Nov 11, 2012
Adulterated sweets factory unearthed in Patna
Diwali spoiler: Beware of spurious sweets this festive season
New Delhi: With just two days to go
before Diwali, a crackdown on spurious sweets has begun across the
country. But the fear of adulteration hasn't hampered business. Fifteen
quintal spurious mawa seized in Moradabad, 20 quintal adulterated sweets
recovered in Jaipur and sweets worth Rs 12 lakh found in Thane. With
the sale of thousands of kilograms of sweets, adulteration too is on the
rise in this particular season every year.
Food Health Inspector Vinod Sharma, Jaipur, said, "The mawa is being prepared without any milk at all. It's made of vegetable oil and semolina. We have to get it destroyed."
In Mumbai, ahead of Diwali, Maharashtra FDA has seized 5274 kilograms of adulterated mawa worth Rs 10 lakhs. The FDA's drive started 20 days ago but it has intensified in the last week. Like every year, max adulterated mawa in Mumbai has come from Gujarat.
In Delhi, so far only 234 samples of food items have been tested by the PFA (Prevention of Food Adultration department). Out of which seven samples were found unfit to eat. Two were found of substandard quality.
According to the new food safety and standards act the punishment for selling adulterated food is seven years imprisonment and Rs 10 lakh fine, for selling sub-standard food you could face a maximum fine of Rs 10 lakh. And a death by eating adulterated food could land the offender seven years to life imprisonment for offender.
But that has hardly been a deterrent. Adulteration is big business during the festive season. A kilogram of milkcake that one buys for say Rs 250 can be prepared for just Rs 55 using adulterated ingredients. There have been instances when milk has been mixed with white paint, rotten wheat, toilet paper crushed and mixed with khoa and ghee adulterated with animal fat. So this Diwali be careful, you could be taking in a deadly mix.
Food Health Inspector Vinod Sharma, Jaipur, said, "The mawa is being prepared without any milk at all. It's made of vegetable oil and semolina. We have to get it destroyed."
In Mumbai, ahead of Diwali, Maharashtra FDA has seized 5274 kilograms of adulterated mawa worth Rs 10 lakhs. The FDA's drive started 20 days ago but it has intensified in the last week. Like every year, max adulterated mawa in Mumbai has come from Gujarat.
In Delhi, so far only 234 samples of food items have been tested by the PFA (Prevention of Food Adultration department). Out of which seven samples were found unfit to eat. Two were found of substandard quality.
According to the new food safety and standards act the punishment for selling adulterated food is seven years imprisonment and Rs 10 lakh fine, for selling sub-standard food you could face a maximum fine of Rs 10 lakh. And a death by eating adulterated food could land the offender seven years to life imprisonment for offender.
But that has hardly been a deterrent. Adulteration is big business during the festive season. A kilogram of milkcake that one buys for say Rs 250 can be prepared for just Rs 55 using adulterated ingredients. There have been instances when milk has been mixed with white paint, rotten wheat, toilet paper crushed and mixed with khoa and ghee adulterated with animal fat. So this Diwali be careful, you could be taking in a deadly mix.
Enjoy right kind of sweets during Diwali
JAIPUR: With Diwali festivities round the corner, the fragrance of sweets and delicacies are already in air. However, doctors and dieticians are advising against overeating and suggesting healthy alternatives of sweets. They also suggested a strict exercise regime for those who are vulnerable to heart disease or have diabetes.
Craving for sweets could be irresistible but the after-effects of it in form of weight gains and high sugar intake can be disastrous. "The most common problem that happens after Diwali is sudden increase in weight. This happens because of bingeing on sweets and calorie rich food. People also tend to withdraw from their exercise regime during festivities," said Anjali Phatak, a consultant dietician at Fortis Healthcare.
But there are alternatives to enjoy the festivals without the fear of getting heavier or getting diabetic. Dieticians and doctors suggest that the urge for sweets can be assuaged with healthier, low calorie alternatives like fruit yoghurts, dry fruits and dark chocolate. "One can choose healthier alternatives like dates, bitter chocolates or nuts. Mathri, which is widely cooked during Diwali, can be nutritious if cooked in multi-grain," Phatak added.
A little effort to ensure that buying and gifting the right kind of sweets will also be very helpful for people to keep themselves healthy. With an assortment of sweets spread out before them, even the most health conscious people end up gorging on them during Diwali. "Sweets all around during Diwali compel anybody to binge on it. The best thing is not to store any sweet at home. Instead one can distribute it to those who need them more," said Dr Manju Sharma, a private practitioner.
Every year, adulterated sweets flooding Jaipur markets to meet the huge demand are adding to the woes. Doctors advise that it is better to make sweets at home. "Artificial colours, which can be toxic, as well as adulterated milk and other ingredients are widely used. We always suggest that making sweets at home is safer. At least you can pick the ingredients yourself," added Dr Rajendra Sharma of Tongia Hospital.
Boy held for duping hotelier with 'cockroach trick'
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A teenaged boy landed in trouble after he put fried cockroaches in biriyani at a hotel here in a bid to extract money from the owner, cashing in on the government crackdown on unhygienic eateries.
According to police, the student came to a small hotel and ordered biriyani during the busy lunch hours on Friday.
After eating half the plate, the boy all of a sudden stood up and started shouting that there was a cockroach in his biriyani.
Some other customers also joined the boy as he showed them the 'unsavoury fry' in his plate, which led to heated exchange between customers and the hotel staff.
As the hue-and-cry continued, the boy told the hotel owner that he would not lodge complaint with the food safety authorities if he was given Rs 1,000 as compensation.
The boy's eagerness to 'settle' the issue made the hotelier suspicious and he called up the police.
When the police grilled the boy, he admitted that he had purposefully put the cockroach in the food to dupe the eatery owner and garner some money from him.
Police also recovered a handful of fried cockroaches from his bag. Police took him to police station and called his parents before letting him off after a stern warning.
The Food Safety Authority and Health officials in the state had recently cracked down on scores of hotels and eateries across the state following a spurt in food poisoning cases.
About two months back, a 25-year-old youth died after eating stale 'shavarma', an Arabic food, bought from a city hotel.
The incident caused public concern about the hygiene of hotels foods, prompting the authorities to closely monitor the situation.
According to police, the student came to a small hotel and ordered biriyani during the busy lunch hours on Friday.
After eating half the plate, the boy all of a sudden stood up and started shouting that there was a cockroach in his biriyani.
Some other customers also joined the boy as he showed them the 'unsavoury fry' in his plate, which led to heated exchange between customers and the hotel staff.
As the hue-and-cry continued, the boy told the hotel owner that he would not lodge complaint with the food safety authorities if he was given Rs 1,000 as compensation.
The boy's eagerness to 'settle' the issue made the hotelier suspicious and he called up the police.
When the police grilled the boy, he admitted that he had purposefully put the cockroach in the food to dupe the eatery owner and garner some money from him.
Police also recovered a handful of fried cockroaches from his bag. Police took him to police station and called his parents before letting him off after a stern warning.
The Food Safety Authority and Health officials in the state had recently cracked down on scores of hotels and eateries across the state following a spurt in food poisoning cases.
About two months back, a 25-year-old youth died after eating stale 'shavarma', an Arabic food, bought from a city hotel.
The incident caused public concern about the hygiene of hotels foods, prompting the authorities to closely monitor the situation.
Coloured sweets to be inspected in Ranchi
RANCHI: Sweets of various
designs, shapes and colours are seen arranged in the sweet shops of the
city tempting passersby to buy them. The demand for sweets is usually
high during Diwali as it is not just required to offer prayers to idols
but also as gifts. As a result, many sweet shops have sprung up on the
roadside to display the variety of sweets.
As demand increases, some shopkeepers tend to use adulterated ingredients or colours for more profit which often leads to various ailments.
Dr N N Aggarwal, director of Gurunanak Hospital, said, "During Diwali most of the sweets are made of 'khowa' (thickened milk in lump form) and hence its adulteration is optimum. The confectioners often add maida (refined flour) and blotting paper to add volume to the sweets."
Various kinds of colours are also added to the sweets to lure customers. Dr Aggarwal said, "Some of the colours have carcinogenic properties which mean that they may lead to cancer. In case someone spots any kind of adulteration in sweets he should immediately contact the assistant chief medical officer."
The district administration has also been working on samples from various sweet shops.
ACMO, Dr Sengupta said, "We have already started collecting samples from sweet shops and covered more than 110 sweet shops under a special drive for Diwali. Out of these, some were adulterated and the most common adulteration was found in laddoos."
Dr Sengupta said, "We found that metaline yellow colour has been added to laddoos to give them a better colour. This colour is used only for industrial purpose and is not edible. When eaten in high quantity it may lead to brain and liver damage."
Food analyst of food sample testing centre at Namkom, Dr Jitendra Singh, said, "We are accepting and examining all samples under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Many samples have been already tested and the reports of many others would be submitted by November 15."
Complaints against sweet shops where sweets were found to be adulterated would be submitted to the deputy commissioner. Deputy Commissioner, Vinay Choubey said, "Once we get all the reports appropriate action will be taken against the shop owners under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006."
As demand increases, some shopkeepers tend to use adulterated ingredients or colours for more profit which often leads to various ailments.
Dr N N Aggarwal, director of Gurunanak Hospital, said, "During Diwali most of the sweets are made of 'khowa' (thickened milk in lump form) and hence its adulteration is optimum. The confectioners often add maida (refined flour) and blotting paper to add volume to the sweets."
Various kinds of colours are also added to the sweets to lure customers. Dr Aggarwal said, "Some of the colours have carcinogenic properties which mean that they may lead to cancer. In case someone spots any kind of adulteration in sweets he should immediately contact the assistant chief medical officer."
The district administration has also been working on samples from various sweet shops.
ACMO, Dr Sengupta said, "We have already started collecting samples from sweet shops and covered more than 110 sweet shops under a special drive for Diwali. Out of these, some were adulterated and the most common adulteration was found in laddoos."
Dr Sengupta said, "We found that metaline yellow colour has been added to laddoos to give them a better colour. This colour is used only for industrial purpose and is not edible. When eaten in high quantity it may lead to brain and liver damage."
Food analyst of food sample testing centre at Namkom, Dr Jitendra Singh, said, "We are accepting and examining all samples under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Many samples have been already tested and the reports of many others would be submitted by November 15."
Complaints against sweet shops where sweets were found to be adulterated would be submitted to the deputy commissioner. Deputy Commissioner, Vinay Choubey said, "Once we get all the reports appropriate action will be taken against the shop owners under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006."
Nov 10, 2012
BIS certification mandatory for packaged water: court
Holding that packaged drinking water comes within the
purview of Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, the Karnataka High Court
on Friday said that certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards
(BIS) is mandatory for packaged drinking water.
