Jun 26, 2018
‘FSSAI should ensure pack warning labels’
Jaipur: City-based CUTS (Consumer Unity & Trust Society) International and global health experts have suggested the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ensure that all food items and beverages have front-of-pack warning labels to help consumers make informed decisions.
FSSAI is currently in the process of revising and receiving comments on the draft ‘Food Safety and Standard (Labeling & Display) Regulation, 2018’ in line with the global call by World Health Organization (WHO).
According to experts, excessive consumption of foods and beverages high in trans-fat, sodium, added sugar and saturated fat are a major cause of heart disease, stroke and premature deaths in India and around the world.
For Rajasthan, it holds a lot of significance as a recent study has revealed that the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and other heart ailments among the people in the desert state is very high at 14-15% in the country after Kerala where the risk is highest at 19.5%. According to the study, Rajasthan and Punjab have highest consumption of vanaspati oil which has high levels of trans-fats.
“The warning labels with correct and visible information can act as a trigger in restricting the prevalence of cardiovascular and other heart diseases further and giving options for informed decision making to consumers in Rajasthan,” said George Cheriyan, director of CUTS International.
The FSSAI has committed to limit the amount of trans-fat in oils from the current permitted level of 5% to 2% by 2022. In 2015, the amount of trans-fat in oils was brought down from 10% to the current level.
“Consumers need to have the right information to be able to make informed decisions about what they eat, professor of nutrition at University of North Carolina,” Dr. Barry Popkin said in a statement.
Dr Popkin is one of the 28 international health and nutrition experts who have jointly submitted suggestions to the FSSAI in a letter written on June 13.
He said governments around the globe consider mandatory front-of-pack warning labels an effective and evidence-based way to improve diets.
Dirty restaurant kitchens put off Vijayawada foodies
Vijayawada: While the city has a number of posh restaurants coming up with fancy, creative interiors, the kitchens remain unhygienic and a major cause of concern for citizens.
A number of incidents of pests and vermin being found in food of customers have been reported in the recent past. On June 22, two persons fell sick after they inadvertently consumed Chicken Dum Biryani with a lizrd in it at Silver Spoon Restaurant in Vijayawada.
By the time, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) arrived at the spot after taking suo moto cognisance of news reports of the ‘lizard’ biryani, the restaurant managed to dump all evidence. Further, the customers left the premises and so no action could be taken. Speaking to TOI, assistant food controller of FSSAI Purnachandra Rao said no action could be taken against the restaurant as there was no scientific evidence found at the place which could not be sent for the state laboratory’s stamp.
“By the time we reached the restaurant, there was no sign of the customer nor the left over biryani as seen in the picture (in news reports). If only we could have recovered the evidence and sent it to the lab, then we could have taken judicial action against them,” Rao told TOI. This isn’t the only incident where action couldn’t be taken against erring restaurant owners, there was a recent incident where one of the biggest Biryani restaurant chains (originally from Hyderabad) in Guntur served food with worms in it. However, no one complained to the FSSAI and no action was taken.
FSSAI officials said most of their enforcement works are done on suo moto basis and enforcement drives but complaints come rarely to them, leaving food safety neglected. A case-in-point could be the FSSAI’s enforcement action at Kanaka Durga Temple in December 2017 when they deemed laddus being served to devotees below prescribed standards.
Another aspect of food safety being neglected could be gathered from the state government’s unwillingness to strengthen the understaffed food safety department. Officials said they need more men to carry out operation.
“The reason customers end up finding lizards or insects in their food is because of unhygienic kitchens. A consumer might feel insect in his food is a small thing but once we get a complaint we thoroughly check every aspect of the food production process,” Rao added.
Salt Lake food samples ‘unsafe’
Police raids a Newtown rotten meat shop .
KOLKATA: Meat and other food samples that were collected by the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation over the last one and a half months from a number of eateries and restaurants in and around Salt Lake and Rajarhat have been found to be unsafe for consumption.
The civic authorities had earlier sent around 33 samples to the state food safety lab for tests.After more than a month, the civic authorities received test reports of 13 out of 33 samples on Monday. What’s worse, out of the 13 samples, eight of them have been found to be ‘unsafe’ for consumption.
Civic authorities said the eight samples have excess level of a number of common bacteria. “We will now send the test report to the state health department following which appropriate action would be taken as per instructions from higher authorities. We are also for test reports of the rest 20 samples,” said Bidhannagar Corporation MMiC (Health) Pranay Roy.
The Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation had conducted raids at several eateries and restaurants in different places of Salt Lake and Rajarhat from the second week of May.
Adulterated edible oil seized
Officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) seized over 3,000 litres of adulterated edible oil during a raid in a godown owned by a private oil dealer at Sreenivasapuram area in Avinashi on Sunday.
