Mar 25, 2017
UP’s slaughter house crackdown: More about environment than Muslim persecution
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath Yogi’s drive against illegal slaughter houses in the state has led to a nationwide outcry that it is aimed at targeting a particular community. Some reports have presented statistics of livestock wealth’s steady growth to highlight the persecution of the meat production and processing industry dominated by Muslims. But there is more to the issue than just judging it on a single parameter of livestock population. For instance, what about the environmental threat it poses?
Parts of western UP like Meerut, Sambhal, Aligarh, Agra and Bulandshahr are major centres for meat production and export. Most of these places have illegal slaughter houses running where environmental norms are flouted with impunity. This was emphasised in the confusion between central and state pollution boards when they responded with different numbers for slaughter houses being run in the state. In its report to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) last year, the UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said there are 58 slaughter houses while the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) report stated 126 such units running in UP. Only 27 of these units had effluent treatment plants as per CPCB’s report.
Meat exporters: Crackdown may slaughter 50,000 crore industry h
A petition in NGT last year claimed that only eight of the 146 applications got a no-objection certificate (NOC) by UPPCB in 2015 but ground reality indicates the presence of large-scale unauthorised operation of slaughterhouses to meet the huge production demand. These illegal units discharge untreated effluent contaminated with animal waste which is released in open drains. The effluent-contaminated water eventually finds its way into the groundwater and enters tributaries of Ganga and Yamuna rivers leading to major water pollution. In addition, furnaces used for extracting animal bone fat releases toxic and harmful gases into the atmosphere in contravention of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981.
Crackdown eats into Lucknow's meat business, losses of Rs 5crore reported in two days
In a country where over a crore animals are reportedly butchered legally, UP contributes more than 19% of the total meat production. Even certified slaughter houses sub-contract their work to private players who slaughter animals in closed rooms with practically no ventilation and disposal facility. There is scant regard for the Uttar Pradesh Nagar Nigam Act 1955 which make is mandatory for all animals being slaughtered to undergo health check-up.
Tackle vigilantes with iron hand, CM Yogi Adityanath tells officials
As per reports, a buffalo weighs approximately two quintals but nearly one-fourth of the total body weight ends up as waste. This waste is either sold off or dumped in open fields while the liquid waste is discharged in drains leading to a pollution hazard. This can cause various diseases like cholera, hookworm, dysentery, and typhoid to name a few. In the end, it is the common man which ends up paying a price for this deliberate disregard for our environment.
Vendors using newspapers to sell food face action
Vadodara: Teams of food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) cracked down on street vendors and shops using newspapers to sell food items, particularly snacks and savouries.
The civic body has prohibited the use of newspapers to pack food items as it is believed to be detrimental to health.
The VMC had recently issued a notification asking vendors to stop selling food items in newspapers. On Thursday and Friday, teams of the health department of conducted extensive checking in the Chhani, Nizampura, Sayajigunj, Alkapuri, Manjalpur, Old Padra Road, Karelibaug, Subhanpura and other areas. Officials said that 77kg of old newspapers were found at eateries on Thursday and 22kg on Friday. In all, 45 street food vendors and 90 shops were checked during the two-day drive. The teams also disposed of 257kg of food items on these two days as they had been kept in newspapers or in unhygienic conditions.
The food safety officers also collected five samples of food items on Thursday and two on Friday. These will be sent to the public health laboratory for analysis and action will be taken against the vendors if they are found stale or adulterated, officials said.
Artificially ripened fruits seized in Koyambedu
Officials found that the merchants had used calcium carbide to artificially ripen mangoes.
3.5 tonnes seized in raids on nearly 70 shops in market
A team of officials from the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (Food Safety wing) seized nearly 3.5 tonnes of artificially ripened fruits from the Koyambedu wholesale market on Thursday.
The team headed by R. Kathiravan conducted raids at nearly 70 shops in the market. Officials said that it was found that the merchants had used calcium carbide to artificially ripen mangoes, papayas and sapotas. Calcium carbide weighing nearly 75 kg was also seized.
The Koyambedu market has started receiving more truckloads of seasonal fruits such as mangoes and musk melons. On Thursday, nearly 100 tonnes of different varieties of mangoes were received and this may increase up to 300 tonnes next month.
Awareness programme
The seized fruits were dumped in the garbage transfer station in the market. Officials said they had earlier conducted an awareness programme on the health hazards of artificial ripening. The skin of such fruits would look ripe but the pulp would taste sour.
Action would be initiated against the traders and fines levied. Such raids would continue, an official said.
Free soup puts 350 in Myanmar hospital with food poisoning
Hundreds of villagers from Eain Ta Lone, west of Yangon, fell ill after eating fish stew served at a Buddhist ceremony
A free lunch for villagers in southern Myanmar turned sour after it landed more than a third of the rural community in hospital with food poisoning, local officials said Friday.
Hundreds of villagers from Eain Ta Lone, west of Yangon, fell ill after eating fish stew served at a Buddhist ceremony to celebrate the ordination of local novices.
The entire 1,000-person village was bundled over to the nearest hospital, where 367 were admitted for treatment, said charity worker Wai Lin Aung, who helped to transport the villagers.
Many were vomiting and some described aches and pains all over their body, he added.
“They felt like that after eating stewed hilsa (type of fish) and cassia soup at the donation.”
The sick returned home later on Thursday and were recovering, Myaung Mya township chief administrator Aung Kyaw Zaya told AFP.
