SC directs FSSAI to conduct periodic checks of soft drinks

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today directed the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to monitor and conduct periodic checks of all carbonated soft drinks as the issue relates to citizens' fundamental right to life guaranteed under the Constitution.
A bench of justices KS Radhakrishnan and AK Sikri passed the direction while disposing of a PIL that had sought constitution of a separate panel to regulate soft drinks to protect citizens from their "deleterious effects".
 

"The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will conduct periodic checks of the carbonated drinks," the bench said, adding the matter relates to the fundamental right to life guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The apex court had on 13 December, 2012, reserved its order on a PIL filed in 2004 for setting up a committee to evaluate the alleged harmful effects of soft drinks on human health and to properly label the beverages, detailing their ingredients.
The plea had alleged that the ingredients of carbonated drinks have "serious deleterious effects on human health" and no action has been taken to test and assess the risk posed by such beverages.
Soft drink major Pepsi's counsel, however, had opposed the PIL, saying the Food Safety and Standards Act aimed at regulating the standards of beverages was "sufficient" and all the regulations were in place.
The Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), in its petition filed in 2004, had also sought directions to cola firms to disclose the contents/ingredients on the label of their bottles and to regulate "misleading" advertisements targeting children.
The apex court had earlier asked FSSAI to file "records" relating to proceedings of its panels, formed following a judicial order on the PIL filed by the NGO.
The court's direction came after Prashant Bhushan, appearing for NGO CPIL, had alleged that instead of an expert panel, another FSSAI panel on labelling and claims/advertisement should consider the grievance of additives in carbonated drinks.
The apex court, on 8 February, 2011, had asked FSSAI to reconstitute independent scientific panels to look into the harmful effects of chemicals in carbonated beverages.
FSSAI had passed an order after examining various ingredients of carbonated beverages such as artificial sweetener, phosphoric, malic and citric acid, carbon dioxide, colouring agents, benzoic acid and caffeine.
FSSAI's panel had said these ingredients, under prescribed limits, would pose no health hazards.
Scientific Panel on Labelling and Claims/Advertisement of FSSAI, in its order, had said, "The expert group reviewed the scientific studies and Food Safety Standards(FSS) Regulations, 2011 and confirmed the following:
"All ingredients mentioned above are within the levels as prescribed in the FSS Regulations, 2011 as per the 'Analytical Data on Carbonated Beverages', produced by Food Research and Standardisation Laboratory, Ghaziabad.
"Based on updated scientific reviews, if these ingredients are consumed within the prescribed levels, no health hazard would be caused in humans."
Earlier, counsel appearing for FSSAI, had said the PIL be disposed of as all reliefs claimed by CPIL "stand satisfied."
He had said that the Food Safety and Standards Act which came into effect in 2006 took care of all the issues raised in the petition.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) had also said that its study concluded that no health hazard would be caused if the ingredients are within prescribed limits.

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DINAMALAR NEWS

2 packaged water units sealed

Two packaged water units that reportedly neither got ISI nor product approval from Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) have been sealed in Vellore on Monday.

Food Safety Officer J. Kolanji sealed the two units namely, Seagull in Viruthampattu and JS Aqua in Tharapadavedu on Monday.

According to sources National Green Tribunal has ordered making it mandatory for packaged water companies either to get ISI or product approval from FSSAI.

Out of 54 packaged water companies in Vellore district, 19 are yet get either of the approval.

Hence the crackdown started with two companies on Monday.

Food safety not in unsafe hands

NEW DELHI: Despite their doubtful hygiene, it is hard to resist the golgappas, aloo tikkis, ram laddoos, momos, etc., sold on the roadside. Though Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has formulated guidelines to regulate this unorganized sector, Delhi government has failed to effectively implement them. Now, the street vendors, themselves, are coming together to ensure acceptable standards of food quality and hygiene.
In a first-of-its-kind initiative, National Association of Street Vendors of India has launched a catering service to be run and managed by street vendors. "If street vendors want to be taken serious, they will have to stand united. This initiative will give street vendors an opportunity to expand their base. Through this, we can keep a check on the quality of food served and hygiene standards maintained by street vendors," NASVI president Arbind Singh said.
On Monday, NASVI organized a large scale workshop on hygiene and food safety for street vendors. Street vendors from across the city were taught ways to maintain food quality and also informed about how this will help boost their income. "There is a need to create awareness about food safety among public and street vendors. If customers demand it, they will be forced to maintain hygiene. This will result in increase in their monthly income as they can charge more for providing good quality food," said K Chandramouli, chairperson, FSSAI, who inaugurated the workshop.
Delhi was one of the first states to implement the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. But sources in FSSAI claim it has failed to deliver the goods. "There are many states which have done a lot of work to streamline street food vendors. But Delhi has not done much," said a senior official.
NASVI members were disappointed that officials did not attend the launch even though the government has not been able to register street vendors and streamline the system. "We had invited officials from Delhi government and civic agencies, but none came. These people are harassed by police. The government is doing little to streamline the system. Now, we have decided to put a system in place. Our catering service will help thousands of street vendors," Singh said.
As per the plan, NASVI will send out street vendors, who adhere to the food safety and standards rules, to set up stalls at functions based on customer demand. "Our vendors are spread across the city. Depending on the place and requirement of customers, we will send our vendors," Ranjit Abhigyan, programme manager, NASVI, said.
NASVI has also started an initiative to check food safety in markets. "We have appointed peer leaders in all important markets. These people will ensure that all the food vendors in the market adhere to norms. We have put up banners in markets on this," Ranjit said.
For street food vendors, this is an excellent opportunity to work in an organized manner. While some feel that hygiene standards can't be maintained all the time, most are ready to experiment. "It is a good initiative. We get to learn a lot. Over the years, disposable cups have replaced glass or porcelain cups at the roadside tea stall. Most street vendors use disposable plates and spoons. I'm sure that if we try we can change the way street food is served," said Rajkumar Jain, a street food vendor from Shahdara.
It is time for the state government to take note of the growing population of street food vendors in the city and take appropriate measures to ensure food safety.

Most of milk brands in Kolkata selling adulterated product

KOLKATA: How good is the milk you give your child, mix with your muesli or simply make tea with? Most of the milk samples tested by Bengal Engineering and Science University (Besu) on the request of Times of India were found to contain 'adulterants' such as cane sugar, cellulose and sodium chloride (salt).
Tests were conducted for specific gravity and presence of adulterants - like formalin, cane sugar, starch, cellulose, urea, ammonium sulphate, sodium chloride, saccharin, dulcin (a chemical 250 times sweeter than sucrose), foreign fat, carbonates or bicarbonates, neutralizers and hydrogen peroxide. The test was done over a seven-day period in the Besu laboratories after which the report was given to TOI.
The milk samples picked from Kolkata's markets at random were found to have cane sugar, cellulose and sodium chloride. While the state government-run milk brands - Haringhata and Mother Dairy - had adulterants, a milk sample from Amul, one of the largest dairies in the country, contained cellulose, say the report. The Besu test found Metro dairy samples free from any adulterant.
The Besu findings come in the wake of a report on milk tabled in Parliament, which says that an analysis by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India found neutralizers, detergent and pathogens like e-Coli. The report found adulterants in all four brands that TOI and Besu tested.
Industry insiders say that the adulteration usually happens before raw milk reaches a dairy. Milk suppliers use cheap adulterants like rice starch, raw sugar and salt for adulteration, they say. While starch increases cellulose content, cane sugar increases the solid non-fat (SNF) content.
The milk you buy off shelves has two main ingredients - skimmed milk powder (SMP) and SNF. "Most of the adulteration is done to increase the SNF content of the milk," said an expert. When dairies buy raw milk from suppliers, they pay around Rs 150 for a kg of SNF. The proportion of SNF determines the price a milk supplier gets. "Therefore, there is a tendency among suppliers to add adulterants like sugar, salt and starch to increase the SNF content," said Sumit Deb, managing director of Metro Dairy. "This is a common practice among suppliers, but laboratories can detect the presence of such adulterants," said Narayan Majumdar, a dairy technologist and director of Red Cow Dairy.
Two of the dairies in the state use a milk analyzer called Milkoscan - one of the advanced machines available for such tests. Other dairies use a traditional method called gravimetric test. "Both these processes can detect the presence of adulterants," said Deb, adding that while Milkoscan gives results in a minute, the second method takes 30-40 minutes. So it is left to the laboratory assistants to determine whether the milk sold by a supplier is adulterated.
"We try to maintain every possible check against adulteration. From laboratory tests to processing, chilling and packaging we maintain automated processes to ensure zero adulteration," said Dibakar Mukhopadhyay, milk commissioner of the state.
Despite claims by the state government, samples from the Haringhata dairy were found to contain 4.6% cane sugar and 1.82% sodium chloride. Samples from Mother Dairy contained cellulose. When asked about this, Mother Dairy chief general manager Udaybhanu Gangopadhyay questioned the test procedure. Mother Dairy refused to comment, but a top official of the West Bengal Cooperative Milk Producer's Federation said that they are "looking into it".
RS Sodhi, managing director of Amul, said: "There should not be any aberration in any packet of milk we sell across the country. We will surely look into what caused such a result." A top official of Amul found that the specific gravity of the sample was quite low. "The method used for cellulose detection is subjective. It would have been perfect if thin-layer chromatography were used for the detection," he said.
According to the Milk Federation report for the month of 'Bhadra' (August 18-September 17), of the 5.4 lakh kg milk rejected by four major dairies in the state, 4.8 lakh kg was rejected by a private-run dairy. "It gets milk from the same sources that supply to other dairies. It shows that big dairies are accepting milk, which is not up-to-the mark," said an industry insider.
According to Sodhi, some dairies in Bengal buy SMP from north Indian companies. "Many of these companies are not careful about the quality of SMP. Adulteration in milk can also be attributed to SMP manufacturers," he said.

