Jan 9, 2020
Eating from vendors on beaches, streets may become safer soon
In the last few weeks, at least 80 street food vendors on Elliot’s beach were taught about the need for food safety, what the Food Safety and Standard Act expects out of every food business unit, violations and punishments. At the end of the day, vendors who attended the camp were given Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC). “If we have at least one certified personnel in every unit we will improve food quality and also emphasise that they follow all rules,” said A Ramakrishnan, designated food safety officer, Chennai.
For instance, street vendors on the beach were taught about the reuse of oil and safe way to dispose cooking oil. They were taught the importance of hand wash, food preservation and how things they use and their surrounding should be clean, he said.
Street food vendors will be given basic guidance including catering services. Under the FoSTaC programme, the regulator plans to train staff in the organised as well as unorganised sector. For street food vendors, anganwadi workers and Amma canteen staff, the authority is raising funds from people for the course. “We will be rolling out daylong training programmes for vendors on Marina and staff of Amma canteens soon,” another senior official said.
The course offers 17 types of competence-based certification programmes — each of 8 to 12-hour hour duration spread over a couple of days. Street vendors and aganwadi workers were given the basic course and training manuals. Most of the staff were also taught about where and how they should source ingredients and how they can check quality of the ingredients — difference between edible oil/ ghee and the cheap ones that are made for lighting lamps at temples.
Several studies by doctors’ bodies and nutritionists have shown high volumes of Ecoli coliform, salmonella, shigella, staphylococcus aureus and pseudomonas, which are major causes of infections such as diarrhoea, typhoid, food poisoning, urinary tract infections and pneumonia. Food safety training teaches the importance of handwash, which keep a majority of these infections at bay, officials said.
Coimbatore: 32 shops fined Rs 5 thousand each for selling banned gutka items
COIMBATORE: Teams of food safety department officers have been conducting surprise raids at the petty shops in different parts of the city for the past four days as part of a special drive. They found 32 shops selling banned tobacco items and one shop using non-food grade plastic.
Designated food safety officer K Tamilselvan said of the 32 shops, 26 had already paid the fine. “The remaining shops are expected to pay it by Friday. Shops that fail to pay the fine will lose their licence and registration,” he said.
He said the shops were selling banned chewable tobacco products such as haans, cool lips and paan parag. “The shops were located in Gandhipuram, Arockiasamy Road and Devanga School in RS Puram, Singanallur and Sulur,” the officer said. Pointing out that they had inspected 112 shops in total, he said the shops that were selling banned items were using small sachets. “So, we could not lift the samples. Hence, we imposed fines,” he said.
A total of 31.8kg banned items worth around Rs 45,000 were seized during the special drive.
The drive was part of efforts to reduce movement of banned tobacco products in the district. “Though we are focusing on catching wholesalers and distributors, we believe that cracking the whip on petty shops that sell the banned items is also important to flush out the tobacco rackets,” Tamilselvan told TOI.
In December, food safety officers had received a directive, allowing them to impose spot fines on business operators who violate the norms.
While the first and second violations attract fine, repetition of the same violation for the third time will attract a higher amount of fine and cancellation of the registration certificate issued by the food regulator.
The officer said the spot fine system was expected to have a deterrent effect on petty shops that repeatedly flout food safety norms.
‘50k FBOs run without licence in Madurai’
Madurai: More than 50,000 food business operators (FBO) in Madurai district are operating without license, which is mandatory under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), said designated officer for food safety, Madurai district, Dr S Somasundaram.
Addressing a large number of food business operators representing various sectors at a one-day orientation program on Wednesday, he explained about the legal aspects of FSSAI rules and regulations. The participants were sensitized on the importance of taking license, fair business practice and health issues consumers might undergo if the food is not prepared hygienically.
Officials say that of the estimated 75,000 FBOs in Madurai district, 12,000 FBOs have taken only registration certificate, which can be obtained by paying Rs 100, instead of a license. Only hawkers, whose sales is less than Rs 3,000 per day are allowed to use registration certificate. Those involved in production, processing, selling of food materials, including roadside eateries, hotels and grocery stores have to obtain license, said the food safety officials.
“When unintentional mistakes are found with the FBOs, they will attract lesser punishment if they have license. They will face stringent action like closure of shops and hefty fine and if they do not have a license,” Somasundaram said. Excessive use of colours can cause kidney problems to consumers. City hospitals have been witnessing increase in dialysis cases and other problems. Government Rajaji Hospital saw at least 4,611 dialysis cases in the month of October, 2019 alone, Somasundaram added.
FDA raids house at Ghansoli, seizes tobacco products worth ₹3L
Navi Mumbai The Thane Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) officials on Tuesday raided a house in Ghansoli in a joint operation with the Navi Mumbai police’s anti-narcotics cell and seized ₹3.32 lakh worth tobacco products.
The accused Bhupalsingh Vijayprat Singh, 35, had taken a house in Sector 4 in Ghansoli on rent and had stored several boxes of tobacco products. Assistant commissioner Ashok Pardhi of the FDA, Thane, had received a tip-off about the smuggled tobacco products. His team conducted the raid.
During inquiry, Singh was unable to produce any bills to show from where he purchased the products.
The state government, which implemented a ban on tobacco products in July 2012, has renewed it this year too. The ban continues to be in place across the state. The police have seized pan masala packets and chewing tobacco packets collectively worth ₹3.32 lakh. The accused was booked under relevant sections of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and case filed at Kopar Khairane police station.
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