Apr 30, 2017
Call to put an end to adulteration in sago
A forceful appeal to put an end to adulteration in the production of sago, in the interest of protecting tapioca farmers, was made at the farmers’ grievances redress day meeting held here on Friday.
District Collector M. Asia Mariam presided over the meeting.
K. Sundaram, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Vivasayigal Sangam, alleged that a few manufacturers were adulterating sago with maize flour. While a 90 kg bag of sago fetches a price between Rs. 5,500 and Rs. 6,000; the price of maize flour ranges between Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 2,000 per bag.
While the manufacturers by adopting this illegal practice manage to make good profit, it leads to steep fall in its price.
Mr. Sundaram said that the sago manufactured in the district is transported to Gujarat and Maharashtra. Tamil Nadu manufacturers faced the danger of losing the business, if the trading community of these States come to know about the poor quality of sago due to adulteration.
He urged the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department officials to initiate stringent action against the sago manufacturers indulging in adulteration.
Ms. Asia Mariam warned that stringent action will be taken against people who involved in adulteration. The food safety department officials will conduct regular check of sago manufacturing units, she added.
‘Revive open wells’
Farmers belonging to various associations urged the district administration to take steps for sanctioning financial assistance for rehabilitation of open farm wells. Many farm wells were in a poor shape due to improper maintenance, they said and demanded financial assistance for strengthening the retention walls.
Some of the farmers representatives alleged that the officials of primary agricultural cooperative banks were forcing the hapless farmers to procure poor quality fertilizers stocked with them. These officials are also sanctioning loans only for certain crops, they said and urged the district administration to direct the cooperative societies to sanction loans to all varieties of crops raised by the farmers.
Ms. Asia Mariam assured that steps will be taken to ensure that farm loans were sanctioned only to crops that have been raised by the farmers. The cooperative societies will also be directed to procure and distribute good quality fertilizers.
Turmeric farmers alleged that the price of turmeric crop raised by the farmers of the district has suffered a steep fall due to the arrival of the same in huge quantity from Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
They demanded the State government to slap a ban on the arrival of raw turmeric from other States.
When farmers raised the issue of permission for lifting silt from the dry bed of the water bodies, the Collector said that 10 dry lakes have been identified in the district for this purpose and permission will be accorded to the farmers soon.
WARNING: Energy drinks worse, more dangerous than caffeine, says study!
Energy drinks have always been a subject of deep debate over its health properties. Those who indulge in it, swear by its 'healthier' properties compared to sodas and other caffeinated drinks.
However, a new study has completely negated this belief saying that energy drinks are worse than caffeine itself.
Elaborating on its findings, the study says that energy drinks can have a greater impact on health than caffeine consumption by other means.
Researchers discovered that ingesting about a litre of any commercially-available energy drink caused abnormal changes in blood pressure and heart rate of the study's participants. These changes were apparently missing when volunteers consumed a control drink that contained the same amount of caffeine.
Each energy drink available commercially is packed with 108 grams of sugar and 320 mg of caffeine. As per experts, the requisite and/or maximum amount of caffeine an adult should consume is approximately 400 mg. Energy drinks also contain “natural substances” such as taurine, ginseng, and carnitine.
According to the Daily Mail, the research study found that the impact from drinking a non-sugar caffeinated beverage, such as coffee, didn’t have such an effect on the heart.
Research author Dr Emily Fletcher, of the David Grant USAF Medical Center at Travis Air Force Base in California, said, “We decided to study energy drinks’ potential heart health impact because previous research has shown 75 percent of the base’s military personnel have consumed an energy drink. And nearly 15 percent of military personnel, in general, drink three cans a day when deployed, which is more than we studied here,” the Telegraph reported.
For the study, 18 participants were divided into two groups. The first group received 946 ml of energy drinks, while the second group drank a control drink, which contained 320 mg of caffeine, 40 ml of lime juice, and 140 ml of cherry syrup (sugar).
The heart activity and blood pressure of the participants were monitored after every 2, 4 and 6 hours post the energy drink consumption, with follow-up examinations taking place after 24 hours.
According to the Inquistr, the energy drink group showed signs that their heart was “pausing” for 10 milliseconds in between beats. While 10 milliseconds is not significant, it would be much more pronounced if you drank three, four, or even five energy drinks in a short time.
According to NBC News, Dr Fletcher noted that some medications increase the risk for the heart to pause up to six milliseconds, but they have warnings on the medicine bottle. However, there is no warning on energy drinks that caution consumers that it could increase blood pressure.
“Those who consumed the energy drinks still had a mildly elevated blood pressure after six hours,” Dr Fletcher said. “This suggests that ingredients other than caffeine may have some blood pressure altering effects, but this needs further evaluation.”
Meanwhile, Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, told the Daily Mail: 'Caffeine in energy drinks is no different to caffeine in coffee so these findings are somewhat odd.
"The European Food Safety Authority latest opinion confirms the safety of energy drinks and their ingredients and therefore does not provide any scientific justification to treat energy drinks any differently to the main contributors to daily caffeine intake including tea, coffee and chocolate.
"It's also worth remembering that coffees from popular high street chains contain the same or more caffeine than most energy drinks."
Love chicken? You might be vulnerable to diseases. Here's why
Experts say the chicken you eat from these places, especially the broiler variant, is often pumped with large amounts of antibiotics and eating the meat can make a consumer resistant to drugs and leave him or her vulnerable to diseases.
An investigation by Mail Today into the poultry business in Haryana's Sonipat, Panipat and Karnal districts exposed the unethical practices indulged in by certain farm owners for profit.
"Our hatchery division produces 15,000 chicks every day and as soon as they are hatched, they are injected with antibiotic drugs to make them infection free," Sehrawat, manager of a poultry farm in Karnal, says on camera.
THREAT OF INFECTION
Since the birds are tightly packed in cages, the threat of infection always looms. This necessitates the use of antibiotics to promote growth. "We have to grow them at a rapid pace. So we use steroids for overall physical growth," said Sehrawat.
With rampant use, the drugs find their way into the chicken we eat as well as the ecosystem, leading to the spread of drug resistant bacteria in human beings, experts say. "Antibiotics such as enrofloxacin and sulfonamides are used recklessly in the Indian poultry industry to treat infections that arise due to the unhygienic and overcrowded establishments they are maintained in," said Dr Amulya VR, a veterinarian based in Hyderabad.
ANTIBIOTICS
Nearly 70 per cent of antibiotics vital for fighting infections in humans are sold for use in meat and dairy production and medical researchers have concerns that overuse of those drugs may diminish their effectiveness in fighting disease in humans.
