Mid-day horror grips India

As panic spread and more cases related to mid-day meal sickness poured in from across the country, children in various places of Bihar on Thursday refused to eat mid-day meal.

Reports said that in several districts, including Chhapra, Patna and Nawada, there were no takers for the free meal served as inducement to bring poor children to schools.

The mid-day tragedy which claimed 23 lives in Bihar does not seem to be a one-off incident. As the Bihar case fuelled food safety concerns, more cases of children falling ill after consuming free food or contaminated water have come to light from Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Maharasthra and Bihar.

In a separate incident, two women who ate the food cooked by them for a mid-day meal programme for students of a Government school in Bihar’s Madhepura district fainted, District Magistrate Upendra Kumar said. None of the students consumed the food as a foul smell emanated, he said. At least 50 children had fallen sick after eating food served to them in a Madhubani school on Wednesday.

Eight students, including seven girls, of a Delhi Government-run school in North-West Delhi fell ill after allegedly being given folic acid and iron supplements under a newly launched Government scheme.

In Odisha, at least 12 students — aged between 7 and 15 years — fell sick after taking food at a government-aided hostel for poor students in Nilagiri area in Balasore district, officials said. Several inmates of Bapuji Seva Sadan hostel at Mitrapur complained of nausea, vomiting and stomach pain after having dinner on the night of July 16, they said quoting a delayed report. The affected students were admitted to two hospitals and are stable.

As the quality of mid-day meal comes under scanner and TV channel highlights presence of insects and worms in the food, in a Government school located on outskirts of Patna, children brought food from home and refused to eat the mid-day meal served at their school. Students said that their parents have strictly asked them not to eat mid-day meal and instead packed tiffin boxes for them.

Similarly, students of a Government school in Nawada district also refused to eat mid-day meal as they are totally scared of the Saran incident. Reports of children either refusing to eat mid-day meal or their reluctance to consume mid-day meal have been received from other parts of the State too.

Meanwhile, Bihar Social Welfare Minister Praveen Amanullah was attacked on Thursday by an irate mob, agitated over the mid-day meal tragedy in Saran district. The mob held up for some time and pelted stones on car, breaking glasses of the vehicle in the process.

She was on her way to Muzaffarpur from Patna when protesters held her for some time. Agitators had blockaded the National Highway 77 near Rai Birendra College, about five km from Hajipur town in protest against the mid-day meal tragedy. Later, the police personnel escorted her to safety but the Minister was forced to cancer her programme in Muzaffarpur and returned to Patna after the incident.

Tea Board’s compulsory quality testing brings headache for exporters

Tea exporters are facing a huge challenge, with the new mandatory check mechanism of the Tea Board causing them undue hardship. Exporters allege they are missing out on contracts and losing money as test reports are routinely delayed. India is a major exporter of tea, with shipments of 150-200 million kg annually. The quality of tea exported from the nation has always been under the scanner and, in 2011, 200 containers of tea sent to Iraq were rejected with test reports showing they were was unfit for human consumption.
The Tea Board has put in place a new system from June — mandatory testing of tea meant for export to ensure that only good quality tea complying with the standards set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India enters the global market. The board has established two councils, which will track exports and imports and ensure that quality norms are enforced.
Exporters have to inform the board through the online mechanism of their export orders and the board will take samples for testing. “Delays in getting results from council laboratories is a major issue. Stocking the tea consignments in warehouses for a long period is costly and risky as tea prices change frequently,” Ajith MK, member of Cochin Tea Buyers Association and a buying agent told FE.
“Tea exporters are in big trouble due to the uncertainty involved in the mechanism. The software often fails and delays in getting test results put the exporters under pressure,” a tea exporter from the Nilgiris said.
Tea Board executive director R Ambalavanan said that these are initial teething problems, which would be addressed soon. “The glitches in the software have been corrected and we will soon solve other issues. We are planning new laboratories so that delays in getting test results can be avoided,” he added.
The board has exempted tea bags, herbal tea, tea sticks and flavoured tea from mandatory testing. The parliamentary committee on tea reports that India is perceived as a poor quality tea supplier and is fast losing prominence in global trade. The export share of Indian tea has declined significantly over the years, from 48% in 1950 to 12% in 2011. India is now fourth after Sri Lanka, Kenya and China, with a share of around 10- 12 %.

Three fined for selling misbranded food items

Three Udhampur shopkeepers, booked for selling misbranded food items, were slapped a fine of Rs. 15,000 each here on Friday.
Additional deputy commissioner Surat Singh, also adjudicating officer, imposed the fine on the three defaulters under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.
The erring shopkeepers were Shakti Kumar of Basantgarh, Vishaw Kishore and Rakesh Gupta of Udhampur.
The three were found selling misbranded food items on prosecution launched by Zulafkar Ali, food safety officer, Udhampur, and Sanjeev Kumar, food safety officer, Ramnagar block. The trio confessed to the commission of the offence under Section 52 (1) of the Act and was warned to desist from indulging in such activities in future.
Meanwhile, the adjudicating officer directed the food safety officer and the designated officer under the Act to launch public awareness programmes by organising camps throughout the district.

FDA starts drive to check centres

Will also verify whether SHGs and anganwadis have licences to prepare food

PUNE: With the death of 23 school students in the mid-day meal scheme tragedy in Bihar, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pune is taking no chances.
It has started a drive from Wednesday to examine the centres where the Self Help Groups (SHGs) and anganwadis prepare mid-day meals for students in schools. The food inspectors are spearheading the special drive.
The FDA shall also check whether the SHGs and anganwadis have licence or if they are registered with the FDA which is mandatory under the Food Safety and Standard Act (FSS Act), 2006.
As per the FSS Act all establishments dealing with food and having an annual turnover above Rs 12 lakh will have to procure a licence from FDA and those having an annual income up to Rs 12 lakh have to register with the FDA. At present, only 18 SHGs possess FDA licences and 103 have registered with the FDA.
However, as per the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), there are 170 SHGs providing mid-day meals in 275 PMC schools.
However, records with the FDA suggest that 18 SHGs have procured the licence from the department and 103 SHGs are registered with the FDA.
The FDA joint commissioner (food) SR Kekare said his department regularly conducts inspections.
SAFE FOOD
Under the schedule 4 of FSS Act, general hygiene and sanitary practices have to be followed by petty food business operators including water supply, waste disposal, personal hygiene etc. According to the act, preparing and supplying safe food is responsibility of everyone involved right from supplier, contractor, employees, internal and external stakeholders and consumers.

Household mess, canteens must get licences or be registered

PUNE: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Pune has ruled that all household mess and canteens will have to either get licences or get registered within the next six months.
With the mushrooming of such household mess and canteens all over the city, the FDA has identified a potential risk in the 'safe food business' and initiated a campaign of 'zero pendency of licence and registration'.
Speaking to Sakal Times FDA Assistant Commissioner Shivaji Desai said on Thursday, “The rules under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 were formulated in 2011. Under this Act, the Food Authority of India wants all petty food business operators in the country to either register or be licence holders by February 4, 2014.”
He admitted that a large number of food establishments are operating without licences and registration in Pune and appealed to the owners of such establishments to get either facility done.
“Besides large and medium scale food operations, a large number of householda are in the business of providing tiffins, and many of them are unregistered. FDA Pune has initiated a campaign, wherein all the food security officers are directed to conduct an awareness drive among these food business operators in their jurisdiction,” Desai added.
During this drive, besides creating awareness the kitchen infrastructure,etc will be checked.
FDA MAKES THE RULES
- FDA has ruled that all household mess and canteens will have to either get licences or get registered within the next six months
- FDA has identified potential risk in 'safe food business' and initiated a campaign of 'zero pendency of licence and registration'.

