Milk adulterators deserve life sentence: SC

New Delhi, August 5The Supreme Court today said people found guilty of adulterating milk with chemicals and synthetics deserved to be put behind bars for life.

A three-member Bench, headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur, suggested the Centre to consider amending the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 to raise the penalty for selling synthetic milk to life sentence as had already been done by Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha. At present, the Act provides for a maximum punishment of life sentence only if the “unsafe food” results in death. The minimum sentence is seven years.

The Bench issued 10 directives and guidelines to the Centre and the states on a PIL pleading for apex court’s intervention to stop the sale of such milk, particularly in Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP, Rajasthan and Delhi.

The Centre and the states “shall take appropriate steps to implement FSS Act, 2006 in a more effective manner,” the Bench said. 

The states should set up committees at the state and district levels to review steps taken to curb adulteration as was being done in Maharashtra. A complaint mechanism must be evolved for checking corruption and other unethical practices of the food authorities and their officers, it said.

State food safety authorities should identify high-risk areas and ensure adequate lab-testing infrastructure for sampling of milk and milk products.

The court noted that contaminated water in adulterated milk caused stomach ailments, while the presence of chemicals could damage vital body organs.

Bottle milk fiends for life: SC

New Delhi, Aug. 5: The Supreme Court today directed the Union government to consider amending laws to make adulteration of milk an offence punishable with life imprisonment.

At present, no national law deals exclusively with adulteration of milk. Adulteration of food products, which cover milk also, entails a punishment of just six months in prison. The jail term can be compounded by paying a fine of Rs 1,000.

Adulteration cases now come under Section 262 of the Indian Penal Code and the Food Safety and Standards Act.

Bengal, Odisha and Uttar Pradesh have already amended IPC provisions to award life term for milk adulteration, the bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justices R. Banumathi and U.U. Lalit said, asking the Centre to adopt similar rules for the entire country.

Through a series of interim directives since 2012, the apex court had asked states to suitably amend the law.

Today, the apex court passed the final directive, asking the Centre to take necessary steps to amend the law. The court was dealing with a PIL filed by one Swami Achyuthanand in 2012, seeking deterrent punishment against milk adulterators.

The order was issued after the court perused expert opinion that adulteration of milk with chemicals like baking soda caused several life-threatening diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea.

The petitioner had relied on a 2011 report titled "Executive Summary on National Survey on Milk Adulteration" released by the Foods Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The report concluded that 68.4 per cent of milk being sold in the country was adulterated. The worst performers in the survey were Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, Mizoram and Chhattisgarh.

"Since in India, traditionally infants/children are fed milk, adulteration of milk and its products is a concern and stringent measures need to be taken to combat it. The consumption of adulterated milk and adulterated milk products is hazardous to human health," the Supreme Court said.

"... It will be in order that the Union of India come up with suitable amendments in the Food Safety and Standards Act and the respondent, Union of India, shall also make penal provisions" on a par with the provisions contained in the state amendments," the court added.

"It is also desirable that Union of India revisits the Food Safety and Standards Act to revise the punishment for adulteration, making it more deterrent in cases where the adulterant can have an adverse impact on health," Justice Banumathi said.

SC directs Centre, states to take effective steps for checking milk adulteration

The apex court has suggested the Centre and the states to take steps to control milk adulteration.

The Supreme Court in a judgment passed today has suggested the Centre and states to take effective steps to control adulteration of milk. Disposing of a writ petition seeking direction to the Centre and states in this regard, the apex court issued several directions.

Considering the seriousness of the matter and in the light of various orders passed by it, the Supreme Court directed the Centre and the state governments to take appropriate steps to implement Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 in a more effective manner.

It asked the states to take appropriate steps to inform owners of dairy, dairy operators and retailers working in the state that if chemical adulterants like pesticides, caustic soda and other chemicals are found in the milk, then stringent action would be taken on the state dairy operators or retailers or all the persons involved in adulteration.

The apex court also asked the state food safety authorities to identify high risk areas, where there is greater presence of petty food manufacturer, business operator and the likes, and the occasions, for instance when festivals draw close. There is a risk of ingesting adulterated milk or milk products due to environmental and other factors and greater number of food samples should be taken from those areas, the court said.

