ILLEGAL EATERIES EVERYWHERE!

Most of the road side eateries across Pimple Saudagar are illegal and operate without permission from Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). It seems that residents are not bothered about the hygiene of the food items served at such eateries.

Most of the road side eateries across Pimple Saudagar are being run without having registered with Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) owing to their lack of awareness and lethargic attitude of FDA officials to spread the word. Though FDA officials should have registered all the vendors selling food items to legalize the stalls and bring them under the purview of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. They have not carried a single round of inspection across the area in recent past. 

Indifferent attitude of residents who are not bothered about illegality of stalls and hygiene have been helping illegal businesses to flourish. These stall owners do not maintain FDA prescribed hygiene standards. Alert citizens demand FDA officials to begin a drive to register food vendors to avoid any untoward instances of food poisoning.

Vendors not aware

More than 35 road side food outlets selling chat, juice, south Indian food, Maharashtrian food, snacks and fast food run business in the morning and evening hours. Most of the vendors are clubbed at Kunal Icon road, mainly at Shivar Chowk and near the entrance of Kunal Icon Cooperative Society. 

It is compulsory for any food outlet owner to register with FDA and get a certificate which requires Rs 100 fee per year. They also need to put a copy of FDA registration on display at their stall. But not a single food stall at Kunal Icon Road has such certification on display. While remaining stall owners are not aware of registration process.

Formation of FDA

FDA came into existence in 2011, as a separate department to issue registration or license to shops or stalls selling food items like snacks, fruits vegetables, dairy products, provision stores, restaurants and drinks. Registrations are given to those with income less than Rs 12 lakh per month while licenses are for the ones with income more than Rs 12 lakh.

Pimple Saudagar, Pimple Gurav, Pimple Nilakh, Kalewadi, and Rahatani is one zone out of eight across PCMC limits for FDA. There are only 1444 registered eateries in the area. It is compulsory for a food safety inspector to go for an inspection to all stalls and vendors in his area at least once in a year. The fact that a couple of stall owners proudly share the information that how they have been running business successfully for more than six years without disturbance from FDA prove that no single inspection has been carried till now.

“We are overburdened with work. A food safety inspector has to issue license and registrations, carry out inspections, and send food items to laboratory to check hygiene level. We have not carried inspection,” said Avinash Bhandwalkar, food safety inspector, PCMC.

Manoj Lonkar, administration officer, D Ward PCMC expresses inability to take action against vendors under anti encroachment drive on the back ground of the Street Vendors Act, 2014, that regulate street vendors in public areas and protect their rights. 

Satrughna Kate, local corporator said that the corporation was in process to finalize an area for hawker’s zone where stalls could be put up legally but he didn’t explain when it would be done. Both FDA officials and corporators agreed that there is need to get street food vendors registered and promised that it would be done soon.

Stalls operating without permission 

Shivar Chowk

Happy Singh Food Express Ice-cream

Shree Ganesh Milk and Juice

Shreyash Kathi Roll Momos

Supreme Sandwich Centre

Dakshin Davangiri Dosa

Kartik Pan Centre

Two South Indian food centre

Vadapav and Pohe Centre

Near Kunal Icon Society

Kalpana Bhel centre

Chaitanya Dosa Centre

S V Pav Bhaji

Bhairavnath Pavbhaji

Krishna Kachi Dabeli

Shri Krishna Bhel

Traffic Jam fast food centre

"FDA officials are in the process of registering all food vendors either on the spot or through official process. We will register vendors across Pimple Saudagar soon.

S P Shinde, joint commissioner, PCMC area, FDA"

" If the stalls are removed from here then we will have to travel to explore new food stalls.

Santosh Maskar, Roseland Residency."

--Varsha Torgalkar

Every eatery needs a hygiene licence from now on

Cooks will need a health card

Henceforth, cooks will have to get health cards to prove that they do not have communicable diseases. In an effort to ensure safe and standard food served to people in eateries and hotels, the state government has made it mandatory for chefs to obtain 'health cards' proving they are free from ailments. Besides, every commercial establishment and vendor associated with cooking and serving of food must obtain 'hygiene licence' from the local administration. 

These decisions are as part of state government's effort to implement the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act 2006 passed by the Centre. It is to be implemented all across the country. 

Following a meeting with top officials of the health department and food inspectors on Friday, Minister for Health and Family Welfare U T Khader said all hotels ranging from roadside mobile canteens to star hotels must have these licences. 

"We have directed that all chefs must possess health cards issued by district medical officer valid for a year. They will be screened for all kinds of communicable diseases. If chefs do not possess valid cards when the officials raid, the employer will be penalised for the lapse," Khader explained. 

Yuvna Damani of Spoonful of Sugar said, "It is a very important move. I make sure that all my staff gets their health checked every year." 

Ramasamy Salvaraju, executive chef at Taj Vivanta says, "This is a good idea for small hotels, which may not have hygiene practices. In our hotel, all chefs undergo health check-up prior to being inducted. Every year, there is an intensive medical test that we need to go through including sugar, lipid profile and communicable diseases." 

The government has directed that all establishments with an annual turnover of up to Rs 12 lakh to pay Rs 100 and obtain hygiene licences from district food safety officer and those with a turnover of Rs 12 lakh to Rs 30 crore to pay Rs 2,000 for the licences. 

All chefs and helpers at kitchen and serving lounges must wear aprons, hand gloves and caps. Any violations under the Act would incur a fine between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 10 lakh besides a jail term ranging from six months to seven years.

Health card a must for hotel kitchen staff

This is to prevent the spread of communicable diseases

To prevent the spread of communicable diseases, the State Health Department has made it mandatory for all cooks and other kitchen staff in hotels and eateries to undergo a medical check-up and obtain a health card.

Announcing this on Friday, Health and Family Welfare Minister U.T. Khader said the department had geared up to enforce the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. The health card system was part of the enforcement, he said.

Employers should arrange for the medical check-up of their kitchen staff and ensure that they obtain a health card, failing which they would be liable for punishment, he said. “Most customers are not aware whether the kitchen staff, who prepare food, are healthy or suffering from any disease. Compulsory medical examination for kitchen staff will help curb the spread of diseases from hotels. The cards should be renewed every year,” the Minister said.

Admitting that shortage of food safety inspectors was a major hitch in enforcing the Food Safety and Standards Act, the Minister said of the 300 sanctioned posts, the department had only 177 staff. The recruitment process of more inspectors is on, he said.

An intensive awareness campaign would be launched across the State soon to highlight the features of the Act, he said. He said as per the provisions of the Act, all those involved in the food business (manufacturing to marketing) should compulsorily register with the department and obtain a licence. “All those involved in the manufacture of food items, storage, distribution, sale and import will be covered under the Act. The licences can be obtained from the district and State-level food safety officials,” he said.

Admitting that the State government is still ill-equipped to enforce the Act, the Minister said the required machinery would be put in place by August. Of nearly three lakh establishments in the food business across the State, only 1,01,687 have licences. Replying to queries, he said there are five food-testing laboratories in the State, apart from six private authorised labs in Bangalore.

3,520 kg carbide-ripened mangoes destroyed

After carrying out several health raids this week, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) conducted a major one on Thursday to target carbide-ripened mangoes. In all, AMC destroyed 3,520 kgs of mangoes and 236 litres of mango juice.

While recent health raids were conducted specifically in Maninagar and nearby areas, the one on Thursday was carried out in the entire city. The health department’s sanitary staff visited several areas of the city in different teams, in order to check on vendors offering carbide-ripened mangoes and the quality of mango juice being sold in the market.

During the checking, the staff found many vendors placing carbide packets in mango cartons to artificially ripen the mangoes. “In all, the staff served 208 notices and charged an administrative charge of Rs68,450 from the vendors. Also, we have seized 25 kgs of carbide powder from them,” said Dr Bhavin Solanki, in-charge medical health officer of AMC.

Not only mangoes, but the department is also trying to prevent food poisoning in the city by rigorously checking the quality of food products. The health flying squad of AMC carried out a health raid on different juice selling points and collected samples to check if the product is as per the Food Safety and Standards Act requirements.

Govt Plans to Strictly Enforce Food Safety Act: Khader

To prevent food adulteration and ensure supply of quality food, the government on Friday decided to strictly enforce the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations Act 2006.

Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader told reporters that the government is taking all measures to enforce the Act, including appointment of food safety commissioners and inspectors across the state.

He said a large-scale awareness campaign would be launched to highlight the features of the Act.

