FDA shuts down food processing units in Navelim, Sao Jose de Areal

MARGAO: The director for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Salim Veljee, on Tuesday, informed that two food processing units were shut down in Navelim and Sao Jose de Areal for manufacturing food items without food safety licences thereby violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and rules and regulation 2011.

“The owners are directed not to start any food related activities until they obtain necessary food safety licences from the FDA. They are further asked to ensure that food articles are manufactured and marketed only after affixing proper labels containing all particulars like packed date, best before use, name and address of the manufacturers, food safety license of the manufacturer as well as the nutritional claims of such food articles,” he stated.

Veljee said that the food safety officers of the FDA, Abel Rodrigues, Shailesh Shenvi, Rajaram Patil and Shivdas Naik intercepted three cycle vendors at Navelim, Salcete, who were carrying un-labelled food articles for distribution to various gadas, bar and restaurants, etc.

The officers, based on the clues from these cyclists reached at thepremises of the manufacturer Ramesh Devar at Colmorod-Navelim, Salcete. Ramesh was found engaged in processing kurkure, ground nuts, etc. in an un-hygienic condition and the food products also did not carrying any label declaration, Veljee said adding, the said premises was also found operating without any valid food safety licenses. 

Stock of food items worth Rs 20,000 was seized by the officials and subsequently destroyed in the presence of the owner, the FDA director said.

He further informed that the FDA officers later inspected a manufacturing unit belonging to Suresh Choudhary of M/s Choudhary Food Products at Comba, Sao Jose de Areal. “Suresh too was engaged in processing foodarticles like shev, arsan, chips, shankerpadi and laddos without holding any valid food safety licenses and the said food articles did not contain any labels or other declarations which are misbranded under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Rules/regulation 2011, Veljee said adding that the confiscated food items are collectively worth Rs 1.60 lakh which was later destroyed in the presence of the owner.

Address economically-motivated adulteration of ingredients: USP to FDA

The United States Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) submitted a public comment letter to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging it to reconsider its strategy to address economically-modified adulteration (EMA) of food ingredients. The letter highlighted the specific risks posed by the intentional and fraudulent adulteration of food ingredients for economic gain.

“Economically-motivated adulteration of food ingredients is a significant concern, with its own challenges, posing a threat to public safety, eroding consumer confidence in the integrity of food and disrupting markets by placing control of the supply chain in the hands of criminals,” said Ronald Piervincenzi, chief executive officer, USP. He suggested that EMA be addressed as its own unique category of food adulteration. 

USP recommended that FDA consider a framework tailored to the specific nature of EMA. While the former agreed that it was not ideal to handle EMA under a typical food-defence/vulnerability approach, it stated that EMA would be equally misplaced under preventive controls.

The suggested approach would include a vulnerability assessment, mostly focussed on determining the likelihood of EMA occurring, but also including a component of public health risk assessment. A second component would be a vulnerability control plan to mitigate these risks. 

“Any food ingredient can be adulterated, and the list of potential adulterants is equally unlimited. The best way to protect consumers and safeguard industry is to focus on determining where EMA is most likely to occur,” said Piervincenzi

“Publicly available standards can also help safeguard against adulteration of food ingredients by helping assure food integrity and excluding ingredients that have been substituted, diluted or replaced, through fraud or other means,” he added. 

USP highlighted the wide array of concerns related to EMA of food adulteration. These include:

Dilution: Examples include the dilution of olive oil with potentially toxic tea-tree oil or products watered down using non-potable water

Substitution: Examples include the partial substitution of sunflower oil with mineral oil or hydrolysed leather protein in milk

Concealment: An example is the application of harmful food colouring to fresh fruit to cover defects

Mislabelling: Examples include the labelling of toxic Japanese star anise as Chinese star anise or the mislabelling of recycled cooking oil 

USP offers free public resources, including a food fraud database and plans to develop additional tools.

தொடரும் "கார்பைடு கல்' மாம்பழ விற்பனை: ஆபத்தை உணராத பொதுமக்கள்

சென்னை கோயம்பேடு மார்க்கெட்டில் விற்பனைக்கு குவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள மாம்பழங்கள்.

கோயம்பேடு மார்க்கெட்டில் மாங்காய்களை பழுக்க வைக்க பெட்டியில் அடுக்கி வைக்கும் பணியார்கள்கள்.

