Jun 14, 2018
Artificially ripened banana seized
THENI
Artificially ripened banana weighing around one tonne was seized from the Allinagaram daily market and destroyed here on Wednesday.
Led by Food Safety Officer Dr. J. Suguna, a team of Food Safety Department officials conducted a raid around 5.30 a.m. They found that six shops were selling artificially ripened banana. The seized the fruits worth ₹25,000 and destroyed them.
Three sprayers used for spraying chemicals on the fruits to ripen them were also seized, she added.
Dr. Suguna said that she received a tip off that chemicals were sprayed on fruits and chemical sprayed and artificially ripened fruits were on display for sale at weekly and daily markets in Theni, Periyakulam, Cumbum, Bodi and Chinmanaur. To lodge any complaint, the public may contact mobile 94440-42322 for immediate action, she advised.
CSE calls for more stringent Food Safety norms
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has called for making the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2018 more effective and stringent. The draft Regulations had been released for comments by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in April, 2018. They mandate compulsory labelling of salt and introduction of front-of-pack labelling.
CSE has submitted its recommendations to the FSSAI to ensure a robust labelling framework in India.
“A strict labelling law is very important to combat obesity and non-communicable diseases plaguing our country. Though this draft Regulation is a good beginning, it also has major gaps that need to be plugged to make it effective,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, CSE.
One of the significant gaps that CSE has pointed out is that the draft Regulation does not provide for labelling of crucial aspects like added sugar and dietary fibres. “Public health and nutrition experts recommend that it is best to avoid added sugar in food items. It can be measured and controlled and therefore, must be labelled. Also, dietary fibre is a key beneficial component of our diet and must also be labelled. This will help consumers make informed and healthy food choices,” said Amit Khurana, programme director, food safety and toxins unit, CSE.
The draft Regulation merely states that HFSS (high in fat, sugar or salt) food products shall not be advertised to children in any form. CSE researchers point out that this is not enough. “Children are key consumers of HFSS food items and the burden of childhood obesity is rising. The FSSAI needs to adopt a detailed framework to regulate advertisement of HFSS foods. Celebrities should not be allowed to endorse them and there should be no advertisement of certain food categories such as soft drinks. Broadcasting regulations should be developed to limit the exposure of children to food advertisements during prime time programmes,” said Sonam Taneja, programme manager, food safety and toxins unit, CSE.
The draft Regulation emphasises on providing nutrition information for each serving of a food item. It also lays down that consumers should be made aware of the contribution of each serving to one’s daily quota of salt, sugar or fat. However, it does not standardise serving sizes. “Determination of serving sizes has been left to the industry -- this is a big loophole. We have seen that the food industry often claims very small serving sizes which are far from the reality and manipulates food labels. Serving sizes must be set by the FSSAI based on how much is customarily consumed by people in the Indian scenario,” said Bhushan.
The draft Regulation introduces labelling of genetically modified (GM) food. The FSSAI has been under the scanner for presence of GM food in India by way of import and otherwise.
CSE has recommended that through the Regulation, the FSSAI must aim to regulate illegal GM food in India and should set a stricter bar for exemption from GM labelling -- the bar set in the draft Regulations is very weak. “The FSSAI has a crucial role in ensuring food safety and a strong labelling regulation is a must to fulfil this mandate,” added Bhushan.
Do not allow ads for soft drinks: CSE
Research organisation gives suggestions to food safety authority on draft regulations
“Children are key consumers of food items that are high in fat, sugar and salt, which is leading to a rise in childhood obesity. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India needs to adopt a detailed framework to regulate ads of these items,” said a release issued by the Centre for Science and Environment.
The CSE also called for making the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2018, more effective and stringent.
The draft regulations had been released for comments by the FSSAI in April. The regulations mandate compulsory labelling of salt and introduction of front-of-pack labelling.
“A strict labelling law is important to combat obesity and non-communicable diseases plaguing our country. The draft regulations is a good beginning, but it has major gaps that need to be plugged to make it effective,” said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director general, CSE.
‘Significant gaps’
One of the significant gaps that CSE has pointed out is that the draft regulations does not provide for labelling of crucial aspects like added sugar and dietary fibres.
