DINAKARAN NEWS

Now, ‘Food safety display boards’ mandatory for outlets

Jaipur: Upbeat after the recent drive unearthing food units involved in adulteration of food items, health department has made it mandatory to display ‘food safety display boards’ (FSDB) at food outlets. The boards will be installed at manufacturing units, storage units and also at retail counters, dairies and other eateries, ensuring sale of hygienic food. 

Besides, the health department has made it mandatory for online food suppliers to procure food license from the health department. “We are taking strict measures to ensure sale of hygienic food in the state. We have issued orders to all the online food suppliers to procure food license. We have made it mandatory,” said Dr Sunil Singh, nodal officer, food safety, health department. 

Dr Singh said that it has also been directed to all the eateries and those involved in sale of and producing food products, to display their food license number by putting up food safety display board (FSDB). The FSDB is now mandatory for those dealing in sale of food, such as restaurants and hotels. 

There will be a toll-free number printed on FSDB, which will be helpful for customers. “If a customer finds that the food is unhygienic, he/she may register his/her complaint through the toll-free number. On the basis of complaint, action will be taken, if the owner of the restaurant is found guilty,” Dr Singh said.

The FSDB is a kind of assurance that a fruit and vegetable retailer gives to his customer that he follows 10 golden rules, such as keeping his cart or premises clean and pest-free, clean clothes, use potable water for washing fruits and vegetables, wash hands before and after handling food and after using toilets, coughing, sneezing, keep sliced foods and vegetables covered, wash chopping board and knives clean, do not handle food when unwell, use water-proof bandage to cover cuts or burn wounds, keep dustbins covered, use clean and separate dusters to clean surfaces and wipe utensils. 

Separate orders and separate FSDB format, have also been issued for liquor retail/wholesale shops, manufacturers, street-food vendors, all goods retail stores, milk retail/wholesale milk dairies, storage, transport, restaurant/hotels and meat retail/wholesale traders.

As per the Food Safety and Standards Regulation, there is a mandatory requirement of displaying FSSAI license/registration number at food premises. Usually, the FSSAI license number is not visible to the consumers. Thus, to change the overall consumer perceptibility and to strengthen food safety, FSSAI has introduced FSDB (FSDBs) for various food businesses. Henceforth, in addition to the existing mandatory requirement of displaying FSSAI license/registration number, it will also be mandatory for FBOs to display these FSDBs on FBO premises.

McDowell's water banned in J&K after e-Coli found

Jammu and Kashmir's Food Commissioner has banned the sale and supply of McDowell's packaged drinking water in the state after the detection of E. coli bacteria in it.

An official statement by the Commissioner described McDowell's No.1 Platinum Packaged Drinking Water as "unsafe".

"The public in general and the stakeholders in particular are informed through the medium of this notice to discontinue use or stop sale of above food products," said the notice dated March 29.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), however, will not go for any action against McDowell's packaged water at the national level as the issue was found in only a particular batch, its CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said.

"It doesn't require action at the national level. They found E.coli in one particular lot or batch and they have issued an alert. It's about a particular batch, not about an overall brand," Agarwal told IANS.

"The batch may have been processed in a unit in J&K... that they have not been able to confirm to me. If the particular unit where the batch was processed is located in that particular state, it would be advisable for them to visit that and see the hygiene practices in that unit."

The FSSAI chief also said that the state Food Commissioner has also given liberty to the company to get their products tested at a FSSAI notified lab and "it is for the company to that".

Warning message on liquor bottles from April 1

All liquor bottles will need to carry cautionary messages such as "Drinking is injurious to health" and "Don't Drink and Drive" on their labels from April 1, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on Monday.

The food regulator has issued directives making mandatory for alcoholic beverage bottles of up to 200 ml to carry the labelled warning message with capital letters no less than 1.5 mm high while the bottles larger than 200 ml should have letters at least 3 mm tall.

It also said warning messages should be printed in English and one or more local languages as prescribed by the state governments.

A time period of six months is allowed for use of old unused labels and printed cans.

Also, alcoholic beverages manufactured before April 1, 2019 can be sold in the market till March 31 next year or finalisation of the parameter for yeast in beer, whichever is later.

FSSAI To Clamp Down On Fake Ripening Of Fruits And Vegetables

The regulator said that artificial ripening of fruits using prohibited substances poses a serious threat to the health of consumers.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will commence effective supervision and implementation activities to remove any possibility of artificial ripening of fruits with harmful and banned substances like calcium carbide or acetylene gas.

The regulator said that artificial ripening of fruits using prohibited substances poses a serious threat to the health of consumers. Taking under consideration the rampant use of banned calcium carbide and non-availability of an alternative ripening agent, the FSSAI has instead permitted the use of ethylene for ripening of fruits since 2016.

All states and Union territories have been directed by the FSSAI to initiate a strict drive against artificial ripening of fruits with harmful and banned substances like calcium carbide or acetylene gas.

The regulator stated in the order that the commissioners of food safety of all states/Union Territories are directed to initiate effective surveillance and enforcement activities to rule out any possibility of ripening the fruits with the aid of harmful substances. They are also advised to do a similar exercise for vegetables where the level of pesticides will be checked.

Although strictly prohibited under the food law, calcium carbide and acetylene gas, are used for easy ripening of fruits like mango, papaya, banana and melons. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in state is on the lookout for cases of artificially ripened mangoes.

A senior FDA officer said that they have received notifications and they’ve been acting on such things since the past. This year, they are tightening all the ways in which these fruit vendors are selling their goods in the market.