Officials close down 11 snack production units in Kozhikode

Food unit owners asked to sign a 14-point guideline

KOZHIKODE: The flash raids on eateries and snack manufacturing units separately conducted by food safety officials and corporation health department continued on Thursday. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officials conducted surprise inspections at seven snack manufacturing units and have ordered temporary closure of four. They have also served rectification notices on two others.

Kozhikode Municipal Corporation health officials conducted raids on nearly 50 food units including Government Medical College premises and Beach Road. All the roadside eateries along the Beach Road have got closure notice. The searches will continue in coming days. Food safety assistant commissioner P.K. Aleyamma said strict action would be taken against food business units not following safety standards.

“Many of the units where we have conducted raids revealed extreme unhygienic conditions," she told DC. “We have made the food unit owners to sign on a 14-point guideline which they should implement to open their units again.” The corporation health squad conducted raids on nearly 30 hotels and served rectification notice.

On Medical College premises also they conducted raids and ordered the closure of one street food joint near IMCH after officials found gross violations of food safety rules. “We have also ordered the closure of all street side food joints along Beach Road until the corporation council took a further decision,” said its health officer-in-charge M.M. Vijayan. The drinking water supplying tanks and the residential camps of migrant labourers were also checked by the health inspectors of the civic body.

Kerala Consumer Association, which welcomed the move, said corporation health department should involve in the food safety drive more actively. “The FSSAI alone cannot handle the unhygienic practices prevailing in the eateries. The corporation health wing should be more alert and involved in regular inspections,” said its general secretary Salam Vellayil.

Quality examination of water mandatory for eateries

The FSSAI officials have directed all hotels and eateries in the district to hang water test certificates in their respective outlets. Weekly tests on water they use are also mandatory to avoid contamination. Food safety assistant commissioner P.K. Aleyamma said norms of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India require hotels and restaurants and hospital and hostel messes and other establishments supplying food to maintain a register on suppliers of water.

“It is terrible that many eateries are reportedly using contaminated water that can lead to several diseases,” she said. "Recently health department reported the outbreak of diarrhoea in the district and a major factor for it is the dependence on hotel food. Hence we made frequent water quality tests mandator, she added."

Govt forms RC to oversee pesticides on

The government has set up a Registration Committee (RC) under Insecticides Act, 1968 which registers pesticides after considering the data on different parameters like chemistry, bio-efficacy, toxicity, packaging and processing to ensure efficacy and safety to human beings and animals, the Rajya Sabha was informed today. 

In a written reply, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Sudarshan Bhagat said, ''There are 272 technical pesticides registered under Insecticides Act, 1968 which has been enacted to regulate the import, manufacture, sale, transport, distribution and use of insecticides with a view to prevent risk to human beings or animals and for matters connected therewith.'' If pesticides are used as per approved label claims, they do not cause any hazard to human beings, live-stock among others, he said. 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India fixes Maximum Residues Limits of specific crops. No pesticide is registered without fixation of "Maximum Residue Limit" for the crop on which it is intended to be used, Mr Bhagat informed. 

Also, the Central government has started a scheme "Monitoring of Pesticide Residues at National Level" under which samples of food commodities are collected and analysed for the presence of pesticide residues, Mr Bhagat said. Implementation of the Insecticides Act , 1968 is the responsibility of both, Central and State governments. 

The Centre is responsible for registration of insecticides whereas, the state governments are responsible for enforcement of the provisions relating to sale, transport, distribution and use of insecticides. The Central and state governments are jointly responsible for quality control, Mr Bhagat informed.

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Norms of Food Safety, 22/07/2016

Question raised in Lok Sabha on Norms of Food Safety, 22/07/2016. Standards for articles of food prescribed under the Food Safety (FSS) Act, 2006 and regulations thereunder, are primarily enforced by the Food Safety Departments of the States/Union Territories. 

Random sampling and testing of food products, etc. is undertaken by officials of Food Safety Departments of the respective States/UTs to check compliance of standards laid down under the FSS Act, 2006 and Regulations thereunder. 

In cases, where the food samples are found to be non-conforming to the prescribed standards, recourse is taken to penal provisions under Chapter IX of the FSS Act, 2006. 

