DINAMALAR NEWS

As regards licencing deadline extension, food safety officials in dark

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had extended the deadline for the licencing and registration of food business operators (FBO) across the country four times in the past, but food safety officials are in suspense about the fifth extension.

Speaking to FnB News on the condition of anonymity, a senior official from Arunachal Pradesh said, “A meeting was held at the apex food regulator’s headquarters in New Delhi, and attended by the food safety commissioners and joint commissioners of many states.” 

“FSSAI’s chief executive officer said that February 4, 2015 would be the last date for FBO across the country to obtain licences or register (depending on their turnover), and added that there would be no further extension.”

Dr Praveen Chandra, a food safety official from Jharkhand food safety unit, and director-in-chief, health services, said, “The licencing and registration of FBO is an ongoing process. Those who were licenced under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, (PFA), 1954, would now have to renew their licences under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), 2011.”

“Since the licencing and registration of FBO is pending in a number of states, we are sure that the deadline would be extended by another six months,” he added.

Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), said, “FBO cannot adhere to FSSR, 2011, in its current form. It needs amendments. So FSSAI would have to extend the current deadline.” 

“We have regularly urged former health ministers Ghulam Nabi Azad and Dr Harsh Vardhan, as well as the incumbent J P Nadda, to heed the suggestions and demands of the industry. We received a positive reply earlier, and Nadda has also taken cognisance of our demands,” he added. 

“A committee has been formed under the health ministry and FSSAI to review the FSSR, 2011. It would meet on January 20, 2015, to do so. They would give their suggestions after the review,” Khandelwal said. 

He added, “Unless the Regulations are not reviewed and amended, the current deadline for licencing and registration would be extended further, and it would provide relief to FBO across the country.”

PLASTIC RICE - ARTICLE

`ரெடிமேட்' உணவுகள் சரியா... தவறா? பரோட்டா, சப்பாத்தி, இடியாப்பம்...

இன்றைய அவசர உலகில் சென்னை, மும்பை, டெல்லி போன்ற மெட்ரோபாலிட்டன் நகரங்கள் முதல், அடுத் தடுத்த இடங்களில் இருக்கும் நகராட்சிகள் வரை வேர் ஊன்றி உள்ளது 'ரெடி டு ஈட்’ உணவுகளின் வியாபாரம். 'பெரு நகரங்களில் 82% குடும்பங்கள் ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளிடம் சரணடைந் துள்ளன' என்கிறது சமீபத்தில் வெளியான ஒரு புள்ளிவிவரம். பல மணி நேர சமையலறைச் சுமையை, சில நிமிடங்கள் ஆக்கியிருப்பதாலே பலராலும் விரும்பப்படும் இந்த ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளில் கலக்கப்படும் ரசாயனங்களும், அது ஏற்படுத்தக்கூடிய பாதிப்புகளும் நிறைய நிறைய! அதைப் பற்றியதே இந்தக் கட்டுரை! 

உங்கள் உணவில் எத்தனை கெமிக்கல்கள்?!

''காஸ்மெடிக் பொருட்கள் வாங்கும்போதுகூட நார்மல் சருமத்துக்கானதா, வறண்ட சருமத்துக் கானதா, காலாவதி தேதி என்ன என்பதை எல்லாம் பார்த்து வாங்கும் நம் மக்கள், உண்ணும் உணவு விஷயத்தில் அந்த அக்கறையைக் காட்டாதது வேதனைக்குரிய விந்தை!'' என்று நொந்து போய் சொல்லும், சென்னை, இ.எஸ்.ஐ மருத்துவமனையின் ஊட்டச்சத்து நிபுணர் பவானி, விரிவாகவே பேசினார்.

''சப்பாத்தி, பரோட்டா, இடியாப்பம், பனீர் மசாலா, மீன் கிரேவி என வகை வகையாக வந்திருக்கும் ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளை வாங்கும்போது, அதில் கலந்துள்ள பொருட்கள் என்னென்ன, அந்தப் பொருட்கள் ஏற்படுத்தும் விளைவுகள் என்ன, அந்நிறுவனம் அரசு அனுமதி பெற்றதா போன்றவற்றைப் பார்க்க வேண்டும் என்ற விழிப்பு உணர்வுகூட இங்கு பலருக்கும் இல்லை. 'ரெண்டு நிமிடம் அடுப்பில் வைத்து இறக்கினால், சமையல் முடிந்தது' என்கிற எளிமையை மட்டுமே பார்த்து வாங்கிச் சாப்பிடும் அந்த உணவுகளில் பலவும்... 15 வயதில் கேன்சரையும், 25 வயதில் சர்க்கரை நோயையும் தரவல்லது என்பதை அறிவீர்களா?

