Kerala bans pan masala and its variants

The Hindu Photo Library Kerala is the second state to ban gutka and pan products.

Kerala government has imposed a ban on manufacture, storage and sale of gutkha, panmasala and their variants containing tobacco and nicotine in the State.

The ban was ordered under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulation, 2011, treating gutkha, panmasala and their variants as food products, with immediate effect.

Announcing the ban at a press conference here, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that the Kerala had become the second State in the country after Madhya Pradesh to ban gutkha products.

The ban was decided upon as the products caused diseases such as cancer and addiction among youth. The ban was a long standing demand from parents and many others. The government would lose Rs 15 crore in tax revenue because of the ban. The tax had been raised from 20 to 22 per cent in current year’s Budget.

The Chief Minister recalled that the government had banned sale of pan masala and gutkha products within 400 metres from educational institutions. Efforts to ban it across the State under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act had not been successful.

Mr. Chandy said that he had written to the Prime Minister in July last year seeking a total ban on gutkha and pan masala across the country. However, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare replied in April this year that the States had the jurisdiction to ban gutkha and pan masala under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act. The Health Department initiated steps immediately to ban them.

He said that officials would be designated in all districts to enforce the ban. Besides, the collectors would head squads to check sale or distribution of the tobacco products.

Health Minister V. S. Sivakumar, who was present in the press briefing, said that the Health Department would work with the Education Department to ensure that the ban is strictly implemented and monitored with the help of three­tier committees formed for monitoring sale of tobacco products around schools. Biju Prabhakar, Commissioner of Food Safety, was also present at the press conference.

Tobacco Free Kerala, a coalition of like-minded organisations in the area of anti-tobacco campaigns, was launched in December last with the Minister as chairman to support the government activities for checking use of tobacco. Paul Sebastian, Director, Regional Cancer Centre here, is its Vice Chairman. Widespread use of pan masala and Gutkha products had come to the notice of the government, especially among the youth.

Gutkha is a powdery, granular white smokeless product that contains arecanut, tobacco, nicotine, lime, spices, cardamom, catechu, colouring agents and pleasing flavouring odours. According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey 2009-10, 10.7 per cent of adults in Kerala use smokeless tobacco products such as gutkha and pan masala.

Studies have shown that gutkha is more addictive than ordinary chewing tobacco. It is highly carcinogenic as it contains both tobacco and arecanut. Gutkha use is strongly associated with the development of oral submucosal fibrosis, which causes difficulty in opening the mouth. Nearly two-third of patients with this condition develops cancer, an official release said.

Kerala government imposes blanket ban on manufacturing & sale of gutka/pan masala

KOCHI: The Kerala Government has imposed a blanket ban on the manufacturing and sale of gutka/pan masala in the state. Kerala has thus become the second State in the country after Madhya Pradesh to ban gutka products.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said the State Government had enforced the ban on gutka/pan masala under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act, 2011.
The increasing incidence of gutka-induced diseases like oral cancer prompted the Government to take such a decision. The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare had, in April this year, informed the state government that States had the jurisdiction to ban gutka/pan masala under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act, 2011.
The health department initiated steps immediately in this regard following this and the notification banning gutka/pan masala in Kerala was issued by Commissioner of Food Safety, Kerala on May 22.
The ban prohibits the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of products that contain tobacco and nicotine, in whatsoever name it is available in the market. The ban on gutka/pan masala follows a string of proactive initiatives taken by the Kerala Government for tobacco control.

Gutkha ban may not have long term impact on market

Mangalore, May 25: 

A ban on Gutkha by some States may have a temporary impact on the arecanut market. But it will help the commodity in the long run. Some arecanut growers and cooperatives feel that the ban on ‘paan masala' is a little worrisome.

Kerala became the second State after Madhya Pradesh to impose a ban on gutkha and paan masala on Friday.

Mr Ravish Hegde, Managing Director of the Sirsi-based Totagars' Cooperative Sale Society (which is actively involved in arecanut trade), told Business Line that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has classified arecanut as a food item.

According to Food Safety and Standards Act, tobacco or nicotine should not be mixed with food items. In ‘gutkha', tobacco and arecanut are the main ingredients.

He said that the volatility in the arecanut market is because of some manufacturers of ‘gutkha' who have imported inferior quality arecanut to manufacture ‘gutkha', thus affecting the domestic market.

Pure ‘paan' ban not good

Stating that pure ‘paan masala' is devoid of tobacco, he said that it should not have been banned. He said that the ban may be because some ‘gutkha' manufacturers unscrupulously add tobacco to ‘paan masala' to market their products.

Mr K. Padmanabha, President of Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd, said that the ‘gutkha' ban in Madhya Pradesh a month ago had temporary impact on red arecanut price. (Red arecanut is used in gutkha manufacture). But the demand has not come down.

Added to this, FSSAI has identified arecanut as a food item, and it cannot be banned, he said.

Mr M. Srinivasa Achar, President of All-India Areca Growers' Association, said that Governments should ensure that harmful elements such as tobacco and chemicals are not added to arecanut in any form. When arecanut import is allowed in the country, the Government should look at increasing its consumption through some value additions, he said.

Mixed cropping pattern

Mr Ramesh Kaintaje, a grower from Bantwal taluk, said arecanut farmer is at crossroads with some States on a banning spree of arecanut-related products. It is time for the grower to think about mixed cropping pattern than focusing on arecanut alone, he said.

On Friday, the Agricultural Marketing Committees of Channagiri, Davangere, and Sagar quoted a maximum price of Rs 134.69 a kg, Rs 136.50 a kg, and Rs 132.59 a kg, respectively, for red variety of arecanut.

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation cracks down on mango stalls

While the sizzling summer continues to trouble citizens, there is urgent need to check the quality of street food that is sold in the city. The sale of mango ras too has picked up. However, many vendors continue to sell adulterated ras and artificially ripened mangoes despite repeated warnings. Also flouting norms are stalls selling street food.
To ensure sale of hygienic food at the stalls, the health department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on Thursday raided the premises of vendors selling food on streets and stalls selling mango juice across the city. The officials checked if the mango ras sold to citizens was as per the standards of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
The health officials of all the six zones conducted a major health check at various mango markets and stalls in their zones. The team of health officers was equipped with vans of estate department to seize adulterated food. They raided various small and large vendors of mangoes and also popular food stalls and eating joints in places like Nehrunagar, Paldi, Maninagar, among others.
During the check, the officials found that many of the vendors were selling adulterated mango ras and mango milkshakes. They collected samples of the mango ras from 11 such vendors and sent them to physical health laboratory for testing. 249 mango stalls in different zones were checked and a whopping 1,531 kg of artificially ripened mango and adulterated mango ras was destroyed by officials.
Many mango vendors were found using carbide powder for ripening the mangoes. The officials seized a total of 67.8 kg of carbide powder from different vendors. A total amount Rs2.18 lakh was collected as administrative charge. Also, 235 vendors were served notices to maintain hygiene in and around their food stalls.

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Bench orders release of food additive

506 tonnes of Monosodium Glutamate was seized by Customs officials at Tuticorin harbour

The Madras High Court Bench here has directed the Commissioner of Customs at Tuticorin port to release 506 tonnes of Monosodium Glutamate, an organic food additive used as flavouring agent, seized at the instance of Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), on condition that the importer must repack and label the goods in the Customs-bonded area in compliance of local laws.