Sale of ‘kulukki sarbath’ to be curbed in city

 

A large number of street vendors operate in Kochi without the approval of the Kochi Corporation.

As carts selling “kulukki sarbath” have popped up in the city after a hiatus, the health wing of the Kochi Corporation is planning to crack down on them.

The civic body had earlier banned the sale of the beverage in the city after it was found that vendors were using poor quality ice. The authorities had also tracked the source of ice to an ice plant at Chullikkal. Raids by the civic body revealed that ice was manufactured using contaminated water, said T.K. Ashraf, chairman of the health standing committee of the Kochi Corporation.

Sale of such drinks, which can cause health hazards, will be curbed. He said squads of the Health Department would soon be pressed into action.

The drink, prepared using crushed ice, sarbath and lemon, had been a hit in the city during summer months.

The civic body had also banned the sale of badam milk in the city after it was found that the drink was made in unhygienic conditions. The ban on badam milk would stay, he said.

This time, the civic authorities plan to act against vendors selling poor quality food together with the Food Safety officials as they are legally entitled to collect food samples, said Mr. Ashraf. Street vendors selling pani puri and bhel puri have also proliferated in the city and most of them have not registered themselves with the local body.

According to the Kerala Municipal Act, these mobile shops have to gain a licence from the corporation. He said the civic body had plans to act against food vendors operating in unhygienic conditions.

Breast milk sold on internet contains dangerous bacteria: Study

Human breast milk is sold for babies on several online sites for a few dollars an ounce, but a new study says buyer beware: Testing showed it can contain potentially dangerous bacteria including salmonella.
The warning comes from researchers who bought and tested 101 breast milk samples sold by women on one popular site. Three-fourths of the samples contained high amounts of bacteria that could potentially sicken babies, the researchers found. They did not identify the website.
The results are "pretty scary," said Dr. Kenneth Boyer, pediatrics chief at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, who was not involved in the study. "Just imagine if the donor happens to be a drug user. You don't know."
The research published in medical literature cites several cases of infants getting sick from strangers' milk.
Breast milk is also provided through milk banks, whose clients include hospitals. They also charge fees but screen donors and pasteurize donated milk to kill any germs.
With Internet sites, "you have very few ways to know for sure what you are getting is really breast milk and that it's safe to feed your baby," said Sarah Keim, the lead author and a researcher at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "Because the consequences can be serious, it is not a good idea to obtain breast milk in this way."
The advice echoes a 2010 recommendation from the federal Food and Drug Administration.
"When human milk is obtained directly from individuals or through the Internet, the donor is unlikely to have been adequately screened for infectious disease or contamination risk," the FDA says. "In addition, it is not likely that the human milk has been collected, processed, tested or stored in a way that reduces possible safety risks to the baby."
The researchers believe theirs is the first study to test the safety of Internet-sold milk, although several others have documented bacteria in mothers' own milk or in milk bank donations. Some bacteria may not be harmful, but salmonella is among germs that could pose a threat to infants, Boyer said.
Sources for bacteria found in the study aren't known but could include donors' skin, breast pumps used to extract milk, or contamination from improper shipping methods, Keim said.
The study was published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
There are many milk-sharing sites online, including several that provide milk for free. Sellers or donors tend to be new mothers who produce more milk than their own babies can consume. Users include mothers who have difficulty breast-feeding and don't want to use formula and people with adopted infants.
Breanna Clemons of Dickinson is a donor who found a local woman who needed breast milk through one of the online sites where milk is offered free.
"A lot of people are like, `EHTTP://WWW , it's weird,' but they haven't been in a situation where they didn't want their child to have formula," or couldn't produce enough milk, Clemons said. She said she shared her medical history with the recipient.
Clemons is breast-feeding her 7-month-old and stores excess milk in her freezer. Every few weeks, she meets up with the recipient and gives her about 20 6-ounce bags. Clemons said the woman has a healthy 9-month-old who "loves my milk."
Keim said it's unclear if milk from sites offering donated milk would have the same risks because donors might be different from those seeking money for their milk. And in a comparison, the researchers found more bacteria in breast milk purchased online than in 20 unpasteurized samples donated to a milk bank.
Bekki Hill is a co-founder of Modern Milksharing, an online support group that offers advice on milk donation. She said there's a difference between milk sellers and donors; milk donors "don't stand to gain anything from donating so they have no reason to lie about their health."
Hill, of Red Hook, used a donor's milk for her first two children and plans to do so for her third, due in February, because she doesn't produce enough of her own.
"Breast milk is obviously the preferred food" for babies, she said.

Burton Software Food Safety Expert Shikha Singh Talks About Small Food Processors in India and World

India’s legal body, The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has kept a vigilant eye on business owners to ensure food safety. FSSAI allows business owners to avail third party certification for any globally accepted food safety standard/guideline including HACCP. Industrial journalist, TR Cutler reported recently in Automation & Controls Today.
Based in India, Shikha Singh works to improve food safety in India by automating food safety processes. She is spearheading the roll out of Burton Software Inc.'s product; Icicle, an affordable cloud-based solution designed to improve the safety of the world's food supply, and is responsible for overall operations throughout the country. She is an expert in food industry standards including ISO 22000, HACCP, FSSC and proficient in food testing.
The increasing trend of automation and computer based operations and systems in India will obviously pave way for an IT based solution for food safety; because of the cloud-based pay-as-you-go method, even the smallest food companies can avail themselves of solutions such as Icicle.
Singh noted that, “India has hugely trended as an export hub for major countries of the world because of many factors. To keep up with the food safety standards across the globe, Indian players in the food industry are diligently focusing on attaining and maintaining food safety certification, which includes HACCP.”
The safety standards for food in India are very similar to those in North America and this is driven by the customers. Exporting to US, UK and Middle East nations requires significant attention to stringent rules and regulations; an HACCP - based food safety system has become mandatory.
To read the entire article, go to: http://tinyurl.com/n89mch9.

பீதியை கிளப்புது உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை தீபாவளிக்கு நீங்க வாங்கும் ஸ்வீட் தரமானதா ?

