Jan 12, 2017
1.5 tonnes of adulterated jaggery seized
Coimbatore, Jan 11 (PTI): A day after about 1.5 tonnes of adulterated tea was seized here, the Food Safety Department today seized nearly one and half tons of adulterated jaggery from two places in the city. Department sources said 900 kg was seized from a shop in Selvapuram and 720 kg from a godown in R S Puram. Sodium Hydro-sulphide above permitted level was used to make the jaggery appear more attractive in colour, they said.
Samples have been sent for tests and based on the results, cases would be registered against the owners, they said. The department had yesterday seized 1.5 tonnes of adulterated tea from a shop in Chinnavedapatti on the outskirts during a routine check, did a spot check and confirmed it and registered a case against the owner.
FDA seizes Rs 2 lakh tampered food packs meant for kids
MUMBAI: Fortified food packets, to meet supplementary nutritional needs of poorchildren below six, under the Centre-sponsored Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) programme, were allegedly found to be tampered with in a Vasai factory on Tuesday.
The Thane Food and Drug Administration (FDA) seized 1.5 tonnes of the packets containing micro-nutrient (vitamins and minerals) fortified blended food that was to be distributed to anganwadis (ICDS centres) for children between six months to three years in Vasai-Virar and Mira Bhayander. The value of the seized packets is around Rs 1.08 lakh.
The packets (wheat, roasted chickpeas and sugar) were manufactured and packed by Shakala Mahila Mandal in Gala 1, Mahavir Industrial Estate, Valiv, Vasai (E) under the state women and child development department. Each packet containing 140gm is given to mothers to prepare porridge (using milk or water) and feed child four-five times a day. Each packet contains 500 calories of energy and 12-15gm protein. There are 88,272 anganwadis under the scheme and over 86 lakh children are covered under it, according to the 2001 census.
Workers allegedly tampered with expiry dates and batch numbers, using paint thinners. "We have seized the packets and sent them to the laboratory for testing. We will take action based on the report," said food safety officer Rahul Takate. He said that while it was premature to say if the quality of food had been compromised with, workers were seen wiping batch numbers and putting fresh stamps.
Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) staffers had gone to the industrial estate to collect house tax when they noticed this. Milind Patil, a staffer and eyewitness, said, "We got suspicious on finding the gala shutter down. We saw workers using paint thinners to wipe out expiry dates on food packets." He said a number of packets had December expiry dates. The workers were using rubber stamps of January 2017 on the packets. Many packets did not have manufacturing and expiry dates.
Yogesh Mane, a representative of the mandal, said the food packets were manufactured this month but the December expiry date stamp had been wrongly put.
ICDS commissioner Vinita Singhal said she would look into the issue. She said the packets go directly to anganwadis from the manufacturers. They are, however, inspected by a child development project officer. She said though there should be a project officer for each of the 533 projects, they was a shortage.
Pankaja Munde, minister of rural development, women and child welfare department, which monitors the scheme, was not reachable.
Plea seeking ban on chewable tobacco filed in Delhi High Court
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday adjourned for February 9 the hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking ban on chewable tobacco products.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday adjourned for February 9 the hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking ban on chewable tobacco products. (Reuters)
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday adjourned for February 9 the hearing on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking ban on chewable tobacco products.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice G. Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal adjourned the hearing as one of the judges was not available.
The plea was filed by an NGO, Fariyaad Foundation. The foundation said there was a Delhi government notification in 2015-2016 banning sale, supply and manufacture of ‘gutka’ and other chewable tobacco products, but it was not being strictly implemented.
The foundation has sought directions to the Delhi government and its Food Safety Department to strictly implement the ban.
The foundation has sought formation of a permanent policy banning the sale, supply and production of chewable tobacco products. The NGO has said that ‘gutka’ is harmful for health and a major cause of cancer.
