May 9, 2018
Use of liquid nitrogen in food prohibited
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of reports that the consumption of liquid nitrogen has created health issues, the food safety department has issued an order prohibiting its use in food products.
Food safety commissioner M G Rajamanickam has prohibited use of liquid nitrogen for preparation of ice creams, cold drinks and other cold foods under section 30 (2)(a) of food safety and standards act 2006.
"The commissioner of food safety has noted that certain food business operators in different parts of Kerala are using liquid nitrogen for the preparation of ice creams, cool drinks and other types of cold food. Even though nitrogen is an inert gas, not harmful to human body, liquid nitrogen in a temperature of -196 degree Celsius is unsafe, if not handled properly and if happen to consume with the product with which it is prepared," the order said.
The prohibition is for one year or until the completion of risk analysis by experts of FSSAI or state government and clearing the product as safe for human consumption.
Food safety law found wanting
Surat: The provisions in the food safety law are not enough in themselves to contain the sources of water-borne diseases in the Diamond City. Penalties are very few after samples are taken for testing by health officials of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and adulteration is found.
During the last two months, SMC’s health department officials had collected 20 samples of milk, 14 of mango milk shake, 18 from ice factories and yet no one has been punished as yet. The reason is results of the analysis of the samples are still awaited.
The city has nearly 50,000 roadside eateries, but only 20 health officers, 200 ward inspectors and 10 food inspectors to conduct regular checking.
A health officer said, “Most of the roadside eateries in the city start operations in the evening hours. More than 70 per cent of them don’t have any licence. It is not possible for us to check them during night hours. We usually look for unhygienic conditions at food stalls, check personal hygiene of people who prepare food and whether raw material used is stale or not. Usually, we do not collect food samples from roadside eateries. We collect samples from hotels and restaurants on receiving a complaint.”
Traders ripen mangoes with ethylene, officials don’t know to act
Guntur: Sleuths of vigilance and enforcement and food safety authority carried out surprise raids at fruits markets in Guntur and Tenali on Tuesday. The officials found merchants using high quantities of ethylene powder to ripen mangos stored in godowns.
The raids that continued till the evening covered nearly 100 outlets at wholesale markets in these two major towns of the district. The officials seized artificial ripening chemicals and fruit samples from the merchants.
“We are sending the samples for chemical analysis to food safety laboratory in Nacharam. We will take action following the lab findings,” said a senior official of vigilance and enforcement wing.
However, the officials are clueless about how to take action against the traders using the artificial ripening chemicals that are imported from China.
“Though using ethylene is not banned in India, we do not know what the sachets being used by the merchants contain,” said Srinivasa Rao, food safety official who was present during the raids. He added that ethylene should be used as per the recommended dosages and the indiscriminate use of the chemical may be harmful for health.
Sources said that the food safety laboratory confirmed the presence of ethephon in the ethylene samples, which were seized and sent for analysis by the food safety officials and vigilance sleuths in Vijayawada during the last mango season.
Since no trader or their attendants were trained in using ethylene, the officials think that the fruits are being ripened early owing to chemical reactions. “The traders stopped using calcium carbide, fearing imprisonment. But using ethylene indiscriminately is also harmful,” said an official.
BEWARE OF HARMFUL BITE
*Sale of fruits ripened by calcium carbide has been banned under clause 2.3.5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011
*Union agriculture ministry has recommended the use of ethylene gas in low concentration exogenously to ripen fruits
*Using ethylene gas or ethephon has been scientifically recommended as a safe alternative to ripen banana and other seasonal fruits.
*Ethylene is not harmful if it is used as per the recommended dose
*The merchants are using small sachets of ethylene powder imported from China
*High Court of Hyderabad directed both AP and Telangana state governments to construct ripening chambers and make merchants avoid artificial ripening
*There are no ripening chambers in Guntur district
*Direct exposure of fruit to ethylene powder is neither scientific nor permitted
*Surprisingly, there are no guidelines to act against the violators
*The ripening treatment with the gas is carried out in an airtight room for 24 hours at low temperature in high humidity
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