In fact, the United Nations has asked India to urgently address the growing issue of antimicrobial resistance in the country due to indiscriminate use of antibiotics.
"While the government is regulating the use of antibiotics in humans, it remains unorganised in the livestock sector," said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi, head and neck cancer surgeon at Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. "Consuming antibiotic- resistance-laden livestock can influence the bacterial flora of the human body and create the bacterial strain that is resistant to. So if you have infection - in the lungs, blood or stomach - it could become incurable. The steroids can lead to suppression of immunity and pileup extra kilos."
THE STUDY
A study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on broiler chicken about three years ago found that 40 per cent of the samples were contaminated with antibiotic residue. Six most common antibiotics used in poultry business are oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline (from class tetracyclines); enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin (from fluoroquinolones); and neomycin, an aminoglycoside. "The prime reason for misuse is that the conditions in which the chicken are raised are largely unsanitary, leading to high infection and mortality rates. For commercial reasons, the farmers would like to avoid such a scenario," said Amit Khurana, programme manager, food safety and toxins at CSE. "Another reason is to fatten the broiler without much feed."
Along with concerns over human health comes the issue of animal cruelty. TheMail Todayinvestigation has found that the hens in these Haryana poultry farms are kept in tiny metal "battery cages", where they spend their lives in violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. The birds are injected with growth hormones, impregnated forcefully or even crushed alive, if it is a rooster, as roosters are regarded as less lucrative for trade.
It takes around 40 days for a chick to grow into a hen weighing around 1.5kgs to 2kgs and deliver eggs. Sunil, the manager of a farm in Gharauda in Karnal said that they use 12 kinds of "powders" made of chemical and biological substances including gelatin in the feed to make the chicken deliver eggs faster.
We mix these powders in the prescribed ratio with the food grain. Once the hens consume it they will be ready to deliver eggs in the next 16 to 20 hours. A normal hen can deliver two to three eggs in 24 hours," said Sunil.
Ambika Nijjar, animal rights activist and lawyer, describes the process of artificial insemination. "They first spread the legs of a rooster and pinch the sperm out. They then spread the legs of the female, open the vagina and insert the semen with a dropper. It is a very painful process for both, and in almost every bird we inspected, we found that they had swollen and infected genitalia."
The total egg production in the country for the year 2016-17 was 29.09 billion according to the Integrated Sample Survey, with Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, West Bengal and Haryana being the top five egg producing states.
Artificially ripened mangoes destroyed
Vadodara: In wake of a Gujarat high court order directing state authorities to take strict action against traders using carbide and harmful chemicals to artificially ripen fruits, like mangoes, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) food safety officers renewed efforts to destroy such mangoes. The officers destroyed 440kg mangoes that included 360kg ripened artificially on Saturday.The officials checked 40 godowns and 25 shops in the Khanderao Market on Saturday. The vendors were instructed to adhere to the directives of the high court.
They were also warned that strict action would be taken against them if they were found using artificial ripeners.Taking suo motu cognizance of a TOI report about raid by civic body officials on such fruit vendors, a bench headed by the HC Chief Justice had issued notice to the state government and all seven municipal corporations of Gujarat, and asked them to state what actions they have taken to curb the practice.
Authentication of organic products a mess
However, 28 certification bodies approved by APEDA, each with different manuals, has made it a messy affair. While APEDA has laid out broad guidelines for certification of organic produce which have to be adhered for export of produce, there is no regulation for the domestic market.
According to the international Competence Centre for Organic Agriculture (CCOA), Karnataka has 93,963 hectares of land either certified or in the process of certification as being organic in nature. Karnataka is third in production, with 2.82 lakh tonnes of food being considered organic.
Farmer producer organisations said certification is provided for Rs 35,000 per organisation. "We pay Rs 35,000 for certification from the Karnataka State Organic Certification Agency (KSOCA) for getting our produce authenticated as organic. The certification is for three years," Krupa T, president, Chitradurga and Davanagere Organic Farmers Federation, said.
The federation has 40 organisations with 3,800 farmers as members. When asked o whether the certification agency gives its seal of approval to every farmer's produce, Krupa said it is for the organisation. "The certification is meant for organisation which take the responsibility of the organic produce," Krupa said.
According to APEDA, this is known as the peer group certification, which mean there is no individual audit of every farmer's produce. Further, while a section of farmers under the Karnataka government scheme of organic farming has secured certification from KSOCA, the same federation also has members under the central government scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) who have certification from the Rajasthan Organic Certification Agency (ROCA).
Whether the change in certification causes differences in quality checks, Krupa said the federation had not considered such this situation. Certification industry professionals said the entire process of certifying organic produce is based on the consumer or the buyer.
"Certification is primarily based on the consumer due to multiple number of agencies. If there is an export market, the European Union (EU) and the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has specific certification bodies that need to ratify for their countries. At the local level, there is no standard criterion," said a professional associated with a major certification agency.
Admitting that the Centre is yet to approve domestic certification guidelines, APEDA deputy general manager R Ravindra said the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on March 30 released a draft notice on certifying organic food in the domestic market which will provide stringent regulations to sell within the country.
Andhra woman allegedly finds coal pieces in Tirupati laddu, complains to TTD
A woman devotee who visited the Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala, has alleged that she found pieces of coal in the famous Tirupati laddu.
The Deccan Chronicle reported that the woman, identified as Devabhaktuni Yamini of Lakshmipuram village in Krishna District, noticed the coal on Friday, as she was about to eat the laddu.
The DC report adds that the TTD staff allegedly asked her if she was Christian, when she went to submit a written complaint, and insisted on a receipt.
This comes two weeks after reports that the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the governing body of the temple, may soon have to apply for a central license to run its kitchen, after orders from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The Hindu had earlier reported that the FSSAI also asked the Central Licensing Authority in Chennai to inspect the ‘pottu’ used in preparing the temple’s famous laddus.
This order came after an RTI application by a Bengaluru-based activist in December last year.
This would mean that the TTD would have to follow regulations of the Food Safety Standards Act.
At the time, it was reported that Director of Food Safety Management System (FSMS), Suneeti Toteja, wrote a letter which read, “The applicability of the Act is not affected whether the food is purchased or distributed free of cost. TTD therefore has to obtain a licence and fulfil all responsibilities of an FBO as stipulated in Section 23 of the FSS Act.”
