What all you need to know about Good Hygiene Practices?

What all you need to know about Good Hygiene Practices?

All consumers have the right to expect safe, hygienically prepared and good quality food.  This is the reason that the handling of food requires care to prevent the hazards. Good Hygiene Practices are the set of requirements to prevent contamination of food in order to provide safe food to the consumers. Food borne illnesses can result from contamination due to improper practices like when there is

• lack of environmental hygiene and poor sanitation
• mixed and inappropriate transportation
• poor storage
• poor personal hygiene,
• unsafe source of food

Contaminants are identified as being

• Biological: bacteria, viruses or parasites that are present in air, food, water, soil, animals or humans
• Physical: Foreign bodies in food are usually due to accidental contamination and / or poor handling practices, these are visible particles like; pebbles, stones, metal, glass, wood, insects, soil, dirt, jewelry, hair, fingernails etc.
• Chemical: chemicals used for cleaning and sanitizing food contact surfaces, pest control chemicals, paints and water treatment chemicals, pesticides, fertilizers, fungicides and also a group of some naturally occurring harmful chemicals like Mycotoxins.

Food safety includes food handling, food preparation, food storage & food distribution according to the standardized procedures and guidelines as stated in compliance to Food Safety and Standards Regulations. It shall also be deemed to be the responsibility of the food business operator to ensure adherence to necessary requirements. Besides the steps outlined here, FBO must identify activities and take necessary steps to ensure food safety and also make sure that safety procedures are identified, implemented, maintained and reviewed periodically.

Primary Production 

Environment hygiene is of utmost importance as contaminants can enter food at the initial production stage itself if the surroundings and the environment where they are produced are unsafe. All food establishments must be located away from

• areas which are prone to pest infestations
• where wastes, either solid or liquid, cannot be removed effectively

Hygienic production of food sources

• You need to control contamination from air, soil, water, feed-stock, pesticides, veterinary drugs or any other agent used in primary production
• Protect food sources from fecal and other contaminant

Handling storage and transport 

• Use appropriate storage materials and equipment. Equipment and containers that come in contact when handling food or used for storage, preparation, processing, packaging and serving shall be made of corrosion free materials which do not impart any toxicity to the food and should be easy to clean and /or disinfect
• Protect food and food ingredients from contamination by pests, chemicals, microbiological or physical or other objectionable substances during handling storage and transportation

Cleaning, maintenance and personal hygiene; these three are most important for preventing cross contamination. There should be adequate facilities for cleaning and disinfecting utensils and equipment. Premises must be maintained and kept thoroughly clean. Personal hygiene must  be emphasized at all times and properly supervised.

The following points on Good Hygiene Practices as per Schedule 4 of Food Safety & Standards (Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011 will give you more insight about the requirements:

Establishment Design and Facilities must be such that it minimizes risk to ensure food safety. Nature of operations and associated risks must be identified. Premises and equipment should be so maintained that risk of contamination is eliminated.

• Location can be a potential source of contamination as obnoxious odour, fumes, excessive soot, dust, smoke, chemical or biological emissions and pollutants from surroundings can enter food.
• Internal design, structures and layout of the premises rooms and equipment should be such that they prevent contamination.
• Material of equipment should be durable, movable and capable of being disassembled for cleaning.
• Premises and equipment should be easy to maintain, clean, disinfect and monitor

Facilities that directly or indirectly impact food safety must be strictly adhered to like

• water quality: water should be potable grade for food processing and water must not become the source of contamination during cleaning. Pipes should be clearly marked to indicate potable or non-potable water
• air quality: ventilation systems natural and /or mechanical including air filters, exhaust fans must be designed and constructed so that air does not flow from contaminated areas to clean areas.
• drainage and waste disposal : disposal of sewage and effluents (solid, liquid and gas) must conform to requirements of Factory / Environment Pollution Control Board. drainage, waste disposal system should be constructed in such manner that there is no risk of contamination to food or water
• temperature control: facility for transporting and storing food under temperature control must be provided. Cold storage facility must be available if required
• personal hygiene facilities: all food handlers must have adequate and suitable clean protective clothing, head covering, face mask and gloves. There must be adequate hand wash facility
• lighting: natural or artificial lighting must be adequate to enable the employees/workers to operate in a hygienic manner. Lighting fixtures must wherever appropriate, be protected to ensure that food is not contaminated by breakages of electrical fittings.
• Storage: ensure effective protection from contamination during storage. Segregate storage for raw, processed, rejected, recalled or returned materials or products which will be distinguishably marked and secured. Separate areas for storing raw materials and food printed packaging materials, stationary, hardware and cleaning materials / chemicals. 

Especial care must be taken to prevent contamination if the premises are temporary or it is a mobile facility.

Control of operations

Control of food hazards through the use of HACCP (Hazard analysis and critical control points) is a systematic and preventive approach to food safety. It prevents biological, chemical, and physical hazards in production processes that can cause the finished product to be unsafe. It also designs measurements to reduce these risks to a safe level. Through HACCP process, the food business operator must ensure that there is no potential contamination from surroundings, improper time and temperature controls.

• Key aspects of hygiene control systems: FBO must develop a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for the processing of food as well as its packaging, dispatch and storage. This will help to pinpoint problem and control damage faster. Specific process steps must be set up to prevent microbial cross contamination, physical and chemical contamination of any kind.
• Incoming material requirements: specification need to be identified and applied, where possible inspected and sorted before processing of food.
• Packaging: design and packaging materials will be such that it provides protection for all food products to prevent contamination and damage. Labelling will be carried out as perFood Safety & Standards (Packaging & Labelling) Regulations, 2011.
• Water in contact with food and used as an ingredient must be potable. Ice and steam that come in direct contact with foods must be made from potable water and special care must be taken to handle, store and use them so as to prevent contamination.
• Management and supervision: there should be adequate personnel according to the size of the business, the nature of activity and type of food processed. The Food Business shall ensure that technical managers and supervisors have appropriate qualifications, knowledge and skills on food hygiene principles and practices to be able to ensure food safety and quality of its products, judge food hazards, take appropriate preventive and corrective action, and to ensure effective monitoring and supervision.
• Documentation and records: appropriate records of food processing / preparation, production / cooking, storage, distribution, service, food quality, laboratory test results, cleaning and sanitation, pest control and product recall shall be kept and retained for a period of one year or the shelf-life of the product, whichever is more.
• Recall procedures must be in place for complete recall, handling and communication so that there is no damage to consumer.

Maintenance and sanitation

• Cleaning methods and procedures must be appropriate keeping in mind the type of product to be cleaned, like raw food must be cleaned separately. Vegetarian food and non- vegetarian food must be washed and cleaned separately.
• The kind of machine that is being cleaned; a separate method would be adopted for cleaning hidden residual food and pest control chemicals.
• Cleaning programmess must be methodical, their frequency as per FSSAI regulations and cleaning must be monitored so that only suitable and effective methods are used.
• Pest control systems must effectively prevent access, must not harbor pests that cause infestations. Monitoring, detection and eradication methods must be in place.
• Waste management to be carried out systematically, with daily removal of food and other waste. Waste storage must be located away from food processing area and covered. Method, frequency and effectiveness must be defined by FBO according to regulations.
• Monitoring Effectiveness: to ensure that all methods in place are effective there must be a periodic audit of the whole system according to the SOP must be able to fill gaps in the GMP / GHP system. The FBO shall voluntarily carry out microbial testing either in an in-house laboratory or an accredited lab or lab notified by FSSAI.

Personal Hygiene 

• Health status of employees must be checked for communicable diseases and surface injuries, especially to hands or other parts of the body that come in direct contact with food items.
• Personal cleanliness: Clothing must be clean, head covered, face mask, gloves and different footwear must be supplied for wearing inside processing area. Nails and hair must be short and clipped regularly.
• Personal behavior: smoking, spitting, chewing, sneezing, coughing, and eating near food preparation areas must be discouraged and never overlooked.
• Visitors: There must be stringent rules and guidelines for entry in food preparation areas and must be allowed entry only with protective clothing with full adherence to personal hygiene

Transportation 

• Design of conveyances and bulk containers must be such that there is proper segregation of products to prevent cross contamination, Transport must have time, temperature and humidity controls available inside the vehicle and monitored
• Appropriate for type of packaging: Food must be transported in packaging that is food grade or appropriate for the food according to regulations
• Use and maintenance of conveyance must be scheduled appropriately. Avoid mixed use of transport and transport must be thoroughly cleaned after prior usage and corrective measures to prevent contamination must in place.

Product information and consumer awareness 

• Lot and batch identification on food packaging must be as per Codex standard and FSSA rules
• Product information must bear adequate information to enable the next person in the food chain to handle, display, store prepare and use the product safely and correctly
• Labelling must be as per Food Safety & Standards Regulations, 2011.
• Consumer education: Labelling instructions must be adequate and informative about the nutrition value for consumer to make safe and healthy choices.

Training

• Awareness and responsibility: Training is one of the most important aspects of GHP. Lack of training of employees is the cause of most food safety hazards and incidents. Hence all workers must be aware of the hazards and trained to be responsible
• Training Programs must be scheduled from time to time so that all employees are aware of the
  • nature of food and its ability to sustain growth of harmful micro-organisms
  • manner in which food is handled/packed correctly
  • extent/nature of processing or further preparation before final consumption
  • conditions under which the various types of foods will be stored
  • expected length of time before consumption

• Instructions and supervisions: Food handlers must be instructed and trained in food hygiene and food safety aspects along with personal hygiene requirements commensurate with their work activities, the nature of food, its handling, processing, preparation, packaging, storage, service and distribution. Routine supervision and checks are needed to ensure that food hygiene and food safety procedures are being carried out effectively.

• Refresher Training programmes must be routinely scheduled and updated so workers are always aware.

70% samples of curd in Sangrur district fail test

Sangrur, October 31
About 70 per cent samples of curd, 57 per cent of cheese, 36 per cent of desi ghee, 27 per cent of milk and 43 per cent samples of mustard oil collected from across the district failed to pass the test of food safety standards. These samples were collected during the past nine months by the health authorities and tested by the Food Analyst Punjab, Chandigarh.
Ten samples of curd were collected from January to September, out of which seven failed the test while four out of seven samples of cheese were not found to be up to the mark. Likewise, four out of 11 samples of desi ghee, 20 out of 74 samples of milk, nine out of 21 samples of mustard oil too failed the test.
Three samples of cold drink, four samples of refined oil, five of sweets, two each of pickle and ice cream, one each of pulses, gram flour, maida, tea leaves also failed to meet the food safety standards.
The district health authorities had collected 328 samples of various food items in Sangrur district, of which 69 failed the test on account of being unsafe, substandard, misbranded or having misleading statement on cover under the Food Safety and Standards Act.
Of the 69 failed samples, nine samples (two of desi ghee, six of milk and one of refined oil) were declared unsafe for human consumption while the remaining 60 are substandard, misbranded or misleading.
Expressing concern over the failure of samples of milk and its products and mustard oil, District Health Officer Dr Surinder Singla said adulterated mustard oil could lead to skin diseases and hair fall. Besides, adulterated milk and milk products were also harmful for human consumption to a great extent.
Dr Singla said under the Act, for an unsafe product, a judicial court could award punishment up to life imprisonment and fine up to Rs 10 lakh and for a substandard food item, a penalty up to Rs 5 lakh could be imposed by the court of Adjudicating Officer-cum-Additional Deputy Commissioner.
He could also impose a penalty up to Rs 3 lakh for a misbranded item and up to Rs 10 lakh for a misleading statement on a product.
Dr Singla said they were in the process of initiating cases in the respective courts.
Report card
57% samples of cheese, 43% of mustard oil, 36% of ghee too were found to be below safety standards
These samples were collected during the past nine months by the health authorities and tested by the Food Analyst Punjab, Chandigarh

Traders protest food safety Act, online trading

Members of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, Vellore, stage a protest in Vellore on Friday.

