May 17, 2018
One man’s meat…
Antibiotics in poultry harm non-meat eaters as well. India should follow the example of EU, US and China in regulating the industry.
India risks becoming a global health hazard. In February the British daily, The Guardian, published a story describing the extent to which “chickens raised in India have been dosed with some of the strongest antibiotics known to medicine”. The article relied on a report of the Bureau for Investigative Journalism that claims to be an independent not-for-profit media organisation. It singled out India, even though the Bureau’s findings had also referred to similar antibiotics use in Vietnam, Russia, Mexico, Columbia and Bolivia. The issue raised in the story has serious implications for the health of all citizens, not only chicken-eaters.
Indian chicken producers claim that antibiotics are used only for treating sick birds. But an advertisement they had issued to this effect was met with sharp counter publicity. Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), published an open letter to Sania Mirza, telling her as a national icon, she should not have associated herself with a “misleading, false and libelous advertorial”. According to Bhushan, antibiotics are being “used routinely as a growth promoter”. CSE papers have established how across different districts in the country, chicken litter has been found to be multi-drug resistant. The litter had also made its way to the surrounding agricultural land. This means it carries risks for vegetarians as well.
Plucked, The Truth About Chicken , a 2017 book by Maryn McKenna unravels how chemical fertilisers, pesticides, antibiotics and hormones made chicken the conduit for not only profit-driven politics in the US but antibiotic resistance as well. It was only after a massive outbreak of food poisoning that the US regulators and consumers have become more vigilant. Now Walmart, the book says, along with some of the world’s biggest fast food chains, have started to move away from chicken loaded with antibiotics. The USFDA now expects adherence to standards adopted by the European Union 12 years ago.
Why is all this important to us? Because resistance blunts the effectiveness of drugs designed to cure or prevent infection. The bacteria survive and continue to multiply rendering ineffectual treatment for serious illnesses like pneumonia and tuberculosis, even prophylaxis in, say, caesarian deliveries. It hampers recovery in post-operative surgery. Once the bacteria becomes drug resistant, it affects anyone who gets afflicted by it. The resistance snowballs and defies even the strongest drug-based treatment exposing vulnerable populations — infants, children, farm workers and seniors — to incurable sickness.
Colistin is one of the last antibiotic weapons against serious human diseases and but is reportedly being used covertly to increase chicken weight. The Chinese have been using massive quantities of Colistin. This gave rise to a strain called mcr-1, which spread so widely that the Chinese government had to ban Colistin use. But not before people in 30 countries in five continents had eaten those chickens. After being banned in China, Colistin has found a ready market in India and has made its way into the country’s poultry farms.
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana account for over 80 per cent of the poultry meat production and half the egg production in the country, followed by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka and West Bengal, Punjab and Haryana. A 2017 study (the largest so far), published in the journal, Environmental Health Perspectives, covered 18 poultry farms in Punjab and found very high levels of antibiotic resistance in the birds.
Chicken was once a part of food habits of the people in north-western, southern and coastal parts of the country. Today, it has become the favourite of the country’s fast growing urban middle-class. A new culture of eating out has been matched by innumerable quick service restaurants offering mouth-watering chicken dishes. Such restaurants are ubiquitous even in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Most consumers are oblivious to and undeterred by the health hazards of ingesting antibiotics. Meanwhile the industry is growing by some 20 per cent each year — broilers, layers and egg production taken together.
The Chairman of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Ashish Bahuguna, whose writ runs over the food-end (but not the farm-end), informed me about the organisation’s new draft regulations for chicken. These prohibit the use of 19 antibiotics in poultry and also prescribe tolerance limits for 92 other antibiotics and drugs. Currently, the public comments to the draft rules are being examined. In April 2017, the Health Ministry published the National Action Plan to combat microbial resistance. Although it signifies a political commitment to ban the use of antibiotics as growth promoters, there has been little activity on the issue, and it has not attracted commensurate funding. Unless that changes quickly, the report will remain confined to the shelf.
Should India take the path of incremental improvement or should it draw a lesson from the EU, and now the US and China, and stop such use of antibiotics? Other countries are importing herbal animal feeds from India. The effectiveness of these herbal feeds should be studied for Indian conditions. And if these feeds pass the test, Indian farmers should be advised to use them. It is time that the ministries of heath and AYUSH, and the Department of Animal Husbandry show interest in the matter.
As an immediate measure, the government must issue advisories asking poultry farmers to stop the use of Colistin and maintain records of the overall use of all drugs given to poultry. This should become a strict requirement for the poultry industry. FSSAI should publish the new regulations and ensure that enforcement is visible, punishment is a deterrent and public awareness programmes are imaginative.