With this decision, it would become mandatory for individuals and organisations in the food business to register with the food safety authorities, he said.

“Henceforth all those involved in the production of food items, storage, distribution, sale and import will be brought under the Act to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption,” he said.

Stating that the department is setting up an enforcement machinery, he said 300 posts of food inspectors have been sanctioned and district and state-level authorities are being set up to issue licences and monitor operations.

He admitted that the state government is still ill-equipped to enforce the legislation, but expressed confidence that all the necessary apparatus would be in place by August.

Mandatory Health Cards

Outlining the salient features of the Act, he said all those involved in the preparation of food items will have to get health cards and display it.

Employers would be held responsible if their cooks and chefs are found without health cards, he said. So far, around 1,01,687 establishments have been registered, and another two lakh would register by August. Facilities have been made for online registration, he said.

He said there are five food-testing laboratories in the state, including two in Bangalore, and one each in Gulbarga, Mysore and Mangalore. The Centre has also certified six laboratories in the private sector in the state. Referring to a petition by hotel associations expressing reservation over some provisions of the Act and seeking clarifications on the setting up of mini-test laboratories by food vendors, Commissioner for Health Services Jayaram said these issues would not come in the way of enforcing the Act.

FSSAI Appellate Tribunals in process of being set up in various states

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been in the process of constituting Appellate Tribunals in a number of states for the last couple of years, and they are yet to be constituted in such states as Assam, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.

The states in which the process is pending include Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 

K Chandramouli, chairperson of the country’s apex regulator, said that setting up an appellate tribunal was the responsibility of each state government, adding that FSSAI would provide just the required assistance to complete the process. 

“The majority of the state governments and food commissioners seem to be disinterested, which is why the formation of appellate tribunals is pending in many states and in a few, the process hasn’t commenced,” he added. 

Chandramouli said, “It is very sad that the states are not taking the matter seriously. The states where appellate tribunals haven’t be constituted yet do not understand the importance of setting up appellate tribunals for food safety and for the safety of the people of the particular state.”

“Although the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, has come into effect, 14 states haven’t set up appellate tribunals. They should have Completed the process with the help of FSSAI authorities at the earliest,” he added. 

“Appellate tribunals are yet to be constituted, and the fact that their establishment is still in the process highlights the lackadaisical approach of the state food safety officials,” FSSAI’s chairperson said. 

“The lack of understanding of the process of setting up appellate tribunals, whether at the enforcement level or at the food business operators’ (FBO) level, has to be dealt with by the state governments, as the setting up of tribunals rests in their hands,” he added.

“Appellate tribunals have been established in just four states (Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Maharashtra) and two Union Territories (the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Chandigarh),” Chandramouli said. 

“The authorities of the states where appellate tribunals are yet to be constituted and in process should take the help of the states that have already established them, as they would be carrying more practical knowledge,” he added.

Dr H G Koshia, food safety commissioner, Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA), Gujarat, said, “The setting up of an appellate tribunal in Gujarat is 80 per cent completed. The state government has appointed a retired judge and a committee has also been formed.” 

“The judge would be deciding about the selection of tribunal officers. But now, due to the election, the ministers’ and senior officials’ signatures are pending. In a month, after the election result, the appellate tribunal will be in place,” he added.

874 kg of carbide-ripened mangoes destroyed

With summer reaching its peak, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s health department has swung into action to prevent food poisoning cases and water-borne diseases. As part of this exercise, the department carried out raids on mango traders on Wednesday and destroyed 874 kg of carbideripened mangoes.

Raids were carried out in all six zones of the city. The department also seized five kg of carbide.

Apart from unhealthy mangoes, the department destroyed 194 litre of unhygienic mango juice and served notices to 168 units. It recovered Rs57,950 as administrative charges from vendors indulged in trading of unhealthy mango and juice, said a statement issued by the AMC.

Similar, raids were carried out on street food market at Hatkeshwar, Soni Ni Chali and Nikol and destroyed 48 kilogram as well as 124 litre of inedible food stuff on Tuesday. It issued notices to 41 food vendors and collected Rs20,050 as administrative charges.

The department has destroyed 20417 kilogram unhealthy food products since April 1, 2014. The department has also collected 32 samples of food products from the city under Food Safety and Standard Act since April 1. Of these samples, five have turned out to be unfit or substandard, while results of 11 are yet to come out. The civic body will initiate actions in against people involved in manufacturing and trading of unfit products.

FDA shuts 4 food units at Tisk-Usgao

PONDA: In a drive against the unhygienic andillegal food units, directorate of food and drugsadministration (FDA) raided four units at Tisk-Usgao, in Ponda and destroyed misbranded and unlabeled food articles worth 58,000 including gutka worth 18,500. FDA also sealed two units for unhygienic and filthy environment within their premises.

Food safety officers attached to the FDA, Rajiv Korde and Flavia DeSouza, conducted the raids on Thursday morning at the manufacturing units of wholesalers Mangu Singh, Yunus Khan andSanjay Kumar (All at Avanti Nagar in Tisk-Usgao), and Royal Sweets at Khandepar, who are engaged in manufacturing of farsan products.

These wholesalers were also found selling and distributing such food products without proper labels. Korde added that these units didn't have the necessary licenses thereby violating the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act.

Two food manufacturing units shut down in Merces

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) authorities raided and shut down two food item manufacturing units at Merces, after they detected that one of them was operating without food safety licence while the other was operating in unhygienic condition.

Unlabelled food articles worth around Rs 30,000 was confiscated and destroyed from both the units.

Speaking to Herald, FDA Director Salim Veljee informed that during one of its routine survey in the early hours on Wednesday, a team led by Senior Food Safety Officer Rajiv Korde and Food Safety Officer Flavio D'Souza intercepted two cyclists at Vodlem Bhat-Taleigao.

The cyclists were carrying large quantities of farsan items, toast, biscuits, etc, for distribution to various grocery shops, kiosks and other places in the city.

“On inspection, it was noticed that the food items were not carrying any label declaration and the physical appearance raised doubts in terms of the use of permitted colours,” said Veljee.

“Some items did not have other label declarations like best before use, name and address of manufacturers, food safety licence number and nutritional claims.”

Veljee then added that the team immediately confiscated and destroyed the food items worth around Rs 6500 from the two cyclists namely Ram Milan Singh and Karan Ram Singh.

“The two cyclists then led the team to a manufacturing unit at Voilem-Bhat, Merces owned by Sameer Nazir Ahmed who was operating the unit in the name of Reshma Bakers, and the premises were found to be very unhygienic,” Veljee said.

“There was no label declaration of the food articles. Due to the unhygienic conditions, the unit was asked to shut down,” he added.

Veljee informed that the team then raided a second manufacturing unit named Praveen Bakery at Vaddy-Merces which was operating without food safety license and it was also closed down.

He further informed that unlabelled food articles worth around Rs 30000 were confiscated and destroyed, from both the units.

“Both the manufacturing units have been shut down till all defects are rectified and they obtain food safety licence,” he stated.

Mango festival extended till May 14

The State Horticulture Mission will extend the National Honey and Mango Festival here to May 14. The decision, which was prompted by the impact of bad weather on sales, should come as a huge relief for farmers who had arrived with truckloads of fruit from across the State and beyond the border. The festival began at the Sooryakanthi grounds on Monday.

Mangoes priced between Rs.45 and Rs.115 a kilogram are available at the festival. Also on sale are mango saplings brought from nurseries under the Horticulture Mission.

This year’s festival has underlined the safety aspect, with food safety officials testing the fruits for carbide or other chemicals.

Legal action will be taken against groups who have brought tainted fruit, officials have warned.

Food Safety Authority encroaching on your life & liberty?

Thursday, 8th May, 2014: As of August 4, 2014, selling food on the street will be a criminal activity. Say goodbye to your favourite panipuri wala, sandwich wala, frankies stand and every other kind of street food vendor. Also bid farewell to small establishments like the neighbourhood mithaiwala, street-corner bakery, doodhwala, lassiwala and kulfi-wala. You will never again eat tangdi-kabab at roadside butcher-shops-cum-kabab-joints.

