Aug 22, 2018
FSSAI to limit trans-fats in edible vegetable oils
BENGALURU: THE Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of notifying the limits of trans-fat in all edible vegetable oil and fats to be not more than 2 per cent by weight in a phased manner by 2022.Heart Care Foundation of India (HCFI) had written to the Prime Minister, health minister, and law minister to ban trans fats in all restaurants, cafes, hotels, and grocery items in India.
In a response to HCF, FSSAI, in a letter, said, “The Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, prescribe that the trans-fat shall not be more than 5 per cent by weight in some types of vegetable fats. The FSSAI is in the process of notifying the limits of trans-fat in all edible vegetable oils and fats to be not more than 2 per cent by weight in a phased manner by 2022.”
Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned artificial trans fats from American restaurants and grocery store food items. Dr K K Aggarwal, former president of the Indian Medical Association, and president of HCF said, “Trans fats are chemically made by adding hydrogen to vegetable oil. It increases the shelf life of packaged foods, and restaurants like to use it as oil for deep frying because it doesn’t need to be changed as often as other oils.”
“The FDA’s move should be replicated in India as well. Trans fats boost LDL (bad cholesterol) as much as saturated fats and also lower protective HDL (good cholesterol). Apart from this, they rev-up inflammation and increase formation of blood clots inside blood vessels,” he added.Foods rich in trans fats tend to be high in added sugar and calories. Over time, these can pave way for weight gain and even Type II diabetes, not to mention heart problems.
2,060kg of paneer made with sulphuric acid seized
MOHALI: Your favourite paneer may well be made with detergent and urea and processed with sulphuric acid. That’s how an illegal factory was suspected to be producing the food item till a joint team of the health department, police and Progressive Dairy Farmers Association raided the joint at Ballomajra village in Mohali in the early hours of Tuesday. And, the haul was alarming: 2,060kg of spurious paneer, 120 litres of sulphuric acid, 135 bags each of 25kg of skimmed milk powder, 89kg of butter and 25kg of khoya.
K S Pannu, commissioner, food and drug administration, Punjab, said the factory was producing spurious paneer. The factory was sealed and the owner, Ashok Kumar, arrested on charges of adulteration of food or drink, sale of noxious food or drink and cheating.
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The detection of illegal units manufacturing synthetic milk and milk products has brought to fore how adulteration has become a big business. The perpetrators are unmindful of how injurious for human consumption their products are, or that they are likely to cause grievous hurt. Their eye is only on profit. People who cause so much harm to people’s health, need to be dealt with a tough hand. The proposed amendments in the food safety act mandating stiff penalty, including life term and heavy fines, for people involved in adulteration should be brought in quickly so that such people can be punished.
District health officer Rajbir Singh Kang said following directions of the minster for animal husbandry and dairy development Balbir Singh Sidhu, the team raided the factory at 4 am.
Samples of desi ghee, skimmed milk powder, paneer, milk and curd suspected to be prepared from adulterants were sent for analysis to a food lab in Kharar. An FIR (first information report) was registered under Sections 272, 273, 336 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the accused at Balongi police station.
Kang said, “The factory was operating without any licence and the unit was unhygienic. The utensils used to compress paneer slabs were fungusinfected. We have sealed the factory and booked the owner.”
Four of 21 panipuri samples found to be substandard: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation
After a food sampling session, the civic authority declared four of 21 samples substandard. After banning the sale of panipuri in Vadodara, the health officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation collected panipuri samples randomly across the city.
Two samples of mithi chutney, the watery mix served with panipuris, and ragda were found to be substandard, declared a report complied by the health department. Mithi chutney of Mahalakshmi Panipuri and an unnamed stall located at Lal Darwaja, ragda of Mita Panipuri in Odhav, and the water of an unnamed stall near Apna Bazar were found to be substandard.
Dr Bhavin Solanki, in-charge, medical officer of health, said, "Taking cognizance of health hazards, we are taking food samples and sending them for laboratory testing. We want to ensure that people eat safe and hygienic food, as per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India."
What does substandard mean?
According to food inspector Rakesh Gamit, the department collects random samples of food items around the year to check for adulteration. "There are food safety norms defined under section 3 (a) of Food Safety & Standard Act, 2006. As per that, a food can be safe, unsafe, substandard, or misbranded," said Gamit.
The samples are categorised as follows:
Unsafe – Food sample that contains non-permitted ingredients, addictive colours and flavours. If insects are found in any sample that is also considered unsafe.
Substandard – Food sample that does not meet standards as laid down by the regulation, but which may not really be unsafe. For example, milk should contain a certain amount of fat; if the sample doesn't have the required amount of fat, it is declared as substandard.
