New standards for silver leaf shelved

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 10: 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Thursday said that under the direction of the Delhi High Court, it has decided to put the implementation of new standards for silver leaf on hold.

Last year, the Authority had decided to ban the use of any material of animal origin in silver leaf (chandi ka warq), and had said the new standards will come into force by August 1, 2017.

However, on July 28, the Delhi High Court, after hearing a PIL, sought the government’s reply and directed that “till the next date of hearing, there shall be stay on the effect and operation of the impugned notification.”

Silver leaf is used for decoration of sweets and confectionary as well as in paan and packaged supari.

According to the court order available on the FSSAI website, the PIL which has challenged these new standards, claimed that about 1.5 lakh people involved in making silver leaf through the traditional process will be rendered jobless.

Don’t Eat That Crap! Know What’s In Your Street Food This Monsoon

As any junk food lover will tell you, nothing beats a plate of steaming hot chole bhature, tunde kabab, dabeli, or Chinese, especially when you’re huddled under an umbrella with the rain coming down and the cold monsoon winds whipping at your face. Of course we know that we should not eat roadside food during the monsoons, but who can resist the temptation! But maybe if you know just what was in that junk food you’re savoring, you’d find it a lot easier to put down your spoon.

What’s In Your Street Food?

No one eats street food for its nutritional value, so we don’t expect it to be healthy; however, the problem with street food is that it can be contaminated and the chances of this are so much higher in the monsoons. Even the CSE (Centre for Science and Environment) has issued a warning saying that, “Contamination is the greatest challenge for food safety in India”.

Particle Contamination…including FECAL matter!!

“Food tests revealed that some of our street food contains high levels of fecal matter”

A study conducted in our capital found that the street food you pig out on is likely to contain high levels of fecal matter. The high humidity levels in the monsoon provide a conducive environment for fungi to thrive and propagate. The spores from some of these fungi are toxic to humans and can cause serious health problems.

According to India’s Food Safety & Standards Act of 2006, vendors who prepare food in unhygienic or unsanitary conditions are liable to a penalty up to 1 lakh rupees, but clearly this rule serves no practical purpose. Remember, if you insist on eating street food, you are quite literally eating sh*t!

Bacterial Contaminants

“Water-borne diseases are more common in the monsoons and often result in food poisoning, diarrhea, and vomiting”

Every street food vendor has that bucket of water that resembles watery soup! Every plate is wiped down and then “rinsed” in this water before being used to serve the next person. Water-borne diseases are more common in the monsoons and a street vendor’s bucket serves as a petri dish for a wide range of bacteria. Some of the most common bacterial contaminants in street food include bacillus cerus, which causes diarrhea and vomiting, E. coli which causes food poisoning, and Salmonella typhi which causes typhoid fever.

Chemical Contaminants

“Unwashed or improperly washed vegetables contain pesticides & fungicides that make their way into our street food”

Processed junk food is high in chemical additives, but we often think of street food as being “chemical free”. However, this isn’t the case; street vendors give their vegetables only a cursory rinse before using them, which means that a lot of our street food contains pesticides and fungicides. These chemicals have been linked to long-term health problems such as endocrine disruption, birth defects, and cancer.

Furthermore, cleaning solutions are added to the bucket of water in which the plates and spoons are cleaned and since the dishes are not rinsed, these utensils contain traces of chemical cleaning agents.

If You Must Indulge, Here’s What You Should Do…

Avoid chaat items like gol gappas, as there is a higher risk of getting ill due to contaminated water. Many vendors now sell sliced fruit, but this is not a healthy food option in the monsoons. This is because the pre-cut fruit attract flies and scientists have found that flies transmit at least 65 diseases to humans, including dysentery and cholera. When drinking juice from a roadside vendor, do not ask for ice, as the water used to make the ice is likely to be contaminated and you will fall ill. Freshly cooked food is always a better option as heat kills bacteria and so you are less likely to get sick, you should also use wipes to clean the utensils before using them.

Our Take

Your best bet would be to avoid street food altogether, we know that it’s not easy, but if you remind yourself of just what your food is likely to contain, it gets a whole lot easier! A recent study found that only 53% of Indians wash their hands before preparing food after they’ve defecated – what are the odds that your vendor is one of them??

Now, restaurants to display food helpline no.

All restaurants, cafés and shops selling food items will be required to display the number of a Delhi government-run food safety helpline, Health Minister Satyendar Jain told the Assembly on Thursday.

Displaying the helpline — 1800113921 — operated by the Department of Food Safety will allow complaints of unhygienic or adulterated food to be made on the spot. This was announced after Speaker Ram Niwas Goel suggested the move following concerns raised by MLAs about adulterated food being sold in the Capital.

Inspections conducted

Replying to a question by MLA Vijender Garg, Mr. Jain said the Food Safety Department had been conducting inspections to check sale of adulterated food. To prevent corruption, Mr. Jain said that inspectors no longer had fixed areas and were informed about the location of their next visit just before they left.

Responding to statements by MLAs Praveen Kumar and Rajesh Rishi about adulterated apples, chow mein and momos being sold, Mr. Jain said the department was taking samples of different food items.