சென்னை கோயம்பேடு மார்க்கெட்டில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரிகளின் அறிவுறுத்தலையும் பொருள்படுத்தாமல், தொடர்ந்து கார்பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட மாம்பழங்களை வியாபாரிகள் விற்பனை செய்து வருகின்றனர். 

இது போன்ற ரசாயன கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட மாம்பழங்களை உண்பவர்களுக்கு நரம்புத் தளர்ச்சி, சிறுநீரக பாதிப்பு உள்ளிட்டவை ஏற்பட வாய்ப்புள்ளது என டாக்டர்கள் எச்சரித்துள்ளனர். 

மாம்பழங்களில் மல்கோவா, செந்துறை, பங்கணப்பள்ளி, நீலம், ஒட்டு உள்ளிட்டவற்றை பலரும் அதிகம் விரும்பி சாப்பிடுகின்றனர்.

மாம்பழத்தில் உள்ள சத்துக்களும் ஏராளம். அதே நேரத்தில் கார்பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட மாம்பழங்கள் மக்களின் உடல் நலனுக்கு அச்சுறுத்தலாக உள்ளது. கடந்த சில வாரங்களுக்கு முன் தொடங்கிய மாம்பழ சீசன் விற்பனை இப்போது சூடுபிடித்துள்ளது. இந்நிலையில் கோயம்பேடு மார்கெட்டில் விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் பெரும்பாலான மாம்பழங்கள், கார்பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்படுகின்றன. 

தினந்தோறும் 100 டன் முதல் 150 டன் வரையிலான மாம்பழங்கள் கோயம்பேடு மார்க்கெட்டுக்கு விற்பனைக்காக கொண்டு வரப்படுகின்றன.

இங்கு கொண்டு வரப்படும் மாம்பழங்கள் அனைத்தும் பழுக்காத நிலையில், காயாகத்தான் வருகின்றன. அதைத் தொடர்ந்து, கார்பைடு கல் வைக்கப்பட்டு அந்த மாங்காய்கள் அனைத்தும் பழுக்க வைக்கப்படுகின்றன. காயாக வரும் அவற்றை அப்படியே சிறு சிறு பெட்டிகளில் அடுக்கி கார்பைடு கல் சேர்த்து வைத்து விடுகின்றனர். பின்னர் இரண்டு நாள் கழித்து பழமாக மாறிய உடன் அது விற்பனை செய்யப்படுகிறது. கார்பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்படும் மாம்பழங்கள் பார்ப்பதற்கு அழகாக இருக்கும். ஆனால் அவை உடல் நலனுக்கு தீங்கு விளைவிக்கக் கூடியவை என்கின்றனர் டாக்டர்கள். 

இது குறித்து சென்னை அரசு ராஜீவ்காந்தி மருத்துவமனை பொது மருத்துவ டாக்டர் ரகுநந்தன் கூறியது: கார்பைடு கல் என்பது மனித உடலுக்கு ஒவ்வாத பொருளாகும். இதனால், ஒவ்வாமை போன்றவை எற்படுவதுடன் வயிற்று வலி, வயிற்றுப் போக்கு, வாந்தி உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு பாதிப்புகள் ஏற்படவும் வாய்ப்புள்ளது. 

அதேபோல், கார்பைடு கல் கொண்டு பழுக்க வைக்கப்படும் பழங்களைத் தொடர்ந்து சாப்பிடுபவர்களுக்கு நரம்புத் தளர்ச்சி, சிறுநீரக பாதிப்பு மற்றும் மன நிலை பாதிப்பு போன்ற நோய்களும் ஏற்பட வாய்ப்புள்ளது. 

இப்போது கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட பழங்களுக்கும், சாதாரண பழத்திற்கும் இடையே வித்தியாசம் கண்டுபிடிக்க முடியாத அளவுக்கு இரண்டும் ஒரே மாதிரி இருப்பதால், பொதுமக்கள் விழிப்புணர்வுடன் இருப்பதுதான் சிறந்தது என்றார் டாக்டர் ரகுநந்தன். 

இது குறித்து உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை சென்னை மாவட்ட நியமன அதிகாரி லஷ்மி நாராயணன் கூறியது: மாம்பழ சீசன் தொடங்கியதிலிருந்து சென்னை கோயம்பேடு மார்க்கெட்டில் இது வரை 6 முறை சோதனை நடத்தப்பட்டுள்ளன. இதில், கார்பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட சுமார் 2,500 கிலோ எடையுள்ள மாம்பழங்கள் கைப்பற்றப்பட்டு, பாதுகாப்பாக அழிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. அதேபோல், இந்த மாம்பழம் பழுக்க வைக்க பயன்படுத்தப்படும் கார்பைடு கல், சுமார் 150 கிலோ எடை வரை கைப்பற்றப்பட்டுள்ளது. 