A woman selling greens on the roadside can now be slapped a fine of Rs. five lakh and imprisoned for six months for not possessing a licence as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act.
“Such regulation will come down hard on roadside vendors and we have been repeatedly demanding that these provisions be amended and the Act simplified,” R.B. Gnanavelu, secretary of Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, Vellore, said.
On Friday, traders belonging to the association staged a protest to reiterate their demand to review the Act. They said that this act was brought into effect to allow foreign companies to set base in India, while wiping out domestic retailers.
The traders also opposed online trading and called for a ban. “These online trading firms pay only service tax to the government, leading to huge revenue loss. Consumers make online purchases for things such as electronic goods and clothes. These products do not have a guarantee and customers cannot ask for an exchange,” he said.
Online trading affected the livelihood of traders across the country. “Online retail sector had a business worth Rs. 21,000 crore every year, and this will increase to over Rs. 85,000 crore in four years,” he said.
Traders said foreign companies invested in these online trading firms and this should be banned considering the welfare of the public, government and traders.
C. Krishnan, president, Tamil Nadu Vannigar Sangangalin Peramaippu, Vellore, was present.
“The Act will help foreign companies set base in India and wipe out domestic retailers”

‘Ban online trading’

The members of the Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaippu staged a demonstration in front of the Collectorate on Friday demanding the Government to slap a total ban on online trading. They also demanded the Government to totally revamp the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
They said that online trading would immensely harm retail trading, besides leading to tax evasion.
Already many laws existed to ensure food safety and maintain the standards. The Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 accounted for many conditions which would totally paralyse the trade.
S. K. Periasamy, district president of the Peramaippu, led the agitation.

BCIC’s Nov 7 seminar on FSSAI to help F&B players navigate regulations

Bangalore Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) would organise a seminar, titled ‘FSSAI 2014: Navigating the Dynamic Regulatory Landscape’ on November 7, 2014 at Hotel Le Meridian, Bengaluru.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) priorities are to lay down science-based standards for food products and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
“The seminar is intended to educate the participants on how the FSSAI has been implemented, explore the changes experienced by the industry and seek resolutions to the bottlenecks in implementing the law,” said T S Sampath Kumar, secretary general, BCIC.
“There is an urgent need for an clarification on certain clauses of the new Act. In this endeavour, we have invited leading industry and government experts to provide the much-needed clarity and assist the industry to effectively traverse the regulatory landscape,” he added.
“Although the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), 2011, have been designed to keep up with the changing needs, confusion has persisted, throwing up several challenges for the industry. There are serious doubts on licencing, product approvals, labelling, export implications and key amendments,” Kumar informed.
The seminar would addressed by industry and government representatives, including Varun Berry, managing director, Britannia Industries (who would provide a business perspective on the regulatory landscape), and P S Vastrad, health and family welfare commissioner, Karnataka.
A technical session would be moderated by Murali Ganesan, chairman, expert committee on agro and food processing, BCIC.
Vijay Sardana, past director, Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry (CIFTI), and Cynthia Joseph, business relations, Equinox Labs, would speak about the implications of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, and FSSR, 2011, on the food and beverage sector. The latter would also provide an understanding of FSSR, 2011’s Schedule IV guidelines.
Dr Sattigeri, former director, Central Food Laboratory, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, would provide an introduction to Codex and the alignment strategy with FSSAI.
There would be a presentation on product approval by Sunil Adsule, director, regulatory affairs, Coca-Cola India Inc.
Dr M Kannan, deputy director, FSSAI, Chennai, would speak on the labelling requirements and issues on import.
Sachin Achintalwar, senior manager, regulatory affairs, AB Mauri, would provide an introduction to global regulations.
BCIC stated that policy-makers, enforcement authorities, food safety officers, food technologists, food importers and exporters, representatives of the hotel and catering segments and food consultants would be required to attend the seminar.
“Participants would benefit from the insights of the new Regulations, enabling them to capitalise on the opportunities in agro food processing,” said Sampath Kumar.

செவ்வாய்பேட்டைக்கு வெல்லம் வரத்து பாதிப்பு தட்டுப்பாடு ஏற்படும் அபாயம்

சேலம், அக்.31:
சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை வெல்ல மண்டிக்கு வெல்லம் வரத்து குறைந்துள்ளதாக வியாபாரிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் ஓமலூர், தேக்கம்பட்டி, வட்டக்காடு, கருப்பூர், மூங்கில்பாடி, காமலாபுரம், தின்னப்பட்டி, தீவட்டிப்பட்டி உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில் பல்வேறு பகுதிகளில் வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி செய்யப்படுகிறது. இந்த பகுதியில் உற்பத்தி செய்யப்படும் வெல்லத்தை விவசாயிகள் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை வெல்ல மண்டிக்கு ஏலத்திற்கு கொண்டு வருகின்றனர். இங்கு வரும் வெல்லத்தை வியாபாரிகள் ஏலம் எடுக்கின்றனர்.
இந்நிலையில், கடந்த செப்டம்பர் முதல் வாரத்தில் சேலம் உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி செய்யும் ஆலைக்கு சென்று ஆய்வு செய்தனர். அப்போது வெல்லம் தயாரிப்பில் கலப்படம் செய்து இருப்பது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. இதனால் சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் பல ஆலைகள் இயங்காததால், வெல்லம் வரத்து குறைந்துள்ளதாக வியாபாரிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
இது குறித்து சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை வெல்லம் வியாபாரிகள் கூறியதாவது:
சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டையில் தினசரி காலையில் நடக்கும் வெல்ல ஏல மண்டியில் 120 முதல் 150 டன் வெல்லம் விற்பனை நடக்கும். கடந்த செப்டம்பரில் சேலம் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள், வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி செய்யும் ஆலைகளில் ஆய்வு நடத்தினர். இந்த ஆய்வின்போது வெல்லத்தில் கலப்படம் இருப்பது தெரியவந்தது. உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரியின் கெடுபிடியால், சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி செய்யும் ஆலைகள் பல இயங்கவில்லை. வெல்லம் உற்பத்தி குறைந்ததால், சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை வெல்லம் மண்டிக்கு வெல்லம் வரத்து பாதித்துள்ளது.
தற்போது 30 முதல் 40 டன் வெல்லம் மட்டுமே வருகிறது. இவைகளும் வந்தவுடன் விற்பனைக்கு சென்றுவிடுகிறது. பல மளிகைக்கடைகளில் வெல்லம் விற்பனைக்கு இல்லை. வரத்து குறைந்ததால் வெல்லத்திற்கு தட்டுப்பாடு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது. நேற்று நிலவரப்படி 31 கிலோ கொண்ட சிப்பம் முதல் ரக வெல்லம் ரூ.1000 முதல் ரூ.1200 எனவும், இரண்டாம் ரகம் ரூ.850 முதல் ரூ.1000 என விற்பனை செய்யப்படுகிறது. இவ்வாறு வெல்லம் வியாபாரிகள் கூறினர்.

Canteen sealed

The Food Safety and Drug Administration Department on Wednesday sealed a private canteen at the premises of Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
“We received a complaint from a medical student who suffered food poisoning. On inspection, officials found the kitchen in an unhygienic condition,” said an official. An improvement had been issued last week.

No view taken on IIT non-veg food issue: Govt.

A HRD Ministry source said: "... no such direction can be given as this is an administrative matter to be decided by respective IITs which are autonomous."
The Ministry of Human Resource Development wrote to directors of all the16 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) on Thursday saying that no view has been taken on segregation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian messes.
The Hindu had reported on Thursday that the Ministry had forwarded a letter of a Madhya Pradesh based grain-trader to IITs on October 15. The letter from one SSK Jain of Katni, who described himself as a ‘swayamsevak’ and BJP supporter, and others demanded the segregation of vegetarian messes as students are influenced by Western culture through non-vegetarian food.
The Ministry’s covering letter had asked IITs to inform the Ministry of action they may take in this regard. Non-vegetarian food has been stopped in IIT Delhi this year and IIT Madras has a separate vegetarian mess for the last couple of years.
In the letter on Thursday, Under-Secretary AK Singh of Technical Section-I wrote, “… the representations were forwarded to the Institutes in routine manner, without any view having being taken thereon.”(sic)
A Ministry source said, “Jain's letter along with a score others on same issue were sent to the IITs as a routine matter. In RTI age, this is done routinely. Add to this the pressure of Modi's MyGov portal inviting ideas. Further, no such direction can be given as this is an administrative matter to be decided by respective IITs which are autonomous.”

Ban on non-veg food: Will govt force IIT to act?

According to a report in the Hindu, the Union Ministry for Human Resource Development has asked all 16 Indian Institutes of Technology in the country to "take action" on a request by an RSS member for separate dining halls for vegetarians.
The request, made by one S.K Jain of Madhya Pradesh, is based on the belief that the consumption on non-vegetarian food is a bad culture of the West.
The letter, which the Hindu says it has a copy of, claims that "children who have started practicing non vegetarianism have saddened their parents by their ‘tamsic’ behaviour. It is the call of the parents of India that IITs and other institutions segregate their dining halls for vegetarians."
Mr Jain, who has no connection to any IIT in any capacity whatsoever, told The Telegraph the UPA government had earlier rejected his appeal saying the IITs were not meant to promote religious ideologies.
But the Modi sarkar appears to be more receptive to this demand. In his cover letter to the IITs, HRD ministry A.K Singh said "Please take the trouble to inform the ministry about whatever actions you take,".
Speaking to the Telegraph, Mr Jain claimed "Non-vegetarian food is not part of Indian culture. It affects our value system and enhances aggression. The crime rate is increasing because of such tamasic food."
Tamasic food are the list of items that Hindus are not supposed to eat – including things like onions and garlic.
In his interview with the Hindu, Mr Jain said "We see many families which are all mixed up. There are Sindhi fathers and Punjabi mothers in the same family and their children get married to Muslims. It all starts when you mix up food. Wrong food spoils one's mind. That’s why I made this request as I am a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and a supporter of the BJP. I knew that this government would understand,"
While the idea to have separate dining halls for vegetarians is rational, and many IITs already provide this facility, it is strange that the Union Ministry would base its action request on Mr Jain's request, with its calls to end ‘anti-Indian’ behaviour.
The HRD Minister - Smriti Irani, is yet to comment on the letter.
The students of the IITs have not been consulted over this move. In any case, a large percentage of them invariably end up leaving the country for the West where vegetarian food of any kind, let alone separated from meats like beef and pork, is a rarity.
In a strange twist, though the Hindu broke the story, the banning of non-veg food in canteens based on religious beliefs is nothing new to the Hindu newspaper.
As per this notice from the Hindu's Human Resource Department, the bringing and eating of non-veg food is banned in the Hindu's canteen.