“Public health and nutrition experts recommend that it is best to avoid added sugar in food items. It can be measured and controlled and therefore must be labelled. Also, dietary fibre is a key beneficial component of our diet and must also be labelled. This will help consumers make informed and healthy food choices,” said Amit Khurana, programme director (food safety and toxins unit), CSE.
The draft regulations state that HFSS (high in fat, sugar or salt) food items shall not be advertised to kids in any form. The CSE, however, said that this is not enough.
“Celebrities should not be allowed to endorse these food item and there should be no ads of certain food categories such as soft drinks. Broadcasting regulations should be developed to limit exposure of kids to food ads during TV prime-time,” said Sonam Taneja, programme manager (food safety and toxins unit), CSE.
The draft regulations emphasise on providing nutrition information for each serving of a food item. It also lays down rules that consumers should be made aware of the contribution of each serving to one’s daily quota of salt, sugar or fat.
However, it does not standardise serving sizes. “Determination of serving sizes has been left to the industry, this is a big loophole. We have seen that the food industry often claims very small serving sizes, which are far from reality, and manipulates food labels. Serving sizes must be set by the FSSAI, based on how much is customarily consumed by people in the context of India,” said Mr. Bhushan.
Get free insects on your plate when you order food in Telangana
Thanks to local politicians, vendors continue to violate hygiene norms; shortage of food inspectors a hindrance
A view of vendors serving food in unhygienic conditions in Karimnagar and Hyderabad
HYDERABAD: Hyderabadis are not new to hidden surprises in food ordered from their favourite roadside eateries or even posh high-scale restaurants. Foodies, playing a treasure hunt on their plates, have spotted dead insects, cockroaches, house flies and even rats over the years. While some cases are brought to light, thereby alerting other patrons about the ‘extra hidden nutrition’ they are served, others choose to keep mum.
Even recently, a high-scale sandwich shop in Punjagutta —a global brand that advises people to eat fresh—was found serving fresh and live cockroaches marinated in their cool drinks and meatball whoppers. The situation is no different, rather worse, at unlicensed roadside eateries and tiffin centres. Though many patrons of these hole-in-the-wall eateries proudly claim taste is inversely proportional to hygiene, a glance inside the cooking area is enough to shock the strongest hearts.
Common patrons of the roadside food, apart from homo sapiens that is, are ants, cockroaches, rats and bandicoots. Unlike us beings, these little ones tend to fall inside the cooking utensils, food or serving plates while devouring their meal. Eatery owners, cooks or workers —who are not new to these uninvited guests —often remove them and serve the food. On an off chance, they land in the plates or mouths of patrons.
Now there are countless eateries dotting the city, and GHMC officials are racking their brains wondering how they can monitor all of them. “Many establishments go unchecked as we are pressed with other key issues, including sanitation, issuing of birth and death certificates, and other administration works,” says a GHMC official.
Call up GHMC to file complaint
If citizens find the food they are served is unhygienic, they can file a complaint at GHMC call centre by dialling on 040-21111111. Citizens can also complain of violations like non-supply of clean water, stale food, use of banned plastic covers to the civic body.
Warangal
Plates are never sterilised
Though Greater Warangal Municipal Corporation(GWMC) health wing officials claim that they conduct inspections on a regular basis and impose fine on those serving stale foods, the ground reality is different. Most of the kitchens of small restaurants and tiffin centres are poorly maintained, the water used to clean plates and dishes are of poor quality. Many eateries are run in unhygienic conditions. A large number of them do not sterilise serving plates and glasses. Meanwhile, GWMC health officer Dr Raja Reddy claimed that the corporation has been conducting inspections regularly and imposing fines on erring establishments.
Mahbubnagar
No full-time food inspector
Despite vendors flouting food standards regularly, Mahbubnagar authorities have not been able to take any action against them. Reason: the district doesn’t have full-time food inspector. The undivided Mahbubnagar district includes Mahbubnagar, Wanaparthy , Nagarkurnool and Jogulamba Gadwal municipalities. Most of commercial establishments in the districts have been using sub-standard pulses and grains to prepare the food. Consumers, who shell out a huge amount of money at these food joints, often do fall ill. When Express brought the issue to the notice of Mahbubnagar municipal commissioner Surender shrugged away the blame saying that it was not his responsibility.
