Jul 28, 2017
FSSAI seeks to revise norms for restaurants
NEW DELHI, JULY 27:
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) , which has been pushing various initiatives for safe and nutritious food, is looking to make changes in the licensing conditions for restaurants.
So far, food business operators were mandatorily required to display the FSSAI licence number at food premises, especially in restaurants. The Authority felt that the number is not visible to the consumers.
Food safety display boards
To change consumer perceptibility about it, FSSAI has been pushing the idea of Food Safety Display Boards at various food businesses especially restaurants , retail stores, milk booths, vegetable and fruit retail, meat shops, street food vendors, among others.
Food Safety Display Boards will primarily display food safety and hygiene practices to be followed by these food businesses at their premises prominently, according to the FSSAI website. The Authority has now released a draft notification proposing revision of conditions of licences which proposes to replace the existing requirement of displaying FSSAI licence number with Food Safety Display Board. The FSSAI believes that these display boards will not only make registration/licence number visible but will also inform the customer and the food handler about the important food safety and hygiene practices required to keep food safe. It also believes these display boards will help in enabling a more effective consumer feedback.
Raw materials purchase
In addition, it has proposed that restaurants should at least have one technical person or food safety supervisor trained by FSSAI, in their staff, as one of the conditions that need to be fulfilled for FSSAI licence. It has sought feedback from various stakeholders on these proposed changes. The Authority has been holding various sessions to train food business operators.
Other new conditions being proposed for restaurants include buying food raw materials only from licensed or registered vendors and maintaining a record of these purchases. Besides, it has proposed that restaurant and other food sales should indicate or mark exclusive desi ghee items and vanaspati, oil or other fats used in preparation of items.
FSSAI issues red flag against pepper imports from Vietnam via Sri Lanka
Authorities say the imports may be contaminated with a high dosage of pesticide residue
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has instructed various nodal agencies and its offices across the country to check the import of pepper into the country. The authority feels pepper coming from Vietnam may be contaminated.
Raj Kumar, FSSAI’s joint director (imports), in a note to the various nodal agencies, said the authority had received information from the Department of Commerce that Vietnamese pepper, contaminated with high pesticide residue, may be diverted to India via Sri Lanka. He has asked officials to be vigilant about such imports.
The development comes at a time pepper growers have raised concerns over cheap and low-quality imports. The industry has requested the government to fix a minimum import price (MIP).
Nishant R Gurjer, an executive committee member of The United Planters’ Association of Southern India (Upasi) and a leading pepper planter, said while production had stagnated, domestic demand was growing. Domestic demand was growing at four per cent annually, with the current demand estimated at 60,000 tonnes per annum.
To utilise this opportunity, cheap pepper is coming from Vietnam through Sri Lanka, with whom India has signed a free trade agreement (FTA). Cheap Vietnamese pepper coming into the system could be sold as Indian pepper, Gurjer said. According to reports, pepper imports in general attract a duty of 70 per cent. Under an Asean agreement, a duty of 54 per cent is levied on pepper imported from Vietnam. But pepper from Sri Lanka attracts a duty of just eight per cent, since it is a part of Safta (South Asian Free Trade Area).
FSSAI working in tandem with railways to ensure food security, says Pawan Agarwal
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Pawan Agarwal said his organization and the Railways are working in the most systematic manner to ensure absolute food safety for passengers.
?We have appointed executive directors of health, along with additional food safety commissioners to work as per the railway eco-system,? said Agarwal while commenting on complaints filed by passengers over staple pins being found in eatables.
Agarwal further stated that food safety officers have been designated and are being trained to ensure robust functioning of the railways.
?Our standards for food supplements have been collectively assembled by our panels in two to three years and it is a continuously evolving process. If they feel it needs to be changed, the scientific panel is examining. The new standards will be applied from January 1. However, we are hoping before that, all the discussion materialises and we can bring the required changes,? he added.
?Doping substances have been under stress. We are working in tandem with the National Anti-Doping Agency, wherein we have advised them to collect samples for testing for NADA to evaluate,? he added while commenting over collection of drug samples in various states.
The FSSAI has banned the use of staple pins in tea bags from January next year as it can cause serious health hazards, Agarwal said.
As per the FSSAI order, at present, there are two types of tea bags available in the market, namely stapled tea bags and knotted tea bags.
Chemically treated ‘parwal’ seized in Kheri district
Shahjahanpur: In a raid conducted by the food safety team and Singahi police, seized about 15 kg of “parwal” (pointed goard) that had been chemically treated to look fresh and green at Takiyapurva village of Lakhimpur Kheri district on Thursday morning. The chemicals are harmful for consumption.
While the accused managed to flee from the spot, police recovered a motorbike which belongs to one of the accused. The vegetable sample will be sent to the lab for testing. The chemical used for colouring the vegetables is suspected to be copper sulphate. Police seized it as well.