Disposing of a writ petition filed by the importer based in Bangalore, Justice V. Dhanapalan made it clear that sufficient safeguards must be taken to make sure that the goods in question were fit for human consumption by subjecting them to appropriate inspection by the Port health authorities before issuing necessary customs clearance.

He directed the petitioner too to provide all details necessary for repacking such as the names and address of the manufacturer as well as the importer. The petitioner was also ordered to abide by additional conditions, if any, imposed by the Customs Commissioner for release of the goods as the latter was ordered not to release the goods if they were found to be unfit for human consumption.

According to the petitioner, involved in import and local sales of spices, condiments and other food items, he had placed an order with a firm in Hong Kong in March last year for supply of Monosodium Glutamate. It was sourced from a manufacturer in China and supply was confirmed at the rate of $ 1,300 per tonne. The goods were shipped from the Port of Xingang in China in April last.

After the goods reached the Tuticorin port in the third week of May last year, the Customs authorities refused to release them as the DRI had recommended seizure on the ground that the packs in which the goods were stored did not contain the names and address of manufacturer as well as importer, and hence they were prohibited for import under Section 5 of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.

Why not labelled

Filing the present case after the failure of all his attempts to get the goods released, the petitioner stated that the details of manufacturer as well as importer were not labelled as the goods were in bulk packs and that he intended to paste those details while repacking them into smaller retail packs. However, B. Vijay Karthikeyan, Senior Standing Counsel for Customs and Excise, disagreed with such contention. He said that once the goods were released, it would be impossible for the Customs authorities to make sure whether the labelling was done in accordance with law. The details of manufacturer as well as importer were essential for the purpose of fixing responsibility if the goods, being a food additive, were found to cause injury to the public in the course of consumption, he added.

The counsel pointed out that Monosodium Glutamate should not be added to any food for use by an infant below 12 months of age as per provision 64 (B) of the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011. Even with respect to its usage by others, the rules prescribed that instructions for use, including reconstitution, should be included in the label to ensure correct utilisation of the additive.

In his counter affidavit, the Commissioner of Customs said that a sample of the goods was sent to the Central Food Technological Research Laboratory in Mysore after the seizure. The Director of the laboratory gave his opinion on December 13 stating that it was indeed Monosodium Glutamate, a permitted food additive under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

However, the Director's report contained the name and address of the manufacturer as well as the importer which were actually not found in the imported consignment itself. When questioned as to how those details were furnished in the test report, the laboratory said that they were provided by the importer while submitting the samples for analysis.

FDA raids ‘carbide’ mangoes

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its recent raids at fruit markets in Nashik and Nagpur has destroyed artificially-ripened mangoes worth lakhs of rupees. According to authorities, mangoes were being ripened with the help of chemical agent popularly know as carbide, a known ripening agent.
The FDA conducted raids at fruit markets in Nagpur and Nashik last week to check if artificial ripening agents are being used in mangoes.
The authorities destroyed around five tonnes and more than one tonne of mangoes in Nagpur and Nashik respectively.
“We conduct such raids on and off, since vendors become aware and stop the process for some time. We try and catch them red-handed,” said G.H. Rathod, joint commissioner, state FDA.
Since the beginning of the month, food inspectors from Nagpur and Nashik have seized over 6,000 kgs of alphonso mangoes, which are artificially ripened using calcium carbide powder that releases acetylene gas. The substance is carcinogenic and can cause a host of health problems.
On May 14, FDA officials seized 5,091 kgs of artificially ripened alphonsoes worth `1.37 lakh, and destroyed them. In the first week of May, FDA off-icials destroyed 1,100 kgs of mangoes worth `99,000 for the same reasons.
“Using these agents for ripening of mangoes is illegal as per the Food Safety and Standards Act. We have sent circulars to all the district FDA offices to test random samples and make seizures if the powder is found in the boxes,” Mr Rathod said.
Doctors said that people who handle these mangoes should be careful.
“Calcium carbide is known to be carcinogenic. It is also known to precipitate calcium deposition in the body, which is not good. The packets of calcium carbide can break open in the box and can lead to accidental consumption of the chemical,” said Dr Pratit Samdh-ani, consulting physician, Jaslok Hospital.

The milky way

Maneka Gandhi

Filled to the brim: The can of good health? Photo: G.R.N. Somashekar

Love milk? Good for you. You must read this.

Since you will not stop drinking milk, and since 70 -100 per cent of the milk has been adulterated with very dangerous adulterants according to Food Safety Standards Authority of India FSSAI, you should learn how to make out real milk from synthetic. Milk samples from all over the country were checked for fat (%), SNF (%), neutralizers, acidity, hydrogen peroxide, sugar, starch, glucose, urea, salt, detergents, skimmed milk powder, formalin and vegetable fat. Most of the samples were found to be adulterated.

This is how synthetic milk is made: Vegetable refined oil is taken in a wide mouthed container along with a suitable emulsifier and thoroughly mixed till it becomes a thick white paste. Water is slowly added to the paste until the density of the liquid is similar to that of milk. Then is added urea or sodium sulphate or glucose or maltose or sometimes any one of the commonly available fertilizers after dissolving in hot water. The refined oil in synthetic milk acts as a source of fat whereas the hot solution of any one of the substances above mentioned acts as a source of solids not fat (SNF). The ingredients that go in to the making of synthetic milk are calculated in such a way that the fat and SNF percentage is similar to mixed milk. Hence it easily passes the tests carried out at the village level dairy co-operative society (fat and lactometer reading etc.).

This is the difference between real and synthetic milk. The colour of both is white. But on storage real milk remains white, synthetic milk or adulterated milk turns pale yellow. If rubbed on the palm, synthetic milk becomes foamy. Real milk does not. Real milk does not change colour on heating. Synthetic milk turns yellow on boiling. The pH value of real milk is 6.6 – 6.8 and of synthetic milk 10-11 (extremely alkaline). The fat content is the same in both: 4.5 – 5 per cent, the SNF (Solid Not Fat) is also the same 8-9 per cent.

Here are some methods to detect adulteration:

1. Detection of Neutralizers in milk — Rosalic acid test (Soda Test). Neutralizers like hydrated lime, sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate or sodium bicarbonate are added to milk. Take 5 ml of milk in a test tube and add 5 ml alcohol followed by 4-5 drops of rosalic acid. If the colour of milk changes to pinkish red, then the milk is adulterated with sodium carbonate / sodium bicarbonate and unfit for human consumption.

2. The alkaline condition of the milk for the presence of soda ash. Take 20 ml of milk in a silica crucible. Evaporate the water and burn the contents in a muffle furnace. The ash is dispersed in 10 ml distilled water and it is titrated against decinormal (N/10) hydrochloric acid using phenolphthalein as an indicator. If the titre value exceeds 1.2 ml, then it is construed that the milk is adulterated with neutralizers.

True blue

3. Detection of hydrogen peroxide. Take 5 ml milk in a test tube and then add 5 drops of paraphenylene diamine and shake it well. Change of the colour of milk to blue confirms that the milk is added with hydrogen peroxide.

4. Test for detection of formalin. Formalin (40 per cent) is poisonous. It is added because it can preserve milk. Take 10 ml of milk in test tube and add 5 ml of concentrated sulphuric acid on the sides of the test tube without shaking. If a violet or blue ring appears at the intersection of the two layers, then it shows the presence of formalin.

