Apr 7, 2018
Food watchdog warns fruit traders
Panaji: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned of action if operators in the food business, especially those engaged in the trade of fruits, are found using chemicals to artificially ripen fruits.
FDA will conduct special drives to check for use of such chemicals, and any vendor found guilty of using or in possession of these chemicals will be booked.
In a statement, FDA also said there were instances where agricultural chemicals like ethapone and etherel were being used to ripen mangoes and bananas artificially, which is a common practice during festivals due to the high demand.
FDA has also informed vendors and traders that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) permits artificial ripening of fruits using ethylene gas at a concentration of up to 100ppm depending on the crop, the variety and maturity, through the use of ethylene gas chambers which are licensed/registered under the Food Saftey and Standard Act 2006.
Food department finds little to test in school kitchen
NOIDA: The food department examined the kitchen of Step by Step school but isn't very hopeful of pinpointing what led to students falling sick after eating their meals on Thursday. That's because none of the food served to students was available and no samples could be taken.
"We even checked the dustbins but they had been emptied by the time we reached. Had we got samples of the prepared food, it would have yielded good results," said Sanjay Sharma, designated officer, food safety and drug administration (FSDA).
The FSDA team waited outside the school's campus in Noida's Sector 132 for two hours before it got access to the school. Inspectors found just two items that they could bring back with them for tests - edible oil and ajwain (carom seeds), possibly used in the paratha served to students. "The results of the two samples should come within a week," Sharma said.
The FSDA said it has suspended the licence of Sodexo, the company responsible for preparing meals for Step by Step students. In an email to parents on Thursday evening, Step by Step said it had suspended Sodexo's services. The school, which does not allow kids to bring food from home, also temporarily suspended that rule and asked parents to send kids with food and water till further notice. The school remained shut on Friday and will resume classes from Monday.
Officials said in 2016, the district administration had imposed a fine of Rs 3 lakh on Sodexo when a sample of syrup collected from the Step By Step canteen hadn't passed the standard test at the government laboratory in Lucknow.
City magistrate Mahendra Singh told TOI since the school did not provide timely access to the FSDA, all samples could not be taken, and that the school had claimed all prepared food was distributed.
"I had met some kids at Jaypee Hospital on Thursday night who told me cheese was also served to them. It was not available at the spot but it is possible that it was contaminated. I agree that the testing might not yield anything since only two ingredients have been taken for sampling," Singh said.
He said administration's concern was that facts should have been shared by the school to ensure the best medical treatment was provided to students.
An official who claimed to be part of Sodexo's human resources at the company's Mumbai office told TOI over the phone they would look into the matter on Monday.
‘Over 100 students fell ill after eating lunch’
FIR lodged against Noida school management; teams visit hospitals
A day after several students fell ill following a meal at a Noida school, teams formed by the Gautam Budh Nagar District Magistrate on Friday visited various hospitals and met parents of the victims to record statements.
Officials said over 100 students had fallen ill after consuming a meal at Step by Step School in Noida Sector 132 on Thursday instead of the initial estimate of 25 children.
“We visited Apollo Hospital, where we found that five children were admitted but released on Friday. Nine children were admitted to Max Hospital, of which two are still admitted. Eighteen children were rushed to Jaypee Hospital, of which 17 have been released,” said Sanjaya Srivastava, Food Safety Officer, Gautam Budh Nagar.
The teams also visited four other hospitals to ascertain the number of students affected.
Students had complained of severe stomach ache after eating lunch on Thursday. The children were taken to various hospitals across the NCR for treatment.
The Food and Safety Department has taken samples of food items served for lunch to the students for forensic testing.
Food samples taken
“If the food samples fail, strict action will be taken against the school,” said District Magistrate B. N. Singh, adding that a report is expected within a week.
“A parent whose son fell sick has given a complaint and we have lodged an FIR against the school under Section 328 [causing hurt by means of poison]. It seems that more than 100 children fell sick. We are trying to meet the families of students to record statements for further investigation,” said Vedpal Singh Pundir, Station House Officer, Expressway police station.
The school management has also been charged under Sections 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty). It is alleged that the management did not allow administration teams to enter the premises to probe the incident.
The All Noida School Parents’ Association will meet the Meerut Zone Commissioner on Monday, and is likely to demand that the school’s licence be revoked.
2014 case
In 2014, the Food and Safety Department had taken samples of juice from the school canteen. The samples had failed the test and the administration had imposed a fine of ₹6.5 lakh on the school management and owner of the canteen.
The chicken and egg wars
Lounge asks four topical questions about the future of the bird
Counting chickens and eggs is big business in India, according to the National Action Plan For Egg And Poultry—2022 published by the Union government’s department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, which valued the poultry sector in India at about Rs80,000 crore (2015-16). Therefore, it comes as no surprise that this ubiquitous bird often finds itself at the centre of controversy and competitions.
