Jun 8, 2016
Food safety labs in poor health
The recent scare about the presence of possible cancer-causing ingredients in bread refocusses attention on the state of food safetylaboratories across India. A round-up from the States presents a rather disquieting picture
The three-storeyed building set behind the high walls of 3 Kyd Street, alongside the MLA hostel in Kolkata, is pretty nondescript in itself. But the curious goings-on in this sleepy little establishment have in recent years set off tectonic tremors felt across the length and breadth of India, with reputational damage to established corporate brands in the food business. It is from here that laboratory tests on samples of the beverage Coca-Cola and Nestle’s Maggi noodles bestirred the corporate world (see ‘The lab that sniffs out pesticides and lead’), forcing multinationals to scramble to win back the lost trust of hundreds of thousands of their consumers.
Of the five laboratories housed in the building, three belong to the Central Food Laboratory (CFL), Kolkata, which was among the first such testing facilities in India. But notwithstanding that label of prestige, the labs reflect the dire state of government-owned institutions that test for food safety, which are struggling to keep pace with a rapidly changing food industry landscape.
In the light of the recent explosive findings by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) about the presence of possible cancer-causing potassium bromate and potassium iodate in bread sold in Delhi, and the focus on the standards for the industry standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), BusinessLine subjected the food safety laboratories themselves to clinical analyses to see how well-equipped they are for the task they have on hand.
The answer is quite sobering.
At the CSL laboratory in Kolkata, for instance, an official, who did not wish to be named, said he did not know when the laboratory equipments were upgraded last. But other than to say that apathy from the political class had taken a toll on the facility, the official stonewalled repeated queries about the state of the equipment and the allocation of funds for the facility.,
“Sorry, we can't provide any details about the testing facilities or the apparatus. We have to maintain confidentiality,” the official said.
Laboratory Director AK Adhikary declined interview requests from BusinessLine. “I am not allowed to speak to the media. Please excuse me,” he said, when asked about lab upgradation initiatives.
Adhikary leads a team of 45 officials, including technical officers and lab technicians. But that is considerably less than the laboratory’s sanctioned strength of 69. Clearly, the facility is understaffed.
Appeals to authorities to fill vacant posts have fallen on deaf ears, says another official. “The staff shortage issue is taken up at every bi- or tri-monthly meeting. Nothing happens,” he laments.Stretched resources
The condition of the testing facilities in other States is no better. Officials in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh complain of the limitations of the food-testing infrastructure. The food laboratory in Nacharam (Hyderabad) finds itself stretched since it now has to cater to two States –– Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
KN Swarup, Joint Food Controller. Andhra Pradesh, says that the laboratory’s needs in terms of both staff and equipment are not fully met. A senior official of the Telangana government adds that food samples picked up for random testing are too small to be representative.
These deficiencies in the laboratory infrastructure are amplified in the fast-changing landscape of the food processing industry.
It is this that allows ingredients that are suspected to be injurious to human health in processed foods to fly beneath the radars of the testing laboratories: be they the presence of pesticides in colas and bottled water; lead in noodles; or, as in the recent case involving the CSE study, the presence of potassium bromate and potassium iodate in common bread.Pressure to approve
In Karnataka, officials at the office of the Commissioner of Food Safety, speaking on condition of anonymity, have a more serious allegation to make. They complain of “pressure to pass food products, especially from packaged goods and fast food companies.”
On occasions when the combinations of chemicals used are way too complex, the labs do not have the bandwidth or the technical capability to verify the health hazards that they may cause, says the official. “We had to let go (of) two products which had a combination of potassium bromate, cypermethrin (which is used as an insecticide) and decomposed substances that were unfit for consumption,” he explains. Worryingly, doctors say the combination, when used over many years, can cause convulsion, coma and respiratory failure.Bulldozing their way
Food officials also complain of “high-handed” company representatives who come with their lawyers when such issues are raised. “We had several instances of multinationals who point out that some of the ingredients have been approved by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration in the US), and wonder why Indian regulators have a problem. Indian companies typically pressure us by politicians,” alleges an official.