In his compliant, the RTI activist reportedly wrote, “The cooks who are in preparation of these laddus in large quantity are found wearing no proper dress. They are working in half naked dress and found sweating due to heavy heat at the kitchen. These cooks are not wearing any hand glove, apron and other safety norms.”
The laddu is a major source of the TTD’s revenue and adds several crore rupees to its annual budget. It is made with flour, sugar, ghee, oil, cardamom and dry fruits.
However, objects like iron pins, key chains and even gutka packets have been previously found in the laddus.
In 2016, a total of 10.46 crore laddus, were sold as ‘prasadam’. In its 2017 budget, the TTD stated that the sale of laddus was expected to fetch Rs 165 crore.
In 2015, the laddu entered its 300th year.
Temple officials say the sacred offering was introduced on August 2, 1715.
The laddu is in great demand on special occasions. The authorities sell the prasad round the clock during Brahmotsavam.
Apr 29, 2017
Attention mango lovers, your fruit is eating you!
Even as Gujarat High Courton Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the health hazard caused by mangoes ripened by calcium carbide, mango traders in the city continue to play havoc with public health. As it often happens in our country, though rules and regulations are in place to check the sale of carbide, a banned substance, lack of strict implementation of the same ensures rogue traders go unpunished.
Mirror investigation reveals that in the past five years, 29,560 kg of carbide-ripened mangoes have been destroyed and 205 kg of carbide seized by Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. The authorities have also collected Rs 4,69,400 in fine, but not a single trader has been arrested or blacklisted despite violating the rules repeatedly.
The Food Safety (Prohibition and Restriction in Sale) Regulations, 2011, bans sale of fruits ripened by acetylene gas or Calcium Carbide, which has carcinogenic properties. Available easily in the market for Rs 3 per sachet, this welding agent can adversely affect the nervous system and also cause gastric problems. Besides, AMC says it is impossible for laboratories to confirm the presence of calcium carbide in the seized mangoes. The acetylene gas formed by exposure of calcium carbide with moisture is what induces artificial ripening. Since it is a volatile gas, its residue cannot be traced from mangoes.
AMC health department raided 25 shops in Kalupur market on Thursday and sealed two shops that sold carbide-ripened mangoes; they destroyed 400 kg of mangoes and seized 4 kg carbide. More than10,000 kg of mangoes in places across Gujarat have been seized and destroyed and 19 vendors from Ahmedabad alone found guilty of using carbide, said Dr HG Koshia, Commissioner, Food and Drug Control Administration of Gujarat. "Since calcium carbide is an industrial substance not meant for food consumption, criminal proceedings can be initiated against the accused under the Public Health Act, said Dr HGKoshia, Com missioner, Food and Drug Control Administration of Gujarat. But here is the catch. "While such vendors are liable to be booked under the Food Safety Act which could invite a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and two years of imprisonment, it is difficult for us to prove who is responsible for placing the seized carbide sachet in the mango boxes. So, no body has been prosecuted or convicted so far. Also, it is also impossible to detect carbide in the mangoes," said Bhavin Solanki, in-charge health officer, AMC.
Shyam Rohra, president of Fruit Wholesale Merchant Association, says it is even more difficult to prosecute someone if the traders have thrown away the carbide pouches from mango boxes after the mangoes have ripened."How do you know whether the farmer put it or the wholesaler or the retailer?" he said. Elaborating on the health hazard of consuming carbide-ripened mangoes, Anindita Mehta, laboratory director, Consumer Education and Research Centre, said, "Acetylene gas pro duced due to the carbide can adversely affect the nervous system and lead to reduced supply of oxygen to blood, mood disturbances and mental confusion, and drowsiness.
"Excess amount of it can also lead to amnesia or paralysis. Unwashed mangoes, if consumed, can lead to skin and stomach ulcers."
FDA seizes 350kg of bananas
Panaji: The directorate of food and drugs administration (FDA) on Friday confiscated 350kg of artificially ripened bananas from the yard of the Mapusa market in a surprise surveillance drive at the Mapusa municipal market.
Fruit wholesaler Jayaram Laximan Naik was found artificially ripening bananas in the yard using the chemical ethepon, a plant growth regulator agent.
The entire consignment of 350kg, worth Rs 18,000, and the bottles of chemical found at the site were seized. Officials from the FDA's food testing laboratory conducted a spot verification of the exposure of residual chemical on the fruit, the results of which were positive. A case has been booked against Naik under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Inspections expose water quality at juice parlours, ice units
Several parlours in Vadakara and Koyilandy to face legal action
The Commissionerate of Food Safety has completed its first round of summer inspections in the district, initiating legal action against 17 juice parlours and five ice manufacturing units where contaminated water was allegedly used for business.
The inspections, which began last Tuesday by a 10-member team, mainly targeted cool bars and soft drink production units in Kozhikode city, Vadakara and Koyilandy regions. Samples were collected from all the suspected shops and sent for the detailed examination of the Regional Analytical Lab at Malaparamba.
Squad members said they served notice on several juice parlours during inspections in the Vadakara and Koyilandy regions where poor quality items had been found. A total of ₹20,000 was collected as fine within four days of the launch of the special drive, they said.
The department decided to conduct a summer special drive close to the heels of the warning issued by the Health Department against the spread of waterborne diseases. Health Department squads too had inspected several shops and industrial ice plants to check the quality of water.
An officer attached to the Food Safety Commissionerate said the special squad would also inspect hotels and restaurants to ensure the quality and cleanliness of food items. “Wayside eateries will be one of the main targets of summer inspections as many of them have been found violating safety standards,” he said.
The summer inspections conducted last year had unveiled a series of flaws on the part of soft drink dealers in various parts of the district. Nearly 150 shop owners had to pay fine for selling impure products. An amount of ₹5.55 lakh was collected as fine.
PUNJAB FOOD INSPECTORS TOLD TO BE HARSH WITH ADULTERATORS
The Punjab Government on Thursday issued directions to take strict action against violators of the Food Safety and Standards Act of India (FSSAI).
The directives were issued by the State Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner Varun Roojam to all FDA officers during a high level meeting, attended by Assistant Commissioners (Food Safety), all Food Safety Officers and Designated Officers.
Roojam asked the officers to deal with the nefarious elements indulging in malpractice of food adulteration with iron hands.
“As per the directions given by Health and Family Welfare Minister Brahm Mohindra, the Department is committed to curb the practice of food adulteration and immediately put an end to any possible nexus,” he said.
It was emphasised that food adulteration was very sensitive issue, as it touches the life, well-being and health of common people, therefore all necessary measures must be taken by the food safety officers to ensure that only healthy and hygienic food items are sold in the market.