The
court also directed the State government to take action to prohibit and
prevent the manufacture and sale of packaged drinking water without BIS
certification.
A Division Bench comprising Chief
Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Aravind Kumar passed the order while
disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by Lochamesh B.
Hugar of Hubli complaining inaction by the authorities against
manufacturers of packaged drinking water operating without BIS
certification, and a batch of petitions filed by the manufacturers
claiming that certification from BIS was not necessary.
The
Bench also directed the authorities to take action against the
manufacturers if they found them operating without certification from
BIS.
However, noticing that there are 564 packaged
drinking water manufacturing units without BIS certification as against
224 with BIS certification across the State, the court has given an
opportunity for those operating without BIS certification to apply for
certification.
The Bench said that all manufacturers
will have to submit applications for BIS certification in the prescribed
format within 15 days. It directed the authorities concerned, including
the BIS, to process the application within three months and notify the
deficiencies, if any, in these units. The Bench said that entire
exercise will have to be completed within four months.
Meanwhile,
the court has given liberty to the authorities to initiate action
against those manufacturers who fail to adhere to the directions and
comply with conditions for manufacturing packaged drinking water.
Adulterated sweets keep food inspectors on toes
Unchecked supply of adulterated sweets during the Diwali
festival has put Food and Civil Supply Department on its toes. To curb
supply of adulterated sweet stuffs the department has asked districts
officials to start a drive and collect samples from shops.
Confectioners of city have already started stocking dry sweets with preservatives giving an excuse that it is the only way to store special sweets brought from Kolkata and Delhi.
Jharkhand Director-in-Chief (Food) TP Burnawal said, “Inspection is going on and food safety officers are collecting samples every day. These samples will be tested in the Food Testing Laboratory. Strict actions will be taken those who will be found guilty.”
The Food and Drugs Testing Laboratory which was virtually defunct for more than two years is also functional now. In Ranchi there are only three food inspectors to check the food quality of more than 3000 registered hotels and restaurants here. Officials of Health Department are also keeping an eye on shopkeepers and agents dealing in adulterated food stuffs.
According to the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, a person selling or producing adulterated food can be fined up to Rs 10 lakh. The punishment ranges between imprisonments of three months to life.
Nitin Churuwala, owner of Churuwala Inn, “To elevate profits confectioners do deliberately mix adulterants and spurious maawa. Buyers can themselves recognise artificial sweets. There are some easy ways to identify adulterated sweets like the silver coating done on ladoos and barfis will not stick to fingers if they are silver and if it sticks the coating is of aluminum.”
“The trend of gifting sweets is now changing. People prefer dry fruits and chocolates over sweets,” added Churuwala.
Not only dry fruits and chocolates, the malpractice has brought traditional sweets like baalushahi, chandrakala and besan ladoo in bad taste.
Darshana Gulati, a homemaker said, “Milk is being sold at Rs 35 per liter, how can a shopkeeper sell cheese at the rate of Rs 100 per kg? I prefer making shakkar para and gujiya at home rather than buying sweets from market.”
Confectioners of city have already started stocking dry sweets with preservatives giving an excuse that it is the only way to store special sweets brought from Kolkata and Delhi.
Jharkhand Director-in-Chief (Food) TP Burnawal said, “Inspection is going on and food safety officers are collecting samples every day. These samples will be tested in the Food Testing Laboratory. Strict actions will be taken those who will be found guilty.”
The Food and Drugs Testing Laboratory which was virtually defunct for more than two years is also functional now. In Ranchi there are only three food inspectors to check the food quality of more than 3000 registered hotels and restaurants here. Officials of Health Department are also keeping an eye on shopkeepers and agents dealing in adulterated food stuffs.
According to the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, a person selling or producing adulterated food can be fined up to Rs 10 lakh. The punishment ranges between imprisonments of three months to life.
Nitin Churuwala, owner of Churuwala Inn, “To elevate profits confectioners do deliberately mix adulterants and spurious maawa. Buyers can themselves recognise artificial sweets. There are some easy ways to identify adulterated sweets like the silver coating done on ladoos and barfis will not stick to fingers if they are silver and if it sticks the coating is of aluminum.”
“The trend of gifting sweets is now changing. People prefer dry fruits and chocolates over sweets,” added Churuwala.
Not only dry fruits and chocolates, the malpractice has brought traditional sweets like baalushahi, chandrakala and besan ladoo in bad taste.
Darshana Gulati, a homemaker said, “Milk is being sold at Rs 35 per liter, how can a shopkeeper sell cheese at the rate of Rs 100 per kg? I prefer making shakkar para and gujiya at home rather than buying sweets from market.”
Raids, whistle-blowers programme launched to curb adulteration
FDAs
and FDCAs (Food & Drug Administration and Food & Drugs Control
Administration) that are busy ensuring complete compliance with the Food
Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, have come up with a two-pronged
strategy to crack down on adulteration, a rampant malpractice that
increases during the festive season.
In this regard, the authorities concerned have not only vested in food safety officers (FSOs) of all states to raid errant food business operators' (FBOs) establishments, but also put in place a whistle-blower system across the country to be vigilant and inform FSOs of any cases of adulteration.
Meanwhile, the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced that information providers will be duly rewarded. In fact, raids have already been conducted on FBOs' premises in various parts of the country, and adulterated food, estimated to be worth several crores of rupees, has been seized by the authorities. The food safety commissioners of a few states confirmed.
Maharashtra
K B Sankhe, joint commissioner (food), Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said, “Before the festive season, we selected about 109 samples of mithai and mawa from all over the state and sent these to the laboratory for tests. We are awaiting the results of the same. Adulterated mawa is sourced from Gujarat and used to make sweets for the festive season.”
“Before the festive season commenced, we seized mawa and mithai worth more than Rs 3 lakh, and will prosecute the culprits or impose a fine of upto Rs 1 lakh if they are found indulging in adulteration. Adulteration not only reduces the quality of food, but it also weakens the person who consumes them, thereby resulting in an increase in the cost of healthcare,” he said.
Sankhe said the regular intake of adulterated food could lead to a number of heath problems, which include both curable and incurable diseases and disorders. “The use of toxic colouring agents as adulterants in fruit, vegetables and sweets is very dangerous when it comes to the health of a person. It can lead to serious health issues such as cancer, cardiac problems, insomnia, paralysis and other neurological problems, and could even lead to death,” he said.
The official explained, “As far as the adulteration of honey is concerned, it appeared to be safer than using toxic chemicals as adulterants. Moreover, this will merely have an adverse economic impact and is unlikely to result in any health issues. Even milk can be adulterated with artificial chemicals, and this may not have any tangible impact on the milk itself.”
Gujarat
H G Koshia, food safety commissioner, Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), said, “Recently we raided three big factories in Gujarat which indulged in the act of adulteration. These factories used artificial colours and Rajasthan marble dust powder to adulterate cumin (jeera) seeds and thereby increase their quantity and reduce their quality, with the sole objective of increasing their profit margin.”
He added, “We seized about 20,000 kg of cumin seeds – estimated to be worth more than Rs 7 lakh – and have sent the samples for analysis. We have also registered a case against the company involved in the act of adulteration. Acting on our complaint, the offenders have been arrested by the local police. Water in milk is the most common example of adulteration. Argemone oil is a harmful substance of a low grade which is mixed with mustard oil.”
“Other common adulterants include other kinds of leaves and sawdust, which are mixed with tea leaves. Toxic chemicals may be used to colour sweets. Methanol is an adulterant in alcohol. Ghee may be mixed with vanaspati, and honey is mixed with other kinds of sugars. Pulses are adulterated with artificial colours in order to make them appear fresh. Likewise, fruit and vegetables may be adulterated with toxic colours to increase the profit margin,” said Koshia.
A food official from Gujarat FDCA, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander and other essential ingredients of food cooked in our homes may actually be fake. Red chilli powder is in fact sold at a price far lower than actual chillies. Despite being a processed food, how is this possible? The answer is red chilli powder often contains only 30 per cent of good chilli.”
“The remaining 70 per cent of chillies are those that are either rotten or have been rejected by shops. These are first dried and then red food colour is added to them before they are powdered and sold. This is what ensures the reddish colour the moment it is added to our food. Cumin seeds are sold at Rs 70-80 per kg and their twigs are sold at Rs 5 per kg. Since the twigs smell and look the same, the powder is likely to fool most customers,” he added.
The official added, “After the powder is packaged, the profit margin is huge. Turmeric powder may not actually be turmeric. The powders of maize grain and damaged rice are mixed with yellow edible colour and artificial flavour and the result is fake turmeric, which is sold cheap. Ghee has the maximum scope for adulteration. Pure ghee might not even contain a drop of pure ghee.”
Kerala
V S Sivakumar, health minister, Government of Kerala, said, “It is clear that be it salt, meat, fish, vegetables or fruit, adulteration has been common. It is not only the retailers who are involved in malpractices, but also the wholesalers and others who bring the commodities from outside the state. But there are limitations for the food safety commissioner and other officials to trace it.”
“It is against the backdrop that a mechanism to engage the civil society also for better results is being probed. Whistle-blowers should be rewarded by the state government for providing information about adulteration to FSOs. Adulteration is a big issue in India and it is affecting the health of the people. The Act needs to be implemented so that those who are involved in food adulteration should fear before indulging in the malpractice,” he said.
In this regard, the authorities concerned have not only vested in food safety officers (FSOs) of all states to raid errant food business operators' (FBOs) establishments, but also put in place a whistle-blower system across the country to be vigilant and inform FSOs of any cases of adulteration.
Meanwhile, the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced that information providers will be duly rewarded. In fact, raids have already been conducted on FBOs' premises in various parts of the country, and adulterated food, estimated to be worth several crores of rupees, has been seized by the authorities. The food safety commissioners of a few states confirmed.
Maharashtra
K B Sankhe, joint commissioner (food), Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said, “Before the festive season, we selected about 109 samples of mithai and mawa from all over the state and sent these to the laboratory for tests. We are awaiting the results of the same. Adulterated mawa is sourced from Gujarat and used to make sweets for the festive season.”
“Before the festive season commenced, we seized mawa and mithai worth more than Rs 3 lakh, and will prosecute the culprits or impose a fine of upto Rs 1 lakh if they are found indulging in adulteration. Adulteration not only reduces the quality of food, but it also weakens the person who consumes them, thereby resulting in an increase in the cost of healthcare,” he said.
Sankhe said the regular intake of adulterated food could lead to a number of heath problems, which include both curable and incurable diseases and disorders. “The use of toxic colouring agents as adulterants in fruit, vegetables and sweets is very dangerous when it comes to the health of a person. It can lead to serious health issues such as cancer, cardiac problems, insomnia, paralysis and other neurological problems, and could even lead to death,” he said.