It asked the state food safety authorities to ensure that there is adequate lab testing infrastructure and ensure that all labs have or they obtain National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation to facilitate precise testing. The state governments have been asked to ensure that the state food testing laboratories and district food laboratories are well-equipped with the technical persons and testing facilities.

×The Supreme Court has directed taking of special measures by the state food safety authorities (SFSA) and district authorities for sampling of milk and milk products, including spot testing through mobile food testing vans equipped with primary testing kits for conducting qualitative test of adulteration in food.

It said since the snap short survey conducted in 2011 revealed adulteration of milk by hazardous substances including chemicals, such snap short surveys to be conducted periodically both in the state as well as at the national level by FSSAI.

For curbing milk adulteration, an appropriate state level committee headed by the chief secretary or the secretary of the dairy department and district level committee headed by the concerned district collector have been directed to be constituted. The court cited the example of Maharashtra to take the review of the work done to curb the milk adulteration in the district and in the state by the authorities.

The apex court has asked the concerned state department to set up a website specifying the functioning and responsibilities of food safety authorities and also creating awareness about complaint mechanisms. In the website, the contact details of the joint commissioners, including the food safety commissioners should be made available for registering the complaints on the website. All states should also have and maintain toll-free telephonic and online complaint mechanism, it said.

In order to increase consumer awareness about ill effects of milk adulteration as stipulated in Section 18(1)(f), the states, food authorities and commissioners of food safety have been directed to inform the general public of the nature of risk to health and create awareness of food safety and standards.

They have also been asked educate the school children by conducting workshops and teaching them easy methods for detection of common adulterants in food, keeping in mind indigenous technological innovations (such as milk adulteration detection strips)

Finally, the Supreme Court directed the Centre and the state governments to evolve a complaint mechanism for checking corruption and other unethical practices of the food authorities and their officers.

Consider life term for milk adulteration with chemicals, SC tells government

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the central government to consider to suitably amending the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Indian Penal Code to incorporate penal provisions making adulteration of milk with chemicals - adversely affecting the health of the people - punishable with life imprisonment.

"It is also desirable that Union of India revisits the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to revise the punishment for adulteration making it more deterrent in cases where the adulterant can have an adverse impact on health," said the bench of Chief Justice T.S.Thakur, Justice R.Banumathi and Justice Uday Umesh Lalit in their judgment.

Referring to its orders of December 5, 2013 and that of December 10, 2014, the top court said: "It will be in order, if the Union of India considers making suitable amendments in the penal provisions at par with the provisions contained in the State amendments to the Indian Penal Code" by Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha governments, which have enhanced the punishment for adulteration of food and products to life imprisonment.

The court had by its December 5, 2013 order had said that "similar amendments are to be made in other states as well".

The December 5, 2013, order was reiterated by the top court when it had on January 30, 2014, directed the central government to consider bringing in suitable amendment in FSS Act, 2006.

Again on December 10, 2014, the top court had said: "We reiterate that the respondent - Union of India shall take up the matter seriously and come up with all possible amendments in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

"It goes without saying that while making necessary amendments in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the respondent - Union of India - shall also make penal provisions at par with the provisions contained in the Indian Penal Code and the States Amendments made therein."

On Friday, Justice Banumathi, speaking for the bench, said: "Since in India traditionally infants/children are fed milk, adulteration of milk and its products is a concern and stringent measures need to be taken to combat it. The consumption of adulterated milk and adulterated milk products is hazardous to human health."

The judgment referred to the "Executive Summary on National Survey on Milk Adulteration, 2011" released by Foods Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which said that at the national level, 68.4 per cent of milk being sold is adulterated and alleging that the worst performers were Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Mizoram, Jharkhand and Daman and Diu, where adulteration in milk was found up to 100 per cent.

In Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, 88 percent of milk samples were found adulterated.

The top court direction to make milk adulteration, adversely impacting the health of the people, punishable with life imprisonment came on a PIL by a Uttarakhand-based religious seer Swami Achyutanand Tirth who had highlighted the menace of growing sales of adulterated and synthetic milk in different parts of the country.

