Jun 25, 2018
Kerala Food Safety Department vows to intensify inspections at checkposts
With the state witnessing an influx of fish consignments with the highly hazardous chemical, the FSD is weighing the option of a joint enforcement drive.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the state witnessing an influx of fish consignments from neighbouring states with the highly hazardous chemical, formalin, the Food Safety Department is weighing the option of a joint enforcement drive with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Goa.
The Tamil Nadu Food Safety commissioner P Amudha has reportedly already extended her support for a joint drive. “A total of 18,000 kg of inedible fish has been confiscated in the state in four days,” said an enforcement officer. “These consignments came from AP and Tamil Nadu. In this context, there is a plan to seek the assistance of officers from neighbouring states.”
But Kerala Food Safety commissioner M G Rajamanickam played down the matter. According to him, stringent monitoring and enforcement activities will be launched to check the influx of inedible fish. “More than joint drives, our priority is to intensify inspections at checkposts, as within a gap of four days we were able to seize 12,000 kg of fish containing formalin traces and 6,000 kg of rotten fish from checkposts in Thiruvananthapuram and Palakkad districts,” he said.
He said with the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) planning to introduce the paper strip technology on a large scale for use by the public. “Ours is a consumer state. Thus, we can’t enforce a ban on fish consignments from other states. When CIFT starts producing paper strips on a large scale, the public can buy it at about `3 and test the quality of fish themselves,” said Rajamanickam.
At the same time, assistant food safety commissioner A K Mini said the Health Minister has already issued an instruction to the department to strictly enforce the Food Safety and Standards Act and conduct surprise checks in the wake of the trawling ban.
Formalin-laced fish seized
The State Food Safety wing officials during inspection on Sunday seized 6,000 kg of fish preserved using formalin (formaldehyde) at the inter-State border check-post at Walayar in Palakkad.
The seized fish — prawn/shrimp — had been brought in from Andhra Pradesh and preliminary examination using rapid detection strip tests, developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT), revealed the presence of formalin in the fish.
Detailed analysis
Following this, samples were collected and sent for detailed analysis at the CIFT lab in Ernakulam, food safety officials said.
The inspections, as part of Operation Sagar Rani, were led by the Joint Food Safety Commissioner (Administration), along with a team of food safety intelligence officials from Kozhikode and Ernakulam and the district food safety squad in Palakkad. The team inspected 45 vehicles that were found to be transporting fish. Operation Sagar Rani had been launched by the Food Safety department last year to ensure the safety of fish sold in the market and to ensure that it was handled hygienically at the handling and distribution centres.
“Whenever the domestic availability of fish goes down during trawling ban in the State, we should suspect that such unscrupulous methods would be used to bring in fish from neighbouring States. Ammonia and formaldehyde are commonly used to increase the shelf life of fish. The strip test developed by CIFT can detect both chemicals,” said K. Anilkumar, Joint Commissioner of Food Safety.
Food Safety officials suspect that toxic preservatives are being used by people/traders in Kerala who are importing fish from neighbouring States. It is highly unlikely that traders from Andhra Pradesh are directly selling fish in Kerala after preserving it in formalin, they say.
Earlier too, the food safety wing has tried to monitor the quality of fish in the market by collecting samples and sending it for analysis .
“But at the time, rapid detection tests were not available. We had to collect samples and let the consignment go. By the time sample tests results arrived, the fish would have been sold in the retail market. About 16 % of the samples we were sending to the lab were later found to be contaminated. The rapid detection test kits were developed by CIFT in November last following a request from the State Fisheries department and we had purchased it,” Mr. Anilkumar said. Food Safety wing is planning to extend the use of the test kits to the retail markets too.
Senior officials said that the Commissioner of Food Safety department was in touch with his counterparts in other States too regarding the import of contamination of fish.
China-made mango ripener being used in UP; health experts raise an alarm
Muzaffarnagar: Even as most of the fruit lovers wait for the summer season to relish mangoes, the fresh crop of king of fruits has arrived in the state with some serious health concerns. China-made ethylene mango ripener – which ripens the fruit overnight after a sachet of the powder is kept inside a carton of mangoes – is being used openly in the mango farms here. While the food authorities have conducted raids and seized some of these sachets which has been sent for tests, the powder continues to be used at many mango farms in Uttar Pradesh. Meanwhile, health experts have raised an alarm, saying that mangoes ripened with ethylene powder may damage liver and kidney of those who consume them regularly. Doctors have said kids are especially at greater risk in cases where the sachets have been used in excess.