The official explained, “As far as the adulteration of honey is concerned, it appeared to be safer than using toxic chemicals as adulterants. Moreover, this will merely have an adverse economic impact and is unlikely to result in any health issues. Even milk can be adulterated with artificial chemicals, and this may not have any tangible impact on the milk itself.”
Gujarat
H G Koshia, food safety commissioner, Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), said, “Recently we raided three big factories in Gujarat which indulged in the act of adulteration. These factories used artificial colours and Rajasthan marble dust powder to adulterate cumin (jeera) seeds and thereby increase their quantity and reduce their quality, with the sole objective of increasing their profit margin.”
He added, “We seized about 20,000 kg of cumin seeds – estimated to be worth more than Rs 7 lakh – and have sent the samples for analysis. We have also registered a case against the company involved in the act of adulteration. Acting on our complaint, the offenders have been arrested by the local police. Water in milk is the most common example of adulteration. Argemone oil is a harmful substance of a low grade which is mixed with mustard oil.”
“Other common adulterants include other kinds of leaves and sawdust, which are mixed with tea leaves. Toxic chemicals may be used to colour sweets. Methanol is an adulterant in alcohol. Ghee may be mixed with vanaspati, and honey is mixed with other kinds of sugars. Pulses are adulterated with artificial colours in order to make them appear fresh. Likewise, fruit and vegetables may be adulterated with toxic colours to increase the profit margin,” said Koshia.
A food official from Gujarat FDCA, on the condition of anonymity, said, “Turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander and other essential ingredients of food cooked in our homes may actually be fake. Red chilli powder is in fact sold at a price far lower than actual chillies. Despite being a processed food, how is this possible? The answer is red chilli powder often contains only 30 per cent of good chilli.”
“The remaining 70 per cent of chillies are those that are either rotten or have been rejected by shops. These are first dried and then red food colour is added to them before they are powdered and sold. This is what ensures the reddish colour the moment it is added to our food. Cumin seeds are sold at Rs 70-80 per kg and their twigs are sold at Rs 5 per kg. Since the twigs smell and look the same, the powder is likely to fool most customers,” he added.
The official added, “After the powder is packaged, the profit margin is huge. Turmeric powder may not actually be turmeric. The powders of maize grain and damaged rice are mixed with yellow edible colour and artificial flavour and the result is fake turmeric, which is sold cheap. Ghee has the maximum scope for adulteration. Pure ghee might not even contain a drop of pure ghee.”
Kerala
V S Sivakumar, health minister, Government of Kerala, said, “It is clear that be it salt, meat, fish, vegetables or fruit, adulteration has been common. It is not only the retailers who are involved in malpractices, but also the wholesalers and others who bring the commodities from outside the state. But there are limitations for the food safety commissioner and other officials to trace it.”
“It is against the backdrop that a mechanism to engage the civil society also for better results is being probed. Whistle-blowers should be rewarded by the state government for providing information about adulteration to FSOs. Adulteration is a big issue in India and it is affecting the health of the people. The Act needs to be implemented so that those who are involved in food adulteration should fear before indulging in the malpractice,” he said.
Bureau of Indian Standards tag must for packaged water: HC
BANGALORE: Holding that packaged drinking water falls within the domain of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Karnataka high court on Friday said that certification by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for packaged drinking water.
Disposing of a batch of petitions, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Aravind Kumar directed the state government to take all necessary steps to prohibit/prevent the manufacture and sale of packaged drinking water without the certification of BIS.
The bench further directed the authorities to take action against those manufacturers of packaged drinking water if they were found to be running their units without BIS certification.
Noting that as against 224 units with BIS certification, 564 without certification are operating in Karnataka, the bench decided to give them an opportunity to apply for certification. All these manufacturers have been granted 15 days time for submitting the prescribed application to the authorities concerned under the FSS Act, BIS Act and also regulations for issue of BIS certificate.
The authorities have been asked to process the same within three months and notify the deficiencies if any. The entire exercise has to be completed in an outer limit of four months, in case of exigencies.
The petitioners had complained that even though there was a bar on selling packaged drinking water without the ISI mark, the authorities have not taken steps to prevent it. Some of the manufacturers contended that they were not covered under the FSS Act.
Disposing of a batch of petitions, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Aravind Kumar directed the state government to take all necessary steps to prohibit/prevent the manufacture and sale of packaged drinking water without the certification of BIS.
The bench further directed the authorities to take action against those manufacturers of packaged drinking water if they were found to be running their units without BIS certification.
Noting that as against 224 units with BIS certification, 564 without certification are operating in Karnataka, the bench decided to give them an opportunity to apply for certification. All these manufacturers have been granted 15 days time for submitting the prescribed application to the authorities concerned under the FSS Act, BIS Act and also regulations for issue of BIS certificate.
The authorities have been asked to process the same within three months and notify the deficiencies if any. The entire exercise has to be completed in an outer limit of four months, in case of exigencies.
The petitioners had complained that even though there was a bar on selling packaged drinking water without the ISI mark, the authorities have not taken steps to prevent it. Some of the manufacturers contended that they were not covered under the FSS Act.
The question of food safety
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 10 2012 -
Though already late, it is good to know that the Government of Manipur has finally woken up to giving due importance to the cause of general health and hygiene of the people, and decided to act tough against shops selling eatable items and other food manufacturing units being operated in the State without possessing the required registration certificates and license.
After being passed by the Indian Parliament on August 23, 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 has been implemented as a law with effect from August 5, 2011 throughout the country including Manipur.
Under this Act, owners of shops and other business establishments selling eatable items as well as companies manufacturing food items need to register themselves and possess the required registration certificates and licenses from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which has been mandated under the provisions of the Act to ensure availability of wholesome safe food for human consumption.
At the State level, the Commissioner of Food Safety is the highest regulatory and implementing authority of the Act. It is unfortunate to learn that people of the State in general and the owners of shops and other business establishments dealing in food items in particular do not understand the significance of the Act.
As some of the Food Safety Officers in the State have themselves admitted, lack of awareness has been at the root cause of total neglect of the Act and its provisions in Manipur, and consequently, the failure of the shop-keepers and proprietors of food manufacturing units to register and possess the required registration certificates and licenses from FSSAI.
So, the authorities concerned need to find out ways and means to generate awareness among the people. Here, we should understand the simple fact that for successful implementation of any legislation or developmental scheme/project, mass publicity campaign out in the field is imperative.
Organising a couple of workshops or seminars within the confined of an air-conditioned conference hall of some classy hotels and then claiming that publicity campaigns have been carried out to convey the message to owners of shops and other business establishments dealing in food items or extending deadline for registration wouldn't simply work.
One needs to be more sincere and dedicated towards ensuring availability of wholesome safe food for human consumption.
Let's be clear that unsafe food not only causes many acute and life-long diseases, but also pose a growing threat to public health.
So, when it comes to the question of life and death, do we need time to wait for an answer?
Nov 9, 2012
Festive Season’s Bitter ‘Sweet’ Truth
CHANDIGARH:
By the time you get to know if the sweets you savoured were
adulterated, the festive season might be over. Instead of confiscating
stocks that appear to be stale, the UT administration is treading with
caution this time -- limiting its surprise raids on sweet shops to
taking samples alone, reports of which are out after seven to 10 days.
This is in sharp contrast to the drive in 2010 when the administration had played to the gallery by confiscating and destroying tonnes of raw material and ready-to-serve sweets in an extended drive.
Justifying the move, ADC Mahavir Kaushik said samples were being taken from different areas of the city, but destroying the sweets on the spot would be considered only if a manufacturing unit did not conform to the hygiene standards.
Welcoming it, N K Singhania, general secretary of Chandigarh Sweet Shop Owners' Association, said most of the sweet manufacturing units in the city have drastically improved their hygiene standards over the past two years and there was no question of contamination. "Checking adulteration levels by taking samples is the process as per the book. The sweet shop owners were against the practice of largescale destruction of sweets without even waiting for the lab reports," he added.
Though the administration had come up with a set of new guidelines for sweet manufacturing units like installation of six feet high tiles and proper ventilation in the kitchen, no drive was conducted to check compliance last year.
Most of the old sweet factories located in periphery have kucha floors, with poor drainage and no tiles in cooking areas. The administration has got more teeth with the recently-notified Food Safety and Standard Act that authorizes it to take strict action against sweet shop and restaurant owners.
This is in sharp contrast to the drive in 2010 when the administration had played to the gallery by confiscating and destroying tonnes of raw material and ready-to-serve sweets in an extended drive.
Justifying the move, ADC Mahavir Kaushik said samples were being taken from different areas of the city, but destroying the sweets on the spot would be considered only if a manufacturing unit did not conform to the hygiene standards.
Welcoming it, N K Singhania, general secretary of Chandigarh Sweet Shop Owners' Association, said most of the sweet manufacturing units in the city have drastically improved their hygiene standards over the past two years and there was no question of contamination. "Checking adulteration levels by taking samples is the process as per the book. The sweet shop owners were against the practice of largescale destruction of sweets without even waiting for the lab reports," he added.
Though the administration had come up with a set of new guidelines for sweet manufacturing units like installation of six feet high tiles and proper ventilation in the kitchen, no drive was conducted to check compliance last year.
Most of the old sweet factories located in periphery have kucha floors, with poor drainage and no tiles in cooking areas. The administration has got more teeth with the recently-notified Food Safety and Standard Act that authorizes it to take strict action against sweet shop and restaurant owners.
FDA raids shops, collects khoya samples in Katra
ALLAHABAD: As part of the ongoing drive against adulteration in food
products during the festive period, officials of Food and Drug Authority
(FDA) led by additional city magistrate (ACM) I and chief food
inspector (CFI) conducted raids in Katra locality on Wednesday and took
khoya samples from two reputed sweet shops and chhena (cottage cheese)
sample from another shop on Kutchery Road. The samples would be sent to
the state laboratory for examination after which necessary action would
be taken.
CFI, Harimohan Srivastava said the team also raided shops in Phaphamau area and inspected khoya mandi where several dealers fled from the spot leaving behind their stock. The team seized around 1.5 quintal of khoya from the spot which would be sent for examination.
At a shop in Phaphamau area the team took samples of curd and gazak while a dairy operating without a license was challaned. In Soraon area the team served notice to a cold storage functioning without license.
At Karchana in trans-Yamuna area, the team was led by SDM, Karchana and 50 kg besan (gram flour) was seized from a shop and sample sent for examination.
Srivastava said the drive would continue till Deepawali and warned shopkeepers to refrain from selling adulterated food items or else face the music.
CFI, Harimohan Srivastava said the team also raided shops in Phaphamau area and inspected khoya mandi where several dealers fled from the spot leaving behind their stock. The team seized around 1.5 quintal of khoya from the spot which would be sent for examination.
