Mar 11, 2017
DISTRICT FOOD SAFETY DEPT ON ITS TOES TO PREVENT ADULTERATION
The incidences of adulteration in edible items increases during the festivals like Holi. The increased demands of milk, its products and other edible things during the festivals of Holi make the adulterators more active during this time. The spurious condensed milk (Mawa), milk, Ghee and butter are the targets of the adulterators during this period of time. Large supplies of such products are made from neighbouring Uttar Pradesh where many clandestine units of these spurious milk products are situated.
In modern times the old practice of preparing sweets at home is fast vanishing and people are dependent on sweet shops for their Holi sweets. The Dietician of the associated hospital of Government Doon Medical College (GDMC), Richa Kukreti said that sweets should be prepared at home so that the chances of eating contaminated stuff are minimized.
The district Food Safety department is also on its toes to prevent the adulteration in food products. However the department’s work is hindered due to shortage of staff. The distirct food safety officer Anoj Thapliyal said that a special vigilance programme is being undertaken in the district in view of the festival of Holi. He said that the teams of the department are visiting shops selling food products and collecting samples.
Thapliyal informed that the teams have collected samples of Mawa, Milk, Edible Oil, Salt, sweets, spices from Hanuman Chowk, Chakrata road, Rajpur road, Dharampur, Vikasnagar, Sahaspur and Rishikesh. He informed that the department has sent the samples to the Rudrapur lab for testing. It is pertinent to mention here that the Rudrapur based testing lab is the only lab in the state to check the food adultration.
The overload of work in the lab ensures that tthe reports take at least six to seven months to arrive due to which the action on perpetrators of adulteration is delayed.
Sweetmeat shops raided ahead of HoliChetna Choudhry
Gurgaon: A special crack team, led my officials from the department of food safety, carried out raids on shops across Gurgaon on Friday to check adulteration in food items savoured during Holi.
During the daily-long drive, the officials collected samples of milk, gujiya, khoya — the most sold edibles during Holi — among others. "The collected samples will be sent to the food testing laboratory in Chandigarh," said K K Sharma, the food safety officer, Gurgaon.
Sources said the team visited the Amul plant in Manesar, a sweet-cum-bakery shop, Gopala, in Nirvana Courtyard, Bikanervala on Sohna Road, Om Sweets outlets and Chaudhary Gohana Famous Jalebi shop in Sector 46 market.
"Check for FSSAI licence number, expiry and best before dates, ISI or AGMARK logos," said a senior food safety official.
Lack of seller database hurt food safety fight
The audit, conducted for the period from August 2011 to March 2016, found lapses in the regulatory and administrative mechanism, inadequacy of infrastructure and shortcomings in the issue of licences and registration certificates.
The findings are certainly shocking. For instance, the audit found that the department had failed to prepare a database of all FBOs. "The projected figure of 2 lakh FBOs in Delhi could not be verified in audit," says the CAG report, adding that the department had issued 49,796 licences and registration certificates (RCs) with a 75% shortfall in coverage of 1.5 lakh FBOs under the new Act up to March 2016.
More worryingly, the department hasn't covered FBOs engaged in supply of midday meals in schools, fair price shops and anganwadi centres in Delhi. The report has pointed out there are 33 institutions providing midday meal to about 1,000 government and 216 government-aided schools. The department, in its reply to CAG, said that a nodal officer was appointed in March 2016 for checking samples of midday meals and anganwadis. Five samples were lifted for checking. "The reply is not tenable as lifting of only five samples from food supplied to 14,466 units cannot be deemed to be adequate coverage of FBOs," its report added.
In the area of packaged drinking water, the audit found the department didn't cover DJB, which sells it, due to lack of staff. Shockingly, the department also didn't have a database of all outlets of Mother Dairy and Amul Milk, though it is supposed to check samples of milk and submit such a list. Neither did the department check whether all FBOs dealing in alcoholic drinks and wine had the requisite licence.
Besides, the accreditation of the state food laboratory was not renewed beyond March 2014 as there had been no upgradation in the lab due to a shortage of technical staff and lack of equipment. The report also found there were long delays in issuance of licences and RCs, as well as in inspections.
FSSAI to launch initiative on safe and nutritious food at home
Food regulator FSSAI will launch an initiative on 'safe and nutritious food at home' tomorrow to create awareness about healthy food items and ways to test common adulterants at home.
The initiative which is being launched in pilot mode in Chanakyapuri here will be gradually extended to the National Capital Region and country-wide in the days to come. (PTI)
Food regulator FSSAI will launch an initiative on ‘safe and nutritious food at home’ tomorrow to create awareness about healthy food items and ways to test common adulterants at home. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is banking on resident welfare associations and other local bodies to disseminate information on safe and nutritious food. The regulator plans to reach out to 40 crore households in the country under its drive. The initiative which is being launched in pilot mode in Chanakyapuri here will be gradually extended to the National Capital Region and country-wide in the days to come.
Going forward, initiatives will also be launched to promote safe food at schools, offices, eateries and religious places, among others. “We have created guidance documents around what is required to be done at home, at workplace, at school or outside. Tomorrow we launch the initiative around safe and nutritious food at home on a pilot basis,” FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said. He was addressing a conference on ‘Ensuring Hygiene & Safety For Our Industrial Workforce’ here.
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“We all recognise that in India, the levels of hygiene in general are poor. We have to go long, long way as far as that (industrial and common hygiene) is concerned,” Agarwal said. Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, the FSSAI CEO said: “We are expecting resident welfare associations and local associations will take on this responsibility. We will provide them the material. We are releasing the guidelines, like on how to test common adulterants at home”.
