Jun 19, 2013
Jun 18, 2013
‘Speed up pepper adulteration probe’
Mumbai, June 18:
The Madhya Pradesh-based Kalimirch Vyaapari Association has urged the
Commissioner of Food Safety, Kerala to expedite its investigation into
adulteration of pepper at warehouses of the National Commodity and
Derivatives Exchange in Kerala and submit its report soon.
In a letter addressed to Biju Prabhakar, Commissioner of Food Safety,
Kerala, the Association highlighted the delay of over five months in
testing black pepper sealed at NCDEX-authorised warehouses for traces of
mineral oil. The 6,800 tonnes of pepper locked up at the warehouse is
valued at Rs 300 crore.
In December, the Food Safety Authority sealed the spic after there were
complaints of mineral oil in pepper delivered at the warehouse. The
Authority appointed the Spices Board to conduct the test on entire stock
of 6,800 tonnes, rather than taking random sample. It is reliably
learnt that the Board has already submitted a report to the authority
after testing 1,000 tonnes of pepper lying at the warehouse.
“We would like to draw your attention… in the whole issue which is grave
and has crucial impact on the financial health of the members of KVA.
The members are undergoing grave mental harassment and anxiety in view
of the delay (in investigation),” said Pradeep Acharya, Vice-President
of the association.
Through this communication, the association members request for
submission of the report (of Spice Board) which is required to be
submitted statutorily to initiate appropriate action by the KVA member,
he said.
Earlier, the Association has filed a writ petition in the Madhya Pradesh
High Court against the NCDEX, National Securities Depository, Central
Depository Service and Ministry of Consumer Affairs for defaulting on
pepper delivery for contracts which expired on January 5.
Ban on milk items imports from China may extend for 1 more yr
India had imposed ban on Chinese milk and its products in September 2008 due to presence of melamine
An inter-ministerial panel has recommended extending ban on imports of milk and its products from China for one more year as the neighbouring country has not provided any data addressing the safety concerns.
India had imposed ban on Chinese milk and its products in September 2008 due to presence of melamine, used for making plastics and fertiliser. The ban has been extended every year and will expire on June 23, this year.
"Ban on import of milk and milk products from China may be extended for a period of one year from June 23, 2013 unless there are dependable reports available about a significant improvement in the situation," said an advisory issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) after the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) meeting.
The committee, headed by FSSAI chief, met early this month to review the ban on Chinese milk products like chocolates and chocolate products, candies, confectionary, and food preparations made with milk or milk solids.
"The IMC recommended extension of ban because China has not been able to provide required data showing improvement in the situation with regard to milamine content," a senior FSSAI official said.
However, the final call on this issue will be taken by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Commerce Ministry, he added.
More than a dozen countries in Asia and Africa have banned milk and dairy product imports from China due to melamine content, the dangerous chemical that can cause kidney stones as well as failure of the organ.
India, the world's largest milk producer, does not import milk products from China, but the ban is being imposed as a preventive measure.
The country's milk production is estimated to be 133 million tonne in 2012-13.
An inter-ministerial panel has recommended extending ban on imports of milk and its products from China for one more year as the neighbouring country has not provided any data addressing the safety concerns.
India had imposed ban on Chinese milk and its products in September 2008 due to presence of melamine, used for making plastics and fertiliser. The ban has been extended every year and will expire on June 23, this year.
"Ban on import of milk and milk products from China may be extended for a period of one year from June 23, 2013 unless there are dependable reports available about a significant improvement in the situation," said an advisory issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) after the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) meeting.
The committee, headed by FSSAI chief, met early this month to review the ban on Chinese milk products like chocolates and chocolate products, candies, confectionary, and food preparations made with milk or milk solids.
"The IMC recommended extension of ban because China has not been able to provide required data showing improvement in the situation with regard to milamine content," a senior FSSAI official said.
However, the final call on this issue will be taken by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Commerce Ministry, he added.
More than a dozen countries in Asia and Africa have banned milk and dairy product imports from China due to melamine content, the dangerous chemical that can cause kidney stones as well as failure of the organ.
India, the world's largest milk producer, does not import milk products from China, but the ban is being imposed as a preventive measure.
The country's milk production is estimated to be 133 million tonne in 2012-13.
Punjab govt constitutes Punjab FDA by unifying food & drug departments
In a major step towards bringing the food and drug departments under a common regulatory body on the lines of Gujarat and Maharashtra, the Punjab government recently constituted the Punjab food and drug administration (FDA) by bringing both the Punjab state drug controlling authority and food authority under one roof.
With a view to streamline the work of this unified regulatory body in accordance with the respective laws, the state government last week appointed Husan Lal who earlier served as the secretary, social security, and managing director of Punjab Health Systems Corporation, as the first commissioner of the state FDA. With this strategic re-organisation, Punjab state joins the group of select few states in the country like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir to streamline and unify the two important departments under the same umbrella.
Earlier, a high level delegation headed by Rupanjali Karthik, additional secretary, department of health and family welfare, government of Punjab had visited Gujarat FDCA in October last year to understand and gauge the effective ways of running the administration, prior to undergoing this change. Ajay Singla, state drug controller of the Punjab drug department, who was also a part of this delegation informed that this move signals the changing regulatory dynamics in the state, which will further help in strengthening the regulatory and administrative apparatus to meet new challenges.
With this reshuffling in the regulatory set up, the Punjab FDA will now be the central authority in the state overlooking the smooth functioning and monitoring of the various rules and regulations pertaining to the concerned Acts. “By unifying the two important departments under the same authority we will be able to implement the rules and regulations under the D&C Act and FSSAI Act more effectively throughout the state. Especially since the regulatory requirements and mechanisation for the implementation of both the Acts are almost in the same lines, helping us to effectively scrape the bottlenecks and other complications arising out of dual regulatory body,” Singla added.
According to Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Gujarat Food & Drugs Control Administration, as a regulator it is more effective to regulate and monitor the food and the drugs departments under a common regulatory body. Further he pointed out that ever since the successful establishment of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, more states across the country are strongly considering to unify their food and drug departments under the same body for better administrative purpose.
It is reported that the state of Karnataka is seriously looking into the possibility of unifying the two important departments under the state health ministry under a uniform authority on the lines of Gujarat FDCA.
With a view to streamline the work of this unified regulatory body in accordance with the respective laws, the state government last week appointed Husan Lal who earlier served as the secretary, social security, and managing director of Punjab Health Systems Corporation, as the first commissioner of the state FDA. With this strategic re-organisation, Punjab state joins the group of select few states in the country like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir to streamline and unify the two important departments under the same umbrella.
Earlier, a high level delegation headed by Rupanjali Karthik, additional secretary, department of health and family welfare, government of Punjab had visited Gujarat FDCA in October last year to understand and gauge the effective ways of running the administration, prior to undergoing this change. Ajay Singla, state drug controller of the Punjab drug department, who was also a part of this delegation informed that this move signals the changing regulatory dynamics in the state, which will further help in strengthening the regulatory and administrative apparatus to meet new challenges.
With this reshuffling in the regulatory set up, the Punjab FDA will now be the central authority in the state overlooking the smooth functioning and monitoring of the various rules and regulations pertaining to the concerned Acts. “By unifying the two important departments under the same authority we will be able to implement the rules and regulations under the D&C Act and FSSAI Act more effectively throughout the state. Especially since the regulatory requirements and mechanisation for the implementation of both the Acts are almost in the same lines, helping us to effectively scrape the bottlenecks and other complications arising out of dual regulatory body,” Singla added.
According to Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Gujarat Food & Drugs Control Administration, as a regulator it is more effective to regulate and monitor the food and the drugs departments under a common regulatory body. Further he pointed out that ever since the successful establishment of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, more states across the country are strongly considering to unify their food and drug departments under the same body for better administrative purpose.
It is reported that the state of Karnataka is seriously looking into the possibility of unifying the two important departments under the state health ministry under a uniform authority on the lines of Gujarat FDCA.
CAIT urges Azad to evolve scheme to compound small, unharmful offenses
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) urged health minister
Ghulam Nabi Azad to evolve a scheme to compound offenses, under which
food business operators facing court cases for acts that are small in
nature or unharmful under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act,
1954 can compound the offenses by paying a token amount and get
themselves acquitted of the offense registered against them.
The Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, was the predecessor of the Food Safety and Standards Authority Act, 2006, which came into effect on August 4, 2011. A copy of CAIT's communication to the minister has also been sent to K Chandramouli, chairman, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country's apex food regulator.
B C Bhartia, CAIT's national president, and Praveen Khandelwal, the secretary general of the traders' body, stated, “Food businesses in different states of the country are administered by the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). A huge number of cases are pending in courts of law across the country. These are of petty offenses and are neither very grave nor have not caused grievous injury to the health of the consumers.”
“Many such cases are about twenty years old and are yet to progress beyond the initial stage. With the scrapping of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, there is prime-facie no merit in continuing to fight cases registered under the said Act. Therefore, all such cases must be compounded,” the duo added in its written communication to Azad.