The poultry businesses’ meat should not be allowed to become the Indian consumer’s poison.
Energy drinks laced with chemicals seized
Vigilance and Enforcement officials during a raid on a firm in Cheepurupalli of Vizianagaram district on Wednesday.
Vigilance teams crack the whip on manufacturing firms
Close on the heels of the seizure of spurious beverages, the Vigilance and Enforcement Department cracked a whip on the manufacturers and suppliers of adulterated energy drinks in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam district on Wednesday.
Special teams headed by Regional Vigilance and Enforcement Officer T. Harikrishna inspected Venkata Sai Food Products at LN Peta of Srikakulam district and K.V.N. Industries at Cheepurupalli of Vizianagaram district. Other members of the team including Deputy Superintendent of Police G. Bhargava Naidu, Circle Inspector G. Chandra and Food Safety Officer Eswari, after the inspection, said that both the firms did not have valid licence to manufacture the energy drinks.
They said all the flavours were found to be contaminated with chemicals and the drinks would be harmful to the public health. They also found unauthorised usage of LPG domestic refills in the factory premises.
Samples to be sent to lab
The teams seized bottles and sought explanation from the manufacturers. “The firms are selling the energy drink bottles mostly in the rural areas of both the districts. The samples collected from the firms will be sent to laboratory in Hyderabad for testing. After obtaining the report, we will proceed legally against the proprietors,” said Mr. Harikrishna.
Tamil Nadu Sees A String Of Food Safety Awareness Events
Owing to the rise in food safety complaints in Chennai as well as all over Tamil Nadu, the state saw a series of food safety awareness programs and exhibitions in various districts.
PUDUKOTTAI
A food safety kiosk was opened at the Collector’s office by Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar on Monday. A main objective of the kiosks was to educate the public on the food products that are best suited for summer and on those that should be avoided.
This is a part of the Department of Food Safety’s initiative to raise awareness on adulteration in food products and commodities. The kiosks will also be having demonstrations on simple techniques that can be used to detect adulteration in some of the commonly used food products. The minister said that mobile awareness teams were being made active in order to spread awareness.
THOOTHUKKUDI
The Department of Food Safety, in association with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, organized an awareness programme at Pearl City beach on Saturday, which was inaugurated by Minister for Information and Publicity, Kadambur C. Raju.
Staffs from the Food Safety department explained the importance of consuming hygienic food and water and methods by which adulterated food products can be identified.
HOSUR
Third in line was a Food Safety exhibition that was conducted by the Food Safety Department at the Ramanayakkan Lake Park, Hosur, Krishnagiri district. The inauguration by Sports and Youth Welfare Minister P. Balakrishna Reddy and headed by Kathiravan, the District Collector.
Brochures, pamphlets, and posters of food safety measures and summer-time food and health precautions were given out to the public and stalls demonstrating food safety techniques were put up.
Consumers can reach the Food Safety Department through 94440 42322, with regard to food safety complaints. They could also send texts through SMS or WhatsApp for immediate action against any complaint about food adulteration. Besides, complaints could also be mailed through unavupukar@gmail.com.
FSSAI to finalize food labelling norms in the next 2-3 months: Pawan Kr Agarwal
New Delhi, May 16 (KNN) The Food Safety & Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) will come up with the final labelling standards on packaged food products in the next 2-3 months, FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said adding that the authority is open to make changes in the draft rules to address the industry's concern.
FSSAI has already released the Draft Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2018 and has sought comments from stakeholders.
While talking to media persons, Agarwal said stakeholders' comments are sought on the draft regulations.
The final regulation is expected in the next 2-3 months, he added.
He said the FSSAI is studying the model used in foreign countries like Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and the US, for colour coding display on the packaged food item. "We are aware of the industry's concern related to colour coding."
In the draft regulation, it has been proposed to make it mandatory to display red colour-coding on front of the pack of food products that have high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt content levels.
Asked about the proposal on genetically modified (GM) food, Agarwal said the labelling on packaged food items with 5 per cent or more GE ingredients will "bring clarity".
All food products having total Genetically Engineered (GE) ingredients 5 per cent or more shall be labelled, the draft said.
"Imported GM food is coming to India. It is in form of soya products and edible oils. In case of oils, traces of GM is negligible. So, there will be no labelling," he added.
Agarwal also announced that the FSSAI is targeting to make the country free from trans-fat by 2022.
FSSAI has launched an initiative to promote safe and nutritious food (SNF) at workplace to deal with the alarming increase in obesity and NCDs (Non-Communicable Diseases) like diabetes and hypertension.
Health in news on May 16
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is looking at global models adopted by various countries for labelling standards of packaged foods.
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