Jul 14, 2016
Child rights panel concerned over junk food sale in private schools
LUDHIANA: Taking serious note of serving of junk food, which is easy to cook but harmful for health, in some private schools, Punjab State Child Rights Protection Commission chairman Sukesh Kalia has directed Secretary, Punjab School Education Board and DPI (Primary and Secondary) to take a self-declaration certificate from all schools mentioning that they would not allow serving or sale of junk food in their premises.
While mentioning a letter received from National Child Rights Protection Commission, New Delhi, Sukesh Kalia stated that as per the letter, the secretary of Punjab School Education Board and DPI (primary and secondary) would get self-declaration certificates from all schools of the state (from all education boards) mentioning that they would not allow serving as well as sale of junk food (which has salt, sugar and fat in large quantity) in their premises.
Kalia said that consumption of junk food amongst children leads to serious implications towards the child's health. That is why there is an increasing need to check this trend amongst children. He said that the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India has already issued some guidelines to the schools, which should be followed by all schools.
Sukesh Kalia has also written a separate letter to Food Safety Commissioner, Punjab, mentioning that the Commission would carry surprise checks in different schools on regular basis. And that is why, the commissioner should send names of technical experts and food inspectors so that their services can be taken during surprise checks. Kalia said that the commission would take strong notice of any news that comes to their notice regarding serving or sale of junk food in private schools.
Tea Board may cancel licence of traders selling adulterated tea
Harmful brew:Adulterated tea powder seized by the officials of the Food Safety Department in Ayanavaram on Tuesday.
Officials have sent the seized samples to laboratory for tests
With a rise in tea adulteration in the city, the Food Safety Department has decided to write to the Tea Board to cancel licences of traders responsible for adulteration.
Following a raid in Ayanavaram, Chennai Food Safety Department’s Designated Officer R. Kathiravan said the licences issued by the Tea Board would be cancelled after the lab report of samples was obtained. “Legal samples have been sent to the King Institute, Guindy. We will file a case and write to the Tea Board to cancel licences of the traders,” he said.
On Tuesday, the Food Safety officials seized 2.3 tonnes of adulterated tea packets from a wholesale tea trader in Ayanavaram. Many of such traders reportedly purchase substandard tea and mix sunset yellow colour. The chemical causes damage to liver and the digestive system. Most of the shops in low income neighbourhoods buy the product. One kilogram of the adulterated tea was sold at Rs.150 as against the market price of Rs.450, said Food Safety officials.
The different kind of labels seized on Tuesday did not have the address and batch number.
120 SAMPLES OF EDIBLE ITEMS IN STATE FAIL TO MEET STANDARDS
Many edible items like noodles, milk, condensed, sweets, and cooking oil being sold in the State capital do not conform to the standards. The office district food safety department had sent 120 samples of food items collected from various places in Dehradun district to State food and drug laboratory in Rudrapur and the report suggests that 24 samples have failed. These samples were collected from July 2015 to May this year.
The District Food safety officer, Anoj Thapliyal informed The Pioneer that the samples of many top noodle manufacturing companies failed as they were found to have traces of Mono Sodium Glutamate (MSG).
This according to Thapliyal is not serious as in a recent order, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSAAI) has clarified that the MSG of food chain origin is permissible. He informed that the some milk and condensed milk samples were found to have less fat percentage than minimum required.
Thapliyal however added that none of the failed sample had any harmful chemical detrimental to the health of the user. He informed that the sample of a popular edible oil manufacturing company failed to meet the standards. This edible oil was found to have less than prescribed Iodine number of Soapnification value.
Food safety checks to be strengthened
The government will strengthen food safety inspections across the State and to this aid, three mobile food safety laboratories are being planned, Health Minister K.K. Shylaja said in the Assembly here on Wednesday.
One of these mobile units would be readied for functioning before Onam season, she added. Four regional food safety labs in the State were being prepared for the NABL accreditation process and almost 95 per cent of the work was over. A sum of Rs.6.15 crore had been allocated for strengthening the laboratories
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