Speaking off the record, industry representatives counter this allegation, and say that food approvals and rejections are not based entirely on science. Last year, a petition filed in the Delhi High Court by Pradip Chakraborty, a former FSSAI Director of Product Approval, had made serious allegations of corruption.Severely short-staffed
Addressing queries on the challenges faced by government regulators, Gujarat’s Food Safety Commissioner HG Koshia says that labs in his State carry out thousands of tests every day to get quality drugs and food across to consumers. “We can do tests for heavy metals and other contaminants,” he says, adding they faced limitations not just in respect of equipment, but also technically capable staff to run the tests.
Of the seven labs in Gujarat, only five are accredited; Koshia says he is pushing for more labs to secure the requisite accreditation. Top labs across the country may have high-end equipment, but it is expensive to run these equipments regularly, he points out.
Since food is a State subject, even a policy enunciated by the Centre may see differential implementation across the States, says another food regulatory official. In some States, the health departments may not infuse the funds required to strengthen the food safety commissionarate or the lab infrastructure, he observes.
Over four years, the number of inspectors in Gujarat has doubled to 200, says Koshia. “Parallelly, I am also increasing the number of food analysts,” he says. The process to get the right people for the right posts is time-consuming — often taking up to two or three years –– particularly because the entire process is bureaucratic, he points out.From ‘prevention’ to ‘quality’
There is an increased sensibility about food safety in India, notes Pankaj Jaiminy, Assistant Vice-President (Food, Health and Cosmetics) with TUV SUD (South Asia), a German testing, inspection and certification company.
With the earlier Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, the regulatory outlook was focussed on prevention of health hazards. But with the setting up of the FSSAI, the focus has evolved to the next level of safety and quality. But that requires the older government and private labs to change their outlook accordingly, and get them in tune with international standards of food safety, he adds.
Adulteration is largely a manufacturing problem at the production level, whereas safety and quality involve the entire supply chain, and takes in even back-end traceability, he explains. This means that every aspect of the food supply chain –– from where the company sources its raw materials, where and how it is stored and transported and how it is processed –– matters (see graphic), Jaiminy adds.
There are labs equipped to test food across the country, says Jaiminy. Specifically, there are 98 FSSAI-notified labs, 100 inter-department labs, and 400 food testing labs with accreditation to test different portfolios. The idea is to use the existing infrastructure optimally, even as upgradation efforts get under way at at the others, he says. TUV SUD is authorised by the FSSAI to inspect and audit food operators.
Labs are largely equipped to pick up contaminants (as a parts-per-million measure), says Jaiminy. But as the standard goes up to parts-per-billion or -trillion, the equipment will have to be upgraded, he points out. Increasingly, labs are equipped with mass spectroscopy equipment to pick up low-level contaminants; the funds to subsidise lab upgradation efforts are coming from the Food Ministry, he adds.
The problem, however, is inadequacy of manpower, given that it needs technically skilled staff to run the equipment. Sometimes, guidelines are broadly outlined and staff are required to do the method validation of samples themselves. For instance, the standard for apples may be different from that for juice.Global vs local norms
The internationally accepted norm for food is Codex Alimentarius, the ‘food code’ established by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organization in 1963 to develop harmonized international food standards. Therefore, contaminants banned internationally should be banned locally too. However, the norms for locally produced foods can be set by the local regulator.
However, it would not be fair to use the same yardstick to regulate mass-producing corporates, on the one hand, and street vendors, on the other, says Jaiminy. This is particularly because the latter has only a limited scale and potential to do harm. But that said, they all need to be trained, educated and regulated, he adds.
All things considered, the consumer too needs to take some responsibility for food safety, notes Jaiminy. Consumers need to buy products with the FSSAI mark, which in turn will incentivize producers to go in for this certification. “As a consumer, you need to be empowered with information on what is in the product and this should be declared on the label. Only then are you able to make an informed choice,” he points out.
With inputs from Venkatesh Ganesh in Bengaluru; G Naga Sridhar in Hyderabad; and PT Jyothi Datta in Mumbai
The lab that sniffs out pesticides and lead
If there is one testing laboratory that has been at the epicentre of several food safety controversies in India, it is the Central Food Laboratory in Kolkata.
In 2002, it was this lab that came out with an explosive finding about the presence of pesticides above the permissible limits in samples of Coca-Cola beverage.
And, some 13 years later, it again stirred a controversy with its report on elevated levels of lead in samples of Nestle’s Maggi noodles. That case came into its jurisdiction after the laboratory in Ghaziabad reported the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in noodle samples.
