the common people, the commissioner, holding an additional charge of Food and Drug Control Department, is yet to be revamped as promised four years ago by the NC-government.

PIL on Food Safety Act

Not just on labs, we have failed even on basics. 
The Chief Secretary has candidly admitted before the Division Bench of the State High Court the failure of the State Administration in enforcing the provisions of Food Safety Act, 2006 since the inception when the legislation came into effect. (GK 15 May). He has assured the Hon’ble Court that the State would be soon initiating action to set up two technologically advanced laboratories at Jammu and Srinagar to check the menace of food adulteration and would not wait for the transfer of funds from the Central Government for the purpose.

The Chief Secretary was personally present in the case on the summons of the High Court along with some senior officers of the State Government in a PIL filed against the State and on his assurance the Court dropped proceedings against the erring officials. 

Hopefully, the assurance handed down by the CS will be carried into effect at the earliest. But, it is a sheer apathy that nothing in our State now seems to work till the Courts intervene. It has, so to say, become a regular feature that the State apparatus swings into action only when the courts are actively involved. This reflects very poorly on the officials who shy away from their assigned duties and responsibilities and whose culpable negligence is largely responsible for the suffering of the people and in the falling standards of health.

The two technologically advanced labs to be set up in place of the existing old and defunct labs will indeed ask for time even if the State accords top priority as it has promised the High Court. How about then the intervening time? The public is not expected to continue to suffer as it is now. It is widely acknowledged that the adulteration of food items is continuing on a massive scale here and no one in the authority seems to be bothered even to enforce a semblance of order. It has resultantly shaken the public faith and confidence in the Government’s ability to check this malaise. 

Therefore, it is important that the Government does something to establish the supremacy of law. Thus, without waiting for the labs to come up, it is imperative that the State Administration swings into action against those involved in selling adulterated food items to the general public. That has to be done on a non-stop basis to restore semblance of order so that the general public heaves a sigh of relief.

We see a mushroom growth in hand carts all over the city selling food items like vegetables and fruits. Most of the cart sellers cut open fruits to lure public inspite of the fact that the surroundings all over the city have become highly dirty and dusty. The mammoth growth in the vehicular traffic is largely responsible for this state of affair. Given the scale of traffic mess, it is unlikely that the environment around will show any noticeable improvement.

Therefore, the officials of the department concerned need to launch a massive awareness program advising general public to desist from purchasing food items and fruits that are cut and sold in the open on carts. Simultaneously, such food items should be seized and destroyed on the spot and the sellers fined so that they refrain from repeating such acts. Similar action also needs to o be taken against shop keepers dealing in food items who show insensitivity to public health. The Department concerned may make use of audio visual aids for creating public awareness on mass scale.

It is also important that people involved in the adulteration of food items like milk are subjected to regular checks against adulteration. Not only should the substandard and adulterated milk be destroyed on the spot, but the dealers subjected to heavy fines and even imprisonment. The resolve of the Government should appear to the public firm and uncompromising. That will help changing public mind against food adulteration.

If the State Administration takes these small but significant basic steps, no wonder the public faith and confidence will be restored in its ability to cope with the situation. There is no doubt in the fact that the falling standards of health conditions are largely caused by adulteration of food items . Therefore, any action aimed at checking the menace of food adulteration will positively reflect on the health of our people. Let the basics be taken care of immediately to improve the food standard scenario. The use of sophisticated labs will then become more practicable. The need of the hour is improving the basics. The rest can always follow.