SC seeks response from 5 states on sale of adulterated milk by July 31

The Supreme Court, on July 2, 2013, expressed concern over the sale of adulterated milk all over the country and sought response from Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi by July 31in this regard.
This was in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Swami Achyutanand Tirth on behalf of the Swami Bhumanand Dharmarth Chikitsalya and Research Institute in Haridwar.
The SC has also sought response from the apex food body, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), about milk adulteration and production of synthetic milk.
Speaking to FnB News, Swami Tirth informed, “The petition which was filed by me was a follow up to the milk adulteration study released by FSSAI in January 2012. During the survey FSSAI found nearly 70 per cent of the milk samples adulterated, the samples did not conform to the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006.”
He added, “The synthetic and adulterated milk and milk products are prepared using urea, detergent, refined oil, caustic soda and white paint which accordign to studies are very dangerous for health and can cause serious diseases like cancer. The survey by FSSAI says that most of the samples of milk collected did not comply with standards. Fortysix per cent belonged to the category of low Solid Not Fat (SNF) and this was due to dilution of the milk with water.”
“If the people are paying the money for milk they should get genuine milk. People are being cheated with adulterated milk. In my petition, I have also sought framing of a comprehensive policy on the production, supply and sale of healthy, hygienic and natural milk,” stated Tirth.
Hearing the PIL, a bench of justices K S Radhakrishnan and Pinaki Chandra Ghose queried, “ Milk adulteration is a very serious issue and it is happening all over the country. What action the government is taking to curb the increasing incidence of milk adulteration?
The bench hearing the PIL directed the government of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi to file their response stating what action they are taking to put an end to the menace of milk adulteration, after the center submitted that it is for the state governments to take action on the issue.
The ambit of the PIL would later on expand to include all the states in the country on the issue, informed the court. The bench also posted the matter for hearing on July 31 and made it clear that no further time would be given to the states to file their submissions.
The court observed that milk adulteration cases were increasing because of gaps in demand and supply of milk. Mean while, Tirth said, “The SC has given time limit till July 31 to all the states. Some states have replied to the notice and five states – Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi are yet to reply. We will be taking further action after the hearing on July 31.”

விளாத்திகுளத்தில் ரூ.2 லட்சம் புகையிலை பாக்கெட்டுகள் பறிமுதல்

DINAMALAR NEWS

Food business operator licensing goes online

Innovation:Registration and licensing for food business operators can now be done online.

For the convenience of food business operators (FBO), obtaining registration and licence certificate from the Food Safety Department has been made easy with an online process of submitting applications being initiated in the district.

T. Anuradha, Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department said that as per The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2011, it is mandatory that the FBOs register themselves with the department.

They have been submitting applications manually till now.

The new system enables the operators to log onto websitewww.fssai.gov.inand enter the particulars for obtaining the food safety licence.

The FBO’s have to apply for registration certificate if the annual turnover is below Rs. 12 lakh and obtain licence if the turnover is Rs. 12 lakh.

She said that applications received online will be forwarded to the Food Safety Officers who in turn will carry out inspections and issue certificates.

The new process would help in speeding up the process and issue licences at the earliest, she added.

“All the 14,000 registrations made already would be updated in the system,” she added.

Food business operators had already been informed that new registration numbers would be issued to them instead of the already-issued number during the manual process.

Food safety officers will carry out inspections and issue certificates

Tobacco products seized from locked house

Food Safety Officers on Thursday seized a large quantity of gutkha and tobacco products, worth about Rs.2 lakh, from a locked house at Vilathikulam on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, a team led by M.Jagadis Chandrabose, District Designated Officer, Food Safety Standards Act, seized the banned products in sachets, packed in 20 gunny bags and 10 cartons.

A team comprising Food Safety Officers, police personnel and local body authorities later destroyed them.

Dr.Chandrabose said the district administration had formed a monitoring committee to check violations.

Shops selling gutkha and other tobacco products had been instructed to remove the products. They were given time till June 22 to return the unsold products to the wholesale dealers.

The banned products were packed in 20 gunny bags and 10 cartons

Maha govt extends ban on gutkha, pan masala by another year

Mumbai, July 18: Maharashtra government today extended the ban on gutkha and pan masala across the state by another year. It was in July last year that the state government had issued a notification banning the sale and consumption of gutkha and pan masala in the state. That ban was to be in force till tomorrow. Minister of state for Home Satej Patil today informed the Legislative Assembly that the ban was being extended for another 12 months. The minister later informed reporters at Vidhan Bhawan that gutkha was one of the major reasons for oral diseases, including cancer. 

The state had attempted to ban gutkha in 2002 and then in 2008, but had encountered several legal hurdles. Ultimately, it was the Food Safety and Standards Act, which facilitated the ban last year. Karnataka last month became the 26th state to ban the sale, manufacture, storage and distribution of gutkha and pan masala. A ban on the above products is also in place in five Union Territories. 

The Act prohibits the sale of items containing nicotine and gutkha as ingredients. The manufacture, storage, sale or distribution of gutkha and pan masala containing tobacco or nicotine as an ingredient, by whatsoever name it is available in the market, is prohibited in the state in the interest of public health, the minister said.

Greenpeace demands safe food in mid-day meal after Dharmasati Primary School poisoning

New Delhi, July 18 (IBNS): Greenpeace expressed deep shock and grief to the tragic incident of food poisoning at Dharmasati Primary School of Chhapra District in Bihar, in which 23 children lost their lives and offered condolences to the bereaved families.

"The news of children dying of food poisoning after eating mid-day meal is tragic. Our immediate thoughts are with the families and the people of Bihar," said Ishteyaque Ahmad, Greenpeace India's  Sustainable Agriculture campaigner, based in Bihar

"Although the reasons behind the incident remain still unknown, media reports point to contamination of a toxic chemical or pesticide in the food that was served to children as mid-day meal. This clearly points out how these dangerous agro-chemicals are handled in rural areas of India. These chemicals are often used carelessly without proper protective measures. Not only are the pesticides misused, even their empty bottles are used to store edible oils and drinking water," Greenpeace said in a statement.
"It is becoming more and more evident that regulatory and extension systems with respect to agro-chemical usage in India is in shambles and there is no proper mechanism to monitor the situation," it added
"Pesticides, often promoted as "dava" (medicine) for agriculture are poisons and whether directly used in agriculture, or come in contact with food  are extremely dangerous to health and can even prove to be fatal. Pesticides are known to have chronic adverse impacts on human health, the environment and soil and biodiversity," said Shivani Shah, Campaigner - Food Safety, Greenpeace India.
"State governments should straight away ban the use of these poisonous chemicals and invest in ecological (organic) agriculture models which does not rely on chemical pesticides and can produce enough healthy food for all today and tomorrow," added Shah.
The mid-day meal scheme, which is the world's largest school feeding programme, has the potential to fight malnutrition in the country if handled with proper care.
Greenpeace demanded that, the Government should ensure mid-day meals to be not only hygienic but also organically grown and safe.

Improve standards of hygiene, food quality: JMC

JAMMU: To generate awareness about new Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules and Regulations 2011, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) organised an awareness camp for eateries at Gandhi Nagar, Dushera Ground on Thursday.
Dr. Vinod Sharma, Health Officer, told shopkeepers about the hygienic conditions they have to maintain in their premises. The eating point owners are directed to get their licences from the Office of the Health Officer, JMC, Jammu.
The Food Safety Officer advised the owners of various eateries to wear mask, apron, cap, gloves and use only potable filter water, covered dustbins and running water for cleaning of utensils.
The JMC team also visited the market and checked the eating points and the customers also made aware that before eating or buying anything from the eatable points they are requested to check everything in advance.

How to report substandard or adulterated food?

When you fell that you have purchased a food which is sub-standard or adulterated (in India), you have the option of getting a sample of the food item analyzed by a food analyst appointed by the government. This is a right provided under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Here are the steps one needs to follow when you wish to get a food sample tested.

• Give a notice to the seller that you are proceeding with the process of analyzing the food purchased at his store or shop. The format is form V B.
• Divide a sample of the food into two parts. Forward one part to the food analyst and other part to the Designated Officer which can be used in case the food business operator appeals against the findings of the food analyst.
• Pay the prescribed fees for analysis
• The food analyst will send the analysis report to the purchaser within 14 days.
• If the analyst finds that the food contains adulterated substance or contaminated or is misbranded, then he/she will send the analysis report to the Designated Officer of the area concerned besides the purchaser.