The Kolkata lab’s findings validated those reports, and additionally found traces of lead beyond the permissible limits.
Although Nestle maintained its stand on the quality of its noodles, lab officials did not relent.
Standing by the laboratory’s test report on Maggi, a senior official said: “Maybe the samples we got were contaminated. Contamination can happen from air, water or from other sources. But there was nothing wrong in our reporting methodology.”
He claims that the same samples were tested in 13 other labs across the country. And eight of these 13 yielded the same results as the Kolkata facility.
“Call it a fallacy of science. But the same sample tested in different conditions will give different results. We can’t reveal more than this,” he added.
Bread gets clean chit, city free to restart 'loaf affair'
Kolkata: Bread in Kolkata has passed the fitness test, with laboratories examining samples from different bakeries across the city declaring that there was no need to panic. Officials indicated that the " hazardous " chemicals in question were found to be in much less quantity than the permissible limits.
Though the report has not yet been made public, a KMC official said the test reports indicated no harmful substances were found in bread.
The bread scare started on May 23 when a report, citing some test results in Delhi, claimed nearly 84% of 38 commonly available brands of pre-packaged breads tested positive for potassium bromate and potassium iodate, listed as "hazardous" for public health and so, banned in certain countries. The report had pointed out that while one of the chemicals was a Category 2B carcinogen, possibly carcinogenic to humans, the other could cause thyroid disorders. The scare brought down the sales of bread across the country, including the city, drastically, following which civic food safety officers collected samples of flour mass and bread from four bakeries and sent them to a laboratory.
The reports of the test-started a fortnight ago-was despatched to the KMC food safety cell in a sealed envelope on Tuesday afternoon. The report would now be sent to the food safety commissioner of the state at Swastha Bhawan for further probe and recommendation, said a KMC official, though a civic health official said the samples sent to the Centre-approved laboratory had cleared the food safety test. "The samples were proved to have potassium iodate and potassium bromate much below the permissible limits. If high dose of these two chemicals are found in bread, it would have made it unfit for human consumption," a KMC official said.
According to food safety standards, combined presence of iodate and chromate more than 5mg in a 100gm flour mass, used to make a bread, may cause health hazards. But no such chemical should be present in an oven-fresh bread, a food safety official said. In case of samples collected by the KMC food safety cell and tested, the presence of these two chemicals were found to be much lower than the prescribed limit.
Following a dip in sales, bakers' organizations, which requested mayor Sovan Chatterjee to intervene, had claimed of the 10,000 bakeries in the state, only a handful, financially sound units used the two chemicals as taste enhancers. But they were not sure about the flour quality. "We get flour from mills. Most mill owners mix potassium bromate and potassium iodate as taste enhancers. If they mix them beyond the permissible limits, how are we to blame? The testing of quality of flour is important," said a bakery owner, Idris Ali, who heads a bakers' organization.
BOX:
The scare: Bread is unfit for human consumption.
The reason: Presence of potassium iodate and potassium bromate beyond permissible limit.
Origin of scare: Delhi
GOVT SLOGS ITS GUTS OUT FOR ‘VEGETARIAN’ CHANDI KA VARK
The old method of using bull/ox’s intestines for preparation of silver leaf — popularly known as “chandi ka vark”— peppered on sweets, paan and fruits will soon be a thing of past. Only veg-processed hygienic silver leaf will be allowed to be sold in the country.
The Union Health Ministry is in the process of issuing a notification in this regard, putting an end to the widely-used unhygienic practice of using animal parts in its manufacture. “Vark” is also used in syrups like that of Kesar (saffron) and as an ingredient in various ayurvedic and herbal products, summer drinks and Chyawanprash, etc.
Presently, “chandi ka vark’ is made by hammering thin sheets of silver in the middle of sheets made of a bull’s intestines. After slaughtering a bull, its intestines are removed immediately and sold to the manufacturers of foils.
Joint Secretary KL Sharma from Union Health Ministry told The Pioneer that to streamline the industry, largely dominated by unorganised sector, a notification is in the pipeline. There have been several complaints against the existing method of manufacturing of the silver leaves, as there are hygiene and safety issues, he added.