At a shop in Phaphamau area the team took samples of curd and gazak while a dairy operating without a license was challaned. In Soraon area the team served notice to a cold storage functioning without license.
At Karchana in trans-Yamuna area, the team was led by SDM, Karchana and 50 kg besan (gram flour) was seized from a shop and sample sent for examination.
Srivastava said the drive would continue till Deepawali and warned shopkeepers to refrain from selling adulterated food items or else face the music.
Beware of spiked edibles this Diwali: FDA
ALLAHABAD: Diwali is just a fortnight away. It is the festival of lights
and sweets. So, being an active an aware citizen, people of Sangam city
are approaching officials of the FDA
(Food & Drug Administration) in a large number to learn simple
methods useful in detecting adulteration. Most of the inquires pouring
in are to ascertain purity of food and milk products as also asking
about availability of instant kits that have already gained popularity
in metropolitan cities.
FDA officials feel it's a good beginning and citizens are taking initiative to acquaint themselves with simple methods. Dr Sarita Pandey says "If we know simple methods to detect adulteration, we can save our family from impure and stale products". She added "Awareness must be spread among consumers". If you want to check if the khoya you are buying or have bought is adulterated, a few drops of tincture of iodine will make it turn bluish if adulterated. Another method is using sulphuric acid.
Adulteration is an unethical practice, as it poses serious risk to human health. Presence of harmful starch, urea-mixed milk, caustic soda, ararot, artificial sweetening chemicals, non-approved colored sweets (like heavy metals incorporated malachite green, etc) and unhygienic conditions may lead to acute gastritis, diarrhoea, dysentery, dehydration, kidney inflammation, etc.
Housewife Aditi says "Keeping an eye on the forthcoming festival, consumers must be aware of simple methods to detect adulteration".
Chief food safety officer H K Srivastava told TOI "We are promoting awareness about easy methods to detect adulteration in food products, without the need to send them to a laboratory.
FDA officials feel it's a good beginning and citizens are taking initiative to acquaint themselves with simple methods. Dr Sarita Pandey says "If we know simple methods to detect adulteration, we can save our family from impure and stale products". She added "Awareness must be spread among consumers". If you want to check if the khoya you are buying or have bought is adulterated, a few drops of tincture of iodine will make it turn bluish if adulterated. Another method is using sulphuric acid.
Adulteration is an unethical practice, as it poses serious risk to human health. Presence of harmful starch, urea-mixed milk, caustic soda, ararot, artificial sweetening chemicals, non-approved colored sweets (like heavy metals incorporated malachite green, etc) and unhygienic conditions may lead to acute gastritis, diarrhoea, dysentery, dehydration, kidney inflammation, etc.
Housewife Aditi says "Keeping an eye on the forthcoming festival, consumers must be aware of simple methods to detect adulteration".
Chief food safety officer H K Srivastava told TOI "We are promoting awareness about easy methods to detect adulteration in food products, without the need to send them to a laboratory.
Ahead of Diwali, adulteration fears keep FDA on toes
MUMBAI: The state government has instructed the food and drug administration (FDA) to collect random samples from sweet manufacturing units and shops to check adulteration
and use of banned substances. The department has also warned of
initiating action against those officials who fail to implement the food
safety act effectively in the state.
With less then 15 days left for Diwali festive season, minister of state for FDA Satej Patil held a meeting with officials at his Vidhan Bhavan office on Thursday to review measures taken by the department to clamp down on supply of adulterated sweets and food items in the market, especially during the festive season.
"Instead of waiting for complaints from citizens and then initiating actions, I have asked officials to collect random samples of sweets and other eatables from manufacturing units and retails shops. These samples will be sent to the laboratory for testing. If any kind of adulteration is found or the sample is found to be of substandard quality, then action will be initiated against the erring person," Patil said.
FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said that besides initiating action against erring manufacturers, the responsibility of implementing rules and regulation will be fixed on department officials. "It is the duty of the officials to find out whether food manufacturers are complying with the norms laid down in the food safety act. Punitive action will be initiated against the officials who fail to perform their duty," Zagade said, adding, "Action against manufacturers indulging in malpractices and errant officials will help in effective implementation of rules."
Patil urged citizens to buy sweets and other food products from shops that have proper registration and necessary licences. Cautioning people against purchasing uncovered sweets, the minister said, "FDA's action along with public awareness will help in curbing malpractices in the sector."
With less then 15 days left for Diwali festive season, minister of state for FDA Satej Patil held a meeting with officials at his Vidhan Bhavan office on Thursday to review measures taken by the department to clamp down on supply of adulterated sweets and food items in the market, especially during the festive season.
"Instead of waiting for complaints from citizens and then initiating actions, I have asked officials to collect random samples of sweets and other eatables from manufacturing units and retails shops. These samples will be sent to the laboratory for testing. If any kind of adulteration is found or the sample is found to be of substandard quality, then action will be initiated against the erring person," Patil said.
FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said that besides initiating action against erring manufacturers, the responsibility of implementing rules and regulation will be fixed on department officials. "It is the duty of the officials to find out whether food manufacturers are complying with the norms laid down in the food safety act. Punitive action will be initiated against the officials who fail to perform their duty," Zagade said, adding, "Action against manufacturers indulging in malpractices and errant officials will help in effective implementation of rules."
Patil urged citizens to buy sweets and other food products from shops that have proper registration and necessary licences. Cautioning people against purchasing uncovered sweets, the minister said, "FDA's action along with public awareness will help in curbing malpractices in the sector."
Drive fails to yield results
JAIPUR: It seems that the
much-hyped campaign of 'Shudh Ke Liye Yudh' by the medical and health
department is not giving the desired results. Though the officials of
the medical and health department have begun collecting samples from
various sweet shops, ration shops and ghee manufacturing units, the
problem with the campaign is that it will take a fortnight to get the
sample results and the festival of Diwali will be over by then.
On Monday the team found adulterated mawa and later destroyed it, but the campaign so far has proved to be a futile exercise.
"We cannot do much about it before the reports come. Only the reports will confirm if there is an adulteration and if so then up to what extent. We can only take necessary action till then. But the good news is that we have been able to expose several factories involved in making adulterated ghee," said a senior officer of the medical and health department.
O P Thankan, chief medical and health officer Jaipur 1 said, "In this procedure our job is to collect samples and send them to the lab. Since January 2012 we have sent at least 400 samples to the lab out of which in many cases we received negative reports while many reports are still awaited."
Officials added that they will present challans against the defaulters in court even after Diwali once they get the reports confirming adulteration in the products.
Saras mawa out in the market now
Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation (RCDF) on Monday added mawa to its bouquet of products under the brand name of Saras. RCDF had to enter the mawa market after adulterated mawa was found in the market.
The products will be available in 500 gram, 1 kg and 5 kg. The price has been fixed at Rs. 200 per kg. Apart from main Saras parlour at JLN Marg, 50 other outlets have been selected where mawa will be available. Along with the launch of Saras mawa, RCDF has also removed the cap of 5 kg limit for free home delivery.
Now the facility will be available on placing an order of even 1 kg.
On Monday the team found adulterated mawa and later destroyed it, but the campaign so far has proved to be a futile exercise.
"We cannot do much about it before the reports come. Only the reports will confirm if there is an adulteration and if so then up to what extent. We can only take necessary action till then. But the good news is that we have been able to expose several factories involved in making adulterated ghee," said a senior officer of the medical and health department.
O P Thankan, chief medical and health officer Jaipur 1 said, "In this procedure our job is to collect samples and send them to the lab. Since January 2012 we have sent at least 400 samples to the lab out of which in many cases we received negative reports while many reports are still awaited."
Officials added that they will present challans against the defaulters in court even after Diwali once they get the reports confirming adulteration in the products.
Saras mawa out in the market now
Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation (RCDF) on Monday added mawa to its bouquet of products under the brand name of Saras. RCDF had to enter the mawa market after adulterated mawa was found in the market.
The products will be available in 500 gram, 1 kg and 5 kg. The price has been fixed at Rs. 200 per kg. Apart from main Saras parlour at JLN Marg, 50 other outlets have been selected where mawa will be available. Along with the launch of Saras mawa, RCDF has also removed the cap of 5 kg limit for free home delivery.
Now the facility will be available on placing an order of even 1 kg.
It’s ‘sweet’ switchover this Diwali
ALLAHABAD: This Diwali the city is switching over to dry fruits
and chocolates instead of sweets. In a drift from the tradition of
offering and exchanging sweets to friends and guests, people are showing
preference for dry fruits and chocolates despite the soaring prices of
dry fruits. The sale of dry-fruits has, in fact, gone up by 30% compared
to previous years.
The companies too are making most the changing trend and have come up with attractive gift hampers of chocolates and dry fruits. One of the reasons behind this new trend is growing cases of adulteration in sweets and milk, especially during festivals.
Traders, however, claim that some customers are opting for packed sweets like 'kaju katri' and 'rasgulla' from branded companies.
Nitin Mehrotra, a shopkeeper, said: "Youngsters are preferring dry fruits and chocolates over sweet boxes". "I used to distribute sweets made out of maawa among families and friends till two years back. But after growing incidents of adulterated sweets, I have started giving dry fruits and chocolates" said Rohit Shukla, an entrepreneur.
Dhananjay Singh, an entrepreneur, said, "Dry fruits and chocolates are best options available in markets. We cannot risk anyone's health on such a happy occasion." He added that the trend is now shifting from sweets to dry fruits as it is more convenient and also good for health. Even cooperates and businessmen too gift their employees dry fruits and cookies. On other hand, there is a section of people which believes in sticking to the tradition of distributing sweets. Many sweet-meat shops in the city are also offering homemade sweets.
A trader in Civil Lines said, "Undoubtedly, people have started gifting dry fruits more but the famous sweets shops too are doing brisk business. Scared of adulteration people now buy sweets from only famous and trusted shops."
The companies too are making most the changing trend and have come up with attractive gift hampers of chocolates and dry fruits. One of the reasons behind this new trend is growing cases of adulteration in sweets and milk, especially during festivals.
Traders, however, claim that some customers are opting for packed sweets like 'kaju katri' and 'rasgulla' from branded companies.
Nitin Mehrotra, a shopkeeper, said: "Youngsters are preferring dry fruits and chocolates over sweet boxes". "I used to distribute sweets made out of maawa among families and friends till two years back. But after growing incidents of adulterated sweets, I have started giving dry fruits and chocolates" said Rohit Shukla, an entrepreneur.
Dhananjay Singh, an entrepreneur, said, "Dry fruits and chocolates are best options available in markets. We cannot risk anyone's health on such a happy occasion." He added that the trend is now shifting from sweets to dry fruits as it is more convenient and also good for health. Even cooperates and businessmen too gift their employees dry fruits and cookies. On other hand, there is a section of people which believes in sticking to the tradition of distributing sweets. Many sweet-meat shops in the city are also offering homemade sweets.