As per the information made available by State/UT Governments to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the details of samples collected, tested, found not conforming and action taken during the year 2014-15 are at Annexure.

மாவட்டம் முழுவதும் நடந்த ஆய்வில் 1,500 கிலோ புகையிலை பொருட்கள் 10ஆயிரம் லிட்டர் கலப்பட எண்ணெய் பறிமுதல் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி தகவல்

சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் ரூ.14 லட்சம் மதிப்புள்ள போலி சமையல் எண்ணெய் பறிமுதல்

ஆத்தூர்: சேலம் உள்பட, நான்கு இடங்களில், பெட்ரோலிய கழிவில் இருந்து தயார் செய்த, 14 லட்சம் ரூபாய் மதிப்பிலான, போலி சமையல் எண்ணெய் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.

சேலம் மாவட்டம், ஆத்தூர் அருகே, தம்மம்பட்டி, நாமக்கல் மாவட்டம், நாமகிரிப்பேட்டை நாரைக்கிணறு உள்பட நான்கு இடங்களில் போலி சமையல் எண்ணெய் தயாரித்து விற்பனை செய்வதாக புகார் எழுந்தது. சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை, மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா தலைமையில் சுகாதார ஆய்வாளர்கள், நேற்று முன்தினம் இரவு, ஆய்வு பணிகள் மேற்கொண்டனர். அப்போது, தம்மம்பட்டி, கடைவீதியில் சீனிவாசன் என்பவரது, 'சீனிவாசா மளிகை', ராஜா என்பவரது, 'சென்னை மளிகை' மற்றும் ஜனப்பிரியா மளிகை ஆகிய மூன்று கடைகள் மற்றும் சீனிவாசனுக்கு சொந்தமான, செந்தாரப்பட்டியில் உள்ள குடோன்களில் ஆய்வு செய்தனர். இதில், ஆறு லட்சம் ரூபாய் மதிப்பிலான, 112 கேன்கள், பாக்கெட் ஆயில் என, மொத்தம், 8,000 லிட்டர் போலி சமையல் எண்ணெய் பறிமுதல் செய்து, மூன்று பேருக்கும், 'நோட்டீஸ்' வழங்கினர். இதுதவிர, ஆறு மூட்டை புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன.

சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி அனுராதா கூறியதாவது: பெட்ரோலிய குருடு ஆயில் கழிவில் இருந்து, போலி சமையல் எண்ணெய் விற்பனை செய்ய வைத்திருந்ததாக, தம்மம்பட்டியில், 8,000 லிட்டர் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது. சேலம், லீபஜாரில் உள்ள, தங்கவேலு என்பவரிடம், கடலை, நல்லெண்ணெய் வாங்கி வந்து விற்பனை செய்வதாக கூறினர். இன்று (நேற்று), சேலத்தில் ஆய்வு செய்தபோது, 250 டின்களில் இருந்த, 4,500 லிட்டர் எண்ணெய், 500 பாக்கெட்டுகளில், 5,000 லிட்டர் உள்பட மொத்தம், 10 ஆயிரம் லிட்டர் போலி எண்ணெய் விற்பனை செய்ய தடை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. இவ்வாறு, அவர் கூறினார்.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

 

Avoid junk food, Collector tells students

Collector S. Natarajan addressing a ‘ Food safety awareness programme’ at Syed Ammal Engineering College in Ramanathapuram on Thursday.

Collector S. Natarajan has advised the student community to avoid junk food, aerated drinks with artificial flavours and colours and adulterated food to lead a healthy life.

Addressing a ‘Food safety awareness programme’, organised by District Food Safety Wing of Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department at Syed Ammal Engineering College here on Thursday, he said the students should have a healthy lifestyle and should be careful in selecting their food items.

While consuming packed or preserved food items, they should check the ingredients, contents, expiry date and markings given by the food safety officials and create awareness of food safety among their families and friends.

Pointing out that the market was flooded with unbranded and low quality chocolates with attractive colours and banned tobacco products containing nicotine, he said these products were pushed into the market, targeting school and college students.