“They are all back in the village now. We are monitoring the whole village to see if there are any other health problems.”
Myanmar has a poor food safety record and visitors to the country often complain of food poisoning.
Tests of street food in the largest city Yangon reportedly found around a third of it contained stomach-churning bacteria.
Even legal meat shops not spared during drive against illegal abattoirs Team
Noida Following the drive against the abattoirs in Gautam Budh Nagar, along with the shutdown of over hundred meat shops and a slaughterhouse in Noida, the legal shops selling only chicken, mutton and fish were also forced to full down their shutters.
This sudden closure has resulted in a drastic shortage of meat supply and also unemployment of many.
When Millennium Post went to one such meat market, we found that meat shops holding a license issued by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for selling chicken, mutton or fish were asked to shut their business under the drive.
In Noida sector 4, there are around 46 meat shops selling chicken, mutton and fish that are exempted from the law but had to shut down as per the administration's orders.
Usman, a meat trader in Noida sector 4 said, "We are into this business for the past twenty-seven years. There is no such rule yet on the prohibition of selling chicken. We are authorized by FSSAI and hold the license for the same which makes us legal. Some have taken up the license for selling mutton or fish. The space is also allotted to us by the authority. No one in the market sell the flesh of cow, bullock and ox. It was nowhere mentioned in the rule that legally selling the meat of exempted animals is also banned".
The sudden closure of a large number of meat shops in the city has cut the supply of raw meat to the hotels. Bharahamputra Market in sector 29 Noida is one such market where one can get a variety of non-veg dishes served under one umbrella. A non-veg food counter owner in sector 29 said "We open-heartedly welcome the decision of the newly elected government but the ban on selling of raw meat of chicken and mutton has struck the supply. There are very few shops being left in the market are unable to meet the demands. The price of raw meat has also hiked due to high demand and less supply".
This drive was initiated by the newly elected BJP government in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP's poll promise to shut down all illegal slaughterhouses in the state, was kept.
The closure of illegal slaughterhouses in state was one of the most spoken issues by the party in the recent assembly elections. It was highlighted by Yogi Adityanath and BJP president Amit Shah during their campaigning.
Though issued by the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh was regarding the closure of illegal meat shops and slaughterhouses who deal with the slaughter of cow, bullock and ox, the law also prohibits the storage or consumption of beef.
FSSAI tells food sites to disclose manufacturing, expiry dates: LocalCircles
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has taken action on consumer requests and told eCommerce sites selling packaged food products to disclose manufacturing and expiry dates and has announced that imported food items with less than 60 per cent of shelf life will not be allowed to enter the Indian market, an organisation that conducted a survey said on Friday.
The FSSAI has responded to consumer requests made in a survey conducted by citizen engagement platform LocalCircles demanding ecommerce sites mandatorily disclose the information on packaged food products sold on their sites.
LocalCircles has said that they have got a commitment from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs regarding the same.
FSSAI has now asked all the e-commerce companies including Flipkart, Snapdeal, Amazon, Grofers etc. to comply with this.
In a recent poll by LocalCircles that saw the participation of more than 10,000 people, 96 per cent had voted in the favour of mandating the disclosure of manufacturing and expiry dates of packaged food on e-commerce sites.
Regulator steps in to improve quality of food ordered onlineJohn Sarkar|
NEW DELHI: The apex food regulator in the country, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is aiming to improve the quality of food sold through online channels, after consumers complained about expired food products being sold on ecommerce sites.
In doing so, the regulator has adopted a two-pronged approach — e-commerceentities selling packaged food will have to register with the regulator — and all e-commerce companies selling cooked food will have to take licences.
"We welcome the change by FSSAI and have ourselves been diligently working on the restaurant hygiene through our Food Doctor Programme," said a Foodpanda spokesperson.
"While we constantly work towards improving and maintaining standards, we have already set the process in motion to update the licence numbers and are already halfway."
Last week, TOI reported about thousands of consumers on citizen engagement platform — LocalCircles — demanding ecommerce sites should mandatorily disclose manufacturing and expiry dates of the packaged food products sold on their sites.
Subsequently, FSSAI announced imported food items with less than 60% of shelf life will not be allowed to enter Indian market.
"We have held talks with Amazon and Snapdeal," Pawan Agarwal, CEO of FSSAI told TOI. "We have also asked them to come up with their own solutions."
"We appreciate FSSAI for their progressive outlook in conducting a comprehensive stakeholder consultation on the guidelines for all ecommerce food business operators," said a Snapdeal spokesperson. "With a view to enable compliance with food safety and quality standards, we shall take steps to ensure adherence to the guidelines and also facilitate required communication to the sellers and the consumers."
While an Amazon India spokesperson did not reply to an email questionnaire, after looking at the guidelines, Albinder Dhindsa, cofounder of Grofers, said, "Yes, we will be getting re gistered." The FSSAI guidelines also said food products offered for sale by any ecommerce entity "shall be liable to sampling at any point in supply chain." This brings cloud kitchens under the scanner.
Rashmi Daga, founder of online kitchen FreshMenu, which runs kitchens in many cities across the country, said her company has all necessary licences in place. "The new guidelines will have implications for companies that list restaurants on their sites and deliver food," she said.
Hari Menon, co-founder and chief executive of Bigbasket said, "We already have FSSAI licences for all our warehouses, for our last mile delivery unit, the licence numbers are prominently displayed on all our private label products. We also ensure that we sell food products of companies only if they have an FSSAI licence.It is a mandatory requirement for listing products on BigBasket."
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