இதை தொடர்ந்து, அங்குள்ள வியாபாரிகளுக்கு கார்பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்படும் பழங்களை உண்பதால் ஏற்படும் பாதிப்புகள் குறித்தும் விளக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன என்றார்.

இது போன்று எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்தாலும் கார்பைடு கல்லைக் கொண்டு மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்வோர் மீது அதிகாரிகள் கடுமையான நடவடிக்கைகள் எடுக்க வேண்டும் என சமூக ஆர்வலர்கள் வலியுறுத்தியுள்ளனர். 

கண்டறிவது எப்படி?

கார்பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்படும் மாம்பழங்களுக்கும் சாதாரணமாக பழுக்க வைக்கப்படும் மாம்பழங்களுக்கும் உள்ள வித்தியாசத்தை கண்டறிய உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரிகள் சில யோசனைகளை கூறியுள்ளனர். அவற்றின் விவரம்:

"கார்பைடு' பழத்தின் வெளியே தெரியும் வித்தியாசங்கள்:

1. வெளித் தோற்றத்துக்கு மாம்பழம் முழுவதும் நல்ல மஞ்சள் நிறத்தில் இருக்கும்.

2. மாம்பழத்தின் மீது சாம்பல் பூத்தது போல் இருக்கும்.

3. பழத்தின் தோலில் சிறு சிறு கரும்புள்ளிகள் இருக்கும்.

"கார்பைடு' பழத்தின் உள்ளே தெரியும் வித்தியாசங்கள்: 

1. பழத்தின் உள்ளே சதைப்பகுதியின் மேல் மஞ்சள் நிறத்திலும், உள்பகுதியில் வெள்ளை அல்லது லேசான மஞ்சள் நிறத்திலும் இருக்கும்.

2. சுவை குறைவாக இருக்கும்.

3. பழத்தில் சாறு குறைவாக இருக்கும்.

2 food manufacturing units near Margao shut down by FDA

MARGAO: Two manufacturing units near Navelim and Sao Jose de Areal were shut down by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Tuesday and food items worth 1,80,000 combined were seized and later destroyed in the presence of the owners. 

FDA officials during raids in the morning found that Devar at Colmorod, Navelim, and Choudhary Food Products at Comba, near Sao Jose de Areal, were allegedly engaged in manufacturing foodarticles sans labels and their respective premises did not have the food safety licence as required under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, rules/regulations 2011. 

Food safety officers Abel Rodrigues, Shailesh Shenvi, Rajaram Patil and Shivdas Naik first intercepted three cyclist-vendors at Navelim, who were carrying unlabeled food articles for distribution to gadas, bars and restaurants. 

After interrogating the cyclists and with their assistance, the officers landed at the office of Ramesh Devar at Colmorod and found his unit engaged in manufacturing munchies under unhygienic conditions, sans any labels and without a safety licence for the premises. A similar scene was at Comba. 

"Stocks of food articles worth 1,80,000 were seized and confiscated by the officials and then subsequently destroyed in the presence of the owners," said FDA director Salim Veljee.

Get milk tested on your doorstep

Ludhiana, May 13

Residents can get their milk tested at the Dairy Development Board’s office at Model Town, near Chatar Singh Park. If you are a group of 40 persons from a locality, then a team from the board will collect samples from your doorstep.

“We regularly collect milk samples from different localities. Those residents, who want to get milk tested, can visit the office. If there are 40 samples from a locality, a team from the board will visit the locality to collect samples. For multiple samples, one can call up at 0161-2400223,” said Santokh Singh, District Inspector, Dairy Development Board.

Today, a team of the board collected 39 samples from Joshi Nagar, of which 16 were found adulterated with water. The water content in these samples was between 3 and 36 per cent. No chemical adulteration was found, said Jaswinder Singh, Senior Development Officer.

There are around 13 solid contents in pure milk, 4.5 per cent fat, 8.5 per cent solid non-fat with 3.5 per cent protein, 4.9 per cent lactose and .8 per cent minerals. Around 83-87 percent is natural fluid. In adulterated milk, most of the times the total solid content is only around 3-4 per cent and the fluid content goes up to 92-93 per cent.