The team of officials, led by the Designated Officer of FSSAI Tamilselvan, also seized fake labels printed and kept in the godown.
School students hospitalised
Four students of the Ponnara Sreedhar Memorial Upper Primary School in Muttathara were taken ill for suspected food poisoning, triggering an agitation at the school on Monday.
The students, three of whom hailed from a family, were admitted to SAT Hospital here after they developed uneasiness, including vomiting, fatigue, nausea and diarrhoea. The students had consumed boiled egg and milk provided by the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation-run school on Wednesday. Since Friday, they sought treatment at various hospitals at Valiyathura, Fort and Thycaud, before being referred to SAT Hospital.
While two students were discharged on Monday, the others continue to be under treatment. Among them, the condition of a Class 5 student, kept on ventilator, is critical, according to hospital authorities.
Cheriyathura resident Nicholas, whose daughter, a LKG student, was among those hospitalised alleged that rotten, foul-smelling eggs had been served to students, some of whom refused to consume them. Besides, the eggs had not been purchased from an approved outlet, he alleged.
Protest
Hearing about the incident, other guardians and activists of the DYFI launched a protest and attempted to barge into the Headmistress’s room, prompting the Fort police to intervene to bring the situation under control.
Thiruvananthapuram Mayor V.K. Prasanth and Deputy Mayor Rakhi Ravikumar visited the school and took stock of the situation. Later, Mr. Prasanth told mediapersons that there were lapses on the part of the school officials. They had failed to report the incident to the government, local body or even, the ward councillor. Stringent action would be recommended against those responsible, he added.
Probe launched
Education standing committee chairperson S. Unnikrishnan said it was yet to be ascertained whether the students had fallen ill after consuming the eggs, which all of the 140 students in the school had consumed. Nevertheless, the parents-teachers association (PTA) president and the class teacher had failed to report the incident to the Headmistress. A probe into the issue has been launched by both the Corporation and the police.
The Corporation’s health wing and food safety officials inspected the premises and the storeroom where food items were kept. The police have registered a case, invoking various provisions including Section 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code.
In a statement, V.S. Sivakumar, MLA, who visited the children, has demanded a comprehensive probe into the incident. The government must also ensure specialised treatment for those were hospitalised.
Hazardous edibles
While various state government throughout the country have been pulling up their respective departments responsible for consumer affairs, environment and food safety to name a few to prevent offences having serious consequences on the health and lives of people; the government of Nagaland appears to be least concerned. In most states where the departments involved in food and safety items are functioning, no food item can only be sold in the market before the contents are tested and approved or have the required certification from the central ministry. Food inspectors need to tighten up their act by involving the public by creating awareness on such issues. Public today are expected to be aware of many such issues- adulterants, colorants and chemicals that are found in most of the food items sold and consumed everyday. There are far too many unscrupulous traders who are selling highly adulterated food items. There are also many more who sell expired food items including medicines. These require to be constantly monitored. However, it is quite lamentable that the state authorities have not been able to come down heavily against most eating places that continue to flout the laws. Food safety that should include stringent inspections of kitchens and cooking items used in all restaurants and hotels.
The recent launch of the ‘Food Safety On Wheels’ should play a very important role in exposing those involved with selling adulterated or harmful food products. Funded by the government of India and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the ‘Food Safety On Wheels’ could eventually prove to be the best safeguard against harmful items found in almost all food products; only if provided, it is utilised properly. Modern fast foods are among the most harmful contributors of various ailments. These fast food items contain no nutrients beneficial to the human body. In most cases, they are identified as a major cause of heart diseases including myocardial infraction, cardiac arrest and atherosclerosis. Even vegetables and lentils are found to contain harmful substances, some of which are poisonous. Vegetables and lentils are also laced with harmful pesticides and DDT which are ingrained within. Meat consumption has an annual import bill of around Rs. 250 crore to meet the demands of an overwhelming number of meat consumers especially those who relish pork. There is also widespread use of hormones and steroid for feeding pigs to achieve 40% more growth above normal by looking fatter, at the shortest time possible period.
The danger to human health, especially in a demand-supply chain also involves everything that is consumed. Harmful substances can also be found in some of the vegetables and fruits which have high amount of harmful substances. Popular condiments have been found to be mixed with dyes and even other substances unfit for human consumption. Authorities responsible for checking food safety have much work to do after being dormant throughout the decades. What is needed is stricter implementation of various clauses concerning food items and conviction of the guilty. In India the adulteration of food in particular has reached a scandalous level that many countries routinely reject stuff made in the country. There is one-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1 lakh even in those cases in which food does not result in illness. It is a big challenge to rock the boat and shake the nefarious vice that has been feeding harmful food items to people.