புத்தாடை, பட்டாசு வரிசையில் ஸ்வீட்டும் தவிர்க்க முடியாத அயிட்டம். தீபாவளிக்காக சென்னையில் உள்ள எல்லா ஸ்வீட் ஸ்டால்களிலும் பலதரப்பட்ட புதுவகையான ஸ்வீட்கள் தயாராகி வருகின்றன.
இந்நிலையில், சில நாட்களுக்கு முன்பு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிரடி ரெய்டு நடத்தியது. சென்னையில் உள்ள அனைத்து ஸ்வீட் ஸ்டால்களிலும் ஆய்வு நடத்தியதில், பெரும்பாலான கடைகளில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் இனிப்பு வகைகள் தரமற்றவையாக இருப்பதாக பீதி கிளம்பியுள்ளது. ஸ்வீட் தயாரிக்கப்படும் இடம், அவற்றில் கலக்கப்படும் பொருட்கள் ஆகியவை தரமில்லாதவை என கூறப்படுகிறது.
மேலும், எப்போது ஸ்வீட் தயாரித்தார்கள், அவை எத்தனை நாட்களுக்கு கெடாமல் இருக்கும் என்கிற தகவலையும் தயாரிப்பவர்கள் குறிப்பிடுவதில்லை.
இதனால், சுகாதாரமான வகையில் தரமான ஸ்வீட்களை தயாரித்து விற்குமாறு சம்மந்தப்பட்ட கடை நிர்வாகத்தினருக்கு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை நோட்டீஸ் அனுப்பியுள்ளது. இது குறித்து அதிகாரிகள் கூறுகையில், எல்லா ஸ்வீட் பாக்சிலும் காலாவதி தேதி யை குறிப்பிட வேண்டும்.
ஸ்வீட் எப்போது தயாரித்தார்கள், எத்தனை கிலோ என்ற தகவலையும் குறிப்பிட வேண்டுமென அறிவுருத்தியுள்ளோம். இத்தகைய குறிப்புகளுடன் கூடிய ஸ்வீட் பாக்ஸ்கள் மட்டுமே விற்க வேண்டும். தரமில்லாத ஸ்வீட்களையோ, காலாவதி தேதியில்லாத ஸ்வீட்களையோ விற்பனை செய்தால் எங்களுக்கு புகார் தரலாம். உடனடி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என கூறியுள்ளனர். தரமில்லாத ஸ்வீட்களை சாப்பிடுவதால், வயிற்றுப்போக்கு, வாந்தி, மயக்கம், புட் பாய்சன் உள்ளிட்ட உடல் உபாதைகள் ஏற்படும் என்கின்றனர் மருத்துவர்கள்.
எனவே, நீங்கள் ஸ்வீட் வாங்கும் போது கவனமா பார்த்து வாங்குங்க. தரமில்லாத ஸ்வீட் விற்கப்பட்டால் 044&24351051 என்ற தொலைபேசியில் தொடர்பு கொண்டு புகார் தரலாம்.

தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக் மூட்டைகள் பறிமுதல்

வேளச்சேரி, அக். 20:

அடையாறில் 5.5 லட்சம் மதிப்புள்ள தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக் மூட்டைகள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன.

அடையாறு அருணாச்சலபுரம் 2வது தெருவில் உள்ள ஒரு வீட்டில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக் மூட்டைகள் சரக்கு லாரியில் இருந்து இறக்கப்படுவதாக சாஸ்திரி நகர் போலீஸ் இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் கிறிஸ்டின் ஜெயசீலுக்கு தகவல் கிடைத்தது.

இதையடுத்து எஸ்.ஐ. தாஸ், முதல்நிலை காவலர் குமரேசன் மற்றும் போலீசார் சம்பவ இடத்துக்கு சென்று சரக்கு லாரியில் இருந்த 240 மூட்டைகளை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். இதுகுறித்து உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறைக்கு தகவல் தெரிவித்தனர்.

உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை சென்னை மாவட்ட அலுவலர் லட்சுமி நாராயணன் தலைமையிலான குழுவினர் அவற்றை பறிமுதல் செய்து சைதாப்பேட்டையில் உள்ள அலுவலகத்துக்கு எடுத்து சென்றனர். இதன் மதிப்பு 5.5 லட்சம் என்று கூறப்படுகிறது. மேலும் விசாரணை நடக்கிறது.

பான்பராக் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்படுகிறது.

உணவுக் கலப்படம், நஞ்சாகும் வாய்ப்புகளை தவிர்ப்போம்

சேலம், : மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு துறையின் சார்பில் பார்க் பிளாசா ஹோட்டலில் உலக உணவு தினம் கொண்டாடப்பட்டது. இதில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அலுவலர் கோவிந்தராஜன் வரவேற்றார்.
சமூக நலத்துரை அலுவலர் அன்பு, ஒருங்கிணைந்த குழந்தைகள் வளர்ச்சித் திட்ட அலுவலர் அம்சவேணி, தொழிலாளர் நலத்துறை அலுவலர் வெங்கடேசன், சுகாதார நலப்பணிகள் இணை இயக்குனர் வாசுகி உள்ளிட்ட பலர் கலந்து கொண்டு வாழ்த்திப் பேசினர். உலக உணவு தினத்தை முன்னிட்டு கல்லூரி மாணவ, மாணவியருக்கு இடையில் நடந்த போட்டியில் வெற்றி பெற்றவர்களுக்கு சிறப்பு விருந்தினராகக் கலந்து கொண்ட மாவட்ட கலெக்டர் மகரபூஷணம் பரிசுகள் வழங்கி னார். விழிப்புணர்வு துண்ட றிக்கையை வெளியிட்டார்.
உணவுக் கலப்படம் மற்றும் உடல் நலனுக்கு தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் உணவுகளை தவிர்ப்பது குறித்து நியமன அலுவலர் மருத்துவர் அனுராதா பேசியதாவது: உலக உணவு தினத்தை முன்னிட்டு நான்கு விஷயங்களை ஒழிக்க திட்டமிட்டுள்ளோம். பிளாஸ்டிக் பைகளால் சூடான உணவு களை எடுத்துச் செல்வதை தடை செய்ய உள்ளோம். இதனால் பிளாஸ்டிக் பைகளில் உள்ள பாலிஎத்திலீன், பாலி வினைல் குளோரைடு, பாலி ஸ்டைரின் ஆகிய வேதிப்பொருட்கள் உணவுடன் கலந்து விடுகிறது. இதனால் இதயநோய் ஏற்படும் வாய்ப்புகள் உள்ளன.
இரண்டாவதாக உணவுப் பொருட்களை செய்தித் தாளில் வைத்து பயன்படுத்துவதும் தடுக்கப்படும். பேக்கரி பொருட்களை செய்தித் தாள்களில் வைப்பதால் காரீய நச்சு கலக்கிறது. இதற்கு பதிலாக பட்டர் பேப்பர் மற்றும் காகிதத் தட்டு பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும். உணவுப் பொருட்களை திறந்த நிலையில் வைத்து விற்பதால் தொற்று நோய்கள் பரவ வாய்ப்புள்ளது. இதைத் தடுக்க கண்ணாடிப் பெட்டியில் வைத்து விற்க வேண்டும்.
திரும்பத் திரும்ப பயன்படுத்தும் எண்ணெயால் புற்றுநோய் உண்டாக வாய்ப்புள்ளது. இதைத் தடுக்க பாக்கெட்டில் உள்ள சமையல் எண்ணெயை தினமும் பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும். இந்த நான்கு விஷயங்களில் தீவிரமாக கவனம் செலுத்தப்படும். மேலும் உணவில் கலப்படம், செயற்கை வண்ணங்கள் மற்றும் ரசாயனக் கலப்பு உடல் நலத்துக்கு பெரிய அளவில் தீங்கு விளைவிக்கிறது. பாதுகாப்பான மற்றும் சத்தான உணவை எடுத்துக் கொண்டு உடல் நலத்தை பாதுகாப்பது தான் இன்றைய அத்தியாவசியத் தேவை. உணவுக் கலப்படம் மற்றும் உணவு நஞ்சாகும் வாய்ப்புகளை தவிர்க்க மக்கள் விழிப்புடன் இருக்க வேண் டும். இவ்வாறு அனுராதா பேசினார்.
கழிவு மேலாண்மை குறித்து ஹோட்டல் அலுவலர் ராகுல்கனுங்கோ பேசினார். உடல் நலத்தை பாதுகாக்க நமது பாரம்பரிய உணவு முறையை கடைபிடிக்க வேண்டும் என கலெக்டர் மகரபூஷணம் தனது பேச்சில் வலியுறுத்தினார். உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறை அலுவலர்கள் நிகழ்ச்சிக்கான ஏற்பாடுகளை செய்திருந்தனர். கல்லூரி மாணவ, மாணவியர் மற்றும் அலுவலர்கள் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.

உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரச் சட்ட விதிகளை முழுமையாக கடைபிடிக்க வலியுறுத்தல்

தீபாவளி இனிப்பு, கார வகைகள் விற்பனை செய்வோரில் உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரச்சட்ட விதிகளை உரிய வகையில் கடைபிடிக்காதவர்கள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என நாகை நகராட்சி மற்றும் திருமருகல் வட்டார உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் ஏ.டி. அன்பழகன் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். இதுகுறித்து அவர் வெளியிட்ட செய்திக் குறிப்பு:

தீபாவளியை முன்னிட்டு, உணவு விற்பனை நிலையங்களில் இனிப்பு, கார வகைகளை வாங்கும்போது, பொதுமக்கள் உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறையில் உரிமம் பெற்ற கடைகளில், தரமான, தயாரிப்பு தேதி, தயாரிப்பாளர் முகவரி மற்றும் காலாவதி தேதி குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளவற்றை மட்டுமே வாங்க வேண்டும். இனிப்பு மற்றும் காரம் தயாரித்து விற்பனை செய்வோர், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரச்சட்டம் 2006-ல் அனுமதிக்கப்படாத நிறமிகளை பயன்படுத்தக் கூடாது, அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட நிறமிகளையும் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட அளவைவிட அதிகமாக பயன்படுத்தக் கூடாது,

தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட உணவுப் பொருள்களை சுகாதாரமான இடத்தில், தூசி மற்றும் ஈ உள்ளிட்டவை நெருங்காத வகையில், கண்ணாடி பெட்டிக்குள் வைத்து விற்பனை செய்ய வேண்டும்.

சுத்தமான மற்றும் பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட குடிநீரை மட்டுமே உணவுப் பொருள்கள் தயாரிப்புக்குப் பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும். மேற்குறிப்பிடப்பட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்புச் சட்ட விதிகளை மீறுவோர் மீது சட்டபூர்வமான நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளப்படும். நாகப்பட்டினம் நகராட்சி மற்றும் திருமருகல் வட்டாரத்திற்குட்பட்ட சில உணவு விற்பனை நிறுவனங்களில், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் பெயரை தவறாகப் பயன்படுத்தியும், சிலர் தங்களை உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை அலுவலர்கள் என போலியாக சித்தரித்துக் கொண்டும் தீபாவளி இனாம் கோருவதாக தகவல்கள் கிடைக்கின்றன. எனவே, உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறையின் பெயரால் யாரேனும் தீபாவளி இனாம் கோரினால் அல்லது லஞ்சம் கேட்டால், வியாபாரிகள் நாகை மாவட்ட ஆட்சியர் அலுவலகத்துக்குத் தொலைபேசி மூலம் தகவல் அளிக்கலாம். அல்லது நாகை காடம்பாடியில் இயங்கி வரும் லஞ்ச ஒழிப்புத் துறை அலுவலகத்துக்கு 04365- 249090 என்ற தொலைபேசியில் புகார் அளிக்கலாம்.

உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் எனக்கூறி தீபாவளி வசூல்வேட்டை, லஞ்சம் லஞ்ச ஒழிப்புதுறைக்கு புகார் தெரிவிக்கலாம்

நாகை, அக்.21:
தீபாவளியையொட்டி உணவு பாதுகாப்புதுறை பெயரைசொல்லி வசூல் வேட்டை யில் ஈடுபட்டால் லஞ்சஒழிப்பு துறைக்கு வியாபாரிகள் புகார் தெரிவிக்கலாம்.
நாகை நகராட்சி உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் அன்பழகன் விடுத்துள்ள செய்திக்குறிப்பில் கூறியிருப்பதாவது:
தீபாவளி திருவிழாவை முன்னிட்டு இனிப்பு, காரம் உள்ளிட்ட பலகாரங்களை தயாரிப்பதற்காக பொதுமக்கள் அதிகளவில் பொருட்களை வாங்குவதால், உணவு விற்பனை நிலையங்களில் விற்பனை அதிகரித்துள்ளது. பொதுமக்கள் உணவு பொருட்களை வாங்கும்போது, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறையில் உரிமம் பெற்ற கடைகளில் தரமான, தயாரிப்பு தேதி, தயாரிப்பாளர் முகவரி, காலாவதியாகும் தேதி உள்ளிட்ட விவரங்களை பார்த்து வாங்க வேண்டும். இனிப்பு மற்றும் காரம் தயாரித்து விற்பனை செய்வோர், உணவு பாது காப்பு மற்றும் தரச்சட்டம் 2006ல் அனுமதிக்கப்படாத நிறமிகளை பயன்படுத்தக் கூடாது. அனுமதிக்கப் பட்ட, நிறமி களை அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட அளவை விட அதிகமாக பயன்படுத்த கூடாது.
தரமான மூலப்பொருட்களை கொண்டு சுகாதாரமான சூழ்நிலையில்,நோய்த்தொற்று இல்லாத ஊழியர்களை கொண்டு உணவுப்பொருட்களை தயாரிக்க வேண்டும். தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட உணவு பொருட்களை சுகாதாரமான இடத்தில் ஈ உள்ளிட்டவை அணுகாதவண்ணம் பாதுகாப்பான கண்ணாடி பெட்டிக்குள் வைத்து விற்பனை செய்ய வேண்டும். சுத்தமான பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட குடிநீரையே உணவு பொருட்கள் தயாரிக்க பயன்படுத்த வேண்டும். உணவு பாதுகாப்பு சட்ட விதிகளை மீறுவோர் மீது சட்டப்பூர்வமான நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளப்படும்.
நாகை நகராட்சி மற்றும் திருமருகல் வட்டாரத்திற்குட்பட்ட சில உணவு விற்பனை நிலையங்களில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் பெயரை தவறாக பயன்படுத்தியும், உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை என்று சொல்லிக்கொண்டும், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலரிடம் சொல்லி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வைப்பேன் என்று கூறியும் உணவு விற்பனையாளர்களிடம் தீபாவளி பண்டிகையை முன்னிட்டு இனாம், அன்பளிப்பு, லஞ்சம் கேட்பதாக தகவல்கள் வந்துள்ளன. உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் போல் செயல்படுவது உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரச்சட்டம் 2006 மற்றும் விதிகள் 2011ன்படி தண்டனைக்குரிய குற்றமாகும். எனவே உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் பெயரை பயன்படுத்தி யாராவது வசூல் வேட்டையில் ஈடுபட்டால் உடனடியாக நாகை கலெக்டருக்கோ, மாவட்ட கலெக்டரின் முகாம் அருகில் காடம்பாடியில் இயங்கி வரும் லஞ்ச ஒழிப்புத்துறை அலுவலகத்தை 04365 249090 என்ற தொலைபேசி எண்ணுக்கோ உடனடியாக தொடர்பு கொண்டு தகவல் தெரிவிக்க வேண்டும்.
இவ்வாறு நாகை நகராட்சி உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் அன்பழகன் தெரிவித்துள்ளார்.

Dinamalar News

E.coli contamination in food

Chicken biryani is one of those ubiquitous dishes immensely liked by most. The possibility of faecal contamination — human or animal — in your favourite lunch order certainly cannot be a relishable thought.

It thus comes as a shocker that five out of six samples of chicken biryani, collected from across the State and tested by the Food Quality Monitoring Laboratory at Konni, have been found to be contaminated by high levels of E.coli bacteria.

The presence of E.coli in food is a general indication of direct or indirect contamination by faecal matter and a sure-fire indication of the poor hygiene practices of food handlers.

The results of the evaluation of microbial quality of various ready-to-eat foods in Kerala, done by the Konni-based Food Quality Monitoring Lab, was presented at a seminar on Safe Food Business Practices, organised by the Commissionerate of Food Safety here on recently.

The study, carried out between September 2011 and May 2013, evaluated the microbial load in 44 ready-to-eat food items from various food business operators across the State.

Of the 134 samples of food items analysed, 22.38 per cent (30 samples) were found to have the presence of E.coli bacteria above the tolerance limit.

E.coli is an organism which is normally present in the intestinal tract of mammals and is thus a faecal indicator organism. Its presence in ready-to-eat foods – fully cooked or raw edible foods like salads – is an indication of poor hygiene and sanitation or inadequate heat treatment.

The tolerance limit for E.coli is less than 100 cfu/g for raw food and less than 10 cfu/g for cooked food.