After a tip-off received by the food safety department that green vegetables were being treated with chemicals before being supplied to the market by a local supplier, food safety officer Rakesh Kumar Singh conducted a raid with the help of the station officer of Singahi police station.
Station officer of Singahi police station Ram Kumar Yadav said, “We have seized a bike from the spot, the owner of which is the prime suspect in this case. The vegetables will be sent for testing and further action will be taken iafter we receive the test results.
“Vegetables are immersed in a solution prepared by mixing water and the chemical to give them a fresh and green look. We are looking for the owner of the godown. and the others who managed to flee when we arrived,” added Singh.
FDA PROHIBITS MIXING OF LIQUID NITROGEN WITH DRINKS, FOOD ITEMS
Chandigarh, July 27
The Food and Drug Administration today prohibited flushing or mixing of liquid nitrogen gas with any drink or food article. The order comes after a recent incident where a man was left with a gaping hole in stomach after he consumed an alcoholic drink topped with liquid nitrogen in Gurugram.
Dr Saket Kumar, Commissioner (Food Safety) in the FDA, Haryana, In his orders issued today under section 34 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, has cited an expert medical opinion as the reason for the ban.
“Any food article the preparation of which involves flushing or mixing of liquid nitrogen is harmful for humans, as due to low temperature liquid nitrogen can be extremely damaging to body tissues, causing frostbite and cryogenic burning on contact,” the orders said.
“If ingested, the gas can lead to severe internal damage, destroying tissues in the mouth and intestinal tract. Furthermore, as it evaporates, liquid nitrogen releases a large volume of gas, which means it can burst the stomach if ingested in sufficiently large quantities,” the order further said.
A 30-year man from Delhi was recently rushed to a hospital in Gurugram after he drank liquid nitrogen hoping it would make him high, but it had left a hole in his stomach.
Narinder Ahooja, Joint Commissioner, FDA, explained that Liquid nitrogen is used to instantly freeze food and drinks, since it has a very low temperature of minus 196 degree Celsius.
Being an inert gas, it does not cause any poisonous effect on the human body.
“However, with an expansion ratio of 1:694 at 20 degree Celsius, one litre of the liquid gas can expand to 694 litres at 20 degrees causing the stomach to burst,” he said.
Ahooja said that after the incident that occurred earlier this month, teams of FDA had raided various bars and pubs to see if they were using liquid nitrogen for instant cooling and considering the harmful effects it can have, the flushing or mixing of food with liquid nitrogen gas has been banned today.
EAC Chumu directs food business dealers
EAC cum Administrator Chumukedima Town Council Thejavizo Nakhro has directed all concerned food business dealers viz., hotels, restaurants, bakeries etc operating under CTC jurisdiction to register and obtain FSSAI license under Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 from the office of the CMO, Dimapur at the earliest.
He also warned that non-compliance of the order shall invite penal actions as per Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Nagaland Municipal Act 2001.
Three gyms raided by FDA for checks on food supplements
GURUGRAM: Authorities are tightening the noose around those who illegally recommend or sell food supplements. On Monday, raids were conducted in gymnasiums in Gurgaon, and samples were collected by officials for testing.
Officials of the District Food and Drug Administration and district food safety officer K K Sharma raided gyms in the city on the directions of the state's drugs controller and joint commissioner of food.
Three gyms — Gold Gym, and The Hype on MG Road and Energy Gym in old judicial complex — were investigated. Also, Vardhman Nutrition in Sector 14, a shop that sells dietary supplements, was raided.
None of the gyms was found to be selling any form of food supplement. However, Gold Gym was found to be serving protein supplement without any licence, an official said.
At Vardhman Nutrition, the drugs control officer collected three samples, and the food safety officer collected two samples.
"The raids are conducted to check for use of any adulteration or use of any steroidal drug in such food supplements. We have sent the samples for laboratory testing," said Amandeep Chaudan, district drug control officer.
FSDA conducts raids at restaurants, dairies in Meerut, seizes 600 kg vegetable sauce
Meerut: To keep a check on adulteration in milk ahead of Raksha Bandhan, the Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) on Wednesday conducted raids at various city restaurants, sweet shops and dairies.
The FSDA seized 600 kg of suspected adulterated vegetable sauce, milk samples from nine outlets and a sample each of vegetable sauce, chilli sauce and white vinegar.
FSDA officer Archana Deeran said, “We took 12 samples from different locations on Wednesday and we suspect that these are unfit for consumption.”
FSDA’s seven-member team raided 12 shops at Jail Chungi area, Partapur, Delhi Chungi, Kankerkhera and Gesupur Datawli. The sealed samples have been sent to the Lucknow laboratory to avoid any tampering in the city. The reports will take at least a month to arrive and accordingly action will be taken.
“The sauce that has been seized will remain in our custody until the reports arrive. If the sample fails the lab test, it will be destroyed and a case will be registered against the accused,” Deeran said, adding that with Raksha bandhan around the corner, shopkeepers start tampering with milk-based products.
The raids will continue till celebrations are over so that sweet shop owners are alert.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)