Food Safety Officers were asked to work dedicatedly and also ensure that the adequate food samples are obtained to match the specified targets and routine inspections must also be carried regularly.
FDA Commissioner told the officers to identify the shortcomings within the department and remove them promptly and adopt the best practices to make the system completely transparent and responsive.
Pulling up the districts that have not been able to accomplish the specified targets of food sampling, Roojam directed them to step up their performance and give the desired results without any further delay. “Any complaints being received from public should be looked into and redressed promptly so that a trust between government and public could be built up,” he said.
It was discussed that regular sampling of products of big companies, as well as loose food items being sold in the open market needs to be stepped up, with special emphasis on milk and milk products like khoa, ghee etc as milk products are consumed more frequently by public.
Food regulator tells states to crack down on use of contaminated ice blocks
The current FSSAI guidelines on ice quality only concern the edible kind, and there are no standards set for ice that come into contact with food products.HEALTH Updated: Apr 28, 2017 10:51 IST
Workers stack blocks of ice on a hot summer day in Kolkata.
Consuming contaminated ice cubes is as bad for health as drinking impure water, and can lead to many waterborne illnesses.
Taking this into consideration, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) – the country’s top food regulator – issued a directive mandating state governments to crack down on people found using ice blocks made of impure water for preserving, storing and transporting perishable food items.
“Yes, we have issued a circular that mandates states to crack down on the use of bad quality ice slabs to preserve food items, including meat, poultry, fish and dairy products. It is as harmful for one’s health to have ice made of contaminated water as it is to have contaminated water directly,” said an FSSAI official on the condition of anonymity.
“It has been observed that ice blocks used for preservation/storage/transportation of perishable food commodities are often made from non-potable water and handled un-hygienically, which leads to the contamination of the food commodity stored/preserved/transported in such ice…” the FSSAI order read.
The current FSSAI guidelines on ice quality only concern the edible kind, and there are no standards set for ice that come into contact with food products.
“It has been decided that any ice/ice blocks used for preserving/storing/transporting food products or coming in contact with food products shall conform to the microbiological requirements prescribed for edible ice…” the order further read.
Dr Mukesh Mehra, associate director for internal medicine at Max Hospital in Patparganj, said this order was particularly significant because the country witnesses an increase in waterborne infections during the summer. “This is because people tend to drink water and juice with doubtful ice quality from vendors sitting in the open,” he added.
So, what are the symptoms you should look out for if you come down with a waterborne disease? If you have high fever with diarrhoea, it may be typhoid.
The symptoms for jaundice are varied. If you suffer from fatigue, nausea and vomiting, and your skin and eyes are yellowed, there’s a good chance that you have this disease. Also check if the colour of your urine has become yellow or reddish.
Why food fortification is a big agenda in food service
Food fortification has a great potential to enrich the nutritional quality of various foods.
With growing urbanization and ever changing lifestyle, consumers have started looking towards a healthy and varied food options, which in turn has witnessed acceptance of healthy and fortified products. Today, consumers are looking at food, products which supplement their daily nutritional requirements and calorie count. In India, deficiency of vital nutrients is real and concerning, resulting in issues related to the overall growth and other health problems. Such deficiencies are also linked to today’s lifestyle, for e.g., Vitamin D deficiency is majorly due to the fact of very limited exposures to sun. Hence, fortification of daily staple products such as milk, wheat, sugar, oil and rice with core vitamins is a perfect choice for consumers to address their daily micronutrient needs. “Fortification is one aspect. The whole initiative is for safe and nutritious food,” shares Smita Mankad, Head, Food Fortification Resource Centre- FSSAI.
Why there is need for fortified food?
The availability of fortified foods helps to tackle the problem of malnutrition which is especially rampant in the developing countries, including India. Malnutrition is responsible for an estimated one-third of childhood deaths. Recent studies have indicated that the availability of fortified ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) formulations is very useful for rapid weight gain in severely malnourished children, even in home settings. This strategy is recommended by WHO1 and underscores the need for food fortification. Also, at a time when there is lots of noise in the food service industry will also make the technology cost-effective if a food distribution system is present. “At the individual level, fortified foods increase productivity. At the national level, it positively impacts the economy by increasing the healthy workforce,” says Saurabh Arora, CEO- Food Safety Helpline.
Players like Mother Dairy have already started selling fortified milk with presence of Vitamin –A & D. “Over the years, Mother Dairy’s Bulk Vended “Token” milk has been fortified with Vitamin A. Recently, we have also started fortifying this milk with Vitamin D. The process of fortifying milk with Vitamins A&D has been further scaled up to the poly-pack milk variants as well. All our poly-pack milk variants, except Full Cream Milk, are now fortified with Vitamins A&D, making us amongst the first ones in the industry,” points Sandeep Ghosh, Business Head – Milk, Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd, adding that their edible oil portfolio – Dhara, is consciously and aggressively pursuing fortification. “We were among the first ones to enter the fortified segment through edible oils with most of the variants being fortified. Today, Dhara’s entire range of edible oils, both filtered and refined, is fortified with Vitamins A&D,” shares Ghosh.
Food safety is the call
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has also taken a proactive role in the area of food fortification. Importantly, it has recently drafted a Consultation Paper on Food Fortification 2 in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Govt. of India, which has highlighted the problem of nutrient deficiency in the Indian population. The FSSAI has issued a Press Note2 on January 31, 2017, requesting inputs from the various stakeholders and the general public in order to improve the quality of the paper. This consultation paper is likely to expedite improvements in the food fortification sector of the food industry in the near future. “The standard and logo is already available. We are looking at building the supplier market in open retails. We are also working on consumer awareness just to align them for the supply. We started the work already. Things are moving fast. It’s not mandatory but it’s entirely voluntarily,” adds Mankad who is leading the Fortification division.
Food fortification has a great potential to enrich the nutritional quality of various foods. The food industry is also committed to fortification of foods, which is highly encouraging. Side-by-side, this will benefit the food industry right from procurement of fortified foods, passage through the distribution chain, up to the end-users i.e. the consumers. Importantly, the Food Business Operators (FBOs) will become well informed and educated about the benefits of fortified foods, thereby increasing their expertise, competence and proficiency. This will help India to improve the nutritional status of millions of people, especially the malnourished and deprived economically weaker sections of society. “The entire process of fortification is followed as per the guidelines issued by the Food Safety Regulator,” adds Ghosh who has been following the requisite labeling norms wherein the contents of Vitamins A&D are duly mentioned. In addition, Mother Dairy is also using the recently launched Fortification logo by FSSAI on all their packaging. The logo is also significantly visible at Mother Dairy milk booths wherein the group retail fortified token milk. “We have been using varied mediums like digital, print, etc. to further promote the fortified range of milk,”Ghosh further adds.