Some of the popular food items tested by the lab included green salads (all samples of which were contaminated by E.coli), fish curry, chicken curry, parotta, puffs, pizza, vada, dosa, sambar, chutney, among many other such items.

The samples were purchased from hotels across Kerala, in packets provided by eateries, which were immediately transferred to sterile polythene bags and to insulated chilled boxes and transferred to lab immediately.

The researchers have pointed out that poor sanitation is largely responsible for much of the contamination in food from food handlers.

The levels of hygiene and sanitation inside hotel kitchens is of prime importance because the presence of a toilet near the hotel kitchen poses a serious risk of E.coli contamination in food preparation.

Food handlers need to be made aware of the importance of maintaining personal hygiene as well as hygienic habits.

Independent milk testing lab in State demanded

Following the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) recent survey report revealing that the milk available in the Odisha market is alarmingly adulterated and contaminated and contains detergent, conscious consumers have demanded establishment of an independent milk testing laboratory in the State to check the rate of adulteration in packaged milk.

The FSSAI had conducted the survey on milk adulteration throughout the country to check the contaminants in milk. The report revealed that most of the packaged milk was adulterated and 75 per cent of it contained urea, salt, caustic soda, paint, sugar, detergent, hydrogen-peroxide, glucose, water, starch, skimmed milk powder, etc.

The report stated that packaged milk available in the Odisha market was also alarmingly adulterated and contained detergent and other contaminants.

But it doesn’t appear that the State Government has taken any drastic corrective measures, as a consequence of which adulteration in milk has now increased manifold, consumers point out. 

As per reports, in some instances a lethal chemical like formalin or formal dehyde is now mixed with the milk to enhance its shelf life. This type of adulteration is more in the Puri jurisdiction of the Omfed, it is alleged.

“It needs a thorough investigation to confirm this allegation. Besides the Omfed, there are now two to three private dairy units processing and marketing milk in the State. But to examine any adulteration and regulating a standard in milk, there is no independent testing laboratory. Ironically, each dairy, including the Omfed, tests its milk in its own laboratory.

When allegations are made time and again on rampant adulteration in packaged milk and its harmful effects on health of children, pregnant women and aged persons, why doesn’t the Government take it seriously and set up an independent milk testing laboratory that would operate out of the bounds of these dairies to check contaminants in the milk prepared by them, consumers ask.

State to plug loopholes in norms banning gutka

Minister for Health U.T. Khader has said that the government will explore options to plug loopholes in the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011.

The announcement came a day after the Police and the Health Department officials found that separate sachets of chewing tobacco were being sold after the ban was imposed on sale and consumption of products containing tobacco and nicotine under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. And, gutka addicts had switched over to consuming a concoction of pan masala and chewing tobacco.

A team of officials on Saturday found sachets of pan masala and chewing tobacco being sold separately at a tea stall on Cunnigham Road. The Bangalore Urban District Health Officer, Rajani M., called for an amendment to the regulation banning consumption of gutka.

Section 2.3.4 of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011, prohibits the sale of food items containing tobacco and nicotine. But, the gutka lobby continues to sell chewing tobacco and pan masala separately.

In response, Mr Khader said that the ban is as per a central law. The State government would write to the Central government after exploring legal options, he added.

Meanwhile, vendors who were selling gutka packets and those consuming it pointed out that the imposition of the ban on gutka and pan masala that contain tobacco or nicotine by the State government on May 31 was “meaningless” as consumers were able to make gutka by mixing the two.

For thirty-two-year-old Ranganath (name changed), an auto driver, ban on sale and consumption of gutka did not have much of an impact on him. “The only change is that I do not get to eat tasty gutka like before,” he said even as he mixed chewing tobacco and pan masala packet before consuming it.

For gutka consumers the ban means that they have to buy separate sachets of pan masala and chewing tobacco.

In fact, The Hindu found sachets of pan masala and chewing tobacco of the same brand. “So if we spend Rs. 7, we can buy the two sachets and mix them. But this is not as tasty as gutka. Before the ban, I was consuming gutka five times a day, now I eat it only two times a day,” he added.

At one of the stalls in Koramangala, the vendor was selling sachets of tobacco and pan masala of different brands, and he admitted that gutka consumers were buying them.

“Youngsters, workers and people of all age groups throng these stalls and easily purchase tobacco at any given point of time. Buyers easily create their version of gutka by mixing the pan masala and chewing tobacco.” said a vendor in Koramangala seeking anonymity.

Food safety norms to come into force in six cantt areas

PUNE: Food safety norms will now be implemented in six cantonment areas in Maharashtra including three in Pune and one each in Nashik, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad that come under the Union government's jurisdiction. State government officials have been asked to oversee the work in these areas.
The issue of implementing authority in six cantonment areas in Maharashtra for enforcing food safety norms has finally been resolved.
State officials have been asked to oversee the work in three cantonment areas in Pune and one each in Nashik, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad that come under the union government's jurisdiction.
Though standards and guidelines set for food items under the 'Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules and Regulations 2011,' were implemented two years ago, they were not enforced in the state's cantonment areas due to the absence of an authority. The Act had replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954 from August 5, 2011.
Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), Food and Drug Administraiton, Pune said, "The state FDA had brought up the issue with the Central Advisory Committee of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in the past. However, no decision was made on notifying either central or state officials to regulate food businesses in cantonment areas as per the Act. The issue has been resolved now."
In the absence of an implementing authority, registration and licensing of food business operators in cantonment areas have not been done, so far.
"We have notified our officials to oversee the implementation of the Act in cantonment areas that fall in their division. The respective divisional heads were notified on October 8. The registrations and licencing of food business operators in cantonment areas, which could not take place in the last two years, has started in full swing now," said a top official from state FDA.
A Pune Cantonment Board official admitted that the provision of the new food act has not come into force in cantonment areas. "Even the ban on gutka has not been implemented despite its rampant sale here. As far as food business regulation is concerned, we have a well-designed system in place to ensure that food items and food handlers conform to standards of hygiene and safety," he said.
As per conservative estimates, there are around 15 lakh food business operators in Maharashtra. FDA has issued licences to 3.9 lakh food business operators in the state and incurred revenue of Rs 34 crore. Maharashtra is the first state in the country that has carried out licencing work of this proportion so far.
"We have intensified the drive of registering and licensing food business operators in the three cantonment areas in Pune," said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
Delay in enforcement
* Food safety norms were not enforced due to ambiguity over implementing authority. Since cantonment areas come under the Central government jurisdiction, state officials were not empowered to do so without clear instructions
* The designated officer for central licensing had not notified any of their officials to oversee the implementation of the Act in cantonment areas. State officials were also not given directives. Despite being a central Act, food safety norms under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 could not be enforced in the state's cantonment areas
Cantonment areas
* Pune has three cantonment areas - Pune, Dehu and Khadki
* Deolali cantonment in Nashik
* Bhingar cantonment in Ahmednagar
* Aurangabad cantonment
* FDA officials in Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad have been notified to implement the food safety norms in these areas

Live rat pups in dry chilli packet

Packed and sealed:The chilli packet with the rat pups.

Live rat pups have been found in a sealed packet of dry chillies a man bought from a supermarket at Pallimukku in the city.

The man, who claimed buying it on Thursday, found the pups on Friday when he heard squeaks from inside the packet.

Following a written complaint from him, the Chief Food Safety Officer at Kollam, A.K. Mini, has written to the State Food Safety Commissioner seeking permission to initiate prosecution proceedings against the supermarket authorities. Ms. Mini has also ordered the closure of the super market’s packing centre following an inspection there.

The customer says the packet has not been opened and has been handed over to the Food Safety authorities. The pups can be seen through the plastic packet. But the supermarket authorities say that the claim of the man is hard to believe.

The label on the packet shows that it was packed on October 15. The man had purchased it on October 17 and noticed the pups on October 18. The supermarket authorities say it is simply not possible for the pups to be alive in an airtight packet for four days and that too without being fed.

They allege mischief behind it. The supermarket with several branches is the one that had earned a reputation in the city over the years, they add.

Campaign on food safety

The Food Safety Wing will begin a campaign in the district to educate food vendors with an aim to protect the health of consumers.

This includes use of butter paper in bakeries and plain white paper plates in tea and coffee shops instead of using newspapers for serving ‘vada’ and ‘bajis’. The newspapers absorb oil that would lead to poisoning. Food items kept in roadside and eateries should be kept in closed glass panel so that they are not exposed to dust.