Replying to Malviya Nagar MLA Somnath Bharti’s query, the Food Safety Department said that 1,817 complaints had been received about adulterated food at restaurants since the AAP government came to power. Of these, action had been taken in 1,747 cases. Mr. Bharti also asked whether there had been complaints about Patanjali products, the brand of yoga guru Baba Ramdev. The department said 14 complaints had been received in the last three years. Of the 14 samples taken, six were found to be adulterated, leading to cases being lodged.

Adulterated food items seized in raids on Vijayawada stores

VIJAYAWADA: Officials of Food Safety Department and Vigilance Enforcement have jointly cracked a whip on violators by conducting surprise checks at grocery stores and manufacturing units across the city on Thursday. As part of the raids, officials have seized adulterated ghee and collected samples of various food items for laboratory test.Special teams led by Vigilance DSP R Vijay Paul and Assistant food controller N Purnachandra Rao conducted surprise raids at TPR traders near Machavaram Down and found that shop owner G Trinadha Rao was adulterating Vijaya ghee with sunflower oil. He was supplying the spurious ghee to catering businesses in order and also preparing papads in unhygienic conditions without obtaining permission from food safety officials. Officials seized 66 kg of adulterated ghee and collected the samples

Later, the officials also raided Bhagyalakshmi enterprises in Gandhinagar and found that shop owner A Poornachandra Rao was repacking different types of dry fruits which are unsafe for consumption and rejected for export in Mumbai. A case has been registered by the vigilance officials against the shop owner and stocks worth Rs 25 lakh have been seized.

Officials also found irregularities at Maya foods in Kabela area where the company was making chips similar to Kurkure. Another store called Raj foods in Bhavanipuram was found making almond powder, chocolate paste by using an impermissible amount of food colour.“Upon receiving complaints from the public,the departments jointly conducted surprise raids in the city,” said Purnachandra Rao. 

Food safety officials raid KGH canteen

Under scanner:GVMC food safety wing personnel checking quality of food at KGH canteen in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. 

Samples collected, sent to Hyderabad lab

Following a series of complaints about the bad quality of food in the canteen for patients and attendants of patients in the KG Hospital in the city, the GVMC food safety wing led by Food Inspector GV Appa Rao on Thursday conducted a surprise raid at the canteen and collected samples.

The official said Y Koteswara Rao from Vijayawada had been running the canteen (DIET Canteen). As per the agreement with the government, the canteen was supposed to supply quality meals to patients in the hospital.

“We have observed several violations as the quality of rice was poor and similarly, the quality of sambar, curries and eggs was not good for consumption of patients,” said Mr. Appa Rao.

“We have collected the samples and sent the same to laboratory in Hyderabad and will act against the contractor based on the report from the laboratory,” he added.

Sources said earlier the government had terminated the agreement with the contractor K Durga Reddy, who had supplied bad quality of food to patients in the KGH following the reports from the Food Safety Wing of the GVMC around two years ago and has now entered into an agreement with Koteswara Rao.

Units selling unsafe dry fruits, adulterated ghee in city raided

Under scanner:Stock of unsafe dry fruits found at a warehouse in Vijayawada on Thursday. 

Many catering businesses order the ghee because of cheaper price

The sleuths of the Vigilance and Enforcement and the Food safety standards departments jointly raided four food manufacturing units in the city on Thursday and exposed illegal trade going on uninterrupted for the past several years.

A 10-year-old dry fruits repacking unit in Gandhi Nagar, a seven-year-old ghee adulteration unit in a house at Padavalarevu and another dry fruit and chocolate powder making unit were found grossly violating rules and running businesses illegally.

Vigilance DSP R. Vijay Paul and Assistant food controller N. Purnachandra Rao led the raids. According to Mr. Paul, one Trinadh Rao of Padavalarevu had been running TPR Trades that mainly adulterated the Vijaya Dairy ghee with sunflower oil and supplied to catering businesses on daily orders. “The owner has no permission to sell ghee. He has one for making papads which are also made under unhygienic conditions,” he said.

Bhagyalakshmi Enterprises at Gandhi Nagar owned by one Purnachandra Kumar was found selling all kinds of neatly packed dry fruits that were unsafe for consumption.

“All the stock was rejected for export at Mumbai. The owner procures them, neatly repacks and sells it through his own shop besides distributing to other traders. The dry fruits are full of insects and worms and the unit is unhygienic,” Mr. Paul said.

Later, officials raided Maya Foods that makes packaged snacks like corn puffs, chips and has all permissions.

In another raid on Raj Foods unit near Bhavanipuram highway, the owner was found making almond nuts, powder, chocolate paste and other items in unhygienic conditions. The owner has permission for only petty food trade but had been running a larger unit illegally for the past two and half years, Mr. Paul said. Also, an impermissible amount of food colour and perfumes to preserve the stock was being used. Samples were collected from all the units and criminal cases would be slapped against the owner of the Bhagyalakshmi Enterprises and the TP Trades.

Following the laboratory reports, other owners would be booked.