5. Test for detection of sugar in milk. Sugar is mixed in milk to increase the solids not fat content of milk. It increases the lactometer reading of water diluted milk. Take 10 ml of milk in a test tube and add 5 ml of hydrochloric acid along with 0.1 g of resorcinol. Shake the test tube well and place it in boiling water for five minutes. Appearance of red colour indicates the presence of added sugar in milk.

6. Test for detection of starch. Addition of starch also increases the SNF content of milk. Apart from the starch, wheat flour, arrowroot, rice flour are also added. Take 3 ml milk in a test tube and boil it thoroughly. Cool the milk to room temperature and add two to three drops of 1 per cent iodine solution. Change of colour to blue indicates that the milk is adulterated with starch.

7. Test for detection of glucose. Usually poor quality glucose is added to milk to increase the lactometer reading. There are two tests available to detect the adulteration of milk with glucose. Take 3 ml of milk in a test tube and add 3 ml Barford's reagent and mix it thoroughly. Keep it in boiling water for three minutes and cool for two minutes by immersing in tap water. Add 1 ml of phosphomolybdic acid and shake. If blue colour is visible, then glucose is present. Take a strip of diacetic and dip it in the milk for 30 seconds to one minute. If the strip changes colour, then it shows that the sample of milk contains glucose. If there is no change in the colour of the strip, then glucose is absent.

8. Test for detection of urea. Urea is added to raise the SNF value. Five ml of milk is mixed well with 5 ml paradimethyl amino benzaldehyde (16 per cent). If the solution turns yellow in colour, then the milk is contaminated. Take 5 ml of milk in a test tube and add 0.2 ml of urease (20 mg/ml). Shake well at room temperature and then add 0.1 ml of bromothymol blue solution (0.5 per cent). Appearance of blue colour after 10-15 minutes indicates adulteration.

9. Test for detection of ammonium sulphate. Sulphate in milk increases the lactometer reading. Put 5 ml of hot milk in a test tube and add citric acid. The whey will separate. Collect the whey in another test tube and add 0.5 ml of 5 per cent barium chloride. A precipitate indicates the presence of ammonium sulphate.

10. Test for detection of salt. Addition of salt increases the lactometer reading. Take 5 ml of silver nitrate (0.8 per cent) in a test tube and add two to three drops of 1 per cent potassium dichromate and 1 ml of milk and mix. If the contents turn yellow in colour, then milk contains salt in it. If it is chocolate coloured, then the milk is free from salt.

11. Test for detection of pulverized soap. Take 10 ml of milk in a test tube and dilute it with equal quantity of hot water and then add one – two drops of phenolphthalein indicator. A pink colour indicates soap.

12. Detection of detergents in milk. Take 5 ml of milk in a test tube and add 0.1 ml of bromocresol purple solution. A violet colour indicates detergent in milk. Unadulterated milk samples show a faint violet.

More colours

13. Detection of skim milk powder in milk. If the addition of nitric acid drop by drop in to the milk sample results in an orange colour, it indicates skim milk powder. Pure milk shows yellow colour.

14. Detection of benzoic and salicylic acid in milk. Five ml of milk is taken in a test tube and acidified with concentrated sulphuric acid. 0.5 per cent ferric chloride solution is added drop by drop and mixed well. A buff colour indicates benzoic acid and violet colour indicates salicylic acid.

15. Detection of borax and boric acid in milk. Add 1 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid to five ml of milk in a test tube and mix well. Dip the tip of a turmeric paper into the acidified milk and dry in a watch glass at 100°C or over a small flame. If the turmeric paper turns red, it indicates the presence of borax or boric acid. Or add a drop of ammonia solution on the turmeric paper. If the red colour changes to green, it shows boric acid.

If I were a business person, I would start marketing home chemical kits for milk testing: Chemicals, lactometer, test tubes, droppers, gas burner, measuring cylinders, beakers and bottles. If I were a school chemistry teacher, I would make my students bring milk from home and test once a week. As a householder I would — and have — simply ban milk from the house.

Watch where vegetables grow

Smaller farmers with little access to irrigated water have no option but to use the untreated sewage water - DC

 

Millions of Indians are facing a new health risk. Increasing water scarcity is forcing farmers to grow vegetables and fodder using untreated sewage waste water across urban and rural cities.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FAAI) has in the past issued several warnings on pesticide residues and crop contaminants, including aflatoxins, patulin and ochratoxin in Indian fruit and vegetables. These pesticides are known to adversely effect the nervous system and can result in lung damage and cancer

But the use of untreated sewage water is also known to trigger off several health and environmental-related diseases.
A recent study undertaken by TERI warns against untreated sewage in the Yamuna which is choking the river and is a threat to people consuming vegetables grown along the river front.
The study highlighted how Delhi is generating 650 million gallons of sewage per day, but only half of this gets treated at the sewage treatment plants. It warned against how industrial toxins have also been found to be polluting both the groundwater and soil and have found entry into the food chain.
Water samples from the Yamuna show high levels of nickel, manganese, lead and mercury.
Mr J.S. Sarma, CEO of the Rainfed Area Authority under the Planning Commission has repeatedly warned on the immediate need for the government to ensure the setting up of sewage treatment plants in both rural and urban India. At present, only 35 per cent of the total sewage being generated in the country is treated.
The problem is that smaller farmers with little access to irrigated water have no option but to use the untreated sewage water which has been found to contain micro-nutrients.
The World Health Organisation in a recent study has found that rising fertiliser cost has forced almost 200 million farmers, largely in India and China to depend on untreated sewage water.
When such water is used in agriculture, farmers and their customers risk absorbing disease-causingbacteria. Nearly 2.2 million people die each year because of diarrhoea-related diseases, including cholera.
More than 80 per cent of these cases can be attributed to contact with contaminated water. India is the third largest user of waste water in irrigation after China and Mexico.

Soon, ID cards for milkmen and lessons on milk purity

On World Milk Day on June 1, FDA will ensure milk vendors have identity cards, broadcast a radio jingle, compose a caller tune, and take strict action against adulterators

Look before you sip! FDA has vowed to enforce tougher measures for milk distributors and vendors found contaminating milk packets. Pic/Sayed Sameer Abedi

In June, don’t be surprised if you see your milkman sporting an identity card or hear a radio jingle about milk adulteration or a caller tune informing you of ways to identify original milk packets. To celebrate World Milk Day on June 1, the ministry of food and drug administration (FDA) will embark on a month-long campaign to make consumers aware of various ways to identify milk adulteration. FDA has vowed to enforce tougher measures for milk distributors and vendors found contaminating milk packets.
As part of its varied measures, FDA has made it mandatory for distributors to issue identity cards to all their vendors. It’s planning to broadcast a radio jingle as well. “Soon after our meeting with the representatives of cooperative milk federations and private agencies engaged in the dairy business, FDA minister Satej alias Bunty D Patil decided on the campaign and resolved to take it to new heights,” said Suresh Deshmukh, joint commissioner (food).
“It is the job of the distributor to issue identity cards to respective vendors. We request consumers to buy milk from only registered vendors and distributors, as chances of adulteration will be minimal due to the stringent quality checks that the department will be undertaking,” said Deshmukh. “We have also decided to compose a radio jingle that will educate listeners about the new food safety standards act, and how one should only buy products from registered vendors,” he said. Apart from the jingle, the department has also decided to equip its employees’ mobile phones with a caller tune that will instruct consumers on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Act.
“Whosoever calls any FDA official, they will hear this caller tune. Also, pamphlets will be distributed to all vendors and distributors, educating them about the FSSAI laws, and how to identify genuine milk packets from adulterated ones,” said Deshmukh. Apart from the awareness campaign, FDA is also planning to come down heavily on unscrupulous milk vendors and distributors. “We are going to conduct surprise checks on milk units starting next month, and we will collect samples of milk from them. Stern action will be taken against vendors if found guilty.”
Identifying adulteration
>> Always see if your milk packets are curved at the end, as these are the genuine ones.
>> Drop a little milk on a slightly tilted flat surface, if the milk runs down immediately then the chances of water being mixed in it are high.
>> Make sure that your vendor has an FDA licence, and an identity card certified by his distributor. 