A trader in Civil Lines said, "Undoubtedly, people have started gifting dry fruits more but the famous sweets shops too are doing brisk business. Scared of adulteration people now buy sweets from only famous and trusted shops."
Ahmedabad civic body cracks the whip on adulterators, 2 get jail term
To deter vendors from adulterating products, the health department of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) began a strict check on Thursday across the city. The civic body found three units selling adulterated products.
Grocery and sweet shops were checked by a squad of food inspectors. During the check in Navrangpura, food inspector SS Makwan found one shop where the vendor was selling sealed packets of fennel seeds without brand name or label. “It is mandatory for the manufacturer or vendor to sell edible products with proper label having brand name, batch number, manufacturing date, expiry date and other details,” said a health official.The vendor was penalised with three months of imprisonment.
Similarly, during the check in Sardarnagar, food inspector MR Mahajan found that one vendor was selling packaged drinking water bottles with particles inside. Since the water was contaminated, the vendor was punished with imprisonment of six months and Rs1, 000 as fine.
While checking in Isanpur, food inspector AR Patel and his team came upon a shop which was selling 500 gm red chilli powder packet withoutAgmark logo (the symbol of purity). For this, the vendor, Ramesh Talati, was fined Rs500.
Food department collects samples, destroys spurious edibles
ALLAHABAD: Samples were collected and stocks of spurious edibles
destroyed during raids carried out at various locations in the city by
three separate teams of the department of food safety and drug
administration and some rural segments of the districts, on Thursday.
While two teams raided markets of Koran and Phulpur areas, the main team
raided different shops and malls in the city.
The team led by ACM-II Nagendra Singh and chief food safety officer Hari Mohan Srivastava raided a restaurant in a mall in Civil Lines and collected samples of food items like samosa, namkeen and sandwich.
"We have collected a sample of sandwich from one of the cinema halls in the mall wherein the date of packaging was written by pen and not printed", said Srivastava. The team also raided Guru Nanak Cold storage of Civil Lines and found about 50 kilogram pomegranates not fit for consumption and the team destroyed the entire lot. Apart from these locations, the team also inspected items at two eminent sweet shops of the Civil Lines market.
Srivastava said the team sent to Phulpur destroyed about 50 kg of khoya at Babuganj market. Likewise, sample of kalakand (a sweet prepared with khoya) was collected from a shop in Sahason, informed the officer. Besides, 5 kg of spices were destroyed in the same market, he added. But the team found markets of Koroan and Phulpur (main) closed and hence no raided could be conducted.
The team led by ACM-II Nagendra Singh and chief food safety officer Hari Mohan Srivastava raided a restaurant in a mall in Civil Lines and collected samples of food items like samosa, namkeen and sandwich.
"We have collected a sample of sandwich from one of the cinema halls in the mall wherein the date of packaging was written by pen and not printed", said Srivastava. The team also raided Guru Nanak Cold storage of Civil Lines and found about 50 kilogram pomegranates not fit for consumption and the team destroyed the entire lot. Apart from these locations, the team also inspected items at two eminent sweet shops of the Civil Lines market.
Srivastava said the team sent to Phulpur destroyed about 50 kg of khoya at Babuganj market. Likewise, sample of kalakand (a sweet prepared with khoya) was collected from a shop in Sahason, informed the officer. Besides, 5 kg of spices were destroyed in the same market, he added. But the team found markets of Koroan and Phulpur (main) closed and hence no raided could be conducted.
Shop owners without licence to be nailed
Imphal, November 08 2012: Come January next year, owners of shops and other
business establishment selling eatable items and those companies
manufacturing food items without registration card or license issued by
the Food Safety and Authority of India would have to face the music.
In accordance to the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, which is implemented in the State since 2011, owners of shops and other business establishments selling eatable items as well as companies manufacturing food items should posses the required registration card or license given by the Food and Safety Authority of India by August 2011.However, as the owners of most shops/business establishments and companies are unaware of the provisions of the Act, the Govt of Manipur has extended the deadline for acquiring the registration card and license till January 2013 .
According to the guidelines of the Act, if an individual is running a shop selling eatables with a business turnover of Rs 10 lakh, he or she should get registered with the Food Safety and Authority of India and all those shops/ establishments and companies selling and producing food items with a business turnover of above Rs 12 lakhs should posses license from the Food Safety and Authority of India.
Though the steps taken up by the Food Safety and Authority of India to provide safe food stuffs to the general public is praiseworthy, yet the people of the state in general and the owners of shops and establishments and companies selling and producing food items in particular do not understand the Act entirety.
Over and above, all the individuals who have registered and possessed license do not seem to bother about the Act.
In this regard, Hueiyen Lanpao interacted with some Food Safety Officers of certain districts of the State, who maintained that there have been publicity campaigns carried out by the Health department telling the owners of all shops and establishments selling eatable items and those companies producing food items to get the required registration card or license.
However, lack of awareness regarding the Act has led to the total neglect of the importance of possessing the registration card and the license.
Nonetheless, the Health department has made a final appeal to all owners of all shops and establishments selling eatable items and those companies manufacturing food items to get themselves registered and possess the required license from the Food Safety and Authority of India by January next year, failing which legal actions will be taken up and get them arrested.
In addition to this, they would be banned from continuing their business.
The Food Safety Officer informed that shop owners and proprietors of industries not following the guidelines of the Food Safety and Standard Act could be fined Rs 2 lakhs.
They could also be fined Rs 5 lakhs if the food items being sold or produced lead to the death of consumers after consumption.
In accordance to the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, which is implemented in the State since 2011, owners of shops and other business establishments selling eatable items as well as companies manufacturing food items should posses the required registration card or license given by the Food and Safety Authority of India by August 2011.However, as the owners of most shops/business establishments and companies are unaware of the provisions of the Act, the Govt of Manipur has extended the deadline for acquiring the registration card and license till January 2013 .
|
According to the guidelines of the Act, if an individual is running a shop selling eatables with a business turnover of Rs 10 lakh, he or she should get registered with the Food Safety and Authority of India and all those shops/ establishments and companies selling and producing food items with a business turnover of above Rs 12 lakhs should posses license from the Food Safety and Authority of India.
Though the steps taken up by the Food Safety and Authority of India to provide safe food stuffs to the general public is praiseworthy, yet the people of the state in general and the owners of shops and establishments and companies selling and producing food items in particular do not understand the Act entirety.
Over and above, all the individuals who have registered and possessed license do not seem to bother about the Act.
In this regard, Hueiyen Lanpao interacted with some Food Safety Officers of certain districts of the State, who maintained that there have been publicity campaigns carried out by the Health department telling the owners of all shops and establishments selling eatable items and those companies producing food items to get the required registration card or license.
However, lack of awareness regarding the Act has led to the total neglect of the importance of possessing the registration card and the license.
Nonetheless, the Health department has made a final appeal to all owners of all shops and establishments selling eatable items and those companies manufacturing food items to get themselves registered and possess the required license from the Food Safety and Authority of India by January next year, failing which legal actions will be taken up and get them arrested.
In addition to this, they would be banned from continuing their business.
The Food Safety Officer informed that shop owners and proprietors of industries not following the guidelines of the Food Safety and Standard Act could be fined Rs 2 lakhs.
They could also be fined Rs 5 lakhs if the food items being sold or produced lead to the death of consumers after consumption.
Chicken shop fined
A Yass café has been outed on the NSW Food Authority’s name and shame register this week.
King Charcoal Chicken in Comur Street was fined $440 for failing to comply with food safety standards.
The authority said a food handler had been caught smoking in a food handling area on July 19 this year, despite being warned about it previously.
The café was added to the public name and shame register on Tuesday.
Owner Georgina Karadonis declined to comment.
Authorities said smoking cigarettes within a food preparation area was unacceptable.
“Smoking in food preparation areas is a serious breach of food safety standards and the business concerned has been penalised accordingly, which is consistent with how these types of matters are dealt with by councils under the Food Act 2003 throughout NSW,” a NSW Food Authority spokesperson said.
Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson is on medical leave and could not comment.
It is the seventh restaurant or café within the Yass Valley shire to be named and shamed during the past year.
Nov 8, 2012
Five quintals of synthetic mawa seized
About five quintals of synthetic mawa, suspected of containing urea, was seized during a raid at a manufacturing site in village Sadharanpur here, food safety department officials said today.
The raid was carried out last night, Chief Food Inspector Sanjay Pandey said, adding that whitener and some other chemicals were being used to make the mawa.
The owner of the manufacturing site, Om Prakash, had already been convicted on charges of adulteration in 2009, Pandey said.
The raid was carried out last night, Chief Food Inspector Sanjay Pandey said, adding that whitener and some other chemicals were being used to make the mawa.
The owner of the manufacturing site, Om Prakash, had already been convicted on charges of adulteration in 2009, Pandey said.
Nov 7, 2012
Dieticians Advise Diabetics And Heart Patients To Exercise Caution, Warn Of Adulterated Sweets
Diwali diet: Keep kilos in check with low-cal options
New Delhi: The fragrance of sweets already fills the air. Very soon pretty boxes packed with laddoos, barfis and the choicest delicacies will start piling up at homes. Diwali, after all, is incomplete without sweets. But the after-effects of bingeing can be disastrous, more so if you are on the heavier side. And if you are vulnerable to heart disease or have diabetes, you must exercise caution.But that doesn't mean refraining from all sweets. Dieticians and doctors suggest that the craving for sweets can be assuaged with healthier, lowcalorie alternatives like fruit yoghurts, dry fruits and dark chocolate. It will just take a little effort to ensure that you're buying and gifting the right kind of sweets. With an assortment of sweets spread out before them, even the most health conscious people end up gorging on sweets during Diwali.
Clinical nutritionist Ishi Khosla says people tend to binge during Diwali as they see a lot sweets around them, and that stirs up their sensory faculties. “The smell and look of sweets weakens your resolve. So it’s best not to store them at home. Instead, you can distribute them to people who need them more. You can choose healthier alternatives like dates, bitter chocolates or nuts.” She also cautions people about the quality of sweets they order. For instance, fresh s a n d e s hor fruit yoghurt is far healthier than g u l a b ja m u n s. Honey or jaggery-coated nuts are also a good option.
Dieticians suggest it is better to distribute the sweets one gets, as it reduces chances of overeating. “People can share the sweets with kids as they burn calories easily. It’s also a good idea to distribute sweets in the neighbourhood, especially because we do not know where the sweets come from. There is a high chance of adulteration,” says consultant dietician at Max Healthcare, Cheenu Prashar.
Almost every year adulterated sweets flood Delhi’s markets to meet the huge demand. Artificial colours, which can be toxic, as well as adulterated milk and k h o y a are widely used. “We always suggest that making sweets at home is safer. At least you can pick the ingredients yourself,” says Prashar.