Experts take

Intake of adulterated milk can lead to a stunted growth in children below one year of age while in older ones it can cause problems like diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach infections.

JMC books 8 under COTP Act

JAMMU: While continuing drive against, smoking in public places and polythene carry bags, the team of Health and Sanitation wing of Jammu Municipal Corporation under the supervision of Health Officer JMC, Dr. Mohammad Saleem Khan inspected various food establishments and seized about 19 kgs of polythene carry bags and realized Rs. 8,300 as fine from the defaulters. The team also booked eight persons under COTP Act 2003 and a fine of Rs. 800 was realised from the defaulters.

On the directions of Commissioner JMC, Kiran Wattal, the teams inspected various food establishments like hotel, restaurants, provisional stores, food stalls, vegetable vendors at Maheshpura Chowk, Mahesh Pura Sabzi Mandi, K.C Morh, Rehari Colony, Railway Road, Trikuta Naga and Panama Chowk.

Moreover, the team lifted two different kind of food samples i.e. Tomato Ketchup (Kissan brand) and Refined Soyabin Oil from Rehari Colony and sent to Food Analyst Jammu for analysis.

The JMC Health Officer, Dr. Mohammad Saleem Khan appealed to all theFood Business Operators not to sell any type of unhygienic food items not conforming to prescribed quality and standards which can put the public health to danger, otherwise stringent action under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 shall be taken against the defaulters.

Moreover, all the Food Business operators dealing with milk and milk products are strictly warned not to sell adulterated milk and milk products.

Court orders release of Starbucks’ syrups’ consignment

The Bombay High Court has ordered the customs department of Nhava Sheva port to release a consignment of syrups belonging to Tata Starbucks Limited, which had been lying at the port since February this year.

The company had approached the court after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) refused to grant No Objection Certificate (NOC) to release the consignment.

The court observed that the Food Safety and Standards Authority had acted in an “arbitrary and capricious manner” by detaining the goods.

Starbucks had argued that it had been importing the syrups since 2012 without any glitch.

The authorities said that the consignment of Starbucks does not confirm to the syrup category, and hence cannot be passed.

“We are of the view that the stand taken by the Respondents (FSSAI) is self contradictory. On the one hand, Respondents have in terms stated that the product which is imported by the Petitioner does not fall under category 2.3.24 (syrup) and, on the other hand, they have not cleared the goods on the ground that it does not conform to the said category under 2.3.34,” the order passed by Justices V.M. Kanade and A.K. Menon last week stated.

Starbucks had pleaded that the goods were perishable in nature and had shelf life only till August/ November 2014. It said that the goods confirmed the category of other food items of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Tata Starbucks operate around 43 cafes throughout the country, serving speciality coffees, beverages and other items.

Mangoes worth nearly Rs2cr destroyed in Mumbai

Mumbai: The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has confiscated and destroyed 26,000 kg of artificially ripened mangoes worth Rs 1.93 crore in the past one month. The state body found clandestine godowns on the highways or fringes of cities being used to ripen the mangoes usingcalcium carbide. 

Many farmers had urged Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar recently to stall the FDA crackdown. Pawar's office is believed to have spoken to the FDA. 

The FDA said on Monday that the mangoes were to be supplied to Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Navi Mumbai, Akola and Aurangabad. Food safety officers sought permission from municipal corporations and dumped the mangoes, before destroying them with compactors. 

"The use of calcium carbide to ripen fruits is a violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act. It is a known carcinogen and can have far-reaching health effects," FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said. Food safety officers have been speaking to farmers and mango traders for three years, educating them about the hazards of artificially ripening mangoes, he said. 

Calcium carbide is the commonest chemical agent used to ripen mangoes. "The carbide gas that emanates from calcium carbide is used to ripen mangoes. It is a serious threat to health as it also contains traces of phosphorus and arsenic. Carbide is actually used in welding works," said joint commissioner S S Kale. He added that the trucks carrying mangoes are parked outside warehouses for two days, when the mangoes are sprayed and then sent to various places. 

Zagade said the onus to recognize naturally ripened fruits also lies on citizens. "Artificially ripened mangoes will not have wrinkles," he said.