But it doesn’t end there. You should worry even if you are one of those enterprising housewives selling homemade chocolates, cupcakes, marzipan bunnies and Easter eggs to your friends and neighbours in the festive seasons. In the popular serial Taarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chasma, Madhavi Bhide — the typical middle-class housewife — supplements her penny-pinching husband’s income by supplying papads and pickles. Well, now Madhavi faces a choice: either take a license by paying a fee of Rs 2000/-, or face imprisonment of upto six months or penalty of upto Rs 5 lakhs, under Section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

But even after she gets a licence, a designated Food Safety Officer may pay her a visit, find that her kitchen does not meet FSSAI’s standards, and ask her to spend some serious money in modifying her kitchen, or else shut down. If she fails to comply, she may be fined lakhs of rupees, or even imprisoned for six months. And even if Madhavi spends lakhs of rupees to upgrade her kitchen, the officer (a government employee empowered under the Food Safety and Standards Act) may still threaten to revoke her license. In order to keep her license, she may end up paying bribes of several thousand every month. 

Food Safety Standards Authority of India has notified July 1, 2014 as the deadline for getting registration and license with Food Safety and Standards Authority. We can hope that this deadline will be postponed as it has been since August 2012, which was the original deadline. But the sword will continue to hang over our heads… unless, of course, a new government elected at the Centre furiously back-pedals.

NOT JUST COOKS, BUT ALSO TRANSPORTERS AND SELLERS

Guys, say goodbye to the dabba-walla who carries your wife’s home-cooked lunch to your office. Yes, he doesn’t open the dabba and touch the food, but as he is a transporter and handler of food, he is a Food Business Operator as defined under the Food Safety (Licencing) Regulations 2011. The dabba-walla’s rough-and-ready travel by the Churchgate local’s luggage van cannot possibly meet FSSAI’s hygienic standards.

Your neighbourhood kirana-store, who sells grains, spices, nuts, oil, biscuits etc. is also in jeopardy. Unless he invests lakhs or crores of rupees for upgrading his shop with air-conditioners, glass doors, freshly painted ceilings and marble floors etc, he may not be given a license to sell food items. Then he cannot sell so much as a toffee or a bottle of packaged water.

This is the brave new world envisioned by Govt. Of India, which is scheduled to dawn after the July 1, 2014 deadline of Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Bubbling with good intentions, the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations 2011, are a nationwide disaster-in-the-making. It is about to hit the common man right where it hurts most. Wham! Right in his wallet!

Indeed, the conditions imposed on storage, preparation and handling of foods are so stringent that even household kitchens and office canteens may not make the cut.

BIG BUSINESS IS THE GAINER

Who can possibly meet the impossibly high standards of food preparation and storage set by dozens of scientists at FSSAI? The likes of McDonalds and Pizza Hut may have no difficulties, and ditto for Pepsi, Coke, Haldirams and Britannia. Also, big retail outlets like D-Mart and Big Bazaar.

But small outfits will have no option but to close down, or to operate on the fringes as criminal offenders and fugitives. The current dispensation has given a death sentence to the entire unorganized food sector spread all over the country — consisting of many million self-employed men and women living in various cities, towns and even the remotest villages. In tiny settlements on snowy mountain-tops, or in the midst of forests and deserts, entire families and communities work together to survive by selling various food products to travelers and pilgrims. This vibrant food service industry of India is now marked for slaughter by Government of India. One is left wondering why.

Yes, these people will definitely try to survive by bribing the Food Safety Officers. But in the process, they will be harassed, accused of criminal offenses, and be made into undertrials or convicts — criminalized and marginalized for the offense of earning their living by selling food!

FLYING UNDER THE RADAR

How did this horrific thing come to pass? How did such a far-reaching legislation slip unnoticed, like a jumbo jet flying under the radar? One explanation is: it happened because the Food Safety Act 2006 and the lengthy licensing regulations seemed like a good thing at first.

Food was earlier regulated under various orders passed by the uniongovernment, such as Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954, Fruit Products Order 1955, Meat Products Order 1973, and Milk & Milk Product Order 1992. Some people in the food industry actively lobbied for all these orders to be unified, so that implementation would be easier. However, the unification exercise was taken up with so much zeal by bureaucrats that it led to a kind of bureaucratic overreach. In the words of Gokul Patnaik (098100 63433), a retired IAS officer who was formerly chairman of APEDA (Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority) is among those who lobbied for such a unification. And now, on hindsight, he regrets the outcome. “We seem to have created a Frankenstein’s monster, whose appetite for controlling our lives seems endless,” he remarks. 

Indeed, if you casually browse through Food Safety Act and Regulations with a common man’s eye, it seems like a well-intentioned (if over-ambitious) effort to improve the quality of the food that all of us – both rich and poor – eat and drink. The standards imposed on the licensees are formulated by committees peopled by well-known scientists from all over the country. These standards are aimed at reducing pesticides, enzymes, antibiotics, harmful bacteria, and biological contaminants like hair. Who can possibly argue with that? How can anybody say that it is not a good thing for safeguarding public health?

Public consultations were also held in 2008, and trade bodies like FICCI and CII represented civil society. Hawkers and enterprising housewives were never aware of these consultations, and even if they were aware, would not have been able to put across their concerns in a way that the bureaucrats would understand.

Indeed, the impossibility of holding genuine stakeholder consultations becomes apparent when you consider the mind-boggling span of the term “FoodBusiness Operator”. It climbs up the ladder of scale starting from the tiniest iterant chai-samosa vendors, temporary and permanent food stalls, home-based canteens and dabbawalas. It encompasses office and school canteens, langars in gurdwaras, distribution of various prasads in temples, religious gatherings and fairs, and wedding feasts. And at the top of the ladder are importers, packers, cold storages, warehouses, transporters, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and five star hotels.

Some traders’ associations and food manufacturers’ bodies opposed these regulations, but that too may have been written off as a knee-jerk reaction; after all, who among us says yes to more regulation? The remarks of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) can be found here here: http://www.cait.in/cait-articles.php (Article titled “Top Three Issues Under Food Safety Standard Act Faced by the Industry”)

The members of All India Food Processors Association (AIFPA) are on the central advisory committee, scientific panels and expert groups of Food SafetyAuthority. Dharam Vir Malhan (9868218848), Executive Secretary of AIFPA and formerly head of the Modern Foods, a government enterprise, is coordinating the participation of these members, who are deeply aware of the beneficial as well as adverse consequences of the proposed new licensing regime. “Going from feedback that I receive from food industry stakeholders at various levels, the new regulations are over-ambitious and at many places, highly impractical to implement,” Mr Malhan says mildly.

This is an understatement. The administrative burden at various levels is enormous and widespread. Registration under the Food Safety Act is to be done by local bodies i.e. municipalities and gram panchayats. The licensing mechanism is in state and centre, depending on the scale of the manufacturer. Large scale entities will require multiple licenses – one for each separate activity such as import, repacking, transportation etc., and one for each location of factories, warehouses, etc. The multiplicity of the paperwork required, and the massive reach and discretionary powers of the officials within the registration and licensing mechanisms is a sure-fire formula for both corruption and administrative overload.

According to its preamble, the Food Safety Act was conceptualized to consolidate the existing food laws; one presumes that the intention was to simplify, and not to complicate. Very clearly, this exercise has gone off track.

KILLING MICRO-ENTERPRISES & SELF-EMPLOYMENT AT BIRTH

The full menace of the regulations has clearly not been understood by civil society and activists; otherwise human rights crusaders would have been up in arms! Because even mild enforcement of these regulations will criminalize over 99 per cent of the non-packaged food sector in our country, rendering them liable for penalties of several lakhs of rupees and several months of imprisonment. If that is not a human rights outrage, then what is?

Such a formal business environment – where one is required to get a registration and license before selling his first plate of vada-pav – means that tiny food businesses may never come into existence… or may be seen as an unlawful enterprise from day one!

Let us take an example to understand how 

small businesses grow. Take the case of a neighbourhood auntie who prepares delicious parathas. One day, a group of young MBA students move into the neighbouring flat as paying guests. As a neighbourly gesture, the auntie sends them six parathas to go with their morning tea. They love the fresh hot parathas, and so they request the auntie to send them a dozen parathas every morning for their breakfast, and they voluntarily offer to pay Rs 5 per paratha. And then, word spreads among their friends, and the auntie, who used to cook only for herself and her family, now finds herself supplying parathas to several groups of paying guests in the neighbourhood. Voila, a food entrepreneur is born!

However, FSSAI’s regulations say that as soon as the students offer to pay for the parathas, the auntie has to apply for a license from FSSAI and pay Rs 2000 for a license. The Food Safety Officer may then come to her house and check her kitchen. He may deny her a license if her ceiling paint is peeling off, and while parting, warn her that if she continues to feed her neighbours, he can fine her Rs 5 lakh or drag her before a special court and get her imprisoned for six months! Behold, a food entrepreneur has been killed at birth!

