Apr 21, 2017
Wayside soft drink shops under scanner in Kerala
Commissionerate of Food Safety’s special squad to check use of crushed ice in drinks leading to illness.
The special team will focus on hygiene and ingredients being used in preparation of the drinks. They hope the raids on shops will help contain diarrhoea.
Alappuzha: The Commissionerate of Food Safety launched a special squad to ensure safety of soft drink shops on wayside as it can be causative agent of mass diarrhoea in the summer.
K. Anilkumar, joint commissioner of food safety, said that a five-member team led by an assistant commissioner has been created in every district to control mushrooming wayside soft drink shops which use crushed ice, sarbath and lemon for preparing drinks.
With the mercury rising at an alarming rate these days, carts supplying soft drinks have popped up on the wayside, especially on national and state highway.
For some years now, the district medical office (DMO) had banned sale of fruit juice, welcome drinks, lime juice and Kulukki sarbath' prepared in unhygienic surroundings.
“The team will inspect all shops in the concerned districts and focus on hygiene and ingredients used to prepare drinks.
We found many cases of unhygienic ice in north Kerala. We hope to enforce safety standards with the help of raids in such shops. This year no diarrhoea cases have been reported so far,” Mr Kumar said.
For several years now, soft drinks like lime juice and Kulukki sarbath' have been regular in people's menu during summer. Kochi had become a hot bed of such unconventional drinks.
However, Kulukki sarbath maintains its rock star position in the summer season.
For the last couple of years, the medical wing in the district here had opened a 24-hour functioning control room and the district medical officer (DMO) had urged the district administration to ban these drinks in the wake of number of diarrhoea cases went up.
“We are regular customers at soft drink kiosks, but we were unaware of hygiene of ice pieces being used to prepare it. We opt for it because of its heavenly taste and of course its affordability to our wallets,” says Subhash, a student and an ardent fan of lemonades.
“Owing to the constant demand from fans, soft drinks' now come in an array of flavours — mint, pineapple, strawberry and even masala too. The cost remains the same. You will get this for `10 or `20,” he says.
Last year too the health department and commissionerate of food safety had cracked down on illegal kiosks after it was revealed that ice was manufactured using contaminated water.
Ratheesh from Alappuzha says, “Sale of such drinks, which can cause health hazards, should be curbed.
“According to Kerala Municipal Act, these mobile shops have to secure a licence from the corporation/ Municipality.
The authorities have to take stringent steps to crackdown on illegal kiosks which use ice made of contaminated water,” he demanded.
Vijesh, who run a kulukki sarbath kiosk in Alappuzha-Changanassery road, says he was buying ice from plants where he didn't know how they were prepared.
“We have no intention to serve unhygienic drinks. The authorities have to take action against those who prepare ice pieces,” he said.
Sweet manufacturing unit sealed at Barthana
A team of Food Safety Officers today conducted market inspection in various areas of the Srinagar city during which a sweets manufacturing unit was sealed and other food operators were recommended for prosecution.
The team headed by Assistant Commissioner Food Safety Srinagar today visited Maharaja Bazaar, Jawahar Nagar, Qamarwari, Barthana and its adjacent markets in the city and found some food establishments operating in total insanitary conditions. Accordingly, 14 such establishments were recommended for prosecution which included 7 meat selling shops.
“Moreover, one sweets manufacturing unit at Barthana was found operating in unhygienic conditions. It was said that the unit authorities were using rusted and damaged utensils in the preparation of sweets and within its premises harmful non-edible chemicals were also recovered. The unit was sealed for further investigation besides samples were lifted for analytical purpose,” a statement of the Food Safety Standard Department said.
Dead rat found in meal at model school
AHMEDABAD: A dead rat was found on Wednesday in the mid-day meal served at a government-run primary school in Jamla village of Kalol taluka in Gandhinagar district. The tail of the rat was found in the dish of a teacher who had taken the food to taste it for safety.
Mansa MLA Amit Chavda, who rushed to the spot, said according to rules, the food has to be checked first by a teacher.
When the teacher took some food in his dish, he found the tail of a rat in it. "Immediately the entire food cooked was checked and a dead rat was found," Chavda said.
The MLA further said that the food was supplied by Akshay Patra. "One much check the quality of the food supplied. In the past also, there were cases of food poisoning in kotwas. However, the forensic report had then stated that the food poisoning had occurred because of contaminated drinking water," Chavda said.
He claimed that Jamla Adarsh Primary School, where the dead rat was found, was declared a model school by the state government. "There are 242 students in the school," the MLA said.
Rajendra Trivedi, commissioner of mid-day meal scheme, admitted that a dead rat had been found in the food.
"In Jamla village, the teacher spotted the rat in the food before it was served to students," he said.
"The department has asked senior officials to look into the incident and find out if there were complaints from any other school. Akshay Patra was supplying food in the schools of Mansa, Kalol and Gandhinagar taluka and, so far, we have not received any complaint," Trivedi said.
Officials said that as it had received several complaints about the quality of food, it was decided that the food will first be tested by the teacher and only then will it be served to students.
Tips on spotting adulteration in spices
Spices are an integral part of Indian cooking. However, the rate at which the adulteration of spices in the country has risen gives rise to serious health concerns. It is important to be able to tell whether the spices you have purchased have been adulterated, and to understand which sources, if any, are safe.