Over 23,000 kg mangoes went to dumping yard last month

SUMMARY

The use of Calcium Carbide has become rampant with traders wishing to ripe mangoes within 48 hours instead of waiting for a week or so

Traders mixing Calcium Carbide in the king of fruits — Mangoes — have become a reason to give fans of this seasonal fruit a pang of pain. In the past month (that is April 1-May 4), the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had to destroy a whopping 23, 678 kg of mangoes worth Rs 11.85 lakh after it found godowns full of mango boxes containing Calcium Carbide packets stacked against the fruit.

Kamlesh Sankhe, joint commissioner of food at FDA, said, “Food safety officers have permission to destroy such fruits as soon as they find that artificial ripening agents have been used. We made thorough inspections in all godowns before seizing them. These mangoes are then emptied in a dumping ground and crushed so that they cannot be accidentally consumed.”

Sankhe said permission from the local municipal corporation has to be sought before destroying the mangoes in the dumping ground. “In Mumbai, we first took permission from BMC and then used the dumping grounds to crush all the mangoes,” he said. A truck is used to squash all the mangoes under the wheels later.

As per data gathered from the FDA, 40 varieties of mangoes were scrutinised for traces of this chemical across the state. Maximum seizures were done from Pune and Akola where around 9,000 kg of mangoes belonging to nine different varieties were found with Calcium Carbide, also known as ‘masala’. In Aurangabad, Thane and Mumbai too, large consignments of mangoes were destroyed.

The use of Calcium Carbide has become rampant with traders wishing to ripe mangoes within 48 hours instead of waiting for a week or so.

Dissolved in water, this chemical produces acetylene gas that acts as an artificial ripening agent. Mahesh Zagade, FDA commissioner, said, “Calcium Carbide does not actually ripen the mangoes. It just changes the colour to a uniform yellow and lends an appealing look to the buyer.”

Acetylene is believed to affect the nervous system by reducing oxygen supply to the brain. Sankhe said it can cause memory loss, mouth ulcer and even cancer if consumed in large quantities.

Zagade recently held meetings with various traders in the state and urged them to avoid the use of the chemical under the Food Safety and Standards Acts, 2006

Mangoes seized, destroyed

The FDA today seized mangoes worth Rs 5000 from a fruit vendor Curchorem for artificially ripening the fruits, officials said.

Food Safety Officers team of Abel Rodrigues, Priya Desai and Niranjan Naik seized the fruits from Sultan Kachur’s go-down at Priti apartment, near the Curchorem railway station.

The mangoes were artificial ripened using Chemical Ethopon, which is an chemical used as Plant Growth Regulator. However, since the ripening is done artificially using Chemicals, FDA destroyed the mangoes. The mangoes have been dumped at the Cacora garbage site.

“This is to only to send a loud and clear message that no ripening of fruits using chemicals will be allowed or tolerated by FDA,” FDA Director Salim Veljee said.

Yesterday the FDA seized and destroyed Rs 1.5 lakh worth of Alphonso mangoes as retailers and wholesalers race to get better rates from the market putting consumers at risk in their bid for a quick buck

Hotels in State Blatantly Flout Cleanliness Norms

At a time when 418 of the 753 bars in the State remain closed after the Comptroller and AuditorGeneral (CAG) found that they were not having the minimum cleanliness standard, data on the standard of hygiene followed by hotels in the State have come as a shocker.

The data was collected by filing a Right To Information (RTI) application to the State Food Safety Commissioner’s Office.

The application was filed in February last year to know about the 30 guidelines on food safety, to be followed by the hotels in the State under the Food Safety and Standards Act - 2011. The application was filed in the wake of the death of a person on July 10, 2012, after eating‘shavarma’ from a hotel in Thiruvananthapuram.

The then Joint Food Safety Commissioner K Anil Kumar, who is now the Food Safety Commissioner in-charge, forwarded the RTI application, filed by human rights activist P B Satheesh of Mannuthy in Thrissur, to the assistant commissioners (food safety) who are in charge of checking food safety in each of the 14 districts and ensuring that the guidelines are followed.

The consolidated district-wise data received so far by the applicant from the assistant commissioners in seven districts and from the food inspectors of various circles in the other districts clearly show that not even one per cent of the hotels in the State, registered as per the government rules, are following the 30-point guidelines, instructed through a circular on July 25, 2012 by the then Food and Safety Commissioner Biju Prabhakar.