The notification aims to streamline the manufacturing process, ensure quality and safety, Sharma said, adding that the Ministry’s nod follows a proposal from the top food regulator, Food and Safety Standard Authority of
India (FSSAI), for ban on the use of animal parts during the manufacturing process of the silver leaf.
As per guidelines, the silver leaf manufactures will have to adhere to norms regarding thickness, weight and purity of the silver leaf. They will also have to follow to the labelling standards like any other food products.
“To regulate the industry, the food regulator has made it clear that under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, relating to other food and ingredients, no material of animal origin shall be used at any stage of manufacture of the silver leaf,” as per the draft notification issued by the FSSAI in April.
The regulation also say that “silver leaf shall be in the form of sheet of uniform thickness, free from creases and folds and that its weight should be up to 2.8 gm/sqm while the silver content shall be of minimum 999/1000 purity.
When enforced, the standards would do away with the widely used method of preparing the silver leaves, wherein the intestines of cattle/ox, obtained from slaughterhouses, are used for making it.
“The foil manufacturer removes blood and stool from the intestines, and cuts them into pieces. Then he puts one piece of intestine over another, making a sheet out of it. At his home, or in the factory, he puts one silver (or gold) foil in-between two sheet and hammers it hard until those metal sheets turn into thin wafers,” explained a manufacturer, on condition of anonymity.
“Old intestines are of no use. Even a one-day-old intestine cannot be used as it stiffens within a few hours,” said the source, pointing out that sometimes, because of the hammering, some tissues of the intestine also mix with the foils.
Welcoming the ban, Shubh Chouksey, Director, Shree Jagannathji Sterling Product’s Pvt Ltd , which is in ‘chandi ka vark’ business, said that have been already using a purely vegetarian process to manufacture the item with the help of fully automatic and computerised machines with new technology.
“Instead of intestines, we use hygienic polyster. The same technology is applied for making gold leaves which is also used for decorating food items like cakes. We adhere to good manufacturing practices as those complied in the EU.”
He said the new standards will curb adulteration as some unscrupulous players are selling health hazardous aluminum leaves too in the name of silver foil.
There are several technologies evolved for silver leaves production like beating over sheets of black special treated paper, polyester sheets coated with food grade calcium powder instead of Ox-guts. Estimated consumption of Varak is 275 tons in India, as per a report.
விற்பனைக்காக வைத்திருந்த தரமற்ற பிரியாணி குப்பையில் கொட்டி அழிப்பு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் அதிரடி
கிருஷ் ண கிரி, ஜூன்.8:
கிருஷ் ண கி ரி யில் ஹோட் டல் கடை க ளில் திடீர் சோதனை நடத் திய உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் கள், அங்கு விற் ப னைக் காக வைத் தி ருந்த தர மற்ற பிரி யா ணியை கைப் பற்றி குப் பை யில் கொட் டி ய தால் பர ப ரப்பு ஏற் பட் டது.
கிருஷ் ண கிரி பஸ் ஸ்டாண்ட், கடை வீதி உள் ளிட்ட நக ரின் முக் கிய இடங் க ளில் உள்ள ஹோட் டல் கள், பிரி யாணி கடை கள் மற் றும் இரவு நேர தள் ளு வண்டி டிபன் கடை க ளில் தர மற்ற உண வு கள் தயா ரிக் கப் பட்டு, ருசிக் காக பல் வேறு வேதிப் பொருட் கள் கலந்து விற் பனை செய்து வரு வ தா க வும், இதை சாப் பி டும் பொது மக் கள் உடல் உபா தை க க ளுக்கு ஆளா க வ தாக, மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு நிய மன அதி கா ரிக்கு புகார் கள் வந் தது. இதை ய டுத்து மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு நிய மன அலு வ லர் புஷ் ப ராஜ் தலை மை யில், ஒன் றிய பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் ராஜ சே கர் மற் றும் குழு வி னர், கிருஷ் ண கிரி - இரா யக் கோட்டை சாலை யில் உள்ள பிரி யாணி கடை க ளில் அதி ரடி சோதனை நடத் தி னர். அப் போது, பிரி யாணி கடை க ளில் சுவைக் காக வேதிப் பொ ருட் கள் கலந்த உணவு பெருட் கள் விற் பனை செய் ததை கண் டு பி டித் த னர். இதை ய டுத்து பிரி யா ணியை பாத் தி ரத் து டன் கைப் பற் றிய அலு வ லர் கள், குப்பை தொட் டி யில் கொட்டி அழித் த னர்.