Are authorities doing enough?
Authorities claim that as they receive complaints, the corporation ensures that Assistant Medical Officer of Health (AMOHs) and food inspectors swing into action, inspect the place and slap fines on owners under relevant acts if necessary. However, as the officials charge paltry amounts as fines, it doesn’t serve as a strong deterrent for the violators.
According to rules, hotels and restaurants should procure food licenses under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Act. However, many hotels and restaurants operate without licenses in the city. Express found that many of them are strongly influenced by local political leaders and corporators who ensure the violators are never brought to the books.
Khammam
Vendors bribe authorities
Although hundreds of tiffin centres have been set up in Khammam, lack of monitoring in these centres have led to a dip in its quality and thus, inviting diseases. These tiffin centres, most of which do not have any permission from Municipal authorities, often serve food with insects. In fact, on Wednesday a person found a cockroach in a veg biryani platter at a food court on Wyra Road in the town. When the customer asked hotel management, they allegedly tried attacking him. One, K Madhav, an employee at a private firm alleged that the handlers of the tiffin centres bribed municipal officials to not check the quality of the food.
Sangareddy
Hotels serve rotten meat
Lack of monitoring by municipal sanitation inspector and food safety officials give hoteliers a leeway to flout food standards on a daily basis. Hotels in Sangareddy, Siddipet, Medak, Ramayampet, Gajwel, Zahirabad, Patancheru, RC Puram and other towns in united the Medak districts do not maintain minimum cleanliness. Hotels don’t use quality vegetables and store meat for weeks in cold storage. Locals allege that hotels have been serving rotten meat to customers. Meanwhile, officials cite shortage of staff as one of the key reasons for not conducting regular checks. There are only nine food safety inspectors for 31 districts in the State.
Karimnagar
Shortage of staff looms large
Bonagiri Srinivas, an employee of DRDA, went to a hotel opposite police headquarters in the district. When Srinivas ordered a vegetable biryani, hotel management served a foul-smelling leftover soup. A miffed Srinivas tried calling a food inspector to complain regarding the issue. It was then that he learnt that there was no food inspector available in the erstwhile Karimnagar district. In fact, he also learnt that the Municipal Corporation of Karimnagar does not have a special wing to cheque hygiene levels of hotels and restaurants. Rajendrantha, the Food Inspector of Warangal district, serves as the in-charge food inspector for the erstwhile Karimnagar.
Effective labels for food items recommended
The draft laws state high in fat, sugar or salt food products “shall not be advertised to kids in any form”, the CSE said.
New Delhi: A Delhi-based green body on Wednesday said it has submitted recommendations to FSSAI on the draft regulations on labelling released by the food regulator, urging it to make the norms “effective and stringent”.
In April, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a draft of the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2018 and sought comments from stakeholders.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in a statement said that the draft has “major gaps” and called for making it “effective and stringent”. The CSE said it has submitted recommendations to FSSAI to “ensure a labelling framework in the country”.
CSE deputy director general C. Bhushan said: “A strict labelling law is important to combat obesity and non-communicable diseases plaguing our country. Though this draft directives are a good beginning, it has major gaps that need to be plugged to make it effective.” One of the “gaps” the CSE said the draft “dosen’t provide for labelling of crucial aspects such as added sugar and dietary fibres”.
CSE programme director (food, safety and toxins) A. Khurana said: “Health and nutrition experts recommend it is best to avoid added sugar in food items. It can be measured and controlled and hence must be labelled. Also, dietary fibre is a key beneficial component of our diet and must be labelled. This will help consumers make informed and healthy food choices.”
The draft laws state high in fat, sugar or salt food products “shall not be advertised to kids in any form”, the CSE said. CSE programme manager S. Taneja said: “Kids are consumers of HFSS items. With many kids becoming obese, the FSSAI must adopt to regulate ads of HFSS foods.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)