If you find a food item you purchased or is sold by a food business operator is violating Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 or the rules/regulations framed thereunder, you can make a complain to The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Common problems are

• Sale of expired products
• No nutritional information in packed product
• No Use By or Best before date, etc
• Ingredients not specified

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India currently operates a reward scheme (as on July 2013) by which any intelligence on improper food item, if verified, will be rewarded with Rs 500. The format for reporting can be downloaded from the following link: http://www.fssai.gov.in/Portals/0/Pdf/Reward_Scheme%2810-07-2012%29.pdf

It is claimed that the identity of the whistle blower will be kept secret.

‘Check quality of mid-day meals’

Commissioner of Food Safety Biju Prabhakar has directed all district food safety officers to check the quality of mid-day meals given to children at anganwadis and schools. The directive followed the incident in Bihar where many children died after eating meals provided at schools. On Wednesday, food safety officials visited 50 schools and 56 anganwadis in rural areas. To report complaints regarding the quality of food at schools and anganwadis, call toll-free number 1800-425-1125.

Notice issued to umbrella body of SHGs

PUNE: Alarmed by the mid-day meal deaths of school students in Bihar, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has issued notice Savitri Bachat Gat Mahasangh, the umbrella organisation of 170 self help groups (SHGs) that supplies mid-day meals to students of civic schools.
The notice has been issued to the Mahasangh to ensure that all these 170 SHGs have the mandatory nod from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to operate the kitchens to prepare the mid-day meals. "We have sent a notice to Mahasangh to get all SHGs registered with FDA immediately. Those who don't comply with the rules will be shut down by the civic body," said Shivaji Daundkar, the Education Officer of PMC.
Daundkar admitted that the kitchens run by majority of SHGs supplying food to PMC school students do have FDA's approval. Under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, all establishments dealing with food and having a turnover up to Rs 12 lakh have to be registered with FDA and those having a turnover of over Rs 12 lakh have to procure a licence from FDA.
Civic officials added that the flying squads of the civic body monitor the kitchens of these SHGs at regular intervals. The mid-day meal scheme in around 275 PMC schools has 72,000 beneficiaries. In last three years, there have been two major food poisoning incidents in the district, one involving a PMC school and another a municipal school at Alandi.

Tobacco items worth Rs 1.72 cr burnt

Imphal, July 17 2013: Huge quantity of banned tobacco products worth Rs 1.72 crores seized from 10 individuals in May by the Assam Rifles were consigned to the flames at a Chandel district area on July 15 .

According to Food Safety Officer (FSO), Chandel Elvison Thouman the impounded tobacco products comprising of Zarda and Golden Khaini were consigned to flames at a river bank near Japhou bazar in Chandel district on July 15 .
The banned items were reportedly seized by troops of 20 Assam Rifles led by Assistant Commandant Nihal Singh on May 28 at Larong village area and handed over to a team of Food Safety Office, Chandel the next day.
The tobacco items were impounded while being transported to Moreh from Churachandpur in two Tata Sumos (MN01/W4861 & MN01/W4461) and two Shaktiman trucks (MN04/A7899 & MN04/A4006) by 10 individuals, detailed the FSO.
In all 6769 packets of Zarda, each pack containing 10 pieces and 1458 packets of Golden Khaini each made of 30 pieces were seized from the individuals.



Tobacco items before burning
Those detained in connection with case have been identified as Lalam (40) w/o Khakai of Moreh W/N 7, Hitin Haokip (36) w/o Soson of Moreh W/N 7, Rengneilen Aimol (24) s/o (L) Sumtinson of Khudengthabi, Wangton (27) s/o (L) Obson of Lamkang Khunou, Kismahom (47) s/o (L) aber of Kakching Makha Leikai, Thanggin (25) s/o (L) Jamkhohem of Shokam village in Sugnu, Amang Haokip (24) s/o (L) A Jang of Bongyang village, SS Bengam (28) s/o SS Betoi of Kongpi village near Pallel, J Wangring (28) s/o Khaithoi of Khunkha village near Pallel and Holmang Baite (40) s/o (L) Chungkholun of Makhao Mollum village in Churachandpur district.
Informing that the 10 persons have been detained for violation of a Government prohibitory order under Section 58 of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, Elvison said due legal process is underway for further punitive action against the individuals.
It is said that representatives of village authorities, NGOs and district police were present at the time of destroying the seized tobacco products.
Elvison also informed that the consignment brought from Churachandpur district were being taken to Myanmar after skipping Pallel police outpost but were seized by the AR troops at Larong village near Moreh.

Milma’s affidavit throws open a debate

Of contents and standard of milk sold in the State

Milma’s affidavit in the Kerala High Court that its milk sachets contain reconstituted skimmed milk powder seems to have raised many an eyebrow.
Jino G. Maliyakal, State secretary, Kerala Aggressive Dairy Farmers Association, wants the government to come out with a definition of milk in this context.
‘‘This is a serious issue affecting future generations. Whether the milk supplied by dairy farmers to Milma (Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd) and other agencies comes under the definition of milk is another question. The government has to take into consideration all types of milk, including milk sachets of Milma and other agencies as well as the milk supplied by farmers. Also, whether there is mix of cow, buffalo, and goat milk in the milk that consumers get is a natural question,’’ he says.
Another question, according to him, is that the State’s milk production is 22 lakh litres a day (marketed by Milma and other agencies). But the maximum demand is 60 lakh litres a day (during festival seasons such as Onam). So what kind of milk is brought in to meet the demand gap, he asks.
SNF, fat contents
According to Mr. Maliyakal, Milma’s affidavit says that the milk from crossbred cows in the State contains a lower SNF (solid non-fat) content and that if skimmed milk powder is not added, toned and double-toned milk within the standards prescribed in the Food Safety Standard Regulations could not be produced in Kerala.
‘‘It is true that the milk of cows in Kerala will not have a regular percentage of SNF and fat. The SNF and fat contents of milk supplied by farmers to Milma are tested in its laboratories. Milma will not naturally reveal the real fat and SNF contents as it will have to pay more price for more fat content. Then how is such content being really analysed in the State,’’ he asks. Dairy farmers, on the other hand, are finding the going very tough. The Planning Commission itself has listed dairy farming as an allied sector of agriculture. So the dairy farmer gets loan only at 12 per cent, compared to 4 per cent for agriculture, Mr. Maliyakal said.
Mechanisation
He points out that the solution of mechanisation being touted for labour shortage cannot be viable for small dairy farmers.
A huge investment will not be possible for such farmers.
G. Krishnakumar, who has around 15 cows, says he had installed large machines which could milk four cows at a time, but the electricity charges are too high.
Mr. Maliyakal points out the cluster approach as a solution to the dairy farmer’s woes. In this approach, cow or other animal rearing is considered as milk production unit, cow urine and cow dung and its various uses come under another unit, production of grass another unit, and selling of milk and milk products yet another unit. All these units will be independent but function as a single cluster, he says.

DINAMALAR NEWS

TNFS DEPT. - VILLUPURAM DIST.