Also, use of non-permitted colours and reuse of cooking oil that pose health hazards should be stopped. Carrying of food, including tea, in plastic bags should be stopped as it would lead to cancer and heart diseases. Instead, vendors should use high density polyethylene bags. The Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department would carry out a campaign among vendors.

FSSAI sets Feb 4, 2014, as final deadline for registration & licensing

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has set the final deadline as February 4, 2014, for the food business operators to register and obtain licenses under Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.
There will be no further extension to FBOs operating in the country to comply with the rules. “The advisory regarding extension till Feb 4 next year is now being legalised. The FBOs, new and old, have to get licence and register by Feb 4, 2014, otherwise they would get penalised,” said P Karthikeyan, assistant director, FSSAI.
He said that there shall be no extension as much time had been given to the FBOs to either obtain licence or register themselves. The first deadline was August 4, 2012, that is one year after the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. This was extended by six months to Feb 4, 2013, and then again extended further to Feb 4, 2014.  
According to the new draft under the Sub-Regulations of 2.1.2 related to licence for food business, it proposes two changes in Clause I wherein the term “within one year” in first proviso, is changed with “thirty months” and in second proviso the word “otherwise” is changed with “the new FBOs who started food business after 5th August 2011.”
The present regulations under 2.1.2 were as follows; no person shall commence any food business unless he possesses a valid licence -
Provided that any person or Food Business Operator carrying on food business on the date of notification of these regulations, under a licence, registration or permission, as the case may be, under the Acts or Orders mentioned in the Second Schedule of the Act shall get their existing licence converted into the licence/registration under these regulations by making an application to the Licensing/Registering Authority after complying with the safety requirements mentioned in the Schedule 4 contained under different parts dependent on nature of business, “within one year” of notification of these regulations. In case of difficulty, the licensing authority with the approval of the food safety commissioner in the state will determine the advisability of applying any specific condition keeping in view the need to ensure safety of food and public interest. No licence fee will have to be paid for the remaining period of the validity of the earlier licence or registration granted under any of the said Acts or Orders.
Non-compliance with this provision by a Food Business Operator will attract penalty under Section 55 of the Act.
The second part of the Clause I says -Provided further that any food business operator holding Registration/License under any other Act/Order as specified under Schedule 2 of the FSS Act, 2006, with no specific validity or expiry date, and “otherwise” entitled to obtain a licence under these regulations, shall have to apply and obtain a Registration/Licence under these regulations “within one year” from the date of notification by paying the applicable fees.
Further the regulations also propose to omit Clause 4 that defines the late fees for delay in applying for renewal under Sections 2.1.7 of the regulations, which defines Validity and Renewal of Registration and License. That means no late fees of Rs 100 each day after delay, if any FBO does not applied within 30 days before the expiry date.
When contacted K G Burman, food safety commissioner, Delhi, said that FSSAI on its part did come up with the regulations as and when required.
He stated, “The FBOs however needs to get licence and registrations well within the stipulated time.”

Honey, these popular brands are contaminated with antibiotics

In what may be a case of adopting double standard, India allows export of top quality, pure honey to US and Europe, but turn a blind eye to sale of antibiotic-laden honey in the domestic market.

A survey of 12 popular honey brands including two imported products available in the Indian market shows almost all of them contain high levels of antibiotics, used by the beekeeping industry to control and prevent outbreak of diseases in apiaries.
Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment analysed 10 Indian honey brands – Dabur, Himalaya, Patanjali, Khadi, Himflora, Mehsons, Baidyanath, Gold, Hitkari and Umang. Also two foreign products Australian product Capilano and Swiss Nectaflor were checked.
Barring one, all other honey brands were found to be contaminated with multiple antibiotics and regular consumption may contribute to the evolution of drug-resistant superbugs.
But when it comes to the million dollar export market, regulators at the Export Inspection Council (EIC) and Agriculture product Export Development Authority (APEDA) under the Union commerce ministry ensure that honeys for export market adhere to the highest quality norms. But the authorities allow sale of contaminated honey in the domestic market.

“They diligently check the products and monitors the standard for export products. But there is no check on the products available in the domestic market,” said Sunita Narain, director of Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment which carried out the survey.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India failed to do anything in the last four years even though the government was aware of the problem since the last five years, she said.
Moreover, nobody knows what happened to the export-rejected products. Though there was no word on it from the government or the industry, it was likely that those contaminated products might be coming back to domestic market after relabeling, said Chandra Bhushan, deputy director of CSE.
India has three standards on honey, each defining it as a “natural product”. But there were no standards for antibiotic or any other contaminants in honey, he said. Besides diseases control, antibiotics are used as a growth promoter too.
“Barring Hitkari, all other branded products are contaminated by high levels of multiple antibiotics. It is bad for health but there is no regulation for the domestic market,” said Narain.
Chronic exposure to antibiotics in small doses can lead to antibiotic-resistance and superbugs, which is increasingly becoming a public health worry. As many as six antibiotics were found and contamination level was maximum with oxytetracycline and enrofloxacin.

Despite ban, sale of tobacco continues in city

Minister for Health U.T. Khader, City Police Commissioner of Police Raghavendra H. Auradkar along with health and police officials at a shop selling tobacco products during an awareness drive in Bangalore on Saturday.

Loophole in regulations being exploited by companies: health officer

Urban District Health Officer Rajani M. has called for an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. This in the light of the fact that though the government has banned the sale of gutka and pan masala that contain tobacco or nicotine on May 31, companies are subverting the ban by selling sachets of tobacco separately.

According to her, the gutka industry was exploiting a loophole in the law and selling tobacco leaves separately.

Explaining the loophole, she said that the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011, prohibits the sale of food items containing tobacco and nicotine. “But loose tobacco is being sold to people who are later mixing them with other products. Since the law prohibits the sale of gutka with other food items, the industry lobby is contending that loose tobacco can be sold. There is a need to amend the regulations so that tobacco is not sold in separate sachets,” she said here on Saturday during the drive to weed out illegal advertisements pertaining to tobacco products.

Health Minister U.T. Khader, City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar and Additional Police Commissioner Kamal Panth inspected four tea shops on Infantry Road and its surroundings as a part of the drive to get illegal advertisements removed from shops selling cigarettes and pan masala. Mr. Khader directed the shopkeepers to display pictorial warnings of the consequences of consuming tobacco and its products.

Section 5 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) places restrictions on the advertisement of cigarettes or any other tobacco product and also makes it mandatory for a health warning to be placed in each of the stalls.

“Several youngsters consume tobacco that has dangerous health hazards. There is a need for vendors to place boards that convey the message that consuming tobacco is harmful to health so that youngsters will at least think twice before falling prey to it.”

At one of the stalls on Cunnigham Road, a vendor was selling Super Zerda, a tobacco product and there was no clear pictorial statutory warning on the sachets and the Minister directed officials to initiate action against the company.

And, the Health Minister collected six pan masala sachets and directed the officials to get them checked in laboratories to find whether they contained tobacco.

To a query, Mr. Khader said, “After the ban, sale of gutka has reduced significantly.”

He added that similar drives against the sale of tobacco products would be carried out in all districts.

JMC inspects milk vends in city

Jammu, October 19
Continuing its drive against adulteration of milk in view of the forthcoming festival season, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) today inspected about 2,000 litres of milk.
A team of food safety officers under the supervision of Dr Vinod Sharma, health officer, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), inspected prominent sweet and milk shops in Sanjay Nagar, Digiana, Nanak Nagar, Talab Tillo, Canal Road, Mast Garh, Pacca Danga, Kachi Chowni and Kucha Sabzi Mandi area.
The Municipal Corporation has asked all food establishment owners to ensure proper food supply to the general public and maintain standard of hygienic conditions on their premises, failing which strict action would be taken against them under law.
The general public is requested to cooperate with the Jammu Municipal Corporation and share information regarding poor quality of food products, if any. On October 5, a team of the JMC was attacked by milk suppliers who were in possession of the adulterated milk.
A finding by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has found that 83 per cent of milk sold in districts of the state is not safe for consumption.

