Quit that kalakand, boo that barfi

Your favourite sweets are not so sweet after all.

Tests done on food samples picked up by the district food inspection team in Jamshedpur before Diwali has found eight of 17 sweets ' and their ingredients ' "unhealthy for human consumption". And the offenders include several well-known mithai makers ' from kalakand veteran Brindavan Sweets of Bistupur to barfi master Shri Hari Sweets of Kadma.

A report from the state's lone food testing laboratory in Namkum, Ranchi, which reached East Singhbhum food inspector Krishna Prasad Singh on Monday evening, categorises five of the samples as "substandard" (see chart) and three as "unsafe".

According to the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, only the state food commissioner can exercise legal jurisdiction over unsafe sweets. The rogue shops can attract a fine of up to Rs 10 lakh and their owners a prison term of six months to two years.

On the other hand, deputy commissioners of respective districts can double up as adjudicating officers and decide the quantum of punishment against substandard sweets. The violation of food safety norms in this case invites a fine ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 2 lakh, but no imprisonment.

Despite the law being clear on how to act against offenders, a seemingly confused district health department has sought guidance from food commissioner T.P. Burnwal.

Speaking to The Telegraph from Ranchi, Burnwal reasoned that since the November 1-10 raids were carried out on sweet shops in the steel city after several years, the food inspection team was in two minds on how to go about punishing the guilty.

"There has been modifications in the Food Safety and Standards Act (2006) in 2012, which may have led to confusion. We have called a meeting of all district food inspectors and additional chief medical officers (ACMOs) at the health directorate in Namkum tomorrow (Thursday) to discuss and decide on the legal course of action," he promised.
Burnwal admitted that copies of the 2006 act were available with district officials.

"We had also conducted orientation sessions this year. It is unfortunate that the rate of prosecution is negligible. Designated officials claim they are unaware of certain clauses in the modified act. We will clear their doubts and ask them to pursue the matter with deputy commissioners who can hold tribunals and prosecute the offender," he maintained.

The ambiguity, according to the food commissioner, lay in assessing the fine to be levied on shops selling substandard sweets. "The 2012 modified act says the quantum of fines should be fixed taking the profit of selling substandard sweets into account. Besides, it should be compounded with each number of offence. For instance, a shop earning a profit of Rs 50,000 by selling a particular substandard sweet will be fined Rs 50,000 for the first offence and doubled for the second," he explained.

Food inspector Singh claimed that they were unable to fix the profit earned on various sweets, which is affecting prosecution of offenders.

However, insiders in the health department said the ambiguity of the act was just an excuse on the part of overburdened food inspectors, who look after several districts, to escape the onus of preparing prosecution reports.

Sources in the know also said that the confusion might have been triggered by haste on the part of the district food inspector. Singh ' who is also in charge of Seraikela-Kharsawan, Deoghar, Dumka and Gumla ' did forward the lab report to deputy commissioner Himani Pande and serve notices to rogue shopkeepers, but apparently forgot to submit a copy to implementing official of the act, which in this case is ACMO Swarn Singh.

Contacted on his mobile phone on Wednesday afternoon, Singh said he was in Patna for a wedding, but would attend the meeting with the food commissioner in Ranchi to iron out issues.

Have you ever bought sweets from these tainted shops?

RAT FOUND IN PICKLE - OOTY FOOD SAFETY DEPT. NEWS

Dinamalar

Food Regulatory Authority

 RAJYA SABHA

The Government has established Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 consisting of 23 members including Chairperson of the Food Authority and appointed independent scientific experts as members of its scientific panels.

The scientific experts in these panels have been selected according to the approved procedures. With a view to bring together the best scientific expertise available in the country for forming scientific opinions, Scientists have been selected as members of the Panels/Committee in their individual capacity of being a scientist and an expert in their respective fields irrespective of their present association or affiliation with any public or private sector organisation. This is in accordance with the international practice followed in respect of Committees requiring high level expertise on any specific subject.

An elaborate procedure has been laid down to manage conflict of interest. The members of the Scientific Committee and Panels are required to submit an annual declaration of interest and declaration of any possible conflict of interest before each meeting of the Scientific Committee and panels. Whenever a conflict of interest is established, Chairman of the panel/Committee is required to exclude such a scientist from consideration of items in the agenda.

Thus an elaborate conflict of interest procedure has been introduced in this standard setting body (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) in the interest of absolute transparency and objectivity.

The guidelines to Scientific Panels and Committee make it very clear that having an interest in a particular scientific issue does not necessarily mean a conflict of interest. In fact, keen intellectual interest in scientific issues is a pre-condition for participation in such Committee and Panels. It is based on the recognition that any scientist can contribute to scientific knowledge and safety of food, if discussions and conclusions are based on reliable scientific evidence, open discussion and rigorous validation procedures.

The Scientific Panels will provide scientific opinion to the Food Authority which would be reviewed by the Scientific Committee and the final decision would be taken by the Food Authority consisting of members from various stakeholders including the consumer organizations.

This information was given by Minister for Health and Family Welfare Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad in written reply to a question raised in Rajya Sabha today.

Dinamalar

District-level meet on food and safety on December 11

AURANGABAD: A district-level meeting has been organized by the district collector to ensure that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 is being 100% implemented. The Authority aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food safety and standards, by moving from multi-level, multi-departmental control to a single line of command, said the FDA joint commissioner, Aurangabad division, Chandrashekhar Salunke.

"The district-level committee has organised a meeting on December 11 with an aim to discuss and create an information network across the country so that the public, consumers, panchayats, etc. receive rapid, reliable and objective information about food safety and issues of concern," said Salunke.

With an aim to provide wholesome and safe food for human consumption, state and district-level committees have been established. The chief secretary is the president of the state-level committee, where as the district-level committee is chaired by the district collector.

"Basically the aim is to create public awareness about the food products we buy. If unfair trade practices are recorded, the FSSAI will take action under section 24 of the FSS Act, 2006, against the manufacturer. Specifications pertaining to labeling of a product have been defined in the Act," he said.

It may be mentioned here that the FSSAI has been particularly concerned about the wrong nutritional claims, health claims and claims of risk reduction of certain products. Manufacturers will have to necessarily rely on reliable research data to make such claims about their products. No claims even in general terms will be entertained.

KHRA unwilling to obey food safety norms, HC told

The state government has submitted before the Kerala High Court that the Kerala Hotel and Restaurants Association who approached the court wish to conduct their business without the legal intervention of any authority and according to their whims and fancies.
The Food Safety Joint-Commissioner (Administrative and Legal) K Anil Kumar said that the KHRA members are unwilling to obey laws and wish for a lawless situation and it should not be allowed by the court.
The state filed the statement on a petition by KHRA challenging the conditions in the Food Safety and Standards Act.
The Joint-Commissioner said that the measures were initiated in the wake of the incident wherein a person died because of the food poison caused by stale shawarma.
 He said that the condition of many hotels, where raids were conducted, was highly pathetic and such hotels were served notices to close down till steps are taken to ensure improved hygienic conditions. The state also produced the video clippings of the hotels functioning in unhygienic manner.  Food Safety Standards Act was brought in at the request of the traders who wanted to replace the previous PFA Act. Hundreds of traders were sent to jail for violations of the provisions of the PFA Act.  To avoid such a situation, the new FSS Act has been brought in. After the shawarma incident, strict guidelines were issued to maintain the hygienic standard.