Proprietary foods definition must be modified in petty FBOs' interests

The definition of proprietary foods as per the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, must be changed to protect the interests of petty food business operators (FBOs), according to an Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) official on strict condition of anonymity.

As per Section 22 (4) of the FSSA, proprietary or novel food means an article of food for which standards have not been specified but is not unsafe. As per Regulation 2.12.1 of the Act, proprietary food means a food that has not been standardised under these regulations.

According to the official, the definition of proprietary foods, given in the Act, is a misnomer. “If existing traditional or ethnic foods are called proprietary or non standard foods, their manufacturers, who are mostly petty FBOs who have been in business for decades, will incur huge losses. They are not proprietary foods. Also, it is unfair to expect them to obtain approvals on their wares,” he said.

Neither were standards formulated in the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act (PFA) and Rules, 1954, for the manufacture of traditional or ethnic foods, nor were any approvals needed for the same. But they were defined as proprietary foods.

“A food item manufactured by more than one person cannot be termed as proprietary foods. In the larger interest, it is suggested the definition of proprietary food be amended in the Act, Rules and Regulations, and should be as follows: A proprietary food is a food which is legally made only by a person or a body of persons having special rights to that food,” the official said.

Food adulteration in Char Dham Yatra

As in the whole country, specially in north India, in Haridwar region too adulteration in food items is posing a serious threat to public health. The menace of food adulteration assumes alarming proportions during Char Dham Yatra season, when lacs of pilgrims and tourists congregate at Haridwar and Rishikesh and other destinations on the yatra route. On the petition of five persons, including three from Haridwar, Bhooma Peethadheeshwar Achutyanand Teerthji Maharaj, the president of Haridwar senior citizens welfare society, Shiv Kumar Gupta and a senior citizen, Upendra Dutt Sharma, requesting the Supreme Court to issue directions to the central government and the governments of Delhi, Rajasthan, U.P., Haryana and Uttarakhand to initiate stringent measures to curb the menace of adulteration in milk and manufacturing of synthetic milk, the Apex Court, expressing grave concern about the issue, issued notices to the central government and the governments of the five states to file reply within four weeks.
Adulteration in food items has become a flourishing trade in the country. The unscruplous traders and businessman are fleecing the consumers and playing havoc with their health, while the administration looks the other way. There is hardly any item which is available in the market in pure and unadulterated form. Almost everything you purchase from the market is adulterated. Pulses are adulterated, seeds of papaya are mixed in black pepper, the droppings of horses are mixed in coriander powder and powder of bricks in turmeric powder. Bananas are made to ripen by dropping them in drums of chemicals. Fruits are dipped in artificial colours to give them attractive appearance. Injections are administered to vegetables and fruits to swell their size and make them ripen fast. “Fruits and vegetables are not only losing their nutritional value but also their original flavour,” says Rajkumar of Jwalapur.
Milk and milk products top the list of unsafe food items. Says Suman Aggarwal of Devpura Chowk, Haridwar, “It is impossible to get pure milk these days. It is no exaggeration to say that what we are drinking is white poison”. The main reason behind adulteration in milk and milk products, like paneer, curd, sweets, ghee and mawa, is the yawning gap between the demand and supply. The production of milk goes down in summer season due to less quantity of lactation by the cows and the buffalos in summer days. On the contrary, the demand goes up drastically at this time due to heavy influx of pilgrims and tourists. There may be shortage of drinking water, but there is no shortage of milk. Where does the extra milk come from ? The proprietors of dairies, the milk vendors and the shop keepers try to meet the spiralling demand by adulterating milk with water, taken mostly from canals and ponds, which is harmful for health. Harmful chemicals are mixed to enhance the density of milk. What is still more alarming is that synthetic milk is being prepared on a large scale by mixing water with skimmed milk powder, vegetable oils, detergents, paints, urea and caustic soda. Rackets of synthetic milk have been busted in the past, but no severe punishment has yet been meted out to any of the accused. Roorkee area, from where synthetic milk is supplied not only to the district but also to the hills in the state, has become notorious for this malpractice. Dr. Rajesh Gupta, the president of the city unit of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), says that the contents which are used in adulterated and synthetic milk are extremely harmful for liver, kidney and other vital organs of the body. A popular nefarious practice is to administer the injection of oxytocin to make cows and buffalos to give more milk. “This is not only a cruelty to animals, but the milk procured in this way is also injurious to health”, says the state unit president of the World Wide Fund of Nature (WWF), Rajendra Agarwal. Manohar Lal Sharma, a senior advocate of Roorkee alleges that the flourishing trade of synthetic milk and milk adulteration goes on openly with the connivance of the officials of the food department.
R.S. Rawat, the Designated Officer (DO) in the district under the Food Safety and Standards Act, says that public co-operation is essential to enforce the laws. The Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act of India 2006 came into force in all the states from August 2011. The act has made strong provisions, including life imprisonment, to check the sale of unsafe food. The sources in the food department say that since January this year 48 samples of milk and other food items have been taken and sent to Rudrapur Laboratory for test. Out of these samples 17 have failed. Now cases are being registered in the court of the chief judicial magistrate and the A.D.M. (finance), depending on the category of the offence”, say the sources in the food department. The district magistrate, Sachin Kurwe, who has recently assumed charge, says that enforcing effective check putting on adulteration in food items, specially milk, is his top priority. A prominent saint, Swami Achutyanand Teerthji Maharaj says that besides the alertness of the law enforcing agencies, the public should also be made aware of their rights so that administration is pressurized to tighten noose on the perpetrators of the most heinous crime of food adulteration.