FSSAI will provide a green book to every household and create a dedicated website for safe and nutritious food at home. Similarly for schools, it will prepare a negative list of high fat, sugar and salt foods — commonly referred as junk food — to ensure food safety and nutrition in and around schools, including lunch boxes and canteens. It plans to make licence from FSSAI compulsory for food businesses involved in mid-day meal scheme.
Gutka worth Rs 80 lakh seized in Kharghar, 4 held
Mumbai: In a joint operation, the Thane police’s Anti Narcotic Cell (ANC) and the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) seized two trucks containing packets of gutka worth Rs 80 lakh. The manufacturing and sale of gutka has been banned in Maharashtra since 2012. The Thane police arrested four persons with the banned substance at Kharghar toll booth. The gutka was supplied by a Gujarat-based manufacturing firm and was meant to be delivered to an export house in Mumbai. The gutka is sold in Mahatrashtra at twice the printed price, according to an ANC source.
In 2012, Maharashtra Government had banned sale and manufacturing of gutka under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. The offences under these acts are non-bailable.
ACP Thane police, Bharat Shelke said, “Acting on a tip-off, our officials laid a trap and seized the banned material. The gutka was hidden inside the truck in separate compartment so that the vehicle could look empty.”
The officials from FDA said, “It was after the tip-off by Thane FDA authorities and Thane’s Anti Narcotic Cell that we stopped the two trucks near the Kharegaon toll booth on Friday afternoon. The material had come from Bharat Benze company in Gujarat. While we are probing the case, the seized gutkha packets have been sent for chemical analysis at a laboratory in Thane. We are waiting for the report.”
The arrested accused have been identified as Mohammad Hakim (22) cleaner of the one of the trucks, Burekhan Khan (35), Nasrul Khan (26) and Kalim Khan (19). “ We have found the company which was sending this material to Mumbai from past few months.”
A case has been registered under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code, Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, and Food Safety and Standards Regulations Act 2011.
LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 151
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT
LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO. 151
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 10TH MARCH, 2017
FOOD FORTIFICATION
*151. SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE: SHRI DHARMENDRA YADAV:
Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:
(a) whether the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched the Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) to promote large scale fortification of food across India and if so, the details thereof;
(b) whether there is a critical nutritional gap in the Indian diet in general as well as in specific target groups and if so, the reasons therefor;
(c) whether FSSAI has fixed certain nutritional benchmarks to fortify the nutritional quality of food items used in various social sector programmes and if so, the details thereof and the monitoring mechanism established in this regard;
(d) whether packaged fortified food, which showed remarkable result in treating Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) in Africa, has proved less effective in trials conducted in India and if so, the details thereof; and
(e) whether FSSAI, which is addressing the nutritional gap in the population through fortification of various foods, has now constituted a scientific panel on 'Food Fortification and Nutrition' to take the programme further and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA)
(a) to (e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO
LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 151*
FOR 10TH MARCH, 2017
(a) The Food Fortification Resource Centre (FFRC) launched by FSSAI aims to promote large scale food fortification across the country through
(i) creating a rallying point through setting standards for fortified foods for commodities; (ii) monitoring, testing and capacity building; (iii) building consensus among stakeholders; (iv) preparing the supply side by providing technical support to food businesses; (v) implementing fortification in government programmes; and (vi) creating consumer awareness about the benefits of fortification.
(b) The National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB) report (2012), assessed that consumption of vitamins and minerals was lower than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA), in preschool children and adults. Factors such as decreased intake of food, poverty leading to low purchasing power, poor dietary practices due to lack of knowledge about importance of dietary diversification and physiological needs, etc. contribute to availability of less nutritional diet to Indian population.
(c) FSSAI, has operationalized Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Food) Regulations, 2016 with effect from October 16, 2016 including standards for fortification of Wheat flour, Maida, Rice, Milk, Oil, Salt, etc. with vitamins and minerals which may also be used under social sector programmes. The implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, primarily rests with State/UT Governments.
(d) A trial was conducted in India by the Department of Biotechnology, in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to evaluate the impact of three Feeding Regimens which included centrally-produced Ready-to-use Therapeutic foods (RTUF-C), locally-produced Ready-to-use Therapeutic foods (RTUF-L) and a regimen using augmented home prepared foods (A-HPF) on the recovery of children from uncomplicated Severe Acute Malnutrition. The outcome of the study showed that the recovery rates overall (all the three sites) was 43% in A-HPE, 48% in RUTF-C and 57% in RUTL-L.
(e) FSSAI has constituted a Scientific Panel on Fortified and Enriched Food consisting of 11 members to (i) identify critical nutritional gaps in Indian diet in general population as well as in specific target groups based on diet surveys and credible scientific evidence; (ii)define strategies to address nutritional needs of the general population and vulnerable groups; (iii) consider suitability of different food vehicles and related technological issues for nutrient fortification; (iv) prescribe safe fortification levels in accordance with the Recommended Daily Allowances (RDAs) and Tolerable Upper Limits (TULs) of nutrients; (v) evaluate fortification proposals from industry using modern risk assessment methods for population in general and vulnerable groups in particular; (vi) review and amend Food Safety and Standards (Fortification of Foods) Regulations for fortification and enrichment of different foods from time to time; and (ix) prescribe standard sampling and test methods for effective monitoring, surveillance and enforcement of the fortification regulations;
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