Salt samples sent to lab for testing

With a video showing the colour of cooked rice turning blue after addition of salt distributed through the public distribution system(PDS) going viral on social media, the Department of Food and Civil Supplies has sent the salt samples to laboratory for testing.

It is said that the video was captured in Sagar taluk. Sadashivappa, Assistant Director, Department of Food and Civil Supplies, said that, at present, double fortified iodized salt is being distributed through PDS.

There will be slight change in the colour of the rice after addition of the salt and the information in this regard is printed on the salt packets.

The authorities have confirmed that the change in colour will not cause any health problem, he said.

Though there was no complaint from the public on the quality of salt supplied to them in the wake of the video going viral on social media, a few packets of salt from ration shops in Sagar taluk have been sent to laboratory for analysis, he said.

A. Krishnappa, District Food Safety Officer, said that the samples of salt have been sent to the State Food and Water Testing Laboratory at the Public Health Institute in Bengaluru for testing.

Widen scope of food adulteration checks

The seizure of thousands of bags of adulterated chilli powder in Guntur and Krishna districts in the last one week reveals the extent of food adulteration going on unchecked in Andhra Pradesh. On Saturday alone officials destroyed over 30,000 bags of spurious chilli powder. In the last 10 months about 60 tonnes of adulterated chilli powder was seized. There were also several cases of adulterated turmeric and other spices, besides cereals, millets, atta, edible oils, coffee, tea, and even rock salt. In fact, milk has emerged as the most commonly adulterated food.

Adulteration of chilli powder is a matter of serious concern as the spice is widely used in Andhra Pradesh, which is known for its pungent pickles and 'hot' cuisine. Also, the chilli variety grown in the state is unique in its flavour, texture and capsaicin content that has earned it the prestigious Geographical Indication (GI) tag. This Longhum or Guntur variety has a huge demand in the international market and frequent cases of adulteration will bring ill-repute to the state, affecting exports. The chilli powder seized by officials is declared as unfit for human consumption.

The ever-increasing menace of food adulteration notwithstanding, the state government did precious little to curb the menace. Officials have been simply raiding shops, registering cases and sending the accused to jail, without bothering to address the root causes. The laws governing food adulteration are strong but the official will-power appears to be weak. The state does not have the bare minimum infrastructure to keep a tab on unscrupulous traders. It does not bother to maintain quality control right from the harvest stage. Ironically, Andhra Pradesh with a population of about 4.5 crore and a geographical area of 1.60 lakh sq km does not have more than a three dozen food safety inspectors. Kerala, which is three times smaller in area, has a food safety brigade 10 times more in strength.

Worse, AP does not have a sophisticated food testing laboratory at the state level. Many local bodies do not have in-house biological and chemical laboratories for on-the-spot tests of food samples. Mere physical inspection of the stocks will not help in curbing the menace as adulterators are turning smarter. Food safety inspectors should be well-trained in the art of detection of even micro adulterants. They should be given modern equipment to outsmart adulterators.

There is an immediate need to broaden the scope of the term 'adulteration' so as to include even the 'incidental' adulterants like heavy metals, pesticide and chemical residues, and aflatoxins, mycotoxins and other microbial elements including E coli and Salmonella. There should also be a clause on contaminants like rodent droppings and mud pellets. Officials simply check for 'intentional' adulterants and let go traders if the product is free from any added substance. The fact, however, is incidental adulterants are as dangerous to health as intentional adulterants. Only the state-of-the-art laboratories can detect incidental adulterants.

India is a signatory to the food standards as fixed by the Codex Alimentarius Commission. The list includes chilli pods, chilli paste and chilli powder. Unfortunately, most of the stock available in the local markets does not come anywhere near the standards fixed by the FAO body. Manufacturers should be directed to declare even the incidental adulterants on the package. The food product should be subject to a though laboratory test for such adulterants. The product should be discarded if it fails the food safety and standard parameters. Incidentally, the Codex Alimentarius Commission makes it mandatory for manufacturers to reveal the contents of pesticides and other incidental adulterants too.

New regulations for health supplements bring clarity: IDSA

Recently, the FSSAI operationalised with immediate effect new standards for eight categories of products

NEW DELHI, NOVEMBER 28: 

Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) has said the formulation of new standards for health supplements and nutraceuticals by food regulator FSSAI would help bring clarity about the products being sold to consumers and also encourage member companies to launch new products.

Last week, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) operationalised with immediate effect new standards for eight categories of products, including health supplements and nutraceuticals. It will now start granting licences and approve products based on the new standards. These regulations will be enforced from January 2018.

Welcoming the new standards, IDSA termed it as a crucial step towards food regulatory in the country. “These regulations have brought much awaited clarity on health supplements, nutraceutical and other products meant for special dietary purposes. This will certainly clear a roadblock for the IDSA member companies offering products of international standards to the Indian consumers,” IDSA Secretary General Amit Chadha said in a statement.

“Due to the lack of clarity, our member companies had kept on hold some products that they wanted to introduce in the Indian market,” he said, adding that the new norms would bring relief to all IDSA members dealing in these products.

The regulations have given exhaustive list of ingredients which are permissible in health supplements and nutraceutical products, the association said.

“Labelling, thus will become a very important aspect for all the companies. Also, since the regulations have specified type of health claims and labelling requirement for such products, it would benefit the consumers the most as they will be able to make the appropriate choices as per their requirement,” said Vivek Katoch, Vice-Chairman of IDSA.

The association’s Chairman Jitendra Jagota said that most of its member companies deal in food products, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements.

New regulations for health supplements bring clarity: IDS

NEW DELHI: Indian Direct Selling Association (IDSA) has said the formulation of new standards for health supplements and nutraceuticals by food regulator FSSAI would help bring clarity about the products being sold to consumers and also encourage member companies to launch new products.

Last week, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) operationalised with immediate effect new standards for eight categories of products, including health supplements and nutraceuticals. It will now start granting licences and approve products based on the new standards.

These regulations will be enforced from January 2018.

Welcoming the new standards, IDSA termed it as a crucial step towards food regulatory in the country.

"These regulations have brought much awaited clarity on health supplements, nutraceutical and other products meant for special dietary purposes. This will certainly clear a roadblock for the IDSA member companies offering products of international standards to the Indian consumers," IDSA secretary general Amit Chadha said in a statement.

"Due to the lack of clarity, our member companies had kept on hold some products that they wanted to introduce in the Indian market," he said, adding that the new norms would bring relief to all IDSA members dealing in these products.

The regulations have given exhaustive list of ingredients which are permissible in health supplements and nutraceutical products, the association said.

"Labelling, thus will become a very important aspect for all the companies. Also, since the regulations have specified type of health claims and labelling requirement for such products, it would benefit the consumers the most as they will be able to make the appropriate choices as per their requirement," said Vivek Katoch, vice-chairman of IDSA.

The association's Chairman Jitendra Jagota said that most of its member companies deal in food products, nutraceuticals and dietary supplements.