Thus, food fortification being an important part of nutrition will surely help combat nutrition issue which the country is witnessing since age.
Apr 27, 2017
Energy drink makers have heyday as FSSAI stays mum
Those that do not fit into any categories are categorised as proprietary foods.
Hyderabad: Sports nutrition products in India are not regulated, with the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) having created no specific guidelines. Sports nutrition products are categorised as regular food, nutritional supplements, or dietary supplements, depending on the formulation. Those that do not fit into any categories are categorised as proprietary foods.
Vilas Shirhatti who works with FSSAI’s expert group on proprietary foods says that banned substances are often found in sports nutrition products. “While these banned substances have short-term benefits, they pose health hazards in the long run. There is a list of banned ingredients which must not be used in formulations and it has to be strictly implemented,” he said.
The market is flooded with energy drinks that are in great demand. P. R. Reddy, a state food inspector, says the demand for energy drinks in city colleges and in the IT hub is very high. “We can’t take random action as there is no complaint by anyone us-ing these products,” he said.
Fatigue is a common symptom of today’s fast paced lifestyle and these products are in great demand to combat it. Dr S. B. Raju, senior general physician said, “Energy drinks and products made of whey protein and soy protein are being used randomly without identifying if the body really requires them. The issue of fatigue has to be dealt by modifying lifestyle and eating balanced food. But the craze for fad foods has got not only youngsters but also middle-aged women and senior citizens opting for it to boost their energy. These are available over the counter and there is no control over it.”
The first organ that gets stressed is the kidney when these products are used without consulting a nutritionist or doctor. Food experts say it’s essential to have labelling on these products directing consumers to take an expert opinion before trying out these products.
Special squad inspects food joints at Kalamassery
Collector orders closure of all unhygienic eating joints
KOCHI: A special squad of the district administration has begun inspection of eateries at Kalamassery where nearly 40 cases of Hepatitis A were reported in a month.
District Collector K. Mohammed Y. Safirullah has issued orders to close down all unlicensed and unhygienic eating joints in the town.
An emergency meeting of the district administration was called on Wednesday again in this regard.
The squad comprises officials of the municipality, and Food Safety, Health, and Revenue departments. It is being provided adequate police protection.
The district administration has asked owners of food joints to ensure that their employees have health cards. Inspections will also be conducted at ice manufacturing units as ice is the prime suspect for contamination of food. Meat vending units too will be inspected.
It has been found that contaminated water has been flowing into wells. The squad will check the upkeep of toilets. It has inspected 43 eateries so far.
Meanwhile, municipal chairperson Jessy Peter, who attended the meeting, said all councillors would visit houses to create awareness. “Jagrutha Samities in all wards will also be put into action,” she added.
All educational institutions have been asked to ensure that water tanks are kept clean, she said.
VMC health officers check food outlets
Vadodara: Food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) on Wednesday conducted extensive checking of outlets selling food items and beverages widely consumed during summer. The teams checked 26 outlets selling mango juice or shake, 13 outlets selling sugarcane juice, three shops selling mangoes and seven roadside watermelon shops.
A large quantity of mangoes and mango shake were destroyed by the teams. The drive was conducted in the Makarpura, Manjalpur, Tarsali, Sayajigunj, Akota, Old Padra Road, Vasna Road, Gotri and other areas.
No Ramzan relief from Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation raids
HYDERABAD: The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is no mood to spare hoteliers, and will continue its crackdown on eateries even during the month of Ramzan.
"The eateries should maintain proper hygiene and take all the precautionary measures while preparing haleem," the civic body said in a statement.
The GHMC penalised Reddy's Kitchen, Malkajgiri with 20,000 on Tuesday for maintaining an unhygienic condition, encroachment of its fast food joint and constructing a second floor without municipal permission.
The GHMC said it will carry out inspections under the supervision of the heath and sanitation wing of GHMC, veterinary doctors, officials of Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) and police, unlike previous raids which were conducted by the zone commissioners.
"Transparency should be maintained while imposing the fines on restaurants and the eateries inspected will be selected by lottery system," said GHMC Commissioner B Janardhan Reddy, addressing the civic officials at GHMC head office on Tuesday.
The total number of hotels inspected since April 3 is 354 and out of those 198 hotels were found violating norms. The total amount fine imposed on these hotels is 16.5 lakh. During the inspections, the civic officials found unstamped meat, stale food being used in cooking, unhygienic kitchens and unclean wash rooms.
The GHMC has appealed hoteliers to follow norms as per the Food Safety Standards Act 2006. There are around 18 such norms. Medical check-up of staff, using gloves, masks and head caps while serving food, using stale food are the most common norms which the eateries failed to follow, according to the heath and sanitation wing officials of GHMC.
Use of carbide continues in ripening of mangoes
A file photo artificially ripened mangoes (Inset) calcium carbide
Kakinada: Though the mango season began with an expected bumper crop yield in East Godavari, commission agents were adopting unfair practices to make some easy money. Farmers were in anticipation of good financial returns with an expected yield between 90,000 tonne to one lakh tonne in 16,500 hectares in the district. The middlemen between the farmers and consumers, also known as commission agents were using calcium carbide to ripe mangoes artificially.
Highlights:
- Middlemen resort to artificial ripening methods of mangoes using calcium carbide instead of traditional ethylene chambers to make easy money
- Gastritis, loose motions and stomach disorders are some of the health problems that will be caused by consuming artificially ripened fruits
Instead of opting for the natural ripening process using ethylene chambers which are provided on 50 per cent subsidy by horticulture department, calcium carbide in powder form is used, thereby depriving natural fruits to consumers. East Godavari horticulture assistant director K Gopi Kumar said they had been providing natural ripening chambers of one tonne capacity. “We supplied these chambers to more than 130 farmers in the district.
These ethylene chambers would boost the natural ethylene content in mango fruit to enhance the taste. This is in no way harmful to human consumption particularly to children. The government should ban the sale of carbide in powder form and provide the carbide to licensed users to avoid misusage,” he said. Senior physician and president, Kakinada chapter Indian Medical Association, Dr Ramswarop Jawahar observed that usage of carbide causes severe health disorders including gastritis, loose motions and other stomach disorders, especially among children.