Trade group seeks to reinvigorate US-India agri partnership

Thursday 30th October, 2014
A leading US-India trade group has suggested how India could enhance food safety, foster innovation, boost the competitiveness of local industry, and increase the speed of introducing new products to market.
The suggestions were discussed during the US-India Business Council (USIBC)'s just concluded first Food and Agriculture Executive Mission to India since 2011, according to the group comprised of 310 of the top-tier US and Indian companies.
The three-day mission entitled Reinvigorating the US-India Agricultural Partnership, "was an important milestone in efforts to "advocate for policies and regulations that improve agricultural productivity, enhance food safety, and ensure food security in India," it said.
In meetings with US and Indian officials, USIBC members also discussed ways to partner with the Indian government to advance Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Make in India" initiative, which calls for greater foreign investment in production and manufacturing in India, the group said.
"Our meetings this week were open, frank, and extraordinarily encouraging" said DuPont Pioneer President and Mission Co-Lead Paul Schickler.
"The officials we met with at all levels in the Indian Government were interested in gaining a better understanding of how they can partner with industry to generate greater investment at every level of the farm-to-fork food chain," he said.
"There is a real sense in New Delhi that the government is serious about the reforms that we have all heard so much about," Schickler added.
During the trip, USIBC members were able to strengthen ties with government and corporate leaders and reinforce the US industry's position as a collaborator with shared interests in advancing India's agriculture economy and food industry, the group said.
Siraj Chaudhry, chairman of Cargill Foods India and mission Co-Lead said the group has already outlined "several areas for collaboration between the US and Indian private and public sectors that will build capacity and enhance private sector engagement in policy and regulatory decision-making."

Edible Oil Units Must Ensure FSMS Compliance Needs

Olive Oil
With the implementation of FSS Act, 2006, the edible oil industry is governed by FSS Act, Rules & Regulations for issue of license, safety and ensuring standard parameters. However, for licensing, the producer or manufacturer of vegetable oil, edible oil and other products needs to have his own laboratory facility for analytical testing of samples as it is one of the conditions of the license.
Another stipulation under the regulations is that every manufacturer [including ghani operator] or wholesale dealer in butter, ghee, vanaspati, edible oils, solvent extracted oil, de-oiled meal, edible flour and any other fats shall maintain a register and present the same for inspection by the food authorities. The register must show details of
the quantity of manufactured, received or sold oil
nature of oil seed used
quantity of de-oiled meal and edible flour used etc. as applicable
destination of each consignment of the substances sent out from his factory or place of business.
Food Business Operators must also be careful that they do not sell or distribute, offer for sale or deliver to any person for the purpose of sale any edible oil that is not packed, marked or labelled as specified in the regulations. They can be exempted these conditions only if there is a public interest notification by the Food Safety Commissioner in the official Gazette and that too under
specific circumstances,
for specific period of time
for reasons recorded in writing.
Location and Layout of the establishment
In keeping with regulations and to prevent contamination edible oil manufacturing units are to be located away from those industries that emit harmful gas, chemicals or obnoxious odours. Machinery in the factory must occupy only 50% of floor space so that there is no obstacle to continuous production.
The factory must have a permanent roof like R. C.C, asbestos or iron sheet. Similarly the flooring must be either tiled, cemented or pakka stone laid. The production area walls are required to be smooth and should not be less than five feet height and the junctions between the walls and floors are curved. The factory premises must be whitewashed and painted and should also have adequate lighting and ventilation. To take care that no effluents could contaminate the oil, the factory requires proper refuse disposal and drainage facility.
To prevent infestation from flies and insects, all doors must have automatic door closures, while windows and other openings must be fitted with secure mesh or screens. For hygienic purposes entrances must have antiseptic/ disinfectant foot mats. Toilet facilities must be adequate for all workers and located away from the factory premises. Factory owners need to adopt a CIP (clean-in-place) system.
Equipment and Fixtures
Manufacturing plant owners must provide adequate facility to disinfect and clean equipment and instruments used in oil production. Equipment made with stainless steel/ galvanized iron or other non-corrosive material is most suitable for use. Temperature and pressure/vacuum in the processing vessels require proper maintenance. Edible oil must be transported in clean transport particularly if the same transportation is used for non-food items. The transport must be equipped with temperature control facility if required.
Processing plants must carry out only
Approved processes in the factory
More than 180° C temperature is required for de-odourisation
Post neutralization must be carried out for hydrogenation/ interesterification units
Packaging and Storing
Packaging material must be adequately available and while place for storage must be clean and free from pest and rodent infestation. Packaging section must be clean, tiled, covered and free from contaminants like flies and insects. Use only food grade containers or those made of prime quality material for packing edible oil and fats. Tin containers must be rust free. If required, manufacturing units must provision for cold storage facility. Follow all labelling norms on packs along with correct batch numberings so consumers are safe.
Personal hygiene
To ensure that edible oil and fats are not contaminated through workers manufacturing unit owners need to provide adequate
Aprons, headgear, disposable gloves and footwear
Provision for hand wash, detergent/ bactericidal soap
Nail cutters
Hand drying facility
Toilets with disinfectant foot mats
Water Supply
You must ensure that there is adequate supply of potable water and facilities to store water in a clean and safe manner. Make sure that potable and non-potable water pipes are easily identifiable by marking them appropriately.
Food Testing Facility
All edible oil manufacturing units should have a well-equipped laboratory for testing of vegetable oils/fats with provisions for necessary chemicals and supporting facilities. The laboratory must employ qualified chemists. Raw oil or finished products must be all tested within standard parameters and quality control records must be satisfactorily maintained.
All packaged edible oils that are being sold in all retail outlets would now be marked with the new ISI standards. BIS has been working on new standards for edible oil.

DINAMALAR NEWS

சுகாதாரமற்றதாக புகார் அரசு மருத்துவமனையில் உணவகத்துக்கு அதிரடி சீல்

சென்னை, அக். 30:
ராஜிவ் காந்தி அரசு மருத்துவமனையில் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் செயல்பட்ட உணவகத்துக்கு சீல்வைக்கப்பட்டது.
சென்னை ராஜிவ் காந்தி அரசு பொது மருத்துவமனையில் ஐந்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட உணவகங்கள், டீ கடைகள் உள்ளன. இதுதவிர அம்மா உணவகமும் உள்ளது. இங்கு வரும் ஆயிரக்கணக்கான நோயாளிகள் மற்றும் அவர்களது உறவினர்கள், செவிலியர்கள், மருத்துவமனை ஊழியர்கள் என பலரும் உணவகங்களுக்கு சென்று சாப்பிடுகின்றனர்.
இதேபோல் மருத்துவமனையில் பணியாற்றும் டாக்டர்கள் மற்றும் மருத்துவ மாணவர்கள், பயிற்சி மருத்துவர்களுக்காக தனியாக உணவகம் உள்ளது. தனியாரால் நடத்தப்படும் இந்த உணவகம் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் செயல்படுவதாக உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு புகார்கள் வந்ததால் கடந்த 15 நாட்களுக்கு முன் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் சோதனையிட்டனர்.
அதில், புகார் உண்மை என தெரிய வந்தது. இதையடுத்து உணவகம் நடத்தும் தனியாருக்கு எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்தனர். ஆனால், மீண்டும் மீண்டும் புகார் வந்தவண்ணம் இருந்ததால் நேற்று மீண்டும் சோதனையிட்டனர். இதில் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் உணவகம் இருப்பது தெரிய வந்ததை அடுத்து, அதிகாரிகள் உணவகத்தை பூட்டி சீல் வைத்தனர். அதன் மேல் எச்சரிக்கை நோட்டீசும் ஒட்டப்பட்டது. இதேபோல் மருத்துவமனையில் உள்ள அனைத்து உணவகங்கள், டீ கடைகளையும் சுகாதாரமான முறையில் வைத்துக்கொள்ளும்படி அதிகாரிகள் அறிவுறுத்தினர்.

Food licence for medical stores painfully slow

MEERUT: Ever since the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 was implemented in August 2011, making it mandatory for medical stores to also receive a licence from the food safety department, the licencing procedure has become exceedingly cumbersome, storekeepers say.
Medical stores keepers and officials in the food safety department accept that only 50% of the licences applied for have been issued.
"The online procedure is troublesome for medical store owners. They have to get their license renewed in five years, depending on the time period for which the medical stores' license was issued. The online renewal process adds to the woes of medical store owners," said JP Singh, Chief Food Safety Officer (CFSO).
Earlier, medical stores had to get a license only from the drug inspector. After the Food Safety and Standards Act was implemented in 2011, retailers had to also get a license from the food safety department.
The step came to ensure that food items, including milk powder, honey and chyanvanprash that were sold at medical stores met food safety norms.
Puneet Sharma, a medical store owner in the city, said, "Not only is the online procedure difficult for a person like me, who shies away from technology, it also ends up taking more time than the manual issuing of licences."
Sharma said he had applied for the license in March 2014. Seven months have passed, but he has still not received the licence, he said. "I visited the department but was told the online procedure takes time," Sharma said.
When TOI sought details from the CFSO of the numbers of licences applied for and issued, he said, "It is difficult to collate data because it is on different online portals. We don't have the hard copy of the list of online licenses issued." He added that the government had given time until February 2015 to issue food licences to medical stores.

‘Ensure no wildlife meat at Sangai fest’

People for Animals Thoubal has called for officials who are to manage the food stalls at the upcoming Sangai festival to check the food offered by stall keepers, and to arrange stalls into veg and non-veg categories.
The body, in a statement, remarked, that “animal meat” refers to sheep, goat, pig, cattle, poultry and fish only under the purview of existing Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. It said slaughtering of any other species other than these animals was not permissible and is illegal.
Reacting offering of wildlife meat, PFA also said dog, and rabbit meats are also to be avoided. The body while pledging it will keep constant vigil of the stalls also reminded that the state is not famous for its cuisines.
Selling of cooked meat which is not permitted could lead to imprisonment upto six months and fine up to one lakh rupees while selling of wild animals’ meat could be punished as well.
On a different note, PFA also appealed that Pony and polo associations are not to provide joy ride of Pony horses in the festival.
In the previous year staffs of wildlife department were deployed to check sale or offering of wildlife meat or its products.

Safe packaging

The world's leading food processing and packaging solutions provider launches a food awareness campaign for mothers to keep their childern and family protected by making the right choices, reports shubhra bhramar
Food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak launched its Right to Keep Food Safe awareness campaign in the Capital recently, targeting mothers to inform them of food safety, nutrition and packaging facts. As per a recent multi-city survey commissioned by Tetra Pak, one in every three mothers surveyed is unsure about the safety of food that she gives to her family. The survey conducted by Research Pacific, Conversations With Mothers, also revealed that mothers are most concerned about the freshness and purity of the food they consume as well as the risks of its adulteration.
Releasing the findings of the survey on World Food Day, Tetra Pak’s Right to Keep Food Safe campaign was an awareness programme to empower mothers with knowledge and facts on food safety and nutrition, and motivate them to spread the word to many more mothers. An integral part of this is Nutrition Quotient (NQ), which is a first-of-its-kind online course on food safety, nutrition and packaging that has been developed by experts from the Indian Medical Association, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Indian Dietetics Association, the National Dairy Research Institute and the National Institute of Nutrition.
"Food safety is a continuing concern with the outbreaks of food-borne diseases due to adulteration, contamination and lack of awareness on how to keep food safe,” said Aditi Gowitrikar, doctor, actor and mother of two who was present at the launch. “It is surprising to learn from the survey that over 70 per cent mothers do not immediately connect serious diseases such as jaundice, cholera, and typhoid with food safety."
Tetra Pak Asia Markets marketing director, Sumit Khattar said, "The survey shows that while mothers are quite concerned about the food and beverages they consume, there is a clear need for them to have easy access to better information and consequently exercising the right choices."
The Right to Keep Food Safe campaign comprises several programmes, activities and seminars around ten key cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Vishakhapatnam). It aims to empower mothers to champion the movement around food safety and nutrition and become spokespersons in their own communities to increase awareness on this critical issue.