The trade leaders also suggested that if compounding of cases is not feasible, either a fast-track court or arbitration or reconciliation proceedings may be initiated to clear all the pending cases registered under PFA. “If this suggestion is implemented, it will help in clearing the waiting list of cases in the trial stage across the country,” added Bhartia and Khandelwal
The Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, was the predecessor of the Food Safety and Standards Authority Act, 2006, which came into effect on August 4, 2011. A copy of CAIT's communication to the minister has also been sent to K Chandramouli, chairman, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country's apex food regulator.
B C Bhartia, CAIT's national president, and Praveen Khandelwal, the secretary general of the traders' body, stated, “Food businesses in different states of the country are administered by the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). A huge number of cases are pending in courts of law across the country. These are of petty offenses and are neither very grave nor have not caused grievous injury to the health of the consumers.”
“Many such cases are about twenty years old and are yet to progress beyond the initial stage. With the scrapping of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, there is prime-facie no merit in continuing to fight cases registered under the said Act. Therefore, all such cases must be compounded,” the duo added in its written communication to Azad.
The trade leaders also suggested that if compounding of cases is not feasible, either a fast-track court or arbitration or reconciliation proceedings may be initiated to clear all the pending cases registered under PFA. “If this suggestion is implemented, it will help in clearing the waiting list of cases in the trial stage across the country,” added Bhartia and Khandelwal
Banned pesticide residues found in vegetable samples
In public interest: The findings are being made public not to make the
people panic but to look to safer alternatives.
The Kerala Agricultural University has found “dangerous
levels” of pesticide residue in key vegetables like cabbage,
cauliflower, vegetable cowpea (achinga), amaranthus red, small red onions, tomatoes, green chillies and curry leaves, among others.
The
residue includes that of the banned Profenofos, which falls into the
yellow category (second level of pesticides in the toxicity
classification) and which has translaminar action (the toxin entering
the plant system primarily by roots, and transported to locations
throughout the plant, where it can affect those who consume the
vegetables).
It has been banned in Kerala for nearly
three years now. The pesticide is allowed in India only in cotton and
tea and in other parts of the world, it is used only in cotton.
The
results came from tests carried out by the Pesticide Residue Research
and Analytical Laboratory, Vellayani near Thiruvananthapuram. The
findings have been put up on the Kerala Agricultural University’s
website http://www.kerala agriculture.gov.in
The banned pesticide residue was found mostly in gooseberries, green chilli, okra (bhindi), curry leaves, mint leaves and coriander leaves, said Thomas Biju Mathew, principal investigator for the project.
“Production and Marketing of Safe-to-Eat Vegetables for Sale through Government Outlets”.
He
said that the results were being made public not to make the people
panic but to look to safer alternatives. One of the highlights of the
findings was that most of the pesticides belonged to the surface contact
category and were not systemic.
The results are for
40 types of vegetables, samples of which were drawn from the
Thiruvananthapuram markets between January 1 and March 1, 2013.
The
KAU website also suggests methods to get rid of the residue. For
example, one suggestion is to separate cauliflower leaves and keep the
separated flowers dipped in salt or vinegar solution for 10 minutes and
to pass them through repeated washing. The vinegar solution can be made
of 20 ml of vinegar in a litre of water or 20 grams of salt in a litre
of water.
Vegetables have been placed in three
categories according to the level of pesticide residue in them. The most
dangerous category has been detected in vegetables like bhindi,
drumsticks, little gourd, red and yellow capsicum, gooseberries and
coriander leaves.
The less dangerous category of pesticides has been found in beetroot, brinjal, carrot and garlic.
The
farm produce that has been found not to carry pesticide residue
comprises tapioca, mangoes, cucumber, colocasia, beans, ginger, big
onion, capsicum (green), nendran bananas, ash gourd, pumpkins,
pineapples, and green peas.
The website does not
specify the level of pesticide residue in the individual items but the
director of the laboratory, which is under KAU, S. Nazeema Beevi, said
that the samples had been drawn over the first quarter of the year and
the situation may not remain the same for the next quarter.
She
said that the vegetables had been categorised as having dangerous
levels of pesticide because they exceeded the maximum residue limit
fixed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
Case against Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra for misleading advertisements
The two Bollywood superstars, along with eight cricketers including Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, face the ire of the Department of Food Safety
Bollywood stars and cricketers do tons of advertisements every year.
At times, it turns out that the number of movies that a star does, or
the number of matches a cricketer plays is
far less than the number of ad films they do! At this pace, it seems
like they are becoming careless about the kind of products they endorse.
The Department of Food Safety, Uttarakhand has lodged a complaint against a number of celebrities including Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra and
eight other cricketers for promoting adulterated products. The
cricketers who were mentioned are Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj
Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virendra Sehwag and Zaheer Khan. The government
has also filed a case against Sahara honcho Subrata Roy since the
contaminated products were found at his shop, Sahara-Q.
Wethinks these folks better follow Aamir Khan’s example and beware of the stuff they advertisement the next time!
Jun 17, 2013
‘No poisonous ingredients in food samples’
PUNE:
Mystery continues to surround the death of two Katraj dairy employees
who died after consuming food at the Sagar Dhaba on Mumbai-Bangalore
Highway last month.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pune has found no poisonous ingredients in the collected food samples.
“According
to the lab analysis reports, no poisonous ingredient was found in the
collected samples. Only the paneer was found to be of sub-standard
quality with low fat percentage. Therefore, no food poisoning case will
be lodged. However, a complaint was registered against the Dhaba owner
for using sub-standard quality of paneer,” said Shivkumar Kodgire, FDA
Assistant Commissioner.
On May 18, two
employees of the Katraj Dairy, run by the Pune Zilla Sahakari Dudh
Utpadak Sangh, were on their way to the milk city, Anand, to attend a
seminar on the dairy industry. They died in Gujarat due to suspected
food poisoning. The FDA food inspectors then collected samples of
paneer, oil, rice and flour from the Sagar Dhaba in Maval taluka, where
they had their dinner. The samples were sent to the State Analysis
Laboratory. The viscera of the two employees is awaited from the Gujarat
police. After the incident, the FDA had undertaken an inspection drive
of dhabas on the highways.
Speaking to
Sakal Times, FDA Joint Commissioner (Pune Division) SR Kekare said,
“The FDA squad checked adulteration of edible items like flour, oil and
food quality, hygienic condition of the kitchen, the cook, pest control,
medical check up of the dhaba employees etc. In all, 38 dhaba owners
have been sent improvement notices.”
After a period of 14 days, verification is done and necessary action would be taken, he added.
FOOD POISIONING WAS SUSPECTED
On
May 18, two employees of the Katraj Dairy, run by the Pune Zilla
Sahakari Dudh Utpadak Sangh, were on their way to the milk city, Anand,
to attend a seminar on the dairy industry. They consumed food at the
Sagar Dhaba on Mumbai-Bangalore Highway. They died in Gujarat due to
suspected food poisoning.
FDA to train city’s food business operators
Under this ambitious project,
all the food business operators in the city will be trained on the
sanitary and hygienic practices.
While
the experiment by FDA of training the roadside food vendors outside
Saras Baug was a failure, it is optimistic about the upcoming food
safety projects as it will now have the provision to take legal action
against food business operators if they fail in the hygienic practices
after completion of the training.
The project will be joint venture of the FDA, Pune and Bindra Hospitality Services Private Limited.
“In
a city like Pune that has around 9,000 small, medium and big food
business operators, it is difficult to train all of them. Therefore, a
phase-wise mass training in food handling and hygiene practices will be
given to all the restaurant owners, followed by kitchen operators of
various hotels and restaurants and basic food cart owners, home-based
mess owners and street vendors,” said S R Kekare, Joint Commissioner
(food) of FDA Pune.
The programme is designed as per Schedule 4 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Free
training will be given in a phased manner starting from hotel,
restaurant owners, managers, waiters and kitchen workers, home-based
mess and street vendors. All the operators will be registered and given
certificates after successful completion of the training.
“Often,
street vendors complain about not being aware of the Act and
maintaining hygiene levels. Hospitality experts will train them
scientifically and FDA officials will train them on the provisions of
the Act,” he added.
The training
sessions will comprise of cleaning the equipment and containers,
management and supervision, food testing facilities, audit,
documentation and records, personal hygiene, managing raw material,
drainage and waste disposal and ventilation and lighting. The training
will be given in Marathi, Hindi and English languages.
FREE TRAINING
Free
training will be given in a phased manner starting from hotel and
restaurant owners, managers, waiters and kitchen workers, home-based
mess and street vendors.
Govt dispatches 15 teams to test Rajasthan salt's worth
Rajasthan is the third largest salt producing state in India as it produces 1,96,000 tonnes of clean salt
every year which is 8.7% of country's total salt production. But in the inter-departmental meeting recently, there were discussions that the salt manufacturers in Nawa, Sambhar and Phalaudi are under lens for not maintaining proper Food and Safety Act standards.