DINAMANI

Eatery kitchens face hygiene crackdown

A chaat stall in Sakchi. Picture by Bhola Prasad Street food joints and restaurants better watch what you dish out to customers. Armed with a set of fresh directives from the state food controller, the East Singhbhum health authorities have decided to launch surprise inspections at eateries from the last week of this month. A four-member crackdown team — comprising district food inspector Krishna Prasad Singh and additional chief medical officer (ACMO) Swarn Singh among others — will conduct a meeting with restaurant owners and street vendors within a week to apprise them of necessary provisions under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2012. “We are planning to call all restaurant and hotel owners within a week to inform them about the new law (passed by the cabinet in February 2012). We want to make it very clear that the provisions of the act have to be adhered to by food manufacturers in letter and spirit. Any violation will not be tolerated,” the ACMO said. After the meeting, district food officials will start surprise checks at kitchens of hotels, restaurants and food joints. On detecting anomalies, the inspection team will issue improvement notices to the owners on the spot. “We will inform them about the parameters that need to be followed for maintaining hygiene during cooking and other norms laid out by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India. We will also give them time to meet the criteria by way of improvement notices. “But if they still do not pull up their socks, the matter will be referred to state food commissioner (principal secretary health department) for cancellation of licence or registration of the hotel or restaurant concerned,” said district food inspector Krishna Prasad Singh. The district health department will soon start mapping food joints and restaurants. State food controller T.P. Burnwal said that they would also start the new registration process for food joints across the state and issue them licences after proper verification this month. “We have sent copies of the food act to all 24 districts. Food units with an annual turnover of less than Rs 12 lakh will have to be registered. Those having a turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh per annum will require licences. They will have to fill up the forms, mentioning their cooking process and other details after which licences will be issued,” said Burnwal. Eateries, which have already been registered, will have to renew their licences.

Govt. asked to reply on applicability of Food Act on ‘liquor products’

The Madhya Pradesh high court today granted four weeks time to the central government to file reply on the issue of including liquor products in the Food Safety & Standards Act 2006, implemented in the state in 2011.
A bench of Justice KK Lahoti and Justice TK Kaushal today granted the time of four week, earlier the same bench issued notice to the centre on petitions filed by liquor distributors of Bhopal and Jabalpur against the inclusion of 'alcoholic drinks' under the definition of food in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The liquor distributors through the petition have sought to declare the particular section of the Act, relating to 'alcoholic liquor' as ultra vies of the Constitution. The petitioners have also sought direction from the court to the central government not to compel them to obtain licenses under section 31 of the 2006 Act.
The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 came into effect from 5 August 2011. The Act was passed in Parliament in 2006 to replace the Prevention of Adulteration Act 1954.
Assistant Solicitor General RL Gupta and SA Dharmadhikari appearing on behalf of central government sought time to file reply & the same was granted. Senior Advocate Ravindran Singh and senior advocate Naman Nagrath appeared for the petitioners.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Street plays on healthy eating habits

VARANASI: To spread awareness about healthy eating habits and precautions that are necessary to be taken while preparing and eating food, the Daksha Education Society, with cooperation from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, is organising street plays at prominent places like Lanka, Cantonment Railway Station, Dasaswamedh Ghat and Asi Ghat on Friday.
According to its spokesperson Ramesh Sharma, under its programme on 'Food Safety Life Security', the society is holding various programmes in different phases and has educated more than 5,000 children about healthy eating and cooking habits.

US applies new food safety rules

The US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) will officially apply the new FDA Food Safety Modernisation Act (FSMA) from now to early 2016. A Viet Nam News Agency reporter talked with On Le Thi Bich, head of the export-import department of the Vina Commodities Co, about how the new rules will affect local firms.
As an experienced exporter to the US, could you tell me about the most important parts of the new FSMA and what businesses exporting products to this market should look out for?
Labels recorded with unadequate information are one of the main causes for products on their way into the US market being held up at the port. The new provisions in the FSMA require more specific details, especially in the labelling method. In addition, some general requirements must be met, such as product name, weight, ingredients, and the new law also has different rules for various types of products.
In particular, labelling must be in more than one language, with English being compulsory. Enterprises are also required to ensure these translations are precise. In addition to requests of the importers and general standards of the US market, enterprises will also be required to ensure the standard of their goods are checked by third parties.
The FSMA will speed up checks on the production facilities of export countries and the facilities must meet certain standards set by the FDA. Export companies may also have to pay costs for any inspections.
Food exporters to the US are also required by the FDA to list the health risks associated with their products. These documents must be available during any inspections carried out by the FDA.
Small businesses may be exempt or enjoy less strict implementation of these requirements. A small firm is defined as an enterprises with revenue of less than $500,000 per year.
To ensure that Vietnamese food, drugs and beverages are eligible to be imported into the US, the importers are required to set up programmes to confirm the safety of all shipments into the US with safety certificates for each shipment.
Starting from this year, each facility must be registered with the FDA once every two years. Re-registration has to be made in the fourth quarter every even-numbered year.
Export facilities are required to appoint a representative located in the US who the FDA can contact, under requirements in the Anti-Terrorism Act issued in 2002.
The act also allows the FDA to have the authority to order, not merely require companies to recall contaminated food.
What are the disadvantages of the new rules for exporters?
Before the act came into force, it was more convenient for us to export goods to the US. Previously, we had to register with the FDA one time only rather than periodically register every two years under the new rule. Firms often forget to do this.
Another advantage was that goods entering into ports only required adequate documents and inspection by customs officers for clearance. But now, enterprises will face additional difficulties if there are any problems related to food hygiene and safety, as all these goods will be held until the procedures are completed. It will take more time, thus there will be an impact on any type of perishable goods.
Previously, besides the requirements of the importers and the general standards of the US market, standards on goods safety certified by a third party were acceptable, but now the FDA does not recognise the results of these certification units.
Under the previous regulations, a HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) was not required by the FDA, but under the new rule, commodities entering the US have to meet HACCP standards.
The US has adopted this standard on seafood and beverages. By early 2013, the US will put an additional regulation on good manufacturing practice (CGMP).
Does your company have any measures to ensure compliance with the new law?
Before exporting to the US, we must thoroughly understand the export procedures and requirements to avoid any risks. We must also modernise our facilities with advanced equipment and technologies to satisfy the requirements of customers as well as food safety standards.
We export many agricultural products, including cashew nuts, and these are exported to 25 countries around the world, including the US. We send over 100 tonnes of the goods each year to this market. However, when the law takes effect, the greatest difficulty is that we have to re-register with the FDA as each time a registration is made it takes time for them to re-evaluate and make sure that our factory satisfies food hygiene and safety standards before we are allowed to ship goods to the market. — VNS

Food safety norms set to get tougher from August

MANGALORE: All food business operators (FBO)- from transporters to sellers - will need to comply with the rules under Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006 by applying for license before August 4. It will become obligatory on all FBOs including big hoteliers, small canteens, road side vendors, wholesalers, retailers, stockists' and food item sellers including grocers to obtain licences under the act.

Ujjwal Kumar, country head of CQM Quality Management Private Limited, the certification body approved by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), said that non-compliance with the provisions of the act and its rules would conform to offences and would attract penalties upto Rs 10 lakh and a maximum punishment of life imprisonment depending on the nature of the offence.

Delivering a talk on the act here on Wednesday, Ujjwal said that all the eight existing acts, which control the food security and standards in the nation, would either be repealed or merged with the FSS Act after it comes to force on August 5. As per the act, FSSAI would function as a single reference point for all matters related to food safety and standards in the nation, he added.

Primary food produces of agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairy farming, aquaculture, genetically modified food, catering, alcoholic drinks and food additives of all kind would be covered under the act, he said. The FBOs in the government sectors too are not excluded from the purview of the act.

On usage of additives in the form chemicals in food items, Ujjwal said that manufacturers would have no freedom to procure any kind additives other than those prescribed while obtaining the licence.

Petty FBOs, whose annual business turnover is less than Rs 12 lakh need not apply for licence. They will have to register with the authority. Meanwhile, FBOs, whose annual turnover is above Rs 12 lakh will need to apply for a licence. There will be one authorized laboratory in each district in the nation to check the food security and standards.

