Nov 14, 2017
Fast food majors adopting ‘double standards’ on antibiotics use: Centre for Science and Environment
Expressing worry over the use of antibiotics in poultry, including chicken, the CSE warned that eating junk food in India involved major health risks for consumers.
A green body today alleged that fast food majors in India were adopting “double standards” by committing themselves to eliminating misuse of antibiotics in meat supply chains in a time-bound manner in the West but not in India.
A green body today alleged that fast food majors in India were adopting “double standards” by committing themselves to eliminating misuse of antibiotics in meat supply chains in a time-bound manner in the West but not in India. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) today released an assessment report based on data in public domain and response obtained from
several multinational companies and three Indian firms selling fast food in the country. “Our study shows that these fast food MNCs do not have any India-specific commitments to eliminate misuse of antibiotics in their meat supply chains. “Surprisingly, these global giants have made ambitious, specific and time-bound commitments in the US and other countries to eliminate antibiotic misuse owing to growing pressure from regulators and other stakeholders,” Deputy Director General of the CSE, Chandra Bhushan, told reporters. This is sheer “double standards”, he said.
PTI approached a few fast food majors to obtain their response to the allegation. While reactions from some of them were not immediately available, Jubilant Foodworks, a domestic franchise for the US-based popular chain Domino’s Pizza, said, “We follow global standards and processes, and ensure that the highest standards of quality and food safety and hygiene are maintained across our supply chain.” The company said in a statement that it has a formal policy in place on usage of antibiotics in poultry birds’ health management to guide their sourcing of poultry. Jubilant Foodworks said it has a very clear time-bound action plan in mitigating the risk in the supply chain.
“We have always had a set of standards followed while sourcing poultry for our products, ensuring that our suppliers follow the right farm practices,” it added.
KFC India in a statement said it adheres to all laws and regulations regarding the use of antibiotics. “Furthermore, as part of our strict adherence to robust safety practices and processes, chicken supplied to KFC India is free from any antibiotic residue, as our chicken supplies are subjected to a withdrawal period specific to each medicinal treatment,” the KFC India claimed. The green body also claimed the many MNCs and three popular Indian fast food firms they approached for the study, did not respond to the queries sent to them on the use of antibiotics for inducing growth of food animals.
Expressing worry over the use of antibiotics in poultry, including chicken, the CSE warned that eating junk food in India involved major health risks for consumers. “Fast food is not good for health and on top of that if the meat is sourced from an animal injected with antibiotics for growth promotion (non-therapeutic use), then it’s a double whammy for the consumer,” he said. Head, Food Safety and Toxins programme at CSE, Amit Khurana however, said, a person may or may not get affected after consuming such food.
About the queries sent to companies, he said seven multinational brands and one Indian brand did not respond at all. Most of these food chains sell chicken-based food across the country. “While some others shared their practices of sourcing and testing, they did not specify any timelines by which they planned to eliminate antibiotic misuse”, he said. The CSE recommended that that these fast food companies “must make ambitious, time-bound India-specific commitments to eliminate routine antibiotic use for growth promotion and disease prevention in their supply chains for chicken, fish and other meat”.
Bhushan said these chains must also stop any use of critically important antibiotics, ensure third-party supply chain audits, laboratory testing for antibiotic residues and resistant bacteria, documentation of antibiotic use and commit to making these reports public.
Separate sachets, printed warnings: Rules tilted to beat the ban, chew tobacco
The ban, that came into existence after an SC ruling, is not followed and buying chewable tobacco is as easy as buying toffees.
Sale of tobacco products in the open at court road in Dhanbad.
The death of gutkha baron Rasiklal Manikchand Dhariwal due to oral cancer has brought the man and the disease back into sharp focus.
One of the pioneers of gutkha or chewable tobacco, Dhariwal took the Manikchand empire to soaring heights with an annual turnover of Rs8,000 crore, having struggled in his early years when, as a teenager, he inherited a bidi factory with 20 workers.
The business tycoon’s website boasts what the group considers his achievements. For many others, he was the protagonist who marketed killer pouches that saw a steep rise in the number of cancer deaths.
“Through a patented self-developed process, his tobacco was packed in vacuum sealed pouches and resulted in consistent quality throughout the year. He marketed his product in and around his home town by cycling to places as far as 100km away,” reads the group’s website. “At times he would carry a megaphone around town with his office boy dressed as clown and advertised door to door.”
But as his annual turnover spiked, so did cancer-related deaths.
Ban but no ban
Every year, nearly 85,000 men and 34,000 women get cancer of the oral cavity and pharynx. According to a report of the Union health ministry, at least 90% of these cases are caused by some form of tobacco use, but more than half are caused by use of smokeless tobacco.
The government banned all forms of chewable tobacco products such as khaini, zarda and gutkha in 2013 after a Supreme Court ruling. The ban was implemented under the 2011 Food Safety and Standards Regulation, which states that food products must not contain any substance that is injurious to health, including tobacco and nicotine.
Despite the ban and a subsequent order by the apex court seeking compliance reports, buying chewable tobacco is as easy as buying toffees. Despite 23 states and five Union territories banning it, products continue to be available in the market. Most cigarette shops sell chewing tobacco and paan masala in separate sachets that can be mixed to get the same taste and flavour as gutkha.
NORMS VIOLATED, LIVES PUT AT RISK
◼ The government banned all forms of chewable tobacco products like khaini, zarda and gutkha in 2013 after a Supreme Court ruling.
◼ Despite 23 states and five Union territories banning it, products continue to be available in the market.
◼ Most cigarette shops sell chewing tobacco and paan masala in separate sachets that can be mixed to get the same taste and flavour as gutkha.