கிருஷ் ண கி ரி யில் ராயக் கோட்டை சாலை யில் உள்ள பிரி யாணி கடை யில் சோத னை யிட்ட மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு நிய மன அலு வ லர் புஷ் ப ராஜ், வேதிப் பொ ருட் கள் கலந்த பிரி யா ணியை கைப் பற்றி குப் பை யில் கொட் டி னார்.
இது குறித்து உணவு பாது காப்பு நிய மன அலு வ லர் புஷ் ப ராஜ் கூறு கை யில், கிருஷ் ண கிரி மாவட் டத் தில் உள்ள பல் வேறு கடை க ளில் கலப் ப டங் கள், காலா வ தி யான உண வுப் பொருட் கள், ருசிக் காக உண வு க ளில் அதிக அள வில் கலர் பவு டர் கள் கலப் ப தாக தக வல் வந் தது. அத ன டிப் ப டை யில் இரா யக் கோட்டை சாலை யில் உள்ள 15க்கும் மேற் பட்ட கடை க ளில் ஆய்வு செய் தோம். இந்த ஆய் வில் ருசிக் காக அதிக அள வில் அஜினா மோட்டோ மற் றும் கேசரி பவு டர் கலந் தி ருப் பது கண் டு பி டிக் கப் பட் டது. இது போன்ற உண வு களை சாப் பி டும் போது, புற் று நோய் ஏற் பட வாய்ப்பு உள் ளது. எனவே, இந்த உணவு பொருட் களை கைப் பற்றி குப் பை யில் கொட்டி அழித் தோம். மேலும், கடைக் கா ரர் க ளுக்கு எச் ச ரிக்கை விடுத் துள் ள ளோம். தொடர்ந்து நக ரில் உள்ள உண வுப் பொருட் கள் விற் பனை கடை க ளில் சோதனை நடத் தப் ப டும். கலப் ப டம், வேதிப் பொருட் கள் கலந்து விற் பனை செய் வதை கண் டு பி டித் தால், அவற்றை அழிப் ப து டன், தயா ரித்து விற் பனை செய் ப வர் கள் மீது சட் டப் படி நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என்று அவர் தெரி வித் தார்.
ஆத்தூர் அருகே போலி டீத்தூள் பறிமுதல் அதிகாரிகள் அதிரடி
ஆத் தூர், ஜூன் 8:
ஆத் தூர் பகு தி யில் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை அதி கா ரி கள் நடத் திய அதி ரடி சோத னை யில் 10 கிலோ போலி டீத் தூள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட் டது.
ஆத் தூர் அருகே கொத் தாம் பாடி, செல் லி யம் பா ளை யம், கல் ப க னூர் ஆகிய கிரா மப் புற டீ கடை க ளில் போலி டீத் தூள் பயன் ப டுத் து வ தாக மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் டாக் டர் அனு ரா தா விற்கு தக வல் கிடைத் தது. இத னை ய டுத்து நேற்று, வட் டார உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் கள் கோவிந் த ராஜ், சுந் த ர ராஜ், சந் தி ர சே க ரன், புஷ் ப ராஜ் ஆகி யோர் கொத் தாம் பாடி கிரா மத் தில் டீக் க டை க ளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர். அப் போது டீக் க டை க ளில் பயன் ப டுத் தப் பட்ட டீத் தூள் போலி யா னது என தெரி ய வந் தது. இத னை ய டுத்து 10 கிலோ டீத் தூள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட்டு அழிக் கப் பட் டது. மேலும் டீக் க டைக் கா ரர் க ளி டம் உரிய அனு மதி பெற்ற தர மான தயா ரிப் பா ளர் க ளின் டீத் தூ ளையே பயன் ப டுத்த வேண் டும் என எச் ச ரிக்கை விடுத் த னர். பின் னர் அரு கி லி ருந்து பெட் டிக் க டை க ளில் அனு ம தி யின்றி விற் பனை செய் யப் பட்ட குட்கா பாக்கு ரகங் க ளும், புகை யிலை பொருட் க ளும் பறி மு தல் செய்து அழிக் கப் பட் டது.
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