Food department detects substandard samples of reputed brands in Noida

NOIDA: In a major operation against adulteration and misbranding of food items, the city food department has lodged cases against 100 manufacturers, retailers and brand owners of 32 food items found "substandard" or violating food safety norms.

Most of the product samples include items like milk, water and noodles collected around three months back from different sites at Noida including consumer retail stores like Shopprix Mall, Sector 61 and Easyday outlets. The cases will now be heard in Additional Magistrate Court, Surajpur.

Milk from as many as three Mother Dairy outlets in the city was found to contain less fat content than required, making it unsuitable for consumption.

"From three booths of Mother Diary, the milk from vending machines was found to be unfit for drinking in Sectors 56, 46 A and 62," Food Safety Officer Shiv Nath Singh told TOI.

Cases have been lodged against the manufacturer Mother Dairy Patparganj, processor Indian Potash Limited, Sikandrabad and the individual booth owners.

Food department officials said that an Amul milk packet has also been found "misbranded" with illegible date of manufacturing and 'best before' from one Praveen dairy in Amritpuram Gamma 1, Greater Noida.

Samples of tastemakers of noodles that have been found "substandard" include a pasta packet of Maggi brand in an Easyday store in Sector 93 and YiPPee! Noodles in Shopprix Mall, Sector 61.

The tastemakers apparently have more than permissible levels of MSG (Monosodium glutamate) content in them.

Around 10 samples of packaged water were found substandard with few containing sediments, suspended and copper content more than the permissible limit of 0.05 ppm.

These were collected from various retailers from Sector 5, 10, 11, etc and Hoshiarpur area.

Interestingly, the department has found a product called "herbal egg", whose packet says that it "helps to be strong and tall, healthy, improve vision, better digestion and is usable for children, pregnant women and elderly persons.

"The packet recovered from an Easyday store in Sector 93 of one Brune Herbal Organic Eggs was found to be selling "Herbal egg" claiming many health benefits. There are no facts to back the claims made by the company on the packet. We have booked the company, the store manager and Bharti Retail Limited for violations under Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006," Shiv Nath Singh said.

MPs oppose FSSAI proposal on Cocoa Butter Substitutes

Raipur: Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) proposal to change the standards dealing with chocolates by including the addition of vegetable fat in chocolates has come in for criticism with BJP leaders saying that it would adversely hit the interests of millions of tribal population in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand. 

FSSAI has proposed changes to standards dealing with Chocolates in the category of 'Sweets & Confectionery' in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. 

FSSAI has given a broader definition of chocolate and the major proposed amendment is that it has included the addition of vegetable fat in chocolates. 

Senior BJP MP Ramesh Bais and tribal leader and former minister Vikram Usendi, also an MP representing tribal Kanker Lok Sabha constituency, have written letters to Union minister JP Nadda opposing the proposal to add imported vegetable fats like Shea butter and Borneo Tallow to Indian Cocoa Butter Substitute (CBS)-used in making chocolate.

They said inclusion of these two items in the list would hit Indian vegetable oils and extracts of Sal and mango Kernel and others, which equally serve as substitute of these imported oil. The senior BJP MPs pointed out that Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand have potential of 55 lakh tonnes production of Sal seeds from which good quality of vegetable fat or butter is produced. Mango Kernel, which is exported to Japan, Malaysia and European countries for use on confectionery as cocoa butter equivalent, they said.

When contacted, Manorama Company, a Raipur-based exporter of Cocoa Butter Substitute (CBS) CEO Deep Saraf said, "India is abundantly rich in CBS, which are already enlisted in FSSAI's proposed list and also being exported to European markets.

Is it justified to procure imported CBS like Shea and Barneo butters? Imported oils will waste precious foreign exchange and it goes against the spirit of Makein India."

After liquor, Bihar govt bans 'gutka' and paan masala from Saturday

PATNA : After the prohibition of any type of liquor with effect from April 5, Bihar government has also decided to prohibit the distribution, manufacture, storage, distribution, consumption, transportation, display or the sale of any type of 'gutka' and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine with effect from Saturday for a period of one year.

RK Mahajan, commissioner Of Food Safety, Bihar government in its notification said that the prohibition would be applicable in the interest of public health for a period of one year from May 21.

Gutkha and Paan masala are widely used as ingredients now-a-days. Gutkha and Panmasala containing tobacco or nicotine in Bihar, being food products in which tobacco and nicotine are widely used as ingredients.

The state is empowered under Section 30 (2) (a) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to prohibit, for one year, in the interest of public health, the manufacture, storage, distribution , transportation, display or sale of any article of food in the whole of state.

The harmful effects of tobacco, beetel nut, and several of the additives found in the form of Gutka and Pan masala, causes acute Hyper- magnesemia, cardiac arrest, oral sub mucous fibrosis, oral cancer, Leukoplakia, Esophageal cancer, Stomach cancer, Metabolic abnormalities, reproductive health, Gastro intestinal and respiratory diseases.

It is one of the primary duties of the state, inter alia, to improve public health, as a matter one of the directive principles as enshrined in the article 4l of the constitution of India and, whereas, it implicitly includes the concept of provision of measures to be taken for prevention of deterioration of citizen's health, said an official.