Mar 14, 2017
8 popular eateries in Gurgaon fail quality test, health department to serve them notice and seek reply
8 popular eateries in Gurgaon have failed the quality test conducted by food safety wing of the Health department and now they will be served notices asking for a written reply in the Additional District Magistrate (ADC) court.
Adulteration of food items and sweets are on the higher side during this festive season of Holi. The food safety wing of the Health department had collected eight samples of sweets and raw food items from prominent restaurants and sweets outlets. The samples have failed on quality parameters.
According to Gurugram civil surgeon Pushpa Bishnoi, the department is going to serve notices to these commercial entities and ask them for written replies in the Additional District Magistrate (ADC) court. The cancellation of licenses for them could be possible if they would fail to satisfy court with their replies.
"It has been evident that adulteration of sweets and use of lowquality, outdated raw food materials rise due to rising demand. The food safety wing has collected samples from 27 existing restaurants and sent to food analyst lab of Haryana in Chandigarh. The samples were taken in presence of Nayab Hahsildaar, during the raid conducted by the wing. Eight among the restaurants and sweet shops have not passed the quality test," Bishnoi said.
Diwan restaurants in sector 29, Sasural restaurant, City mart hotel near bus stand, (Three star), Delhi Farm in Nirwana country sector 51, Gopal sweets in sector 17, Ansu dairy and Rajasthan dairy and two more restaurants in sector 29 have been listed under the category. The officials have seized Desi Ghee, Paneer, Gujia, raw fish, oats breads, curd and Golguppa water from these commercial establishments.
Bishnoi added that the RWAs of respective areas had complained of the inferior-quality food items.
Mysuru: No clean water for school meals!
87% schools in Mysuru district lack hygienic water for cooking food
Going by its findings, most schools do not have potable water for cooking or drinking and their kitchens are not hygienic.
Mysuru: A pilot study by the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) has thrown up disturbing facts about the mid -day meals served in schools in Mysuru district. Going by its findings, most schools do not have potable water for cooking or drinking and their kitchens are not hygienic.
CFTRI scientist, Dr Arun Kumar V, who spoke about the study's findings while making a presentation on it during the two- day national conference on malnutrition in the country here recently, said it was being conducted since January this year in 270 schools of the district.
"We found that 94 per cent had good infrastructure for cooking and storage, but 87 per cent did not have clean water for cooking and 83 per cent did not have clean drinking water for the children. At least 39 per cent of them did not have a facility for clean water storage and most of the water samples tested had coli forms. Also, 11 per cent of the schools failed to maintain hygiene in the kitchen and complained they were not provided with detergents and other material for cleaning by the government," Dr Kumar said, adding that guidelines for food safety and hygiene prescribed for the mid- day meal scheme by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and Department of School Education and Literacy, MDM division were being blatantly violated in a number of schools.
The study is expected to be completed by the month end and the report will be submitted to the government with recommendations on how to improve things in the schools
Mysuru deputy commissioner, D Randeep, who participated in the inaugural session of the conference, said that 324 children in Mysuru district were severely malnourished.
Food safety tribunals
Is the State Government really interested in making the two Food Safety Tribunals one in Srinagar and the other in Jammu really functional? We have doubts. The High Court that had decreed their establishment through an earlier order, too, has doubts. That is why it has directed the Commissioner/ Secretary Health and Medical Education (H&ME) to file a personal affidavit after it was informed that despite assuming charge by presiding officers of these tribunals, the tribunals are in shambles and no basic facility is available to them. Even the tribunals are not provided suitable accommodation, leave aside the infrastructural facilities. Though adequate manpower is sanctioned for each tribunal, yet the same has not been provided.
Why does the Government take the Tribunals so non-seriously? It is a matter of public health as it is threatened by adulterated food. There can be no more severe an indictment by the court which has said that the claim of the Government that infrastructure has been provided is only on paper and not on ground. The Tribunals were ordered by the High Court out of its wisdom when it took serious note of food adulteration and its very adverse effects on human health. Moreover, seizure of adulterated food stuff and its destruction was not the wholesome treatment of the menace of food adulteration. The Tribunals have been empowered to adjudicate on the safety of foodstuff provided for public consumption. It is so sad that the Government is not taking the public health seriously and is sunning its responsibility of seeing to it that public health is not threatened. The Tribunals should be provided with all the sanctioned manpower and other facilities that enable them to become functional.