Dieticians also recommend ‘guilt-free’ eating. They say worrying too much about your weight also creates problems. “This is the time when weight gain is at its peak. Diabetics become less careful about their sugar intake, and those who are predisposed to diabetes show signs of high sugar,” says consultant, endocrinology and diabetology, Moolchand Medicity, Dr Sanjiv Bhambani.
The most common complaints after Diwali are weight gain, increased appetite and a feeling of lethargy “People complain of developing a paunch,” laughs Khosla. But it’s best if diabetics and people vulnerable to heart disease check their diet during Diwali. Their per day calorie intake should be between 1,500-1,800 calories with a proportion of 60:20:20 between carbohydrates, fats and proteins, recommends Dr Bhambani. Artificial sweeteners can be used in moderation while preparing sweets for diabetics. They should avoid excessive intake of dry fruits.
Nov 5, 2012
Pre-Diwali sweep: Spurious food worth Rs25 crore destroyed
This was informed by FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade on Sunday. Besides, with the impending festival of Diwali, the FDA has intensified its ongoing vigil on sweet marts and mava.
“In order to keep a strict check on the movement and procurement of food supply, we have made it mandatory for all sweet marts, sweet manufactures and others to procure licences. Also, the marts have to procure raw materials for their goods from licensed agencies. This will help us identify the source of the material in case of food poisoning,” he said.
He added that the food safety officers are conducting surprise raids at mava outlets. “We have already identified the hot spots from where spurious mava enters the state and we are keeping a close watch on them,” he said.
Besides, the officers are conducting spot testing of mava in order to identify adulteration.
Zagade said, “The spot testing involves identification of the animal protein in the mava, spot seizure and destruction of the adulterated mava.”
Zagade advised citizens to purchase materials only from licensed establishments. According to him, the citizens can ask for testing of suspected food items. “This process of testing, though will incur a cost of Rs1,000 for the desired citizen, but it will also work as a deterrent for the people involved in malpractice,” he said.
Nov 4, 2012
To Eat Out Or Not To Eat Out –The Current Dilemma
With restaurants shutting down one after another, it has added ‘food’ to his list of woes
Restaurants and hotels have been shutting down for the last few months, ever since the ‘Shawarma’ incident, which led to the death of a student. It has apparently become ‘food-conscious’. We have been aware of or at least doubtful of the quality of food that is served to us, and yet, we wait for an event of gigantic proportions, in this case death, to react. One is left to wonder whether we were always aware of our rights or is it the latest fad that everyone is following. One thing is clear; seeds of panic have been sown. We dread to eat out, we fear the food we eat and we will not be surprised if anything, (after worms and centipedes, anything seems possible) turns up in the food we eat.
The top rung restaurants come out with justifications, while the mid level ones do not even bother to do so as they wait out the probation period silently until they can start functioning again. In most cases, the restaurants get back some of their customer base. The only difference being, people are more cautious and more aware. For how long is a question best left unanswered.
The reason for the bad quality of food served in restaurants may be manifold; the unhygienic conditions, improper storage of perishables and also the bad quality of food supplied to the restaurants and hotels by the suppliers. In the Food Safety Commission’s recent crackdown on sub-standard food quality, it has been found that the restaurants ordered to be closed down have been violating several of the food safety norms.
Asked about why no express actions were taken until the issues are raised by the public, Food and Safety Commissioner, Anil Kumar said, “We have just 120 odd inspectors. We have been doing the maximum we can. With this limited manpower, it works better to respond to citizens’ complaints.” He said that there are hundreds of pending cases in the courts regarding food safety but adds on a positive note, “We will be safe soon. More and more restaurants are switching to standardised food materials.”
Abraham Chaly, owner of Café Mojo restaurant said, “All these issues are due to negligence. Restaurants should take care to meet the standards when buying food products. The mindset of the people will return to normal once hotels and restaurants begin to exercise some caution.”
Tejas, a college student in the city, said, “We have significantly cut down our restaurant visits. It is disturbing that even big names have fallen under sub-standard quality. As long as people aren’t sure that the food they eat is good or bad, their current attitude towards restaurants might not change.”
Meanwhile, another BBA graduate Chandra said, “Food served in restaurants has always been this way. Only when something happens, there is some sort of commotion. It will all settle down soon. I enjoy eating out, and will continue to do so. “
Isn’t it high time for restaurants, hotels and the Food Safety Commission to restore the people’s faith in them? Or retain the trust of customers? If they are trying to do that, why do incidents compromising food safety occur? A crackdown on the root cause of the problem is necessary, be it the source of the food or the conditions in restaurants. Citizens have to turn vigilant to assist the Food Safety Commission and report when food safety norms are compromised.
Eating home-cooked meals is the best alternative. Restaurants and hotels should rediscover their mottos of ‘Customer is God’, if not with service, then at least with the quality of food being served to them.
Restaurants and hotels have been shutting down for the last few months, ever since the ‘Shawarma’ incident, which led to the death of a student. It has apparently become ‘food-conscious’. We have been aware of or at least doubtful of the quality of food that is served to us, and yet, we wait for an event of gigantic proportions, in this case death, to react. One is left to wonder whether we were always aware of our rights or is it the latest fad that everyone is following. One thing is clear; seeds of panic have been sown. We dread to eat out, we fear the food we eat and we will not be surprised if anything, (after worms and centipedes, anything seems possible) turns up in the food we eat.
The top rung restaurants come out with justifications, while the mid level ones do not even bother to do so as they wait out the probation period silently until they can start functioning again. In most cases, the restaurants get back some of their customer base. The only difference being, people are more cautious and more aware. For how long is a question best left unanswered.
The reason for the bad quality of food served in restaurants may be manifold; the unhygienic conditions, improper storage of perishables and also the bad quality of food supplied to the restaurants and hotels by the suppliers. In the Food Safety Commission’s recent crackdown on sub-standard food quality, it has been found that the restaurants ordered to be closed down have been violating several of the food safety norms.
Asked about why no express actions were taken until the issues are raised by the public, Food and Safety Commissioner, Anil Kumar said, “We have just 120 odd inspectors. We have been doing the maximum we can. With this limited manpower, it works better to respond to citizens’ complaints.” He said that there are hundreds of pending cases in the courts regarding food safety but adds on a positive note, “We will be safe soon. More and more restaurants are switching to standardised food materials.”
Abraham Chaly, owner of Café Mojo restaurant said, “All these issues are due to negligence. Restaurants should take care to meet the standards when buying food products. The mindset of the people will return to normal once hotels and restaurants begin to exercise some caution.”
Tejas, a college student in the city, said, “We have significantly cut down our restaurant visits. It is disturbing that even big names have fallen under sub-standard quality. As long as people aren’t sure that the food they eat is good or bad, their current attitude towards restaurants might not change.”
Meanwhile, another BBA graduate Chandra said, “Food served in restaurants has always been this way. Only when something happens, there is some sort of commotion. It will all settle down soon. I enjoy eating out, and will continue to do so. “
Isn’t it high time for restaurants, hotels and the Food Safety Commission to restore the people’s faith in them? Or retain the trust of customers? If they are trying to do that, why do incidents compromising food safety occur? A crackdown on the root cause of the problem is necessary, be it the source of the food or the conditions in restaurants. Citizens have to turn vigilant to assist the Food Safety Commission and report when food safety norms are compromised.
Eating home-cooked meals is the best alternative. Restaurants and hotels should rediscover their mottos of ‘Customer is God’, if not with service, then at least with the quality of food being served to them.
MPI: ‘Meat’ing Quality
MPI is a Kerala Government undertaking providing high
quality meat items, easing concerns of food safety and bird flu
With the recent focus on the poor quality of food served in
restaurants and hotels, the source of the food served has come under scrutiny
and it has been found that many of these restaurants do not buy meat from
licensed providers with assured standards. This is not due to lack of such
providers, but merely to save a little money by compromising on quality. In
this scenario, a little known fact becomes highly significant - that Kerala is home to a remarkable company
named Meat Products of India Ltd. (MPI), engaged in the production and
marketing of various meat and meat products. MPI holds a Category A No.1
license from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, since
1973 and has been providing quality and high standards of safety in its
products.
MPI is a public sector undertaking of Government of Kerala
with its processing plant at Koothattukulam, Ernakulam. Its products are
derived from young and healthy livestock and processed using sophisticated
technology to ensure high standards of hygiene, long storage time and nutritive
value. MPI has not indulged in any sort of active advertising in the past and
as a result, the customer base was limited. Even then, there were people and
stores who stuck to it due to the quality it promised and the trust it offered.
“With the recent developments in the food scenario, there
has been a rapid increase in the number of customers of MPI. People want to be
assured of quality and safety,” said Udayakumar, Outlet Manager of MPI, Trivandrum. “We also hold
exhibitions and seminars to make people aware of the importance of safe food,“
he added.
Dr. Saji Easow, Production Manager at MPI said, “Meat is
obtained from good livestock, each stage of processing is under strict
supervision and the storage is done under deep freezing conditions at -20
degrees. Everything is done in a scientific manner. This quality that MPI
offers is what makes more and more people trust it.”
Suresh, proprietor of Sonu Cold Storage, Ambalamukku, said, “We
have been using MPI products ever since we started our business. The quality of
MPI products is assured and we can trust it absolutely.”
MPI products are available with all leading supermarkets and
cold storages throughout Kerala.
The outbreak of Bird Flu outside Kerala has made the
government bar its doors to the poultry and related products from outside its
borders. MPI has come to the rescue with a mobile van service in the city, selling
products in different parts of the city throughout the day.
The timings are as follows:
10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.at Kesavadasapuram
11.00 a.m.to 12.00
noon at Pattom
1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m.at
Vellayambalam
3.00 p.m.to 4.00 p.m.at
Vazhuthacaud
4.30 p.m.to 6.30 p.m.in
front of the Secretariat on all days
4.00 p.m.to 7.00 p.m.
at Connemera market (Palayam) on all days except Sundays
8.00 am to 12.00 noon
at Connemera market on Sundays.
Gutkha ban `discriminatory`, cigarettes still sold: STA
Smokeless Tobacco Association also said the sale of gutkha cannot be banned under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act-2011 as it has been done now, as gutkha has been classified as a tobacco product under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act-2003 (COTPA).
Members of the association met Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and explained to him how the ban on gutkha in 14 states, as advised by the Centre, was affecting the lives of four crore people who eke out their living by growing tobacco, said CK Sharma, a member of the association.
Sharma, who was part of the delegation that met Azad, said the Health Ministry has promised to set up a sub-committee to look into the issue and come up with suitable recommendations.
He said gutkha has now been banned after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India classified it as a food product and advocated its ban.