‘Establishments dealing with food items must get registered by August'

Those transporting such goods also should get registered: Ujjwal Kumar

All establishments dealing with food items should get registered by August 2012 under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Those operating without registration after August will be liable for punishment, Ujjwal Kumar, Country Head, CQM Quality Management, has said.
Mr. Kumar was speaking at a training programme on Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 organised by the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry here on Wednesday.
He said establishments included those dealing with processed food, unprocessed food, partially processed food, genetically modified food, infant food, packaged drinking water and alcoholic drinks. “Those transporting these goods also should get registered. Even caterers should get registered,” he added.
Petty retailers, hawkers and small-scale food business with an annual turnover not above Rs. 12 lakh should get registered by paying the annual fee of Rs. 100. Medium and large-scale units involved in dairy, vegetable oil processing, meat processing, food processing and export oriented ones should operate by getting licence from the State and the Central Licensing Authorities as specified under the Act. Licenses would be given within six months from the date of application, Mr. Kumar said. The Act, Mr. Kumar said, gave powers to consumers. “He/she can go to any establishment, take samples of the food and inform the police about the need to check the samples.” Mr. Kumar said these samples would be tested in the laboratories accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. If the product was found to be bad for consumption, it would be banned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The authority had powers to recall the batch of defective product, he added.

Ensure quality on canteen menu

Schools told to implement the Food Safety and Standards

The health department teams today inspected canteens of various schools in the city to check the quality to food being served to the students there. The teams also made the canteen managers aware of the Food Safety and Standards Act and directed them to serve hygienically prepared good quality food items only. During the inspections, though no samples were collected and no seizures were made but canteen owners were issued warnings.
District Health Officer Dr Pradeep Singh Kahlon said canteen owners need to be educated about the quality parameters.
He said teams had informed the staff at the canteen about the various parameters to assess the quality of food.
He said by conducting the inspections, the department has sent the signal that the next time no excuses will be heard.
“Now the canteen owners know about the quality parameters and the Food Safety and Standards Act. As such this is there duty to follow the guidelines," said Kahlon. Food Inspector Amit Joshi led the teams.
Amit Joshi said the teams had detected various shortcomings mainly regarding cleanliness in the canteens of various schools.
He said the school authorities had been immediately informed about these shortcomings.
He said they have asked school principals to intervene.
The department had chalked out a plan to check food quality in the canteens of various schools and colleges few days ago after the department received complaints about the substandard food being served to the students.

‘Everything in food supply chain is under Food Safety Act'

Everything under the food supply chain, post-farm level, till it reaches consumer, comes under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Mr Ujjwal Kumar, Country Head, CQM Quality Management Pvt Ltd, said this at the inauguration of a training programme on the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) at the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) here on Wednesday.
CQM Quality Management Pvt Ltd is a certification body approved by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Giving the example of ‘chapati', he said the farmer who grows wheat and the consumer who eats chapatti are exempted from this Act. Even the transportation of wheat from farmers' field to the nearest ‘mandi' is covered under the Act.
Urging the food business operators, who come under this Act, to get registered and get licences at the earliest, he said August 4 is the cut-off date for submitting applications for licences and registrations. If a food business operator is found without licence from August 5, it will be an offence, he said.
Prior to the implementation of this Act, eight other Acts related to food items were there. These eight Acts have either been repealed or merged with the new Act.
The difference between the previous eight Acts and the FSSA is that food safety will be moved from multi-point control system to single-point control system, he said.
Stating that licensing system has been decentralised under the new Act, Mr Kumar said Central licensing system covers big business houses and licensing of sensitive items such as imported food products.
The State licensing system covers other areas such as medium business houses.
Import of food items is viewed seriously and it comes under the Central licensing system under the Act.
All imported food items will be checked at the port of entry, he said.
He clarified that petty food business operator, whose turnover is Rs 12 lakh a year or who sells up to 500 l of milk a day, is exempted from taking licences. However, such an operator will have to get registered under the Act, he added.

Are veg meals veg at non-vegetarian eateries?

Your favourite hotels including four and five stars, which serve non-vegetarian food, might not really be serving 100% vegetarian food to you as they claim. Often, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is cooked in common vessels in a common kitchen - which should not happen. Some restaurants even fail to maintain basic hygiene. This is what health department officials of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation found out during raids at hotels and restaurants in the city last week.

The raids were conducted to find out if there were violations of Food Safety and Standard Act 2001. According to this Act, a restaurant serving vegetarian and non-vegetarian food should have separate kitchens and vessels for both. At Upper Crust Café near Vijay Char Rasta, the officials found that vegetarian and non-vegetarian food was prepared
simultaneously in the small kitchen. Not just this, common vessels were used for both cooking as well as serving vegetarian and non-vegetarian foods.

Chief manager of Upper Crust, Arvind Johar, said, "I agree we do not have separate vessels for preparing different kinds of food. But since, we have come to know of it, we will soon have separate vessels." The kitchen had just one fire extinguisher for both the floors, which had expired long back. AMC fined the café Rs5,000 for its ignorance and carelessness and asked them to ensure that proper measures were taken soon.

The raid at Dominos at Prahladnagar, revealed that all types of pizzas were prepared in the same oven and the same vessels were used for baking of vegetarian and non-vegetarian pizzas. "Moreover, many of the cooks are not in proper uniform; they did not put on caps, gloves and aprons. Every restaurant has to maintain proper medical certificates of the staff, which was not done here," said a health department official. Shahid Sheth, the manager of Dominos, Prahladnagar, said, "There were no orders from the superiors for separate ovens.

We follow all orders that we receive, so how can it be our fault?" Dominos was fined Rs20,000.

The kitchen of McDonalds was pretty clean; however, the medical check-up licence of the staff had not been renewed. They were charged a fine of Rs3,000.

The kitchens of a large number of popular new eateries in the Prahladnagar area proved to be the biggest disappointment as far as cleanliness andsegregation of food is concerned.
One of the popular take-away cooks non vegetarian and vegetarian food in the same kitchen and in the same vessels. A health official said, "Children were employed to wash utensils, which is not allowed. The workers were not dressed in proper uniforms and the kitchen was messy."Its manager claimed ignorance of the rule and the restaurant got away with a fine of Rs10,000.

A surprise visit was also made to a recently opened specialitiy non-vegetarian restaurant. The restaurant did not have a health licence; the workers were not in uniform; and food that was to be stored at an appropriate temperature was kept on display in the open. The kitchen was unhygienic and stinking. Leftovers of non-vegetarian food were found strewn carelessly on the ground.

The drainage system was faulty and food was kept uncovered in the kitchen. There was neither any ventilation in the place nor any fire extinguisher. The stench from the kitchen had spread to the dining area. The restaurant was fined Rs20,000. Some of the kitchens where straight from the hell. The officials came across a really unclean kitchen opposite the garden. "Serving vessels were common for both types of food. The gutter and the sink were overflowing with dirty water. The restaurant had also employed children," stated AMC health officials.

Its not that the small eateries were the only violators feigning ignorance of the rules. At some of the popular star and chain hotels on the Ashram road, which claimed that they had separate kitchens for vegetarian and non vegetarian food, there were cases of only one kitchen being used. But their kitchens were certainly not as filthy as those of their counterparts in Prahladnagar. Immediately, the hotel staff ordered the cook to take the food to the respective kitchen.