◼ Union health secretary and FSSAI sent out advisories to states but implementation continues to be lax.
Hindustan Times reporters had no difficulty in buying banned chewable tobacco that costs only between Rs4 and Rs10. Multiple brands continue to sell the banned item in the heart of India’s capital and within a stone’s throw from the Supreme Court.
Only a year ago, the easy availability of chewable tobacco was brought to the attention of the court by the amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium. The court had then passed another order, asking for the ban to be enforced in letter and spirit.
The Union health secretary and the national food regulator FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) sent out advisories to states to implement the same. However, implementation continues to be lax.
“According to us, all forms of chewable tobacco is banned, whether it is sold separately or in combination with something, it doesn’t matter,” said Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI.
The Delhi government, too, issued an order stating that storage, distribution and sale of any product containing tobacco should be stopped.
“There has never been a problem in procuring chewing tobacco products. For a period of a month or so, after the Delhi government order, police became strict. But even then, the products were available at a premium at almost every cigarette and paan stall,” said the owner of a kiosk in Delhi’s Connaught Place.
Innovative marketing
Several branded packets of plain chewable tobacco, some with GST numbers printed on them, are available for the asking. The manufacturers have found ingenuous ways of trying to appear that they follow ethical business practice –printing on the sachets warnings such as ‘Do not eat, swallow or use as ingredient in any food (non-edible)’.
“According to the law, tobacco or nicotine is not supposed to be used in food products. Khaini (tobacco with slaked lime) is not meant to be ingested, it is supposed to be spit out,” said Ritesh Jain, who heads the marketing team of the export division of Kamna Industries that produces Kuber Khaini.
Himanshu Hans, who works at Chaini, a brand famous for its khaini, offered the same view. The company’s website claims that it produces a ‘filter tobacco pouch’, which is “less harmful than smoking”.
“When you have khaini, you only take in 1.2% of the nicotine, much less than the 7% from cigarettes. Also, smoking adds tar to the mix. So, khaini is much safer. In fact, the United States has been reducing its duty on smokeless tobacco,” said Jain.
Shikhar, another brand that sells flavoured paan masala and a small pouch of tobacco in the same wholesale package, saving buyers the trouble of buying tobacco separately, defended itself, saying, “Several brands of chewable tobacco are available at every paan kiosk.”
“If ours is not available, the vendor will sell someone else’s product. We do not tell the consumers to use the tobacco, they ask for it,” explained Rajesh Soni, who works in the company’s management team.
Not just the sale; even manufacturing chewable tobacco is illegal.
“Chewable tobacco is banned and the manufacturing is by extension banned because if they can’t sell it, why manufacture?” said Agarwal.
However, there are several tobacco manufacturers in Delhi-NCR as well as neighbouring Uttar Pradesh whose products are readily available. Kanpur is a well-known manufacturing hub with more than 100 brands being produced and then marketed in different states.
“All the factories are working overtime in Kanpur; they always have found a way to bounce back in adversity. The lobby is too strong,” said Chotebhai Naronha, who had campaigned for the ban in view of the rising cases of oral cancer.
The legacy of Dhariwal continues to live on.
Food licence authority revoked, AMC to lose Rs 10 cr yearly
The urban development department on October 24 abolished the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's authority to issue food licences to the hotels and restaurants.
The move was come after the policy of Ease of Doing Business, and the department said that the central regulation of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been in place for more than a decade now.
Because of this, AMC will incur an average loss of Rs10 crore. "We had the authority of issuing food and health licences for AMC limits. Those who want to start an eatery must to have a food licence from us. AMC used to earn Rs10 crore by issuing and renewing licences," said Dr Bhavin Solanki, in-charge medical officer of health.
As per an estimate, there are around two lakh such food units in city. Earlier in 2016, municipal corporations of Vadodara, Surat, Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar had unilaterally withdrawn their health licence issuing practice.
However, the civic body can keep checking the licences. "We have to check food samples at eateries to keep a tab on the items.
We will make sure that people are getting healthy, hygienic and standard food," added Dr Solanki.
The civic body randomly collects food samples and sends them for laboratory testing. If the sample fails quality test, the seller gets punished and a fine is levied. Recently, the civic body collected Rs 1 crore in fines.
Students at KU hostel served ‘unhygienic' food
Authorities today seized expired stock of food from Bibi Amina girls’ hostel of Kashmir University which was served to the boarders.
On Monday, a team of officials from drug and food safety organization visited the hostel and found its mess in “unhygienic” conditions. The team said they have taken up the food samples for further investigations.
Assistant commissioner food safety Hilal Ahmad Mir confirmed the development and said “our team visited the hostel building and found the hostel condition unhygienic.”
“We have taken up the samples for further investigation. Our team planned to close the mess, but the decision was changed as the KU people pleaded that the move cause inconvenience to the students,” Mir said.
To mention, the team visited the hostel building after receiving complaints from hostel boarders that they were served unhygienic and expired food.
“We observed it from past months that we were not given hygienic and proper food here. We also took up the matter with authorities but there was no improvement on ground,” a group of hostel boarders said.
Unlike other hostels, the catering of this hostel has been outsourced by the university administration. “The boarders of this hostel are facing problems while as in other hostels the mess and other facilities are regularly monitored by the university administration,” the students said.
“The students of other hostels get their grievances resolved by approaching concerned warden or provost but in our case the officials pass the buck by saying the hostel has been outsourced by administration,” they said.
Meanwhile, Mir said “action will be taken after finalization of the report.”
Meanwhile, the officials in Kashmir University said they will wait for the report of food safety and drug organization. “Once the team will submit its report, appropriate action will follow,” the official said.
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