There are complaints of manufacturers not maintaining standards of iodine salt. To look into the matter, teams of health department have been sent for investigation.
Talking to DNA, Dr BR Meena, health director, said, "During the recent inter-departmental meetings, it came to our notice that salt manufactures in Nawa, Sambhar and Phalaudi are not maintainin
g the standards required to manufacture salt."
There are complaints that iodine is not being used as per the standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standard Act. For which, around 15 teams have been sent for inspection. Anybody found flouting the norms will be punished under the Food Safety and Standard Act, he added.
There are around 200 salt manufacturers in Nawa and Phalaudi where salt is manufactured and supplied throughout the country.
Flouting norms!
There are complaints that iodine is not being used as per the standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standard Act
Deficiency of iodine in salt not only impairs thyroid function, but is also linked to increased risks of breast cancer and weight gain
There are around 200 salt manufacturers in Nawa and Phalaudi
every year which is 8.7% of country's total salt production. But in the inter-departmental meeting recently, there were discussions that the salt manufacturers in Nawa, Sambhar and Phalaudi are under lens for not maintaining proper Food and Safety Act standards.
There are complaints of manufacturers not maintaining standards of iodine salt. To look into the matter, teams of health department have been sent for investigation.
Talking to DNA, Dr BR Meena, health director, said, "During the recent inter-departmental meetings, it came to our notice that salt manufactures in Nawa, Sambhar and Phalaudi are not maintainin
g the standards required to manufacture salt."
There are complaints that iodine is not being used as per the standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standard Act. For which, around 15 teams have been sent for inspection. Anybody found flouting the norms will be punished under the Food Safety and Standard Act, he added.
There are around 200 salt manufacturers in Nawa and Phalaudi where salt is manufactured and supplied throughout the country.
Flouting norms!
There are complaints that iodine is not being used as per the standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standard Act
Deficiency of iodine in salt not only impairs thyroid function, but is also linked to increased risks of breast cancer and weight gain
There are around 200 salt manufacturers in Nawa and Phalaudi
DFRL food to fight fatigue
Mysore:
After years of rigorous hard work, food scientists at Defence Food
Research Laboratory (DFRL) are on the verge of revolutionizing the food
industry.
An array of new generation nutraceuticals are being
developed by the defence lab, which will help Indian jawans fight
anxiety, sleep and fatigue for several hours without food or the minimum
food in extreme conditions. In fact, in-house trials done on white mice
proved that these foods will enhance performance.
Now, scientists
are gearing-up for ‘last-leg’ human trials before seeking necessary
clearances from the Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services
(DGAFMC). Dr K. Radhakrishna, additional director, DFRL, told Deccan
Chronicle that there is a huge demand from the Indian army for
performance enhancing foods.
This was the thrust area for DFRL in
the 11th five-year plan and will continue to be in the 12th plan too.
Only a few developed countries like the USA have done extensive research
in this emerging area of food sciences and India will join the ‘elite’
club shortly.
“Though the products are still at the R&D stage,
the in-house trials have already given the desired results”, Dr
Radhakrishna said.
These nutraceuticals also have immense
potential in the civilian market, both domestic and international. For
example, a student can use these products to bust stress and depression
during exam time. Importantly, these products don’t have any
side-effects and are purely developed using micro-nutrients and
anti-oxidants extracted from natural herbs and plants, said a senior
DFRL scientist working with the project.
Already, DFRL has
developed several appetizers, stress-relieving biscuits, squash rich in
anti-oxidants from sea buckthorn, fruits and leaves, low-calorie aloe
vera drink for diabetics, cholesterol-lowering food and memory-enhancing
chocolates. Microbiological safety and shelf-life parameters were
checked as per international standards, Dr Radhakrishna added.
FSSAI testing packaged water samples and preparing database of quality
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) – the
country's apex food regulator – has commenced the testing of samples of
packaged drinking water from different sources across India for various
microbiological and chemical components. It is also working on the
preparation of a database of the quality of packaged drinking water.
The Authority has taken these steps following a letter by health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad urging it to ensure checking of units manufacturing packaged drinking water. The minister apprised the body of a spate of complaints about the quality of packaged drinking water being supplied to consumers in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
A senior FSSAI official said, “We have directed the food safety commissioners to test the quality of packaged drinking water and make the results available to us. The work has already begun. It is expected to take a while to complete. Only then we will comment on the issue.”
“FSSAI, however, will prepare the database upon the completion of the tests. The authority has also decided that the state food safety officers should conduct sampling of the packaged water at regular intervals. However, the duration of the sample collection will be set only after the results of the first phase of sampling are declared,” he added.
He further informed that the FSSAI had hired a legal firm to deal with the legal cases that come to the fore while implementing the regulations, and added that as far as the number of cases filed was concerned, no data was currently available.
“The Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, has a provision to set up tribunals for cases related to food safety and the process has, in fact, begun in the states. Currently the cases are filed in regular courts, but once the tribunals are set up, the hearings will take place in the tribunals,” he stated.
The Authority has taken these steps following a letter by health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad urging it to ensure checking of units manufacturing packaged drinking water. The minister apprised the body of a spate of complaints about the quality of packaged drinking water being supplied to consumers in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
A senior FSSAI official said, “We have directed the food safety commissioners to test the quality of packaged drinking water and make the results available to us. The work has already begun. It is expected to take a while to complete. Only then we will comment on the issue.”
“FSSAI, however, will prepare the database upon the completion of the tests. The authority has also decided that the state food safety officers should conduct sampling of the packaged water at regular intervals. However, the duration of the sample collection will be set only after the results of the first phase of sampling are declared,” he added.
He further informed that the FSSAI had hired a legal firm to deal with the legal cases that come to the fore while implementing the regulations, and added that as far as the number of cases filed was concerned, no data was currently available.
“The Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, has a provision to set up tribunals for cases related to food safety and the process has, in fact, begun in the states. Currently the cases are filed in regular courts, but once the tribunals are set up, the hearings will take place in the tribunals,” he stated.
பான்மசாலா, குட்காவிற்கு ஜூன் 23 முதல்"குட்பை'
தேனி:பான்மசாலா,
குட்கா போன்ற புகையிலை கலந்த போதை பொருட்களுக்கு, ஜூன் 23 ல் இருந்து
வியாபாரிகள்,மொத்த ஸ்டாக்கிஸ்ட்கள் அனைவரும் "குட் பை' சொல்ல வேண்டும், என
அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது. தமிழகத்தில் பான்மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற புகையிலை
மற்றும் நிகோடின் கலந்த போதைப் பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்வது, கடந்த மே 23
முதல் தடை செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. சில்லரை விற்பனை கடைகளில் விற்கப்படும்
பான்மசாலா, குட்காவை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்து வருகின்றனர். அவற்றை,
அதிகமாக வாங்கி இருப்பு வைத்துள்ள ஸ்டாக்கிஸ்ட்டுகளுக்கு, நோட்டீஸ்
வழங்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. அவர்கள் ஜூன் 22 க்கு பிறகு, இருப்பில் உள்ள
பான் மசாலா, குட்கா போன்றவற்றை தமிழகத்தில் விற்க கூடாது, என அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டு உள்ளது. ஜூன் 23 முதல் பான் மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற புகையிலை பொருட்களுக்கு அனைவரும் "குட்பை' சொல்லி விட வேண்டும். அதன்பிறகு, உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவு அலுவலர்கள் நடத்தும் சோதனையில் கண்டு பிடித்தால், அவை பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டு, சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்,என அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
பான் மசாலா, குட்கா போன்றவற்றை தமிழகத்தில் விற்க கூடாது, என அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டு உள்ளது. ஜூன் 23 முதல் பான் மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற புகையிலை பொருட்களுக்கு அனைவரும் "குட்பை' சொல்லி விட வேண்டும். அதன்பிறகு, உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவு அலுவலர்கள் நடத்தும் சோதனையில் கண்டு பிடித்தால், அவை பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டு, சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்,என அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
Sustainability code for tea industry from July 11
VADODARA: Tea Board Chairman MGVK Bhanu has said the board will unveil a
'sustainability code' for the industry on July 11, and redefine the way
it operates.
Addressing the 24th annual general meeting of the Federation of All-India Tea Traders Associations at Anand, about 40 kilometres from Vadodara, Bhanu said yesterday: "The board will introduce a set of parameters which will redefine the way tea industry works, right from production to certification to labour welfare to maintenance of global safety standards."
Stating that the code will be viable for all the stakeholders, Bhanu added, "the sustainability code is a broad-based package aimed at all-round development of the tea sector."
Being developed by the board in collaboration with four reputed agencies associated with the industry, the code encompasses all aspects of tea production.
"The aim of the initiative is to sustain the tea industry by following the set of codes developed keeping Indian realities and globally accepted sustainability principles in mind to improve the social and economic conditions of the plantations," Tea Board adviser and former Director G Boriah said.
The code will also include parameters to be adopted to boost productivity, introduce labour welfare measures, maintain safety standards in factories and limit use of pesticides in the plantations.