CRIMINALIZING INNOVATORS

Indian cuisine is full of experimental products, and street foods are at the cutting edge of experimentation. For example, popular items like bread pakodas, Chinese Bhel, roti-rolls and kathi-rolls and novelty items like ice-cream pakodas have all sprung up in response to entrepreneurial inventiveness sustained by market demand. All Indian foods have been created in this way. An over-scientific approach to the process and formulation is toxic to innovation. So, it is alarming that FSSAI’s bloated bureaucratic set-up wants to not only control the cooking and storage environment, but also control the FORMULATION of each and every item, and confine it within documented parameters!

Under the new FSSAI regime, all known items are standardized and their formulations are written down. If someone wishes to make a new item – say an item like bread-pakoda using crushed banana wafers in the filling – then he must first submit this formulation to FSSAI and seek their approval for it – a process that typically takes two or three years. And the new regime makes producing such innovative foods and selling them without approval a punishable offense! 

It is both audacious and ridiculous to even attempt an exercise of defining standards for every food in India. Because a “chutney” in every state, every district, every tehsil, every caste and community has very different ingredients and methods of preparation. A simple thing like a roti tastes very different in every household, and has varying amounts of ghee, salt, thickness, diameter etc. The same goes for hundreds of types of halwas made in temples, gurdwaras and sweetmeat shops. How can a centralized body of scientists and bureaucrats like FSSAI impose standards for such things? But that is precisely what it is doing!

Manufacturing apart, it is also an offense now to import and sell a novel food that is well accepted abroad but not currently being sold in India – such as, say, fresh strawberries encased in a hard chocolate cover. Importers will not be able to release their stocks into the markets unless FSSAI first tests and approves it for public consumption.

Gokul Patnaik remarks, “If this sort of pre-approval process were in force in olden days, the halwais could never have invented foods like rasgollas and jelebis. Innovations happen in the kitchen at the spur of the moment, and the only approval needed is from the tastebuds of customers willing to pay for them. For bureaucrats to insist that a gulab jamun must only have this much sugar and this much ghee – no more and no less – is to impose a bureaucratic approach on cooking itself! This can only result in killing innovation!”

IMPOSING INSPECTOR RAJ OVER FOOD

The FSSAI Act mandates Food Safety Commissioners in every state to appoint numerous government employees as Food Safety Officers, with powers to slap a closure notice on any Food Business Operator, and also slap penalties of upto one lakh on them for any offense defined under the Food Safety Act. In the name of safeguarding the health and well-being of India, this is a return to inspector-raj and rampant bribery, far worse than the pre-liberalization days.

India’s people have to raise their voice against this over-zealous bureaucracy, and the time is now.

First Agro taking control of the greens on your plate with ‘zero pesticide’

As a kid I was always told, “Sabji/daal kha lo pehle, phir chicken khaana,” which would roughly translate to “eat your greens before you eat your chicken.” 

I believe it’s a deal every parent makes with their child — an arrangement to keep both the interested parties happy. To this day I still follow that mantra. The reason I opened with this anecdote is because this story is about exactly that — the greens on your plate. 

“We are a ‘zero pesticide’ organization,” says Naveen MV, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of First Agro, adding, “We don’t do organic farming. We’ve taken it a step ahead. We don’t use pesticides at all!” Naveen MV 

What is he talking about? Isn’t that the same thing? 

“Organic farming is just a method of cultivation. It may not mean that there are no pesticides used. We don’t call ourselves organic because we have taken it a step further by following the Codex standards and without using any pesticides, referred to as ‘zero pesticide’. In fact, the term ‘zero pesticide’ is a trademark term that is used only by First Agro,” explains Naveen. “Organic farmers are like students who study for the 10th grade exam but never care to write the exam,” he jokes, “Unless you don’t subject a produce to pesticide residue test by following a global food safety standard, how will you know if any pesticides was used or not?” 

What are Codex standards? 

The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1963 by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex has become the global reference point for consumers, food producers and processors, national food control agencies and international food trade. Essentially, Codex has defined global food safety standards to ensure that consumers are not exposed to unsafe levels of hazardous and toxic materials through their food. 

The Codex Alimentarius Commission has developed something called the Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for Pesticides and Extraneous Maximum Residue Limits. Every time a pesticide is used, the plant will absorb some of it. The left over bit will show up as residue when tested, and if it is beyond the MRL, then it is considered to be toxic for human consumption. 

“We get our produce tested once in six months from one of only three labs in India that specialize in Codex testing. I’m proud to say our produce has never detected any residue of any pesticide! You see, we are a ‘zero pesticide’ organization. We stick to that,” Naveen claims. 

What does First Agro do? 

“First Agro is the only company in India to reach the highest level of food safety according to the Codex standards,” states Naveen. First Agro has 45 acres of land under production in Talkad near Mysore. 

Over the next seven to eight years, they plan to invest about $ 20 million to acquire 1,500 acres of land and bring it under production across 16 locations in North, West and South India. The 1,500 acres will be broken into clusters, each with an area of around 100 – 150 acres, with integrated production, pack house, cold storage and processing centers. 

The first fully operational cluster at Talkad is called ‘Cauvery’. “All our farms are company owned and managed. We don’t indulge in any form of contract farming. We have a dedicated team of growers who are highly qualified graduates of horticulture or agriculture from the best agriculture universities in India. As of now we have 11 growers who supervise the farm production on their four to five acre unit. Each grower has their own dedicated team of supervisors, and labour from neighbouring villages,” explains Naveen. 

First Agro grows more than 40 different varieties of fruits, vegetables and herbs, most of which have never before been grown in India. You can discover some of their fascinating produce, at the bottom of the page. About 70% of their revenue comes from retailers like Hyper City, Auchan, More, Food Hall, etc. The rest of the revenue comes from Nameet their ‘Chef’s Garden’. “The Chef’s Garden is a concept which caters to institutional customers like international hotels and fine-dining restaurants. Our clients are the chefs of Ritz Carlton, JW Marriott, The Oberoi, and The Taj, etc. It’s something we like to call ‘Farm to Fork’,“ states Naveen. 

The company was started by Nameet, Naveen MV and KN Prasad. Nameet is the Chief Production Head at First Agro. He used to be a commercial pilot in Vancouver. He has an in-depth knowledge in Olericulture (the science of vegetable growing), Hydroponics (the science of growing plants without soil) and Integrated Pest and Disease Management (using natural solutions to manage and deter pests). 

He has pioneered the Zero Pesticide cultivation by using natural methods; methods that he learned through a hands-on experience by working with multiple horticulture specialists in Canada, over many years. He works out of theTalkad farm. Naveen MV is the Chief Executive Officer and is currently based in Yokohama, Japan, where he handles the International operations and planned expansion of First Agro in Japan and South East Asian markets like Malaysia (due to begin in six months). 

He also runs an Information Technology services organization in Japan. KN Prasad KN Prasad is the Chief Operating Officer. He heads agriculture supply chain management and logistic functions. His team is responsible for getting the produce from the farms to the city in as little time, and as fresh as possible. 

Why is all of this important? 

“The Indian government along with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will drive food safety standard across farmers, food processors and retailers to ensure compliance with Codex standards by 2015,” Naveen tells me. “Well, that’s good news, right?” I ask. “Yeah, it is. But you can’t really turn your eye away from what’s happening today,” he says seriously. 

He asked me to watch this documentary by TERI (and I urge all of you to take some time to do the same) called ‘Slow Poisoning of India’ which talks about India’s use of Endosulfan, a pesticide which is used in large quantities on our food, at the source. The video shows the chilling effects of the widespread use of this pesticide, on the farmers using them, the community they live in and the adverse effects on the consumers of the food. When used excessively and carelessly, the pesticide results in families battling with tragedies like physical deformities, cancer and disability of the central nervous system. 

The levels of sickness are so extreme that there is a train nicknamed ‘Cancer Express’ that travels from Bhatinda to Bikaner, because it carries hundreds of patients with cancer to be treated in the only free cancer facility (under the free medicine scheme) in the area. “We did a lot of groundwork initially, and the results were startling. A massive chunk of the population is largely ignorant about the way our food is grown. Young adults and children have never given thought to the effect of fertilizers and pesticides on our food and on the environment. I mean, I can safely say that 99% of the population is unaware of all the negative effects,” Naveen reveals gravely. “To top it off, the scene in the agriculture industry isn’t any better. 

