Jun 11, 2019
Multiplex samosa-supplier gets closure notice from FDA, Pune
Officials found that the establishment was not following norms prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Food and drug administration (FDA), Pune, issued a closure notice to MK Enterprises at Kharalwadi, on Saturday.
Food and drug administration (FDA), Pune, issued a closure notice to MK Enterprises at Kharalwadi, on Saturday.
MK Enterprises supplies samosas to Inox, PVR, and E-Square multiplexes in Pimpri-Chinchwad.
Officials found that the establishment was not following norms prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Suresh Deshmukh, joint commissioner FDA, Pune, said, “In the surprise raid conducted by the department, it was found that MK Enterprises was using oil for more than three times for the preparation of samosas.”
“Such samosas were sold at Inox, PVR, E-Square multiplexes in Pimpri-Chinchwad,” added Deshmukh.
“MK Enterprises failed to maintain proper hygiene and cleanliness in the kitchen. Our officers found there were no proper health records of employees working in the kitchen,” he said.
Think twice before nibbling on that exotic street delicacy
Unsafe water and ice found being used at cool drink stalls; most people seem oblivious of risks of eating cut fruits and vegetables kept in unhygienic conditions
The sun is about to set over the Kozhikode beach on a weekend day, and there is a steady stream of visitors strolling on the sandy shores.
“Shall we try a glass of ice urathiyathu?” a young woman asks her husband.
“Oh no, I don’t want to fall sick,” pat came the reply as she was led swiftly away from the mobile cool drink stall.
The crowd around the street vendor, however, kept growing. Standing next to the stall, K. Rajesh, who works for a private firm in the city, is dipping a spoon in the glass containing ice urathiyathu, a drink made of crushed ice, vegetables and fruits, topped with peanuts. “Here you get both sweet and spicy varieties,” he says recommending the drink.
“But don’t you care about the water quality?” “Well, not very sure, but it tastes good,” he says.
Local street foods such as ice urathiyathu are hot favourites with young people here despite the possible health risks from the use of contaminated water or ice blocks. People also blink at the health risks of eating slices of salted cut fruits and vegetables available at wayside stalls.
T.K. Prakasan, health inspector (project in-charge) of the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation, points out that many street vendors are found using ice blocks bought from cold storages that preserve fish for long. The ice may contain formaldehyde which will cause serious health issues if it enters human body. The water being used to make fruit juices is not usually filtered either.
Many hotels and restaurants in the city too are found using contaminated water. A number of jaundice cases were reported from among those who used water from the canteen of a well-known hospital in the city recently. The corporation authorities got the canteen closed after it was found that unhygienic water was being used there. The District Medical Officer has already issued alert against jaundice. Another possible threat is cholera.
The corporation is now insisting that hotels and restaurants check on the quality of water they use on their own and produce certificates along with applications for fresh licences.
People have been advised against eating cut fruits or vegetables kept in unhygienic surroundings.
K.V. Baburaj, chairman of the Standing Committee on Health, said the Health section of the corporation would continue raids on restaurants and food joints in the coming days to ward off the possible threat of disease outbreaks during monsoon.
In many places in the city, the Kerala Water Authority’s drinking water pipes are laid next to drainages.
There is a possibility of drinking water getting mixed with sewage. “Recently, coliform bacteria was found in water samples collected from a hotel at Palayam where drainage and drinking water pipe run next to each other. All such hotels have been asked to install water filters,” Mr. Prakasan said. Restaurants using open well water should ensure that water quality is checked every six months at the Centre for Water Resource Development and Management, KWA lab, or the Regional Public Health Laboratory. If water is sourced through tankers, the hotel or restaurant owner should produce a certificate proving its quality.
The Health authorities are also keeping a watch on ‘fuljar soda’, a carbonated drink, now a sensation among youngsters.
A few days ago, they raided a food joint on the beach where the drink was found being prepared in unhygienic conditions. “We have informed the Food Safety Department that the soda and ice being used at the joint were unhygienic,” Mr. Prakasan added.
The food stuff you may find on the street may look exotic, but ensure that it is healthy too.
Food wrapped in newspapers a deadly cocktail of chemicals
The new regulation of the FSSAI prohibits the use of newspaper and recycled plastic for wrapping, storing, transporting or dispensing food items and products. This new regulation will come into force from July 1.
Ludhiana, June 9
Eating out may prove to be costly in terms of health if you happen to consume the food that is wrapped in old newspapers. Printing ink contains harmful pigments, additives and toxic chemicals.
Some eateries serve hot, oil-dripping puri/ chana on old newspapers that are used as plates. Bhel-puri, kulcha-chana are wrapped and packed in newspapers. In small hotels, newspapers serve as kitchen napkins and are used as absorbents. This is despite the warnings by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) about the ‘slow-poisoning’ by cancer-causing agents lurking in newspaper ink.
According to the FSSAI, the presence of chemical contaminants and pathogenic micro-organisms in used newspaper pose potential risk to human health. The sick and the elderly and also the people with compromised immune systems are at a greater risk of developing health complications, if exposed to food packed in such material.
Consumers, meanwhile, continue to be blissfully unaware that they are consuming a deadly cocktail of chemicals and additives along with the food they eat with relish.
“On Sundays, we go out for eating. Usually, we prefer puri-chana that is freshly prepared. The eating joint we visit uses newspaper as plate to serve the puri-chana. Even in case of sandwiches, newspaper is used as packaging material,” said Achla, a city resident. She said she and her family were not aware that the practice of using newspaper as packaging material was harmful.
“We did not know that newspaper ink, if consumed through food, is carcinogenic. In fact, at home also, we use newspapers to pack oily food, little realising that it could be a health hazard,” she said.
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