Press Release - Swasth Bharat Yatra flags of from Leh, Panaji, Puducherry

Govt launches 'Swastha Bharat Yatra' campaign to create awareness about safe food

New Delhi, Oct 16 () The government Tuesday launched a national campaign 'Swasth Bharat Yatra' on the World Food Day under which a pan-India cycle rally is being organised to sensitise people about eating safe food and be healthy, FSSAI chief executive Pawan Kumar Agarwal said.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is leading this campaign where about 7,500 cyclists are expected to participate in over 18,000 km relay cycle rally travelling across six tracks through almost every state and UT over 100 days to propagate a powerful message 'Eat Right India'. The cyclathon will culminate in the national capital on January 27.

"We are not mindful of wheat we are eating. What we eat is important. Therefore, we want consumers to demand safe and healthy food which will force food businesses to manufacture only those products," Agarwal told reporters here.

He said the campaign has been launched by the central government, in association with states, from October 16 on occasion of the World Food Day. The FSSAI is leading this campaign to create consumer awareness about eating safe and nutritious food for becoming healthy.

The 'Swasth Bharat Yatra' was launched simultaneously at Leh (in Jammu & Kashmir), Panaji (Goa), Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Puducherry, Ranchi ( Jharkhand) and Agarthala (Tripura).

From October 16 to January 27, 2019, on every single day, 150 volunteer cyclists and a convoy including the 'Eat Right Mobile Unit' and 'Mobile Food Testing Unit' would travel across the country to build awareness around food safety, combating food adulteration and healthy diets.

"In all, over 7,500 volunteer cyclists would stop at 2,000+ locations and conduct in-city and en-route activities and 'Prabhat Pheris' to propagate the message of Eat Right India," the food safety regulator said.

Agarwal said there is sufficient availability of food in the country and barring few crops India is self sufficient. The government is also making available foods at a cheaper rates to people through a public distribution system and other welfare schemes with an annual subsidy of about Rs 2 lakh crore.

"We do not have any issue with availability and affordability of food. But there is an issue with quality and safety of food that we eat," he said, adding that the regulator has taken a number of initiatives in the last few years to nudge consumers as well as food businesses towards addressing this matter.

Elaborating on the campaign, Agarwal said this would not only mobilise the masses but also create a large pool of local community to sustain this movement.Asked about India's 103rd rank in 'Global Hunger Index' out of 119 countries, Agarwal said there is a need to analyse the parameters on which the countries have been ranked in this study.

World Food Day: Motorcycle rally spreads ‘less salt, less sugar and less fat’ message in Trichy

TRICHY: The Trichy district food safety department conducted a motorcycle rally here on Tuesday, on the occasion of the World Food Day (October 16), to spread the “less salt, less sugar and less fat” message among the residents. 

Around 200 people, including members from Integrated Child Development Services and food safety department, other government officials, food business operators and college students participated in the rally. 

District collector K Rajamani flagged off the rally from Chathiram Bus Stand. It ended at Uzhavar Sandhai grounds.

Students from Kalai Kaviri College of Fine Arts performed a drama near Central Bus Stand to create awareness about safe eating.

Speaking about the reason for choosing the ‘less salt, less sugar and less fat’ theme, designated officer for Trichy district food safety department Dr R Chitra said they had selected it since lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart diseases and hypertension were rampant among people. 

“When it comes to eating safe, reducing consumption of salt, sugar and fat are the three most important practices that people should follow. When this is regulated properly – coupled with exercises – people can reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases,” she said.

The rally was held in solidarity with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) ‘Swasth Bharath Yatra’ cycle rallies which were flagged off from six different locations in the country to promote the ‘Eat Right India’ movement.

Formaldehyde issue puts FSSAI in a spot

Panaji: Stating that permissible limits of naturally occurring formaldehyde were not available, the assistant director of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), told the high court of Bombay at Goa that a scientific panel would examine the issue of “setting permissible limits of naturally occurring formaldehyde in fish and fish products”. 