Did you know that India has only 95 million farmers today? That’s just 8 % of the population, down from 14% from the time of the Green Revolution. The average land holding per farmer is down to only two acres. Up to 2,000 farmers leave farming every day, which is not good for the sector and the country. By 2050, India’s population is estimated to be at a staggering 1.5 billion. 

With a drop in the number of farmers, and such a sharp increase in the population, who can deny that food security isn’t a huge issue!” exclaims Naveen. Clocwise from top left – Yukon Purple Colour Capsicum, Vintage Heirloom Tomatoes, Bishop’s Crown Red Chillies, Yellow Tushita Tear Drop Cherry Tomato.

Traders seek changes in food safety act

Traders in Tamil Nadu have sought changes to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

At a conference held here recently, the traders said that the changes in the Act and the Food Safety and Standard Rules, 2011 were necessary for realising the objectives of the Act. It was impossible for not only the traders but also those in the food business to comply with the provisions of the Act.

Until the Central Government amended the Act, it should desist from implementing the same across the country.

L-G orders more surprise checks

Summary 

26 teams inspect fair price shops, petrol pumps, LPG agencies, construction sites.

In a second series of inspections across the capital, carried out on the direction of Lt-Governor Najeeb Jung, major irregularities were found in hospitals, fair price shops, transport offices and construction sites, leading to suspension of officials in some instances. The department of food and supplies constituted 26 teams, which inspected fair price shops, petrol pumps and LPG agencies. 

Food safety officers, along with 10 police personnel, checked sweet shops in Netaji Subhas Place Market, Wazirpur and Rani Bagh. Samples of spices, besan and sweets were lifted from four shops and sent to the food testing lab for analysis. 

Food safety officials sent samples of spices, besan and sweets like colouful laddoos, yellow chilly powder, chaat masala, raskadam, cashewnuts to food testing lab for analysis during a check on sweet shops in Netaji Subhas Place Market, Wazirpur and Rani Bagh. 

Action would be taken upon receipt of the analysis which is expected in two weeks, officials said.

Define standards for gluten-free food: Experts

NEW DELHI: Imagine it's your child's birthday and s/he can't have a piece of cake. This can happen if s/he has Celiac disease (or wheat allergy), which is a type of food allergy where individuals are intolerant to gluten, a protein found in wheat and related cereals. About 1 crore people are suffering from Celiac disease in India, and about 1.5 lakh of them are in Delhi.

This was the topic of discussion at the Celiac Day organized by Celiac Support Organisation (CSO), Indian Dietetic Association (IDA) and Times Foundation at Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi on Saturday where around 500 celiac patients and their families participated.

Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, UP and Bihar have a higher number of celiac patients. As hypersensitivity to gluten is genetically determined, there is no cure for the disease at present but it can be managed by staying off all forms of gluten in the diet, Dr S K Mittal, president of CSO, said. He stressed on the need to formulate a national standard for defining gluten-free foods.

"There is an urgent need for a national public awareness campaign on the lines of Thalassaemia. The government must ensure availability of tested, certified gluten-free foods at reasonable rates," Dr Mittal said.

"We need to have a positive thinking to fight the disease. I appreciate Times Foundation joining the cause and would like to appeal to other corporates to play a role in the fight against Celiac disease."

"Typical symptoms of the disease are loose motion, anaemia and short stature. However, almost 50% may present atypical symptoms and that's why the disease doesn't get picked up easily. There is no particular age at which the disease may present," Dr Sushma Narayan, secretary general of CSO, said.

Dr Rajarshi Bhattacharjee, National Head, Health and Wellness, Times Foundation, emphasized the need to create public awareness. "Times Foundation is happy to support the cause so that voices of people suffering from the life-long Celiac disease are heard by the government for necessary actions. This will go a long way to reduce expenses for managing the disease," he said.

Times Foundation encourages all corporates to take up the cause as part of their CSR activity. For support, please mail to csoindia@gmail.com or rajarshi.bhattacharjee@timesgroup.com.

Food and Drugs Administration recovers Rs 1.16 crore as penalty

PUNE: The Food and Drugs Administration officials have recovered over Rs 1.16 crore from food manufacturers, packers and labellers in Pune division as fine for not filing their annual returns for the fiscal 2013-14 within the stipulated time.

However, food business operators claimed that the government made little efforts to inform them about filing the annual returns and expressed dissatisfaction over the whole procedure.

For the first time, food business operators were asked to submit annual returns of their transactions made between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013, since the new Food Safety and Standards Act came into force in August 2011.

The FDA had earlier directed licenced food business operators with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above to submit their returns by May 31, 2013, failing which a fine of Rs 100 a day would be levied.

"Of the total fine collected this year, Pune district has contributed Rs 88.27 lakh, which is the highest in the division. Some food manufacturers individually paid fines up to Rs 25,000," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA Pune.

The administration division of the FDA in Pune comprises Pune, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur. "There are a total of 3,797 food manufactures in Pune division. Of them, 1,899 are from Pune, 679 from Sangli, 487 from Satara, 423 from Kolhapur and 309 from Solapur," said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA Pune

As per the Food Safety and Standards Act and Regulations 2011 (licensing and registration), the business operators have to submit the returns in the particular format (form D-1). Owners of the dairy businesses have been asked to submit the returns in a half-yearly format as given in form D-2.

"Awareness about filing the annual returns is very low among the food business operators. Besides, the state government has also not made substantial efforts to sensitize on the issue," said Raykumar Nahar, one of the board of directors of the Poona Merchant Chambers.

Nahar also pointed out that the FDA officials had no discretionary powers to waive off fine in genuine cases. "The officials are bound by the law. Besides, objectives of collecting D1 and D2 forms are not very clear. All food products are perishable goods and invariably have expiry dates. Some food products expire within 15 days or a month. There is no need for the department to collect information of such products," Nahar said.

There are over 9,000 licensed food business operators in the city with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above. They include food manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, recyclers, processors, transporters, restaurants, hotels and catering business operators.

In some reprieve to traders, restaurants and distributors, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) later decided to exclude them from filing annual returns.

About food business

Any public or private undertaking, profit or non-profit, carrying out any of the activities related to any stage of manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution, import and sale of food or food ingredients

Food business operator

A person who runs or owns the business and is responsible for ensuring the compliance of the Food Safety and Standards Act and the other rules and regulations

செயற்கை முறையில் மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்தால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் எச்சரிக்கை

நாமக்கல், மே 7: 

மாம்பழங்களை செயற்கை முறையில் பழுக்க வைத்தால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளார். 

நாமக்கல் மாவட்டத்தில் செயற்கை முறையில் மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்வதாக கிடைத்த தகவலின் பேரில், மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு பிரிவு நியமனஅலுவலர் டாக்டர் தமிழ்ச்செல்வன் மற்றும் அலுவலர்கள் அடங்கிய குழுவினர் குமாரபாளையம் நகரப்பகுதிகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். 

செயற்கை முறையில் பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட மாம்பழங்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். அப்போது முதல் முறை என்பதால் வியாபாரிகளை எச்சரிக்கை செய்துவிட்டனர். 

இது குறித்து, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை நியமன அலுவலர் தமிழ்ச்செல்வன் கூறுகையில், செயற்கை முறையில் பழுக்க வைத்த மாம்பழங்களை விற்பனை செய்பவர்கள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். நன்கு முதிர்ச்சியடைந்த மாம்பழங்கள் இயற்கையாகவே 5 முதல் 6 நாட்களுக்குள் பழுக்கும் தன்மை கொண்டவை. ஆனால் அதற்கு முன்பே பழுக்க வைக்க பல்வேறு முறைகளை கையாண்டு பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்கிறார்கள். செயற்கை முறையில் கார்பைடு கல்லால் பழுக்க வைத்த மாம்பழங்களை சாப்பிடுவதால், நரம்பு மண்டலம் பாதிப்படைகிறது. மூளைக்கு செல்லும் ஆக்சிஜன் அளவு இயல்பை விட குறைவாகிறது. வாந்தி,பேதி மற்றும் பல்வேறு பிரச்னைகள் ஏற்பட வாய்ப்புள்ளது. செயற்கை முறையில் மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்தால், அவை பறிமுதல் செய்து அழிக்கப்படும். 

தொடர்ந்து இச்செயலில் ஈடுபடும் நபர்கள் மீது கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். மாவட்டம் முழுவதும் இது தொடர்பான கண்காணிப்பு நடவடிக்கைகள் தொடர்ந்து மேற்கொள்ளப்படும் என்றார். 

