Apr 14, 2017
Kerala: Curb on bottled water splits doctors
Commission acting chairman P. Mohanadas has asked health secretary and food safety commission to submit a report within one month.
KOCHI: The recent order of the State Human Rights Commission against transporting packaged drinking water in open vehicles under the scorching sun has created widespread discussions on the topic and the medical fraternity in the state remains divided in its approach to the issue. While a section of oncologists welcomed the move, another group observed that such orders would create unnecessary panic. Based on a complaint submitted by a doctor, the Rights Panel banned carrying water in plastic cans and bottles in open vehicles during summer citing “serious health hazards”.
Commission acting chairman P. Mohanadas has asked health secretary and food safety commission to submit a report within one month. The Commission observed that though bottles were safe, it would be subjected to chemical changes when it became hot. It would release toxic substances which made packaged water unsafe, according to the Commission. However, questioning the decision’s scientific base, Dr. Narayanankutty Warrier, senior consultant, head of the oncology department, MIMS Hospital, Kozhikode said that extensive research and studies were needed to prove that hot plastic bottles of food grade quality, would release carcinogenic substances. “Similar to the controversy on mobile tower radiation, this also will create panic among people, especially those who consume packaged water every day,” he said.
Meanwhile, a few other medical experts observed that though scientifically not proven, such orders would help lessen the risks if any. “Though the disease is caused by multiple factors, every risk element even if it is less than point one per cent, should be avoided as a comprehensive clinical trial to prove the correlation is not feasible in the state,” said Dr. Arun R. Warrier, consultant, medical oncology at Aster Medcity, Kochi. Earlier, the health department authorities had issued a warning against drinking water from plastic bottles kept in vehicles parked under the sun for a long time.
Paan shops under scanner for food safety
VADODARA: For the first time in the recent past, the food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) checked 'paan' shops in the city. The officials checked 15 such outlets in the city including prominent shops as well as street vendors and destroyed a large amount of material kept at these shops.
The shops that were checked by the officers late on Wednesday evening include five very prominent ones located in the Alkapuri and Sayajigunj. It also came to light that 12 of the 15 outlets checked by the officers did not have food safety licences. Officials said that even pan shops were covered under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
The officers destroyed 56 packets of lime that is used in paan as well as 'masalas' prepared at the shops. They also destroyed 28 packets of catechu or 'kattha', 31 jars of 'chutney' used to add flavour to 'pans'. These packets did not have manufacturing or expiry dates as well as batch numbers.
Despite 15k eateries, city lacks standardized food safety tests
Surat residents are known for their street food habits
SURAT: It's an old saying, 'Surat nu jaman, ne Kashi nu maran' (eat in Surat and die in Kashi). However, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), which is preparing hard for the Smart City challenge, is yet to frame Standard Operating Procedure (SoPs) for food safety.
This was revealed by SMC's health and hospital department, while replying to an application by Rajesh Modi under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. He had sought details on the procedure being followed by the department for food safety and hygiene, critical for preparing and selling food in the restaurants, hotels and at roadside eateries.
Diamond City could well be called the 'Food capital of India'. Surat residents are known for their street food habits. This is the reason why the restaurants are not doing well compared to roadside eateries, which dish out delicious food to the customers starting from evening till late night.
According to an estimated survey by the civic body, there are more than 15,000 roadside eatery stalls dishing out vegetarian, non-vegetarian and Chinese delicacies. Most of these eateries do their business only during night hours.
The roadside eateries, however, poses twin problems. The unhygienic environment exposes the food to open air. There are chances of dust on the road and insects settling down on the food. Throwing away of the leftovers on the roadside also creates an unhealthy atmosphere for the surroundings. The SoP, if at all framed by the civic body, would go a long way in ensuring quality at every stage of the food chain, so that the residents are served hygienic and quality foods. It will also facilitate scientific determination of quality of food.
When the civic body talks of smart city, it is yet to get smart by collaborating the manual data of the lab testing report of the food samples and water tested by the food safety officers. Even today, the old system of maintaining registers and there is no system of online data compilation.
As per the RTI reply, the health and hospital department has not conducted a single drive to spread awareness on food safety for the denizens in the city.
"There is no standard operating procedure for food safety and hygiene for a city having population of 55 lakh. The food safety officers conduct sample testing when they receive complaints — most of the complaints are done to harass the food stall owners," said Rajesh Modi, RTI activist.
FDA Crackdown On Gutkha Sellers After Mumbai Live Sting
The Food and Drug Administration has taken serious note of the sting operation carried out by the Mumbai Live team a few days ago on the illegal sale of gutkha right outside the Mantralaya.
A total of 12 stalls in the Mantralaya area which had been selling gutkha and pan masala sachets have been raided by the city unit of the FDA in the last two days. A large cache of Vimal pan masala, Rajnigandha, Miraj gutkha, Sagar Gutkha sachets were recovered from one vendor in the area, sources said. Action has been initiated against the vendor under the Food Safety Standards Act 2006.
A team comprising an assistant commissioner and five food officers from the FDA was involved in the raids.
FDA joint commissioner (food, Mumbai) Suresh Annapure told Mumbai Live that the team found sachets of pan masala and gutkha at one vendor from among the 12 raided.
Food and drug supplies minister Girish Bapat had assured Mumbai Live on Tuesday that a flying squad from the FDA would initiate action against offending vendors.
The Mumbai Live sting appears to have borne effect.
Banned Pan Masala, Gutkha Brazenly Sold Outside Mantralaya!
Mantralaya
This is something that promises to hit the politicians and bureaucracy where its hurts most.
