Apr 4, 2018
Chinese Pudi replaces carbide in fruit market
Officials find six to eight sachets in each of the mango cartons
Ethylene-producing chemical sachets imported from China have replaced calcium carbide for artificial ripening of mangoes at Gaddiannaram Agricultural Market Yard at Kothapet, popularly known as Kothapet fruit market.
The ethylene ripeners available in powder form too are forbidden under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.
The state food safety officials, who visited the market on Tuesday, found many boxes containing the imported chemical sachets. Six to eight sachets were recovered from each of the cartons containing raw mangoes ready to be transported.
Following the High Court’s direction for strict implementation of the ban on Carbide, the State government increased enforcement, which led to commission agents and traders shifting to the Chinese Pudi as it is locally known.
Each sachet costs ₹4, as against ₹2 spent on the carbide sachet, and once inside a box of mangoes, it releases ethylene gas through small holes that are punched into it. However, the ingredients and their quantities are not mentioned on the product packages.
The Director, Institute of Preventive Medicine Public Health Labs & Food (Health) Administration, Telangana, K. Shankar, who led a team of scientists from the State Food Laboratory, Nacharam, said the samples collected from four locations inside the market would be sent to the lab for analysis, and if the use of carbide is found, the sellers would be punished.
T. Lakshmaiah, Deputy Food Controller from the State Food Lab, said carbide is banned as it releases acetylene gas which is carcinogenic and harmful for human consumption. Even ethylene is permitted only in its gaseous form in limited doses (up to 100 parts per million), and not in its powder form.
Lakshminaryana Reddy, senior scientist, said the ethylene-releasing chemical, namely ethephon, is used for faster fruition in plants and its residue should not be more than two parts per million on the fruits.
Traders and commission agents, who are unhappy over the restrictions on artificial ripening, demanded that the government find a solution instead of citing rules.
“The ripening chambers in the market are insufficient for the loads arriving here every day. Truckloads of mangoes arrive and leave on the same day to places far off, such as Delhi. How can we be expected to hold them here so long for ripening? We will shut down the business and go home if the government wants that,” fumed Mohammed Abid, a trader.
He also questioned why the chemical sachets from China were not stopped during the customs check in Mumbai, if they were harmful.
Dirty money is quite literally making you sick
HIGHLIGHTS
- FSSAI observed that eateries and vendors should exercise precautions.
- Children, pregnant mothers, the elderly and immunity-compromised people are more vulnerable to such infections.
- Agency has directed all state food commissioners to create a systematic campaign for generating awareness among all citizens.
Dangerous diseases are cashing in on your filthy banknotes and coins, the countrys apex food regulator has pointed out.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) has directed all state food commissioners to create a systematic campaign for generating awareness among all citizens to discourage the simultaneous handling of food and currency notes and coins.
The agency has also observed that eateries and vendors should exercise precautions while collecting cash and handing out food.
Handling of currency with unclean and soiled hands, use of saliva during counting and storage under unhygienic conditions leads to its contamination with harmful microorganisms, mentioned the FSSAIs advisory.
The agency has said cross-contamination from currency is a risk to human health, leading to many conditions such as food poisoning as well as skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases.
Children, pregnant mothers, the elderly and immunity-compromised people are more vulnerable to such infections. Food vendors, particularly those selling their wares on the streets, often prepare and serve food and collect money from patrons with the same hand.
Currency notes and coins are widely circulated everyday by public and these are source of microbiological contamination. This we were examining for a long time, but we cannot punish anyone. Therefore, we have directed all the state food commissioners to launch a strong awareness campaign on hygienically handling of currency notes and coins and this we have to start at a very basic level, Pawan Agarwal, CEO of FSSAI, told Mail Today.
Ideally, handling of food and money should be physically separated. After handling currency, hands should be thoroughly washed before touching food and vice-versa.
Three scientific studies published in the Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences, International Journal of Pharma and Bio Sciences, and the International Journal of Advanced Research have highlighted that the presence of drugresistant pathogens on currency is the transmitter of a number of diseases in the community, including urinary and respiratory tract infections, septicaemia, skin infections, recurrent meningitis, toxic shock syndrome and a variety of gastro-intestinal diseases.
These studies were done in 2016. A study carried out by the department of microbiology of Tirunelveli Medical College in Tamil Nadu stated that the currency notes were contaminated with disease-causing pathogens such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, E coli and Staphylococcus aureus, i.e. pathogen that are present in excreta.
These currency notes were collected from a variety of sources including doctors, banks, local markets, butchers, students and housewives.
The studies prompted the food regulator to issue advisory. It mentioned that it is needed to ensure that hotels, hospitals, school and office canteens, restaurants, street food stalls, shops selling bakery products, sweets, and even those preparing food for mid-day meals and religious places, do not contaminate food with currency either at the time of preparation or at the time of sale or distribution.
Speaking to Mail Today, Dr SP Byotra, chairman of the internal medicine department at Delhis Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, said, It is a welcome initiative taken by the FSSAI to make people aware of the unhygienic transaction of currency notes and coins by hand. These are the biggest source of germs such as bacteria, fungi and parasites which can make us all sick. If we do a culture of currency notes, we can find harmful and life-threatening bacteria. For example, if a tuberculosis (TB) patient is keeping currency notes and coins in his pocket, with his sweat, the infection can be transferred to the currency and later this infection can pass onto the other person handling the notes.
"These microorganisms can cause us typhoid, lung diseases,gastrointestinal complications, etc," added Dr Byotra. Experts have pointed that currency notes should be handled and counted in a similar way like bank officials do.
It has been observed that bank tellers keep a sponge damper pad to count notes. The regulator has advised that food handlers, food sellers and others should avoid handling currency and food simultaneously. It has recommended that gloves be used to handle food, and bare and clean hands be used to handle currency.
Health dept team collects samples from food stalls near bus stand
Ludhiana: Following complaints of adulteration and change in weather conditions, the district health department team carried out extensive checking and sampling of food items in stalls near the city bus stand here on Monday, and issued strict guidelines to different vendors and food stall owners to follow the food safety norms effectively. The health team had also issued notices to some food stalls after watching the unhygienic conditions in their premises.
As per information provided by district food safety officer Yogesh Goyal — under the supervision of district health officer Andesh Kang — eight to nine food vendors based near the city bus stand had been checked thoroughly during the food checking and sampling drive on Monday afternoon. As many as 16 to 17 food samples were collected by health officials, including pizza, bread pakoda, green sauce, ice-cream, cream roll, popcorn, and apple juice.
Apart from the bus stand area, the health team also carried out a checking drive on Gill Road, taking samples from flour production and dairy production firms, and issued notices as per the rules of the health department. After collecting samples from different food vendors, the team sent them to the state food laboratory for testing. When the reports come out, the health team will take action, charging heavy penalties on all culprits.
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