"This is discriminatory because cigarette and beedi, which have more tobacco content than gutkha, are being sold freely while gutkha is banned. The ban should be removed as gutkha is not a food product," Sharma said.
However, he said gutkha manufacturers were open to any kind of regulation under the COTPA and noted that they were already complying with rules that make it mandatory to print a statutory and a pictorial warning.
The states which have banned sale of gutkha are Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi and Goa.
FDA plans anti-adulteration drive sans staff
Agency officials have been directed to check banned substances in sweets
|
| The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) minister
Manohar Naik has decided to go tough on food adulteration in sweets
this Diwali. He held a meeting where he directed officials to carry out a
drive to check for adulteration and the use of banned substances in
sweets by collecting samples from sweet manufacturing units and shops.
Earlier, the minister of state for FDA, Satej Patil had also directed
officials to carry out a similar drive to clamp down on the supply of
adulterated sweets and food items in the market, especially during the
festive season. On their part, the officials are surprised as to how ministers go on issuing orders when the department does not have enough staff to carry out raids and collect samples. Out of the 260 sanctioned posts of Food Safety Officers (earlier called Food Inspectors) in the state, the department has only 209 inspectors. Similarly, the number of sanctioned posts of Assistant Commissioners are 62, but as of now the department manages with just 27. The number of sanctioned posts for Joint Commissioners are eight and the number of posts filled are six. Besides, the department has not even recruited enough analysts to carry out lab tests too. There are about two and half lakh stores in state, while there are about 40,000 in the city, which sell food and related items in the state and come under the jurisdiction of the FDA. “How are we expected to function with such skeletal staff and carry out checks on a large scale,” asked an official. Earlier, FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade had informed that action would be initiated against erring officials who did not implement rules and regulations of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and had warned of punitive action against those who failed to perform their duties. |
Dinathanthi
ÞQŠ¹, è£ó‹ îò£KŠðõ˜èœ 100 êîiî‹ ²è£î£óˆ¬î «ðí«õ‡´‹
àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ܽõô˜ â„êK‚¬è
ï£èŠð†®ù‹, ïõ.4-
bð£õO ð‡®¬è‚° ÞQŠ¹, è£ó‹ îò£Kˆ¶ MŸð¬ù ªêŒðõ˜èœ 100 êîiî‹ ²è£î£óˆ¬î «ðí «õ‡´‹ â¡Á è ïèó àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ܽõô˜ ã.®.Ü¡ðöè¡ ÃP»œ÷£˜.
Þ¶°Pˆ¶ Üõ˜ ªõOJ†´œ÷ ÜP‚¬èJ™ ÃPJ¼Šðî£õ¶:-
bð£õO ð‡®¬è
bð£õO ð‡®¬è õ¼Aø 13-‰ «îF (ªêšõ£Œ‚Aö¬ñ) ªè£‡ì£ìŠð´Aø¶. bð£õO ð‡®¬è ªè£‡ì£ì ܬùˆ¶ HKMù¼‹ ÞQŠ¹ ñŸÁ‹ è£ó õ¬èèœ îò£KŠðîŸè£è ñO¬è ªð£¼†è¬÷ ÜFè Ü÷M™ õ£ƒA õ¼A¡øù˜. Üšõ£Á ñO¬è ªð£¼†èœ õ£ƒ°‹«ð£¶ îóñ£ù, è£ô£õFò£è£î ªð£¼†è¬÷ 𣘈¶ õ£ƒè «õ‡´‹. «ñ½‹ àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ¶¬øJì‹ àKñ‹ Ü™ô¶ ðF¾ ªðŸø ï‹ðèñ£ù õEè GÁõùƒèO™ ñ†´‹ 𣘈¶ õ£ƒ°õ àí¾ Íô‹ ðó¾‹ «ï£ŒèOL¼‰¶ ñ‚è¬÷ ð£¶è£ˆ¶ ªè£œ÷ô£‹.
100 êîiî‹ ²è£î£ó‹
«ñ½‹ àí¾ MŸð¬ùò£÷˜èœ îóñ£ù ñŸÁ‹ è£ô£õFò£è£î ªð£¼†è¬÷ ñ†´«ñ MŸð¬ù ªêŒò «õ‡´‹. vi† v죙 ï숶ðõ˜èœ ñŸÁ‹ CøŠ¹ Ý˜ì˜ â´ˆ¶ ÞQŠ¹ ñŸÁ‹ è£ó‹ îò£Kˆ¶ ªè£´Šðõ˜èœ 100 êîiî‹ ²è£î£óˆ¬î «ðí «õ‡´‹. ÜÂñF‚èŠð†ì èô˜è¬÷ ÜÂñF‚èŠð†ì Ü÷¾èO™ ñ†´«ñ ðò¡ð´ˆî «õ‡´‹. MŸð¬ù Þìƒè¬÷ ß, èóŠð£¡ Ì„C, âL àœO†ì¬õ ܇ì£ñ™ ð£¶è£Šð£è ¬õ‚è «õ‡´‹. °PŠð£è àí¾ ªð£¼†è¬÷ ¬èò£œðõ˜èœ ªõÁ‹ ¬èè÷£™ àí¬õ ¬èò£÷ Ã죶. àí¾ MŸð¬ùòèƒèœ ªî£ì˜ è‡è£EŠ¹‚° à†ð´ˆîŠð´‹.
¹è£˜ ªîKM‚èô£‹
MŸð¬ùòèƒèO™ îò£K‚èŠð´‹ àí¾ ñ£FK¬ò â´ˆ¶ ðK«ê£î¬ù‚° ÜŠðŠð´‹. «ñ½‹ è ïèó£†C‚° à†ð†ì ï£Ã˜ ñŸÁ‹ è ð°FèO™ àí¾ MŸð¬ùò£÷˜èOì‹ àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ܽõô˜ ªðò¬ó àð«ò£Aˆ¶ bð£õO Þù£‹, Ü¡ðOŠ¹, ô…ê‹ Ü™ô¶ «õÁ õ¬èJ™ ã«î‹ «è†´ ò£ó£õ¶ îƒè¬÷ ÜÂAù£™ Üõ˜èœ °Pˆ¶ ô…ê åNŠ¹ˆ¶¬ø Ü™ô¶ ñ£õ†ì èªô‚ìKì‹ ¹è£˜ ªîKM‚è «õ‡´‹. Þšõ£Á ܉î ÜP‚¬èJ™ Üõ˜ ÃP»œ÷£˜.
Nov 3, 2012
Get your fats right
First let's start with the fact — fat is not necessarily bad. In fact, fat is integral to our health. Unfortunately, due to a lot of misinformation, fat has become a bad word in a skinny-aspiring world. There are good fats or essential fats, and bad fats. The key is to know the sources of both and strike the right balance. The body definitely requires some essential fatty acids. 20-30 per cent of total calories in a diet must come from fats. Sources of good fat include nuts, seeds, fatty fish and cold pressed oils. Foods containing monounsaturated fats (MUFA) reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which makes them desirable for the body.
MUFA are found in mustard, rice bran, sesame, rapeseed, groundnut and olive oil. Along with the quantity of fat, the quality of fat is also important. A diet high in MUFA, with no transfats can be helpful. Fried food contains the undesirable and fattening trans-fatty acids. Sources of trans-fats include food from halwais, cheap eateries, Indian snacks like fried namkeens, pakoras, samosa, kachori, paapri chaat, golgappas, tikki, Indian sweets like patisa, gulab jamun, jalebi, imarti and majority of Indian preparations at dhabas or restaurants like dal makhni, butter chicken and shahi paneer. Choose a variety of vegetable oils instead of a single source. This is because most of the vegetable oils don't have an ideal mix of fats. Go for blended oils such as mustard, canola, sesame, rice bran and olive oil.
Kick refined oils out of the window. They have dominated the Indian households for two decades now, giving us imbalanced fats and are responsible for various heart problems, cancer, gall bladder stones and for disturbing the overall immune system.
High heat refining takes the oil to a very high temperature where its goodness (vitamins and antioxidants) gets destroyed. Therefore, choose less-refined or cold pressed oils instead. They retain all their flavour, aroma, and nutritional value. Olive, peanut and sunflower are among the oils that are obtained through cold pressing.
Do not heat the oil without food for more than a minute.
Oils with high smoking point should be chosen for frying. Smoking point of an oil is the temperature at which it starts emitting a blue haze, indicating formation of decomposition products.
Most vegetable oils have adequately high smoking points while butter and coconut oil are not suitable for frying due to low smoking point.
What's even better than using the best oils is to substitute it with their original sources. For instance, have sunflower seeds, peanuts and almonds instead of their oil variations.
The writer is a clinical nutritionist and founder of theweightmonitor.
All that lives in your ready-to-eat food
Do you know where your food comes from? Pic: Anurag Gumbhar
How safe are the products at the supermarkets?
When I pick over-packed foods at the supermarket, I recall the way my mother would judge each product carefully when local stores were more in vogue. Today, as working mothers who don’t have time to cook, employees staying away from home or students who are hostile towards hostel food, all of us rejoice in these ready-to–eat and ready-to– cook food products. These may very well come to the rescue of busy lives but could be costing us our health in the long term.
We might check the labels, manufacturing date, best before date before purchase etc of perishable foods. But no matter how much we scrutinize the food, all foods – be it the energy drink or milk bread, juice or vegetables – all bear frightening facts, right from processing to your plate.
Ready-to-cook packaged foods such as dosa, panneer, idlis, french fries and chicken cutlets contain high amounts of salt and saturated fats. These items are factory treated with chemicals and kept under high temperatures. Do you know how the following common food items are stored and processed?
Meat: How do we judge the meat sold in packets? We would look for the red colour in the meat and of course, the label that says ‘will last longer.’
We will have to get down to basics to understand how fresh the packaged meat is. Sea food such as fish fingers and prawns have travelled miles first by boat and then to packing industries where they are slaughtered, frozen, de-frosted and re-frozen by the time they reach the shelf in a supermarket.
The red colour in the chicken or mutton is preserved to gain customer satisfaction with high technology or chemicals. Sodium and potassium salts are added to prevent bacterial growth. They are never made available for sale immediately a day after slaughter and the packets are kept for nine days or longer before sale.
Milk: The most prominent in food consumption in every household are dairy products- Milk, Ghee, Curd, Cheese and Butter. There has been many hassles about the adulteration of milk in the conventional packet milk that the milkman delivers daily. What about supermarkets?
The tetra packets that contain milk are processed using synthetics and other industrial methods. The milk powders are adulterated with detergent, bleaching powder or toxic substances. Unfortunately there is no recommendable solution to escape from this vicious cycle.
Eggs: They have a different stale story. The neatly packed eggs are usually not brought within seven days of laying into the supermarket. Experts say that eggs which are above seven days old would become more liquid and lose taste. It’s apparently impossible to buy fresh eggs because the supermarkets do not print the laying date on the packets.