Midday meal providers must show licence to cook

PUNE: The unfolding midday meal tragedy in Bihar has stirred the civic body into action. Self-help groups that provide midday meals to schools in Pune municipal limits have been asked to show their Food and Drug Administration licence to cook the meals.
There are 160 self-help groups (SHGs) that provide food to around 92,000 students in over 600 schools in the city's municipal limits. On Wednesday, the civic body served show cause notices on the two major groups that act as coordinators of all the self-help groups of the midday meal scheme. "The PMC has served show cause notices on these coordinating self-help groups and given them eight days to give the status of the licences of these (160) SHGs. The exact number of the self-help groups, which don't have licences will be available after we get the replies from coordinating groups. The administration will take against the SHGs that do not have FDA licences," said Shivaji Daundkar, educational officer of PMC.
Daundkar said the administration carries out regular checks and routinely meets SHGs and that it was during one such meeting last week when the issue of FDA licences came up. He said the notices were issued on Wednesday after due process. "The SHGs have been asked to keep an extra vigil after the food poisoning problem in schools in Bihar. The notice will serve as a precautionary measure for schools in the backdrop of this incident," he said.
But Jayashree Dhoble, one of the coordinators of the groups served the show cause notice, said that SHGs not having licences is a technical issue. "Most of these groups had taken licences. Some of them don't have one currently because they have not renewed it. The process of renewal of the permit is on," she said.
As per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, SHGs are required to register themselves and seek licences from the FDA, which carries out hygiene checks, material used for cooking and quality before giving its consent.
If FDA statistics are anything to go by, the number of licensed SHGs would possibly be minimal. In Pune district (including the civic limits), there are only 18 SHGs that are licenced to cook midday meals. Another 103 SHGs and 35 anganwadis are registered with the FDA. As per FDA rules, SHGs with a turnover less than Rs 12 lakh need to register with the body while those with a turnover above Rs 12 lakh per annum need to secure licences.
Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, said, "Every SHG employed in cooking midday meals for schools have to secure licences from the FDA or register themselves, whatever is applicable. However, we do not have the data on how many such SHGs are involved in cooking midday meals in the entire district."
Kekare said it was the responsibility of schools to ensure the SHG has the required licence to cook food, before employing them. Kekare said that surprise checks are carried out on SHGs that are licenced or registered with them, samples collected and tested for their quality.
It is not just the FDA that does not have a count of SHGs but also the zilla parishad. Sunil Kurhade, education officer, Pune Zilla Parishad, said there are no statistics on the number of SHGs employed in cooking the meal in the district, but maintained that the taluka level education officer randomly visits schools and collect samples of cooked food. "It is totally up to the school to either employ village women or SHGs to cook the meal. There is no restriction. They have to enter into an agreement with the SHGs or the women for cooking," he said, adding that as per government orders, the cooked food is first tasted by a teacher or the school principal before it is distributed. A food sample is set aside for 24 hours every day, to check if anything goes wrong, he said.
Experts and activists have often questioned the quality of food served to students. Last year, 78 students of municipal primary school number 5, located at Janata Vasahat in Parvati, had suffered from food poisoning after they ate stale food served under the midday meal scheme. Their condition stabilized after undergoing treatment at three private hospitals.
"The authorities concerned should take the issue of SHGs' registration (with the FDA) on priority. Chances of food adulteration and food poisoning are more during monsoon. So more precautions are needed while preparing the food for schools," said Vijay Kumbhar, founder of Surajya Sangharsha Samiti, a citizens' group.
Food File
There are 8,000 schools in Pune district and midday meals are provided to an estimated 8 lakh students
In the Pune civic limits, midday meal is provided to 92,000 students in 600-odd schools
Schools employ an SHG to cook the meal and in places where there are no SHGs, the school employs women from the village to cook the food
While there are 160 SHGs cooking midday meals for schools in the municipal limits, there is no count of SHGs cooking for schools that come under the zilla parishad
According to FDA stats, just about 18 SHGs in Pune district (including those in the civic limits and in the zilla parishad) are licenced
Another 103 SHGs and 35 anganwadis are registered with the FDA

Whole milk could be better for kids than skim milk

Giving kids whole milk may be a better option over skim milk, a new research has revealed.
According to Dr. David S Ludwig, an endocrinologist at Boston Children's Hospital, and Dr. Walter C Willet, Fredrick John Stare professor of epidemiology and nutrition chair at the Harvard School of Public Health in Cambridge wanted to find which milk is more nutritious.
Their study showed that 2 cups of milk is enough for children, a website reported.
The authors point out that there are only a few clinical trials that have looked at the benefits of reduced-fat milk compared to whole milk.
Most people just assume the lower-fat milk has fewer calories, which theoretically decreases total caloric intake and lessens weight gain.
However, researchers said that just because someone lowers fat intake doesn't necessarily mean that it will help with losing the pounds.
Researchers said that a person may feel less full after drinking low-fat milk than if they'd had whole milk, making them more likely to consume additional calories.
The research was published on July 1 in JAMA Pediatrics.

New anti-tobacco campaign launched

NEW DELHI: A new nation-wide National Tobacco Control campaign called “Tears you apart” has been launched by the Health and Family Welfare Ministry aims to raise public awareness about the dangers of smokeless tobacco consumed by tens of millions of Indian every day.
The campaign public service announcement was filmed in B. Barooah Cancer Institute in Guwahati and at the Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. The PSA features real victims who are suffering from horrific cancers and disfigurements as a result of their chewing addition. It also includes comments from relatives of victims, who describe how tobacco-related illnesses have destroyed careers, family life, and added to financial burdens. The PSA graphically warns the public that tobacco can literally tear lives and families apart, and urges smokeless tobacco users to quit and habit.
The campaign PSA is being released in 16 languages in a national campaign for Pan-India coverage. The campaign will make use of all national and regional Doordarshan channels and All India Radio. The campaign is expected to run for a period of five to six weeks.
The campaign has been developed with technical support from world Lung Foundation.
The campaign will support the ongoing efforts of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for Implementation of the Food Safety and Standard Authority (FSSAI) regulation 2.3.4 which prohibit use of tobacco or nicotine in any food product.

Scaremongering over the safety of Thai rice

“Majority of Thai rice is safe, tests show”:

A quarter of the 46 packed rice brands available in the market tested totally free of chemical residue, while the rest contained different levels – but only 2% was contaminated above the international standard, according to the Thai Foundation for Consumers.
…
The foundation’s Chaladsue magazine on Tuesday revealed the results of tests jointly conducted with the Biothai Foundation on 46 bags of packed rice of different brands bought from hypermarkets and convenience stores. It reported that 12 of them contained no chemical residue – or 26.1% of the total sample.
For the remaining of 34 brands, or 73.9% of the total, the tests showed residues of methyl bromide, which is used in fumigation, at levels between 0.9-67 ml/kg.
Saree Ong-somwang, secretary-general of the Foundation for Consumers, said there was only one brand – CoCo Pimpa white rice – had methyl bromide residue above the 50ml international standard under the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). The test showed of 67.4ml/kg.
All samples were clean of organophosphate, carbamate insecticides and fungicides, she said.
Vitoon Lianchamroon of Biothai, said although majority of tested samples passed the Codex standard, several countries apply stricter standards for methyl bromide – India sets a safe standard at lower than 25ml/kg and China sets it as low as 5ml/kg.

Pic: AP.

In another story, the Bangkok Post has another article with the headline “Govt defiant over ‘tainted’ rice”

The government remains defiant over a consumer group’s lab test which found that almost three-quarters of packed rice samples in the market contained methyl bromide _ an odourless, colourless gas used as a fumigant to control rice bugs.

BP: So we have gone from majority of rice safe to rice being ‘tainted’ in a few hours? Get ready to cue hysteria and panic everywhere though…
The Nation:

A consumer watchdog is calling on the government to inspect packaged rice after random tests found several samples to be tainted with high levels of methyl bromide, which is used to kill rice-eating bugs.
…
Meanwhile, Niphon Popattanachai, director-general of the Medical Sciences Department, said he had instructed officials to inspect the brands found to have been contaminated and check if these products have been registered with the FDA.
“People should not panic over the report as the contamination is still within safe limits,” he said.
Previously, the department teamed up with the FDA to conduct tests on 54 samples of packaged rice and found very small traces of methyl bromide and no sign of any other related pesticides.
…
A representative of the packaged rice brand that was found to have high levels of methyl bromide said his firm would recall all tainted products from the market, but wanted the Foundation for Consumers to provide them with more details such as lot numbers. He said he would conduct further investigation.

The Nation on the recent government test:

The ministry’s food standard expert Kanokporn Atisuk said though a small amount of methyl bromide and phosphine used in the production process was detected in the samples, the level is safe and well under the WHO standard of no more than 50 milligrams per kilogram. He said these can be partially removed through rinsing, steaming and mere evaporation.