He said the board had evolved a draft code that would be launched on a pilot basis and tested for the next six to nine months.
"The idea is to improve quality compliance, mitigate effects of climate change, ensure ethical sourcing and inclusion of small farmers in the mainstream," he said.
He further said the sustainability code is aimed at ensuring that consumers get a healthy cup of tea, keeping in mind the food safety standards, importance for which is growing globally.
Addressing the 24th annual general meeting of the Federation of All-India Tea Traders Associations at Anand, about 40 kilometres from Vadodara, Bhanu said yesterday: "The board will introduce a set of parameters which will redefine the way tea industry works, right from production to certification to labour welfare to maintenance of global safety standards."
Stating that the code will be viable for all the stakeholders, Bhanu added, "the sustainability code is a broad-based package aimed at all-round development of the tea sector."
Being developed by the board in collaboration with four reputed agencies associated with the industry, the code encompasses all aspects of tea production.
"The aim of the initiative is to sustain the tea industry by following the set of codes developed keeping Indian realities and globally accepted sustainability principles in mind to improve the social and economic conditions of the plantations," Tea Board adviser and former Director G Boriah said.
The code will also include parameters to be adopted to boost productivity, introduce labour welfare measures, maintain safety standards in factories and limit use of pesticides in the plantations.
He said the board had evolved a draft code that would be launched on a pilot basis and tested for the next six to nine months.
"The idea is to improve quality compliance, mitigate effects of climate change, ensure ethical sourcing and inclusion of small farmers in the mainstream," he said.
He further said the sustainability code is aimed at ensuring that consumers get a healthy cup of tea, keeping in mind the food safety standards, importance for which is growing globally.
Rotten meat enters city, this time by bus
The meat had been transported from Karnataka and was to be unloaded in Periamet, Vepery and Kilpauk
Food safety department officials on Sunday seized 2.5
tonnes of rotten meat that was transported into the city by bus. Having
received a tip-off on Saturday, the officials waited at three locations
along Poonamallee High Road at dawn and seized the meat parcels.
The
officials found packets of rotten meat which were being smuggled in
through buses coming from Karnataka. Soon, the police and officials of
Chennai Corporation’s health department reached the spot and analysed
the samples. The meat was of inferior quality and was making its way to
eateries in the city.
The meat was destroyed in
Kodungaiyur dump yard. The food safety officials will create awareness
among traders this week on the impact of such trade on public health.
Earlier
in September 2012, the civic body had cracked down on business units in
the city that had been found smuggling carcasses from Nellore,
Vijayawada and Kakinada in trains. Chennai Central and Egmore stations
were the hubs of this illegal trade.
So far, over 25 tonnes of rotten meat have been seized in the city.
No business units in the city were sealed on Sunday.
The meat parcels were meant to be unloaded in Periamet, Vepery and Kilpauk.
2,500kg of rotting beef seized from K’taka bus
Chennai: Beef smugglers have found a new mode of transport — inter-state and district buses.
After facing the heat from raids and seizures from Chennai Corporation and railway officials at Egmore railway station, smugglers seemed to have turned to transport by road. “They seem to have taken to buses because there are fewer checks. Only during the Diwali season are buses checked regularly,” said a corporation official.
On Sunday morning, based on a tip-off, officials stopped a bus from Vaniyambadi with a Karnataka registration number on EVR Periyar Salai. They found 2,500kg of beef in gunny bags in the luggage compartment. “Small plastic packets of meat were stored in other bags,” said Chennai district food officer S Lakshminarayanan.
The meat was discoloured, and the bus driver did not have any documents for the beef such as a bill of sale, details of buyers or a veterinarian certificate, said food safety officers. “The corporation’s veterinary officer saw the colour of the meat and deemed it unfit for consumption. Since there were no certificates, we think the meat could have been obtained from unauthorised slaughter houses, and thus can’t be sold,” said Lakshminarayanan. The luggage compartment of a bus is neither airconditioned nor hascoldstorage facilities.
Bus operators said the meat was from Vaniyambadi and meant for door-to-door sale in Muslim houses. Officials suspect that the meat is from Andhra Pradesh and more than 24 hours old.
“According to the information we received, it is from outsidethestate,” said an official. “The beef was probably going to be used to adulterate mutton. Large shops and restaurants, which buy in bulk, often purchase mutton mixed with beef,” said Lakshminarayanan. The mix can be 5kg of beef to 30kg of mutton. He said the adulteration is mild and can only be discerned through testing of the meat’s muscle strains.
Corporation officials said such adulteration could cause health complications. “Hotels who buy in bulk need meat cheap,” said an official. “Serving rotten meat could cause an outbreakof food poisoning,” an official said.
Last year, railway police and corporation officials seized thousands of kilograms of beef entering the city through Egmore and Central railway stations. They intensified raids on trains coming from Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The immediate effect of Sunday’s seizure seemed to be a rise in beef and mutton prices in Chintadripet and Periamet. Beef, which became pricier threeweeks ago, was even more expensive became on Sunday afternoon. “The price of beef went up from 150 to 180 a kg three weeks ago,” said Sajan, who runs Kerala Mess in Teynampet.
“Webuy our Sundaystock by 5.30am,” said Areef Amin, who runs a biriyani outlet on Sydenhams Road. “We needed more mutton and beef around noon, and had to pay 190 per kg of beef,” he said.
After facing the heat from raids and seizures from Chennai Corporation and railway officials at Egmore railway station, smugglers seemed to have turned to transport by road. “They seem to have taken to buses because there are fewer checks. Only during the Diwali season are buses checked regularly,” said a corporation official.
On Sunday morning, based on a tip-off, officials stopped a bus from Vaniyambadi with a Karnataka registration number on EVR Periyar Salai. They found 2,500kg of beef in gunny bags in the luggage compartment. “Small plastic packets of meat were stored in other bags,” said Chennai district food officer S Lakshminarayanan.
The meat was discoloured, and the bus driver did not have any documents for the beef such as a bill of sale, details of buyers or a veterinarian certificate, said food safety officers. “The corporation’s veterinary officer saw the colour of the meat and deemed it unfit for consumption. Since there were no certificates, we think the meat could have been obtained from unauthorised slaughter houses, and thus can’t be sold,” said Lakshminarayanan. The luggage compartment of a bus is neither airconditioned nor hascoldstorage facilities.
Bus operators said the meat was from Vaniyambadi and meant for door-to-door sale in Muslim houses. Officials suspect that the meat is from Andhra Pradesh and more than 24 hours old.
“According to the information we received, it is from outsidethestate,” said an official. “The beef was probably going to be used to adulterate mutton. Large shops and restaurants, which buy in bulk, often purchase mutton mixed with beef,” said Lakshminarayanan. The mix can be 5kg of beef to 30kg of mutton. He said the adulteration is mild and can only be discerned through testing of the meat’s muscle strains.
Corporation officials said such adulteration could cause health complications. “Hotels who buy in bulk need meat cheap,” said an official. “Serving rotten meat could cause an outbreakof food poisoning,” an official said.
Last year, railway police and corporation officials seized thousands of kilograms of beef entering the city through Egmore and Central railway stations. They intensified raids on trains coming from Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The immediate effect of Sunday’s seizure seemed to be a rise in beef and mutton prices in Chintadripet and Periamet. Beef, which became pricier threeweeks ago, was even more expensive became on Sunday afternoon. “The price of beef went up from 150 to 180 a kg three weeks ago,” said Sajan, who runs Kerala Mess in Teynampet.
“Webuy our Sundaystock by 5.30am,” said Areef Amin, who runs a biriyani outlet on Sydenhams Road. “We needed more mutton and beef around noon, and had to pay 190 per kg of beef,” he said.
Dist health officials issue contradictory statements
Ludhiana, June 16
The district health officer and the food safety officer, it seems, are in a confrontation mode. The former claims that the practice of collecting legal samples started after he joined as the district health officer in Ludhiana, but the latter belies his claims.
Talking to the Tribune, district health officer Dr Avinash Kumar said: “Before I joined, the district health department used to collect quality samples of eatables. The collection of legal samples started during my tenure. In May, we collected 16 samples of eatables, out of which three failed the purity test.”
Refuting his claims, food safety officer, Ludhiana, Harpreet Kaur said: “We were collecting legal samples even before the district health officer joined in Ludhiana. We collected five samples of mid-day meal from the central kitchen situated at Sherpur Kalan last year before Dr Avinash Kumar joined in Ludhiana."
However, taking a U-turn, the district health officer later said: “I was not aware that the legal samples were being collected in the district before my joining.”
3 samples fail test
The district helath officer said: “In May, the health team collected 16 legal samples of mid-day meals from different places, including the central kitchen. The samples of raw rice were found substandard. A case will be filed in the court of adjudicating officer-cum additional deputy commissioner (general). The other samples were of cooked rice, which were found unfit for human consumption. The cases will be filed in the court of the chief judicial magistrate.”
What’s the difference?