When contacted FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), East Godavari food sampling inspector Kalyan Chakravarty said they had been conducting raids where the artificial ripening process is taking place in the district. “On Monday we registered two cases in Jaggampeta area. As we have less field staff, we are not in a position to conduct more raids on outlets of artificial ripening,” the official clarified.
HC asks govt to act against unpackaged water sellers as per amended laws
Nagpur: Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Maharashtra government to act against those selling packaged drinking in unsealed containers, as per the per the amendment carried out in the laws on March 1.
"If any fresh cause of action has arisen against anybody after amendment was made, it's apparent that the respondents have to apply their minds and proceed further, as per the law. They can't defeat provisions of law as amended or trust put into them by the government," a division bench comprising justice Bhushan Dharmadhikari and Vinay Deshpande stated, before adjourning the hearing till June 17.
The court's orders came while hearing an intervention filed in a PIL by Harish Sarda in 2013, which was admitted by the court for final hearing, while granting a stay for prosecution of proprietors who sell unpackaged water.
On September 6 last year, TOI had published a detailed report on hazards of consuming unpackaged drinking water, which is processed from dingy rooms and in basements, in shops and in houses, without following stringent norms of BIS, FSSAI and FDA. The containers are unpackaged and unsealed, the units are unhygienic and unmonitored and the water not tested regularly.
The intervener argued that the products sold in jars with covers, which can be opened without breaking the seal, would not fall within the definitions stated in the act.
These unsealed containers are not subjected to stringent lab testing as prescribed by the norms of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Food and Drugs Department (FDA).
He contended that packaged drinking water is an item intended for human consumption. Under the Act, the term 'food' is defined as 'any substance, whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed which includes packaged drinking water.' The Act also defines manufacturer and package, which clearly indicates that water sold for drinking purposes should be sealed in containers.
Whereas the BIS rules say that a water manufacturing unit must have sufficient space for a separate laboratory, raw water storage facility, packing area and loading and unloading points, most of these local units are running in a small room where water storage, Reverse Osmosis (RO) set-up, chilling and moreover washing dirty containers and refilling them are happening at the same time and same place.
Apr 26, 2017
உணவு துறையில் கூண்டோடு மாறுதல்? : 'பொங்கும்' அலுவலர்கள்
நுகர்வோர்களுக்கு பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட உணவு பொருட்கள் வழங்குவதை உறுதி செய்யவும், கலப்படத்தை தடுக்கவும் நாடு முழுவதும் 2011 ஆக.,5 உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை துவங்கப்பட்டது.
தமிழகத்தில் இத்துறையில் 32 மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர்கள், 385 வட்டார உணவு
பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள், 199 நகர் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் என, 616 பேர் நியமிக்கப்பட்டனர். இதில் மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர்களாக டாக்டர்களும், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்களாக உள்ளாட்சி அமைப்பு மற்றும் சுகாதாரத்துறை ஆய்வாளர்களும் நியமிக்கப்பட்டனர்.
தற்போது 100 க்கும் மேற்பட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் பணியிடங்கள் காலியாக
உள்ளன.இத்துறை துவங்கியதில் இருந்தே, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் இடமாற்றம் செய்யப்படவில்லை. தற்போது, அவர்களை கூண்டோடு மாற்ற, உயர்அதிகாரிகள் முடிவு செய்துள்ளனர்.
உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் கூறியதாவது: நகரங்களில் உள்ளாட்சி அமைப்பு ஊழியர்களும், கிராமங்களில் சுகாதாரத்துறை ஊழியர்களும் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்களாக உள்ளனர்.
அவர்களை மாறிமாறி இடம் மாற்று வதால் குழப்பம் ஏற்படும். மத்திய அரசு விதிமுறைப்படி, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்களுக்கு மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலராக பதவி உயர்வு அளிக்க வேண்டும். தமிழகத்தில் மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர்களாக டாக்டர்களை நியமிப்பதால், எங்களுக்கு பதவி உயர்வு 'கானல் நீராக' உள்ளது.இவ்வாறு கூறினர்.
Decernis and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Announce Regulatory Cooperation
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Decernis LLC (http://www.decernis.com) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) announced a wide-ranging regulatory compliance partnership based upon shared content in a signing ceremony at FSSAI headquarters in Delhi, India on Friday, 24 March 2017. The partnership will provide FSSAI access to Decernis' cornerstone gComply reference product, which enables access to 90,000 regulations and standards across 207 countries. FSSAI will provide Decernis direct feeds of information and data for the Decernis Horizon Scanning and gComply platforms.
"Under this agreement, Decernis would facilitate access to various international regulations through a user-friendly online platform," states FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal. "As per the good regulatory practices, international practices are required to be taken into account while framing the national standards or guidelines."
"For over 15 years, Decernis has developed similar partnerships and client relationships with over 40 governmental entities. This cooperation ensures the accuracy of regulatory compliance information Decernis provides to its thousands of users globally," stated Kevin C. Kenny, Chief Operating Officer of Decernis LLC. "Decernis is very pleased to cooperate with FSSAI to improve safety for the food production supply chain, which will also support our clients that manufacture and process foods and beverages."
Decernis delivers global solutions for product compliance, safety, and risk management through smart technology, Intelligent Systems Technology, Big Data Analytics, and global expertise. Our horizon scanning, enterprise solutions, supply chain management and experts in global food, consumer, and industrial product safety support our clients in meeting complex market demands and key decisions. Decernis tracks regulatory developments in more than two hundred countries on a day-by-day basis.
Eating on roadside not a ‘smart’ idea
If you are unable to resist the urge to dig into spicy water-filled crispy pani puris, samosas, kachoris and gulp down delicious ice-golas, limbu sikanji and other juices, you are inviting trouble. High faecal contamination in junk food items is likely to affect your health.
The onset of May ushers in scare about outbreak of water-borne diseases in the Diamond City. Past experience shows that apart from the heat stroke, it is the water contamination and unhygienic ice-based items and other foods, which have been major cause for jaundice, cholera, etc.
The sale of ice, ice-creams, ice-dishes, fruit dishes and juices increases this time of the year as residents consume these items to beat the heat.
The common ingredient in cold food items is ice. Manufacturing of ice used by juice stalls, ice-gola and fruit vendors is done in unhygienic condition at the ice factories across the city. It is a tough challenge for Surat Municipal Corporation's health department to carry out regular checks at roadside eateries.