When DNA asked hotel authorities if they were aware of regulations, manager stated, "Yes, we are aware that vegetarian and non-vegetarian food has to be prepared separately. But, the kitchen on the upper floor might have been closed. It was just a mistake. Otherwise, even utensils are washed separately. Copper vessels are used for non-vegetarian food and steel for vegetarian."

The restaurant did not have separate fire extinguishers for separate floors in the kitchen. The hotel was fined Rs10,000 for preparing vegetarian and non-vegetarian food in the same kitchen. Deputy health officer of west zone Dr Bhavin Solanki stated, "When a restaurant serves both kinds of food, utmost care should be taken. The hotels can at least have separate vessels for vegetarian and non-vegetarian food to maintain hygiene.

We understand that a separate kitchen is difficult for many restaurants, but a partition can be created in the existing kitchen." Dr Milan Naik, deputy health officer of new west zone which includes areas like Prahladnagar, Vastrapur, Bodakdev etc, said, "These raids and the fines are just to warn erring parties. In future we will take stricter action."

Naturally, these mangoes are healthy

Here’s some good news for Bangaloreans. This season, in an attempt to dole out all that’s natural, the Horticultural Producers Cooperative Marketing and Processing Societies (Hopcoms) has ensured that it will only sell those mangoes that have been ripened naturally. What’s more? The king of fruits is being sold at half the market price at Hopcoms.

The advantage of eating naturally ripened mangoes are aplenty. First, the method does not involve the use of any carcinogenic chemicals. According to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, chemicals like calcium carbide/ethephon and oxytocin are reportedly being used in fruit and vegetable farms for artificial ripening and for increasing the size of fruits
and vegetables. Calcium carbide, more commonly known as ‘masala,’ is a carcinogenic agent and banned under Rule 44-AA of PFA Rules, 1955. The chemical, if consumed in large quantities, damages internal organs.

Greedy vendors try to sell artificially ripened mangoes, which use calcium carbide. “The artificially ripened mangoes do not contain proteins. If the carbide level in the body exceeds, it will lead to stomach problems. It’s extremely harmful for children,” said Ayurveda expert Vasundhara Bhoopathi. But at Hopcoms, only those mangoes that have been ripened the natural way are being sold. Hopcoms managing director Shanmugappa explained that mangoes are being sold at highly affordable price in 272 Hopcoms outlets. Mangoes at
Hopcoms are sold at half the price when compared with those sold in other shops in the city. Mangoes—alphonso, badami, rasapuri, sindhoora, totapuri—are grown in Channapattana, Ramnagar and Kanakapura and sent to Hopcoms. So far, Hopcoms has sold 250 tonnes of mangoes.

Natural way of ripening
About 40 kg of mangoes are placed in a box. About 300 ml of ethanol and 5 ml of sodium are kept in plastic bowls besides these boxes. Later, these boxes are covered with tarpaulins and kept aside for three days. While most mangoes will become ripe in three days, alphonso mangoes take four days to ripe.

Frozen desserts by Kwality Walls, Vadilal, Lazza, Cream Bell grab 40% share in ice-cream market

Ahmedabad: Frozen desserts, which look and taste like ice cream but are made out of vegetable fat, have silently grabbed a 40% share in India's 1,800-crore organised ice-cream market without most consumers realizing they are not ice cream.
Led by Hindustan Unilever's Kwality Walls, Vadilal, Lazza Ice Creams and Cream Bell, frozen desserts- served in identical cups, cones and sticks as ice cream-have found a strong foothold in the country in less than two decades since Kwality Walls introduced them.
But food authority officials and original ice-cream makers such as Amul and Mother Dairy feel these companies are misleading consumers by masquerading frozen dessert as ice cream. While real ice cream is made with milk fat, frozen dessert is made with vegetable fat, which is almost 80% cheaper.
"The clandestine manner in which the labelling (of frozen desserts) is done and the way they are marketed in television commercials are a matter of concern," says H G Koshiya, commissioner of Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration.
He says the state authority plans to bring the issue to the notice of the Central Advisory Committee of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. "Let consumers know what frozen dessert is all about and then if they consume it, it is a matter of choice," Koshiya says.
ICE CRIME
Ice-cream makers such as Amul and Mother Dairy that use only dairy fat say frozen dessert makers have been misleading consumers by passing them on as ice cream.
"Consumers have been eating frozen desserts presuming them to be ice creams," says Munish Soni, head (dairy product division) at Mother Dairy, a wholly owned subsidiary of the National Dairy Development Board.
Amul, the category leader in ice creams with 40% market share, says companies are misleading consumers by not mentioning upfront they are frozen desserts and pricing them as much as ice cream despite lower costs.
"Consumers are fooled into buying frozen desserts. It is a lookalike category. Most brands mention frozen desserts in small letters and push the category instead of advertising it as dessert," says R S Sodhi, managing director of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation, which owns Amul brand. He says dairy fat costs 300/kg, while vegetable fat is 50-60 a kilo. "Frozen desserts play with huge margins and cheat consumers."
Consumer rights activist Pritee Shah says frozen dessert is masquerading itself as ice cream. "They must mention frozen dessert upfront in their advertisements and the products in lieu of which it amounts to cheating the consumer," says Shah, who is the chief general manager at Ahmedabad-based consumer group Consumer Education and Research Centre.

Food Safety Act cannot include alcohol, claims petition; Notice issued

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has sought response from the central government on a bunch of petitions challenging the inclusion of liquor products in the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, implemented in the state in 2011.
A bench of Justice KK Lahoti and Justice TK Kaushal issued the notice to the centre on petitions filed by liquor distributors of Bhopal and Jabalpur against the inclusion of 'alcoholic drinks' under the definition of food in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Senior Advocate Naman Nagrath appearing for the petitioners, pointed out that the power to frame law relating to alcoholic liquor is a subject matter of State List and that its inclusion in the Food Safety Act 2006 is against the applicable Schedule of the Constitution.
He added that there is already a law governing\ alcoholic products in the state - Madhya Pradesh Excise Act - and that the implementation of the Act will lead to overlapping of powers.
"It is needless to emphasis here that the State government has enacted the Madhya Pradesh Excise Act which regulates the manufacturing, production possession, transport, purchase and sale of intoxicating liquor and the same is still in force in the entire State of Madhya Pradesh," the petition stated.
The liquor distributors through the petition have sought to declare the particular section of the Act, relating to 'alcoholic liquor' as ultra vies of the Constitution. The petitioners have also sought direction from the court to the central government not to compel them to obtain licenses under section 31 of the 2006 Act.
The bench has posted the matter for further hearing on 17 May 2012.
The Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 came into effect from 5 August 2011. The Act was passed in Parliament in 2006 to replace the Prevention of Adulteration Act 1954.

Major upgradation of food & drug testing labs at a cost of Rs 850 cr in Maharashtra

A proposal to set up 9 food testing labs, five drug testing labs and 35 mobile labs in different parts of the state has been submitted to state government by the Food & Drug Administration,Mahrashtra. The total cost of establishing these laboratories is estimated at Rs.850 crores.

According to R R Pol, assistant drug controller, FDA, Maharashtra currently there are only two laboratories in the state, one in Mumbai and another in Aurangabad, hence it would be difficult to carry the tests or to check the samples there. He said that the proposal was sent keeping in view the consumers' safety and to ensure availability of hygienic and good quality food.