Food poisoning: Health officer gives nod to legal action against restaurant

Mohali, October 19
The district health officer (DHO), Mohali, has allowed the food safety officer to initiate legal action against the management of Barbeque Nation, Phase V, which offered food that was “unfit for human consumption”.
The Mohali DHO, Dr Gursharan Singh, said the step was taken after getting the report of food samples collected from the restaurant.
“Artificial colours and a strand of hair were found in the samples. The required sanction to launch a court case against the management was given to the FSO, Rajdeep Kaur,” he said.
The Mohali police has also registered a case against the owner and staff of the restaurant on the charges of causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others (Section 337 of the IPC), professional misconduct (Section 338) and sale of noxious food and drink (Sections 272 and 273) at the Phase I police station.
The case was registered on the complaint of a customer, Abhishek Tandon, who was celebrating his birthday at the restaurant on September 26. In all, around 22 persons, including three women and five children, were taken ill while having the dinner.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Dinamalar & Dinamani News

ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ தரச்சான்று இல்லாத 3 தண்ணீர் கேன் நிறுவனங்களை பூட்டி ‘சீல்’ வைப்பு

வண்டலூர், அக்.19-காஞ்சீபுரம் மாவட்டம் கூடுவாஞ்சேரி அருகே உள்ள மூலக்கழினி, மண்ணிவாக்கம் மற்றும் நெடுங்குன்றம் ஆகிய 3 இடங்களில் பசுமை தீர்ப்பாயத்தின் உத்தரவுப்படி ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ. தரச்சான்று, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் மருந்து நிர்வாக துறையின் உரிமம் இல்லாமல் தண்ணீர் கேன் நிறுவனங்கள் செயல்படுவதாக புகார்கள் வந்தன.இதையடுத்து மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் நேற்று காலை அந்த 3 நிறுவனங்களுக்கும் நேரில் சென்று ஆய்வு செய்தனர். அப்போது அந்த நிறுவனங்கள், ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ. தரச்சான்று மற்றும் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் மருந்து நிர்வாக துறையின் உரிமம் இன்றி செயல்பட்டது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. எனவே அந்த 3 தண்ணீர் கேன் நிறுவனங்களையும் பூட்டி அதிகாரிகள் சீல் வைத்தனர்.“இதேபோல் ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ. தரச்சான்று இல்லாமல் செயல்படும் தண்ணீர் கேன் நிறுவனங்கள் மீது கடுமையான நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்” என்று உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்து உள்ளனர்.

3 குடிநீர் கம்பெனிக்கு சீல்

கூடுவாஞ்சேரி, அக்.19:கூடுவாஞ்சேரி,

வண்டலூர், மண்ணிவாக்கம், காயரம்பேடு, பெருமாட்டு நல்லூர் உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு பகுதியில் குடிநீர் கம்பெனிகள் உள்ளன.

இங்கு தரமற்ற முறையில் தண்ணீர் விற்பதாக மாவட்ட நிர்வாகத்துக்கு புகார் வந்தது. அதில் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க உத்தரவிடப்பட்டது.

அதன் பேரில் காஞ்சிபுரம் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அலுவலர்கள் ரவீந்திரநாத், சுகுமாறன், தேவபாலன், ஜோசப் பெர்னாண்டஸ் ஆகியோர் கொண்ட குழுவினர் நேற்று நெடுங்குன்றம், மண்ணிவாக்கம், மூலக்கழனியில் உள்ள கேன் வாட்டர் கம்பெனிகளில் திடீர் சோதனை நடத்தினர். அந்த 3 கம்பெனிக்கும் சீல் வைத்தனர்.

CMO Mkg informs FBOs

In view of the directive by the commissioner of food safety to all the food business operators (FBOs) to obtain/convert the license under 2nd schedule of Food Safety & Standard Act, 2006 (FSSA) to Food Safety License/Registration on or before September 30, 2013, the chief medical officer (CMO) Mokokchung has informed all the  food business operators  under Mokokchung district to obtain the FSSA license/registration on or before November 30 from the chief medical officer Mokokchung.
CMO Mokokchung has cautioned anyone failing to obtain license/registration would be penalized under the Section 63 of Food Safety & Standard Act, 2006.

Beware! Sweets may be adulterated

Food safety officials pick up sweet samples from a mithai shop in the city on Thursday.

Chennai: Come Deepavali and its time for laddoos and jelebis in most homes. But a sweet treat may send you to the doctor if you are not careful.

Food safety officials, who are keeping a strict watch on the quality of sweets and savouries being prepared for Deepavali at various foodstalls in the city, warn that adulterants and poor quality oil are often used to cut down costs.

On Thursday some of the 25 officials conducting raids on sweet stalls, took six samples of wheat halwa, badhusha and milk sweets from shops in Aminjikarai and inspected their manufacturing units on a complaint from an insurance agent, G. Marimuthu, who clai­med the sweets he bought from a shop, Parvathi Bhavan in Aminjikarai on the occasion of Ayudha pooja had made his friends sick. 

Food safety official Lakshmi Naryanan says that based on the agent’s complaint, samples of sweets were taken from the shop for testing.

“ We have also asked our officials to inspect other sweet stalls which have started Deepavali sales,” he added, revealing that the department intended to circulate handbills among the public to create awareness about possible adulteration of sweets.

“Consumers need to be alert when buying sweets as many shops use poor quality oil or vanaspati to prepare the so-called ghee sweets. The shelf life of these sweets is very little,” he warned, explaining that that several harmful colouring agents were also sometimes used to prepare the sweets. 

Food safety officials who receive complaints on the helpline, 9842156266, have conducted some 15 inspections every month this year, seizing among other things, huge quantities of  adulterants of tea dust and substandard water packets.

சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில், தீபாவளி பண்டிகையொட்டி உரிமம் இல்லாமல் இனிப்பு, காரம் விற்றால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி எச்சரிக்கை

சேலம்,

தீபாவளி பண்டிகையொட்டி சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில், உரிமம் இல்லாமல் இனிப்பு, காரம் விற்றால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்று உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார்.

தீபாவளி பண்டிகை

இதுகுறித்து உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா கூறியதாவது:–

தீபாவளி பண்டிகை மற்றும் இதர பண்டிகை நாட்களில் சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் அனைத்து பகுதிகளிலும் பலகார சீட்டுகள் என்று நடத்தி மக்களிடம் இருந்து குறிப்பிட்ட தொகையை வசூல் செய்யப்படும்.

பின்னர் அவர்களுக்கு இனிப்பு, கார வகைகள் செய்து விநியோகம் செய்யப்படுவது வழக்கம். இந்த இனிப்பு, கார வகைகளை வீட்டிலோ அல்லது திருமண மண்டபத்திலோ வைத்து மொத்தமாக தயார் செய்து கொடுக்கின்றனர்.

நடவடிக்கை

அப்படி செய்யப்படும் பண்டங்கள் தரமானதாகவும், கலப்படம் இல்லாததாகவும் இருக்க வேண்டும். மேலும் வண்ணங்கள் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்ட அளவுக்கு மேல் இருக்க கூடாது. எல்லாவற்றுக்கும் மேலாக பண்டிகை காலங்களில் பலகாரம் செய்பவர்கள் கண்டிப்பாக உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறையில் வழங்கப்படும் உரிமம் மற்றும் பதிவு சான்றிதழ் அவசியம் பெற வேண்டும்.

உரிமம் இல்லாமல் பண்டிகை கால இனிப்பு, கார வகைகள் தயார் செய்தால் அவர்கள் மீது உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரங்கள் சட்டம் 2006–ன் படி சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளப்படும். இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.

A glass of water for Re. 1

When the demand for protected drinking water is high in the city, a tea shop near Vennangudi Muniyappan Temple on Salem — Bangalore National Highway is selling a glass of water for Re. 1.

The shopkeeper has been doing so for the last two years. He said that there was huge demand for drinking water in the area as devotees throng the temple regularly.

But officials of Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that according to The Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, a packed drinking water cannot be sold in retail as only sachets are allowed.

T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Food Safety and Drug Administrative Department told The Hindu that drinking water was allowed to be sold in sachets and should not be sold in retail.

She said that facility would be dismantled and the shop keeper would be warned of the consequences.