Food adulteration is slowly becoming an epidemic, affecting human lives on a large scale. The use of colours, chemicals, pesticides, and additives is becoming an acceptable but dangerous practice in India, often done for monetary gain without realising its long term and disastrous impact on the health and future of the country, both economically and ecologically. Food adulteration is no longer restricted to local produce, and has found its way into packaged products as well. The presence of starch in paneer to make it thicker, hydrogenated oils and vanaspati in ghee to lend it that rich yellow colour, and even powdered bricks in chili powder raise questions about the quality of the food that we eat.
Adulteration is dangerous as it degenerates the quality of food, making it sub-standard for human consumption. Among spices, the most commonly adulterated items include coriander, dried ginger powder, dried red chili, cardamom, cumin powder, pickle powder, garam masala, curd chili, chili powder, fennel seeds, Kashmiri chili powder, rasam powder, and curry powder, which contain pesticides exceeding the permitted limits prescribed by the European Union. In India, the agricultural sector uses an overwhelming amount of pesticide, which eventually gets absorbed into the air and later the water, giving rise to a vicious cycle.
Thus, it is becoming imperative that we buy and consume spices that are safe, as adulterated spices can have many adverse effects on our health like nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision. Most often, spices like turmeric powder, chili powder, and other powdered spices have a high percentage of residual pesticides in them. These spices are also known to be adulterated, as they can be easily mixed with food colouring, added starch, coloured saw dust, or even brick powder, cutting costs for the sellers.
Below are some of the simple tests that can be conducted at home to identify the presence of adulteration in spices:
Turmeric powder: Indian cooking is incomplete without the use of turmeric powder. However, a commonly used adulterant here is lead chromate, which gives it a bright yellow tinge and is insoluble in water. To detect the presence of lead chromate, the powder can be mixed with water and placed in a beaker. If adulterated, it will immediately leak colour.
Red chili powder: Red chili powder is the most commonly used spice in any Indian household, and is perhaps also the most adulterated spice. Among the most commonly used adulterants in chili powder are saw dust and brick powder. Add a teaspoon of chili powder to a glass of water and swirl it. Adulterated chili powder will dispel a red swirl of colour.
Powdered spices: Starch, food colours, dust, and even horse dung are some of the commonly used adulterants in powdered spices, and can lead to serious health complications. Immersing powdered spices in water will ensure that the adulterants float on the surface of the water, while the remaining spices settle at the bottom.
Indian food is incomplete without the addition of masala powders and spices, but with this menace of contamination of spices, it can become a health hazard if consumed daily. The best way to avoid consuming spices that are adulterated is to buy them from a trusted source that packages them after being checked by food regulatory boards and carries either an ISI mark or an Agmark stamp.
‘Water sold in bubble top containers has high chlorine level’
Bubble top water containers of 20 litres have once again come under the scanner of FSSAI as a few samples were found not conforming to standards. (Photo for illustrative purpose only).
The level in two samples was more than 300 ppm while permitted level is 2 ppm
Samples of 20 litre bubble top packaged water lifted from Coimbatore were tested ‘not conforming to standards’ in microbiological examinations conducted by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently.
Food safety officials here said that the main deformity found in the samples was high presence of chlorine.
Of the ten samples collected and tested from Coimbatore, two have been found not conforming to standards even after two rounds of examination.
According to FSSAI officials, seven out of the ten samples collected were initially tested positive for inordinate presence of microbiological organisms and chlorine. The seven units were served closure notice. However, three units moved court and obtained permission to improve their standards.
FSSAI later allowed the remaining four units to open their plants and improve their quality.
“Samples were collected for a second time from the three units that approached court. However, two of them did not conform to standards,” said O.L.S. Vijay, designated officer, FSSAI, Coimbatore.
Mr. Vijay said that the chlorine level in the two samples tested in the second time was more than 300 ppm (parts per million) whereas the permitted level is 2 ppm.
According to food safety officials, the main reason for high presence of chlorine in the water was improper filtering during the bottling process. They said that the bottling units often compromised to change the membrane used for filtering raw water.
“The cost of the membrane ranges from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 1 lakh. Hence bottling units use the membrane for a longer period which affects the filtering process. The membrane need to be changed at frequent intervals based on the volume of water filtered,” said a food safety official.
FSSAI is planning to conduct an education and awareness programme for bottling units selling drinking water in 20 litre bubble top containers.
“There are 74 units bottling and selling drinking water in 20 litre containers. They will be called for an awareness session covering all aspects of the filtration and bottling process,” said Mr. Vijay.
250 litres of oil seized
About 250 litres of edible oil that was not sold in sealed packets were seized by officials of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department here on Thursday.
Based on complaints, a team led by T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, and food safety officials inspected two oil shops and one grocery shops in Kalarampatti, Karungalpatti and Kondalampatti and found edible oil sold in containers. Officials said that as per the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, edible oil has to be sold in sealed packets. Officials seized the oil and destroyed it. Shopkeepers were asked to sell the oil only in packets.
On Wednesday, the team inspected a godown on Longley Road and found 2,000 kg of green coloured fennel seeds kept in stock for sales. Officials said that non-permitted green colour is used for colouring the seeds which is banned as per the act. Sample was taken and sent to Food Laboratory in Guindy. The gunny bags were sealed in the godown.
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