The reason for the recent tests was a result of claims on social media that a certain company’s rice was contaminated with toxic chemicals. The Bangkok Post:

The move comes after Sutthiphong Thammawuthi, managing director of TV Burapha Co. which produces the popular Khon Khon Khon (People-Searching People) programme, posted a Facebook comment suggesting packed rice produced by certain companies had been contaminated with toxic chemicals.
…
Sumeth Laomoraporn, chief executive of CP Intertrade Co, a rice business of the Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, said the company has filed a lawsuit against Mr Sutthiphong for defamation and violation of the Computer Crime Act.
Mr Sutthiphong posted a comment on his Facebook page alleging that packed rice produced by the company under the Tra Chatr or Royal Umbrella brand, which is produced by CP, had been contaminated.

BP: The host later apologized and he stated:

Meanwhile, the TV host admitted his mistake in posting the message on his Facebook page. He said he had no ill intention and that his action had nothing to do with politics.
“The message was widely shared and I got it from Line application. I just copied and posted it on Facebook.”
He said the message was previously shared by someone else, and he only added it to share on his Facebook, he said.
His intention was only his concerns for the safety of rice consumers and was to create fairness to the private sector alleged so that it could clarify the matter to the public.

BP: He is not likely to win the investigative journalist of the year award…
Post Today reports that Tra Chatr brand was one of the brand tested and it was 1 of 12 brands tested that had no residue of any agricultural chemical substance ( ที่ไม่พบการตกค้างของสารเคมีทางการเกษตรชนิดใดๆ) although that will probably be lost in the news….
Looking online, BP has found (PDF) Australian rice growers also use methyl bromide although there is a plan to phase some use out by 2015. Many alternatives were found not to be economically or technically feasible.
On Codex, Wikipedia states:

Its name is derived from the Codex Alimentarius Austriacus.[1] Its texts are developed and maintained by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a body that was established in early November 1961 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), was joined by the World Health Organization (WHO) in June 1962, and held its first session in Rome in October 1963.[2] The Commission’s main goals are to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the international food trade. The Codex Alimentarius is recognized by the World Trade Organization as an international reference point for the resolution of disputes concerning food safety and consumer protection.[3][4]

BP: The guy from Biothai cites China and India saying they require the reside not exceed 5 ml/kg or 25 ml/kg respectively, but BP should note that the Foreign Agricultural Service of the United States Department of Agriculture provide a searchable database on the permissible maximum residue levels for various goods for various countries. Choosing rice and methyl bromide and all countries gives you the following:

Source: FAS
BP: As you can see India and China are some of the few exceptions with most countries allowing a permissible maximum residue level of 50 ml/kg for methyl bromide including the US, EU. Perhaps China and India use a lower permissible maximum residue level as a form of protectionism – such a thing has been known to happen! – so unless there is compelling evidence to the contrary a permissible maximum residue level of 50 ml/kg of methyl bromide seems reasonable in BP’s views. Now Biothai are entitled to their opinion on what constitutes tainted rice, but talk of several samples of tainted rice is just scaremongering, given the rice could be safely exported to almost all countries of the world.
Now, there is one company whose rice has a residue level exceeding the 50 ml/kg for methyl bromide CODEX standard. The rice is branded as Ko-Ko (and not CoCo).* Clearly, more tests of this brand of rice are needed and it should be pulled from stores (which the company has said they would according to The Nation), but given we have now had independent testing of the other rice brands and they were found to have passed** should they be tainted by association as well just to attack the government’s rice pledging scheme?***
*Thai name is โค – โค่ ข้าวขาวพิมพา and clearly this is Ko-Ko
**i.e lower than the permissible maximum residue level of 50 ml/kg for methyl bromide.
***Contrast with this story with multiple incidents of dangerous levels of pesticides in vegetables found in markets in department stores

Food dept raids eateries in Allahabad

ALLAHABAD: To check the sale of stale fruits and food items unfit for consumption, a team of food safety and drug administration department conducted raids at several places of the city, on Tuesday.
Led by the chief food safety officer, Hari Mohan Srivastava, the team started their campaign from medical crossing wherein they found stale mangoes from some of the fruit sellers. "Around one quintal of mangoes, which were not fit for human consumption, were destroyed in the presence of the raiding party", said Hari Mohan.
From medical crossing, the team arrived inside Sumitra Nandan Bal Udhyan, popularly called 'Hathi Park' wherein they inspected various kiosks. The next target was a popular fast-food outlet at Strachy road of Civil Lines locality wherein they collected sample of pulses used for making namkeen. Srivastava further informed that similar raids were conducted at one of the food outlet on the same road selling fried chicken. tnn
"Apart from unhygienic conditions, the sauce used in the shop was not proper to be consumed and as such notice has been severed to the shop owner", said the food inspector.

New Delhi to host 1st conference of AOAC International's India section

The Lalit, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, will host the first conference of the India section of the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) International on July 26, 2013. The meet is supported by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Export Inspection Council of India (EIC), the Bureau of India Standards (BIS), the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Deepa Bhajekar, managing director, MicroChem Silliker India, is president, AOAC International's India section, which will address all analytical issues for all food made in India (be it processed, raw materials, agri or new formulations that require sensitive methods for testing) and take them up for method development and validation by various private and government food laboratories in India. Several private firms, academia and regulatory bodies are expected to participate in the conference.

Various technical problems would be taken up at the conference, aimed at energising food analysis in India. AOAC's India section would initiate the validation programme and focus on developing methods for sucrose content in fruit and vegetable products; multi-residue analysis for plant growth regulators in fresh fruit and vegetables; iodine by ICPMS in infant formulae and baby foods; upgradation of metal methods analysis for packaged drinking water by ICPMS, and biotin in nutritional products.

Banned tobacco items seized

Health officials seized 150 kg betel leaves, pan masala and gutka items worth Rs. 6,000 at a raid in Pal Market area in the city here on Tuesday. A team led by T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, found the banned gutka items and seized. Officials warned that the legal notice would be served to him next time as it is the third repeated violation by the shopkeeper in selling the banned items.

DINAMALAR NEWS

150 கிலோ புகையிலையுடன்குட்கா, பான்மசாலா பறிமுதல்

சேலம்: சேலம், பால் மார்க்கெட் பகுதியில், தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை, பான்மசாலா, குட்கா விற்பனை செய்ததை கண்டறிந்த, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி, அவற்றை பறிமுதல் செய்தார்.தமிழகத்தில், புகையிலை, குட்கா, பான்மசாலா உள்ளிட்டவற்றுக்கு, அரசு தடைவிதித்துள்ளது. மறைமுகமாக விற்பனை செய்பவர்கள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. இருப்பினும், சிலர் போதை வஸ்து விற்பனையை தைரியமாக செய்து வருகின்றனர். சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி அனுராதா தலைமையிலான குழு, ஒவ்வொரு பகுதியாக சென்று ஆய்வு நடத்தி வருகிறது.நேற்று, சேலம் பால்மார்க்கெட், லீ பஜார் பகுதிகளில் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். அப்போது, அங்குள்ள ஒரு கடையில், புகையிலை மொத்தமாக விற்பனை செய்து வருவது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. அந்த கடையில் இருந்து, 150 கிலோ புகையிலையையும், 6,000 ரூபாய் மதிப்பிலான குட்கா, பான்மசாலாவையும் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.அப்போது, அங்கிருந்த வியாபாரிகள், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரியை முற்றுகையிட்டு, மற்ற மாவட்டங்களில், இதுபோன்று ஆய்வு செய்வதில்லை. சேலத்தில் மட்டும் ஏன் இப்படி தொந்தரவு செய்கிறீர்கள் என வாக்குவாதம் செய்தனர். "எதை வேண்டுமானாலும், உயர் அதிகாரிகளிடம் தெரிவியுங்கள்' என கூறிவிட்டு, அதிகாரி அனுராதா, பறிமுதல் செய்த பொருட்களுடன் அங்கிருந்து புறப்பட்டு சென்றார்.
உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி கூறியதாவது:ஏற்கனவே ஒரு முறை எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்து வந்தேன். இருப்பினும், தடை செய்யப்பட்ட போதை பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்து வந்தனர். அதனால், அவற்றை பறிமுதல் செய்தோம். வியாபாரிகள், விவசாயிகள் சிலர் முற்றுகையிட்டு வாக்குவாதம் செய்தனர். எங்களுடைய பணியை செய்கிறோம், என கூறிவிட்டு நாங்கள் புறப்பட்டு வந்தோம். எனக்கு யாரும் மிரட்டல் விடுக்கவில்லை என்றார்.