உணவு பாதுகாப்பு சட்டத்தை கண்டித்து 31ல் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம்

குன்னூர், அக் 29:
உணவு பாதுகாப்பு தர நிர்ணய சட்டத்தை கண்டித்து நீலகிரி மாவட்ட வணிகர் சங்கங்களின் பேரமைப்பின் சார்பில் மாபெரும் ஆர்ப்பாட்டம் வரும் 31ம் தேதி ஊட்டி ஏடிசி சுதந்திர திடலில் நடக்கிறது. இதற்கு மாவட்ட வணிக சங்கங்களின் பேரமைப்பின் மாவட்ட தலைவர் பரமேஸ்வரன் தலைமை வகிக்கிறார். மாநில இணை செயலாளர் அப்துல்ரசீது, மாவட்ட செயலாளர் ரகீம், பொருளாளர் ஜான், துணைத்தலைவர்கள் முஸ்தபா, ரவிக்குமார், முகமது ஜாபர், தாமஸ், சிவசண்முகம், கவுரவ ஆலோசகர்கள் ரமேஷ்கேம்சந்த், முகமது பாருக், சிவன், ராஜா முகமது, தங்கவேல், இணை செயலாளர்கள் வின்சென்ட், ஆனந்த்குமார், சிவக்குமார், குணசேகரன், ஜெயராமன், ரெக்ஸ்மணி, ஜபரூல்லா, மற்றும் மாவட்ட அனைத்து சங்க நிர்வாகிகள் முன்னிலையில் நடக்கிறது.

உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு

வால்பாறை, அக்.29:
வால்பாறையில் உள்ள பேக்கரி, ஓட்டல் மற்றும் உணவு பொருட்கள் விற்பனை செய்யும் கடைகளில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் நேற்று அதிரடி ஆய்வு நடத்தினர்.
கோவை மாவட்ட உணவு மற்றும் மருந்து பாதுகாப்பு மாவட்ட அலுவலர் கதிரவன் தலைமையில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்கள் செல்வபாண்டியன், கோவிந்தராஜ், காளிமுத்து ஆகியோர் நேற்று வால்பாறை நகரில் உள்ள கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வில் ஈடுபட்டனர். ஆய்வு குறித்து மாவட்ட அலுவலர் கதிவரன் கூறுகையில், வால்பாறையில் காலாவதியான குளிர் பானங்கள் விற்கப்படுவதாக வந்த புகாரின் அடிப்படையில், ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டோம்.
அதில் சில கடைகளில் காலாவதியான குளிர்பானங்கள் விற்பனை செய்வது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. அவற்றை பறிமுதல் செய்து அங்கேயே கொட்டி அழித்துவிட்டோம். இனிமேல் இதுபோன்ற காலாவதியான உணவு பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்தால் கடும் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்று சம்பந்தப்பட்ட வியாபாரிகளுக்கு எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்துள்ளோம்.
உணவு பொருட்களை வாங்கும்போது மக்கள் எச்சரிக்கையாக இருக்கவேண்டும். குறிப்பாக பொருட்களின் காலாவதி தேதியை கண்காணித்து வாங்கவேண்டும் என்றார். மேலும் அதிகாரிகள் தேயிலைத்தூள் விற்பனை கடைகளில் தேயிலையை நீரில் கலந்து ஆய்வு செய்தனர்.

20 லட்சம் மதிப்பிலான 648 மூட்டை ஜவ்வரிசி பறிமுதல் உணவு பாதுகாப்புதுறை அதிகாரி அதிரடி

சேலம், அக்.29:
சேலத்தில், ஜவ்வரிசி தயாரிப்பில் கெமிக்கல் பவுடரை கலப்பதாக வந்த புகாரை அடு த்து 648 மூட்டை ஜவ்வரிசி பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன.
சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள ஜவ்வரிசி ஆலை களில், ஜவ்வரிசி வெளிர் நிறமாக வருவதற்காக தயாரிப்பின் போது கெமிக்கல் கலக்கப்படுவதாக புகார்கள் வந்தன. இதனையடுத்து உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரிகள் ஜவ்வரிசி ஆலைகளில் ஆய்வுகள் மேற்கொண்டு, கலப்படம் செய்யப்பட்ட ஆலைகள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுத்தனர்.
இந்நிலையில், நேற்று சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை நரசிம்ம செட்டி தெருவில் உள்ள ஒரு குடோனில் இருந்து, கெமிக்கல் கலந்து தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகள் விற்பனை செல்வதாக ரகசிய தகவல் கிடைத்தது. விரைந்து சென்ற சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை நியமன அலுவலர் அனு ராதா, அங்கு வெளியூருக்கு அனுப்புவதற்காக லாரியில் தயாராக வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த மூட்டைகளை சோதனையிட்டார்.
இதுகுறித்து சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா கூறியதாவது:
சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள ஜவ்வரிசி உற்பத்தி செய்யப்படும் ஆலைகளில் கடந்த மாதங்களில் ஆய்வு நடத்தப்பட்டது. அப்போது ஜவ்வரிசி தயாரிப்பில் திரவமாக கெமிக்கல் கலப்படம் செய்யப்படுவது, கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டு ஆலைகள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்பட்டது.
அதேபோல் செவ்வாய்பேட்டையில் உள்ள ஒரு குடேனில் மேற்கொண்ட திடீர் ஆய்வில், ஜவ்வரிசியை வெளிர் நிறமாக மாற்ற கெமிக்கல் பவுடரை உபயோகப்படுத்தியது தெரியவந்துள்ளது. இதனால் இங்கிருந்து வெளியூருக்கு அனுப்புவதற்கு தயாராக வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த தலா 50 கிலோ எடைகொண்ட 648 ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகள் பறிமுதல் செய்துள்ளோம். இதன் மதிப்பு 20 லட்சமாகும்.
இவற்றின் மாதிரி எடுத்து ஆய்வுக்கு அனுப்பி, வரும் அறிக்கையின் அடிப்படையில் நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ள உள்ளோம். இவ்வாறு அவர் தெரிவித்தார்.

வெண்மை நிறத்துக்கு ரசாயனம் கலப்படமா? சேலத்தில் 648 ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகள் பறிமுதல் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் நடவடிக்கை

சேலம், அக்.29-வெண்மை நிறத்துக்கு ரசாயனம் கலப்படம் செய்யப்பட்டதா? என்பதை கண்டறிய 648 ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகளை உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.
ஜவ்வரிசி ஆலைகளில் ஆய்வு
சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் ஜவ்வரிசி ஆலைகள் அதிகளவு செயல்பட்டு வருகிறது. இந்த ஆலைகள் சிலவற்றில் ஜவ்வரிசியில் கலப்படம் செய்வதாக வந்த புகார்களை அடுத்து உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் அடிக்கடி ஆய்வு நடத்தி வருகின்றனர். அப்போது ஜவ்வரிசியில் கலப்படம் செய்த ஆலைகளுக்கு ‘சீல்‘ வைக்கப்பட்டு நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டு வருகிறது.
இந்த நிலையில், ஜவ்வரிசி வெண்மையாக மாறுவதற்கு ரசாயன பவுடர் கலப்படம் செய்வதாக மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதாவுக்கு புகார்கள் வந்தன. அதன்பேரில் நேற்று மாலை நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா மற்றும் அதிகாரிகள் சேலம் செவ்வாய்பேட்டை நரசிம்மன்செட்டி தெருவில் உள்ள ஷாமதன்ராஜ் என்பவரது குடோனில் ஆய்வு நடத்தினர்.
ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகள் பறிமுதல்
அப்போது அங்கு ஒரு லாரியில் 50 கிலோ எடை கொண்ட 324 ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகள் ஏற்றப்பட்டு வடமாநிலங்களுக்கு அனுப்ப தயாராக இருந்தன. மேலும் 2 லாரிகளில் ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகளை ஏற்ற ஊழியர்கள் தயாராக இருந்தனர். இதை பார்த்த அதிகாரிகள் ஏற்றப்பட தயாராக இருந்த ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகளில் இருந்து பரிசோதனைக்காக மாதிரிகளை சேகரித்தனர்.
மேலும் அங்கிருந்த 648 ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகளை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்ததுடன், அந்த குடோனிலே மூட்டைகளை பாதுகாப்பாக வைத்தனர்.
அதிக விலைக்கு...
இதுகுறித்து உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா கூறும் போது, ‘கலப்படம் செய்யப்படாத ஜவ்வரிசி பழுப்பு நிறத்தில் இருக்கும். வெண்மையாக இருக்கும் ஜவ்வரிசி தான் அதிக விலைக்கு விற்பனையாகிறது. இதற்காக வியாபாரிகள் ஏதாவது ஒரு ரசாயன பவுடரை கலப்படம் செய்து ஜவ்வரிசியை வெண்மையாக்குகின்றனர்.
இதுதொடர்பான புகார்கள் அடிக்கடி வந்ததால் இந்த குடோனில் சோதனை செய்தோம். அங்கிருந்த ஜவ்வரிசிகளை மாதிரிக்கு சேகரிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதன் முடிவு வரும் வரை பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்ட 648 ஜவ்வரிசி மூட்டைகளை விற்பனை செய்யக்கூடாது என்று கூறி உள்ளோம். பரிசோதனையின் முடிவில் கலப்படம் ஏதேனும் செய்தது தெரியவந்தால் அடுத்த கட்ட நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்‘ என்று கூறினார்.

DINAMALAR ARTICLE

DINAMALAR NEWS

Packaged water found unfit to drink, but no action taken

GURGAON: Forget tap water, if you thought packaged drinking water was safe in the city, think twice. Though only four samples of packaged drinking water were collected by the food safety department from two units in Gurgaon in the last three years, analysis showed that all were unfit for consumption, a Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed.
"The cases were reported and they are now before the court of chief judicial magistrate," said the RTI reply by the food safety officer of Gurgaon.
A separate RTI reply has brought to light the fact that the district pollution control department of Gurgaon has not taken any action or issued any notice to a single water supplier for not maintaining the quality of drinking water in the last five years.
To make it worse, no new permission or licence has been granted to process, operate and fill bottled drinking water in the past five years, the district pollution control board said in its reply to Aseem Takyar, an activist.
"When the pipeline water fails to meet the drinking water requirements of the city dwellers especially in the commercial and industrial areas, people have no choice but to rely on packaged drinking water. But, the authorities have not collected any sample in the past three years barring two. This clearly shows how unsafe the drinking water could be," Takyar said.
In residential colonies, people tend to use the piped water but only after treating it through RO (reverse osmosis) technology.
"In DLF areas, most people use the water supplied by HUDA but it is treated by the RO system installed in most houses as people are not sure about the quality and in the offices, bottled water is used," said Sudhir Kapoor, secretary general of DLF City RWA, Gurgaon. No one from the food safety office could be contacted, despite repeated attempts.