A farmer working at a mango orchard in Muzaffarnagar explained, “It is a chemical made in China – which is available in small sachets. We use four sachets for 20-25 kg of mangoes and it takes hardly four days to ripen them after the sachets are put in a carton full of mangoes.”
Sources say that ethylene mango ripener can be purchased from the market, where it is easily available at the price of Rs 2.5 per sachet.
The Food Safety and Drugs Authority (FSDA) officials have taken its samples from across the state and sent it for tests. “We have taken samples of the Chinese ethylene ripener from across the state after we got a tip-off that it is being used to ripen mangoes in UP. We conducted raids too,” said Vineet Kumar, designated officer, FSDA, Muzaffarnagar.
“We are waiting for the lab report before taking further action,” he said.
Meanwhile, Muzaffarnagar chief medical officer Dr PS Mishra said, “The mangoes ripened with ethylene powder are harmful for health and can infect various organs – especially among children. It can cause damage to liver and kidney and a drive to curb the usage of ethylene powder is on.”
It should be noted that ethylene gas chambers are often used to ripen fruits, but there no clarity as of yet on the safety of ethylene sachets. Earlier, cases of ethylene sachets being used have come up in Coimbatore, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh – and even raids were conducted, but clarity about the usage of these sachets in contrast with usage of the gas (which is permitted by FSSAI) is still not there.
Mandi board, health dept spread awareness on artificial ripening of fruits
LUDHIANA: As a drive has already been underway to check use of chemicals for artificial ripening of fruits, the Punjab Mandi Board, health and horticulturedepartments have taken an initiative to spread awareness among all those associated with the business.
A seminar was organized in new vegetable market near Jalandhar bypass which was attended by more than 80 people who directly deal in fruits and vegetable business.
Punjab Mandi Board’s project director Gurinder Pal Singh Randhawa talked about the ban on calcium carbide, a harmful chemical mostly used in artificial ripening of fruits. Further, Dr B V C Mahajan from PAU made them aware of the use of ethylenegas.
Horticulture development officer Dr Harmel Singh informed participants about subsidy being offered to set up cold storage under the national horticulture mission.
District health officer Dr Andesh Kang explained them in detail about the various aspects of Food Safety Act and steps being taken by the department. She said the department has also destroyed huge quantity of unnaturally ripened fruits recently in this checking drive and collected the samples.
She said this drive would be continued in the coming days and stern action would be taken against the traders, who are indulging in the practice of ripening the fruits artificially by using chemicals.
Rs 10 lakh fine, life term proposed for food adulteration
NEW DELHI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) has proposed stringent punishment of fine of Rs 10 lakh and imprisonment up to life term for those adulterating foodstuff. Besides, the regulator has also suggested creating a 'Food Safety and Nutrition Fund' to support promotional and outreach activities among food businesses and consumers.
The proposals are part of key changes recommended by FSSAI to amend the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The draft proposal, reviewed by TOI , recommended a new section in the FSS Act - Section 59 - that would lead to punishment for seven years, which can be extended up to life imprisonment besides a fine of Rs 10 lakh if individuals or businesses intentionally add adulterants to food products.
The punishment will apply irrespective of the adulteration causing actual injury to consumers.
Officials said the provisions have been proposed in the wake of increasing instances of food adulteration, which are impacting people's health.
The regulator has sought feedback from state governments on the proposal. It also suggested a fund to undertake special programmes on food safety and nutrition.
Modern food habits and hazards
Use of harmful substances for food preservation or addition, has been reported in the past but only recently acknowledge by the state government through the branch of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). There is a list of substances used in a whole range of food products ranging from bread, bakery items, raw fish, and meat products etc. which are considered unsafe and harmful when ingested.
Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavour or improve its taste and appearance. Unfortunately many of these enhancers are also known to cause cancer. Here are some food additives that are being used in India, despite banning them in many countries due to side effects.