“I got the district-wise data through the assistant food safety commissioners of seven districts, while the rest of the data came from the food inspectors looking after each circle (tantamount to an Assembly constituency in the State). As per the data I received through the RTI reply, the total number of registered hotels in the State is 1,85,390, of which only 1,461 are following the 30-point guidelines. This is only 0.79 per cent of the total registered hotels” Satheesh said. The 30-point guidelines mainly give instructions regarding the distance between the drainage andtoilets and the kitchen of the hotels, drainage water getting logged near the kitchen, cleanliness of the kitchen, and proper freezing facilities to preserve raw food items etc. 

Official Version

K Anil Kumar, the State Food Safety Commissioner in-charge, told ‘Express’ that it was a laborious task to implement the Central Government’s Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act-2011.

According to him, the data consolidated through the RTI application might be for only those hotels where the food safety officers conducted inspection.

“Besides that, the Central Government has extended the deadline for hotels and restaurants to get licence by complying with the FSS Act until August 2014. Moreover, there is a possibility of the new government that comes to power at the centre extending the deadline further,” he said.

“But, compared to some of the other states in the country, like Tamil Nadu, the food safety officials in Kerala have taken a far better effort to implement the Act,” he claimed. On the 30-point guidelines, he said that he was not sure about the need for such a circular, while the Act itself was getting implemented.

B Satheesh, who filed the RTI application, said that even around three years after the Act was implemented, the government was still waiting for another person to die for strictly implementing the rules. “Even the district-wise data I received from seven assistant commissioners of food safety clearly show that only nine per cent of the hotels, in half of the districts in the State, have got the licence as per the FSS Act- 2011,” he said.

‘ready to implement the FSS Act’

Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association general secretary Jose Mohan said they have rejected the 30-point guidelines. “We are ready to implement the FSS Act - 2011. We have moved the High Court for changing some of the provision in the Act. We have asked all the 1.25 lakh members of our association to implement the Act, except some non-viable provisions in it. We will give membership to those having either FSSA licence or the licence given by the civic bodies concerned,” he said.

UT ADMIN ISSUES NEW GUIDELINES UNDER FOOD SAFETY & STANDARDS ACT

In a major decision, the UT Administration has decided not to renew or register the licences under Food Safety & Standards Act 2006 of the premises outside Lal Dora. The UT Administration on Monday issued new guidelines for issuance of licence and registration under FSS Act, 2006.

According to the guidelines, no premises outside Lal Dora (Abadi-Deh) will be issued any licence/registration. Also, no renewal of licence/registration of premises which fall outside Lal Dora will be done even if they have been issued food licences/registration under FSS Act, 2006 or PFA Act.

At present, a large number of shops are running in the areas developed illegally outside the Lal Dora. And, the new guidelines adopted by the UT Administration are likely to lead to closure of these food outlets running outside the Lal Dora area here.

“For the renewal of licence, satisfactory proof of possession is required. However, in absence for the same, an affidavit on prescribed format is to be furnished as proof of possession,” said the new guidelines. The date of validity of registration/license will be from the date of issue of registration/license and not from the date of application.

“A no objection certificate from Chandigarh Housing Board, UT Estate Officer and Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh is required to be submitted for the issuance of food license if the food business operator (FBOs) is running business in residential premises, basements, SCF & SCR (except ground floor),” stated the guidelines.

The rules have been issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. All FBOs are required to obtain a food license for all conversions, renewals, new licences and registrations every year. According to the Food Safety Act, operating a food business without a licence or registration will attract a penalty up to Rs5 lakh and imprisonment up to six months.

Gutkha worth Rs.4 lakh seized

Continuing its crackdown against the illegal trade of banned tobacco products, officers of the Thane (Rural) police, in a joint operation with officials from the Food and Drug Department of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), seized a consignment of gutkha worth more than Rs.4 lakh from a shop in the Naya Nagar area of Mira Road (East), late on Saturday night. One person has been arrested.

Deputy Superintendent Chandrakant Joshi had recently issued standing instructions to personnel of all five police stations to keep a tab on illegal trade and storing of the banned products. 

According to the police, following a tip-off on a huge consignment of banned gutkha and other tobacco products being stocked in a shop in Pooja Nagar, a joint team led by API Prafful Wagh and MBMC Food Inspector Manek Jadhav, raided a shop in Matru Darshan building on Saturday night, and confiscated a consignment comprising thousands of sachets of gutkha, pan-masala and scented tobacco of various brands including Goa, Rocket, Pan-Vilas, Vimal and Rajshri. 