Administration slaps Rs 20,000 fine on private dairy

LUCKNOW: A fine of Rs 20,000 has been imposed on Maa Laxmi Dairy, Vishal Khand in Gomtinagar for a sub-standard paneer taken from the shop on September 24, 2013. The laboratory report found the fat to be 41.5%, while as per laid down norms of Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 (along with rule of 2011), the fat content should not be less than 50%.
No other contaminant was found. Hence under section 49/51 of the said Act, fine has been imposed on the proprietor Jitendra Pal. Meanwhile, food safety officials took three samples of paneer, curd and besan laddoo from Balaji Sweets & Dhaba in Vibhuti Khand, and have sent the samples for further testing. The department has also urged public to inform them about suspected adulterated or sub-standard food on the helpline number 1800-180-5533.

No strange meat, pony joyride in Sangai Festival: PFA Manipur

Imphal, October 28 2014: As "animal meat" is defined as the meat which belongs to Sheep, Goat, Pig, Cattle, Poultry and Fish only under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS) 2006 and Food Product Standard and Food Additives Regulation 2011, the People for Animals, Manipur has appealed to managers of food stalls in the upcoming Sangai Festival 2014 to check the food which will be offered by the stall keepers.
A statement issued today by L.Biswajeet Meitei, Managing Trustee, People for Animals, Manipur said slaughtering of animals of any other species other than these animals is not permissible under the act and regulations.
The PFA Manipur also urged the officials who are managing food stalls in the Sangai festival to arrange the food stalls into veg and non-veg stalls separately.
Saying that wildlife meat is to be strictly checked, the statement called upon all concerned that dog, rabbit or any other uncommon animal meat is to be avoided.
PFA Manipur will keep vigil on the food stalls, it said and added that strange food will not impress foreigners, as Manipur is famous for sports, culture and rare wildlife, but not for cuisine.
Selling of cooked meat which are not permitted could be imprisoned up to 6 months and with fine up to one lakh rupees, according to the FSS Act 2006. Selling of wild animals' meat could also be punished with huge fine under this act and Wildlife protection Act.
The Food Safety commissioner of the state to detail officials to check the food items offered in the festival, PFA urged, while requesting Pony and Polo associations not to provide joy ride of Pony horses in the festival.
In the previous years, staffs of wildlife department were deployed to check sale or offering of wildlife meat or its products.
The PFA statement further suggested the Wildlife department to provide to and fro transport services to access parks, sanctuaries, lakes and gardens of the state.

PFA urges

Imphal, October 28 2014: People for Animal (PFA) Thoubal is all set to keep an eye on food stalls to check the sale of wildlife meat and other uncommon animal meat during the ensuing Sangai Festival.
A statement issued by PFA Thoubal said Manipur is famous for sports, culture and rare wildlife but not for its cuisines.
It said that strange food would not impress foreigners.
Food Safety and Standards Act (FSS), 2006 and its (Food Product Standard and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011 define "animal meat" as meat which belongs to sheep, goat, pig, cattle, poultry and fish only.
Slaughtering of animals of any other species other than these animals is not permissible under the Act and regulations.
So the officials who are going to manage food stalls in the upcoming Sangai Festival are appealed to check the food to be offered by the stall keepers, it said.
It further requested the authority concerned to arrange the food stalls into different groups as vegetarian and non-veg.
Wildlife meat is to be strictly checked.
Dog, rabbit or any other uncommon animal meat is to be avoided.
Selling of cooked wild animals meat is punishable under law, it said.
It also requested Pony and Polo associations not to offer joy ride on ponies during the festival.

FSSAI’s new regulation may benifit Indian wineries

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), in its new regulation, has made it mandatory for imported foods and alcoholic beverages to list ingredients on the label in Devanagari or English. But since, India remains a small market for these international wine producers, they may not be keen on listing out the ingredients exclusively for the market.
This, however, could mean more business for domestic wineries since they will become the biggest beneficiaries in the absence of international players.
Shivajirao Aher, president, All India Wine Producers Association, explained that labeling requirements have hit importers hard and led to a gap in the market, some of which is being filled by domestic winemakers.
Several importers supply wines to hotel chains and would not like to lose an important customer, so they are aiming to fill this gap from other sources.
A number of local wine producers have already started to feel the affect of the new regulations. For instance, Aher’s winery Renaissance Wines that normally sells 2,000-3,000 cases, has received orders for 10,000 cases, something unheard of in the past.
International winemakers have already been suffering because of massive tax rates in India which has stunted their expansion plans in the country.
“The current duty situation is a limiting factor, and I don’t think it’s going to change any time soon,” says Jeffery Davies who runs Signature Selections.
The new regulations issued by FSSAI may add to the woes of these winemakers and is likely to trigger wholesale change in this section.

Now, rating system that tells you which junk food is the least bad

Washington, Oct 28 (ANI): An environmental organization in America has developed a new database that breaks down which foods are good and not so good.
The Environmental Working Group's database scores more than 80,000 grocery items, based on nutrition, safety of ingredients, food additives and the amount of processing, Fox News reported.
The organization said that their idea is to get shoppers to make "healthier, greener and cleaner food choices" helped also by a free app -to be released soon-that offers information with the scan of a smartphone.
The products are rated on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being the best) and how well they perform in three categories: nutrition, processing, and "ingredients of concern." Nutrition makes up about 70 percent of the score, ingredients about 20 percent, and the amount of processing is 10 percent.
Ken Cook, EWG's president and cofounder, said that things that get bad scores are breakfast cereal, frozen pizza and even some meats. More positive scores were given to foods higher in protein, fiber, omega-3s, and minimal processing-foods "closer to what you might find in your kitchen than what you might find in a chemical plant.

கலப்பட தேயிலையில் டீ கலெக்டரிடம் புகார் மனு

கோவை, அக். 28:
கோவை கலெக்டர் அலுவலகத்தில் நேற்று நடந்த மக்கள் குறை தீர்க்கும் முகாமில் சமூக விழிப்புணர்வு இயக்கத்தின் நிறுவனர் சாக்ரடீஸ் மனு அளித்தார். இதில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளதாவது:
கோவை மாநகரின் பல பகுதிகளில் உள்ள டீகடைகளில் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் தேயிலை தூள் மற்றும் காப்பித்தூள்களில் கலப்படம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளது. மேலும் பல கடைகளில் காலாவதியான குளிர் பானங்கள், குடி நீர் விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டு வருகின்றது. இவை தவிர பிளாஸ்டிக் கப்புகளும் விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டு வருகின்றது. ஆனால் இது குறித்து மாநகராட்சி சார்பில் எந்த வித நடவடிக்கையும் எடுக்க வில்லை. எனவே அதிகாரிகள் விழிப்புடன் செயல்பட்டு பிளாஸ்டிக் மற்றும் கலப்படங்களை தடுக்க உரிய நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்ள கலெக்டர் உத்தரவிட வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு அந்த மனுவில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.

தண்ணீர் ரகசியம் எதைக் குடிப்பது.. எதைத் தவிர்ப்பது?