DAILY THANTHI NEWS

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‘Fresh and pure’ out of Milma sachets

A glass of “fresh and pure” milk in the morning prepares you for the daily grind. But drinking Milma milk, a staple of Keralites, may not be that helpful.

The Kerala High Court has taken Milma to task for plugging its milk as “fresh and pure” when its sachets contains reconstituted skimmed milk powder.

On Monday, the court asked Milma (Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.) to remove the imprint “fresh and pure” from the sachets and instead print that they contained skimmed milk.

Milma should inform the court about the action taken by next week. Otherwise, the court will order that the federation has been defrauding its consumers.

A Division Bench, comprising Justice S. Siri Jagan and Justice K. Ramakrishnan, made the oral observation during the hearing of an appeal filed by Martin Paiva against a single judge’s verdict allowing Milma to increase the milk price.

The court had earlier observed that Milma, if it did not delete the two words from its sachets, would be banned from selling milk as fresh milk.

When counsel for Milma told the court that the description “fresh and pure” on its milk sachets was part of a “mnemonic symbol” owned by the National Dairy Development Board, the court orally observed that the Board was then abetting the federation to defraud its consumers.

In an affidavit, Milma said the Board and it had an agreement on the use of this symbol. It was a trademark registered in the name of the Board. Most milk federations and unions in the country were using the symbol on their milk sachets. The words “fresh and pure” were not Milma’s creation.

The affidavit said that if skimmed milk powder were not to be added, toned and double-toned milk within the standards prescribed in the Food Safety Standard Regulations could not be produced in Kerala. The milk produced by crossbred cows in the State contained a lower SNF (solid non-fat) content. If the content were to be lower than prescribed, the regulations would be violated. The NDDB was importing the skimmed milk powder. Packing of milk without processing and distributing it were impossible.

Countering the arguments, the petitioner said Milma was bound to indicate the nature of milk in its sachets, as the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, prescribed. Milma should mention B for buffalo milk, C for cow milk and G for goat milk on its sachets.

Food safety department to conduct raids

KOZHIKODE: The district food safety office is planning to conduct an extensive drive at hospitals and educational institutions to check the quality of food being served in its canteens.
The food safety office has decided to conduct surprise inspections on the basis of growing instances of food poising being reported from various parts of the district. It will take stringent measures against those who are selling unhygienic food.
The drive will be carried out in all the hospital canteens and hostels. The raid at the canteens attached to the hospitals in the district is to ensure that the patients and bystanders get the good quality food and to curb the spreading of diseases in monsoon. The drive will be held to increase the standard of food being served to the students.
The officials will first serve notice to improve the quality and hygienic conditions of the hostels and canteens if it is found to be below standard. Imposing hefty fine and closure of the shops will be made if the shop owners fail to take up quality improvement measures.
District food safety officer Muhammed Rafi said that the drive is planned considering the seriousness of the situation. "The squads have been conducting regular inspections at the various restaurants and other shops. The special drive at the hospitals and educational institutions are being planned for ensuring public safety,'' he said.
"We don't wish to announce the date as it is a surprise raid,'' he said.

Eateries dodge food safety ring

Roadside eateries in the city expose citizens to various diseases by hardly abiding by any food safety norm.
The more worrying part is the health department’s food safety wing has miserably failed to bring such eateries under the purview of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Moreover, absence of food analysts in the state laboratory delays testing of samples.
While visiting a small eatery near Shaheed Smarak Road, this correspondent found that its workers wash dishes with plain water with no soap or detergent powder around. The scene at another small eatery on SP Verma Road was frightening. The workers there reuse water to wash the dishes in dirty areas. Owners of both eateries said they were not registered with the health department’s food safety wing.
The state’s apathetic attitude towards implementation of the food safety act was glaring when a senior health officer admitted that barely 10 per cent of eateries with an annual turnover of less than Rs 12 lakh had registered themselves with the its safety wing.
Ashish Kumar, the designated officer of the food safety wing, said: “Though we have been able to ensure that big eateries with an annual turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh get licences from us, we somehow have not been able to implement the provision of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, that mandates all food business units with less than Rs 12 lakh annual turnover to get themselves registered with the authority. Till now, only a meagre 10 per cent of small eateries in the state have registered themselves with us.”
IMA state president Rajiv Ranjan Prasad said: “Eating unhygienic or adulterated food can lead to diseases such as diarrhoea, gastrointestinal problems, which can affect a person’s liver, kidney, eye and other vital organs. It is pathetic that the food safety act is not implemented in the state. Lack of proper mechanism lets people in food business work in unhygienic conditions.”
Diwakar Tejaswi, a physician, said: “Seventy per cent of diseases in Bihar is caused by unhygienic food and water. Typhoid, Hepatitis E and jaundice are mostly caused by eating unhygienic food.”
On registration of vendors, the officer added: “Not a single vendor has got himself/herself registered with us. It is not possible for us to register the vendors because we do not have data on their exact numbers. First, Patna Municipal Corporation has to identify the vendors, only then can we register them.”
The officer admitted that there was a norm under the act that mandates food vendors to register themselves with the food safety wing.
Asked how much food samples were collected in the past year, the officer could not specify but said: “Every month, we have set a target of collecting at least 10 samples, which we meet. The absence of food analysts in our Agamkuan laboratory forces us to send the samples for testing to Mineral Area Development Authority (Mada) laboratory in Dhanbad. Mada sends us the test reports in 20-25 days.”
However, when this correspondent sought to know about the findings of packaged drinking water samples, which the department officials had collected in the first week of June, the officer said the reports were yet to come.
Sources said the food safety act mandates the testing report be sent to the authority concerned within 14 days of the receipt of the samples so that prompt action can be taken. But the Dhanbad laboratory takes 20-25 days to send the test report.
ACT, CRIME & PUNISHMENT
What a food kiosk owner can do: Section 31 of the act states: No person shall commence or carry on any food business except under a licence. However, it shall not apply to a petty manufacturer who himself manufactures or sells any article of food or a petty retailer, hawker, itinerant vendor or a temporary stall holder or small-scale or cottage or such other industries relating to food business or tiny food business operator. But they shall register themselves with the authority concerned
What s/he faces for supplying sub-standard food: Under Section 50: Any person who sells to the purchaser’s prejudice any food which is not in compliance with the provisions of this act shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding Rs 5 lakh
For small food joint owners, the penalty shall not exceed Rs 25000 Under Section 56:
Any person who, whether by himself or by any other person on his behalf, manufactures or processes any article of food for human consumption under unhygienic or unsanitary conditions, shall be liable to a penalty which may extend to Rs 1 lakh

How safe is your food?