Misbranded – Food sample making false claims on its package labels or for advertisements. If dates are not mentioned or address is not mentioned on a packet, that is also called misbranded.
EATERIES INSPECTED
AMC collected Rs 66,000 in fines from 8 units for not maintaining sanitation standards. Nini’s Kitchen, HK Foods, Shri Marutinandan, Singaporian Hotel, Dakshinayan, Barbecue Nation, and We Deshi were inspected by the health squad.
1,550 litres of edible oil seized
Tirupur: The district food safety and drug administration on Monday seized 1,550 litres of edible oil from an illegal oil packaging unit near Moolanur here.
“Based on a tip-off, officers inspected the unit at Ganesan Pudur and found that sunflower refined oil and groundnut oil were packed in half-litre packs and 15-litre tins under labels like Suguna Gold Sunflower Oil, Jaya Garuda and Tirupathi Groundnut Oils,” said an official. “The address — Alagapuri Nagar in Vellakoil — on the labels was fake. The unit was also functioning without a licence. But it printed false licence number on packets,” the official added.
Sweet shops under scanner ahead of Rakshabandhan
Vadodara: Food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) cracked down upon sweet shops in the city ahead of the Raksha Bandhan festival. The surprise checks were conducted as shops prepare and stock sweets in advance for the festival.
According to VMC officials, the checking was conducted in the Gotri, New VIP Road, Manjalpur, Alkapuri and Rajmahal Road areas of the city. Samples of various sweets made from ‘mava’, dry fruits and other material. Samples of sweets with silver foil were also collected for testing.
Officials said that in all six shops were checked despite the showers on Tuesday. Nine samples of sweets being sold at these shops were sent to the public health laboratory for testing. The officials pointed out that the checking also focussed on ensuring that the shops maintained hygienic conditions in wake of the ongoing monsoon season.
The drive will continue in the coming days till the weekend as Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated on Sunday. Cases will be filed in case the samples collected by the officers are found adulterated or substandard.
Major haul of gutkha in Krishnagiri
Police personnel with the seized gutkha in Krishnagiri.
In a major haul, police seized three trucks and a container of gutkha in Krishnagiri and Thoppur toll gates on Tuesday.
The trucks were commissioned to take the tobacco products from Bengaluru to Chidambaram and Nagercoil.
Krishnagiri taluk police were put on alert after the office of the Superintendent of Police was tipped off on the consignment.
Past midnight, three trucks were intercepted near the toll gate. The trucks were found stacked with 50 sacks of gutkha each.
On being questioned, the drivers --Arumugam (30) of Tivannamalai, Arun Kumar (25) of Villupuram, and Mani(30) of Krishnagiri -- revealed that another container truck with a higher stack of contraband substance had already crossed Krishnagiri. Thoppur police were alerted and the truck was intercepted at the toll gate in Thoppur.
The container had 90 sacks of gutka and tobacco, reportedly worth Rs. 15 lakh. The driver of the container truck, Ramesh Babu (40) of Krishnagiri, was arrested by Dharmapuri police.
More seizure
Food Safety officials seized 450 kg of gutkha from a godown at Town Hall here. While inspecting shops and godowns, a food safety team led by designated officer Brinda found the gutkha in one of the godowns. It was said to be worth over Rs. 10 lakh.
Amarinder asks officers to explore ways to strengthen food law
Chandigarh, Aug 21 Taking serious note of the recent seizure of spurious milk and dairy products from a Patiala factory, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh today directed officers to explore ways to strengthen the law on food adulteration.
The directive came at a meeting of the state cabinet here, which took serious note of the seizure of adulterated food in Patiala and other places, and mooted stringent punishment for such offences.
Noting that the subject of food adulteration was covered by a central legislation, the chief minister asked the officers concerned to work out best possible ways to deal more strictly with such cases, an official spokesperson said.
The state should find its own ways of ensuring stricter punishment for those playing with the lives of people, especially children, through adulteration of milk, milk products and other food items, the chief minister said during an informal discussion on the issue.
Cabinet members unanimously underlined the need for strong measures to check such offences, the official said.
On Sunday, Punjab Health minister Brahm Mohindra too had warned those indulging in making spurious and adulterated milk and milk products in the state.
He had ordered district health officers and assistant food commissioners to take stern action against the culprits under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
40% Eateries Listed On Food Delivery Apps Don’t Have Licences, FSSAI Asks To Delist Them
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on August 1 had given a two-week deadline to 10 online food delivery companies to delist unlicensed restaurants. According to the regulator, about 30-40% of the restaurants listed on the e-commerce sites had failed to meet FSSAI’s deadline for obtaining a license, despite being told by the regulator to comply with the norms by July-end. The two-week deadline has now come to an end as well.