FSSAI CEO urges states to follow MP model, tie up with Internet kiosks

D K Samantray, chief executive officer, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, urged the other states in the country to tie up with Internet kiosks for online licencing and registration, as Madhya Pradesh did last year. They were also urged to charge food business operators (FBO) a minimum of Rs 20 for the service.

Lauding the central state’s food safety commissioner (D D Aggrawal) for the step, he added that it was not just generating revenue for the state, but also making FBO aware of the importance of licencing and registration. Samantray also reminded the states that the deadline by which FBO had to either obtain licences or register their establishments (as the case may be) was August 4, 2014.

Aggrawal said, “With several extensions to the licencing and registration since the first deadline was set in 2011, FBO didn’t show interest in coming ahead and either obtaining licenses or registering offline.”

“I met FSO from all the districts in Madhya Pradesh, discussed the idea of tying up with Internet kiosks and initiated the process. Within a few months, we got a favourable response from the FBO. Food safety officers (FSO) and FSSAI officials trained them in it,” he added.

Tasty mango test missing, health at risk Officials cite staff shortage

Enjoy mango delicacy but at your own risk. 

Without any government check on mangoes hitting the market, the traders have started indiscriminate use of calcium carbide and other chemicals to attract customers. 

Ashish Kumar, designated officer (headquarters), food safety wing, health department, said: “There are only 14 food safety officials in the whole state. What do you expect from them? Forget mangoes, we cannot carry out normal investigation to check quality of food products properly,” said Ashish. 

The senior official added: “Moreover, traders use chemical more on bananas than mangoes for quick ripening of the fruit. So I don’t think there is any need to carry out any drive to check mango quality.” 

However, asked whether any drive had been initiated to check the banana quality, Ashish said in negative. 

The customers, however, were not happy to know that the state government’s food safety wing was not going to check the quality of mangoes available in the market. 

“The officials of the food safety wing are supposed to check the quality of mangoes and if they are not doing this then they are shirking their responsibilities,” said Veena Singh of Kadamkuan. 

Munna, a mango seller near Anta Ghat, said: “Calcium carbide generates maximum artificial heat which helps ripen the mangoes within 25-26 hours. Calcium carbide can be used on only those mangoes, which are 30-40 per cent ripe. We use it because it helps ripen mangoes in one go while all mangoes would not ripe together, if natural process is followed.” 

The reason that Munna came up is quite interesting also. “Calcium carbide is cheap. It is available at a rate something between Rs 60 and 70 per kg. We need just 10gm for 10-12kg of mangoes.” 

When this correspondent asked how they use it, Munna said: “At first, calcium carbide has to be crushed and kept in a piece of muslin cloth. The packet of calcium carbide has to be kept in the basket of mangoes for 25-26 hours. In case calcium carbide is not used in the right proportion, it would damage all mangoes instead of ripening them.” 

Shailendra Kumar, seen picking up mangoes in a market, said: “We don’t know whether these luscious fruits are chemical-laced or not. I am a mango lover since my childhood. It would have been nice if the government intervened into the monitoring factor to check whether calcium carbide is used to ripen the mangoes or not.” 

On the other hand, Ashish of the food safety wing attributed one of the reasons of not checking the mango quality to the infrastructure problems at Combined Food and Drug Testing Laboratory, Kadamkuan, the lone state-run laboratory. 

Sources said the food safety wing is already facing major crisis. 

It does not have food analyst at its Combined Food and Drug Testing Laboratory because of which samples are sent to Mineral Area Development Authority (Mada), Dhanbad. 

The Dhanbad laboratory takes 15-20 days to send the test report while according to the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the report should be sent to the authority concerned within 14 days of the receiving of the sample so that the authorities concerned can take action but this norm is hardly being followed. 

The Agamkuan lab also does not have a director and a deputy director for many years. 

Many posts like that of assistant director, public analyst and assistant public analyst are lying vacant. 

The health department’s food safety wing has also miserably failed to keep a tab on eateries, which are still flouting the hygiene norms in the absence of proper checks. 

At present, there are only four technicians in the laboratory because of which carrying out regular food testing has become a difficult task for the food safety wing. 

Corpn officials up the guard for 'King of fruits'

With the onset of mango season, people have already started flocking to markets to get their hands on the ‘king of fruits’. While Indian mangoes are popular across the world, they also seem to have gained notoriety for artificial ripening. 

Earlier, the task of curbing artificial ripening of mangoes rested with the Corporation’s Health Department. After the enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act, the Food Safety and Standards Enforcement Department has taken up the mantle of cutting down the supply of low quality mangoes.

According to an official of the Food Safety Department, the enormous influx of mangoes during the season makes it difficult to effectively monitor them. But the department has been conducting regular checks at important marketplaces, especially the Koyambedu Market. “We have seized huge amounts of calcium carbonate, other liquid chemicals and compounds used for ripening mangoes artificially. But sadly, it is still prevalent,” said an official. 

Consumption of artificially ripened mangoes is known to cause several health problems. “They are undoubtedly a serious health hazard. One of the main health implications is severe gastritis. They cause vomiting, nausea and other health problems,” said the city health officer of the Chennai Corporation.

The Food Safety Department, with the help of the Corporation’s Health Department, has resorted to surprise raids to curb the menace. “On the orders of the Food Safety Department, we conducted several surprise raids at important markets. It is from markets such as Koyambedu that most other smaller markets and vendors source their mangoes. Keeping a check on mangoes in big markets has definitely helped bring down the menace,” said a health department official. 

Apart from the chemicals, the officials also seize the mangoes that have been artificially ripened and destroy them using bleaching powder, during the raids. “Many vendors, fearing loss of merchandise, exercise more caution while sourcing mangoes now,” said an official.

The Food Safety Department and the Corporation’s Health Department have been conducting regular checks at places where sales of low quality mangoes is prevalent, such as the Marina Beach. “Recently, we conducted a surprise raid at the beach and scanned for low quality fruits, unhygienic oil and ingredients such as meat. We bleached over 285 kilograms of meat during the raid,” said an official in charge of the raid.

The public finds it difficult to ascertain which mangoes are artificially ripened, said officials. “The only way is to buy from trusted outlets, and be cautious while buying from roadside vendors,” said a health officer.

Artificially ripened mangoes destroyed

Food Safety Officers carried out surprise raids on the shops selling mangoes on the Mahatma Gandhi Road here on Tuesday.

They found heaps of artificially ripened mangoes there. The officials seized about 100 kg of such mangoes and also two kg of powdered calcium carbide used for hastening the ripening process.

The officials warned the traders of stringent action, as provided under the Food Safety and Standards Act, if they continue to market such pre-matured fruits and usage of chemicals for their ripening. Consuming unnaturally ripened mangoes would result in mouth ulcers, skin rashes and gastric problems. Such fruits would have uniform colour on the skin sans the natural aroma.

It is suggested that before consumption the fruits should be washed under the tap (running water) for few minutes and the skin should be peeled off.

Later, the officials took the seized fruits to the municipality grounds and destroyed the lot.

Chemically ripened mangoes: man denied bail

A District Additional Sessions Court here on Tuesday denied bail to a city resident accused of ripening mangoes chemically using calcium carbide. Sanu E.D., 38, of Nettoor, was arrested here last month after police and food safety officials found calcium carbide being used to ripen mangoes at his godown at Maradu. The court said that Sanu could potentially influence the materials in the case if he were released on bail at this stage of the investigation. “Having regard to the nature and gravity of the offence reportedly committed by the petition, it is undesirable to release him on bail at this stage,” the court noted in its order.

Food safety

This refers to the public notice issued by SMC regarding banning the use of Ajinomoto (Monosodium Glutamate).) The SMC has done a remarkable job by dealing with such a grave problem. The food in restaurants and wazwan is relished by one and all without knowing the secret behind its taste. The use of synthetic colors is commonly accepted by all resulting in extreme thirst but regarding the health intricacies everyone is not fully aware. The restaurant owners/chefs should restrict the use of such hazardous chemicals believing that the human lives are very very precious.

Energy Drinks : Physiologists Social Concern-K. K. Deepak

Now a days, the consumption of functional foods is on the rise to impart additional positive physiological effects. They are available in many forms like antioxidants, minerals, stimulants, energy, vitamins, dietary fiber etc. Their proponents claim multi-purpose use like enhancing general health effects, concentrated dose, disease specific claims, improving cognitive abilities, muscle strengths, mind stimulants for better performance etc.

