Sep 6, 2019
Eateries will have to display hygiene ratings on doors
NEW DELHI: Restaurants and hotels will soon have to display hygiene ratings on their doors. The food regulator is set to make such ratings mandatory for all restaurants along with presence of a food supervisor to monitor compliance of food regulation and ensure safety of food served.
The idea is to raise the standards of dining out, while also ensuring the food served is safe and of good quality. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has already started a pilot for rating among online players. It has also trained over 1.7 lakh food supervisors to ensure compliance, chief executive Pawan Agarwal said.
The regulator is in the process of forming guidelines to implement the rating system. Once, it is in place, the regulator will keep a check for compliance and will also serve notice in case restaurants are found violating the norms.
The move is part of a series of regulatory measures taken by FSSAI to support its 'Eat Right India' campaign focused at preventive healthcare measure to trigger social and behavioural change through a judicious mix of regulatory measures, combined with soft interventions for ensuring awareness and capacity building of food businesses.
"India is passing through an epidemiological shift from communicable to non-communicable diseases, and the burden of diet-related diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity is rising rapidly. The new 'food systems approach' judiciously combines the regulatory and capacity building measures with consumer empowerment initiatives," health minister Harsh Vardhan said.
FSSAI has also brought in regulations to check re-use of cooking oil by repeated frying and avoid use of leftover oil. The regulator has prescribed a maximum limit of 25% for total polar compounds. It has also notified regulations to reduce trans-fatty acid levels to less than 2% of fat in all edible oils.
Govt. launches campaign to promote ‘eat right movement’
‘Crucial measure to trigger social and behavioural change’
“It’s time for India to eat right,” said Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Thursday, kick-starting POSHAN Maah 2019 with a year-long social and mass media campaign on the Eat Right India movement.
Leading with a tweet-a-day focusing on a weekly theme of eating right for the next 365 days, Dr. Vardhan also launched the new Eat Right India logo that represents a healthy plate, an online eat right quiz and online course for frontline health workers.
Preventive health
Stating that the country is in need of a movement on preventive health for all in the backdrop of the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases including diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases, widespread deficiencies of vitamins and minerals and rampant food-borne illnesses, Dr. Vardhan said: “The Eat Right India movement is a crucial preventive healthcare measure to trigger social and behavioural change through a judicious mix of regulatory measures, combined with soft interventions for ensuring awareness and capacity building of food businesses and citizens alike.”
Aligned with plans
This movement is aligned with the government’s flagship public health programmes such as POSHAN Abhiyaan, Anemia Mukt Bharat, Ayushman Bharat Yojana and Swachh Bharat Mission.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has also put in place robust regulatory measures under three major pillars: Eat Safe, Eat Health and Eat Sustainably for the programme.
FSSAI has prescribed a limit for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) at 25% in cooking oil to avoid the harmful effects of reused cooking oil.
The Minister said Eat Right India takes a holistic approach to food habits that promote health and sustainability. “Launching this movement on this platform with the support of stakeholders such as the World Health Organization (WHO), along with Ministers and delegates from South East Asian countries, is a landmark event,” noted the Minister.
WHO’s message
Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO, said: “The Eat Right India movement’s message is close to the heart of what the WHO has been saying all along. There has been a shift in the cause of mortality from communicable diseases to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and cancer, not only in India, but also across the world. The four main factors to prevent non-communicable diseases are healthy diet, physical exercise, avoidance of tobacco and alcohol. Therefore, the message of ‘Eat Right’ should be promoted everywhere. Citizens should choose healthy food and the food industry should manufacture healthy food.”
Over 1.7 lakh supervisors trained to ensure food safety: Harsh Vardhan
As part of 'Eat Right India' campaign, the Central food regulator - Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has trained over 1.7 lakh food safety supervisors who will spread awareness and sensitise people and food vendors on food safety.
Launching the campaign here on Thursday, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan emphasised upon the need for a "public movement" to spread awareness.