மூச்சிரைக்க விளையாடிவிட்டு, வரும் வழியில் கிணற்றிலோ, தெருக்குழாயிலோ தண்ணீர் குடித்த காலம் இன்று இல்லை. இன்று நாம் குடிக்கும் தண்ணீரில் இருந்து உண்ணும் உணவு வரை அனைத்துமே ரசாயனக் கலப்பாகிவிட்டது. வீட்டில் காய்ச்சி ஆறிய தண்ணீரைக் குடித்துவிட்டு வேறு இடங்களுக்கோ, விசேஷங்களுக்கோ செல்லும்போது அங்குள்ள தண்ணீரைக் குடித்தால், அடுத்த நாளே சளிபிடித்துவிடுகிறது. மினரல் வாட்டர் என்று பாட்டில்களில், கேன்களில் கிடைக்கும் தண்ணீரைக்  குடித்துப் பழகிவிட்டோம். உண்மையில் அதில் ஊட்டச் சத்துக்கள் உள்ளனவா, சுத்தப்படுத்துகிறோம் என்ற பெயரில் தண்ணீரில் உள்ள சத்துக்கள் நீக்கப்பட்டு வெறும் சக்கையான நீரைத்தான் பருகுகிறோமா என்று பல்வேறு சந்தேகங்கள் எழுகின்றன. நீரின் தன்மை பற்றி  சென்னையைச் சேர்ந்த பொது மருத்துவர் எழிலனிடம் கேட்டோம். 'நம் உடலில் 50 முதல் 60 சதவிகிதம் வரை நீர்தான். ஒரு மனிதனுக்கு சராசரியாகத் தேவைப்படும் தண்ணீரின் அளவு என்பது அவனுடைய உடல், வாழும் இடத்தின் சுற்றுச்சூழல், வேலை ஆகியவற்றைப் பொறுத்து வேறுபடும். ஒருவருடைய உடல் எடையை வைத்து, அவருக்குத் தேவைப்படும் தண்ணீரின் அளவைக் கணக்கிடலாம்.    அந்தக் காலத்தில் இயற்கையிலேயே மூலிகைகள் கலந்த, சூரிய ஒளிபட்ட, கிருமிகளை மீன் தின்று சுத்தம் செய்த நீரைத்தான் குடித்து வந்தோம். அப்படிப்பட்ட சுத்தமான தண்ணீர், இன்று மனிதர்களால் மாசுபட்டுள்ளது.   நம் நாட்டில், சுத்தமான குடிநீர் என்பது வெறும் 33 சதவிகிதம் மட்டுமே. இதனால்தான் கிருமியால் ஏற்படும் இறப்பு விகிதம் அதிகரித்திருக்கிறது'' என்றார் டாக்டர் எழிலன். நாம் பருகும் நீர் எப்படி சுத்திகரிக்கப்படுகிறது என்பது பற்றி அக்வா டெக் சிஸ்டம் நிறுவனத்தின் நிர்வாக இயக்குனர் மூர்த்தியிடம் கேட்டோம்... 'வீட்டில் பொருத்தப்படும் வாட்டர் பியூரிஃபையரிலும், தண்ணீர் கேன் நிரப்பும் தொழிற் கூடங்களிலும் கிட்டத்தட்ட ஒரே மாதிரியான தொழில்நுட்பம்தான் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது.  முதலில் கேண்டில் பில்டர் என்று சொல்லப்படும் தொழில்நுட்ப முறையில், இயற்கை மாசு வெளியேற்றப்பட்டு தண்ணீர் சுத்திகரிக்கப்படுகிறது. எதிர்சவ்வூடு பரவல் தொழில் நுட்பத்தின்படி மைக்ரான் அளவிலான சவ்வு வழியாக சுத்திகரிக்கப்பட்ட நீர் செலுத்தப்படுகிறது. அதையடுத்து கார்பன் ஃபில்டர் செய்யப்படுகிறது. பின்னர் ஒரு மைக்ரான் சவ்வு வழியாகவும், அதனையடுத்து 0.0001 மைக்ரான் அளவிலான சவ்வு வழியாகவும் அனுப்பப்பட்டு, தண்ணீரில் இருக்கும் மாசுக்கள் அகற்றப்படுகின்றன. இப்படிக் கிடைக்கும் தண்ணீர் மிகவும் சுத்தமானது. வீட்டில் பயன்படுத்தும் சில சுத்திகரிப்பான்களிலும், தொழிற்கூடங்களிலும் அல்ட்ராவயலட் கதிர்களால் சுத்திகரிப்பு செய்யப்படுகிறது. இதன் மூலம் கிருமிகள் முற்றிலுமாக அழிக்கப்படுகின்றன. இந்த முறையில் இருந்து பெறப்படும் நீரின் பாதுகாப்பு மேலும் உறுதிப்படுத்தப்படுகிறது. கேன் நிறுவனங்களில் தண்ணீர் சுத்திகரிக்கப்படும் முறை இந்தியத் தர நிர்ணய விதிகளை, சில  நிறுவனங்கள் முறையாகக் கடைப்பிடிக்கின்றன. ஆனால், சில நிறுவனங்கள், தரமற்ற கேன்களை உபயோகப்படுத்துவதும் நடக்கிறது. சுத்திகரித்த தண்ணீர் சுகாதாரமற்ற கேன்களில் சேரும்போது, மீண்டும் தண்ணீரின் தரம் கெட்டுவிடுகிறது. மினரல் வாட்டர் என்றால் என்ன? காசு கொடுத்து வாங்கும் பாட்டில்களில் உள்ள தண்ணீர்தான் மினரல் வாட்டர் என்று நினைக்கிறோம். ஆனால், அது உண்மை  இல்லை. நாம் வாங்கும் பாட்டில்களில் இருக்கும் தண்ணீர்  'சுத்திகரிக்கப்பட்டுப் பாதுகாக்கப்பட்ட குடிநீர்’ (packaged Drinking water) அவ்வளவு தான்.  மினரல் வாட்டர் என்பது கனிமங்கள் சரியான அளவில் கலக்கப்பட்ட சத்தான குடிநீர். ஒரு லிட்டர் தண்ணீரைத் தயாரிக்கவே 100 ரூபாய்க்கும் அதிகமாக செலவாகும்' என்றார். 'தண்ணீரைச் சுத்தம் செய்ய, பல நவீன வசதிகள் வந்து விட்டாலும், அந்தக் காலத்தில் நம் முன்னோர்கள் தண்ணீரைத் தூய்மைப்படுத்தப் பயன்படுத்திய முறைகள், அவற்றுக்கு எந்த விதத்திலும் குறைந்தவை அல்ல' என்கிறார்  சித்த மருத்துவர் திருநாராயணன். மேலும் அவர் கூறுகையில் 'தண்ணீரின் கடினத்தன்மையை மாற்றுவதற்கு, அந்தக் காலத்தில் நெல்லிமரக் கட்டையையும் தேற்றாங் கொட்டையையும் (தேத்தா விதை) பயன்படுத்தினார்கள். அதில் இருக்கும் பாலிபீனால் என்னும் பொருள், தண்ணீரில் இருக்கும் தாதுக்களை மென்மையாக்குவதால், நீரின் கடினத்தன்மை குறைந்துவிடுகிறது.முன்பெல்லாம் வீட்டுக் கொல்லையில் இருக்கும் கிணற்றில், நெல்லிமரக் கட்டையைப் போட்டுவைப்பது வழக்கம். அல்லது, தேற்றாங் கொட்டைகளைப் பொடித்து, ஒரு துணியில் கட்டி இறக்கிவிடுவார்கள். 15 நாட்களுக்கு ஒரு முறை மாற்றுவார்கள். கிணற்றில் மட்டுமல்ல, பானையில் கூட தேத்தா விதைகளைப் பொடித்து, துணியில் கட்டிப் போட்டுவைக்கலாம்.இப்போதும் நம் வீடுகளில் வரும் நீர் கடின நீராக இருந்தால், சம்ப் மற்றும் மேல்நிலைத் தண்ணீர் தொட்டிகளில் நெல்லிக் கட்டை அல்லது தேத்தாங் கொட்டையைப் போட்டுவைக்கலாம். நல்ல பலன் கிடைக்கும்.  நீரைக் குடிக்கும் முறை மோர் பெருக்கி, நீர் சுருக்கி, நெய் உருக்கி உண்பவர்தம் பேர் சொல்லப்போகுமே பிணி’ என்பது தேரையர் பாடல். நீர் சுருக்கி’ என்பது நீரைக் காய்ச்சி (அதாவது வற்ற வைத்து) குடிக்க வேண்டும் என்பதைத்தான் குறிக்கிறது. எனவே, காய்ச்சிய தண்ணீரைக் குடிக்கும் பழக்கமும் பாரம்பரியமாக   இருந்துவந்ததுதான். அதிலும், செம்புப் பாத்திரத்தில் காய்ச்சிக் குடித்தால், உடலில் இருக்கும் நிறமிகள் மற்றும் சருமத்துக்கு மிகவும் நல்லது. தண்ணீர் சில மருத்துவப் பலன்கள்   மருதம்பட்டையை, வெதுவெதுப்பான தண்ணீரில் இரவு முழுவதும் ஊறவைத்திருந்து, காலையில் அருந்தினால், இதயம் பலப்படும். ரத்தம் உறையாமைப் பிரச்னையைத் தடுக்கும் நல்ல மருந்து இது.   சுத்தமான சந்தனத்தை உரைத்து, அதை மிளகு அளவு எடுத்து, 60 மி.லி. தண்ணீரில் கரைத்துக் குடித்தால், சிறுநீர் கழிக்கும் போது ஏற்படும் எரிச்சல் தீரும்.   பெருஞ்சீரகம் சிறிதளவு எடுத்து, கொதிக்கும் தண்ணீரில் போட்டு வைத்திருந்து, மறுநாள் முழுக்கக் குடிப்பதற்கு அந்த நீரையே பயன்படுத்தி வந்தால், போதைப் பொருட்கள் மேல் வெறுப்பை ஏற்படுத்தும். மேலும், செரிமானத்தையும் சீராக்கும்.   ஓமம் ஊறவைத்த தண்ணீரை, குழந்தைகளுக்குக் கொடுத்தால், செரிமானக் கோளாறுகள் நீங்கும். வயிற்றுப்போக்கு இருந்தாலும் கட்டுப்படுத்தும். நம் வீடுகளில் முன்பெல்லாம் 'ஓமவாட்டர்’ கண்டிப்பாக இருக்கும். பெரியவர்களுக்கும் குழந்தைகளுக்கும் வயிற்றுப் பிரச்னைகள் ஏற்பட்டால், நல்ல மருந்து அது.   நாட்டுமருந்துக் கடையில் கிடைக்கும் சதகுப்பையை, கொதிக்கும் தண்ணீரில் ஊறவைத்து, மறுநாள் அருந்தினால் செரிமானத்தைச் சீராக்குவதுடன், வயிற்றை இழுத்துப் பிடித்து வலிப்பதற்கும் நல்ல மருந்தாகும். அந்தக் காலத்தில் குழந்தைகளுக்குக் கொடுக்கப்படும் 'கிரைப் வாட்டர்’ போன்று செயல்படும்.   கொதிக்கும் தண்ணீரில் புதினா இலையைப் போட்டு வைத்திருந்து, அந்தத் தண்ணீரில் வாய் கொப்பளித்தால், வாய் துர்நாற்றம் நீங்குவதுடன், கிருமிகள் வராமல் தடுக்கும். வீட்டிலேயே செய்துகொள்ளக் கூடிய மவுத்வாஷ் இது.   வில்வ நீர், துளசி நீர் இரண்டுமே நோய் எதிர்ப்புச் சக்தியை அதிகப்படுத்த உதவும். காய்ச்சிய தண்ணீர் தண்ணீரைக் காய்ச்சிக் குடியுங்கள்’ என்கிறார்கள். தண்ணீரைக் கொதிக்க வைக்கும்போது, 99.9 சதவிகிதம் பாக்டீரியா, வைரஸ் போன்ற கிருமிகள் அழிகின்றன. ஆனால், பலருக்கு முறையான கொதிக்கவைத்தல்’ பற்றிச் சரியான புரிதலோ வழிகாட்டுதலோ இல்லை. தண்ணீரை அடுப்பில் வைத்து, லேசாகச் சூடு வந்ததுமே அடுப்பை அணைத்துவிடுகின்றனர். நீரை நன்றாகக் கொதிக்கவைத்து, குமிழ்கள் வரும்போது, அந்தக் கொதிநிலையிலேயே 10 நிமிடங்கள்் இருக்கவேண்டும். இந்த நீரை ஆறவைத்து, வடிகட்டி அன்றே குடித்துவிட வேண்டும். முதல் நாள் காய்ச்சிய நீரை மறுநாள் பருகுவதால், எந்த நன்மையும் இல்லை. மேலும், பானையில் வைத்திருக்கும் நீராக இருந்து, ஒவ்வொரு முறையும் கையை விட்டு்த் தண்ணீரை எடுக்கும்போது, நம் கை மூலம் சில கிருமிகளை உள்ளேவிடுகிறோம். எனவே, தண்ணீரை முகந்து குடிக்காமல், ஊற்றிக் குடிப்பதுதான் நல்லது' என்கிறார்  டாக்டர் எழிலன்.

Indian moms buy milk, juices without looking at labels

New survey reveals mothers check for taste before expiry dates and are unaware of real health risks of contamination.
Is that juice too sweet or not enough? That's a question Indian mothers may ask. But is it safe to drink? They wouldn't be sure, since few are poring over the labels.
The fact that moms are not reading the fine print is just one of the findings uncovered by Conversations with Mothers, a survey conducted by Research Pacific India for Tetra Pak to understand concerns and perceptions regarding food and beverages, specifically milk and fruit juices.
Over 845 mothers aged 25-40 across eight Indian cities were interviewed face-to-face across September to October, many of whom revealed inadequate knowledge about the safety and nutrition quotient of beverages they consumed.
While mothers said their top three concerns were freshness, purity (no adulteration) and naturalness, the survey reveals that they voted taste as the main driver for purchasing a beverage (65%). Freshness (64%) and health (59%) were close second and third, while only 32% said the expiry date was a priority .