I would like to draw attention towards the so called "energy drinks" and "energy shots". The consumption of these drinks is in fashion and it has become a status symbol too. This is probably due to simple (mis)understanding that energy drinks have instant positive physiological effects on several parameters. These energy drinks are different from other beverages in the sense that when a young person needs them for energy, he needs a lot and he needs them quite frequently. This desire to have more combined with poor knowledge about the adequacy of consumption result in overdosing. According to a recent newspaper report the overdosing of energy drink led to a teenager falling seriously ill, developing kidney failure and subsequently he had to be hospitalized and put on artificial ventilation (1).

The larger question still remains: Are these energy drinks worth the claim ? Current research published in IJPP in the last issue (Goel et al 2014) is an eye opener (2). The authors have shown that in a regular dose, the energy drinks are in no way different from regular isocaloric drinks in terms of physiologic benefits. Not only this, there are several other reports on harmful effects of energy drinks (3). The evidence put forth clearly suggests serious lacking of Physiology Education among teenagers/parents/society. Energy drinks appear to be a misnomer in the sense that most of them contain caffeine as main ingredient and sometimes some additional ingredients to create a blend. To a layperson it gives false impression that it is better for energy, although any sugary drink will illicit the same physiological response. It would be wise to discourage the use of catchy names given to these drinks which neither enhance energy levels nor stimulate cognitive functions beyond sugary drinks. Therefore, there is a need to change the nomenclature of these category of drinks to sound more appropriate. As of now it appears there are no regulations regarding these issues. Our Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) must do something in this regard. Among several mandates of FSSAI, the following mandate is important with reference to the current context. One of the mandates is: "To collect and collate data regarding food consumption, incidence and prevalence of biological risk, contaminants in food, residues of various contaminants in foods products, identification of emerging risks and introduction of rapid alert system" (4).

The question still remains who is going to advise FSSAI about physiological implications of functional foods. Therefore, regulations of foods standards and safety (when there are high industry and commercial stakes) require a concurrence among academicians, regulators, industry and media. Such concurrence is needed to balance the overdoing by any one of the components. There is a need to develop nutritional standard based on research and implement them seriously. The information about composition, dosage for various ages and the physiologic benefits must be made available in public domain and on the product. 

Physiologists, pharmacologists and Nutritional scientists have contributed to the understanding of mechanisms and application of nutrients and food supplements. They need to further expand the in-depth research to verify the tall claims of large number of functional foods visible in media. The experts should write in-depth reviews after meta-analysis in the field and should create consensus statement or position statement. One such position statement for the purpose of athletes and sportspersons is available in literature (5). The media should focus on these issues and should invite physiologists/pharmacologists as experts to express their opinion about relevant research findings and knowledge. They should be a part of the decision making wherever the academic knowledge is required. The research on nutritional supplements should be treated like pharmaceutical research, as the consequences of nutritional supplements do have effects beyond physiology in terms of both positive or negative effects. Thus, it is the social responsibility of physiologists, pharmacologists and nutritional experts to widen the knowledge base in the field to create consensus statements, and social awareness of the knowledge in the field.

Food joints outside lal dora face closure

Chandigarh, May 6

The UT Administration will not issue food license to the restaurants, bakeries, dhabas and other food joints operating outside lal dora limits of the city. 

With these orders, these food joints will now face closure as without food license running these units will be illegal.

As per the recent orders issued by UT Home Secretary-cum-Commissioner of Food Safety under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, no premises outside Lal Dora (Abadi-Deh) will be issued any license/registration. Besides, no renewal of license/registration of premises which fall outside Lal Dora will be done if they have issued food licenses/registration under FSS Act 2006 or Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

A senior official of the UT Administration said not only outside Lal Dora, but now within the city no objection certificate (NOC) from Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB), Estate Office and Municipal Corporation is required to be submitted for issue of food license if food business operator is running business in residential premises, basements and on the upper floors of shop-cum-flats (SCF).

On these directions, Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) President Charanjiv Singh said before closing down these units, the UT Administration should provide proper space to these people, where they can run their units legally. The administration should also take suggestions from various traders’ body on this issue before initiating any action, he suggested. 

SAD Councillor Malkiat Singh said instead of stopping issuing licenses to people who are running food joints outside Lal Dora the Administration should extend Lal Dora limit in city villages.

Coca-Cola, PepsiCo to remove controversial ingredient from drinks

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have stood by the safety of the ingredient, which is used to distribute flavors more evenly in fruit-flavored drinks.

NEW YORK: Coca-Cola and PepsiCo said on Monday they're working to remove a controversial ingredient from all their drinks, including Mountain Dew, Fanta and Powerade. 

The ingredient, called brominated vegetable oil, had been the target of petitions on Change.org by a Mississippi teenager who wanted it out of PepsiCo's Gatorade and Coca-Cola's Powerade. In her petitions, Sarah Kavanagh noted that the ingredient has been patented as a flame retardant and isn't approved for use in Japan and the European Union. 

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have stood by the safety of the ingredient, which is used to distribute flavors more evenly in fruit-flavored drinks. But their decisions reflect the pressure companies are facing as people pay closer attention to ingredient labels and try to stick to diets they feel are natural. Several major food makers have recently changed their recipes to remove chemicals or dyes that people find objectionable. 

While food companies stress that the ingredients meet regulatory requirements, their decisions reflect how marketing a product as "natural" has become priority and a competitive advantage. 

PepsiCo had said last year that it would remove brominated vegetable oil from Gatorade. On Monday, the company said it has since been working to remove it from the rest of its products. PepsiCo also uses BVO in its Mountain Dew and Amp energy drinks. 

The company, based in Purchase, New York, didn't provide a timeline for when it expects the removal to be complete. 

Earlier on Monday, Coca-Cola had also said that it's removing the ingredient from all its drinks to be consistent in the ingredients it uses around the world. In addition to Powerade, Coca-Cola uses BVO in some flavors of Fanta, Fresca and several citrus-flavored fountain drinks. The company said BVO should be phased out in the US by the end of the year. 

Coca-Cola said it would instead use sucrose acetate isobutyrate, which it noted has been used in drinks for more than 14 years, and glycerol ester of rosin, which it said is commonly found in chewing gum and drinks. 

A Coca-Cola spokesman, Josh Gold, noted that BVO isn't used in many other countries, but said it would be phased out in Canada and Latin America as well. 

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a health advocacy group, notes that the Food and Drug Administration permitted the use of BVO on an interim basis in 1970 pending additional study. Decades later, the group notes that BVO is still on the interim list. 

Kavanagh, the Mississippi 17-year-old, had been planning on launching another petition on Change.org asking PepsiCo to remove BVO from all its drinks. She wasn't immediately available for comment late Monday. Earlier in the day, however, she said, "It's really good to know that companies, especially big companies, are listening to consumers."

Strict vigil on for forced ripened mangoes

With the food and drug administration (FDA) keeping a vigil, no cases of artificial ripening of mangoes using chemicals have been detected so far in this mango season.

However, availability of artificially-ripened mangoes and other fruits in the market cannot be ruled out as chemical-induced ripening can take place before their transportation to Goa.

Inter-state monitoring, however, is necessary for such activities to be properly addressed. "My department can take care of the problem within the state, but how do we check for the use of harmful chemicals when the mangoes are being transported from places like Belgaum. The transportation time is just enough for the chemical to poison the fruit and evaporate without being detected," said director of the food and drugs administration Salim Veljee.

Artificially ripening mangoes using calcium carbide or its fumes is prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food and Safety Standards Rules and Regulations. Veljee said, "Anyone breaching the law will be severely penalized."

However, it is not easy to book the, FDA director said. Users of such methods can be booked only if proper circumstantial evidence is collected against them. Those using carbide fumes are many times left scot-free as no evidence is found against them. The FDA in Goa conducts frequent inspections at fruit yards, wholesale fruit godowns to curb the use of such chemicals.

Mangoes are also ripened artificially using plant growth regulators like ethephon, which is not as harmful as calcium carbide, but can be misused nevertheless. The directorate of agriculture provides this chemical to be used as a fertilizer for plant growth and not to ripen fruits.

Another artificial and non-harmful method to ripen mangoes is the cold process method which uses equipment to ripen mangoes in a few hours. "There is only one private agency in the entire state, which is based in Ponda who has such equipment. This method is economically not feasible at the moment, but this can be changed if the central government under its central schemes and subsidies provide such equipments to all the major cities in Goa", said Veljee.

Locals however still believe in ripening mangoes the old traditional way without the use of any perilous chemicals. "The mangoes should be aired well till all of its sap dries off and then it should be covered with hay for a period of six days, sometimes with some weight on top of it. The warmth from the hay helps the mangoes ripen naturally," said Madhu Gauns, a local farmer from Neura.