Food joints license renewal hit by slow pace

INDORE: Despite continuous extension of deadlines to renew the license for last one and half years, only 2,500 have applied for the same against 8,000 odd licenses of food joints which were issued by Indore Municipal Corporation.

After the implementation of food safety and standards Act 2006, it has been made mandatory for the eatery owners to have license from food and drug administration department. The act was implemented in August 2011 in Madhya Pradesh and the department set a target to complete all renewal work till August 2012. They again extended the target for two months but people did not come. Now, food and drug administration department has decided to complete the task till February, 2013.

Food safety officer Manish Swami told media persons that the department issues around 50-60 licenses everyday on an average but till now only around 2,500 have applied. The department has issued around 1,600 licenses against the applications received.

Meanwhile, the process of registering the petty vendors, including the milkman and others like a small food stall owners, is also underway, he added.

Swami further said that till date around 1,000 milkman have applied for registration and the process is nearly complete for around 800, besides the other vendors including small food stall owners have also applied for registration.

Interestingly, despite the fact that only 1500 small food stall owners were registered with IMC till date, but due to awareness, the low registration fee and simple process of the registration, the department has received applications from around 3,000 such vendors, Swami said.

Swami further said that it is basically the big eatery owners who were having licenses from IMC and are not turning up in adequate numbers.

Sources said that the date of making the licenses mandatory for the eatery owners has now been extended for more two months and it will now be mandatory to have licenses under the after February 2012.

The Act is being considered in its nascent stage but once the deadline for getting license is over, we would initiate strict action against those who are operating without licenses from food and drug administration, he added.

Plea to rectify anomalies in Food Safety Act - THE HINDU

The Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association has requested Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad to rectify certain issues in the Food Safety and Standards Act.

An association delegation led by its president S. P. Jeyapragasam and accompanied by Tamil Nadu Hotels Association president M. Venkatasubbu, Union Minister of State for Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy and Dindigul MP N. S. V. Chitthan met the Health Minister at New Delhi recently and submitted a memorandum pressing various demands.

While welcoming several regulations in the Food Safety Act, which was passed in the Parliament in 2006 and notified in 2011, Mr. Jeyapragasam said that the standards for some food products were pegged at levels originally fixed in 1954. These could not be followed now as farming practices has changed considerably since then.

The Associations also called for a reconsideration of the penalties provided for in the new Act, which replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

The Food Safety Act levied penalties in the range of Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh besides prescribing jail terms ranging between six months to ten years. The trade bodies called for the Act not to be implemented till such time its problems were reviewed and rectified.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has been established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 as a statutory body for laying down science based standards for articles of food and regulating manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale and import of food.

Rs 8,000 realized from milk vendors

Doda, Dec 03: To ensure safe and unadulterated availability of  milk in Doda, Bhaderwah and its adjoining areas, Additional District Commissioner, Doda,  G.N Balwan, who is also Adjudicating Officer under Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 conducted a raid upon milk vendors at various places in Doda and Bhaderwah .
During the raid,  Balwan imposed a fine of Rs. 8,000 upon the milk vendors for supplying sub-standard milk to the public. The fine imposed under Sec. 52 of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 was collected on spot from the milk vendors.
He gave strict instructions to the vendors to refrain from supplying sub-standard milk to the public otherwise strict action as warranted against defaulters shall be initiated.

Dinamalar

Advisory on Use of Stearic Acid as Lubricant in Sugar Based Confectionary

Food Safety Rules and Regulation Online Registration - Food Safety

Training Programmes Description

One Day Programme on
Food Safety Standard Rules and Regulations 2011
Darjeeling
Confederations of Indian Industry ( CII ) in association with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, New Delhi will organise programmes on Food Safety Standard Rules and Regulations 2011, in 11 states (WB, Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Nagaland ) covering about 30 towns before Feb 4 , 2013. The program would comprise of a half day workshop and a half day on line Licensing / Registration procedure for 'on the spot' application for licensing / registration.
As per the Act 2006, Food Business Operators in relation to food business means a person by whom the business is carried on or owned and is responsible for ensuring the compliance of this act, rules and regulations made there under and are held responsible for the supply of safe food to the consumers. Every food business operator shall ensure that the articles of food satisfy the requirements of this act, and the rules made there under at all the stages of production, processing, import, distribution and sale within business under his control as per section 26 (1) of FSS Act 2006. Also, the petty food manufacturer shall follow the basic hygiene and safety requirement, provided in part 1 of schedule 4 of the regulations.
Non compliant FBOs would be penalised as per the stipulated graded penalties covered under the Act.
Objective of the workshop:
1. To provide an overview on Food safety and Regulations under FSS Act 2006 with the aim of generating awareness and increasing compliance among FBOs.
2. To make the FBO's aware about basic concepts of food safety and hygiene with as GHP, GMP etc.
3. To make them aware about the importance and procedure of registration and licensing
4. To facilitate on the spot licensing and registration for the FBOs.
Expected outcome of the workshop
• Imparting Awareness to FBO's on FSS Regulations, especially those related to registration and licensing for retail, catering and all others.
• Educating the unorganised players on best practices – includes Good Hygiene Practices and Good Manufacturing Practices.
• Legal issues related to sampling and inspection and way to overcome them.
• Facilitating on the spot Licensing and Registration.

 

Date and Venue

Start Date:Dec 13, 2012
Venue: Bhanu Bhawan, Conference hall, Mall Road, Darjeeling, Darjeeling, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India