The bacterial pathogens commonly found in street eateries are Bacillus Cereus (causes vomiting and diarrhoea), Clostridium Perfringens (abdominal cramps and diarrhoea), Staphylococcus Aureus (vomiting, appetite loss, abdominal cramps and mild fever), and Salmonella species (typhoid, food poisoning, irritation and inflammation in gastrointestinal tract).
SMC's medical officer of health (MoH) Dr Ashish Naik told TOI, "With the onset of summer season and as a part of pre-monsoon drive, we carry out regular inspections and checking at roadside eateries. Recently, we did a week-long operation where more than 350 ice-golas outlets were shut and actions taken against dairies, sweet shops and food stalls. However, we do not collect water and food samples. Our teams are instructed to just close down roadside stalls if the food and other items are prepared under unhygienic conditions."
The presence of coliform in food items indicates absence of clean water as well as unhygienic conditions at the place where the food was prepared.
"E.coli ends up in food through faecal matter. The source could be contaminated water. At most of the street vendors, or even branded outlets, the quality of water and handling of food lack supervision. The civic body has to act tough under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Closing down ice-golawalas or roadside eateries for unhygienic conditions is not going to serve any purpose. They (roadside eateries) will again come up with a new set-up," says medico-legal expert Dr Vinesh Shah.
ER organises food safety training
Kolkata: Eastern Railway in collaboration with Food Safety & Standard Authority of India organised a food safety training where 16 Joint Food Safety Commissioners and 16 designated officers, mostly of railway medical officers participated from various Zones of Indian Railways and Workshops.
The orientation of the training programme was concentrated on the duties and responsibilities of the designated officers of Indian Railways regarding Food Safety, Food Safety & Standard Act, procedure of sampling of food, surveillance, monitoring and risk allowance, adjudication, packaging & labeling and also understanding and documentation of regulatory compliance. (EOIC)
Apr 25, 2017
300 litres adulterated milk seized, 2 booked
AGRA: Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) officials seized more than 300 litres of adulterated milkand arrested two persons on Tuesday.
The officials swooped down on Nari village of Dauki policejurisdiction led by designated officer Vineet Kumar of FSDA. After taking samples, the officials dumped the seized milk packets.
"The tainted milk packets were made of liquid detergent, soyabean oil, mahua oil, glucose, maltose powder and several other chemicals," said Kumar, one of the officers involved in the raid.
"We have seized four litres of detergent liquid, 15 litres of chemical, 300 litres of adulterated synthetic milk, 15 litres of mahua oil, 30 liters of soyabean oil from the private diary farm," he said. "The raid was conducted on minister's order to rein in food adulteration," he added.
The FSDA lodged a complaint against Darelal and Naresh and handed them over to police.
Remote areas like Dauki, Kheragarh are huge market of synthetic/adulterated milk production. The adulterated milk market becomes active days ahead of any festival. Milk products from here are sold to nearby districts such as Mathura, Firozabad, Faridabad and Delhi.
Government scrutinises FSSAI for underutilisation of funds by parliamentary committee
The Parliamentary Committee on Department of Health and Family Affairs has pulled up the health department for underutilisation of funds by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
“FSSAI was established in 2006. The status of safety, regulation, manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale and import of food items for human consumption shows a dreary picture in the country,” it added. “The slow progress of the developmental activities and initiatives would hamper the quality of work being rendered in the context of safety and standardisation of food items across the country,” the report said.
It said that for three consecutive fiscal years (between 2014-15 and 2016-17), the funds allocated to the FSSAI were underutilised. It added that food safety, being a neglected area in the country, needed more attention.
The committee, in its report on grants to the department for this fiscal, termed the situation dreary, while stating that progress as far as food safety and standardisation was concerned was slow.
The report said, “The Committee is of the view that safety and standardisation of food is a neglected area in India, and the department needs to focus more in this field.” “Since there are numerous domains under FSSAI, the underutilisation of budgeted funds indicates negligence in this area and poor financial planning on the part of the concerned authority,” it added.
In 2014-15, against the budgetary allocation of Rs 60 crore, the expenditure was Rs 41.11 crore. In 2015-16, the allocation was Rs 72 crore and the expenditure was Rs 54.88 crore, while in the last fiscal, FSSAI was allocated Rs 72 crore and spent just Rs 52 crore until February 14, 2017.
The committee urged that appropriate measures be taken to arrest the shortfall in the utilisation of budgetary funds and strengthening of food testing systems/ laboratories in a time-bound manner. It also emphasised on the need for mobile food testing labs in the country, while acknowledging that it would take some time before a full-fledged system starts working and awareness prevails amongst the masses.
The committee recommended that the results of all the food items being tested should be made public through advertisements and news in electronic, print and social media to make the public aware of the same.
It also asked the department to set desirable and achievable targets and seek additional funds depending upon the implementation of the scheme at a later stage. The Department of Health and Family Affairs, meanwhile, has also informed that the Central Sector Scheme for the strengthening of the food testing system in the country, which includes a provision for mobile food testing labs with a cost of Rs 481.95 crore, was approved by the competent authority in September 2016.
FSSAI is the implementing agency of the scheme. A demand for Rs 114.20 crore for FSSAI, including Rs 48 crore under the grant-in-aid (capital) for the said scheme was made in revised estimates (2016-17).
However, Rs 72 crore was allocated as RE (2016-17). The amount of Rs 133.58 crore have been provided as against the projected demand of Rs 324.75 crore in BE (2017-18) and additional funds will be sought depending upon the implementation of the scheme in due course of time.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has been assigned to do a comprehensive performance audit of FSSAI. Issues such as standards’ formulation, regulations making, product approval, compliance and surveillance activities will be put under scanner.
FSSAI came into being in August 2011 after Parliament passed the Food Safety and Standards Act in 2006. It is a statutory body for laying down of science-based standards for articles of food and regulating the manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale and import of food so as to ensure safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
Patanjali defends amla juice, says it’s a medicinal product
Patanjali says its amla juice does not fall under FSSAI standards but those of the AYUSH ministry, after a Kolkata lab raised quality issues over its consumption
New Delhi: Yoga-guru-turned-businessman Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd on Monday said its amla juice is a medicinal product and not food, like other juices sold in the market.
Consequently, its amla juice does not fall under the purview of the standards set by the country’s food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). “It comes under the purview of the Ministry of AYUSH. The test conducted by the Central Food Laboratory in Kolkata was done following the standards set by FSSAI. Our amla juice is a medicinal product and is safe for consumption,” said a spokesperson at Patanjali Ayurved.