The Swami had sought direction to the central and the concerned state governments to take immediate effective and serious steps to rule out the sale and circulation of synthetic/adulterated milk and milk products like ghee, mawa, cheese, etc.

Besides directing amending the FSS Act and IPC to provide for stringent and deterrent punishment, the court issued 10 directions addressing different aspect of dealing with the problem and curbing the menace of food adulteration.

This includes putting in place a complaint mechanism to deal with corruption, creating awareness about the nature of risk public is exposed to due to milk and other adulterations and the pro-active role of FSS authorities in high risk areas where there are petty milk producers and the sale of sweets at the time of the festivals.

Supreme Court favours life imprisonment for milk adulteration

HIGHLIGHTS

• Supreme Court wants stringent punishment of life imprisonment for milk adulteration.
• At present, milk adulteration is punishable only up to six months jail term or fine.
• States like UP and West Bengal have already amended law making adulteration punishable up to life imprisonment.

NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over alarming level of milk adulteration+ in the country, the Supreme Court on Friday favoured stringent punishment+ of life imprisonment for the offence which at present is punishable only up to six months jail term or fine.

A bench of Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices R Banumathi and U U Lalit said that there was an urgent need to tackle the menace of growing sale of adulterated and synthetic milk+ in different parts of the country. It said that the milk adulteration+ could adversely affect the growth of future generations as it was the staple diet of all children and infants.

Asking Centre and states to consider to amend the present lenient law, the bench said that states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha had already amended the law making adulteration punishable up to life imprisonment and there was nothing wrong in following their footsteps for making stringent law.

"It will be in order, if the Centre considers making suitable amendments in the penal provisions at par with the provisions contained in the state amendments to the IPC. It is also desirable that the Centre revisits the Food Safety and Standards Act to revise the punishment for adulteration making it more deterrent in cases where the adulterant can have an adverse impact on health," it said.

The court directed the government to spread awareness about the hazardous impact of milk adulterations and to teach people easy methods for detection of common adulterants in food by conducting workshops. It directed the Centre and state governments to evolve a complaint mechanism for checking corruption and other unethical practices of food authorities and their officers.

"Since in India traditionally infants/children are fed milk, adulteration of milk and its products is a concern and stringent measures need to be taken to combat it," the bench said and referred to 2011 report of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which said that over 68% of the milk sold in the market found adulterated.

The report said that cases of milk adulteration was rampant in the country and the situation was worst in Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Mizoram, Jharkhand and Daman and Diu where adulteration in milk was found up to 100%.

The court passed the order on a bunch of petition filed by people from different states seeking its direction to the governments to make stringent punishment for the offence of milk adulteration.

Advocate Anurag Tomar, appearing for the petitioners, contended that milk contaminated with synthetic material was being sold in various states particularly in northern states posing serious threat to the life and health of the consumers. He pleaded that the Centre should be directed to amend the prevailing law to provide punishment of life imprisonment for the offence.

Milk adulteration: Supreme Court favours life imprisonment as maximum punishment

The Supreme Court bench said that it was high time that the Centre revisit the IPC as well as the Food Safety and Standards Act to make sure stringent penalties are provided under the law.

The Supreme Court Friday favoured life imprisonment for the offence of milk adulteration and urged the central government to amend the Indian Penal Code to make the punishment deterrent for offenders.

A bench of Chief Justice of India T S Thakur and Justice R Banumathi maintained that it was high time that the Centre revisit the IPC as well as the Food Safety and Standards Act to make sure stringent penalties are provided under the law.

It preferred the amendments made to Section 272 (adulteration of food and drinks) in the IPC by states such as Uttar Pradesh, Odisha and West Benagl, providing life term as the maximum punishment for adulteration.

The bench also recalled its order in December 2013 and again in December 2014 whereby the central government was nudged by it to bring suitable amendments in the IPC to provide for maximum punishment on par with states like UP, Odisha and West Bengal.

“Since in India traditionally infants/children are fed milk, adulteration of milk and its products is a concern and stringent measures need to be taken to combat it. The consumption of adulterated milk and adulterated milk products is hazardous to human health… it will be in order that the Union of India come up with suitable amendments in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Union of India shall also make penal provisions on par with the provisions contained in the State amendments,” said the court.