Top FMCG firms put on notice for misleading ads

Mumbai/New Delhi: Food regulator tells companies to back claims on products with scientific proof or face action FMCG firms that make tall claims to embellish their brands will now have to back such promotional assertions with scientific proof or temper the tone.
This is because the government is planning to tighten the noose around firms that have been making exaggerated claims in their ad-campaigns. The food regulator — Food Safety and Standards Authority of India — has sent notices to leading companies such as Hindustan Unilever, Britannia Industries, Marico, GSK Consumer Healthcare, Heinz India, Dabur India, Emami Biotech, Kelloggs India, Cadbury India — accusing them of making inflated claims about their products.
These, the regulator feels, violates law (section 24 of FSS Act). It has also begun prosecution proceedings against select companies in this matter.
For instance, HUL has been pulled up by the government for claiming that its product Kissan creamy spread has ‘three times more essential nutrients than sadharan butter’.
Also under scanner are Britannia Vita Marie for claims such as ‘heart-friendly’ and  ‘helps reduce cholesterol’ and Britannia Nutrichoice biscuits for declarations of ‘no added sugar’,  ‘complex carbohydrates’ and ‘diabetics- friendly’.
Similarly, GSK Consumer Healthcare, the government has alleged, violates law by a ‘misleading’ claim’  on its product Boost that it ‘provides three times more stamina than ‘sadharan chocolate drink’, adding that the producer (GSK) has not submitted any specific study on this product to substantiate its claims.
Another flagship GSK product, Horlicks, has also been red-marked by the government which  states that a claim that the product  makes children ‘taller, stronger and sharper’ is deceptive.
GSK Healthcare has played down the charge.  The firm said it had responded to the notice with all the required studies and excerpts of their published research for both brands.
“Since then, there was no further correspondence from the FSSAI on the subject. In case we receive any communication on substantiation of our claims, we will respond as appropriate. All our claims are in compliance with the existing laws and we shall cooperate with the authorities is this matter,” a GSK spokesperson said.  
Hienz India’s Complan, Marico’s Saffolla, Cadbury’s Bournvita Little Champs, Dabur India’s Real Active Fibre, Amway India’s Nutrilite are some of the other products facing the flak.  
Ad professionals and media planners FE spoke to feel that ad agencies and companies should exercise self-regulation and not go overboard with promotional claims. Subhash Kamath , managing partner, BBH  India said,  “I strongly believe that ad agencies should practice self regulation. With great creative power comes great responsibility. In an attempt to be persuasive, ad agencies sometimes cross the line. There's nothing wrong in exaggeration for entertainment but the agencies should not cross boundaries.”
Sam Balsara, chairman of Madison World, said ideally the government should act on these matters in consultation with Advertising Standards Council of India,  an industry-appointed watchdog. “I think if the government demands, companies will comply with  it,” Balsara added.  
A Britannia spokesperson said, “All claims on our products are backed by research and scientific evidence and meet stringent quality standards at all times. We will continue to provide relevant, reliable and distinctive options to satisfy the needs of our consumers".
A Dabur spokesperon responded on similar lines."We have submitted  to FSSAI all the necessary documents and scientific papers to support our claims., We wouldn't be able  to comment further  as the matter is subjudice" he said.
“These directives will certainly impact the concerned media agencies and FMCG companies. From creating the concept to execution of ads, companies work with  ad agencies and media planners for a long time. Needless to mention about the money spent. After chalking out long term media plans, it is very difficult to revise them," said a media planner from a leading media agency.
Not every one agreed. Some ad-makers actually think this flutter created by the government could prompt many brands to revisit their strategies, which could translate into more work for the ad-world.
Prahlad Kakar, noted ad film maker said, “If the companies need to rework on banned ads,  agencies (advertisement) will get more money. As for these FMCG companies, they will have to first make representation to the  government”.
“We ensure that all our brand communication messages are based on well-established facts, consumer relevant information and that our advertising claims are supported by globally accepted norms and scientific studies. With regard to our advertisements, we have appropriately responded to all notices and currently there are no notices pending against us, ” said Mohan V, director, corporate & legal affairs, Heinz. Companies such as HUL, Marico, Cadbury had not responded to FE queries till the paper went to press.

Newer norms make operators' licences must for restaurants

CHENNAI: Restaurants, dealing with the rising cost of essential commodities, manpower and rent, are now looking at obtaining a food business operator's license as well.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has made it mandatory for food businesses with a turnover of more than 12 lakh a year to obtain the licence for a fee of 2,000. The licence is required for food manufacturers, packers, wholesalers and distributors and the deadline is February 4, 2013.

However, officials are not yet sure about the rules and regulations. Officials at the food and safety department said, "We have no information on the new rules set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Our job is to grant food licenses and check whether regulations are being followed. There is no clarity on the new licence agreement yet."

Hoteliers said the norms were too stringent. R Srinivasan, secretary, Tamil Nadu Hotels Association, said, "We have given representations to the government saying that the regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Authority need to be amended if the rules are to be enforced. The regulations relate to food standards of 1954. Much has changed in the last 58 years. If those standards are to be followed, 50% of the commodities cannot be sold in the country."

A Marudupandiyan, director, Anjappar chain of restaurants, said, "There is no clarity on the new regulations. A number of amendments are required before the new licensing regulation can be followed. The standards set are very high and I don't think any hotelier can follow them, considering the kinds of raw materials available these days."

Srinivasan said, "Earlier the quality of rice was superior but now so many fertilizers are used on crops. The standards have dipped. The government should take this into account before formulating the norms."

A few small hoteliers who did not wish to be named said about 600 officials have been appointed by the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India to implement the new regimes. They were worried that they would not be able to meet the stringent norms and would have to pay bribes to get licenses.

Dharmapuri Food Safety Dept. News

Sweet-leaved herb stevia gaining presence in city

The city has caught up with stevia fever that has been raging in the country’s research centres in the past few years, thanks to two woman scientists from the city. Stevia, a sweet-leaved herb from south America, is a natural alternative for sugar and is consistently replacing artificial sweeteners in international markets.
Sangeeta Kulkarni from Jnana Prabodhini and Manjusha Savardekar from Bhide Foundation are the two scientist who are doing extraction and product development of the sweetening element in stevia leaves. “I had sent this proposal to Department of Science and Technology under Disha scheme which got selected. DST funded the project for last two years. After completing that project, Manjusha joined my research and we continue to do prototype development that can be used in the market,” Kulkarni said.
“Stevia leaf extract is 300 times sweeter than normal sugar. Stevia is nutrient rich, containing substantial amount of protein, magnesium etc. Stevia can also be used as a house hold sweetener in preparation of sweets,” Savardekar said.
Although approved in countries such as America, Japan, Brazil, Argentina etc, India is yet to open its door to stevia. Sugar lobbies and also artificial sugar industry is being touted to be behind the delay in its approval as a food item. At present, a scientific panel in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is considering whether stevia can be approved as a food item or not. FSSAI had recommended the use of stevia as a natural alternative in carbonated water, soft drink concentrates, chewing gums and table-top sweeteners in September last year. The recommendations are yet to be cleared by an expert panel of FSSAI which can take up to one year for its implementation. Various companies including Coca-Cola had applied for its permission for usage in India.
“The substance has been in use for many years in America without any side effects. Moreover, India was also supporting stevia cultivation for about 10 years before banning it last year. If the recommendations are approved and implemented by FSSAI, then it will definitely be a boon for diabetic and high BP patients,” Kulkarni said.

Dina Thanthi & Dinakaran

22 கிலோ கலப்பட டீ தூள் பறிமுதல் - டீ கடைகளில் அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு

சேலம், டிச.1:

சேலம் மாவட்டம் ஆத்தூர் நகரப்பகுதியில் உள்ள டீ கடைகள் மற்றும் மளிகை கடைகளில் கலப்பட டீ தூள் விற்கப்படுவதாக தொடர்ந்து புகார்கள் வந்தன. இதையடுத்து சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவுப் பொருட்கள் தரக்கட்டுப்பாட்டு அலுவலர் அனுராதா தலைமையில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் ராஜமாணிக்கம், புஷ்பராஜ், சுந்தர்ராஜ் உள்ளிட்ட அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு செய்தனர்.