The estimated value of the seized consignment, which is said to be more than Rs.4 lakh, was meant for distribution in and around the twin-city. The police have arrested the owner of the shop identified as Azim Ahmed Shaikh (35) in this connection. A case under sections 488, 272, 273 and 328 of the Indian Penal Code and under the relevant regulations of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 has been registered at the Mira Road police station. Further investigations are on.

High Court relief for Tata Starbucks as release of syrups get nod

In a relief to Tata Starbucks Company, the Bombay high court directed the customs department at Nhava Sheva port to release a consignment of flavoured syrups used by the coffee chain to prepare its beverages. Imported from USA, the consignment was stopped at the port after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India refused to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC).

In its order, a division bench of justices VM Kanade and AK Menon, allowed the company to take the consignment which has already arrived and is kept at the port. "In our view, instead of complying with the provisions of the Act and Rules and Regulations framed thereunder, they have acted in an arbitrary and capricious manner and detained the goods of the petitioner (Starbucks)."

Starbucks is a joint venture company of Tata Global Beverages Limited and Emerald City CV, which is an affiliate of Starbucks Corporation, USA. The company operates Starbucks Cafes in which speciality coffees, coffee beverages and other items are sold in India. Around 43 such cafes are in operation all over the country.

The consignment was stopped at the port in February after the authority claimed that the flavoured syrups did not meet the requirements laid down under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011.

Appearing for the company, senior counsel Iqbal Chagla argued that the syrups do not contain 65 per cent of soluble solids and thus is a proprietary food (a food that has not been standardised under these regulations) under the category, and since it is used as an additive in flavoured beverages it is not sold to the consumers directly. Thus, the regulations would not apply to the product.

It was also argued that the company has been importing these products since July 2012 and they have been cleared for almost two years. After February 2014, all the consignments have been detained at the port.

Appearing for the authority, advocate Mohammed Pracha argued: "The regulations are formed to avoid dumping of sub-standard goods into India and thus causing a health hazard to the public at large."

The court, however, observed, "It is not stated by the respondents that these products are unsafe for human consumption. It is also an admitted position that in respect of number of proprietary foods, no standard has yet been fixed by them."

Food inspector suspended

Hisar, May 11

The Food and Supplies Department has suspended an inspector following an inquiry report indicating irregularities in granting licences for fair price shops in villages of Hisar. 

Reports say a departmental inquiry has found that 68 licences for ration depots under the Public Distribution System had been granted in violation of the Haryana Public Distribution System (Control) Order 2009. 

Following the report, the department had suspended Hisar inspector Krishan Kumar. The suspension order stated that his headquarters would be Rohtak during the period of his suspension.

District Food and Supplies Commissioner Dr Ghanshyam said the ration depots were granted licences as per the requirement and approval by the Hisar district administration. He denied any wrongdoing in granting the licences.

96% water samples fail test in Faridabad

Faridabad, May 11

The quality of drinking water in Faridabad has deteriorated, with 96 per cent of samples taken last month having failed the test. This is the second time this year that over 95 per cent samples have failed. In February, 98 per cent samples had failed. 

Sources said the Health Department took 208 samples from various sources in the district last month, 201 of which failed the test. The test focused on chlorination and did not cover brackishness and fluoride content. Samples taken from 120 tube wells in Panhera Khurd were found to be unfit for human consumption.

Samples were taken from tube wells in Palla, Ballabgarh and Kheri Kalan, where the quality of water was poor mainly due to high fluoride content. As many as 163 of the 165 samples of potable water taken from various areas of the town were found to be unfit for human consumption in February.

The authorities seemed helpless even though there was acute shortage of water in the town due to delay of the Ranneywell project, said Satish Kumar, a local resident. The municipal corporation did not have the right to impose water charges due to the failure to supply clean drinking water, said KL Gera, a social activist.

When contacted, the Deputy CMO said the failure of a large number of water samples was an issue of concern. He said the number of samples taken each month could vary and the water sample failure rate was 80 per cent in over a year. He said the information was given to the Public Health Department and the municipal corporation.

FDA seizes mangoes ripened chemically

MARGAO: A team of food safety officers from theFood and drugs administration (FDA) seized artificially-ripened mangoes worth 5,000 from a fruit vendor at Curchorem on Sunday.

The team; comprising Abel Rodrigues, Priya Desai and Niranjan Naik; confiscated the fruit fromSultan Kachur, a vendor who was operating from his godown near Curchorem railway station, FDA officials said.

