Sep 16, 2018
Now, check quality of packaged water online
FSSAI uploads details of registered suppliers with quality parameters, lab reports
Consumers can now check the quality of the packaged drinking water supplied to them in a matter of minutes.
The website, hosted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), provides details on most of the licensed manufacturing units across the State. There are 1,375 packaged drinking water units across Tamil Nadu. Of these, nearly 1,032 units have so far registered their details on www.safewater.fssai.gov.in.
With just an FSSAI licence number or BIS licence number found on bubble tops, consumers can now check complete information about the water quality. Details, including lab reports, about when the unit was started and various parameters tested for water quality, have been uploaded online.
Voluntary registration
Officials of the FSSAI said that at present the registration of packaged drinking water units was voluntary and that they needed to have licences both from FSSAI and the Bureau of Indian Standards to operate their units. “We are approaching the remaining units in the State through field officers. Results of the samples taken by FSSAI teams are available online,” said an official.
In Chennai, 22 of the 24 operating units, have registered. “We are creating awareness among people about the facilities available to check water quality and register complaints about the poor quality of packaged drinking water,” the official said.
On an average, nearly 40 crore litres of packaged water is sold daily in the State and Chennai and its suburbs consume one-third of the supply.
FSSAI had launched a complaint number — 9444042322 — a year ago, to facilitate registration of complaints by the consumers. Of the 4,368 complaints received in the past one year till August, 133 were related to packaged drinking water.
In a bid to increase awareness about access to safe drinking water and the significance of registering complaints, the FSSAI has been putting up stickers in commercial places and food joints, displaying the helpline number.
There are plans to put up about 6,000 posters in public places to seek consumers’ attention towards the issue. FSSAI teams would take action on the complaint and resolve them within 24 to 48 hours, officials said. If the complaint recurs, FSSAI has the power to close down the unit, they added.
Though it was a welcome initiative to regulate the licensed industry, V. Murali, founder, Greater Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Manufacturers Association, said the FSSAI must focus on shutting down unlicensed manufacturing units that supply a sizeable volume of water. Awareness must be created among consumers about such units that do not conform to norms, he added.
Rotten chicken tumbles out in V&E raid on hotels
Food Safety and Standards Authority officials conducting raids at a hotel in Vijayawada on Saturday
VIJAYAWADA: You need to be careful about the restaurant you decide to go to when you feel like eating out because there are high chances that it flouts the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) rules as most of the famous restaurants in city were caught serving frozen, rotten, or stale meat in the joint raids carried out by FSSAI and Vigilance Enforcement (V&E) officials on Saturday.
The illegal practice of serving food that is unfit for consumption came to light once again when officials found that Tamarind Multicuisine Restaurant, situated near new government hospital, was serving to its customers stale rice and smelly biryani prepared using frozen and rotten chicken.
“During our raids, we found that the restaurant was serving food which was not fit for consumption. The cooking staff was using frozen chicken and stale rice and biryani. The manner in which they were cooking was also unhygienic. They don’t even have a FSSAI license,” FSSAI regional officer N Purnachandra Rao said. Officials collected samples of chicken biryani and chicken wings from the restaurant for testing, and gave an improvement notice to it.
The FSSAI officials also inspected Sri Krupa Mess and Caterers, adjacent to the Tamarind Restaurant. “We found them using poor quality tea powder and corn flour. Samples were collected and action will be initiated against them if the reports deem the food items unfit for consumption,” he said. Two other restaurants raided in Kamayyathopu and Poranki near Vijayawada were indulging in similar practices.
The Tamarind Restaurant case is not an isolated one. On July 17, 2018, FSSAI officials found that Alfa Hotel in Tikkle Road was serving frozen chicken to its customers. Following complaints, officials inspected the hotel and sealed it. In another incident, two friends on July 22 got the shock of their lives when hotel Silver Spoon, Teachers’ Colony, served a cooked lizard along with chicken in the biryani they ordered.
According to sources, there are around 400 identified hotels and restaurants in city, out of which more than 80 per cent flout rules or are running without a valid FSSAI license. “Right from salt to meat, they (errant hotel managements) are using substandard material. Even the food served to patients at the government hospital is better,” said the V&E DSP Vijay Paul, who was one of the officials who conducted the raids.
Denizens also asked officials concerned to take action against the errant food joints.
Food safety staff raid restaurant
Officials of the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted a raid on Tamarind Restaurant, located on Mahanadu Road, opposite New Government General Hospital (GGH), on Saturday.
The team led by V&E DSP R. Vijay Paul and Assistant Food Controller K. Purnachander Rao collected food samples of alleged stale food and meat, and sealed the restaurant.
Inspector Venkateshwarlu said the restaurant management was not maintaining hygiene and was reportedly using leftover food.
The ingredients being used in the dishes were also of poor quality, the officials said.
FSSAI Assam Raids Sweets Factory
Food safety department in collaboration with police and SDRF has conducted an operation at a sweets factory of Kumarpara in Rupnagar on Saturday.
During the operation, many anomalies have come to light.
As per reports, the inspection team has found illegal power supply to the factory. The factory has been using domestic gas cylinders instead of commercial gas cylinders. Food safety department had seized three domestic gas cylinders and 45 liters blue kerosene from the factory.
It may be mentioned that, Food safety department has been running operations in the state against errant food traders. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) has made it mandatory for all the participants of the food related activities to ensure a safe food in compliance to Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
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