ஆத்தூர் கடை வீதி, பஸ் நிலையம், கடலூர் மெயின் ரோடு என்று 10க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கடைகளில் ஆய்வு நடத்தியதில் 22 கிலோ கலப்பட டீ தூள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது. அவற்றை மண்ணில் கொட்டி அழித்த அதிகாரிகள், கலப்பட டீ தூள் விற்பனையாளர்களுக்கு எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளனர்.

இது குறித்து அதிகாரிகள் கூறுகையில், தரமான டீ தூளை கண்ணாடி டம்ளர் நீரில் கொட்டினால் எந்த மாற்றமும் இருக்காது. ஆனால் கலப்பட டீ தூளை கொட்டினால் அது மஞ்சள் அல்லது பழுப்பு நிறமாக மாறும். கலப்பட தூளில் தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட டீ அருந்துவதால் பல்வேறு உடல் நலக் கோளாறுகள் ஏற்படும். எனவே மேற்கண்ட சோதனை மூலம் கலப்படத்தை கண்டறிவதோடு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு தகவல் தெரிவிக்கலாம் என்றனர்.

 

݈ɘ ð°FJ™ «ð£L ¯ Éœ 22 A«ô£ ðPºî™

àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ¶¬øJù˜ ïìõ®‚¬è

«êô‹, ®ê.1-
«êô‹ ñ£õ†ì‹ ݈ɘ ð°FJ™ èôŠðì ¯ MŸèŠð´õî£è àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ñŸÁ‹ îóƒèœ ¶¬ø‚° ¹è£˜ õ‰î¶. Þ¬îò´ˆ¶ àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ¶¬ø Gòñù ÜFè£K ÜÂó£î£ î¬ô¬ñJ™, ¶¬ø ÜFè£Kèœ ó£üñ£E‚è‹, ¹wðó£x, ²‰îóó£x ñŸÁ‹ ðô˜ ݈ɘ ðv G¬ôò‹, è¬ìiF, èìÖ˜ ªñJ¡ «ó£´ ÝAò ð°FJ™ «ê£î¬ù «ñŸªè£‡ìù˜.
ÜŠ«ð£¶ «ð£Lò£è èôŠðì ¯ MŸø è¬ìèO™ Þ¼‰¶ 22 A«ô£ «ð£L ¯ ɬ÷ ÜFè£Kèœ ðPºî™ ªêŒî¶ì¡ Üõ˜è¬÷ â„êKˆîù˜. 

Truth about ads

Food regulator’s action against companies making bogus and misleading claims is long overdue
If one is to believe the advertisements that punctuate Indian television programming, Complan will make a child grow tall, Horlicks will make her smart and a Kellogg’s breakfast will keep her slim. It’s just as well, then, that some of the more outlandish claims made by these fast moving consumer goods companies (FMCGs) have been noticed by the food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The FSSAI has issued notices in 38 cases of dubious or misleading claims, and prosecution has reportedly been launched in 19 of those cases.
India is not the only place where FMCG companies have produced slick but factually suspect advertisements. Horlicks, for example, ran an advertisement on British television that it makes children “taller, stronger, sharper”, and this was rejected in a ruling by the UK Advertising Standards Authority. The same watchdog criticised Coca-Cola’s adverts for its “vitamin water”, which it claimed was nutritionally comparable to vegetables, and they had to be withdrawn.
In India, the cases have been filed for violation under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, under which advertisements that falsely describe food and are likely to mislead the public are liable to be penalised. Predictably, there is a pushback from advertisers, who claim the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) already regulates against misleading advertising. Given, however, that patently unscientific claims in advertisements make it through the ASCI’s filters, this is an indicator that consumers need to be protected in a more muscular manner, especially since the ASCI relies on advertisers voluntarily modifying or withdrawing advertisements that contravene its code.

FSSAI ADVT.

Labels must for GM food

Industry clueless about implementing labelling rule; FSSAI dithers over regulations

A supermarket in Moscow. Label of GM-free food is seen in the foreground (Photo: Reuters)
INDIA MAY NOT have started growing genetically modified (GM) food crops, but it does import food products that contain GM ingredients. Consumers who buy them have no way of knowing what they contain. Recently, the department of consumer affairs under the Union food and consumer affairs ministry decided to take a corrective measure to help consumers make an informed choice. It mandated that all packaged food products containing GM ingredients should carry a GM label from January 1, 2013.
The department notified 19 commodities to be covered by the new labelling rule under the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules. These include baby food, biscuits, breads, edible oils, milk powder, cereals and pulses. “Every consumer has a right to know what kind of food he or she is eating, and with the controversy over health impacts of genetically modified food, labelling becomes all the more important,” says B N Dixit, director (legal metrology) with the department of consumer affairs.
Who will monitor?
But how will the new rule get implemented? The consumer affairs department deals only with packaging, and weights and measures. Dixit says it is for the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to decide what information should be displayed and in what manner. FSSAI was mandated by the Food Safety Standards Act of 2006 to regulate GM food and draft regulations for labelling food containing genetically modified organisms (GMOs). These have not been finalised till date.
Down To Earth (DTE) asked FSSAI what specific symbol would be used for GM labelling, how it plans to monitor GM labelling and whether it has drafted rules for implementing it. FSSAI chief executive officer, S N Mohanty, had this to say in his written response: “Regulations for labelling of GM food are under preparation in FSSAI and these would be incorporated in labelling and packaging regulations of FSSAI which is under preparation.”
In 2010, FSSAI had prepared an interim regulation—Operationalising the Regulation of Genetically Modified Foods in India. It says that to manage the regulatory programme for GM foods, FSSAI would establish a new secretariat—GM Foods and Food Safety Assessment Unit (GMFSAU). It would have a multi-disciplinary team of scientists trained in safety assessment.
This unit would assess and decide whether the GM event (gene insertion) for which approval is sought can be considered as safe as non-GM food. The report of GMFSAU would then be reviewed by FSSAI’s expert committee on GM foods, which would also oversee the public consultations process before giving its recommendation (see diagram).
But this interim regulation may end up as an exercise on paper. Mohanty says the department of biotechnology has since mooted the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) bill for a single regulator for genetically modified food. Since BRAI has come into picture, it is yet to be made clear who will regulate GM food.
The food processing industry, meanwhile, is clueless about what needs to be done before the approaching deadline of January 1. Industry sources say they cannot act unless they get clear instructions. Dixit blames FSSAI for the situation, saying the consumer affairs department had given it more than six months to formulate regulations.
“Our department plans to hold public awareness campaigns through advertisements about GM labelling and we’ll be at work from January 1,” he says. The consumer affairs department has powers to penalise violators and seize consignments of their products.
The one-line rule notified by the consumer affairs department has baffled activists, too. The glut of imported food products is from countries that do not follow GM labelling standards, like the US and Canada. There is no way of tracing the origin of these and indigenous food products, and this is one of the biggest hurdles in implementing a GM labelling regime.
The hurdles
“How will the consumer affairs ministry hold companies and brands liable when there is no system of trace-back (of ingredients used in a product)?” asks Shivani Singh, campaigner for sustainable agriculture with non-profit Greenpeace India. The ministry needs to flesh out the notification to meet the desired objective, she points out.
She says the authorities should adopt zero-tolerance for GMOs that have not been approved for commercialisation in India. “Any traceable amount of GMOs (>0.01 per cent) should be reflected on the packages,” she says.
Kavitha Kuruganti of Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture says the new rule has addressed one aspect of the problem relating to packaged foods. “But the question is how labelling can be implemented when most of the consumption is of food sold in loose form.” She says not a single case has been registered so far against importers of products containing GM ingredients like corn, canola and soy, and there is no system for segregating such products.
She cited the example of import of 64 kg of pickles from Japan, containing GM corn and soy, by a Japanese restaurant in Delhi in 2009. A civil society organisation had complained but the case was never taken to its logical end, says Kuruganti. At present, about 40 countries have the GM labelling system, either mandatory or voluntary (see list).
A major constraint in implementing the GM labelling regime in India is shortage of laboratories equipped to test food products for GM ingredients. There are just a handful of them, like the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) at Mysore, Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics at Hyderabad and the National Bureau of Plant and Genetic Resources in Delhi.
A senior official with the department of consumer affairs says upgrading lab facilities will be considered once the practice is established.
Scientists add that DNA-based methods for testing genetic modification are expensive and tedious, requiring highly skilled, trained personnel. Scientists at CFTRI-Mysore say that every company is developing its own genetically modified crop with different genes because of which there is no universal and precise method to detect GMOs. For example, in herbicide tolerant soy (GM soy), two different genes confer resistance to glyphosate and glufosinate, commonly used herbicides.
So, for genetic testing of soy, scientists need to set up different protocols and optimise and standardise procedures for identifying promoter genes that regulate the expression of neighbouring genes. Thus, testing for GMOs needs to be on case-to-case basis. Scientists also enumerate difficulties in obtaining samples of crops like GM soy seed or seed powder from which DNA is to be extracted. These are required to ascertain whether the testing procedure is correct. Effective and efficient sampling plans are needed to get the most representative sample.
The procedure for importing samples of modified and unmodified crops or food stuffs requires clearances from various ministries, beginning with application to the Institutional Biosafety Committee. Once this approval is granted, an import licence and approval is required from the Directorate of Plant Protection, Quarantine and Storage under the agriculture ministry. After this, the developer firm has to be approached for seed and leaf powders—and the firm can easily turn down the request. A German company, FLUKA, supplies “certified reference materials” of a few GM crops, but at a high cost of Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 per gram.
Scientists add that in processed food, DNA degradation is very common, and therefore the methodology has to be modified and optimised by simulating processing operations, such as baking and autoclaving.
The absence of a sound regulatory and enforcement regime means consumers may not really have a choice over what they eat even after the new labelling rule comes into force.

