DINAMANI NEWS

Crackdown on adulterated fish sale

SOMETHING FISHY: Members of a youth club stage a protest at Kozhikode mofussil bus stand on Wednesday alleging that fish vendors in the city are charging exorbitant prices for even sardines, taking undue advantage of the trawl ban. 

Food Safety squads to continue intensive drive till the end of trawl ban

Following complaints about marketing of adulterated fish, Food Safety squads have intensified their inspections in the district.

The inspections focussing on harbours and fish markets will be continued till the end of trawling ban.

“We have received complaints about marketing of frozen fish without any label mentioning the product details. This is an illegal practice and such stocks will be seized ” said Food Safety Assistant Commissioner P. Aleyamma. “However, we are yet to receive lab reports on the presence of formalin or any other adulterant in such products,” she said.

Though Food Safety officials claimed that the checking was part of their routine activities, they made it clear that the squads would keep tabs on the purchase of formalin-laced fish from other States at a cheaper rates and its resale at local markets. They also said the public would be encouraged to pass on information about such attempts to the Food Safety squads.

During the trawl ban last year loads of formalin-laced fish had been brought to the district from neighbouring States, cashing in on demand. The Food Safety squads blocked suspected vehicles on the district borders and sent them back after collecting the samples.

Officials said there were several instances when the squad destroyed contaminated or formalin-laced stock after conducting inspections and imposed fine on the apprehended carriers. Those engaged in the sale of such stock in local markets were also traced to suppress the network, they said.

Members of the Food Safety squad in the city said they carried out inspections at the Central Fish Market. In early morning operations, Food Safety officials inspected the fishing harbours at Beypore, Chaliyam and Chombal.

An officer attached to the Food Safety office at Vadakara said the samples collected from Chombal were sent to the Regional Analytical Lab at Malaparamba. It was a frozen stock and the preliminary test result was negative showing no presence of formalin or ammonia, he said.

Is Fish Safe For Consumption?

On the one hand, the Health Minister Vishwajit Rane assured us that the fish is safe to eat, after the NCP MLA Churchill Alemao urged the people not to eat fish for next two months. And on the other we were told that the fish samples are tested only during the nightime in a room of Patradevi police outpost. The Health Minister claimed that he and the CM is keeping vigil and monitoring the inflow of fish but their vigil looks tainted. No doubt there is an effort being made to check the fish for formaldehyde but promising 24X7 checking and doing the test only during the night doesnOt justify the pompous speech. Goa needs full-fledged laboratories to be placed at different outposts especially where there is an inflow of fish transportation vehicles from outside the state and strong loyal officials of the Quality Council of India to conduct tests. The amount of fish transported to Goa will definitely be difficult to be checked round the clock although it is promised by the government, thus rapid test kits co-developed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) could be provided to the consumers, traders, stakeholders and lab technicians. Making these rapid detection kits “CIFTest” commercially available could solve half of the problem. The kits help in the detection of formalin and ammonia. Perhaps, we ourselves could be independently deciding on whether the fish is safe for consumption or not rather than depending on a third person. Then, Whom to believe? Would not be a question popping in our minds.

Sale of substandard food sachets on rise in Kakinada

HIGHLIGHTS 

The sellers opt for sale of these items along with sachets of standard companies 

Kakinada: The sale of substandard food items in sachets is on the rise in East Godavari. Traders across the district opt for making of these items and circulate to wholesellers who in turn sell them to small traders like pawnshops, petty traders, and roadside vendors. Though the same is going on for years, the concerned department Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the Legal Metrology department under the State government seems to have no clues on this trade. According to reliable information, the making and supply of substandard sachets at Rs 2 and Rs 3 is being carried out by traders in Biccavolu, G Mamidada, Dairy Farm Centre and Jaganaickpur in Kakinada city and in neighboring areas in the district. The sellers opt for sale of these items along with sachets of standard companies. 

Social activist and president of Kakinada Municipal and Mandal Consumers Welfare Association D Ramana Raju observed that in this trade, the supply of food items in sachets for Rs 2 and Rs 3 should be checked immediately as there is no clue of what the makers of these use as ingredients. Raju said the ingredients in the sachets would be hazardous for health as majority of the consumers are children. Former president of IMA Kakinada branch Dr Ram Swaroop Jawahar said the consumption of food items made from substandard ingredients will lead to stomach disorders, diarrhea and worm's infestation. Speaking on the issue, FSSAI Inspector Vennalapu Rukmayya said that he is not aware of such trade going on in large scale in the district in wholesale and retail markets. He said he would act on the makers if anyone lodges complaint in this regard.

Bad taste - Chemical still getting into mangoes

A mango stall at the wholesale market on Jayamahal Main Road in Bengaluru on Wednesday. 

Bengaluru, DHNS: A raid on mango stalls in Jayamahal found that a majority of the stalls were using banned calcium carbide crystals to ripen mangoes.

Officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) found that 15 out of 25 stalls were using small amounts of carbide crystals to ripen mangoes. Deputy director of the FSSAI’s city squad Kamala Bai B said use of calcium carbide, known to be carcinogenic, has been strictly prohibited in foods.

The sellers were levied a penalty of between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 depending on their economic status.

Jubin George Joseph, the chief operating officer of Ramaiah Advanced Testing Labs, which tests for carbide in mangoes, said the lab frequently discovers traces of carbides in mangoes sent for testing. “Over the last 10 years, five out of 10 samples showed traces of carbide. But in recent years, after a series of government raids, we noticed a drop in its use. But with a decline in government raids, the rate is picking up again,” Joseph said.

He added that incidences of carbide use appear to increase off-season. “At that time, we see a 50% increase in the use of carbides in the samples we receive,” he said.

Raghu K C, a food expert, said the government itself is to blame for the use of carbides. “Until three years ago, official editions of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research’s Textbook of Horticulture promoted the use of carbides.”

Why eateries in India do not have a food safety licence

01/6FSSAI food licensing guidelines

According to the latest NRAI India Food Services Report 2019, of the 2.49 million food business operators (FBOs) in the country, only 467,000 have an FSSAI licence. This report included restaurants, eateries, dhabas and kiosks, among others. All thanks to the report, it has been found that only one out of five eating out places in India has a food safety licence. This report has raised a question on the functioning of food businesses and governing bodies.

02/6Why eateries do not have a food safety licence?

According to a research, it has been found that the lengthy process of getting a licence and the must-haves to get the approval from the governing body, makes it tricky for the local and small eateries to attain licence and to avoid the chaos, they end up selling food without any.

03/6FSSAI’s take

According to FSSAI’s letter to commissioners of food safety of all states, Food and Drug Administration across states has been asked to issue licences to eateries within two months, if no inadequacy is found. FSSAI has also instructed that food businesses can start functioning even if registration is not granted.

04/6Why licensing is necessary?

It has been found that India’s food sector generates revenue worth about Rs 4.23 lakh crore every year but sadly, 65% of the industry is still unorganised. NRAI’s target is to drop these numbers to 57% by 2023. This step is taken to streamline public health and taxation system that is at risk because of the unorganised establishments.

05/6Impact on the food market

The unorganized market has badly impacted more than two-thirds of India’s top restaurants and cafe chains with losses or lower profit during the last financial year due to the rollback of input tax credit (ITC) and hyper-local delivery services.

06/6Verdict

This step by FSSAI and FDA will not only improve the profit margin of the market players but will also smoothen the functioning of the food businesses and make the taxation system clearer.