Last week, there was cause for celebration in Madhya Pradesh as the local black fowl, Kadaknath, was awarded Geographical Indication (GI) status. This bit of news offered some salve for the poultry industry, which has been in crisis mode since an article published in The Guardian in February revealed how farmed chicken in India is pumped with the strongest antibiotics. Overnight, some people swore off chicken, while others returned to their tikkas once the issue lost its prime-time appeal.
As scientists work round the clock to come up with a solution to the country’s growing demand for chicken, the poultry industry is poised on the cusp of change. Lounge takes a closer look at a few of the big questions around this little bird.
Is black the new white?
It was a war for GI supremacy between Madhya Pradesh (MP) and Chhattisgarh as the neighbouring states went head-to-head to claim the local Kadaknath chicken. While the first farms rearing this all-black chicken were set up in Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh in the 1970s, it was Chhattisgarh’s Naxal-affected Dantewada that came up with a winning breeding programme. Although both states had filed for certification, MP emerged the winner, and, almost simultaneously, also came up with an app to market and sell the chicken across the country.
Touted as the black superbird for its high protein and iron content and low cholesterol index, Kadaknath is a rather striking bird, black from beak to bone. Despite being substantially more expensive than the standard chicken, retailing at anything from Rs500-900 per kilogram, it is finding takers among health food enthusiasts as well as fine-dining restaurants. Mumbai’s Indigo Delicatessen serves a slow-cooked black fowl and root vegetable stew while Hyderabad’s organic restaurant Jivati serves up a spicy Andhra-style curry featuring this bird. As chefs like Manish Mehrotra and Jiggs Kalra experiment with new dishes featuring the Kadaknath, this black bird seems destined for culinary fame.
What did we learn from the colistin-laden bird?
There was mayhem in the aftermath of The Guardian article, titled “India’s Farmed Chickens Dosed With World’s Strongest Antibiotics, Study Finds”. The idea of a potential superbug that could arise from the consumption of colistin-laden birds struck fear into the heart of the staunchest chicken-loving Indian. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) also came under the scanner—antibiotic usage among livestock and poultry remains unregulated. Vast quantities of colistin, the last-resort antibiotics used to treat drug-resistant infections, enter India’s massive poultry chain to treat the birds and help them grow faster. This study by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism was picked up by the Indian media. As the conversation around this increases, here’s hoping the stakeholders take action and more free-range chicken farms come up around the country.
Can the chicken we eat ever be clean?
A possible answer lies in the clean meats of tomorrow. Last week, animal welfare organization Humane Society International (HSI) India in partnership with Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology announced that they will soon start manufacturing clean meat in a petri dish. The lab-grown meat developed from the bird’s tissue will not require medicines or additives and will do away with issues related to cruelty against animals. As the meat will be grown outside the animal, tweaking the actual nutritional content of the meat could become a real possibility. Although it will take a few years for the product to hit the market, research and development is under way.
Will American drumsticks and Japanese eggs rule the roost?
In the more forseeable future, American chicken legs will soon be lining Indian supermarket shelves. The Union government has lifted food restrictions, allowing frozen poultry from the US. This move is set to meet the growing demand in India for the chicken leg or drumstick, which is considered a prized cut. From the tangri kebab of the north to the chicken fry of the south, there is a chicken drumstick for every occasion.
Meanwhile, in an interesting turn of events, Suzuki, the legendary Japanese carmaker that changed how India looks at cars, is now set to do the same thing with eggs. It has teamed up with Japan’s largest egg producer, Ise Foods, to set up farms based on the latter’s high-tech and hygienic model of egg production, providing know-how and a boost to the domestic egg market.
Training-cum-awareness programme for hoteliers held
JAMMU, Apr 6: One day training-cum-awareness programme for hoteliers was held at Cygnett Park Asia, Jammu.
The programme was led by Dr Parvesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety Jammu along with Food Safety officers Ajay Khajuria, Daleep Singh, Jai Inder and Hans Raj.
The programme was organized by Rattandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director Trans Asia Hotels Private and Secretary of Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India who emphasized the need of this training session which will be fruitful for all the hoteliers.
The session was attended by large number of participants from different hotels, restaurants and food joints, which included General Managers, Executive Chefs, Supervisors, Food Handlers and many others.
Dr Parvesh Kumar apprised about good hygiene and good manufacturing practices. He asked all participants to take care from farm to plate, such as buying of raw material, screening, washing, cooking and storing. He laid special focus on personal hygiene. He also briefed the participants about the FSSAI Act 2006 and its implementation in vast.
Assistant Commissioner also informed about India Food Show which is being organized by MMYSTIC India at Government Model Middle School, Satwari Chowk, Satwari Cantt, Jammu from April 13 to 15. This type of show is happening first time in Jammu where in a exhibition of food processing, packaging, food and hospitality will be displayed, he added.
The event was organised by Amit Kumar Sood, General Manager, Cygnett Park Asia, Jammu and his management team.
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