Govt takes action against food manufactures for misleading ads

The government has launched prosecution against the manufactures of 19 food items for allegedly making misleading claims in the advertisements for their products, the Lok Sabha was informed today.

In a written reply, Minister of State for Health A H K Choudhary said the alleged misguiding claims in the advertisements for 38 food items were monitored by Food Safety Standards and Authority of India (FSSAI).

"So far 38 food items had been identified with misleading claims. Manufacturer of these articles were served with show-cause notices and their replies were examined at FSSAI by a three-member committee. As per recommendations of the committee, prosecutions have been launched in 19 cases by Designated Officers at regional level," he said.
On a querry over sale of soft drinks in hospitals, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said that his Ministry has not issued any directive in this regard.

 "Since health is a state subject, it is up to the state governments to take decision in this regard," he said.

Replying to a question on misuse of correction fluids and nail paint removers, Azad said the states have been requested to take action for enforcement of necessary measures by sensitising the industries producing these products.

On the amount spent for conducting research and development by National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO), the Ministry said that Rs 5.21 crore had been spent for the purpose from 2009 till date.

Replying to a question on Child Mortality Rate in the country, Choudhary said India ranks 49 in the under five mortality rate as per UNICEF Progress Report 2012.

Beverage Products

The Food Safety Standards & Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, monitors labels on various food items and claims advertised for food items by different companies in print and electronic media. Such findings and complaints received from stake holders are analysed in FSSAI and show-cause notices are issued to the manufacturers. Their replies are examined at FSSAI by a 3 member Committee constituted for this purpose. As per recommendations of this Committee, actions including prosecution are initiated by Designated Officers at the regional level.

So far, 38 food items have been identified with misleading claims. Manufacturers of these articles have been served with show-cause notices and the replies received, examined at FSSAI by a 3 member Committee constituted for this purpose. As per recommendations of this Committee, prosecutions have been launched in 19 cases by Designated Officers at regional levels.

Under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Regulations have been notified on 1st August 2011. Implementation of provisions of the Act and various Regulations made thereunder is already in progress in the country. Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011 envisage labelling and packaging rules on food items. Actions on misleading label declarations and misleading claims through advertisements through print and electronic media are taken as per Section 24 and 53 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and as per provisions of Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011.

There is no proposal to change their regulations at present.

This information was given by Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Shri Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury in written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.

Gujarat the first state in the country to operate food laboratory vans

While most of the states are still in the process of getting vans for food testing, Gujarat has already had the distinction of being the first state in the country to start the process of testing food in mobile laboratories.

Confirming this, H G Koshia, food safety commissioner, Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), told, “This festive season we got a very good response in testing food through these mobile vans.”

Gardens told to abide by safety norms

Guwahati/Silchar Nov. 29: The Tea Board of India today said from February 1 next year no teas can either be exported from or imported into India, without conforming to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) parameters and teas would be subjected to random testing.

The statement issued today comes in the backdrop of various quality issues that have cropped up in recent years.

The Tea Board of India has established a Tea Council for north India and one for south India, under its direction, to put in place an online mandatory mechanism to track all exports and imports of tea and ensure that quality norms are enforced.

The mechanism will be hassle free and paperless.

"We want to ensure that only tea worthy of the tagline 'Indian tea' is exported," the board said in a statement.

Speaking to The Telegraph after addressing an awareness workshop for Cachar tea planters at a leading hotel in Silchar yesterday afternoon, Anirban Basu Mazumdar, a senior research official of the Tea Board, made it clear that his organisation would not hesitate to impose penalties on the gardens which would flout food safety regulations.

He said the penalties for the non-compliant tea estates would range between Rs 50,000 and Rs 10 lakh.

The awareness workshop was organised by the board in association with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

Apart from Basu Mazumdar, the other specialist speaker was Pratyasha Chakra-borty, a counsellor of the CII.

R. Kujur, assistant director of the Tea Board's regional office here, inaugurated the programme and set rolling discussions on safety regulations in tea manufacturing.

The tea planters in the Cachar region, comprising 104 tea plantations in the three tea-growing districts of Cachar, Karimganj and Hailakandi, were told by the two experts on the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2011, and its manifold regulations implemented consequently by the Union health and family welfare ministry to ensure that the tea is processed in such a way that it should always be free of substances that cause health hazards.

The board identified such substances as iron fillings, artificial colours, artificial flavours and dust particles.
Senior board officials said these outside materials pose health hazards and asked tea planters in the Cachar region to "scrupulously" maintain good hygienic practices and proper manufactu-ring devices in the management of food and beverage operations.