Wrapping food in newspapers rampant, advisories turn flop
We are conducting drives in markets: Official
The wrapping of food items in newspapers by street vendors is rampant across Kashmir markets while the advisories issued by the government against health hazard have turned flop.
Food items wrapped in newspapers according to doctors contains bio-active materials with known negative health effects.
Ghulam Mohammad, 45 a resident of Batamaloo is not aware of the consequences of wrapping food items in newspapers.
“If the ink is bad for health, then authorities must curb it. Vendors are doing it openly and there are no checks on them,” he said.
Auqib, a postgraduate student at Kashmir University said he has been visiting Srinagar from the past three years and often brings snacks but he gets it in wrapped newspapers.
The vendors in the markets, he said are least bothered about the health of customers. “They aren’t aware of the consequences of using newspapers to wrap the foods.”
Saqib, who hails from Budgam, said checking squads, is a must if authorities are concerned about human health.
“People are wealthy but not healthy. We aren’t sure what we are being offered in markets,” he said.
People raise eyebrows over the lackadaisical approach of the health department for failing to check the menace which is rampant.
“I have never seen any checking in the markets which is very unfortunate. The menace is seen everywhere but authorities are less bothered about it,” he said.
According to doctors, newspapers, even paper or cardboard boxes made of recycled paper may be contain metallic residues, mineral oils and harmful chemicals like phthalates, which can cause digestive problems and lead to severe toxicity.
State Surveillance Officer Disease Control, Dr Manzoor Qadri told Rising Kashmir that they had issued an advisory in the past.
“Use of newspapers for wrapping food is a common practice in India and this is a food safety hazard. It is an unhealthy practice and the consumption of such kind of food is injurious to health, even if the food has been cooked hygienically,” he said.
Qadri said people are being slowly being poisoned due to the newspapers being widely used as food packing material by small hotels, vendors and also in homes in lieu of absorbent paper.
“Printing inks may also contain harmful colors, pigments, binders, additives and preservatives.”
He said older people; teenagers; children and people with compromised vital organs and immune system are at grave risk of acquiring cancer-related health complications if they are exposed to food packed in such material.
Most of the street vendors sell fried foods in the ink papers and don’t adhere to the guidelines while the situation at grassroots remains the same.
“A newspaper shouldn’t be used wrap food or to absorb oil. There is an urgent need to discourage the use of newspapers as food packaging material by creating awareness,” Qadri told Rising Kashmir
Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety, Srinagar Hilal A Mir said “We are conducting drives in the markets. We have been able to curb it at religious places especially outside nes,” he said.
In February 2017, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda directed the food regulatory authority against the practice of covering food items in newspapers in India.
“There are complaints that vendors use the newspapers in small streets. We wouldn’t allow them to do so and will work tough against them,” Mir said.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has banned the use of newspapers for wrapping food items.
Let’s talk food safety
What is in your meal and where did the ingredients come from?
Were they properly, and safely handled at every stage, from farm to plate? While our society’s attitude to food safety, especially purchased edibles, has been lackadaisical, the Nagaland State Health and Family Welfare Department’s recent notifications on food safety violations in the state are an eye opener.
The several food safety violations pointed out by the Food Safety Cell of the state included selling of bottled water without BIS certificate; the misbranding of certain food articles; adulteration of powdered spices; artificially ripening fruits using Carbide gas; and using formalin to treat fish and crustaceans for sale.
In addition to the notifications, the health department has stated that it would conduct checks to ensure that food safety standards are maintained. And more specifically, field tests on fish and crustaceans, to check if they have been treated with formalin, are underway, as per the department.
With the hope that the department performs these checks properly and enforces food safety regulations stringently, it is important to realize that action is needed to understand and streamline the supply chain and ask stakeholders to promote food safety.
India has stringent food safety standards set in the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Rules and Regulations, 2011. Yet, the quality of food remains a concern.
The reason lies in implementation of the laws and regulations. The food industry has the primary responsibility to prevent food safety problems. But considering the huge scale, large diversity, and complexity of the market, it is very difficult to ensure their compliance with the high safety standards.
Further, small enterprises might not be able to implement the wide array of required tests, which can be costly.
Like the food industry, the regulatory system itself is also complex, involving several different government agencies at national, provincial, and local levels, with overlapping duties but often without effective coordination.
Prevention of food problems is a shared responsibility of all producers, regulators, and consumers. Aside from imposing severe penalties on food outlets that do not follow safety rules and are responsible for health hazards, regulators can also provide support and training for the food industry to achieve acceptable safety standards.
Additionally, increased public awareness and more transparent reports of all food safety issues in, particularly tracking of food-borne diseases, could facilitate implementation of food safety measures.
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