Amend law to check milk adulteration: SC

Directs govt. to make Food Safety Act more stringent.

The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Centre and States to amend the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, to penalise those indulging in adulteration of milk and dairy products.

“Milk is the only source of nourishment for infants and a major part of the diet for growing children in tender age and if no effective measure is taken to ensure the purity of milk, health of the children will be adversely affected,” a Bench of Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur and Justices R. Banumathi and U.U. Lalit observed in a judgment on Friday.

The judgment referred to the amendments made by some States.

26 food outlets get notice in raids in Vadakara

Hotel Milton located near Vadakara Bus stand was ordered to be closed temporarily for breach of food safety norms.

Food Safety officials conduct raids at an eatery in the city. 

KOZHIKODE: In a massive food safety drive conducted in Vadakara region on Thursday by the health department of the Municipality, notices were served on about 26 food outlets. These outlets were found to have violated the food safety rules listed by the municipality. Hotel Milton located near Vadakara Bus stand was ordered to be closed temporarily for breach of food safety norms. Rs 25,000 was collected as penalty from the erring units.

According to K Divakaran, Health inspector, Vadakara, several anonymous complaints were received from the public, based on which the flash raid was conducted at various food outlets, including juice shops. “A few squads of officials were formed to inspect the outlets including bakeries, provision stores, fruit and vegetable marts, fish and meat stalls, and other food outlets. The major issue found in these outlets was the use of the same oil and stocking it for days”,

Divakaran pointed out. "In addition to that we also found chicken and beef that was stocked days ago and these meats were used mostly for dishes like Sharwarma and a few other Arabian dishes", he added. A week back, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officials conducted surprise inspections at seven snack manufacturing units in the City and ordered temporary closure of four.

They also gave rectification notice to two others. Kozhikode Municipal Corporation Health officials also conducted raids in nearly 50 food units in the City including the Government Medical College premises and Beach Road. All the roadside eateries along the Beach Road have been given closure notices.

Milk contamination: samples sent to lab for testing

Vehicle that delayed supply of milk removed from service

A day after residents in a few parts of the city complained of contaminated milk packets supplied by Aavin, officials of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department took samples of the milk and sent them for microbiological test here on Friday.

Residents in Bretts Road, MDS Nagar, Shevapet and Ponammapet complained of oil odour and spoilt milk on Thursday. They had purchased 250 ml and 500 ml packets of milk from retail shops in their respective areas. A four-year-old child developed vomiting and was treated as an outpatient at a private hospital. As the news spread, panic prevailed among the residents and they stopped consuming the milk. On Friday, officials of the food safety department took samples of the milk that were stored by the residents in refrigerators and sent for laboratory test. It was found that the milk supplied by a vehicle to agents on Thursday in these areas were unfit for consumption.

When contact, managing director of Salem District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union (Aavin) K. Santhi told The Hindu that the private vehicle contractor has parked the vehicle in direct sunlight for two hours to carryout his personal work and delayed the despatch of milk to agents. She clarified that the acidity level had gone up in the milk packets making it unfit for consumption. The vehicle was removed from service and milk was supplied through another vehicle on Friday. Quality controllers and marketing officials had met the residents and distributed 600 litres of fresh milk on Friday, she added. Salem Aavin procures about 5.25 lakh litres of milk everyday through the cooperative societies in which 1.90 lakh litres were distributed in Salem and Namakkal districts everyday. About two lakh litres were sent to Chennai everyday while the remaining 1.35 lakh litres were used for producing khoa , milk powder and milk sweets.

மாவட்டத்தில் கலப்பட டீ தூள் பேக்கரிகளில் அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு ஒரு பேக்கரிக்கு ரூ5 ஆயிரம் அபராதம்

கோவை, ஆக.6:

கோவை மாவட் டத் தில் கலப் பட டீதூள் குறித்து நூறு பேக் க ரி க ளில் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை அதி கா ரி கள் அதி ரடி ஆய்வு நடத் தி னர். இதில், சுகா தா ர மற்ற முறை யில் பேக் கரி பொருள் தயார் செய்த ஒரு பேக் க ரிக்கு ரூ5 ஆயி ரம் அப ரா தம் விதிக் கப் பட் டுள் ளது.