A total of 75 senior tea planters, representatives of the bought leaf factories and the tea traders took part in this first exercise in south Assam on the FSSA.

Obtain/renew licences by February 4, dealers told

Sellers and producers of eatables including hawkers selling vegetables and fruits either by head load or through push carts, owners of roadside chilli chicken stalls, tea stalls and other eateries, retail dealers in foodstuffs, owners of rice mills and oil mills and owners of hotels, restaurants, bakeries, mutton stalls, milk producers and sellers, those running canteens in schools, colleges, business establishments and factories and those cooking food in marriage halls in Vellore district have been asked to obtain/renew their licences under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 before February 4, 2013.

According to a release from the Collector of Vellore district, the registration of the names of the dealers and producers and obtaining the licence to sell/supply/produce the eatables have been made compulsory under the Act. The organisations required to obtain licences included fair price shops, Indian Made Foreign Liquor shops run by the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, places where ‘annadhanam’ is performed and ‘prasadam’ distributed in temples, and hostels run by the Departments of Adi Dravidar Welfare and Backward Classes Welfare.

The Collector said that all government-owned establishments dealing in edible items have already obtained the licence. Dealing in edible items and foodstuffs without licence is considered a crime under the Act, which is punishable with a maximum of six months imprisonment or maximum fine of Rs.five lakhs.

Small, tiny and medium establishments doing business in edible items and having a turnover of up to Rs.12 lakh should fill Form ‘A’ available with the concerned Food Safety Officer, while those having a turnover of above Rs.12 lakh should fill Form ‘B’ available with the District Designated Officer, Food Safety Department, whose office is located in the 5th floor of the ‘A’ Block of the Collectorate in Sathuvachari, Vellore. The Food Safety and Standards Act requires the food establishments to keep their premises clean and hygienic. Persons afflicted with infectious diseases should not be employed in their establishments. The premises should be free from rats, insects and disease-causing germs. They should not reuse used edible oil.

Existing licence-holders should renew or modify their licences before February 4, 2013. Those who have not so far obtained their licences should apply immediately and obtain their licences before the same date. Exports and importers of food items should apply for licences before December 4, 2012.

Further particulars could be had by contacting the District Designated Officer, Food Safety Department (ph.0416-2252249, 9698938880).

M.S. Sampath Kumar, District Designated Officer told TheHindu that there are 27 block-level Food Safety Officers in Vellore district.

Call for food safety registration

Roadside eateries, petty shops selling food items, vegetable and fruit vendors are now under the food safety net as the district administration is implementing the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
According to the district Food Safety Department, petty operators have to register with the department. All producers of food items, rice mills, edible oils manufacturers and vendors, hotels, tea shops, sweet shops, bakeries, meat shops, milk vendors, marriage halls,. ration shops, annadhanam and prasadham distribution centres in temples are now required to register under the Food Safety Act.
Failure to register would attract penal action of up to six months imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5 lakh. Business houses with a turn over of up to Rs 12 lakh per year have to file form A and submit it to the food safety officer along with a challan of Rs 100 to get the registration done. Those who make over Rs 12 lakh have to submit form B and pay the appropriate fee to obtain the necessary licence, which is valid for a period of one year.
The last date to register is February 4, 2013. For further details, the district food safety officer can be contacted at 0416-2252249 and 9698938880.

Dinamalar

Misleading ads: food regulator steps in

New Delhi: They are snazzy, slick and smooth but do these ads feed us made up research and even glib outright lies every day?

Such concerns have prompted the food regulator, the Food Safety Standards Authority of India, to send notices to 38 companies for misleading advertisements.

Heinz's popular product Complan faces prosecution for claiming the product helps children grow twice as tall as they would if they had any other another drink. Boost and Horlicks from the GSK stable claim their products provide more stamina and make children smarter. Kellogg's claims on the slimming qualities of their product have also been questioned.
17:5

The government has also initiated prosecution procedure in 19 cases. Dr Shweta Khandelwal, of Public Health Foundation of India says, "This is an eye-opener for all of us. We should realise and understand that whatever claims are being put out in terms of nutrition labels that are being put out are not always what you should believe on. These companies claim that they use a lot of studies to base their studies upon. However in reality, these studies are not conducted in scientific rigueur. They lack many technical qualities. This is a common thing that people experience. They do not even know the difference between ingredients and tag lines for example, so I could say that they (consumers) are fooled every day. Another factor is the mixing of normal terms, terms that we use in everyday language with scientific terms, mislead as well."

Her view is not shared by the world of advertising. Ad gurus feel that consumers are smart enough and point out that there is already a system of checks and balances through the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) that has in the past pulled out a number of ads that have crossed the line.

Executive Director and CEO of Draftfcb + Ulka, Ambi MG Parameswaran told NDTV, "I believe in a free market economy, there is enough competitive pressure to stop you from making false claims. As consumers become more and more aware... and more knowledgeable, as a famous advertising man said - they are not morons. They know what works and what does not work. They know what is an advertising claim, and in their mind they know what is an admissible over claim that brands can do and get away with. The government should help strengthen ASCI's arms. No self-respecting firm will lie about their product. And in the past as well we have seen these hollow claims don't last. These products cater to a section of society that is well read and can see through lies. ASCI is an important body. It is set up by activists, clients and media and the government must instead focus on giving ASCI more teeth. ASCI has in the last one year put in place a tatkal system where you can actually file a complaint and get a panel to review it within a week or so. Finally no company, large or small, wants to sell fraudulent products or make intentionally false claims.

The companies in question could not be reached for comment, and a survey of their consumers showed opinions are diverse.

A young parent said, "People are far more well-read and conscious and I don't think they will simply be taken in by the tall claims made. I'm not fooled by it." Another lady said, "I bought a product after the claims I saw made in the ad. But when I bought it, it didn't live up to the promises it made."

Is one chocolate drink better than another, or can a product really sharpen your child's memory? In this world of claims and counter claims, one may still say the consumer is King, but it seems the King needs to read the fine print to know the real from the imagined so as to not get taken for a ride.

Too good to be believed

Advertisements tend to influence consumers’ choice to a large extent. All products claim to be better and more effective than the other, leaving buyers to fall for them.

In this scenario, the notice of Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) to 19 food products for making misleading and deceptive claims without any studies to substantiate them, would rather make people rethink their beliefs.

FSSAI has sent notices to health drinks Horlicks, Bournvita, Boost, cooking oil Saffola, Today Premium Tea, Maggie Multi-grainz noodles, Kelloggs Extra Muesli and others.
Metrolife talks to consumer rights activists and buyers on the issue as these are the products that make way to almost every household.

While activists feel that government consumer redressal forums are neither capable nor willing to tackle the problem, owing to their political agendas, buyers continue to remain at the receiving end.

Rajeev Yadav, a member of Supreme Court Bar Association and national president of Adhikaar — the rights path, says false claims regarding food products is a very serious matter and a concerns people of all age groups.