"Our country is in need of a 'Jan Andolan' on preventive and promotive health for all in the backdrop of the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases. The Eat Right India movement with the collaboration of FSSAI will play a crucial role in preventive healthcare," said Harsh Vardhan.
"FSSAI has trained about 1.7 lakh Food Safety Supervisors for capacity building under the Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC) initiative. They will sensitise people and food vendors on food safety," he said.
Harsh Vardhan added that we have to reach the target of trans-fat free India by 2022. "Hence, regulations to reduce trans-fats to less than 2 per cent in all oils, fats and food products are in place."
FSSAI has put in place robust regulatory measures under three major pillars: Eat Safe, Eat Health and Eat Sustainably.
"By promoting sustainability, FSSAI has removed the restriction on the use of returnable bottles and is promoting the use of bamboo instead of plastics," he said.
Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, World Health Organization (WHO), said: "The Eat Right India movement by FSSAI now has been put into action. Mortality from non-communicable diseases is not only witnessed in India, but also across the world. The four main factors to prevent non-communicable diseases are healthy diet, physical exercise, avoidance of tobacco and alcohol."
"Therefore, the message of 'Eat Right' should be promoted everywhere.
Food Safety dept. acts tough on erring eateries
Nine units closed down for violation of norms
The Food Safety Department has closed down as many as nine restaurants and one catering unit in the district for alleged violation of food safety norms. It also collected ₹2.55 lakh as fine from 53 other units for violation of yet another set of norms of a lesser category.
Of the total 367 eateries and food manufacturing units inspected from August 22 to September 5, notices were served on 187 units.
The issues identified by the department include failure to ensure proper hygiene and lack of licence for running the units. The drive involving 12 officials will be on till Saturday. Inspections are conducted by a squad of four officials.
The department will also take up civil and criminal cases against owners of erring units, which could lead to even life imprisonment, said Jacob Thomas, Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety. The drive to ensure sale of safe and hygienic food was taken up in view of the Onam season, Mr. Thomas said.
The department will function on all days till Onam. Public can register complaints by calling the toll-free number 1800-425-1125.
Civic body ignores food safety in Cuttack
Cuttack: At a time when roadside eateries are mushrooming in the Silver City here, the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has turned a blind eye to the food safety aspect, claimed locals and social activists.
The locals alleged that most of the roadside eateries and many restaurants in the city do not have the mandatory food safety certificates.
According to the locals, the city has witnessed steep rise in the number of roadside food stalls in recent years.
Many vendors usually sell foods like Dahibara-Aludam, Gupchup, Bara, Piaji, noodles, Biryani and Chat by opening makeshift stalls or using trolleys.
Apart from that, many restaurants have come up in the city to cater to the needs of people visiting the SCB Medical College and Hospital, Orissa High Court and many other government and private offices.
The roadside food stalls at Barabati Stadium Square, Link Road, Ring Road, Chahata Ghat, Satichaura Square, Gopabandhu Square, Ranihat, Nuabazar, College Square and Badambadi have been attracting hundreds of people including youths and students since last several years.
However, most of these food stalls do not have the food safety licences from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), sources said.
According to social activists and intellectuals, most of the roadside stalls do not maintain the food safety standards with regard to their ingredients, water and utensils. Some stall owners also sell stale foods in the absence of any checking by the civic authorities.
“The CMC authorities have no care for the food safety aspect. They have failed to examine the food quality of roadside eateries in city. People are suffering from diseases like jaundice and diarrhoea by eating contaminated and stale foods from roadside vendors,” said Suresh Panda, a local.
It is learnt that the CMC does not have adequate staff to carry out regular raids on roadside food stalls and examine their food quality. “The CMC has only one food safety officer. The person concerned has also been asked to look into food safety aspects for Cuttack, Khurda and Jajpur districts,” said a source in the civic body.
When contacted, CMC health officer Umesh Panigrahi said they are conducting regular raids on roadside food stalls and examining their food quality.
“We are collecting fines from stalls having no licence. We have a special squad to create awareness on food safety norms among the food stall owners,” Panigarhi added.
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