கோவை மாவட் டத் தில் கடந்த சில மாதங் க ளாக கலப் பட டீதூள் தொடர் பான புகார் கள் அதி க ள வில் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறைக்கு வந் தது. இதனை தொடர்ந்து மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை நிய மன அதி காரி விஜய் உத் த ர வின் பேரில் உண வுத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் கலப் பட டீதூள் குறித்து கடந்த ஒரு வா ர மாக நகர் மற் றும் புற ந கர் பகு தி க ளில் ஆய்வு பணியை மேற் கொண்டு வரு கின் ற னர்.

அதன் படி, டீக் கடை, பேக் கரி உள் ளிட்ட அனைத்து கடை க ளி லும் ஆய்வு செய்து வரு கின் ற னர். தற் போது அதி கா ரி கள் மாதி ரி களை சேக ரித்து ஆய் வுக்கு அனுப் பி யுள் ள னர். தற் போது வரை 100 பேக் க ரி க ளில் ஆய்வு நடத் தப் பட் டுள் ளது. தொடர்ந்து அனைத்து பேக் க ரி க ளி லும் ஆய்வு நடத் தப் ப ட வுள் ளது. மேலும், நீலாம் பூர் பகு தி யில் உள்ள பேக் கரி ஒன் றில் நடத் தப் பட்ட ஆய் வின் போது சுகா தா ர மற்ற கேக், பிஸ் கெட், பன் உள் ளிட்ட பேக் கரி பொருட் கள் தயா ரிப் பது தெரி ய வந் தது. இதனை தொடர்ந்து சம் மந் தப் பட்ட பேக் க ரிக்கு அதி கா ரி கள் நோட் டீஸ் அளித் த னர். இதற்கு உரிய பதில் அளிக் காத கார ணத் தி னா லும், சுகா தார மற்ற பொருட் கள் தயா ரித்த கார ணத் தி னால் பேக் க ரி யின் மீது வழக்கு தொட ரப் பட்டு ரூ5 ஆயி ரம் அப ரா தம் விதிக் கப் பட் டது.

இது தவிர, தண் ணீர் கேன் தொடர் பாக எழுந்த புகார் க ளின் மீதும் ஆய்வு நடத் தப் பட்டு வரு வ தாக மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை நிய மன அதி காரி விஜய் தெரி வித் தார்.

ஓட்டலில் விற்பனைக்கு வைத்திருந்த குளிர்பான பாட்டிலில் சாக்லெட் பேப்பர்

ஞ்சை, ஆக.6:

தஞ் சா வூர் உணவு பாது காப்பு மற் றும் மருந்து நிர் வா கத் துறை மாவட்ட நிய மன அலு வ லர் டாக் டர் ரமேஷ் பாபு தலை மை யில் ஆய் வா ளர் கள் சந் தி ர மோ கன், ராஜ் கு மார், கவு த மன், வடி வேல், மகேஷ், கிருஷ் ண மூர்த்தி, விஜ ய கு மார், செந் தில், பாண்டி ஆகி யோர் தஞ்சை மாந க ரில் கடை கள், வணிக நிறு வ னங் க ளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர். இந்த ஆய் வில், தஞ்சை மேம் பா லம் அருகே உள்ள பிர பல ஓட் ட லில் விற் ப னைக் காக வைக் கப் பட் டி ருந்த மூடி சீலி டப் பட்ட குளிர் பா னத் தில் சாக் லெட் பேப் பர் மிதந்து கொண் டி ருந் தது கண் டு பி டிக் கப் பட் டது. இதை ய டுத்து குளிர் பானம் ஆய் வுக் காக உணவு பகுப் பாய் வுக் கூடத் திற்கு மாதிரி எடுத்து அனுப்பி வைக் கப் பட் டது. பரி சோ தனை ஆய்வு அறிக் கைக்கு பிறகு சம் மந் தப் பட்ட விநி யோ கஸ் தர் கள், தயா ரிப் பா ளர் கள் மீது மேல் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என டாக் டர் ரமேஷ் பாபு தெரி வித் தார்