If your food isn’t safe, then don’t trust it. Placards are an easy way to spread a message and students are always ready to help

‘Food safety is your right!’ With this as the theme, a rally was held here on Sunday, organised by Consumer Association of India along with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The rally was aimed to bring awareness about food safety and unsafe food among the people.
Consumer Association of India, which is working towards the empowerment of consumer rights, managed to rope in quite a large crowd.
Speaking to City Express, one of the organisers of CAI said, “Food safety has been an issue for everyone at some point of time or the other. Most of them do not have the awareness on safe food and the food standards act. In order to create awareness among the masses, we joined hands with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and with the Food Safety Department of Tamil Nadu Government from last year.”
He added, “After joining hands with FSSAI, we had a mass contact education programme over the last six months under the title ‘Food Safety, Standards and Unsafe Food’ in five districts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai, Vellore, Madurai, Coimbatore and Tiruchy. Through this programme we brought awareness to more than 6,000 people in those districts.”
“The programme has been successful in creating awareness not only among the everyday consumers but also among Food Business Operators and FSSAI is satisfied with the results,” he added.
As part of the valedictory function of this mass contact education programme, the rally was conducted. Nearly 400 student food safety champions and members from the Consumer Club of Ethiraj College participated in this rally. The rally started at Rajaratnam Stadium and ended at Ethiraj College, heading throughRukmani Lakshmipathi Salai, P V Cherian Crescent Salai and Ethiraj Salai.
Kalyani Rajaraman, Project Manager, Food Safety Programme and G Rajan, Secretary General, CAI and officials from the Food Safety Department were present during the occasion.

Awareness rally held

A rally on the importance of food safety was held from fire service office near Rajaratnam stadium to Ethiraj College recently. More than 250 students from various colleges took part. The rally was organised by the Consumer Association of India (CAI).

Gutka sale continues

 

Gutka and pan continue to be sold in public places in several pockets of north Chennai, a scene at Chennai beach station.
Chennai: The Cigarettes and Tobacco Control Act, which is in existence since 2003, is yet to be implemented stringently, according to activists in the city.  
The Act, needing co-ordination between various teams, like State Tobacco Control and Chennai Corporation, is yet to be seen in implementation when it comes to deterring smoking in public places.    
Chenn­aites say that though smoking in public places has declined comparatively in the last decade, tobacco, vending outlets near crowded places are the reasons behind the practice continuing. Every bus stand has a shop selling tobacco products, those who are addicted to smoking thus cannot stop themselves.  
"I hope there are some regulations to prevent their sale in such places,” said A. Asha Menon, a homemaker. The busy beach station is a case in point. Use­d by thousands of pa­s­­­se­ngers, people say tha­t they feel hemmed in here by people smoking in public. 
“They occupy the pavements to smoke, at times even blocking the entrance to the station. Passengers who are ave­rse to smoking find this very disconcerting. The officiaIs concerned sho­uld take action to deter smoking in public,” said Arun Raj, a commuter.  
Activists say that official apathy has killed the law altogether. “A majority of men dev­elop lung problems beca­use of smoking. What’s more, it leaves in­n­o­cent people affected. The Act needs to be imp­le­m­ented strictly,” said Cyril Alex­a­nder, anti tobacco activist.   
Tobacco law not followed 
Chennai: The Cigarettes and Tobacco Control Act, which is in existence since 2003, is yet to be implemented stringently, according to activists in the city.  
The Act, needing co-ordination between various teams, like State Tobacco Control and Chennai Corporation, is yet to be seen in implementation when it comes to deterring smoking in public places. Chenn­ai­tes say that though smo­­king in public places has declined tobacco, vending outlets are the reasons why the practice continuing.    
“They occupy the pa­v­e­ments to smoke, at times even bloc­king the entrance to the station. Pa­s­s­engers who are ave­rse to smoking find this very disconcerting. The officiaIs concerned sho­uld take action to deter smoking in public,” said Arun Raj, a co­m­m­uter.  
Meanwhile, a S­t­­a­t­e Toba­cco Control offi­c­ial said, “There nee­ds to be multi depart­men­­tal co-ordination, we ha­ve already removed se­v­e­­r­al banners of tobacco companies.   
Ban gutka production itself, say Anti Tobacco activists 
Chennai: Anti tobacco activists in the state have been urging the Chief Minister to ban paan MASALA?? production in the way that the government curbed the lottery business. They say that the closing of units that produce chewing tobacco will help in the total eradication of these pro­du­cts.  
A ban does not work, they point out, as the loopholes in the system permit consumers access to the product. “It is best to ban all the production units rather than banning the products, because in some way or other the products will be sold in the black market and raiding every corner shop will be a very difficult task,” says Cyril Alexa­nder, bactivist.  
Ac­c­or­ding to food safety depa­rtment officials, “ The gu­t­­ka and paan masala manufacturers claim that they have stopped selling their products in India, but that they are catering to their export market. It becomes a policy decision of the government whether or not to ban gutka manufacturing units.”

FDA Proposes Limit for Arsenic in Apple Juice

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed a limit for arsenic in apple juice, two years after testing by Dr. Oz and Consumer Reports spurred widespread consumer concern about the presence of the compound in juice products.
The Environmental Protection Agency already has an arsenic limit for tap water, but the FDA’s new proposal is the first such federal standard for a food product. The proposed limit, or “action level,” for inorganic arsenic —  the harmful form of the chemical that is a known human carcinogen – matches the EPA’s current threshold for inorganic arsenic at 10 parts per billion.
Consumer groups and a handful of Democrats ramped up their calls for a federal limit for arsenic in juice after two rounds of testing in 2011 showed arsenic is often found in apple juice and in some cases exceeds the EPA’s limit for drinking water. Consumer Reports’ testing found a full 10 percent of juices tested were over the EPA limit for water.
The FDA has maintained that juices are safe to drink, in moderation, like any other food or beverage, but after such high-profile attention to the issue and the special concerns raised about children’s exposure, the agency said it would study the issue and look at setting limits.
When asked why it took two years for FDA to move forward, Michael Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine, noted the proposed limit is “based upon a careful risk assessment.”
“It takes time to put that together and put it through the proper review,” he said. “It’s important to get it right.”
The risk assessment, industry guidance, and draft action level the agency came up with were also reportedly under lengthy review at the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, an obscure but powerful agency at the White House that has been blamed for the delay of numerous health and safety regulations.
The FDA has been monitoring apple juice for arsenic for the past two decades and the overall levels found have been low. New tests have allowed the agency to better distinguish between inorganic arsenic and organic arsenic, which is not considered a public health concern. In the latest round of testing of 94 samples, FDA found that 95 percent were below 10 ppb of total arsenic and 100 percent were below 10 ppb for inorganic arsenic.
Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, had recommended a 3 ppb limit, but the group still praised FDA’s proposed action level.
Dr. Urvashi Rangan, director of consumer safety and sustainability at Consumer Reports, called the move “a reasonable first step in protecting consumers from unnecessary exposure to arsenic.”
“It also offers an important enforcement and accountability tool for regulators and a key benchmark for apple juice manufacturers,” said Rangan, who urged parents to moderate their kids’ juice consumption along the guidelines issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The physicians group recommends children from one to six years of age not have more than four to six ounces per day.
Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch, said the group was “extremely pleased” with FDA’s announcement and pointed out two-thirds, or about 400 million pounds, of the apple juice consumed by Americans comes from China each year.
FDA said it plans to take the 10 ppb level into account when considering taking enforcement action “if it finds a food product exceeds the threshold,” but Taylor told Food Safety News that FDA does not have plans to increase testing on apple juice beyond the agency’s normal sampling. Taylor also noted the agency has not found a significant difference between the levels of arsenic found in imported and domestic juice products.
“In terms of public health priorities and fairly limited resources we don’t think it would be justified to significantly ramp up testing,” he said. “But we’ll keep our guard up.”
The agency is seeking comments on the proposed action level and risk assessment for the next 60 days.
Rice up next
Arsenic – which is both naturally occurring and the product of human activities like burning fossil fuels and pesticide use  – is likely to continue to be in the spotlight as FDA studies the levels of the compound that can be found in rice, an issue that health groups have also focused on in recent years.
Consumer advocates and lawmakers have asked FDA to set limits for arsenic in rice products, but the agency is still in data-analysis mode after testing some 1,200 samples.
“We’re coming along,” said Taylor, when asked about FDA’s timeline. “It’s an important project and it’s on our front burner.”

