DC stays FSSAI notification on ban of Silver content on food items

New Delhi [India], July 28 : The Delhi High Court stayed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India's (FSSAI) notification, which said that no stage of manufactured silver leaf (chandi-ka-warq), use of animal or animal origin would be permissible, on Friday.

The effective date of enforcement of the impugned notification is set to be August 1.

The court has sought reply from the FSSAI and the Centre regarding the notification as well.

The said notification also said that the food grade should have uniform thickness, free from creases and folds, better weight and fineness.

A petition was filed by around 20,000 small traders against the notification and said that the FSSAI notification has no basis of defining Silver Leaf and has no rational as well.

"It rather appears that the same has been inserted not for any scientific or hygienic reason, but for some extrinsic reason which is essentially connected or related to sentiments," the petition said.

The petitioners also claimed that their products are analysed in a reputed laboratory to ascertain and confirm the standard.

The next date of hearing in this matter is set to be August 29

Hotels may have to give details of oil, fat used in cooking food items

Proposal part of FSSAI’s efforts to ensure food safety across the country by bringing changes in regulations and undertaking other initiatives

As part of its agenda to ensure safe food across India, FSSAI also wants to control sourcing of raw materials by restaurants. Photo: iStock

Hotels, restaurants and other food outlets may soon have to declare what kind of oil or fat is being used in cooking each of the food items on their menus, according to a proposal by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

“Hotel, restaurant and other food stall shall mark or indicate exclusive desi ghee items to customer and whenever vanaspati or oil or fat is used, shall also be mark (marked) or indicate (indicated) to customer,” the food regulator said in a proposal to change licensing conditions for entities selling prepared food items.

Riyaaz Amlani, president of lobby group National Restaurants Association of India (NRAI), termed the proposed demand as “a fair ask”.

FSSAI has been trying to ensure food safety across the country by bringing changes in regulations and undertaking other initiatives on its own and jointly with private companies in the food space. It earlier said that restaurants should declare calorific and nutritive values of the food they serve on their menus because consumers should know what they may be eating, Mintreported on 10 February.

That’s not all. As part of its agenda to ensure safe food across India, FSSAI also wants to control sourcing of raw materials by restaurants. “The restaurants shall buy food raw materials only from licensed or registered vendors and maintain record thereof,” FSSAI said in its proposal.

So far, vendors of vegetable, spices and other raw materials are not required to have licences from FSSAI.

FSSAI also proposes that restaurants should “employ at least one technical person or Food Safety Supervisor” trained by FSSAI. This may increase operations’ cost for restaurants, especially smaller ones. “It will increase cost. But it is a small price to pay for the health and well-being of our customers,” said Amlani, who owns Impresario Entertainment and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd that runs popular restaurant and bar and café chains such as Smoke House Deli and Social.

“FSSAI has been doing a commendable job in ensuring food safety, there might be some issues, but FSSAI is always open to dialogue with the industry. The NRAI is working closely to ensure training of the supervisors,” said Amlani.

FSSAI has also proposed that food business operators such as hotels, restaurants and others should have a Food Safety Display Board, prominently visible to consumers, that talks about food safety and hygiene practices followed by them at their premises.

India’s food services market is projected to grow to Rs4.98 trillion by 2021, expanding at an annual average rate of 10%, from Rs3.09 trillion in 2016, according to a joint study by NRAI and consulting firm Technopak published last year.

Kolkata municipalty suggests coloured industrial ice to stop indiscriminate use

KOLKATA: From now the ice manufacturers in the city will need to give an identification mark to industrial ice in order to distinguish it from edible ice. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation will send notices to city's ice manufacturers asking them to colour the industrial ice as a mark so that the buyers do not get confused. Now, industrial ice is being widely used not only in preservation of fish, but often used in fruit juice parlours preparing sarbat or in beetel shops while edible ice is being used mostly in restaurants, clubs and bars.

The matter was revealed after a Kolkata Municipal Corporation health department officials conducted a raid in the New Market area a couple of times on June 22. Tons of industrial ice were seized from fruit or sarbat sellers and destroyed. The raid was followed by a surprise visit to a large ice factory in south Kolkata. The team of the KMC health department officials led by Atin Ghosh, the member, mayor-in-council overseeing the KMC health found that two types of ice--industrial and edible-- were being manufactured in the same factory.

As the KMC authorities took up the matter with Bengal food safety commissioner's office, the latter advised the civic body to take up the issue serious as the Centre was also worried over the quality of ice being sold in different states. On Friday a panel of food safety experts expressed concerns over use of industrial ice in food items. "The use of industrial ice in juice sarbat is a matter of great concern and we need to deal it with utmost seriousness. Even we should no longer allow use of industrial ice for preservation of fish. Such ice contains coliform bacteria and can pose serious health threat," said Jagabandhu Chakraborty, the former director of Central food laboratory. Chakraborty was one of the speakers who spoke at length against industrial ice at a panel discussion on uses of ice held at the KMC headquarters. Godhuli Mukherjee, state's food safety commissioner also gave her opinion against use of industrial ice in preservation of fish or in food items and drinks. Atin Ghosh, said that a committee would be formed to suggest ways and means to ban use of industrial ice in food and drinks or for preservation of fish.

Mayor Sovan Chatterjee later said that the civic body would be forced to take stern action if the ice manufacturers or businessmen failed to take adequate steps to ensure that industrial ice was being used in food and drinks.

Minister files report on private milk brands

Furnishes certificates issued by laboratory to High Court

The State Dairy Development Minister K.T. Rajenthra Bhalaji on Friday filed a report in the Madras High Court stating the quality of milk supplied by three private suppliers were substandard.

Low fat content

On behalf of Mr. Bhalaji, the Additional Government Pleader submitted the certificates of analysis issued by the Referral Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, during a hearing on three civil suits filed by the Dodla, Arokya and Vijay dairies came up before Justice CV Karthikeyan.

The certificates said that the milk samples of these companies were tested between July 18 and 26 and they were found to be sub-standard under Section 3(1) (zx) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. They did not conform to the standards laid down in table under Regulation No.2.1.1:1 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 as they showed fat content below the minimum prescribed limit. On July 10 last, the court had restrained the Minister from making allegations against the three private milk manufacturers without documentary proof.

The judge adjourned the matter to August 1.

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