The district health officer and the food safety officer, it seems, are in a confrontation mode. The former claims that the practice of collecting legal samples started after he joined as the district health officer in Ludhiana, but the latter belies his claims.
Talking to the Tribune, district health officer Dr Avinash Kumar said: “Before I joined, the district health department used to collect quality samples of eatables. The collection of legal samples started during my tenure. In May, we collected 16 samples of eatables, out of which three failed the purity test.”
Refuting his claims, food safety officer, Ludhiana, Harpreet Kaur said: “We were collecting legal samples even before the district health officer joined in Ludhiana. We collected five samples of mid-day meal from the central kitchen situated at Sherpur Kalan last year before Dr Avinash Kumar joined in Ludhiana."
However, taking a U-turn, the district health officer later said: “I was not aware that the legal samples were being collected in the district before my joining.”
3 samples fail test
The district helath officer said: “In May, the health team collected 16 legal samples of mid-day meals from different places, including the central kitchen. The samples of raw rice were found substandard. A case will be filed in the court of adjudicating officer-cum additional deputy commissioner (general). The other samples were of cooked rice, which were found unfit for human consumption. The cases will be filed in the court of the chief judicial magistrate.”
What’s the difference?
Food safety officer Harpreet Kaur said: “In both cases, we send the samples to a laboratory. In case of a legal sample, action is taken through a court under the Food Safety and Standard Act. However, in quality control samples, a violator is issued an improvement notice.”
Case registered against eight cricketers, including Dhoni and Tendulkar, for misleading ad
New Delhi: A case has been registered against eight Indian cricketers and Sahara-Q shop owner Subrata Roy by the Department of Food Safety, Uttarakhand for misleading advertisement.
The eight Indian cricketers who have been booked in the case are Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virendra Sehwag, and Zaheer Khan. Besides them, two Bollywood actors, Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra, have also been named in the case.
According to a report, all of them have been charged for promoting ‘adulterated’ products after samples of mustard oil, jam and gram flour collected from a Sahara Q-shop in Bahadrabad were tested. The report revealed that the products were indeed contaminated.
The eight Indian cricketers who have been booked in the case are Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virendra Sehwag, and Zaheer Khan. Besides them, two Bollywood actors, Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra, have also been named in the case.
According to a report, all of them have been charged for promoting ‘adulterated’ products after samples of mustard oil, jam and gram flour collected from a Sahara Q-shop in Bahadrabad were tested. The report revealed that the products were indeed contaminated.
Jun 14, 2013
Soon: no shops, only pushcarts on Marina
The Corporation plans to restict hawkers on the beach in a bid to clean up the sands.
The Chennai Corporation is planning to relocate all hawkers on Marina Beach and permit only pushcarts instead.
As
per the proposal, the relocation process will restrict all 1,489
hawkers to the sands near the Triumph of Labour Statue and the Gandhi
Statue. The shops will form a pattern perpendicular to Kamarajar Salai.
As
many as 960 pushcarts in six rows will extend to a length of 362 metres
near the Triumph of Labour Statue and 540 pushcarts will be positioned
on the sands near the Gandhi Statue in six rows covering a length of 200
metres.
Each of the pushcarts will be two metres
long and 1.2 metres wide. Five pushcarts will be grouped and positioned
in blocks stretching 10 metres in dimension. Each block will be one
metre away from the other.
The total number of
pushcarts on the Marina will be restricted to 1,500. Hawkers with
identity cards will be allowed to do business during the prescribed
time, with wares in pushcarts only.
The civic body
presented a ‘Scheme for regulation of hawkers on the Marina’ to the
First Bench of the Madras High Court comprising Acting Chief Justice
R.K. Agrawal and Justice M. Sathyanarayanan on Thursday, when a writ
petition by K. Balaji, president of the Gandhiji Consumer Forum, came up
for further hearing.
The petitioner said the
condition of Marina Beach was pathetic. The authorities had allowed
hundreds of small shops and vendors all over the beach and . Because of
the authorities’ failure to enforce the Food Safety and Standards Act,
substandard and unhygienic food was being sold on the beach.
The
civic body admitted that hawkers were scattered over the sands and
garbage was spread all over the Marina. The regulation and relocation of
hawkers was necessary.
Under the scheme, five drop
gates would restrict hawker movement. Security personnel would be posted
to operate the drop gates. The hawkers would be asked to use dustbins.
to prevent garbage accumulation on the sands. The Corporation would levy
a charge for the use of the space occupied by pushcarts. on the sands.
The civic body would also periodically review the arrangement and modify
conditions if necessary. Appropriate action would be taken against
violators.
The petitioner’s counsel sought time to
file his objections and also to suggest an alternative mechanism to
relocate the hawkers. Following this, the Bench posted the matter for
further hearing after a week.
Jun 13, 2013
Laws Governing The Food Industry In India - Revisited
The food processing industry one of the largest industries in
India is widely recognized as a 'sunrise industry' in India
having huge potential for uplifting the agricultural economy,
creation of large scale processed food manufacturing and food chain
facilities, and the resultant generation of employment and export
earnings.
Laws governing the food industry:
The Indian food processing industry is regulated by several laws which govern the aspects of sanitation, licensing and other necessary permits that are required to start up and run a food business. The legislation that dealt with food safety in India was the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 (hereinafter referred to as "PFA"). The PFA had been in place for over five decades and there was a need for change due to varied reasons which include the changing requirements of our food industry.
The act brought into force in place of the PFA is the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (hereinafter referred to as "FSSA") that overrides all other food related laws. It specifically repealed eight laws which were in operation prior to the enforcement of FSSA:
Regulation 2.12 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 defines "proprietary food" as food that has not been standardized under these regulations. Regulation 1 (8) of the Packaging and Labeling Regulations defines "prepackaged" or "pre-packed food", as food, which is placed in a package of any nature, in such a manner that the contents cannot be changed without tampering it and which is ready for sale to the consumer.
The Packaging and Labeling Regulations provide the general requirements for labeling of food products prescribed under the FSSA, as follows:
Since a large variety of food products are being imported into India, under the Packaging and Labeling Regulations, it becomes necessary to mention the country of origin of the food on the label of food imported into India, and when a food undergoes processing in a second country which changes its nature, the country in which the processing is performed shall be considered to be the country of origin for the purposes of labeling.
Therefore, the above are the statutory and regulatory requirements that are to be complied with regard to labeling of products that are sold in the Indian market as "pre-packaged goods".
Section 3 (1) (b) of FSSA defines the term "advertisement" (which includes a "notice") as any audio or visual publicity, representation or pronouncement made by means of any light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes through any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice or other documents.
Section 24 of the FSSA provides that no advertisement shall be made of any food which is misleading or deceiving or contravenes the provisions, rules and regulations made there under. No person shall engage himself in any unfair trade practice for purpose of promoting the sale, supply, use and consumption of articles of food or adopt any unfair or deceptive practice including the practice of making any statement, whether orally or in writing or by visible representation which:
C. Licensing Registration and Health And Sanitary Permits
It is also important to note that FSSA, being the only legislation applicable to the food industry throughout the country, will also apply as far as the national health and sanitary permits are concerned.
The Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as "License and Registration Regulations") govern the aspect of license and registration of a food business operator.
Under Regulation 2.1 of the License and Registration Regulations, all food business operators in the country are required to be registered or licensed in accordance with the License and Registration Regulations, hence no person shall commence any food business unless a valid license is possessed by the food business operator, and the conditions with regard to safety, sanitary and hygienic requirements have to be complied with at all times by them.
One of the prime purposes of these conditions is to ensure that the food business operator maintains sanitary and hygienic standards as specified in each food category. It is hereby recognized and declared as a matter of legislative determination that in the field of human nutrition, safe, clean, wholesome food is indispensable to the health and welfare of the consumer of the country.
It shall be the deemed the responsibility of the food business to comply with the labeling, safety and health and sanitary requirements laid down in the License and Registration Regulations. The labeling requirements are specified under the regulations and they need to be complied with at all times especially with regard to pre-packaged goods.
A license for playing music in restaurants is also required for playing recorded or live music. It is mandatory for a food business to obtain insurance from any insurance company with regard to public policy, product liability, fire policy, building and assets. Other insurances though are not mandatory may be useful if taken.
Some of the other registrations and permissions may include registration under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 if it is engaging more than 20 employees. Registration is also required under the Central Excise Act, 1944 as in respect of goods specified in Third Schedule of the said act, repacking, re-labeling, putting or altering retail sale price etc. will fall into the category of manufacture. Subject to applicability, other statutory and regulatory compliances may also include registrations under Income Tax Act, 1861, Customs Act, 1962, sales tax, service tax and other labour laws.
The PFA dealt with countless Government ministries handling different food sectors as per separate orders, like the fruit products order, and other orders related to vegetable oil products, edible oils packaging, milk and milk products and meat food products, which were issued at different points of time and were sometimes overlapping and inconsistent. On the other hand, a unified act like FSSA enables unidirectional compliance. The administrative control of the FSSA has been assigned to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare thereby establishing a single reference point for all matters and eradicating any possibility of multiplicity of orders or the chance that any coordination problems are caused.