He then said that it would be great challenge for the state to set up and carry the tests for which they would have to recruit more food safety officers and that around 500 food safety officers (FSOs) would be appointed for the task of checking estimated 60,000 food and drug samples per annum.

"Our FSOs will collect the samples from across the state on a regular basis and an annual report would be sent to the FDA," said Pol, adding that the mobile labs would also help the FSOs to immediately act on the emergency cases such as food poisoning in the region that currently the country lacked.

The FSOs would then punish the illegal proprietors and also take stringent action against them as per the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, he said.

Surprisingly, in terms of registration and issue of licences to food operators, it is reported that out of the 45 lakh food operators in Maharashtra, only 1.6 lakh possessed valid licences or were registered with FDA.

According to media reports, FDA has started a special drive to ensure that all food operators with an annual turnover of above Rs 12 lakh possess a licence and those who earn less than Rs 12 lakh a year get a registration certificate as per FSSA, 2006.

The reports stated that more than 16,000 food licences in the state had been issued and only 37,000-odd licenses had been issued outside Maharashtra.

On the other hand, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) also informed through its website that the body had given accreditation to a number of food labs, in this regard.

Speaking on the same, Prabodh Halde, vice-president, Associaton of Food Scientists and Technologists of India (AFSTi), confirmed that around 32 labs have been accredited and the process was still going on.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Rs 1.6 lakh penality imposed under Food Safety Act

KATHUA :  Jagdev Singh Manhas, Adjudicating Officer, District Kathua appointed under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 for the purpose of adjudication of offences alleged to have been committed under the Act has decided eight cases of food articles declared misbranded/sub standard by food analyst Jammu on Monday.
A fine of Rs 1,65,000 have been imposed on different food business operators.  The Challan in the above said cases were filed before Adjudicating Officer Kathua by Food Safety Officers,  District   Kathua namely Hans Raj Andotra and Charanjeet Kumar.  The sanction for prosecution in the instant cases has been accorded by Pankaj Soni, Designated Officer Kathua. 
The Commissioner of Food Safety has made an appealed to the Food Business Operators to manufacture/distribute the food articles strictly in compliance with the various provisions laid down under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules and Regulations 2011 and further ensure that wholesome and safe food is made available to  consumers.

AMC raids malls, hotels for food samples

A team from health department destroys 130 kg of unhygienic food; issues notices to 18 hotels and six malls

In a major food safety drive, a flying squad from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s health department took samples from 16 hotels, including five- and four-star ones, as well as 10 malls frequented by Amdavadis. The samples have been sent to Public Health Laboratory in Navrangpura. If these are found to be unsafe, AMC will take further action.

Hotels and malls from where the samples were taken are Taj Ummed, Comfort Inn, Hotel Pride, Grand Bhagwati, Le Meridian, Inder Residency, Big Bazaar, Reliance Fresh, Big Bazaar and National Handloom Corporation. The department has also issued notices to 18 other hotels and six other malls.

“The squad conducted the drive on Thursday and Friday to check the quality of food under Food Safety and Standard Act 2006. This is a regular exercise. We get results from the
laboratory in 15 days.

“The respective party will be informed about the standard of sample taken from their premises,” said Bhavin Joshi, in-charge medical health officer.

“Party whose samples are found unfit can then send their samples to the food laboratory in Ghaziabad through us. They just have to issue a demand draft of Rs 1,000 in the name of the laboratory. If the results from Ghaziabad matches AMC’s, we will write to the executing officer of Food Safety Department in Gandhinagar to take action against the offender,” Joshi further added.

Joshi said that the team also destroyed 130 kg of unhygenic food and collected Rs 96,000 from the vendors as administrative charges. We will continue this drive in coming days as well, Joshi told Mirror.

Drive against malls and hotels will continue in the coming days, said AMC

Traders to meet MPs in New Delhi

Food Safety Act: delegation will seek cooperation from political parties

To continue their protest against Food Safety and Standards Act and seek amendments in the same, traders from Indore and other parts of the state will visit the national capital on Wednesday to seek support from various political parties. The 30-member delegation will have traders from Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur and several other places.

"The delegation would meet members of Parliament and officials from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to seek support for amendments in the act," said Sushil Sureka , former president Ahilya Chamber of Commerce and Industry.The traders have made CDs containing contentious provisions of the act and set of suggestions to bring about changes in it. Sureka said that the chief minister had also assured the traders that no punitive action would be taken against them till the matter was not resolved.

The traders had gone on a strike from April 9 to 11 against the implementation of the act, paralyisng normal life in the city. The traders' protracted show of strength had led to the cumulative loss of at least Rs.2,200 crore in Indore alone. Although Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan expressed solidarity with the agitating traders and had even written a letter to the Prime Minister on their behalf, the Centre had given no indication of amending the contentious provision in the Food Safety Act which provides for fine up to Rs.1 lakh for selling unmarked edible products.

MADURAI COLLECTOR SEIZED ADULTERATED TEA

Government plans a crackdown on pharma firms selling drugs as dietary supplements

NEW DELHI: The government is planning a crackdown on drug companies selling medicines under the garb of dietary supplements, which are not regulated.

Senior officials in the department of pharmaceuticals and the health ministry said several drug makers have secured approval for drugs as dietary supplements under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, where price and other regulations on drugs do not apply.

This not only allows them to sell the product at a price more than the maximum retail price fixed by the government for the ingredient drug but also helps them avoid inspection by the authorities.

"In addition to higher cost, there is also a health issue as they are being advertised aggressively as normal health products and there can be side effects if people use them indiscriminately," a senior health ministry official said. Popular among the dietary supplements available in India are Ranbaxy's Revital, Piramal Healthcare's Supractive, Dabur India's Nutrigo and Modicare's Well multi-vitamin.

The nutraceuticals segment in India is expected to touch $5 billion by 2015, from $2 billion at present.

Dietary supplements are big revenue earners for drug makers. For instance, Revital rakes in over 180 crore a year for Ranbaxy Laboratories and is also the company's best-selling product in India.




Some experts say that while the chances of harmful side effects of dietary supplements are minimal-as they contain drugs in sub-therapeutic levels-a bigger problem is that these products and their manufacturing processes are not inspected for efficacy or quality.

"They are registered as food products and there is no inspection at all. Under Indian laws, they should be medicines. After all, they contain several drugs," said C M Gulati, a Delhi-based drug expert. In India, the government fixes the retail price of medicines that contain ingredients under price control.

According to Piramal Healthcare director Swati Piramal, the quantity of drugs in Supractive is less than the dosage recommended for therapy and, therefore, worries over harmful side effects due to overuse are unfounded.

Piramal said that price control and advertisement ban should be removed for dietary supplements and drugs that are used to treat illnesses caused due to deficiency, such as anaemia. "A large section of the population suffers from deficiency of key vitamins and nutrients," she said.Ranbaxy declined o comment on the matter.

Most food and health supplements contain vitamins A, B1, B2, C and E, which are among the 74 drugs whose prices are fixed by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA), the drug price regulator.

The Department of Pharmaceuticals and the NPPA have now taken up the matter with the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and food regulatory bodies to plug this loophole.

According to an official of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, experts will examine whether such products are being used as drugs or supplements, and those qualifying as drug will be brought under price control.