Jul 27, 2017
Steroid check: FDA collects protein supplements
GURUGRAM: The district authorities are tightening noose around those illegally recommending or selling the food supplements. Raids were conducted on gymnasiums in Gurugram, and samples have been collected by the officials.
On Monday, officials from district Food and Drug Administration and district Food Safety Officer KK Sharma raided the gyms in the city. The raids were conducted on the directions of State Drugs Controller and Joint Commissioner, Food, Haryana.
The officials investigated three gyms — Gold Gym and The Hype on MG Road and Energy Gym in Judicial Complex. Also, a shop selling the dietary supplements - Vardhman Nutrition in sector 14 was raided too.
None of the Gyms were found to be selling any form of food supplement. However, the Gold Gym was found to be serving the protein supplement without any licence. The officials recovered one open box of the protein supplement at the spot. The Pro 07-Muscle Blaze contained around 600 gms of the protein sample.
At Vardhman Nutrition, the drug control officer collected three samples, and the Food Safety Officer collected two samples.
"The raids are being conducted to check for use of any adulteration on food part, or use of any steroidal drug in such food supplements. We have sent the samples for tests," said Amandeep Chaudan, district drug control officer.
Chlorinated chicken overshadows U.S.-U.K. trade talks
Coming home to roost:Europe’s principal reasoning for the ban is the claim that the use of chlorine to wash chicken lowers safety standards.AP
U.S. wants to export cheaper poultry washed in chlorine to Britain, which is now banned under EU rules
This week, Britain and the U.S. commenced talks on the potential for post-Brexit trade, though the talks have been overshadowed by concerns in Britain particularly over whether Britain would be forced to lower its food standards to accommodate U.S. demands.
The U.S.-U.K. Trade and Investment Working Group’s first meeting took place in Washington D.C. earlier this week. Rather like the working group set up between Britain and India to explore post-Brexit opportunities, the meetings cannot involve negotiations on a free trade deal, but can explore the potential of what could happen after Britain exits.
Striking such deals will be crucial for the government to be able to push forward with its plans to leave the EU Customs Union, which creates an area-wide tariff free zone, but requires member states to come to joint trading arrangements.
Latest controversy
The latest controversy over food standards — and in particular U.S. demands to allow the export of cheaper poultry washed in chlorine — highlights the difficulties of this process. The government, eager to show that it was “taking back control”, does not want to simply capitulate to demands of stronger nations just to secure trade deals.
Chlorine-washed chicken is currently banned under EU regulations, and public concern about such chicken coming to the U.K. remains high.
Europe’s reasoning for the ban is not because of the impact of the chlorine per se, but because the use of chlorine to wash the chicken leads to laxer safety standards, with poultry producers relying on this to “clean” the chicken.
“The issue of access to European poultry markets is a long-standing one for the U.S. and its vast chicken exporting industry,” wrote the Adam Smith Institute in a recent report, in which it said that to “nimbly” negotiate the trade deals it wanted post-Brexit, it would have to “compromise in allowing potential partners access to parts of its economy that the EU would never have accepted… Some of the country’s most influential lobbyists have made clear that they are keen on pressing for chlorinated chicken to be part of any U.S.-U.K. trade deal.”
Split within govt.
Trade secretary Liam Fox has dismissed concerns about chlorine-washed chicken as a “detail” at the very end of a sector of a potential free trade agreement, though Britain’s Environment Secretary Michael Gove said on Wednesday that Britain would not allow any lowering of standards in trade deals sought, including chlorinated chicken, highlighting the split within the U.K. government on the issue.
The British Poultry Council, which represents the sector, warned on Tuesday against the import of chlorine-washed chicken, warning it would be a “betrayal” to British farmers and an action that would “throw away British farming... a secure post-Brexit deal must be about Britain’s future food security and safety”.
While it may appear a small issue, it is reflective of wider concerns about a relaxation of standards and changes as Britain seeks to step up trade globally.
The British Medical Association and others have warned the government about the need to protect the NHS from privatisation in the event of a U.S.-U.K. trade deal, while there are fears that by relaxing its standards on a range of things, it will be harder for Britain to trade with the rest of the EU, which will maintain rigorous standards.
5,403 food samples checked from 2014-17: Railways
On a day the Indian Railways came under fire over serving a dead lizard in one of its meals, the ministry said that 5,403 food samples were checked in the last three years.
In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Railways, Rajen Gohain said that "regular inspections are done by food safety officials" to maintain the quality of food served on trains and railway stations.
"Regular inspections are done by food safety officers and joint food safety commissioners. Food samples are collected and sent for analysis in accredited laboratories under the Food Safety and Standards Act by food safety officers. Surprise checks and special drives are also carried out by joint food safety commissioners," he said.
The minister informed the House that from 2014-15 to 2016-2017, 4,828 food samples were checked, while 575 samples were scrutinised in the current financial year of 2017-18 (up to June 2017).
In reply to a separate question, Gohain informed the House that the railways had received 27,782 complaints relating to catering services during the same period (2014-17), with 648 of them about lack of hygiene.
The national transporter serves a record 11 lakh meals a day.