“People can approach consumer courts but there is no point doing that too as the decisions given are very weak. In the US, the fines imposed by consumer courts are huge. Here, district consumer forums and state consumer disputes redressal commissions give judgements which suit the government agenda,” he says

“The judgements made by these bodies are weak. That is why multinational companies easily get away despite deficiency in services and unfair trade practices. The  Consumer Protection Act has got all clauses and is good enough but is not implemented strongly,” he adds.

Abhishek Kaushik of Consumers Forum, which works for Consumer Protection Act, 1986, says their experience has been that small companies cooperate, but big and multinational companies are not scared of the law.

“The products to which FSSAI notice has been sent belong to big brands. They spend crores on ads but when it comes to giving compensation, the amount gets shrunk. Thanks to our implementation machinery. It is better if people use their mind for buying things instead of trusting the commercials.”

However, for buyers, advertisements end up becoming a major criteria which help them choose from countless products and services. Many of them are unaware of such notices being sent to the companies whose products they rely blindly.

Rita Sharma, a Delhi-based homemaker, says, “I always thought if  companies are making such claims and that too through TV commercials, there would be some truth in them. We simply go by what they promise without noticing the ingredients. Anyway we, as consumers don’t have any other option than buying these products.”

Ruma, a professional and mother of two schoolchildren, says, “I rely on health drinks which claim to help increase height and in overall development of kids. We are no experts and simply trust such claims. If what they show in ads is far from truth, why should I buy them?”

No tea trade without conforming to FSSAI parameters: Tea Board

Kolkata, (IANS) In a bid to ensure quality and protect the image of India tea globally, the Tea Board of India Thursday said no tea can be exported from or imported into the country from February if it does not conform to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) parameters.
“Effective Feb 1, 2013, no teas can either be exported from or imported into India, without conforming to FSSAI parameters and teas would be subjected to random testing,” a Tea Board of India release said here.
FSSAI was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 as a statutory body for laying down science-based standards for articles of food and regulating manufacturing, processing, distribution, sale and import of food so as to ensure safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
Against the backdrop of various quality issues that have cropped up in recent years, the tea board has already taken firm steps to protect and enhance the image of Indian tea globally and to ensure that only tea worthy of the tagline ‘Indian tea’ is exported.
The board has recently established Tea Councils for both north and south India to put in place an online mandatory mechanism to track all exports and imports of tea and ensure that quality norms are enforced.

FSS Regulations, 2012 New Amendments - Gazette Copy

How to read food labels

Do you know what all those complicated nutrition facts on food labels mean? Taking the time to find out will allow you to make informed, healthy choices and avoid health problems later.

Nutrition facts: This panel provides information about the energy, protein, carbohydrates, fat and sodium the food item contains. Choose foods that have low fat, sugar and sodium content.

Serving size: Check the serving size and the number of servings on the package. The number of servings you have determine the calories and nutrients you have consumed.

Check the calorie content: If the total calories per serving is 170 and calories from fat 60, two servings of this food item means you consumed 340 calories with 120 of the calories coming from fat.

Watch out: Try your best to limit the intake of fat (saturated and trans fat), sodium and cholesterol. Trans fats are oils which have been chemically modified to increase a product's shelf life. They are harmful as they increase the levels of bad cholestrol while reducing good cholestrol.

0% trans fat: This may not be true. Indian laws allow for .5gm trans fat to be printed as 0%. If a packet of namkeen says one serving size is 20gm, one serving may have .5 trans fat, but in reality you would eat close to 100gm.

Wise decision: Choose food items that have more of these nutrients.

The per cent Daily Value: The per cent DV component tells you about the percentage of each nutrient in one serving of the food product. If you want to eat less of say sodium, then choose foods with a lower per cent DV (5% or less is low)

Three types of fatty acids: Avoid consuming too much saturated fatty acids as they are manufactured naturally by the body. Mono unsaturated and poly unsaturated fatty acids are comparatively healthier; mono is preferable to poly as it protects your cardiovascular system.

Nutrition information per 100g of biscuits (Approx)
Carbohydrates 70g
Sugar 38g
Proteins 4.6g
Fat 20g
Saturated fatty acids 10g
Mono unsaturated fatty acids 7g
Poly unsaturated fatty acids 2g
Trans fatty acids 0g
Cholestrol 0mg
Energy 470kcal

Nutrition facts
Serving Size: 1/6 pkg. (30g mix)
Serving Per Container: 16
Amount Per Serving:                    Mix          Baked
Calories                                            110            170        

 Calories from Fat                            5                60

                                                         % Daily Value**
Total Fat 0.5g*                                  1%           11%
Saturated Fat Og                               0%           21%

Trans Fat Og
Cholesterol Omg                            0%           13%
Sodium 85mg                                 4%            4%
Total Carbohydrate 24g                  8%            8%
Dietary Fibre 2g                             8%            8%

*Amount in a general chocolate cake mix.
** Per cent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet. Your DV may be higher or lower depending on your specific calorie needs.

Food Jargon Explained
Reduced sodium: Not reliable as though the product may have cut down on salt, you still don't know what salt substitutes have been used. Keep in mind that an average person needs just 5gm of salt per day. Also, many products (such as jams, biscuits) use salt as a preservative even though it doesn't taste salty.

This can up your salt intake. Calcium fortified/Vitamin D fortified: Check the degree of fortification. If it is a very miniscule quantity then it doesn't really help. It makes sense to know what your daily vitamin or calcium requirements are and choose those products that deliver. Avoid locally made, unlabelled products and those that do not mention a use-by date.

With inputs from Dr Priyanka Rohatgi, chief nutritionist, Apollo Hospitals, Bengaluru and Dr Ritika Samadhar, chief dietician, Max Healthcare.

FSSAI buckled under pressure on tea!

Even as the outcome of Government-ordered toxicological tests for iron filings in tea is awaited, the country’s top food watchdog has gone ahead allowing the maximum limit of 150 mg iron particles in a packet of one kg tea. “Intense pressure” from the tea industry is said to have worked.
Interestingly, the Food Regulations 2011 too do not permit any extraneous materials including iron fillings and pesticides in the tea. However, justifying the move to limit the levels, CEO of the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) SN Mohanty said that it was an interim step pending the finalisation of the assessment report being prepared by the National Institution of Nutrition (NIN) to quantify the total iron content that can be allowed in the tea.
The Tea Board, which represented to the FSSAI recently, had argued that even the best of technologies cannot remove these iron filings which get mixed up with the tea because of the wear and tear of machinery. The tea lobby also claimed that several countries even allow such iron filing-contained tea giving prescribed limits. The logic behind is that tea is not consumed raw but after brewing. The brewed tea does not contain filings or in extreme limitation which is completely safe.
Agreeing with the industry’s views, Mohanty termed the “zero permissible limit” defined in the FSSAI regulation as a technical error and that it was a gaping loophole that needs to be plugged. Moreover, the limit is at its lowest currently when compared a few years back when it was 250mg/kg, he further said and maintained the 150mg/kg was a permissible limit being followed by the UK as well. But, it is high as 500mg/kg in Sri Lanka, he added.
The FSSAI advisory issued on November 23, says: “It is concluded that pending completion of the detailed study on the presence of iron fillings in tea, which the National Institute of Nutrition is doing and the assessment by the Food Authority’s specific panel, the maximum limit of iron particles in tea may be adhered to 150 mg/kg.” The FSSAI has also asked its enforcement departments to not to launch the prosecution against the tea producer in case their items are found to contain the specified limit of iron particles.
According to the food regulations, pesticide residue, insecticides, common heavy metals, micro-biological and foreign matters counts should not be in excess of such tolerance limit and quantity stipulated by it. There have been cases when the tea manufacturers were found to be adding the iron fillings to increasing the weight of the product while ignoring its harmful health impacts.