The Patanjali spokesperson was reacting to a report by The Economic Times saying that the canteen stores department (CSD), the retailing entity for the country’s armed forces, has suspended sales of Patanjali amla juices at all its 3,901 outlets across the country after the laboratory in Kolkata found the product unsafe for consumption.
“We have also written to the CSD explaining this. Patanjali amla juice will be back to CSD shelves soon,” added the spokesperson.
A CSD spokesperson did not respond to e-mailed queries till press time.
FSSAI chief executive officer Pawan Kumar Agarwal did not respond to calls seeking comments.
In an interview to Mint on 13 April 2016, Agarwal had said that a lot of Patanjali products come under the Ministry of AYUSH and not FSSAI. He was responding to a question regarding the company selling products without FSSAI approval.
In the last one week, Patanjali has been in news for the wrong reasons. Last week, Indian Express reported that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of Haryana had labelled Patanjali ghee (clarified butter) “substandard and unsafe” based on tests that the department had conducted in October 2016 at the state food laboratory of FDA, Haryana.
“Contents in cow ghee are different from the ghee other companies sell. Even the standards set by FSSAI are based on available products and not cow ghee. We are the first company to bring cow ghee in commercial market. There is no standard for cow ghee. So it does not make sense,” said the Patanjali spokesperson, referring to the controversy regarding its ghee brand.
Ghee and amla juice are among the most popular products sold by Patanjali. In April 2016, Ramdev had, in a press conference, said that ghee contributed to around 20% of Patanjali’s revenue.
In the year to 31 March 2016, Patanjali had claimed a revenue of Rs5,000 crore and said that it would cross Rs10,000 crore by 31 March 2017.
The company is yet to file financial details to the Registrar of Companies (RoC).
Will these controversies impact Patanjali’s business, or the brand? Analysts have different views.
Rajat Wahi, partner and head of consumer markets at consulting firm KPMG in India, said any company that expands business too fast (like Patanjali has been doing), with almost a product every week, is likely to find it difficult to maintain quality. “If it continues like this, and more questions are raised over the next few weeks, consumers, no matter how loyal they are, will start rethinking. And that would eventually impact the brand and the business,” he said.
Abneesh Roy, an analyst with Edelweiss Securities Ltd, however, said that the lab that has issues with amla juice is the same lab that found Maggi (instant noodle by Nestle India Ltd) unsafe. “But all other labs found the product safe. The product (amla juice) has to be tested by independent private laboratories. Plus, it all depends on how the issue pans out and what the regulators (like FSSAI) do,” he added.
On the other hand, said Roy, contribution of amla juice is very small to Patanjali’s coffers and the contribution of CSD will be even smaller. “It’s unlikely that this issue will impact the company’s business or the brand,” added Roy.
Egg scare: Seasonal fruits to dominate midday meals
DHANBAD: The district education department alerted as many as 1,800 schools to ensure that artificial eggs are not be included in the midday meal menu. District superintendent of education Dilip Manjhi said the alert was sounded after the report on the sale of artificial eggs.
The department issued a notice to all the block education officers of the district to advise schools to take utmost care while purchasing eggs that would be served to the student's midday meals.
According to the notice if any negligence is found in any schools, the concerned principal and village committee will be held responsible and action will be taken against them. Schools have been advised to report to the education department and the food safety officer if they doubt the quality of eggs.
However, principals and teachers are in a fix as they lack the knowledge to differentiate between a duplicate egg from the original. "It is difficult to identify plastic eggs. We will try the traditional methods of dipping the eggs in water and see if it sinks. If we are still at doubt then we will replace it with fruits and send the egg sample to food safety officer."
On April 20 a resident of Bhuli ordered an egg-based snack from a roadside vendor but got suspicious owing to its strange taste.
He then reported the case to authorities after which food safety officer Alok Vishwakarm raided the wholesalers' warehouse in the city. Samples were collected and sent to Ranchi.
Food Safety Tribunal
Growing complaints of impure and infectious food served in public restaurants, hotels and eateries became an alarming issue in the country. It had direct impact on the health of the people. PIL were filed with the Supreme Court to take note of contaminated food served or packed for service. The court took a comprehensive note of the entire issue and handled it as the case deserved to be handled. In 2006, The Food Safety and Standards Act was enacted in 2006 in the State but its rules were framed in 2011 after a lapse of five years, which was the testimony of non-serious approach towards the important piece of legislation right from the very beginning. According to the Act, the State was desired to appoint two Food Safety Appellate Tribunals — one each for Jammu and Kashmir.
However, the State Government did not take the responsibility of enforcing the Food Act with as much seriousness as was desired and the matter lingered on for a long time. A PIL was filed with the Supreme Court and as a result the court reprimanded the State Government for showing scant respect to the question of implementation of the Food Act. Even the State High Court also cast aspersions on the State Government for violating the clauses of the Act by not appointing the Tribunals as stipulated in the Act. After being reprimanded by the Supreme Court and High Court of Jammu and Kashmir over tardy implementation of this Act, the Department of Health and Medical Education on February 10, 2016 issued orders for the appointment of two Tribunals as per Rule 3.2.2 of the Food Safety and Standard Rules. However, appointment of two Tribunals did not mean that the Act had become functional in the State. The Tribunals need manpower and paraphernalia that would help them become functional. Such facilities have not been provided and only a lackadaisical attitude was adopted by the State Government. It clearly showed that the Government is not really serious that Food Act should be implemented in true spirit. These Tribunals are required to hear appeals from the decisions of the Adjudicating Officers under Section 68 of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006. The Additional Deputy Commissioners of every district have been designated as Adjudicating Officer as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The appointment of Presiding Officers of Food Safety Appellate Tribunals was welcomed in the wake of large number of pending cases related to unsafe, substandard and misbranded food products and items with the District Magistrates and in civil courts. However, in the absence of necessary paraphernalia, the Tribunals cannot function and the very purpose of the scheme seems to be in a state of stalemate.
The essential question is of the health of people. Food safety is becoming a serious matter since people are becoming more and more aware of consuming the right type of food. This is a delicate technical matter in which millions of peoples’ health is involved. Therefore, we would implore the State Government to divert its attention to the stipulations of the Food Act and provide the wherewithal to two Tribunals so that these become functional without loss of time. Government authorities claim that the posts for the Tribunals have been advertised but selection has not been made so far. They do not say why the selection is not made and when will the posts be filled. The High Court has called the report of the Medical Health Education Department only eyewash. What more aspersions can be cast by the High Court and how long will the department take it lightly.
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