Maharashtra FDA directs junk food brands and food courts to label products containing caffeine
Mumbai ,Jan 11: Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recent directives to McDonald’s and food courts in multiplexes to clearly label products with ‘contains caffeine’ warnings, has been welcomed by doctors and public health experts. Caffeinated beverages, including cold drinks, will now carry the sign on its containers.
“While conducting inspection of a McDonald’s outlet in Kolhapur we found no caffeine disclaimers were printed. A consumer must be made aware if a product contains caffeine. I have issued orders to all joint commissioners to inspects other retail outlets and multiplexes as well,” FDA Maharashtra FDA Commissioner Harshadeep Kamble said. He has also written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to ensure that the initiative is replicated across the country.
“Caffeine is a psycho-active drug that affects the brain. It can also cross the placenta barrier, that is why pregnant women are asked to cut down on caffeine. It can have detrimental effect like increasing irritability, affect sleep patterns and can also increase heart rate and blood pressure,” said Dr Sanjay Kalra, consultant endocrinologist, Bharti Hospital and vice president, South Asian Federation of Endocrine Societies.
In favour of the move by the FDA, Dr Kalra said that the labelling will help consumers make an informed choice.
While caffeine addiction is known to affect concentration among children and sleep disorders, not many recognise it as a problem.
“People seek help for nicotine addiction but few even see caffeine addiction as a problem. Caffeine tends to suppress appetite and many youngsters like it because it helps them lose weight,” said Dr Maithili Umate, associate professor, Grant Government Medical College and JJ Hospital. She added that since caffeine interferes with the absorption of calcium in the bones, many young people are likely to complain of bone related issues and see a doctor for that instead.
“The international community has been raising this concern for a long time now. I am glad initiatives are being undertaken, too, especially as we are moving to a lifestyle where meeting for coffee is seen as the ‘in thing’,” said Dr Shweta Khandelwal, Associate Professor, Public Health Foundation of India.
Dr Kalra cautions that if addicted to caffeine or energy drinks, one must always inform the doctor as the root cause of an illness could be the addiction.
“Efforts should also be made to enhance consumers’ understanding of the issue. It should not stop at labelling. We should empower consumers with the right knowledge, too, to make an informed decision,” added Dr Khandelwal.
120 bakeries get FDA notices for flouting food safety norms
PUNE: A sizeable number of bakeries in the city do not conform to food safety norms, reveals the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) latest report.
Of 126 bakeries inspected by FDA officials between January 3 and 9, a whopping 120 bakeries were found to be flouting operational as well as sanitation rules laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The inspected bakeries are from Pune, Satata, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur districts.
FDA officials conducted the drive in the wake of the massive fire that led to the death of six employees, who were sleeping inside Bakes N Cakes bakery in Kondhwa. The issue of bakeries running without the mandatory licence came to the fore as the owner of Bakes N Cakes had been found to be running the business without the licence. As per FDA records, there are total 689 bakeries in Pune.
"We inspected 126 bakeries in Pune division. Among them, we found that 30 were running the bakery without the mandatory licence or registration. Besides, bakery workers were living inside the production area of 18 bakeries, which is prohibited. Moreover, the remaining 72 bakeries were found faltering on hygiene and sanitation norms. We have issued them improvement notices and asked them to correct the lacunae. We will initiate action against them if they fail to comply," said SS Desai, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune division.
The officials inspected the highest number of bakeries, 75, in Pune district. Among them, 24 bakeries were operating without licence while, at 16 bakeries, workers were sleeping in the production area at night. A sizeable number of bakeries were also running the business in filthy conditions. "We have issued improvement notices to 65 bakeries in Pune district. They have been told to initiate measures to comply with norms or face action," Desai said.
The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 states that living inside the production section of a bakery is not allowed. The law only permits a changing room for workers.
Health activists pointed out that FDA officials wake up only when there is a tragedy. "The FDA's report shows the pathetic conditions of bakeries in Pune and how they function. FDA officials must find ways to use technology for surveillance work. The bakeries need to be periodically monitored so that they have a sense of accountability, which is currently missing in most cases," activist Sanjay Dabhade said.
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