When questioned about what they did to ensure the beverages they purchased posed minimal health risks, a majority said they only checked the expiry dates on the pack (68%). Just 9% inspected the pack to ensure it wasn't swollendirty. (Rotting drinks emit gas that fill the vacuum inside the pack and make it swell.) Though one in three mothers admitted to being unsure about the quality and safety of the beverages bought, only 38% read nutritional information or checked ingredients.
Dietician Dr Shweta Rastogi is of the opinion that most urban Indians don't pay much attention to food safety."Most people are price-driven or influenced by health claims of the product. I've heard both patients and laymen say they don't have the time or any interest in reading labels, they don't understand the terms, can't see the fine print and even doubt accuracy of information," says Rastogi, who consults with SNDT University and Guru Nanak hospital in Mumbai.
The mothers surveyed were also not aware of the health risks posed by unhygienic, spoilt, contaminated or adulterated drink items, citing food poisoning, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever as the only common fallouts. Less than 20% mothers in the higher income segment mentioned serious illnesses like jaundice, cholera or typhoid.
All the mothers interviewed boiled their milk for 4 to 6 minutes, mostly to kill germs. Even those using Ultra Heat Treated or UHT milk, which is sold in Tetra Pak packs, did the same (UHT is a treatment to kill germs).None of these mothers were aware that UHT milk does not need to be boiled. They also didn't know that boiling milk reduces its nutrition level (only 15% were aware)."Boiling milk reduces microbiological contamination but also lowers its vitamins B1, B12, calcium and phosphorus levels," Rastogi explains.
Comparatively, their knowledge of risks and benefits associated with fruit juices is up to date, with 55% choosing packaged juice over loose because although the latter is more nutritious, it is less hygienic than the former.
While packaged beverages score on purity of product, Rastogi pointed out that expense may be a factor for some consumers. The multiple layer packaging may prevent adulteration of the product, but also makes it costlier. (A litre of Mother Dairy full-cream packet milk costs Rs 44; UHT toned milk sold in a Tetra Pak is Rs 65.)

Govt ‘disempowers’ SMC, JMC health officers

Srinagar, October 26
The state government has de-notified the health officers of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) as designated officers for the food safety.
As per government order, Assistant Controllers Food Kashmir and Jammu have been given the charge of food safety as designated officers in their respective municipal areas.
The amendment was done following a proposal submitted in June 2014 in which it was unanimously resolved that Drug and Food Control Organization would supervise the monitoring and market checking of food installations and manufacturing units for any violation.
According to official sources the health officers of SMC and JMC will no more handle the affairs related to food safety including market checking as the charge has been taken away from them.
This order was issued after a high-level review meeting chaired by the Minister for Health and Medical Education Taj Mohi-ud-Din in June along with the officers of Health Department and Drug and Food Control Organization.
The order came four months after the Jammu and Kashmir government shunted the whistle-blower health officer after he exposed the use of hazardous and cancer-inducing ingredients by Valley-based corporate giants Khyber and Kanwal.
Officials said the overhaul was done ‘to unify the department and have the single control.’
“No doubt this decision will unify the Drug and Food Control Organization (D&FCO). However, the charge shouldn’t have been given to Assistant Controller Food. This will make the monitoring of food safety lenient as the officers are over burdened with their other work,” a senior officer in the D&FCO told Rising Kashmir.

Administrative affairs: Punjab Food Authority’s role curtailed

The government has barred the Punjab Food Authority (PFA) from checking the quality of wheat stored at flour mills and issuing them licences, a Food Department official said on Friday.
The government had established the PFA in 2012 under the Punjab Food Authority Act 2011.
It was tasked with ensuring food safety and quality in collaboration with manufacturers, food business operators and consumers.
The authority’s functions include formulation and enforcement of food safety and quality standards, registration and licensing of food manufactures and outlets and laboratory accreditation of eatable items. Its operational jurisdiction was initially limited to Lahore. It was later extended to Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi and Multan divisions.
The PFA had recruited a food safety officer to inspect wheat quality and cleanliness arrangements at flour mills under Section 2 of the Act.
The officer asked the management of flour mills to get fresh licences from the authority under Clause 15(2) of the Act failing which their factories would be sealed.
Several flour mills’ owners raised the issue with the Food Department. The department then sent a summary to the chief minister recommending that powers to check quality control of wheat products be given to the Punjab Food Directorate.
It also recommended that flour mills be exempted from getting fresh licences. The food grain licence is issued by the district food controller under the Food Control Licensing Order, 1957.
The Food Department said issuance of licences by the PFA would result in duplicity creating administrative problems.
In the first week of February, the chief minister constituted a four-member to resolve the issue. Its members included the food minister, the agriculture minister, the food secretary and Zafar Iqbal Qureshi.
The committee held several meetings with the flour mills’ association.
It concluded that any duplication in the regulatory mechanism of flour mills might affect the supply of flour.
It called for restricting the PFA’s powers saying that the food directorate dealt with issues related to wheat quota, stock management wheat flour prices.
“Acting on the recommendations, the chief minister curtailed the PFA’s domain, although the authority had been established under an act passed by the assembly,” the official said requesting anonymity.
“A majority in the House can amend the Act… the chief minister cannot do so on a summary of an administrative department,” a senior officer from the Law and Parliamentary Affairs Department said on condition of anonymity.
Food Secretary Muhammad Aslam Kamboh said the PFA’s powers had been restricted to avoid duplicity of functions.
“It has been done on a temporary basis. The PFA will again be able to check wheat quality and issue licenses when its start functioning across the province,” the secretary told.

Govt allows field trials for GM mustard, brinjal

The environment ministry has allowed field trials of two varieties of genetically modified (GM) brinjal and mustard, almost 18 months after the previous government ordered a freeze on such tests.
In a reply to an RTI query early October, the ministry said on August 21, it permitted the Delhi University to hold trials for a mustard variety and Maharashtra-based Bejo Seeds Pvt Ltd to test Bt brinjal.
The decision does away with the uncertainty surrounding the biotech sector. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar had been saying the government had not taken a decision on field trials while maintaining “science cannot be stopped”.
There is a huge debate surrounding GM crops that are strongly resisted by organisations that question their safety and cite concerns that the country’s food security could be compromised due to monopolising farm biotech MNCs. The Supreme Court is hearing a public interest litigation that has sought a ban on open field trials.
The ministry’s nod came after the country’s biotech regulator, the genetic engineering appraisal committee (GEAC), approved trials of more than 30 varieties in two batches this year.
The go-ahead, a ministry official said, was an indication of the positive outlook of the Modi government towards the use of “science” to boost agriculture production.
The process of field trials, a necessary step to evaluate a GM technology’s efficacy and safety before commercial approval, had nearly come to a halt during the previous UPA regime.
The DU’s Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants, headed by former vice-chancellor Deepak Pental, got the permission to conduct trials for a new variety of GM mustard two years after filing an application with GEAC, the ministry said.
Nod for Bejo Seeds came after a year. Former environment minister Jairam Ramesh had imposed a moratorium on commercial release of Bt brinjal in 2010.
“Either the minister is being misled by the bureaucrats, or the public is being misled by the minister. For gains of few companies, people and farmers are being blindfolded. Mr Javadekar should come out in public and end this double-talk,” said Manvendra Singh, a Greenpeace campaigner who filed the RTI plea.
The UPA government’s decision to freeze trials was wrong as these were conducted in labs and that, too, after state governments’ permission, the official said. “The Supreme Court had never asked the government to impose the moratorium,” the official said.
Several states such as Haryana, Maharashtra and Punjab have asked agriculture universities to ensure that the GEAC safety conditions for field trials were complied with, the reply said.
GM crops are those in which genetic material is altered to provide some perceived advantage either to the producer or consumer, such as pest resistance or better nutrition.

Tobacco traders fined

Imphal, October 22 2014: In a significant verdict against the selling of contraband articles injurious to health, the Adjudicating Officer (Food safety)/ADM, Imphal West Dr.Nivedita Lairelakpam awarded a penalty of fine amounting to Rs.1,05,000 (rupees one lakh five thousand) to seven persons from whom contraband chewable tobacco products were seized by a team of Imphal city police and Food Safety Officer Imphal west.
The seven persons, who have been accused of violating the provisions of section 58 of Food Safety and Standards Act. 2006, are Md. Sameer, son of Md. Yaima of Lilong makha Leikai; Aslam Khan son of Amu Khan of Kshetrigao Awang Leikai; Jaku Rai son of Ramghorosh Rai of Masjid Paona bazaar; Krishna Kumar son of Kedar Shah of Dewlaland; Ramesh Kumar@ Rakesh Kumar son of Netlal Prasad from Kakhulong Basti; Geet Sharma @ Sarma Nand Gupta son of Hansian Goh of Mantriprukhri, and Santosh Gupta son of Sheyaram Sha from Masjid Road paona Bazar.
In another ruling of the same nature, six persons namely Bindeshwar Prashad son of Jaganath Prasad of Masjid Road Imphal; Mukesh Kumar Shah son of (L) Jokhilal Saha of Paona bazaar; Suraj Kumar son of (L) Dindayal Prasad from Masjid Road; Rahul Kumar son of Jugal Shah of Kakhulong Basti; Prem kumar son of Srikant Sharma of Thangal bazaar and Prakash Gupta son of Om Prakash gupta from masjid Road Paona Bazar were also imposed a penalty amounting to Rs.30,000/- under the same act.
The court order issued today also instructed three other accused persons who failed to turn up for trial to deposit a fine of Rs.15,000 within seven days.
All the accused were instructed to deposit their penalty amounts to the relevant accounts of the Health department within seven days of the ruling.
It may be mentioned that there is complete ban on the manufacture, storage, transportation distribution, display, sale and purchase of Gutkha, Khaini, Zarda, Pan Mashala and other chewable smokerless tobacco products.

Beverages of Hindustan Coca Cola found sub-standard, operation may be banned Rs 17 lakh fine imposed on company, 6 distributors

JAMMU, Oct 22: Noticing that multi-national company M/s Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd is playing with the health of people by using “sub standard” carbonated water in the beverages, the Additional District Magistrate, Kathua has immediately stopped the distribution of beverages from the main distributors of the company in the district to the retailers.
The Magistrate has even made it clear that in case of failure to deposit the fine imposed under Food Safety and Standard Act within the stipulated time frame operations of the company in the entire district will be completely banned and the beverages under consideration destroyed.
During the past two years Additional District Magistrate, Kathua, who is also Food Safety Adjudicating Officer, received a number of complaints regarding use of misbranded carbonated water and violation of various provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 by the M/s Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd.
Though some exercise was carried out on these complaints like lifting of samples and getting the same analyzed from the Food Analyst, yet these complaints could not be taken to logical conclusion because of varied reasons. Taking serious note of this delay, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, who recently took over as District Magistrate Kathua, directed for expeditious disposal of the complaints after following the laid down procedure.
Few days back, Additional District Magistrate, G Prasanna Ramaswamy, decided the complaints after hearing the arguments put forth by the prosecution and the respondents. By invoking the powers vested in him by Section 68 of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006 and the Gazette Notification of J&K Government, the Additional District Magistrate has imposed penalty of Rs 15 lakh on Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd, Gangyal, IFCA Bottling Ltd New Industrial Estate Area Gangyal, Manager Incharge of IFCA Bottling Ltd, Gangyal, M/s Hindustan Coca Cola Ltd, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh and others under Section 52 of the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.
Similarly, Rs 2.50 lakh fine varying between Rs 70,000 to Rs 20,000 has been imposed on six distributors of the Coca Cola company under Section 49 of the Food Safety Act.
The company and its subsidiaries have been directed to immediately take steps to conform their products with provisions of the law and report compliance within two weeks failing which all their operations in Kathua district would be stopped and the pre-packaged food items under consideration would be destroyed.
As immediate action, the District Administration has directed all the distributors of the company to forthwith stop supply of beverages to the retailers and directions have been issued to the Tehsildars and Police Stations to seize the beverages wherever found in the entire district till the company fulfills the conditions laid down by the Food Safety Act for the food business operator.
In his order, the Additional District Magistrate has observed, “the respondent (Coca Cola) was given the chance to contest the report of the Public Food Safety Analyst and go for a second analysis but this opportunity was not availed by the respondents”.
The act of the respondent is that of alleged misbranding, which is governed by Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labeling) Regulations. The Regulations make it very clear that when a pre-packaged food item or beverage contains natural, nature-identical or artificial flavoring substances, it is required to declare the “common name” of the artificial flavor and “class name” of the natural or nature identical flavoring substances, the order said.
Quoting the Supreme Court judgment in Undavilli Nagarathanam and Others Versus Reddi Satyanarayana Murthi and Others, the Additional District Magistrate said, “the food business operator is deemed to have full knowledge of the Act and the consumers have a legal right to know the common name of the artificial flavoring substance in the food product being sold to them”, adding “the case of misbranding can easily be established by a casual perusal of the label declaration on the prepackaged food item as such needs no expert scrutiny”.
According to the sources, the action taken by the Additional District Magistrate would go a long way in stopping M/s Hindustan Coca Cola from selling sub-standard products and ignoring provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act.