Fish imported from faraway places such as South or North India takes around ten to fifteen days to reach distant places. In order make the fish look fresh, wholesale dealers inject formalin, a toxic and carcinogenic chemical commonly used to preserve dead bodies in mortuaries, to prevent fish from deteriorating during transportation.
Pork meat is the top dish in many parts of India and demand outstrips supply. Some growers are known to use hormones or steroids for fast growth. A feature is that the pig eats very little but drinks plenty of liquid. Since the hormones or steroids survive digestion, some worry they could cause harmful effects in humans.
FSSAI Nagaland branch had also cautioned consumers against any packaged drinking water not having BIS certification of FSSAI and sale of which invites liability and punishment with imprisonment under FSSAI Act. In addition to use of formaldehyde for preserving fish or packaged water sold without FSSAI certificate, even use of common plastic for packaging water is also found to be harmful in the long run. A report stated that as plastic affects human health, toxic chemicals leach out of plastic and are found in the blood and tissue of nearly all people. Prolonged consumption of water packaged in ordinary untreated plastic was suspected to be linked to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption and other ailments.
The market is also flooded with food items that are adulterated with artificial non-edible colours found in powdered spices and also using Carbide Gas for artificially repining of fruits that are very harmful for human consumption.
For the uninitiated, preservatives are a type of food additive that is put into packaged food to prolong its shelf life, enhance the taste or keep the colour and nutrients of the product intact.
Another harmful substance used in food items-- Propyl gallate- an antioxidant preservative is used to prolong life of fats and oils-- such as in vegetable oil, chewing gum, meat products, and chicken soup base. It was also said that prolonged use of items having propyl gallate may cause cancer.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is also believed to cause allergies including chest pains, headache, sweating, flushing, numbness or a burning sensation around the mouth etc. FSSAI had also banned use of potassium bromate as food additive in wake of a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) study flagging their harmful effects on health, including causing cancer.
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), banned in the UK, Japan and many other European countries, are widely used by the food industry as preservatives in cereal, baked goods, packaging, cosmetics, snack foods, chewing gum, meats, butter, dehydrated potatoes, beer etc.
Arsenic is highly toxic in its inorganic form and rice has higher levels of inorganic arsenic than other foods. It is banned only in the European Union.
Olestra is a ‘fake’ fat found in foods like chips and French fries. It can have a harmful effect to health by negating the body’s ability to absorb essential vitamins. This fat substitute is banned in the UK and Canada.
Gluten is banned in other parts of India including Delhi . It is a general name for the proteins found in rye, barley and triticale. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together such as in bread and bakery products. Gluten containing wheat protein is like a papercut or splinter digging into the lining of the gut, causing an inflammatory response.
Oils used in fast food are also found to be harmful. In many cases, fast food is highly processed and contains large amounts of carbohydrates, added sugar, unhealthy fats and sodium. The Delhi Government ordered a crackdown on junk food that is sold in schools and within 50 meters of them. Eating foods can increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, lower HDL (good) cholesterol, and increase risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
There are also many eateries using recycled oil several times. Reusing cooking oil increases the cholesterol, creates peroxides acid, causes cancer, attacks organ cells and can infect the white blood cells.
More stringent checks in the market are needed but so far all those responsible departments seem to be dormant except issuing press releases at some intervals. Even in the recent case, FSSAI had not undertaken any field inspections beyond issuing a press statement.
6000 kg of formalin-laced fish seized
Thiruvananthapuram, Jun 24: In a major haul, 6,000 kg of fish, preserved in toxic chemical Formalin, was seized at the border check post of Walayar in northern Palakkad district on Sunday.
The state Food Safety department officials foiled the attempt to ferry the chemical-mixed fish from Andhra Pradesh during a raid carried out as part of the ‘Operation Sagar Rani,’ a drive launched to ensure safety and hygiene at fish handling and distribution centres. As many as 6000 kg of prawns, brought in 45 lorries, was found mixed with Formalin, officials said.
Last week, 12,000 kg of toxic fish, containing Formalin, was confiscated during raids in the state.
Formalin is used to preserve dead bodies and prevent its decay in mortuaries. The widespread use of the deadly chemical nowadays in the preservation of fish, fruit and other food items is posing a great threat to public health.
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