Apart from the harmonization of laws relating to food quality and standards with established international norms, FSSA aims at regulating food hygiene and safety laws in the country in order to systematically and scientifically develop the food industry. Thus, the food processing industry may see FSSA as a mixed blessing but the practical application of this legislation, being at its nascent stage, will require some time to come into full force.
Laws governing the food industry:
The Indian food processing industry is regulated by several laws which govern the aspects of sanitation, licensing and other necessary permits that are required to start up and run a food business. The legislation that dealt with food safety in India was the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 (hereinafter referred to as "PFA"). The PFA had been in place for over five decades and there was a need for change due to varied reasons which include the changing requirements of our food industry.
The act brought into force in place of the PFA is the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (hereinafter referred to as "FSSA") that overrides all other food related laws. It specifically repealed eight laws which were in operation prior to the enforcement of FSSA:
- The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954
- The Fruit Products Order, 1955
- The Meat Food Products Order, 1973
- The Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order, 1947
- The Edible Oils Packaging (Regulation) Order, 1998
- The Solvent Extracted Oil, De oiled Meal, and Edible Flour (Control) Order, 1967
- The Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992
- Essential Commodities Act, 1955 (in relation to food)
Need for the new act:
FSSA initiates harmonization of India's food regulations as per international standards. It establishes a new national regulatory body, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (hereinafter referred to as "FSSAI"), to develop science based standards for food and to regulate and monitor the manufacture, processing, storage, distribution, sale and import of food so as to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. All food imports will therefore be subject to the provisions of the FSSA and rules and regulations which as notified by the Government on 5th of August 2011 will be applicable.Key Regulations of FSSA:
A. Packaging and Labeling:
FSSA provides for separate packaging and labeling regulations known as Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labeling) Regulations, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as the "Packaging and Labeling Regulations") which lay down the statutory and regulatory requirements for packaging and labeling of products. A plain reading of the Packaging and Labeling Regulations, show that there are different kinds of products: Pre-packaged, Proprietary and other specific products as mentioned in the regulations.Regulation 2.12 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 defines "proprietary food" as food that has not been standardized under these regulations. Regulation 1 (8) of the Packaging and Labeling Regulations defines "prepackaged" or "pre-packed food", as food, which is placed in a package of any nature, in such a manner that the contents cannot be changed without tampering it and which is ready for sale to the consumer.
The Packaging and Labeling Regulations provide the general requirements for labeling of food products prescribed under the FSSA, as follows:
- The particulars of declaration required under these Regulations to be specified on the label shall be in English or Hindi in Devnagri script: Provided that nothing herein contained shall prevent the use of any other language in addition to the language required under this regulation.
- Pre-packaged food shall not be described or presented on any label or in any manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character in any respect;
- Label in pre-packaged foods shall be applied in such a manner that they will not become separated from the container;
- Contents on the label shall be clear, prominent, indelible and readily legible by the consumer under normal conditions of purchase and use;
- Where the container is covered by a wrapper, the wrapper shall carry the necessary information or the label on the container shall be readily legible through the outer wrapper and not obscured by it.
Since a large variety of food products are being imported into India, under the Packaging and Labeling Regulations, it becomes necessary to mention the country of origin of the food on the label of food imported into India, and when a food undergoes processing in a second country which changes its nature, the country in which the processing is performed shall be considered to be the country of origin for the purposes of labeling.
Therefore, the above are the statutory and regulatory requirements that are to be complied with regard to labeling of products that are sold in the Indian market as "pre-packaged goods".
B. Signage and Customer Notices:
Having briefly dealt with the statutory and regulatory requirements with respect to labeling of products, it is necessary to understand the statutory and regulatory requirements with respect to signage and customer notices more from the point of view of a food outlet. It is important to note that though the provisions of FSSA do not specifically provide for any statutory and regulatory requirements either for signage or customer notices, but it has certain provisions with regard to advertisement of products by food business operators.Section 3 (1) (b) of FSSA defines the term "advertisement" (which includes a "notice") as any audio or visual publicity, representation or pronouncement made by means of any light, sound, smoke, gas, print, electronic media, internet or website and includes through any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice or other documents.
Section 24 of the FSSA provides that no advertisement shall be made of any food which is misleading or deceiving or contravenes the provisions, rules and regulations made there under. No person shall engage himself in any unfair trade practice for purpose of promoting the sale, supply, use and consumption of articles of food or adopt any unfair or deceptive practice including the practice of making any statement, whether orally or in writing or by visible representation which:
- falsely represents that the foods are of a particular standard, quality, quantity or grade-composition;
- makes a false or misleading representation concerning the need for, or the usefulness;
- gives to the public any guarantee of the efficacy that is not based on an adequate or scientific justification thereof, provided that where a defence is raised to the effect that such guarantee is based on adequate or scientific justification, the burden of proof of such defence shall lie on the person raising such defence.
C. Licensing Registration and Health And Sanitary Permits
It is also important to note that FSSA, being the only legislation applicable to the food industry throughout the country, will also apply as far as the national health and sanitary permits are concerned.
The Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011 (hereinafter referred to as "License and Registration Regulations") govern the aspect of license and registration of a food business operator.
Under Regulation 2.1 of the License and Registration Regulations, all food business operators in the country are required to be registered or licensed in accordance with the License and Registration Regulations, hence no person shall commence any food business unless a valid license is possessed by the food business operator, and the conditions with regard to safety, sanitary and hygienic requirements have to be complied with at all times by them.
One of the prime purposes of these conditions is to ensure that the food business operator maintains sanitary and hygienic standards as specified in each food category. It is hereby recognized and declared as a matter of legislative determination that in the field of human nutrition, safe, clean, wholesome food is indispensable to the health and welfare of the consumer of the country.
It shall be the deemed the responsibility of the food business to comply with the labeling, safety and health and sanitary requirements laid down in the License and Registration Regulations. The labeling requirements are specified under the regulations and they need to be complied with at all times especially with regard to pre-packaged goods.
Penalties:
The FSSA provides for penalties in case of any non compliance. Generally, non-compliance with various provisions of the FSSA may attract penalty of up to Two Lakh Rupees (approx USD 4000). However, under Section 63, it provides that if any person or food business operator (except the persons exempted from licensing under sub-section (2) of Section 31 of FSSA), himself or by any person on his behalf who is required to obtain license, manufacturers, sells, stores or distributes or imports any article of food without license, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months and also with a fine which may extend to Five Lakh Rupees (approx USD 9000).Other Licenses:
The FSSA being a central act has to be complied with by all the food business operators in the country. However, India being a big market, each state may have their local laws which may also need to be complied with. Some of the other approvals and licenses that a food operator may be required to obtain from various authorities under other laws include: health and trade licenses from the municipal corporation of the relevant area, environmental clearance, no-objection certificate for fire prevention and safety, registration under the police act of the respective city/state, verification certificate under the Standards of Weights and Measures Act, 1976 for each of the outlets issued by the Department of Legal Metrology of the respective areas, registration under the shops and establishments act of the respective state, eating house license and liquor license.A license for playing music in restaurants is also required for playing recorded or live music. It is mandatory for a food business to obtain insurance from any insurance company with regard to public policy, product liability, fire policy, building and assets. Other insurances though are not mandatory may be useful if taken.
Some of the other registrations and permissions may include registration under the Employees' Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 if it is engaging more than 20 employees. Registration is also required under the Central Excise Act, 1944 as in respect of goods specified in Third Schedule of the said act, repacking, re-labeling, putting or altering retail sale price etc. will fall into the category of manufacture. Subject to applicability, other statutory and regulatory compliances may also include registrations under Income Tax Act, 1861, Customs Act, 1962, sales tax, service tax and other labour laws.
Foreign Direct Investment in the Food Processing Industry:
Foreign Direct Investment (hereinafter referred to as "FDI") is permissible for all the processed food products under 100% automatic route (except for items reserved for micro, small and medium enterprises, where FDI is permissible under automatic route up to 24%), subject to applicable laws/regulations/securities and other conditions.Conclusion:
The preamble of PFA laid emphasis only on provisions for prevention of food adulteration. FSSA lays emphasis on consolidating the laws related to food and to establish FSSAI for laying down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import, to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption and for matters connected with them. The new objectives clearly go far beyond the objectives of PFA. The strict penalties imposed in FSSA may lead to increase in corruption, as enterprises may resort to unfair practices to avoid these penalties.The PFA dealt with countless Government ministries handling different food sectors as per separate orders, like the fruit products order, and other orders related to vegetable oil products, edible oils packaging, milk and milk products and meat food products, which were issued at different points of time and were sometimes overlapping and inconsistent. On the other hand, a unified act like FSSA enables unidirectional compliance. The administrative control of the FSSA has been assigned to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare thereby establishing a single reference point for all matters and eradicating any possibility of multiplicity of orders or the chance that any coordination problems are caused.