CAG: Food dept fell far behind projected licence figure
The Delhi government had introduced the online payment system for licensing and registration of FBOs in the national capital — a move aimed at ensuring transparency in the system
Audit report says the department issued licences to only 49,796 food operators against the figure of 2 lakh
The shortage of staffers in the Department of Food Safety, government of Delhi, has badly affected the overall licensing process, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has stated in its audit report. The department issued licences to only 49,796 food operators against the projected figure of 2 lakh in 2015-2016.
In addition, no licence was issued to operators dealing in alcohol, flouting the guidelines issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). In December 2012, the FSSAI had decided that all Food Business Operators (FBOs) dealing in alcoholic drinks and wines should obtain licences or Registration Certificates (RC) from the respective authorities.
"Audit scrutiny revealed that the department did not cover FBOs dealing in alcoholic drinks and wines in Delhi. They did not check whether the FBOs concerned had acquired the requisite licences or whether these were still valid. The department attributed non-coverage of such FBOs to shortage of staff," the CAG report stated.
Last year, the Delhi government had introduced the online payment system for licensing and registration of FBOs in the national Capital, a move aimed at ensuring transparency in the system. The Drug Control and Food Safety Department had also introduced a credit note system in dealings between the food safety officers and the FBOs, which used to be in cash.
"The projected figure of 2 lakh FBOs could not be verified in the audit. Further, the department issued only 49,796 licences and RCs, with a 75 per cent shortfall in coverage of 150,204 FBOs under the new Act, up to March 2016. In the absence of reliable database, the possibility of FBOs operating without licences and RCs cannot be ruled out," the CAG report stated.
The audit examination also revealed that the department neither evolved any mechanism to collect from previous enforcement agencies the information on FBOs operating under the previous Acts and Orders, nor conducted any survey to prepare a database of all FBOs.
"Audit noticed that in the absence of database of FBOs, the department failed to cover FBOs, in terms of issuance of licences or RCs and lifting of samples, dealing in mass consumption of food items such as mid-day meals in schools, packaged drinking water, alcoholic drinks and wines, and milk," a senior official said.
The mid-day meal scheme is a central scheme designed to improve the nutritional status of school children. Scrutiny of records also revealed that the Central Advisory Committee (CAC) of FSSAI, in its 10th meeting in September, 2013, emphasised on monitoring of the scheme and other government food supply programmes to ensure safety of food being supplied.
In 2015, the Arvind Kejriwal-led government had made available various licences issued by the Excise Department online, including excise, luxury, and others, to ensure a transparent system.
FDA urges business operators to stop using staple pins to pack food
The directorate of food and drugs administration (FDA) has asked food business operators to immediately stop the use of staple pins to pack food articles.
The directorate has received several complaints from consumers regarding the practice adopted by food vendors on the use of staple pins to pack food items in plastic and paper bags, instead of sealing them with a thermal unit or cello-adhesive tapes
The directorate has received several complaints from consumers regarding the practice adopted by food vendors on the use of staple pins to pack food items in plastic and paper bags, instead of sealing them with a thermal unit or cello-adhesive tapes.
Pins are too small to be readily noticed if they fall into food items and can have a damaging effect when swallowed. Children are more prone to such accidents, the FDA has said in a statement.
“In view of the above and in larger public safety, all food business operators, including supermarkets, malls, provision stores, retailers, fast food joints, hoteliers, kiosks, as well as self-help groups and home-based food packers are hereby directed to immediately stop the use of staple pins, for packaging food articles and should strictly employ better and safe methods for the same, so that consumers are not placed at any undue risk,” it said in a statement.
The directorate has also urged consumers to be vigilant while purchasing food articles and insist that vendors don’t use pins while packing.
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