The railways had received a slew of complaints last year regarding the quality of food served on trains, forcing the ministry to bring out a revised catering policy.
Railway Board Member (Traffic) Mohd Jamshed today said that catering services in all trains with pantry cars will now be handed over to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) by the year-end to improve food quality.
Contraband tobacco seized from Garacharma, jetty at M’bunder
Port Blair
On a specific inputs on sales of contraband tobacco products in Garacharma area on Wednesday, the District Food Safety Officer, South Andaman along with Food Safety Officers immediately reached the premise of Lalit Debnath, Prop. of Lalit Debnath Pan and Tea Stall and recovered seven tins of sealed and one tin of loose Shiv data zarda each tin of 45 gm and 11 pouches of Bagbhan zarda of 40 gm each. The shop was immediately sealed and the contraband products seized and taken into possession and carried to office for further legal action.
Meanwhile, as per the report received from the Additional Commissioner(Food Safety)/Deputy Commissioner (North & Middle Andaman), the ship MV Nicobar on arrival at Mayabunder Wharf on Tuesday off loaded bulk cargo at Mayabunder, the Food Safety officials on their inspection for contraband tobacco products were inspecting the cargo on Wednesday and found 119 kgs of processed tobacco from the possession of Pulak Paul, son of Mr Nikhil Paul, Ward No. 2, Subash Gram, Diglipur, who is the clearing agent of the cargo unloaded at Mayabunder. The processed tobacco products were immediately seized and taken into possession. Necessary actions are being taken under the relevant rules of Food Safety & Standards Act 2006.
200 kg rotten meat seized in Kovilpatti
More than 200 kilograms of rotten meat had been seized by officials attached to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) at Kovilpatti in Thoothukudi district, on Wednesday.
Officials carrying out the drive at a shop in Kovilpatti
Madurai:
Thoothukudi district administration had recently received complaints of rotten meat being sold at Kovilpatti and hence based on the direction of district administration FSSAI officials led by Designated officer, Thanga Vignesh, carried out surprise inspection at the meat shops at Kovilpatti market, at Kadalaiyur and Ettayapuram roads.
All the meat shops including chicken, mutton and fish shops were raided and in the raid, rotten meats were found in 18 shops. The meats weighing around 200 kilograms were seized by the officials.
The names of the shops were noted down and the meal sellers were warned of strict action if they repeated such incidents again. Following that, Thanga Vignesh informed the media that the meat when it is cut out of the animals would be fresh only a for few hours and they should be sold immediately.
If they were kept for one single day they would become unfit for human consumption. But the meat in the shops were kept for more than two days and also they were not preserved properly. They have received several complaints from Kovilpatti that rotten meat was sold and hence, they raided and seized meat around Rs 1 lakh. The seized meat would be destroyed, said Vignesh.
When asked about the action taken on the meat, traders selling rotten meat he replied that it is the first time that such a seizure had happened and hence they were warned of strict action if they were found selling the rotten meat again.
Suits filed by milk firms blackmail action: TN minister
Chennai, Jul 26 (PTI) State milk and dairy development minister K T Rajendra Balaji today moved the Madras High Court, seeking dismissal of the suits by three private milk manufaturers over his statements in the media on quality of their products, saying it "is a blackmail action".
"The suit is a blackmail action intended to threaten me and to escape the colossal fraud played by the companies on the lives of common innocent public," he said.
On July 10, admitting the suits moved by Hatsun Agro Product Limited, Dodla Dairy Limited and Vijay Dairy and Farm Products Private Limited, Justice C V Karthikeyan passed an interim order directing the minister not to issue any press statements indirectly or directly disparaging privately manufactured dairy products.
The judge had, however, made it clear that if there was substantial materials to prove adulteration, the minister should specify the name of the private company which indulged in such malpractice and also produce necessary documents to substantiate his charge.
"I have been furnished with materials by public spirited individuals, wherein they have cautioned sale of milk and milk products by private companied adding unnatural ingredients.
"As a minister, I thoroughly scrutinised the records and found genuineness in the allegation. I cannot remain a mute spectator even after being put on notice of such adulteration," Balaji said.
Claiming that even the Supreme Court has directed the central and the state governments to take appropriate steps to implement Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 in an effective manner, the minister said his action of disseminating information to the public by any stretch of imagination cannot expose him to "tortious proceedings".
The private companies could not claim that they have not faulted at any point of time in their business, he said, and claimed he has material to prove that the firms had indulged in milk adulteration.
He sought that the court dismiss the suit.
Besides seeking Rs one crore each as damages for charging them with adulterating milk with noxious chemicals, including formaldehyde, the companies had also sought to restrain the minister from making statements or remarks and insinuations directly disparaging the plaintiffs milk or milk products manufactured and marketed by them to the media.
They had submitted that his remarks were meant to create a "sense of fear and panic" in the minds of consumers, a sense of "disgust and revulsion" on milk and milk products manufactured by private dairies as a whole and their product in particular.
The companies while mentioning the statement by Central Laboratories, had said they had not received any test samples from the Tamil Nadu government.
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