Apart from the harmonization of laws relating to food quality and standards with established international norms, FSSA aims at regulating food hygiene and safety laws in the country in order to systematically and scientifically develop the food industry. Thus, the food processing industry may see FSSA as a mixed blessing but the practical application of this legislation, being at its nascent stage, will require some time to come into full force.
E-cigarette classification as medicines plan angers industry
Health officials want to give electronic products same status as gums, patches and mouthsprays that contain nicotine
Electronic
cigarettes are to be classed as medicines under proposals to tighten up
the regulation of products containing nicotine – but their
manufacturers say they will not co-operate unless forced to do so by EU
law.
Invitations to put their products forward voluntarily to be
classed as medicines by UK authorities provoked fury in the industry,
which may be worth £250m in Britain by next year. The products are used
by an estimated 1.3 million people.
Health chiefs want to put
e-cigarettes on the same legal basis as gums, patches and mouthsprays
designed to help wean smokers off their habit, but the trade association
for the industry, Ecita, claimed this would force alternatives to
tobacco out of the market.
The Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Authority (MHRA) said the government wanted to regulate all
nicotine-containing products - some such as gums, patches and
mouth-sprays already are - because it could not at the moment guarantee
their safety and efficacy. The move will also mean that licensed
e-cigarettes could be prescribed to help smokers cut down or quit.
The
UK is pressing for an EU-wide position in new legislation to be
introduced next year and take force in 2016. It believes countries such
as France, Germany and Denmark are likely to take a similar path.
Meanwhile the MHRA encouraged e-cigaratte companies to apply for a
medicines licence in advance of any law.
Jeremy Mean, responsible
for vigilance and risk management at the MHRA, said the decision that
provides "a framework that will enable good quality products to be
widely available. It's not about banning products that some people find
useful, it's about making sure that smokers have an effective
alternative that they can rely on to meet their needs."
There is
no sign of any part of the UK following France in considering a ban on
using e-cigarettes in public places. The chief medical officer, Dame
Sally Davies, said: "Smokers are harmed by the deadly tar and toxins in
tobacco smoke, not the nicotine."
"While it's best to quit
completely, I realise that not every smoker can and it is much better to
get nicotine from safer sources such as nicotine replacement therapy.
"More
and more people are using e-cigarettes, so it's only right these
products are properly regulated to be safe and work effectively."
The
decision was backed Action on Smoking and Health and Labour, although
its public health spokeswoman Diane Abbott warned that "increasing
regulation on e-cigarettes while kicking standard packaging for
cigarettes into the long grass is a sign the government has caved into
the bullying tactics of Big Tobacco and risks sending out the wrong
message that e-cigarretes pose a greater threat than smoking."
Ecita
said: "Nicotine containing products can only be considered a medicine
when they claim to help users quit smoking. Electronic cigarettes do not
do this: they simply allow users to satisfy their desire for
recreational nicotine – a perfectly legal drug – without the thousands
of harmful chemicals produced by burning tobacco.Courts around Europe
have already ruled that electronic cigarettes marketed without such
claims cannot be reclassified as medicines, because this would lead to
the absurd situation of tobacco cigarettes becoming medicines.
Katherine
Devlin, Ecita's president, said: "What the MHRA proposes – forcing all
e-cigarette users to use licensed products that cannot replicate the
smoking experience in the same way – is bad news for public health. Yet
the MHRA proposes to do exactly that, while toxic tobacco products which
cause far more harm are left on the market."
Damien Scott,
commercial manager of manufacturers SKYCIG, said his company would wait
to see how the law played out in ther EU. "We don't think this is
necessary. We self-regulate, and restriction on products long-term will
make them ineffective."
E-cigarettes to be regulated as medicines
Britain will start regulating electronic cigarettes and other products containing nicotine as medicines, according to the country's top regulator.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated products that turn nicotine into a vapor inhaled by the user.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said in a statement Wednesday it would treat e-cigarettes as medicines, "so that people using these products have the confidence they are safe, are of the right quality and work."
E-cigarettes and other nicotine products will be licensed in the U.K. from 2016, giving manufacturers time to ensure their products comply with all standards for medicines. The U.K. regulator says e-cigarettes aren't recommended for use until then, but it won't ban them entirely.
"While it's best to quit completely, I realize that not every smoker can and it is much better to get nicotine from safer sources such as nicotine replacement therapy," Britain's chief medical officer, Sally Davies, said in a statement. "It's only right (e-cigarettes) are properly regulated to be safe and work effectively."
Cigarettes are exempt from the regulation.
Last week, Britain's independent health watchdog said smokers unable to go cold turkey should be encouraged to use nicotine products like gum and patches to help them cut down. It hadn't recommended e-cigarettes, because they weren't yet regulated. Experts say smokers are at risk from the toxins and tar in cigarettes, not the nicotine.
E-cigarettes are battery-operated products that turn nicotine into a vapor inhaled by the user.
The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency said in a statement Wednesday it would treat e-cigarettes as medicines, "so that people using these products have the confidence they are safe, are of the right quality and work."
E-cigarettes and other nicotine products will be licensed in the U.K. from 2016, giving manufacturers time to ensure their products comply with all standards for medicines. The U.K. regulator says e-cigarettes aren't recommended for use until then, but it won't ban them entirely.
"While it's best to quit completely, I realize that not every smoker can and it is much better to get nicotine from safer sources such as nicotine replacement therapy," Britain's chief medical officer, Sally Davies, said in a statement. "It's only right (e-cigarettes) are properly regulated to be safe and work effectively."
Cigarettes are exempt from the regulation.
Last week, Britain's independent health watchdog said smokers unable to go cold turkey should be encouraged to use nicotine products like gum and patches to help them cut down. It hadn't recommended e-cigarettes, because they weren't yet regulated. Experts say smokers are at risk from the toxins and tar in cigarettes, not the nicotine.
Smoking is the biggest cause of preventable deaths in England, killing about 80,000 people every year. Once e-cigarettes and other nicotine products are licensed by the U.K. regulator, they will be available for sale as over-the-counter medicines. Britain said it will now push for European law to recognize nicotine products as medicines.
Some manufacturers said they were concerned about the new classification. Damien Scott, commercial manager of e-cigarette maker SKYCIG, said the products have been self-regulated to ensure they meet consumer standards.
"Medical regulation, which could restrict access to these lifestyle products, is entirely unjustified," he said.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration announced in 2011 that it would regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products and won't try to regulate them under stricter rules for medical drug-delivery devices following a legal battle.
The FDA, however, plans to assert regulatory authority over the fast-growing category in the near future.
E-cigarettes could also still be regulated as drugs or drug-delivery devices, if they are "marketed for therapeutic purposes" - for example, as a stop-smoking aid.
"Medical regulation, which could restrict access to these lifestyle products, is entirely unjustified," he said.
In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration announced in 2011 that it would regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products and won't try to regulate them under stricter rules for medical drug-delivery devices following a legal battle.
The FDA, however, plans to assert regulatory authority over the fast-growing category in the near future.
E-cigarettes could also still be regulated as drugs or drug-delivery devices, if they are "marketed for therapeutic purposes" - for example, as a stop-smoking aid.
22,000 quintals of wheat declared unfit for human consumption
Deoli: Even as the UPA pushes for its ambitious food security
legislation, there has been little improvement when it comes to storage
infrastructure for food grains. CNN-IBN on its visit to Deoli in Haryana
for the third consecutive year has found out that 22,000 quintals of
wheat, which was brought for storage in Deoli, has been decaying in
sacks and has now been declared unfit for human consumption.
In
2011, CNN-IBN showed that the wheat stored in Deoli was on the verge of
decay. In 2012, when CNN-IBN revisited the village, it found out that
the rot had gone worse. And now in 2013, the wheat stored in Deoli has
been declared unfit for human consumption. At a time when India, where
42 per cent of children under the age of five are malnourished, is
awaiting an ambitious food security law, who is responsible for this
waste?
Once procured for distribution at ration shops, 22,000
quintals of the rotting wheat will not be auctioned as cattle feed, for
industrial use and manure. The previous food inspector at Deoli was
suspended following CNN-IBN's report but that did not save the wheat and
the new inspector is already playing the blamegame.
"Food
inspector is responsible for the safety and preservation of food grain. I
got this wheat in this very condition. The central government is
responsible for this. How can they afford to keep grain in the open for
so long? You can't keep wheat safe at home for this long, how can you
expect wheat to be fine in the open," said Food inspector, Palwal,
Prahlad Singh Tewatia.
Meanwhile, at a nearby village Bhagola,
labourers are trying to sift good wheat from the rot. "We don't about
the quality of the wheat. We are only filling up the sacks and packing
them up," the labourers told CNN-IBN.
Even as the wheat is
rotting in Bhagola, the government is trying to palm it off to the poor
through the Public Distribution Scheme. The District Food Supply
Controller, however, tries to play it down.
"This wheat is clean,
it will go to the PDS. Some of it is damaged, we are separating the
spoilt wheat from the one that's fine," GPS Sikri District Food Supply
Controller Faridabad and Palwal said.