India is world's No 1 fake milk producer

Hello parents! I am going to take an apple and dry it. Then I mash it into 'appley' powder. After a few months I add water and chemicals to it, shape it and sell it to you as a fresh pure apple. Will you buy it for your children to eat?
No? Why not? You do it everyday with milk.
The government brings out yearly statistics on fake milk, and even when their own studies done by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) show that more than 75% is not milk at all but urea, water, caustic soda, paint, sugar, detergent Hydrogen Peroxide, starch, glucose, salt, Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) and vegetable fat, they still will take no action on the producers.
Let us presume that you buy government milk packets thinking that the government could not be cheating its own people. But when the government allows corruption in every field, why not milk? Today a major part of the milk in the packets is not the primary product of a cow or buffalo but reconstituted from powder.

Here is a report done by Harish Damodaran, an award winning journalist who has specialized in agri-business and commodities coverage: ' Nowhere is this more apparent than in the national Capital itself, where the market leader, Mother Dairy India Ltd, consumes an estimated 20,000 tonnes of skimmed milk powder (SMP) annually or 55 tonnes daily. That translates into six lakh litres per day (LLPD) of milk or roughly 30 per cent of the 20-22 LLPD that Mother Dairy sells on an average in Delhi. The proportion of reconstituted milk to the total throughout rises to 50 % during summer months.'
According to the milk producers, real milk is put aside in the winter months and turned into powder which is then mixed back into the milk whenever real milk runs short – which seems to be everyday.
The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) and owner of Mother Dairy says that it supplies 'pure' milk in the whole of Gujarat, Mumbai, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh (this is disproved for Delhi by the quantity of milk powder being bought). But in areas like West Bengal where all the cows have been killed or sent to Bangladesh (as in Kerala or the Northeast), there is no fresh milk available. There is a limit to the milk that can be sent by rail from Gujarat to Kolkata (and this milk will have chemicals like urea added to it so that it does not curdle on the way) so a large proportion of the so called pure milk has to be reconstituted milk.
Even in the states where there is milk, milk powder is added by private cooperatives and dairies. Why is this done? The Prevention of Food Adulteration rules stipulate a minimum 8.5 % Solids-Not-Fat (SNF) content for toned milk and 9 per cent in double-toned milk. If a dairy adds water then, to bring up the milk to the regulation standard, skimmed milk powder is added.
According to the government, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan and Haryana have crores of milk producing cattle and are the top milk producers of the country. So why is most of the milk here either completely fake or made of milk powder? Could it be that the government is simply faking cattle figures? There is no real milk, because there are no cows or buffaloes. They have all disappeared into illegal meat and leather slaughterhouses.
Why is milk not being labelled as 'reconstituted'. Why is it still allowed to be called pure? In every other country including China, all dairy companies that are marketing reconstituted milk have to put this on their label. If this were done in India, there would be a sharp fall in the sale, and milk consumers would then demand fresh milk themselves. This would impact the illegal meat export that the government encourages. Therefore. the Ministry for Consumer Affairs will not do so.
Just to remind you: The National Survey on Milk Adulteration 2011 was conducted to check contaminants in milk throughout India. Most states failed the tests. Five states were found to be 100 % non-conforming to the milk standards set by the FSSAI. 14 % of the samples had detergent in them – in Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Odisha. 70% of Delhi milk samples failed the FSSAI standards.
46% milk was found diluted with water. Of 1791 samples, skimmed milk powder was present in nearly 548 samples and 477 samples contained glucose.
The report appeared on January 10th 2013. The FSSAI were summoned and told to repair the damage they had done by releasing these shocking truths. So they are now busy issuing 'clarifications.'
First they issued a press release stating that 'non conforming' did not mean that it was 'unsafe for consumption'. The milk may be of 'sub standard' quality but 'not necessarily' unsafe. In short: The milk may be rubbish but not everyone dies from drinking it so it can continue to be sold. The FSSAI officials have clarified that adding water to milk is only bad if 'the water which has possibly been added is contaminated.' So, it is not bad to cheat the customer by adding water to an expensive product which is sold by weight – it is OK if the adulterant is clean.
Regarding reconstituted milk made from skimmed milk powder, instead of banning the practice, the FSSAI has said that a circular will be issued to big dairy houses to brand the milk right. The circular has not been issued till today.
Regarding the presence of formalin or formaldehyde, (a chemical used for preserving dead bodies and to increase the shelf life of milk when it is being transported), it is illegal in food and is a carcinogen. The FSSAI says 'That is allowed for preservation. Maybe where we detected it they must have put it in larger quantities.'
Regarding the detergents found in milk, the FSSAI says that this is because the handlers of milk have not washed out the detergents, used to clean hands and vessels. before handling the milk! It is a known fact that detergent is used to make synthetic milk to increase the thickness and viscosity of the milk. A study done by the Indian Council of Medical Research states that detergents in milk cause food poisoning and gastrointestinal complications.
Now the FSSAI says it can't do anything about making milk pure- it has to be done by the states. The states refuse to take any action saying that they have not seen the report (which was published on the front page of every paper across India). Bihar's milk was found to be 100% contaminated but the state Food Safety Authority maintains that 'We have no idea where they collected the samples from. Once the report is shared with us, we will collect the samples, test it in our labs and then take appropriate action on whether the license has to be revoked or not.' This is six months after the report. (In any case the department has only 23 officers to man the food quality of the entire state.)
The Delhi Food Safety Authority has the same reaction. They agree that 'The samples were found to contain skimmed milk powder. But this is not hazardous to health, its just reconstituted milk.' Delhi has an estimated daily demand of 70 lakh liters of milk, about 90% is supplied by brands. Neutralisers like Sodium Hydroxide, Potassium Hydroxide, Ammonia, Carbon Trioxide (carbonate) and other alkalis are used to correct and optimise the pH value of un-fresh milk so that they appear to be fresh milk. Obviously they would be a necessary component in reconstituted milk, which is what 50% of Delhi's milk is in summer.
The FSSAI refuses to send their report officially to any state or even to the Indian Dairy Association! So the states have an excuse to ignore it. Even if they got them, most of the state testing laboratories are either defunct or ill equipped.
This belief that we are the world's number one milk producer is misplaced. We are the number one fake milk producer in the world. And the only way you can stop this and protect your children is by totally stopping the purchase of this dangerous product.

‘Food security is good, but what about food safety?’

VARANASI: While the National Food Security Bill (now an ordinance) has been widely debated by political parties and experts, a professor of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) wants to draw attention of policy makers towards proper implementation of Food Safety and Standard Act (FSSA) 2006.
"Why only Food Security Bill is in agenda of political parties, why is the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 not being highlighted," wondered Anand Chaudhary, associate professor at the faculty of Ayurveda, Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU, Chaudhary.
High drama is on in political circle regarding food security bill that ensures cheap grain for one-third population of the country. Congress is adamant for the bill as game changer and other political parties are considering it as vote bank politics. "As an academician and university teacher, may I ask these policy makers about some facts. Who will take care of implementation of FSSA, which was made to ensure service to the masses (poor as well as prosperous), regarding food available in market, either readymade, ready to eat or raw form," he said. Why policy makers are not ensuring the best services to commoner by strict implementation of provisions of FSSA 2006 amended in 2008, 2010 and 2012 for better services to every section of society. Why they are eyeing only vote bank that may be an easy target?
Expressing concerns regarding Ayurveda in FSSA, Chaudhary said: "I oppose the move of the government in which it permitted sale of honey by mixing antibiotics in a certain concentration. Honey is used as carrier in these permissible substances as food. Honey is a medicine and used in Ayurveda as an adjuvant to potentiate the effects of several Ayurvedic formulations. Antibiotics in honey need further debate from all angles."
"We invite attention of government on a clause of FSSA where it kept Ayurvedic medicinal oil at par to the edible oils. These are not the same. So, the criteria, quality and standard parameter of Ayurvedic oils may not be same as per pure edible coconut and mustard oil, he said. Ayurvedic oils are processed as per principles of Ayurvedic Pharmaceutics with many herbs and minerals. Parameters of these Ayurvedic oils are notified in Ayurvedic Pharmacopiea of India /Ayurvedic Formulary of India separately as medicine.