FOOD SAFETY LATEST: Nov 19, 2019

Nov 19, 2019

Over 500 kg banned tobacco products seized in Erode

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department seized 534 kg banned tobacco products at Perundurai in Erode on Monday.

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department raided a provision shop and the shopkeeper’s house at Anand Nagar in Perundurai and seized 540 kg banned tobacco products worth ₹ 5 lakh here on Monday.

Based on a tip-off, District Collector C. Kathiravan directed District Designated Officer T. Kalaivani to inspect the shop. The team raided the shop on Perundurai-Chennimalai Road and found 40 kg banned tobacco products stocked for sale. Inquiries with the shopkeeper revealed that he was in possession of more products in his house in the same area. The team inspected the house and found 500 kg products in bags.

Ms. Kalaivani told The Hindu that the seized products had nicotine content. Samples would be sent for laboratory tests, based which action would be initiated, she said.

As per the provisions of Section 32 of The Food Safety and Standards Act, the shopkeeper’s license was cancelled. She said that around 4,600 kg banned tobacco products worth ₹ 46 lakh were seized from traders in the past two years and 40 cases were registered. Cases are in trial at the courts, she added.

Traders warned

Collector C. Kathiravan in a press release said that shops would be inspected to check sale of banned tobacco products and warned of action against those selling such products. He said that public can send complaints related to sale of banned food items or tobacco items on WhatsApp number 94440-42322 and or dial 0424-2223545. Complaints can be lodged in person at the Office of the Food Safety Department functioning on the premises of District Headquarters and Hospital, he said.

Gujarat govt to ban sale of junk food in and around schools

The Gujarat government is in the process of banning sale of junk food in schools as well as in the 50-meter area around them to encourage consumption of healthy food among children.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has recommended a ban on sale of food high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) in schools and the state government is in the process of framing draft rules for the same.

To promote healthy food eating habits among children, a ban has to be imposed on sale of food with high fat, sugar and salt in school canteens as well as in the 50-meter area around schools.

"That means junk food items cannot be sold in and around schools of the state, Commissioner of Food Safety and Food and Drug Control Administration H G Koshia said.

Advertisements of junk food will also not be allowed in and around schools, he said, adding that FSSAI, India's regulator for the food industry, has recommended a ban on sale of junk food in schools.

The step has been taken to promote eating of healthy food from childhood so that the problems like obesity and diseases caused by consumption of junk food can be controlled, Koshia said.

The draft rules will be circulated among stake-holders like schools, food business operators and others and their opinion will be sought before implementing the ban, officials said.

The FSSAI has formed draft regulations titled 'Food Safety and Standards (Safe Food and healthy diets for School Children) Regulations, 2019'.

Implementing FSSAI ban on junk food around schools will be a challenge

Irony is perhaps what describes the DNA of India appropriately. On the one hand the country scores very poorly on the Global Hunger Index, and on the other it is increasingly witnessing a veritable ‘nutrition transition’ every day, with enhanced consumption of junk food, especially among school children.

Defined as those food items that are high in fats, sugar, and salt (HFSS), junk foods inherently contain no nutritionally redeemable qualities with little or zero minerals, proteins or vitamins. The etymology of the term ‘junk food’ takes us to Michael Jacobson, co-founder of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who in 1972 was the one who first used the term ‘Junk Food’ and continues to advocate for healthy food. He was also behind the terming of Fettuccine Alfredo as a dish that was “heart attack on a plate!”

Lifestyle changes and growing commercialisation have ensured that junk food have found an increased acceptance among children, and this has prompted a Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) draft regulation banning the sale of junk food in and around school premises from December. This is a welcome move.

While many believe that the fast food and junk food culture is predominant only in urban centres, according to a recent study conducted by a team from the Department of Human Nutrition, AIIMS, in Himachal Pradesh, even rural areas are catching up fast. Similar studies in Baroda, Lucknow and Delhi also pin pointed the increased in-take of packaged junk foods, such as chocolates, soft drinks and bakery products. The results of these are for all to see: increased incidences of childhood obesity, which brings in its wake other medical problems such as respiratory illnesses and lifestyle diseases (diabetes, hypertension, etc).

According to a study, there are 135 million obese people in India; and, if corrective measures are not undertaken, children would form a large part of this. Figures from the World Obesity Federation cite that India will have around 27 million obese children by 2030. An interesting study, published in the online journal Obesity, by a research team in New York, outlines accessibility and proximity to junk food outlets as one of the reasons for growing incidence of obesity, especially in children.

The FSSAI regulation was drafted towards the end of ensuring healthy, safe and wholesome food for school children, with the core idea of drawing clear guidelines on what food is healthy for children and what is not. The draft regulation states that “foods which are referred to as foods high in fat, salt and sugar cannot be sold to school children in school canteens or mess premises or hostel kitchens or within 50 meters of the school campus.”

Further the draft states that the regulation aims to “encourage school authorities to promote consumption of a safe and balanced diet in the school as per the guidelines issued by the National Institute of Nutrition.” Under its ‘Eat Right’ project, the FSSAI plans to ban all such HFSS foods, in school canteens, hostel-mess and kitchens within a 50-metre radius of schools. The FSSAI also has plans afoot to limit the amount of trans fat content in vegetable oils and vegetable fats to 2 per cent from 5 per cent, and has set its sight on making India trans-fat-free by 2022. These are all laudable aspirations!

The FSSAI’s decision is welcome because schools can serve as a right platform to create awareness to inculcate the habit of healthy eating. While the fast food culture has set roots firmly in urban centres, schools would be the appropriate place to check this trend and cater to a fitting demographic profile.

The challenge will be in enforcing such a regulation. A befitting example would be the lackadaisical implementation of the rule which prohibits the sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of a school. A cursory check of schools around us will unfortunately show that this rule is not enforced in all its strictness.

While the prevention of sale of junk foods near schools can help curb the unhealthy snacking tendencies among school children, ensuring a control over the urge to consume junk food at home will require greater awareness drives where the government will have to focus on healthy eating. Thus, snacking at home also requires strict supervision by parents ensuring that children eat nutritious, unprocessed food, and also engage in outdoor and physical activities.

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