2.1 lakh metric tonne of
new wheat has been procured in Palwal in 2013. There is also one lakh
metric tonne of wheat from the last year. With covered storage available
for only 1.3 lakh metric tonne wheat in Palwal, it is clear that most
of the fresh food grain will rot yet again.
Monitoring committee set up to enforce ban on gutka
Gearing up to implement the State government’s ban on
gutka, pan masala, and tobacco, the district administration has
constituted a separate monitoring committee here.
Headed
by Collector T. Munusamy, the committee would include the
Superintendent of Police, District Revenue Officer, District Social
Welfare Officer, Chief Education Officer, Deputy Director (Health),
Excise Officer, and the Regional Transport Officer.
The
committee is empowered to conduct surprise raids and checks and curb
movement of gutka from other districts at district checkpoints.
Convening
a consultative meeting here at the collectorate recently, Collector T.
Munusamy said that vigilance had to be in place to monitor sales,
hoarding or illegal movement of consumables containing ghutka, pan, and
tobacco, in any form.
The committee shall have such
consumables seized and destroyed and bring to book the violators under
the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Addressing
the consultations, Mr. Munusamy said the World Health Organisation’s
statistics placed the number of tobacco-related deaths at 2.5 million to
3 million annually.
In India, 53.5 percent of the
population used gutka and tobacco. This included 66.2 per cent men and
40 per cent women. Over 10 lakh people die of tobacco-induced cancer in
the country, Mr. Munusamy said.
In a bid to create
awareness among the youth, special focus would be on schools and
colleges by way of awareness rallies on the ills of tobacco. The ban has
been in implementation in the State since May 23, this year.
Asiya Mariam, District Revenue Officer; and V. Manikandan, Revenue Divisional Officer; were present.
Health department to crack down on gutka sale
HUBLI: The district administration will crack down on gutka manufacturers, dealers and sellers. Companies found manufacturing gutka will be penalized up to Rs 10 lakh while shops selling the product will have to forgo their licence and face legal consequences.
The administration has formed special teams consisting of health safety officers and health department officers to curb the sale of gutka in the district after the state has banned its sale. Special teams have been conducting raids and seizing gutka since a week. But now the teams will act tough penalizing violators.
The ban was a crucial step forward, but the challenge lay in its implementation. According to sources, after banning gutka products on June 1, initially, the government had not issued guidelines on how to implement the ban. But the district administration has received a clear set of guidelines on June 7 from the state government on how to deal with people who defy the ban. Based on this, the district administration chalked out a stringent action plan to act tough against gutka sellers and manufacturers, said sources.
Dr S G Babruwad, designated officer for Food Safety and Standards Authorities of India (FSSAI), said that they had initiated action against the manufacturers and sellers of the banned gutka products. We have seized more than 300 gutka sachets in the district in the past one week after conducting raids on paan-beeda shops. Shopkeepers have been warned by the team against selling the products again. We have given instruction to our teams to check each and every shop in the urban areas of Hubli-Dharwad and in all the taluks in the district,'' he added.
The state government has issued clear directions that the seized products should not be disposed unethically. Some districts are said to have burned gutka sachets in open places. As gutka consists tobacco and nicotine, it that cannot be disposed in open place. The authorities have been told to follow the bio-metric waste disposal method to dispose the seized products.
Safety Act
Authorities will initiate action under section 57, 58 and 59 of Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006. Under this act, authorities can seize, or cancel the licence and registration of the shop or manufacturing companies.
The administration has formed special teams consisting of health safety officers and health department officers to curb the sale of gutka in the district after the state has banned its sale. Special teams have been conducting raids and seizing gutka since a week. But now the teams will act tough penalizing violators.
The ban was a crucial step forward, but the challenge lay in its implementation. According to sources, after banning gutka products on June 1, initially, the government had not issued guidelines on how to implement the ban. But the district administration has received a clear set of guidelines on June 7 from the state government on how to deal with people who defy the ban. Based on this, the district administration chalked out a stringent action plan to act tough against gutka sellers and manufacturers, said sources.
Dr S G Babruwad, designated officer for Food Safety and Standards Authorities of India (FSSAI), said that they had initiated action against the manufacturers and sellers of the banned gutka products. We have seized more than 300 gutka sachets in the district in the past one week after conducting raids on paan-beeda shops. Shopkeepers have been warned by the team against selling the products again. We have given instruction to our teams to check each and every shop in the urban areas of Hubli-Dharwad and in all the taluks in the district,'' he added.
The state government has issued clear directions that the seized products should not be disposed unethically. Some districts are said to have burned gutka sachets in open places. As gutka consists tobacco and nicotine, it that cannot be disposed in open place. The authorities have been told to follow the bio-metric waste disposal method to dispose the seized products.
Safety Act
Authorities will initiate action under section 57, 58 and 59 of Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006. Under this act, authorities can seize, or cancel the licence and registration of the shop or manufacturing companies.
பிராட்வே பேருந்து நிலையத்தில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான் மசாலா, குட்கா புகையிலை பொருட்கள் விற்பனையும் படுஜோர்
சென்னை,
பிராட்வே பேருந்து நிலையத்தை நடைபாதை வியாபாரிகள் ஆக்கிரமித்து கடைகளை அமைத்துள்ளனர். இதனால் பயணிகள் அவதியடைந்து வருகின்றனர்.
தடை விதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள பான் மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற புகையிலை பொருட்கள் விற்பனையும் பேருந்துநிலையத்தில் நடந்து வருகிறது.
புகையிலை பொருட்கள் விற்பனை
தமிழகத்தில் பான் மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற புகையிலை பொருட்களை விற்கக்கூடாது
என்று தமிழக அரசு உத்தரவிட்டுள்ளது. எனினும் பான் மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற
புகையிலை பொருட்கள் விற்பனை பிராட்வே பேருந்து நிலையத்தின் உள்ளேயும்,
வெளியேயும் நடந்து வருகிறது. பேருந்து நிலையத்தின் சாலைகளில் ஒரு சில
பகுதிகள் குண்டும், குழியுமாக உள்ளது. இது பேருந்து ஓட்டுனர்களுக்கு
மிகுந்த சிரமத்தை ஏற்படுத்தி உள்ளது
Food supplements promising rapid body growth fail test
Health authorities to launch legal action against Sangrur shopkeepers
Sangrur, June 12
A large number of powdered food supplements, promising rapid body growth, are being sold in every part of the state. The district health authorities recently collected six samples of such products procured from shops situated at Sunam, Dhuri and Dirba in the district.
A large number of powdered food supplements, promising rapid body growth, are being sold in every part of the state. The district health authorities recently collected six samples of such products procured from shops situated at Sunam, Dhuri and Dirba in the district.
However, all the six samples
failed to meet norms of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) during
a laboratory test, conducted by Food Analyst, Punjab.
The
laboratory has labelled these products as misleading (packaging of the
product contains misleading statements) or substandard or both.
The health authorities maintain that the results of these six samples fall in the category of "failed" samples as per the FSSA.
They
will now launch proceedings in the court of Additional Deputy
Commissioner-cum-Adjudicating Officer, Sangrur, especially designated
under the FSSA. The sellers may be fined up to Rs 10 lakh, if it is
proved that the product information is misleading and Rs 5 lakh, if the
product is found substandard.
Dr
Surinder Singla, District Health Officer, Food Safety, said the
quantity of the total stock of body growth products being sold in the
district could not be ascertained. He said it was also possible that the
products whose samples were collected were fake.
Dr
Singla said it had come to their notice that so-called fitness experts
and gym trainers had been prescribing such products to youths for rapid
body growth.
Dr HS Bali,
state nodal officer, Food Safety, said a majority of the samples of body
growth food supplements were collected from Sangrur district. He said
instructions were being issued to all the district health officers to
collect a maximum number of samples of such products from their
respective areas.
Meanwhile,
Sangrur Civil Surgeon Dr Subodh Gupta said during past five months, a
total of 139 food samples had been collected in the district, of which
23 samples had failed the test while the results of 15 others were
awaited.
health hazard
* The Sangrur authorities collected six samples of body grow supplements from shops in Sunam, Dhuri and Dirba towns
* All the samples failed to meet norms of the Food Safety and Standards Act during a test, conducted by Food Analyst
* The laboratory has labelled these products as misleading (packaging of the product contains misleading statements) or substandard or both
* The sellers may be fined up to Rs 10 lakh, if it is proved that the product information is misleading and Rs 5 lakh, if the product is found substandard
* The Sangrur authorities collected six samples of body grow supplements from shops in Sunam, Dhuri and Dirba towns
* All the samples failed to meet norms of the Food Safety and Standards Act during a test, conducted by Food Analyst
* The laboratory has labelled these products as misleading (packaging of the product contains misleading statements) or substandard or both
* The sellers may be fined up to Rs 10 lakh, if it is proved that the product information is misleading and Rs 5 lakh, if the product is found substandard
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