Juice: These come as syrups and are sold as concentrates. They are pasturised with heat and said to last for as long as six months to one year. Originally they may have a shelf life of eight days.
Fruits: The dew drop fresh look from oranges and lemons is deceptive as it is coated with a thin layer of wax to preserve the outer appearance which we customers look for. Even vegetables are not spared. They are either coloured or pesticide treated as they have to travel long distances from farm to supermarket. Apples would have travelled for at least three months by the time of consumption. The plastic covers in which they are packed sometimes save the fruits from staling.
Bread:This is baked using enzymes or acids and it takes two days to get to the market. The best before date would just be a nominal one as they are well tempered to uphold the softness.
Bisphenol A (BPA) It is a compound which is used to make water bottles, baby feeding bottles, plastics and packing paper. It is used in coatings of tins and cans to avoid the food to come in direct contact with the metal. All the read-to-eat food packets, frozen foods like meat and cheese, fruits, juice, veggies are all packed with materials made out of this.
The artificial food is sugar treated and contains saturated and trans fats which increase cholesterol levels. Adding to these impairments are the perils posed by Bisphenol A which is a substance that alters the functioning of natural hormones, interfere with their production and secretion.
We can’t initiate a purchase unless it is labeled ‘BPA free’.
Today the food packing industry churns a turnover of $15 billion and is projected to earn $30 billion by 2015.
Owing to the growing supermarket culture, obesity is an alarming disease among Indians addicted to packaged food and we are advancing towards becoming a diabetic country. It has been realized through a survey that 82% of urban Indians are vulnerable to chronic diseases due to canned food.
The Ministry of food processing in India passed the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, according to which all the supermarkets selling packed food should meet certain thresholds set by them. Most companies do not adhere to the standards and violate threshold limits in percentage composition such as the percentage of Bisphenol A and various salts used.
In my personal opinion, limiting consumption of canned food and avoiding buying food which is unpackaged is not always possible or convenient. But these do signify industrial involvement and all that comes with it. Maybe a mix of purchasing a few items from the small retail shops and vendors would be a good mix.
Nov 2, 2012
DINATHANTHI NEWS
àí¾Š ªð£¼œ Mò£ð£ó‹ ªêŒðõ˜èœ ðF¾ ªêŒ¶ àKñ‹ ªðŸÁ‚ªè£œ÷ «õ‡´‹ ÜFè£K õL»Áˆî™
F¼ñ¼è™, Ü‚.30-
àí¾ ªð£¼œ Mò£ð£ó‹ ªêŒðõ˜èœ ðF¾ ªêŒ¶ àKñ‹ ªðŸÁ‚ ªè£œ÷ «õ‡´‹ â¡Á F¼ñ¼è™ õ†ì£ó àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ܽõô˜ Ü¡ðöè¡ ÃP»œ÷£˜.
Þ¶ °Pˆ¶ Üõ˜ ªõOJ†´œ÷ ÜP‚¬èJ™ ÃPJ¼Šðî£õ¶:-
ðF¾ ªêŒ¶ àKñ‹
«óê¡ è¬ì, ÝM¡, ì£vñ£‚ è¬ì ð£˜, ÜøG¬ôòˆ¶¬ø‚° à†ð†ì «è£M™èO™ Ü¡ùî£ù‹ ñŸÁ‹ Hóê£î‹ õöƒ°Iì‹, ÝF Fó£Mì˜- HŸð´ˆîŠð†«ì£˜ ïô M´Fèœ ÝAò¬õ ðF¾ Ü™ô¶ àKñ‹ ªðÁõ¶ è†ì£ò‹. ܬùˆ¶ àí¾ ªð£¼œ îò£KŠð£÷˜èœ, ÜKC ݬôèœ, àí¾ â‡ªíŒ îò£KŠð£÷˜èœ, ñO¬è è¬ì‚è£ó˜èœ, æ†ì™ àK¬ñò£÷˜èœ, ¯‚è¬ì è£ó˜èœ, «ð‚èK, Þ¬ø„C Mò£ð£Kèœ, 裌èP-ðö‹ MŸðõ˜èœ, F¼ñí ñ‡ìðƒèO™ àí¾ îò£KŠðõ˜èœ, ªñ£ˆî ñŸÁ‹ C™ô¬ø Mò£ð£Kèœ, ꣬ô«ò£ó îœÀõ‡® è¬ì‚è£ó˜èœ àœO†«ì£˜ ܬùõ¼‹ ðF¾ ªêŒ¶ àKñ‹ ªðÁõ¶ è†ì£òñ£‚èŠð†´œ÷¶.
M‡íŠð‹
ðF¾ ñŸÁ‹ àKñ‹ ªðø£ñ™ Mò£ð£ó‹ ªêŒõ¶ °Ÿøñ£°‹. Þ‰î °Ÿøˆ¶‚° 6 ñ£î C¬ø î‡ì¬ù, Ï. 5 ô†ê‹ õ¬ó Üðó£î‹ MF‚è ê†ìˆF™ Þì‹ àœ÷¶.
Ï. 12 ô†êˆ¶‚° °¬øõ£è õEè‹ ªêŒ»‹ CÁ- °Á ñŸÁ‹ ï´ˆîó GÁõùƒèœ Ôð®õ‹ ãÕ-¬ò ̘ˆF ªêŒ¶ õƒAJ™ Ï.100 ªê½ˆF ðF¾ ꣡Á ªðø «õ‡´‹. Ï.12 ô†êˆ¶‚°‹ ÜFèñ£è Mò£ð£ó‹ ªêŒ»‹ Mò£ð£Kèœ Ôð®õ‹ HÕ-¬ò ̘ˆF ªêŒ¶ Ï.2 ÝJó‹ ºî™ Ï. 5 ÝJó‹ õ¬ó õƒAJ™ ªê½ˆF ðF¾ ꣡Á ªðø «õ‡´‹. M‡íŠð‹ ªðøŠð†ì ï£O™ Þ¼‰¶ 60 èÀ‚°œ àKñ‹ õöƒèŠð´‹. Þ‰î àKñ‹ å¼ Ý‡´ ªê™ôˆî‚è¶.
è£ôÜõè£ê‹
àí¾ ªð£¼œ MŸð¬ù ªêŒò àKñ‹ ªðŸøõ˜èœ îƒèœ àKñˆ¬î ¹¶ŠH‚辋, ñ£ŸP ܬñ‚辋 Ü´ˆî (2013) ݇´ HŠóõK ñ£î‹ 4-‰ «îF õ¬ó è£ô Üõè£ê‹ àœ÷¶. Þ¶õ¬ó àí¾ ªð£¼œ MŸð¬ù àKñ‹ ªðø£îõ˜èœ àìù®ò£è M‡íŠHˆ¶ ªðŸÁ‚ ªè£œ÷ «õ‡´‹. Þø‚°ñF, ãŸÁñF ªêŒ»‹ õEè˜èœ õ¼Aø ®ê‹ð˜ ñ£î‹ 4-‰ «îF‚°œ M‡íŠH‚è «õ‡´‹. «ñ½‹ MõóƒèÀ‚° F¼ñ¼è™ õ†ì£ó àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ܽõô¬ó F¼ñ¼è™ ꉬî«î£Š¹ Ü‡í£ Ìƒè£M™ àœ÷ ܽõôèˆF™ ªî£ì˜¹ ªè£œ÷ «õ‡´‹.
Þšõ£Á ܉î ÜP‚¬èJ™ Üõ˜ ÃP»œ÷£˜.
Unique punishment for adulteration in Rajasthan
Jaipur: A grocery shop
and a sweet shop in Rajasthan have been meted out unique
punishment by a court for adulteration. The owners will have to
put up signboards saying they are adulterators.
The shops are situated in Bhilwara town, around 250 km from here.
The court of an additional district magistrate Tuesday gave its orders in two cases of adulteration. Besides imposing a fine of Rs.1.10 lakh on the two shops, the owners have been asked to put up boards at places which should be easily visible to customers.
The boards will carry the words: "I am an adulterator", said Bhilwara's Food Security Officer Devendra Singh Ranawat.
Ranawat said Rama Sweets, owned by Suwalal Sharma in the town's Bazaar Number 3, was raided by a Food Security Department team March 8.
"Samples of the sweets had been collected from the shop on a complaint of adulteration. The samples were sent to a laboratory. It was found that the sweets were adulterated," said Ranawat.
The officer said a case was registered against Sharma for food adulteration.
Similarly, samples of refined oil being sold by Shakti Bardana Bhandar were collected Oct 24.
"The oil too was found adulterated following which a case was registered against the shop's owner, one Rakesh Kumar Agrawal. Both the cases came up for hearing in additional district magistrate Teekamchand Bohra's court," said the officer.
The officer said it was a unique order and a first of its kind punishment for adulteration.
"The sign boards would be a warning for the customers at these two shops to purchase items with caution as their owners have been caught and punished for adulteration. It would be a lesson for other shopkeepers who indulge in adulteration during the festive season," said a senior Bhilwara district administration officer.
The Rajasthan government had last week announced a special 'Shudh Ke Liye Yudh' campaign against adulteration.
The campaign was launched keeping in view increasing complaints of adulteration in sweets and other food items.
The shops are situated in Bhilwara town, around 250 km from here.
The court of an additional district magistrate Tuesday gave its orders in two cases of adulteration. Besides imposing a fine of Rs.1.10 lakh on the two shops, the owners have been asked to put up boards at places which should be easily visible to customers.
The boards will carry the words: "I am an adulterator", said Bhilwara's Food Security Officer Devendra Singh Ranawat.
Ranawat said Rama Sweets, owned by Suwalal Sharma in the town's Bazaar Number 3, was raided by a Food Security Department team March 8.
"Samples of the sweets had been collected from the shop on a complaint of adulteration. The samples were sent to a laboratory. It was found that the sweets were adulterated," said Ranawat.
The officer said a case was registered against Sharma for food adulteration.
Similarly, samples of refined oil being sold by Shakti Bardana Bhandar were collected Oct 24.
"The oil too was found adulterated following which a case was registered against the shop's owner, one Rakesh Kumar Agrawal. Both the cases came up for hearing in additional district magistrate Teekamchand Bohra's court," said the officer.
The officer said it was a unique order and a first of its kind punishment for adulteration.
"The sign boards would be a warning for the customers at these two shops to purchase items with caution as their owners have been caught and punished for adulteration. It would be a lesson for other shopkeepers who indulge in adulteration during the festive season," said a senior Bhilwara district administration officer.
The Rajasthan government had last week announced a special 'Shudh Ke Liye Yudh' campaign against adulteration.
The campaign was launched keeping in view increasing complaints of adulteration in sweets and other food items.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)