Locals believe that artificially grown mangoes taste sour and may appear ripe but are generally raw inside. "We have been and always will use our traditional methods," said Gauns.

A rich fruit spread topped with honey

Their pick:Fruit-lovers can pick from a wide range of mangoes at the National Honey and Mango Festival which got off to a start at the Sooryakanthi grounds in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday

Additional Director-General of Police R. Sreelekha examined the fruit she had just been given with apparently mild trepidation. “You must eat it like that,” said Balachandran Nair, chairman, Sanghamythri Farmers Producer Company Ltd., indicating that the fruit should be devoured without it being sliced or peeled.

The fact that anyone can bite into the fruit and feel no irritation or burning sensation was testimony to how clean and chemical-free the mangoes grown by the farmers under Sanghamythri were, Mr. Nair said.

“I have never eaten a mango like that before, but it tasted fine,” Ms. Sreelekha said.

She was among the visitors to the National Honey and Mango Festival which got to a start at the Sooryakanthi grounds here on Monday. The Sanghamythri stall alone displayed 12 varieties of mango grown by farmers in and around the district and stored in a ripening chamber at their head office at Pallichal. The process entailed the use of no artificial preservatives or chemicals to hasten ripening, Mr. Nair said.

“It is because people are now more aware and careful, they purchase less from retail stores or wholesale markets bringing down the price of the fruit compared to last year,” said Muraleedharan, a farmer. A kg of Kottukonam Varikka , for instance, cost over Rs.140 last year, but, this year it has not risen over Rs.100. Customers were also drawn to a small, more rotund variety of mango – partly because of its rather endearing name, Chakkarakutty .

“We source it directly from an orchard in Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu,” said Muraleedharan, adding that there was once a time when this type was in abundance in Kerala. “Now, you have rubber plantations taking over the existing orchards and there are a few lucky households where trees still stand,” he said.

Food safety officials were monitoring the fruits brought to the fair this year. Use of chemicals would entail strict legal action against the group concerned, sources said.

The sales section aside, the Horticulture Mission also had a tent meant for display and decorative purposes alone. Over 135 kinds of mangoes were laid out here, labelled in English and Malayalam, followed by a brief description of its texture and flavour. Several stalls were yet to be occupied, especially at the section displaying honey products, but officials said that many were due in from other parts of the State by Tuesday. The fair will continue till May 11.

New edible film kills bacteria in meat

Summary

The film protects meat from spoilage using essential oils or nano particles and being edible, could be incorporated into the meat products.

A new dissolving film that kills bacteria in meat and could be eaten along with the food has been developed. The film protects meat from spoilage using essential oils or nano particles and being edible, it could even be incorporated into the meat products.

Using films made of pullulan – an edible, mostly tasteless, transparent polymer produced by the fungus reobasidium pulluns – researchers evaluated the effectiveness of films containing essential oils derived from rosemary, oregano and nano particles against food borne pathogens associated with meat and poultry.

The results demonstrate that the bacterial pathogens were inhibited significantly by the use of the antimicrobial films, said Catherine Cutter, professor of food science at The Pennsylvania State University.

She hopes that the research will lead to the application of edible, antimicrobial films to meat and poultry, either before packaging or, more likely, as part of the packaging process.

In the study, researchers determined survivability of bacterial pathogens after treatment with 2 per cent oregano essential oil, 2 per cent rosemary essential oil, zinc oxide nano particles or silver nano particles.

The compounds then were incorporated into edible films made from pullulan, and the researchers determined the antimicrobial activity of these films against bacterial pathogens inoculated onto petri dishes.

The researchers experimentally inoculated fresh and ready-to-eat meat and poultry products with bacterial pathogens, treated them with the pullulan films containing the essential oils and nano particles, vacuum packaged, and then evaluated for bacterial growth following refrigerated storage for up to three weeks.

“The results from this study demonstrated that edible films made from pullulan and incorporated with essential oils or nano particles have the potential to improve the safety of refrigerated, fresh or further-processed meat and poultry products,” said Cutter.

“The research shows that we can apply these food-grade films and have them do double duty – releasing anti microbials and imparting characteristics to protect and improve food we eat,” said Cutter.

The study was published in the Journal of Food Science.

Big Bazaar outlet issued notice for 'misbranding'

The BBMP’s Health department has served a notice on Big Bazaar’s Koramangala outlet for allegedly selling misbranded food items.

The BBMP officials have closed down the store till further orders and have asked the store authorities to provide a detailed report on the food commodities being sold at their store.

Acting on a tip-off by the crew of a regional news channel, the department officials along with the inspectors of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) raided and inspected the food items sold at Big Bazaar stores across the City.

During the raid at the Koramangala store, the officers asked the customers to leave the place. The health inspectors noticed that the commodities purchased by the crew of the news channel did not reflect on the store’s purchase database.

The health inspectors also found that the details about the food items such as date of manufacture, expiry and batch numbers were missing from the labels of some commodities, while others didn’t have labels.

According to a health inspector, a packet of Bengal Gram (Chana Dal) did not have a label containing batch number or expiry date. 

When questioned, the staff said the label might have come off while handling or some customer might have removed it intentionally.

When a health inspector asked why many food items that had neared expiry date were still on the shelves, the staff said that normally a week before the expiry date, the items were cleared from the shelves.

For the past one year, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has appointed designated officers and food safety inspectors to conduct routine tests on food items in the City.

Shivaraj Hegde, designated officer, FSSAI, said that as per the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, there were various criteria that a store had to maintain and meet. 

“A trader is liable to a penalty ranging from Rs one lakh to Rs 10 lakh if the store fails to meet the standards as per the regulation. With regard to the inspection at the Big Bazaar outlet, we are yet to analyse and impose a fine,” he said.

Eleven food samples collected

Ludhiana, May 5

The Health Department today collected eleven food samples from different localities on the directions of civil surgeon Dr Subhash Batta under the supervision of Dr Avinash Kumar, district health officer (DHO). 

Four samples of milk were collected from Islam Ganj area while sample of paneer was collected from Tajpur road. DHO Avinash Kumar said the samples of curd, biscuit, chutney and ghee were collected from different shops on the Chandigarh Road. The samples of paneer patty and bread bun were collected from McDonald’s, Khanna. 

The samples have been sent to food safety lab at Chandigarh for testing.

Strict vigil on for forced ripened mangoes

PANAJI: With the food and drug administration (FDA) keeping a vigil, no cases of artificial ripening of mangoes using chemicals have been detected so far in this mango season.
However, availability of artificially-ripened mangoes and other fruits in the market cannot be ruled out as chemical-induced ripening can take place before their transportation to Goa.
Inter-state monitoring, however, is necessary for such activities to be properly addressed. "My department can take care of the problem within the state, but how do we check for the use of harmful chemicals when the mangoes are being transported from places like Belgaum. The transportation time is just enough for the chemical to poison the fruit and evaporate without being detected," said director of the food and drugs administration Salim Veljee.
Artificially ripening mangoes using calcium carbide or its fumes is prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food and Safety Standards Rules and Regulations. Veljee said, "Anyone breaching the law will be severely penalized."
However, it is not easy to book the, FDA director said. Users of such methods can be booked only if proper circumstantial evidence is collected against them. Those using carbide fumes are many times left scot-free as no evidence is found against them. The FDA in Goa conducts frequent inspections at fruit yards, wholesale fruit godowns to curb the use of such chemicals.
Mangoes are also ripened artificially using plant growth regulators like ethephon, which is not as harmful as calcium carbide, but can be misused nevertheless. The directorate of agriculture provides this chemical to be used as a fertilizer for plant growth and not to ripen fruits.
Another artificial and non-harmful method to ripen mangoes is the cold process method which uses equipment to ripen mangoes in a few hours. "There is only one private agency in the entire state, which is based in Ponda who has such equipment. This method is economically not feasible at the moment, but this can be changed if the central government under its central schemes and subsidies provide such equipments to all the major cities in Goa", said Veljee.
Locals however still believe in ripening mangoes the old traditional way without the use of any perilous chemicals. "The mangoes should be aired well till all of its sap dries off and then it should be covered with hay for a period of six days, sometimes with some weight on top of it. The warmth from the hay helps the mangoes ripen naturally," said Madhu Gauns, a local farmer from Neura.
Locals believe that artificially grown mangoes taste sour and may appear ripe but are generally raw inside. "We have been and always will use our traditional methods," said Gauns.