Now govt wants states to ban pan masala, zarda

The Union Health Ministry, in its efforts to push for a countrywide ban on edible products containing tobacco, has written to all states and Union territories pointing to a 1982 Allahabad High Court order and an executive order issued by the Mizoram government last August banning pan masala and zarda.
The move comes at a time when the Rs 8,000-crore gutkha industry has unleashed an advertising blitzkrieg protesting against the ban.
The letter dated November 21 from Special Secretary Keshav Desiraju is a follow-up to a similar letter sent earlier to states on gutkha following which several states including Delhi banned it. It states that the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 has laid down that tobacco and nicotine cannot be used as ingredients in food products and that the 1982 court order and an earlier one in 1981 had categorised zarda and tobacco as food.
A copy of the Mizoram order has been enclosed with the letter for necessary action. The letter also quotes Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) figures to point out that 206 million Indians were using smokeless tobacco in 2010. It is believed to be responsible for 80-90 per cent of all oral cancers in India and is also thought to play a major role in cancers of the stomach, foodpipe also the urinary bladder.
Earlier the Health Ministry had pushed for a ban on gutkha following an SC observation that pan masala, gutkha or supari are eaten for taste and nourishment and that they are all food items within the meaning of Section 2(v) of the PFA Act. It would imply that they cannot contain a harmful substance like tobacco. But this is for the first time that the ministry has extended its opposition to pan masala and zarda.
Tobacco control officials say that since health is a state subject, the ministry cannot ask the states to ban pan masala and zarda. But given the clear judicial position on the matter, a clear stand on the issue is long overdue. “Since Mizoram has already set a precedent, we thought it fit that other states should be informed about the legal position,” a senior official said.
Officials said the ban on gutkha has led to its surreptitious trade and black marketing in states where there is a ban with huge quantities being smuggled in from neighbouring states. “We are pushing for a countrywide ban,” an official said.

The big fat lies: Food regulator exposes adverts' bogus claims over nutritional value as it prepares to prosecute 19 cases

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated proceedings in 38 cases involving leading brands, including Kellogg's Special K

You are being led up the garden path by manufacturers of food and health products making tall claims in advertisements.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) - which put many products under its scanner over the misleading claims - has initiated proceedings in 38 cases involving leading brands.

The food regulator, which has received complaints against the products, has begun prosecution proceedings in 19 cases under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act.

Show-cause notices have been issued in the other 19 cases. The advertisements of the products, which are popular with most Indian households, promise quick results from slimming to healthy heart and faster growth for children.

The food regulator, which has presented a report to Parliament on the action taken in these cases, found that the companies manufacturing the food and health products not only made misleading claims in the advertisements but also carried similar pictures on the packaging. For instance, Complan is currently facing prosecution for claiming one can 'grow two times faster'. Complan Memory is in trouble over claims of boosting memory.

Boost and Horlicks, popular nutrition food for children made by Glaxo Smithkline, claimed they were better for stamina building than regular chocolate drinks and made children taller, stronger and sharper. The FSSAI said these claims were 'misleading, and no study has been submitted' to back the claims.

On Kellogg's Extra Muesli, the food regulator said the 'label showed a number of fruits thus making a misleading claim that product contained too many fruits'. Others products under the food regulator's scanner are Emami Soyabean Oil, Saffola, Nutri Charge Men, Engine mustard oil, Kellogg's Special K, Britannia NutriChoice biscuits, Today Premium Tea, PediaSure drinks, Real Active Fibre +, Nutrilite, Kissan Cream Spread, Rajdhani Besan and Britannia Vita Marie. These were found to have promised higher health benefits, higher nutritional value, or faster benefits like losing weight or ensuring growth.

The report presented to Parliament by FSSAI showed it had rejected some of the replies to the notices given by the companies saying they 'cannot be accepted'.

No comments

Boost and Horlicks claimed they were better for stamina building than regular chocolate drinks and made children taller

When contacted by Mail Today, officials from various companies like Kellogg's, Glaxo SmithKline that manufactures Horlicks and Nestle which makes Maggi declined to comment immediately.

However, the officials were aware of the show-cause notices issued to their firms by FSSAI. Chandra Bhushan, deputy director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, 'Only notices have issued but no action has been taken. Still, it's good that notices have been issued. Misbranding is a huge problem in the country. The companies target especially children and the health conscious, which is a very emotive issue.'

He said the Advertising Standards Council of India is ineffective in putting curbs on such misleading ads. He added that under the current provisions of the FSS Act, a fine of Rs 10 lakh is very small. He suggested that penalty should be proportionate to the turnover. 'Major reforms are needed in the sector to save people,' Bhushan said.

Neelanjana Singh, consultant nutritionist at PSRI Hospital said, 'Our children cannot just become taller with that special drink. Height, for example, is largely dependent on genes and nutrition. Just a drink might add to the nutrition but cannot solely be given credit for it. If we are to believe the manufacturing companies' claims, all health woes will just disappear.'

Deceptive ads

Singh described the ads as deceptive. She said some drinks boast of being magic potions which can strengthen a child's immune system, protect them from cold and cough but have almost no medicinal content. 'There is no scientific evidence to back their claims,' she said. For special health drinks, dieticians said that their nutrition value, in fact, is low. 'In almost all these health drinks in the market, you would find from their labels that less than 6-7 per cent of their total content actually has proteins and vitamins vital for growth. The rest of the drink has processed ingredients, with 30 per cent sugar and 30 per cent carbs. The different flavours too are processed, rendering them in certain cases, unhealthy,' said Shilpa Thakur, chief dietician at the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences.

A range of products under the scanner

Ishi Khosla, clinical nutritionist and founder, Whole Foods on breakfast cereals, said,'Breakfast cereals which are said to be storehouses of energy, are marketed as fat free but they are high in sugar content. The advertisers are simply riding high on the health bandwagon which everyone seems to have joined.'

In March this year, CSE had lab tested many of the popular brands and found that most of them had higher quantity of trans fats, sugar and salt than claimed in the labels. The misleading advertisements come under the purview of the FSSAI and the Information and Broadcasting ministry. Consumers often write to these bodies against products making big claims.

The Information and Broadcasting ministry, on its part, claimed that it had issued an advisory to all channels in May 2010 warning against advertising products promising special and miraculous cure. Khosla said that a "health fear" had gripped people. 'These companies are simply playing on the fear factor by making fat claims.

'The competition is too stiff and that has led to the spurt in the health products and their claims are getting bigger and bigger. Consumers should read the fine print carefully before falling for them.'