The regulator had asked Swiggy, Zomato, Uber Eats and seven other e-commerce firms engaged in the food business to ensure that the eateries and restaurants listed on their platforms are duly licensed. Not only that, but FSSAI had also notified them to comply with the norms and submit a detailed report on the “actions taken” and the details of the Food Business Operator (FBOs) listed on their platforms by the end of July. Foodpanda, JusFood, LimeTray, Box8, Faasos, FoodCloud and Foodmingo were the seven other firms that had been ordered to delist non-licensed eateries. In a review meeting which was held on August 1, it was found that in many cases, eateries had recently applied for the licenses and had yet not received it at the time.
As reported by the Financial Express, the regulator said in a statement,“Following a series of complaints related to sub-standard food being supplied by food businesses listed on e-commerce foodservice platforms, FSSAI has directed 10 such platforms to debar the non-FSSAI licensed/registered food operators and ensured compliance of food safety rules and regulations.”
40% listed eateries still without licenses
In a review meeting held on August 1, FSSAI noted that there are leading eateries running their business without a valid licence. Further, It was revealed that around 30-40% of the restaurants listed on food delivery apps are either unregistered or unlicensed. Some of them may have applied for the licenses but they have not been approved yet, FSSAI in a press statement.
According to FSSAI, it is also being advised to eateries to conduct food safety and hygiene training on their listed outlets, displaying the “Food Safety Boards” on their premises. It further stated, “It has also been decided to conduct audit of IT platforms of these e-Commerce food aggregators from the angle of compliances for food safety and hygiene under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 read with Food Safety (Licensing and Registration) Regulations, 2011.”
“(We appeal to) aggregators to begin to use some of their resources in training and capacity building of restaurants for improving food safety and hygiene rather than focusing only on deep discounts and aggressive marketing to build consumer traction to their respective platforms,” Pawan Agarwal, CEO of FSSAI, said in a statement on August 1.
Working to delist eateries without licenses
“We are working with reputed third-party agencies to set up a support system and help expedite this process for them,” A Swiggy representative told the Business Line. A spokesperson of Zomato told the daily, “While we can’t comment on the number (of such restaurants) since they are changing by the hour, we can assure that we are working with the FSSAI and the restaurant industry actively to make sure that everybody is compliant with the guidelines.”
Not only that, earlier this year in February, FSSAI had also set some new guidelines for e-Commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs). According to which, the listed FBOs on e-commerce platforms must display their licence numbers. An agreement between the e-commerce platforms and FBOs had also been mandated to comply with the Food Safety and Standards ct, Rules and Regulations.
The Logical Indian Take
The birth of e-commerce has revolutionised the manner in which companies are doing their business. Today, consumers can buy almost anything on the internet without having to leave their homes. Food order and delivery platforms, in particular, seem to be one of the most popular and successful businesses on the internet. FSSAI step is appreciable as they want to make sure that the food we are ordering has gone through safety check as per the guidelines of Food Safety Standards notified by the authorities.
However, in this quest of attracting customers, these companies have somehow missed out on quality check. There were innumerable complaints regarding the poor quality of food being supplied by the food businesses listed on these e-commerce platforms.
Food safety officials start investigations on Tetrapak fruit products
IMPHAL | Aug 21 : Office of the Designated Officer (Food Safety Administration), government of Manipur has informed that Food Safety Officials have inspected the retail and wholesale shops selling fruit drinks or juices in Tetrapaks in prominent places of Bishnupur district.
The team led by Food Security Officer (FSO), Dr. M Dinesh Singh and FSO, H. Premkumar Singh under the instruction of designated officer, Y. Surendro Singh inspected shops at Moirang, Ningthoukhong, Bishnupur and Nambol areas, said a report signed by designated officer, FSA, Bishnupur, Y. Surendro Singh. The initiative was taken up after the Food Safety and Standards Enforcement Wing, Bishnupur came across a video clip uploaded on a social media showing fibrous black substances found in fruit drinks or juices packed in tetrapaks especially Frooti and Minute Maid brands, it said.
Irrespective of the brand names, the Food Safety Officers collected surveillance samples from various other brands including Minute Maid, Mango Punch, Real, Frooto, Frooti, Appy and Maaza amongst others, the report stated while adding that the collected samples are to be sent to the State Public Health laboratory for analysis.
It further stated that the food safety officials instructed the food business operators (FBOs) and the public to be aware and immediately report any such incident to the Safety and Standards Enforcement Wing, Bishnupur or to a nearby police station. Instructions were also given to the FBOs to store the food in appropriate conditions mentioned on the food packets, it added.
It might be mentioned that tetrapaks fruit juice products are immensely popular in the state due to the soaring temperatures in Manipur although the packaging material is opaque and the consumers do not have any ideas about the condition of the products.
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