Mangoes had been artificially ripened using a chemical called 'Ethopon', which is used as a plant growth regulator by agriculturists. It is illegal to ripen fruit using chemicals, even those approved for use in farming.

FDA has destroyed the stock and prevented it from going into the market.

All such mangoes are sent to the Cacora garbage site. FDA director Salim Veljee said that it was not possible to test fruit for chemicals as the powder tends to wear off quickly. "Unless, we catch the culprits red-handed with the chemicals, we cannot make seizures," he said.

Milk samples taken

Jalandhar, May 11

The Health Department took samples of milk from seven places in the city early this morning. On the directions of RL Bassan, Civil Surgeon, a team comprising Dr Balwinder Singh, district health officer, and Dr Harjot Pal, food safety officer, raided the premises of various milk vendors at around 5.30 am in Urban Estate Ph-II, Pholriwal, Jamsher Road and took milk samples. According to the raiding team, the sampling was done as a precautionary measure, as the same team had found lots of materials to make synthetic milk from a house in Talhan village on Saturday. The results of the samples are expected to come within a fortnight.

VFPCK to install mobile fruit ripening chambers in 16 Palakkad outlets

The Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Keralam (VFPCK) is setting up mobile ethylene ripening chambers at sixteen of its retail chains in Palakkad district. These would later be set up in other parts of the southern state as per convenience.

Palakkad is among the leading producers of mangoes in the southern state. These units would be set up primarily to cater to mangoes and bananas, but VFPCK eventually plans to establish mobile chambers for other fruit and vegetables as well.

This is being undertaken to combat artificial ripening of fruit and the adverse impact of using calcium carbide on health. The chemical is rampantly being used by farmers, agents and traders to protect the fruit against damage, which commonly occurs in transit and at the retail outlets.

It is summer, a season when large quantities of fruit get damaged. Moreover, currently there is no alternative for the commercial transportation of fruit, so small-scale farmers have been seeking the help of the government.

VFPCK collects fruit and vegetables from small-scale farmers to facilitate large-scale retail distribution. That is a profitable method. Retail centres used traditional ripening methods for fruit and vegetables, but continuous damage and the use of calcium carbide made the council opt for an alternative.

Ripening mangoes and bananas using ethylene is one of the safest methods to ripen the fruit. With this method, it is expected that per kg, mangoes would cost Re 1 more than their current price, but the quality of the fruit would be higher.

Arun Kumar, district manager, Palakkad, VFPCK, said, “The installation is in its final stage. Within 10-15 days, it would be able to facilitate its 16 retail centres with ethylene ripening chambers. The council’s self-help groups (SHG) discussed the issue of damage and artificial ripening of fruit.”

“We conducted a number of awareness campaigns against the use of calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruit and vegetables. But we had to find an alternative for this and protect the fruit from damage and sell quality fruit. The installation of mobile ethylene chambers is expected to have a positive impact on the mango and banana markets,” he added.

Move on oil sale poses challenges

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India bans sale of coconut oil in loose form.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the sale of coconut oil in loose form after complaints of adulteration came up before it. Sale of coconut oil will be permitted only in packaged form, conforming to standards set by the authority. The decision is bound to have an impact in the edible oil market.

The new move could hit daily wage earners and the marginal sections of society who depend on a meagre income and do not purchase commodities and store them. In fact, the loose sale of oil caters to such people. The adherence to the new directive will put them at the receiving end unless steps are taken to provide the packaged form of edible oil to them at affordable rates.

With the steep rise in prices of copra and coconut oil, the arrival of the commodity from Tamil Nadu had been under monitoring. Coconut oil was traded in Ernakulam at Rs.15,700 per quintal on Friday, almost double the rates which the commodity had been sold a year ago. Adulteration had been established on a few occasions at the checkposts and some consignments were sent back after the samples reportedly failed the standard tests prescribed by the authority.

With no signs of the prices falling down, the market will continue to face strain from inadequate availability and a tendency for sale of the commodity in non-packaged form. It will be a hard task for the authorities to find out the violations. On the other hand, the FSSAI move would send a clear message to the sellers who indulge in adulteration.

Cochin Oil Merchants Association Director Talat Mahmood said the move was taken in right earnest to prevent sale of adulterated commodity. Though the commodity coming from neighbouring States is being subjected to checks, ensuring that the commodity on sale within the State is free of adulterants will be a gigantic task. Adulteration can happen within Kerala, Mr. Mahmood points out.

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.