Teachers and parents of the students should keep an eye on the sale of these products, if any, near schools and colleges and bring it to the notice of police and food safety officials. Consumers had the right to examine all the products they bought, he said.

Licence necessary

All those who engaged in the sale of food products should obtain licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act by August 4 and consumers had the responsibility to check whether the shops and hotels obtained licence while purchasing food items from them, the Collector said.

Dr. Jagadish Chandra Bose, District Designated Officer, Food Safety Wing, and food safety officers demonstrated how various food items and fruits such as tea, pepper, salt, oil, watermelon and pomegranate, were adulterated with artificial flavours and colours.

College Principal P. Marimuthu and Kilakarai Municipality Food Safety Officer S. Mohanraj were also present.

Food joints on kanwar route under FSDA scanner

MEERUT: To keep an eye on the food being prepared at the restaurants and dhabas on the kanwar route, the Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) has intensified its food sample collection drive along the route. Every year, lakhs of Shiva devotees go to Haridwar on foot with kanwars on their shoulders to fetch Ganga water. They eat food at camps and food joints that fall on the way. The drive has been started to ensure that no substandard food is being served at these places, said officials.

"A huge number of kanwariyas will be passing through the city. Various city-based NGOs, food joints and religious groups will be hosting camps on the route to provide the kanwariyas with food. We don't want any untoward incident to be reported because many people will be consuming the food served at these camps, so sampling of food items and raids have been started," said JP Singh, chief food safety officer, Meerut district, talking to TOI.

Cases have been reported in the past where inedible substances were mixed in prasad, causing health problems to devotees at religious events.

"Checks will be made to detect inedible oil and banned food colours. If any such case is seen, samples will be sent to the food testing laboratory in Lucknow. Also, if the food item looks inedible prima facie, immediate action will be taken against the food joint or dhaba owner," said Singh.

While the results of samples sent to the Lucknow laboratory arrive in a month, the facility of sending the samples to the Meerut lab will also remain open because the latter will be able to give the reports in a week's time.

"We have also issued instructions to the kanwar camp owners so as to ensure that no guidelines are flouted and no stale food is provided during the kanwar yatra, especially because the speed of food deterioration increases in monsoon season. We are also ensuring that no drugs are sold in these camps," said Singh.

FBOs can now pay online

The Delhi government on Wednesday introduced online payment system for licensing and registration of food business operators (FBOs). Besides, the Drug Control and Food Safety Department under the Health Department have also announced a training programme for street vendors in the city.

Making the process of licensing and registration simpler for FBOs, the department stated that applicants can now pay dues through credit/debit card and netbanking. “This will eliminate delay in collection of fees and simplify the process for applicants as well,” explained an official.

Food safety training

On the programme for street vendors, the government said that around 23,000 street food vendors in the city will be trained in hygiene and food safety as part of its plan to ensure clean, wholesome and unadulterated food for the public in the Capital.

As per the plan, street food vendors will be given training on techniques on food storage and handling, and maintaining hygiene by the Drug Control and Food Safety Department, a senior government official said.

“The trained vendors will be issued certificates and skill cards. In the first phase, 18,000 vendors will undergo training and education on how to ensure hygiene in their food items while serving them to people,” he added. Vendors would be issued certificates on the basis of their performance after undergoing a test.

Meanwhile, the Drugs Control Department has cancelled the licence of 14 medical stores situated in Mahinder Park, Chaukhandi and Chand Nagar to curb the sale of habit-forming drugs in the Capital. The Department busted an unlicensed godown with large stocks of Buprenorphine, a habit-forming drug.It further stated that it is coordinating with the Narcotics Control Bureau, UNODC, Delhi State AIDS Control Society and Delhi Police to curb misuse of drugs.

Advertising watchdog refutes Patanjali's claims of bias

Advertisement watchdog has refuted Patanjali's claims that it is biased toward certain MNCs. ASCI sources told CNBC-TV18 that it looks at every complain objectively.

ASCI, which is recognised by Ministry of Consumer Affairs Ministry of IT and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has said the claim that it is acting on behalf of some MNCs is baseless.