FDA seizes 600 kg Barfi worth Rs 96,000

Food Safety Officers (FSO) of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Nagpur Division have conducted raid on M/S Harihar Foods, Eastern Industrial Area, Chikhali Layout, Kalamna on Monday and seized 600 kg Barfi worth Rs 96,000.
The said quantity of Burfi was stored in un-hygenic gunny bags having no labels The bags consisting of Burfi were to sent to Raipur by the owner of the firm, Yogesh Ramawatar Gupta. FSO Abhay Deshpande and Pravin Umap conducted raid seized Burfi. The raid was conducted under the guidance of Joint Commissioner (Food) Shivaji Desai, Assistant Commissioner (Food) N RWakode and M C Pawar. FDA has started a special drive to conduct raids on the sweet shops and sweet manufacturing units to safe guard public health.
In Nagpur district as well as in MP and Chhatisgarh state, a large quantity of sweets are being sold in Diwali festival. The traders and manufacturing units are not following the cleanliness and quality standards for the Sweet.
FDA Nagpur Division has started keeping vigil on such units and conducting raids on such units. People who have any doubt about the quality, production, distribution, storage and sale of khowa and sweets should contact on 2562204 and report the same, informs Shivaji Desai, Joint Commissioner (Food), FDA Nagpur Division, in a press release.

Food sample collections fail to prevent sale of adulterated products in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: The various drives undertaken by the Chhattisgarh Food department to check adulteration are turning out to be mere formalities, as they fail to prevent the sale of suspected contaminated products, thanks to the lengthy procedures involved in testing of samples.
The food department, which goes on an overdrive to collect samples during the festive season, has no on the spot detection kits to check for adulteration and they have to wait for test reports, sometimes even for months, before initiating any action against the unscrupulous traders. The time lag between the collection of the samples and the receipt of its reports allows the traders to sell off their adulterated products to unsuspecting consumers, putting them at risk.
According to sources in the food department, the lengthy procedures involved in testing of samples are defeating the very purpose of stopping the sale of adulterated products. "Though the prescribed time limit for the preparation of the reports is 14 days, other formalities, like dispatch and receipt, and holidays that come in between eat up more time and reports are effectively not delivered before a month", said an official on condition of anonymity.
Incidentally, the rate of adulteration appears to be quite high in Chhattisgarh as over 50% of the 70 samples collected across the state last year during Diwali tested positive for contamination. Though the department has launched proceedings against the traders whose samples failed tests, the sale of the adulterated products could not be prevented.
The department has collected 50 samples since October 15 this year but no reports have been received from the lab till date. With just a day left for Diwali, the adulterated products, if any, would have been already sold to consumers.
Incidentally, on the spot adulteration kits are available in the market and are being used by administration of several states, including Maharashtra and Gujarat. According to reports, these kits prove very effective as goods tested positive for adulteration are immediately seized and destroyed.
These instant detection kits are in fact very handy to check adulteration in any form in khoya and sweets. These kits save a lot of time and ensure stricter compliance.

When contacted State Controller Food and Drug, Ravi Prakash Gupta, admitted that absence of these instant kids was indeed an impediment in stricter compliance of food safety norms. He however, assured that by next year the department would equip itself with these kits.

Food Safety - Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial

The Court of Adjudicating Officer (Food Safety), Imphal west district on October 21 awarded penalty to 13 persons for selling of contraband tobacco products in violation of the provisions of section 58 of Food Safety and Standards Act. 2006.
The ruling of the Court followed an enquiry by the Food Safety Officer of Imphal wet district, after the accused persons were nabbed by Imphal City police.
Though already late, it is good to know that the Government of Manipur has finally woken up to giving due importance to the cause of general health and hygiene of the people, and decided to act tough against shops selling eatable items and other food manufacturing units being operated in the State without possessing the required registration certificates and license.
After being passed by the Indian Parliament on August 23, 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 has been implemented as a law with effect from August 5, 2011 throughout the country including Manipur.
Under this Act, owners of shops and other business establishments selling eatable items as well as companies manufacturing food items need to register themselves and possess the required registration certificates and licenses from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which has been mandated under the provisions of the Act to ensure availability of wholesome safe food for human consumption.
At the State level, the Commissioner of Food Safety is the highest regulatory and implementing authority of the Act. It is unfortunate to learn that people of the State in general and the owners of shops and other business establishments dealing in food items in particular do not understand the significance of the Act.
As some of the Food Safety Officers in the State have themselves admitted, lack of awareness has been at the root cause of total neglect of the Act and its provisions in Manipur, and consequently, the failure of the shop-keepers and proprietors of food manufacturing units to register and possess the required registration certificates and licenses from FSSAI.
So, the authorities concerned need to find out ways and means to generate awareness among the people.
Here, we should understand the simple fact that for successful implementation of any legislation or developmental scheme/project, mass publicity campaign out in the field is imperative.
Organising a couple of workshops or seminars within the confined of an air-conditioned conference hall of some classy hotels and then claiming that publicity campaigns have been carried out to convey the message to owners of shops and other business establishments dealing in food items or extending deadline for registration wouldn';t simply work.
One needs to be more sincere and dedicated towards ensuring availability of wholesome safe food for human consumption.
Let';s be clear that unsafe food not only causes many acute and life-long diseases, but also pose a growing threat to public health.
So, when it comes to the question of life and death, do we need time to wait for an answer?

More biz for Indian wines as FSSAI label requirements hit importers

SUMMARY
This festive season augurs well for Indian wines, with 20% increase reported in sales by most winemakers.
This festive season augurs well for Indian wines, with 20% increase reported in sales by most winemakers.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has made it mandatory for imported foods and alcoholic beverages to list ingredients on the label in Devanagari or English.
The new requirements, however, are not feasible for many international wine producers, for whom India is a small market. Naturally, this means more business for Indian wineries.
Shivajirao Aher, president, All India Wine Producers Association, says the labelling requirements have hit importers hard and led to a gap in the market, some of which is being filled by domestic winemakers. Several importers supply wines to hotel chains and would not like to lose an important customer, so they are aiming to fill this gap from other sources.
"This is difficult for Indian winemakers who may not pay the same kind of attention to us as importers who have had a longer relation with the hotel industry," he said.
For instance, Aher’s winery Renaissance Wines that normally sells 2,000-3,000 cases, has received orders for 10,000 cases, something unheard of in the past.
According to Jagdish Holkar, chairman, India Grape Processing Board, there has been a 20% rise in sales this season because of increase in demand. For the first time in many years, this year the industry may not have spillover stock .
Holkar had earlier told FE that there could be a 20% gap in production owing to the damage cause by hailstorms earlier this year and unseasonal rains. Around 15 million litres of wine is expected to be produced this season.
Pramod Krishna , director general, Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC), says popular brands are not available on shelves anymore and the festive season has been definitely hit by the absence of big names in the market.
CIABC is the apex body of wine and spirits industry and boasts of membership of the likes of Diageo, Bacardi and Moet Hennessey among others.
According to Krishna, around R76,000 crore is given by the wine and spirits industry in the country annually in the form of taxes. India imports around 500,000 cases of wine annually.
A recent article in the international wine press expressed confidence in the Indian consumer and Bordeaux-based American négociant, Jeffrey Davies, who runs Signature Selections, is actively looking to expand in India.
"We're sifting through the current wine and spirit importers and distributors to figure out who will be the best fit for our range of wines," Davies said in the article ‘Fine Wine Trade Eyes Up India’ in The Drinks Business.
He believes that as Indian consumers learn more about wine, starting with drinking our own wines, the Indian wine market will continue to grow.
"With the tremendous slowdown in China, and a certain slowdown in America, they're looking to other markets within the BRICS. Russia's having embargo troubles, so India and Brazil are becoming areas of interest," he said in the article.
While wines in the lower segment (R250 a bottle) continue to dominate sales to the tune of 60%, the rest comes from premium and reserve wines in India.
Wine producers feel there could be a rise in sales in this segment though many of them are not willing to say it outright. Most foreign wine is sold in India’s five-star hotels via a quota system.
How this will pan out remains to be seen.

Health Dept ready for emergency, puts sweets shops under surveillance

Bathinda, October 22
The Health Department has geared up to provide emergency services in times of crisis on Diwali. Doctors have been alerted to be available on call in an emergency while private NGOs have dedicated the ambulances with round-the-clock services at different spots in the city.
The district health department had instructed all the doctors and staff to be ready on a single call and had checked its medicine stock. Civil Surgeon, Bathinda, had also instructed the senior health officials to manage the duties of the staff on the festival day to tackle the crisis situation if occurred.
It is noteworthy that some private NGOs had also offered to dedicate their services of private ambulances placed at different places in the city to tackle crisis situation on night of Diwali.
“We have about 12 ambulances (108) and all have been actively given instruction to remain stationed at their respective stations. We welcome the move if private NGOs are also providing the free help to common man but we have sufficient ambulance and staff to tackle the situation of crisis. I appeal the public especially children to avoid consumption of sweets and crackers. Children if adamant on using crackers, should use the fireworks under the surveillance of their parents and carefully. Precautions should be taken before using the fireworks. Our teams have been inspecting on sweet shops regularly.”
Sweets under surveillance of food safety team
A team under the surveillance of District Food Safety Officer are conducting inspections of sweet shops in Bathinda district for the last two days while it had conducted regular raids on sweet shops ahead of Diwali season.
Food inspector, Amritpal Singh, said, “We are inspecting the number of shops and destroyed the sweets that were in not fit for consumption or were kept in unhygienic condition. Yesterday, too, we inspected the shops. No such product was found that we could have suspected as adulterated. We had conducted raids in almost all the major and minor shops that are famous for selling sweets. Hard instructions have been given to every sweet seller to keep the sweets in hygienic way and in a proper environment. No one will be spared if found with sub standard sweets.”
Its noteworthy that district health department had conducted a numerous raids ahead of Diwali this year and had claimed to conduct raids on about more than 130 shops in Bathinda, including all the blocks of district.
The district health department had also claimed that it had earned about Rs 7 lakh by conducting raids since 2011 in Bathinda and numbers of minor cases that are found with sub standard food stuff are sub judice in the court of Adjudicating Officer-cum-ADC (General), Bathinda, whereas major cases that includes adulteration are pending in local courts.
“We are prepared for circumstance and a stringent action would be taken against the sweet sellers if found at error. Our team is keeping a vigil round the clock over the district and sources in the market are regularly informing us about the sweet sellers if any erroneous,” added the food inspector.