While the sale of pan masala and gutkha was banned by Maharashtra in 2012, it appears to be openly sold right outside the state's centre of power in Mumbai - the Mantralaya.
The state claims that the items are not sold anywhere, these are quite openly available in most slum pockets of the city. However, Mantralaya, we feel, should be the last place where the banned items could be available so freely.
In a sting operation conducted by Mumbai Live, it was witnessed, that how candidly these banned items are being sold right under the authorities' noses. This throws light on the audacity and apparently reckless attitude of the shopkeepers outside the Mantralaya and the laxity of the law enforcing authorities.
Will the government wake up now?
MILK ADULTERATORS TO FACE STRINGENT ACTION
Fisheries and ARD Secretary Bishnupada Sethi recently held discussions with senior officials about the alleged adulteration of acetem into milk fat (ghee) and asked them to take stern steps against the culprits for the better interest of the consumers and poor milk producers, sources said.
The Government took this decision after Union Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Secretary Devendra Chaudhry informed it about about adulteration of RBD palm oil and acetem into milk fat recently.
The acetem is a food grade chemical used to maintain the RM (Reichert Meissel) value of milk fat in combination of palm oil. Acetem was earlier being used in chewing gums.
The Centre has asked all States to take action against the culprits under FSS Act-2006 and submit action taken report (ATR).
Such adulteration is becoming an unfair trade practices for making easy money, said Chaudhry.
As the issue of sale of quality milk to consumer comes under the purview of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, which is implemented by FSSAI through the State Food Safety Commissioners, any sale of adulterated/synthetic milk is a market fraud and affects honest efforts of the milk producers.
The State Government machinery is equally responsible in controlling the menace of sale of adulterated/synthetic milk, pointed out Chaudhry.
How to check if your milk is adulterated
Some simple tests to check milk and milk products for common adulterants
Many instances of milk adulteration have been reported
Reports of substandard and adulterated food frequent the front pages of newspapers. Samples of items we consume daily—milk, pulses, oils, vegetables, sugar, among many others—have been rated substandard.
While it is difficult to track the production process and locate the item’s source, simple tests can help you distinguish a pure sample from an adulterated one.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has released a list of tests to detect some common food adulterants using household ingredients. The book is a compilation of tests for Detecting Adulterants with Rapid Testing (DART) covers common adulterants like artificial and toxic colours, extraneous matter.
In the first article of a series, we look at some easy ways to test milk for adulterants.
Test 1: Water in milk
Put a drop of milk on a polished, slanting surface
Pure milk either stays or flows slowly leaving a white trail behind
Milk adulterated with flow immediately without leaving a mark
Credit: FSSAI
Test 2: Detergent in milk
Take 5-10 millilitres (ML) of milk sample and equal quantity of water
Shake the mixture thoroughly
If the milk is adulterated with detergent, it forms dense lather
Pure milk will have a thin layer of foam
Credit: FSSAI
Test 3: Detecting starch in milk and milk products
Boil 2-3 ML of the sample (milk, khoya, chenna or paneer) with 5 ML of water
For other ghee and butter, water need not be added
Add 2-3 drops of tincture of iodine after letting it cool
Formation of blue colour indicates the presence of starch
Credit: FSSAI
Tests and images sourced from FSSAI’s booklet “DART”.
Amul hits back at HUL in ice cream war in Bombay high court
Amul says that HUL can not claim Kwality Walls was disparaged because of its ice-cream ad unless it could show the brand name was intrinsically linked to frozen desserts
HUL sells both frozen desserts and ice-creams under the Kwality Walls brand.
Mumbai: The makers of Amul ice-creams told the Bombay high court on Thursday that in many cases when a company compares its product to a rival’s in an advertisement, some disparagement is “inevitable”.
The lawyers of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which has been sued by rival Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) over a contentious Amul advertisement, said this while pointing out several previous cases.
HUL, makers of the Kwality Walls range of frozen desserts and ice-creams, has accused GCMMF, makers of Amul ice-cream, of “disparaging” its product through an ongoing ad campaign that emphasizes the regulatory difference between ice-cream and frozen dessert.
“In comparing products, some showing down is inevitable,” GCMMF’s lead counsel senior advocate Ravi Kadam said. “Just saying ‘take my product’ is not disparagement,” he said.
Kadam cited several cases to show that advertisements comparing two rival products were legal as long as they only compared features to promote one product over the other, rather than denigrate either product or ask consumers to stop using them directly.
“Comparison is beneficial to the consumer to make an informed choice,” Kadam said. “The plaintiffs should not be hypersensitive,” he said, citing a ruling from a 2010 Delhi high court case between Dabur, makers of Odomos and Godrej Sara Lee, makers of Good Knight, both ranges of mosquito repellents.
Kadam also argued that HUL could not claim Kwality Walls was disparaged unless it could show the brand name was intrinsically linked to its category, frozen desserts.
“The public should associate the plaintiff (HUL) with frozen desserts,” Kadam said. “But the plaintiff has been trying to get as far away from frozen desserts as possible, trying to show that he makes ice-cream! HUL has the Kwality Walls ice-cream, so it is piggybacking on it to sell frozen desserts as ice-cream,” he said.
HUL sells both frozen desserts and ice-creams under the Kwality Walls brand. Under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations, ice-creams are made from milk or dairy fat while frozen desserts are those made with vegetable oil or vegetable fat.
GCMMF managing director R.S. Sodhi declined to comment, saying the matter is subjudice. An HUL spokeswoman said, “As the matter is subjudice, we have no comments to offer.”
The matter will be heard next on Monday, 17 April.
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