Food safety officials to charge-sheet Coimbatore private hospital

COIMBATORE: The food safety and drug administration department (Coimbatore) has decided to initiate action and start procedures for filing a charge sheet against a multi speciality private hospital here in the city after the sample of a health supplement sold by its pharmacy to a resident was confirmed to be unwholesome and not fit for human consumption. The confirmation report was sent from the Referral Lab of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) in Kolkata where the sample was sent for a detailed analysis to confirm the report issued by the government approved laboratory in Chennai.
"We received the lab report on Tuesday and it has confirmed the findings of the previous report in which the product was found to be unsafe and not fit for human consumption. We are now proceeding to file a charge-sheet against the hospital and the manufacturers of the product," said R Kathiravan, Designated Officer(DO), Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (Coimbatore).
The sample lifted and submitted to the department was sent to Kolkata for final analysis after a sample of the health supplement Slim and Trim, for ensuring weight loss was purchased by D Kumar, a city based resident from the Kovai Medical Centre and Hospital pharmacy. The supplement was prescribed to his wife Kasthuri by Dr Tamilselvi Periyasamy, a doctor at the hospital who coincidentally is also the registered owner of the Slim and Trim diet supplement manufacturing unit.
"We will be initiating proceedings against KMCH pharmacy and also the Slim and Trim product manufacturers for making and selling an unsafe and misbranded product to the public," Kathiravan added.
The sample was sent for testing at the Kolkata laboratory on July 30. Meanwhile, a PIL has been filed at the Madras HC by Kasthuri against the private hospital, doctor and food safety and drug administration officials. Department officials claimed that they were asked to respond on October 3 and have already filed a counter before the high court.

Raids begin on Chennai sweet shops

  

Food safety officers took various samples of sweets for testing.

Ahead of Deepavali, the food safety and drug administration department on Thursday began raids on outlets selling sweets.

A number of samples were taken for testing of shelf life, use of colouring agents, quality and for growth of micro-organisms such as E. Coli, coliform, salmonella, clostridium, yeast and mould count.

More than 1,000 shops in the city are likely to be screened for unhygienic conditions this month, and improvement notices will be issued to shops that function in unsanitary conditions, department officials said.

Starting Friday, all shops selling sweets for Deepavali will be given instructions on food safety and hygiene by food safety officers. At least seven per cent of the 22,000 food business operators in Chennai district sell sweets, an official said

“Most packed sweets sold by food business operators do not have a date of manufacturing. We intend to create awareness about this and other aspects over the weekend,” said Lakshmi Narayanan, designated officer for the district.

Consumers often face problems with the sweets they buy, but many of these cases go unreported. Residents must report cases of unhygienic or unsafe products to the department, he said.

G. Marimuthu, a consultant with the National Insurance Company, who reported a case of food poisoning to the Chennai Corporation, said he suffered from vomiting after eating some sweets at his office.

“Initially, I did not know that my illness had been caused by the sweets. After others at my workplace shared similar experiences after eating those sweets, I lodged a complaint with the Corporation. They directed us to inform the food safety department. The department assured us that they would test the sweets and take action,” said Mr. Marimuthu.

“People should be careful when they buy milk sweets. The high protein and fat content in them facilitates the growth of mould and yeast. This causes throat infections, diarrhoea and fever,” said a food analyst. “We allow a total plate count agar of 1,500 per gram. People who have low immunity levels are usually affected when they eat sweets that have a higher count,” he said.

Are you consuming adulterated paneer, sweets?

PATNA: Kaju roll, kaju barfi, kalakand, paneer cutlet, paneer chilly, shahi paneer.....the list is long. They all look so attractive and taste even better, but they are not always the healthiest as khoya and paneer, the two basic ingredients used to prepare them, are often found adulterated.
With Diwali a fortnight away, the food safety wing of the health department is conducting raids as and when needed to check adulteration. Ashish Kumar Singh, designated officer, headquarters, food and safety wing, said, "We embarked on sample collection drive of khoya and paneer. Many posh hotels and big sweetmeat shops were found selling adulterated paneer (cottage cheese), which contains corn starch in place of milk extract. Sometimes, harmful chemicals and urea are mixed in it. Most of the shopowners purchase paneer at Rs 40 to Rs 50 a kg and sell it anything between Rs 250 to Rs 300 per kg. Any paneer dish is sold for over Rs100 a plate and customers are only consuming substandard product after paying such a heavy price. It is always advisable to consume branded paneer."
It is indeed easy to check adulteration in paneer. All one needs to do is to put a drop or two of iodine solution on raw paneer and if it changes colour to blue-black, it is adulterated and full of starch.
"Though starch is not directly harmful, but often adulterated products lead to food poisoning, stomach aches and allergies as they also contain hazardous chemicals. Hence, milk products must be avoided in festive seasons," said physician Dr Ajay Kumar.
"Collecting food samples two or three days before Diwali will not prevent people from consuming adulterated food as laboratory test reports of the sample collected comes after 15 or 20 days, when the festival will be long over. So, we are already on the job," said health department sources.
However, a health department official on the condition of anonymity said, "This happens every year and it is indeed difficult to check this menace. Often laboratory reports come only when adulterated items are already consumed during festivals."
"Once we start collecting food samples, shopowners become wary and stop selling adulterated items immediately as they know that if they are caught selling the same an FIR will be lodged against them and they may go behind bars. Last year, many shopowners, who were caught selling adulterated food items after laboratory test, were booked," said Singh.
"The ingredients including permitted food colour, refined flour (maida), khoya, paneer and spices are also tested. The idea is to find whether any chemical contamination or bacterial contamination has occurred in the food or not," he said.

Claims fall flat for Trivandrum's 'organic' products

Study finds high levels of pesticide residue in vegetables sold as organic in the city

“Organically grown” is the watchword these days. The scare created by the high levels of pesticides in vegetables available in the market has people scampering to buy anything with the ‘organic’ label. Unfortunately, in many instances, the label ‘organic’ might not even worth the paper on which it is printed.

A sample study of the ‘organic’ vegetables collected from a few shops selling organically grown produce in the city, by the Pesticide Residue Research and Analytical Lab of the College of Agriculture, Vellayani, has found many ‘organic’ vegetables are as contaminated with pesticide residues as the ones in the general market.

The latest findings from samples collected in August-September were revealed at a seminar on Safe Food Business Practices organised by the Commissionerate of Food Safety here on Wednesday.

“We had identified 14 items of vegetables in the general market as heavily contaminated. Some – curry leaves, mint and coriander leaves, green chilli, okra (lady’s finger), capsicum, carrots, snake gourd – with the organic label were found to be contaminated with the same pesticides, indicating that these are also probably sourced from the same producer or agent,” says Thomas Biju Mathew, professor, KAU, who has taken up the periodical analysis of vegetable sample as part of a project funded by the Agriculture Department.

The pesticide contaminants found in the ‘organic’ vegetables were Profenaphos and Bifethrin, for both of which, no maximum residue limit (MRL) has been fixed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Hence the samples were compared with the MRL fixed by the European Union for these pesticides.

Dr. Mathew said there was no point in blaming shopkeepers because there was no sure-fire way of identifying pure organically grown vegetables. It was difficult and not viable for farmers to produce vegetables for mass consumption without using pesticides at all. Creating more awareness among farmers on the judicious use of pesticides and giving adequate withdrawal period for pesticide residues to vanish before harvesting the produce might be the only practical solutions.

Case of cardamom

Thomas George, Associate Professor, KAU, in his presentation on pesticide residues said that cardamom was one of the most highly contaminated produce in the State. Every farmer seemed to use at least at least four pesticides for the crop. The levels of pesticide residues in cardamom had been going up in recent years and in some samples tested by KAU, a cocktail of residues of 12 pesticides had been found. Quinalphos, belonging to the organophosphates group, was the biggest contaminant in cardamom, followed by profenophos, methyl parathion and triazophos.

However, almost 80 per cent of the pesticide residues in cardamom were limited to the outer pod of the spice. Using just the seeds was a safer option. The seminar discussed the safety of meat and dairy products, trans fat content in bakery goods, and the microbial quality of various ready-to-eat food items in the market.

Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar inaugurated the seminar. Commissioner of Food Safety Biju Prabhakar; Joint Commissioner K. Anilkumar; and Mayor K. Chandrika spoke.

Tobacco products seized

Imphal, October 17 2013: A combined team of City Police and commando bazar unit seized several tobacco products like Khaini, Talab, Zarda and Gutkha worth around Rs 4.91 lakh from Masjid Road yesterday.
The tobacco products seized from nine dealers/shopkeepers were produced before reporters at City Police today before they were handed over to relevant CMO/Food Security Officer.
One police officer said that the tobacco products were seized under the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006