The authority, in its affidavit responding to three petitions over the formalin in fish issue, put the onus on the state government by stating that enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, and Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2011, primarily lay with the state.

The advocate representing the FSSAI told the court that the authority had already given all states a guidance note on formalin. The FSSAI further stated that it has been issuing advisories and directions to all states from time to time for effective and rigorous enforcement. It maintained that it was up to officials of the food safety department of each state to check compliance of standards laid down under the prevalent acts and regulations.

Justice N M Jamdar told the advocate representing the FSSAI that the court had sought the authority’s say in the matter considering that it was an expert body. Stating that the court had expected the FSSAI to apply its mind in the matter, Jamdar said it “cannot simply reproduce the act” (in its affidavit). He added that while the state may be the implementing authority, the central authority is “still the apex body”. 

The issue saw yet another citizen, Sanjeev Raiturcar, file a petition in the formalin in fish issue. Raiturcar has prayed for directions to close down the wholesale fish market at Madel, Margao, and reopen it only once the municipality provided all the necessary infrastructure of drainage, toilets etc. and after consent from the relevant authorities including the Goa State Pollution Control Board was obtained.

The petitioner has also prayed for directions to stop sewage and drainage of toxic water into the Sal and adjoining fields.

17 samples of food items lifted, various shops challaned for insanitary conditions

Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety, Jammu, Dr Parvesh Kumar and his team inspecting packaged mustard oil.

JAMMU, Oct 15: To ensure that no adulterated food item is sold out in the market, Food Safety wing of Drugs and Food Control Organization, Jammu conducted a special drive during ongoing Navratras with a special focus on milk and milk products, edible oils, Drau and Singhara atta and Sabu Dana.

A team of food safety officers led by Dr Parvesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety Jammu under the overall supervision of Commissioner Food Safety, J&K, inspected various sweet shops, grocery shops, Bakery shops and oil mills. As many as 17 samples of various food items were lifted so for which include atta of Singhara and Drau, milk, paneer, curd, edible oil, Sabu Dana.

During the inspection, various shops namely New Baker, Sat Guru sweet shop, Kwality Dhaba at Shastri Nagar, Jandyal sweet shop at Sanjay Nagar Chowk, Chowdhary Milk products at last Morh, Chowdhary Milk shop at Rampura, Chowdhary sweet shop at Shastri Nagar were challaned under insanitary and unhygienic conditions and samples of Milk and Milk products were also lifted from the same shops.

Samples were also lifted from Pahalwan sweet shop at Peer Mitha, Vermani Store at Gandhi Nagar, JK Oil Industry at Gangyal, Ruhi Baker at Gangyal, Future Retail at Jewel, Super Karyana Store, Rajinder Dry Fruit and Karyana Merchant at Jewel.

The team also held an awareness programme for shop keepers outside Dhoodadhari Mandir, Shastri Nagar and Raghunath Mandir, wherein shopkeepers were instructed to maintain norms as per FSS Act 2006 and follow Swacch Bharat Abhiyan.

The team was comprised of Food Safety officers Daleep Singh, Ajay Khajuria, Hans Raj Andorra and Pervaiz Ahmed.

Delivery vehicles smuggling sub-standard sweets caught

Chandigarh, Oct 16 (UNI) In yet another one of its kind illicit movement of sub-standard sweets, the Food Safety Team in two different inspections nabbed two newspaper carrying vehicles smuggling alleged adulterated sweets, Mr Kahan Singh Pannu, Commissioner Food and Drug Administration Punjab, informed.

At about 0430 hrs, the Food Safety Team Pathankot intercepted a TATA Ace vehicle carrying 150 kg boondi dana and about 100 kg burfi.

The driver disclosed that the boondi dana was associated with Inderjit Krishanlal & Sons, Gandhi Camp Jalandhar and produced a challan for the same but no proof regarding the carrying of burfi was produced.

In a similar incident, the same team intercepted a Tata 407 at Dhangu Road carrying 4.05 quintals of sweets linked with Kishore Petha House, Mukerian, hidden under the newspaper stock.