காலையில் சமைக்கும் உணவு, இரவுக்குள் கெட்டுவிடும் என்பதே இயல்பு. கெடவேண்டும் என்பதுதான் இயற்கையின் நியதி. ஆனால், ஓர் உணவுப் பொருளை, நாள் கணக்கில்... மாதக்கணக்கில் எல்லாம் கெடாமல் வைக்க வேண்டும் என்றால், அதில் எந்தளவுக்கு செயற்கைப் பொருட்களைச் சேர்க்க வேண்டும்? அப்படிச் சேர்க்கப்படும் பதனப்பொருட்கள் (preservative) மற்றும் ரசாயனங்கள் உடலில் நச்சுத்தன்மையை உண்டாக்கி சிறுநீரகம், கல்லீரல் ஆகியவற்றை பாதிக்கும்தானே!

உணவுப்பொருட்கள் நீண்ட நாள் கெடாமல் பதப்படுத்து வதற்காகச் சேர்க்கப்படும் சல்ஃபைடு, ஆஸ்துமா மற்றும் மனநலன் சார்ந்தபிரச்னையை விளைவிக்கக்கூடும். ரெடிமேட் உணவுகள் பெரும்பாலும் குளிர்விக்கப்பட்ட அல்லது உறைந்த நிலையில் இருப்பதால், அந்த உணவின் சுவை குறைவது இயல்பு. இதைத் தவிர்க்கும் பொருட்டு, ரெடிமேட் உணவு வகைகளைத் தயாரிக்கும் நிறுவனங்கள், சுவையைத் தக்கவைக்க சர்க்கரை, உப்பு, கொழுப்பு, நறுமணம், வண்ணங்கள் போன்றவற்றை அளவுக்கதிகமாகச் சேர்க்கிறார்கள். ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளில் உள்ள அதிக கொழுப்பு, இதயத்தைக் கடுமையாகப் பாதிக்கக்கூடும். சரும நோய்கள், உடல் பருமன், நீரிழிவு, உயர்ரத்த அழுத்தம் போன்ற வளர்சிதை மாற்ற பிரச்னைகளையும் தரவல்லது இந்த ரெடிமேட் உணவுகள். அசைவ உணவுகளைப் பதப்படுத்த சேர்க்கப்படும் சோடியம்... அலர்ஜி, வாந்தியில் தொடங்கி, புற்றுநோய் வரை பாதிப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்தலாம். 

வீட்டில் தயாராகும் உணவுகளைவிட, ரெடிமேட் உணவுகள் வழங்கும் ஊட்டச் சத்துகள் குறைவு. அவை கெட்டுப் போகாமல் இருக்க பல வேதியியல் முறைகளுக்கு உட்செலுத்தப்படும்போது, அதிலுள்ள சத்துகள் அழிந்துபோகும். எனவே, ஒருவர் தொடர்ந்து ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளை எடுத்துக் கொள்ளும்போது, உடலுக்குத் தேவையான ஊட்டச்சத்துகள் கிடைக்காமல் போவதோடு, அது அவரின் உடல் வளர்ச்சியைக் குறைத்து, நோய் எதிர்ப்பு சக்தியையும் கரைக்கும்.

உணவு அரசியல்!

ரெடிமேட் உணவுகள், ஓர் உலக அரசியல் காரணி. சந்தையில் தங்களின் பொருளை நிலைநிறுத்த பெரும்பாலான நிறுவனங்களும் லாபத்தை மட்டுமே குறிக்கோளாகக் கொண்டு, மக்களின் ஆரோக்கியம் பற்றிய அக்கறையை புறந்தள்ளுகின்றன. தேவை லாபம். அதைப் பெற, மணம், வண்ணம், கெட்டுப்போகாமல் நீடிக்கும் தன்மை என இவற்றுக்காக எதையும் சேர்க்கலாம் என்பது இவர்களின் கொள்கை. அவற்றை வாங்கிச் சாப்பிடும் நமக்கு என்ன நேரும் என்று கவலைப்பட, அவர்கள் நம் அம்மாவோ, பாட்டியோ இல்லையே!

2011-ம் ஆண்டு மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்ட ஆய்வு, 2015-ம் ஆண்டுக்குள் இந்தியாவில் 'பேக்' செய்யப்பட்டு விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் உணவுப்பொருட்களின் விற்பனை 30 பில்லியன் டாலரைத் தொடக்கூடும் என்கிறது. இதில் உங்களுடைய பணமும் சேரத்தான் போகிறதா?!'' என்று கேட்டு முடித்தார், ஊட்டச்சத்து நிபுணர் பவானி.

கெமிக்கல் விருந்து!

மக்களிடையே உணவுப் பொருட்கள் குறித்த விழிப்பு உணர்வை தொடர்ந்து ஏற்படுத்தி வருபவர், சென்னையைச் சேர்ந்த 'கான்சர்ட்' எனும் தன்னார்வ நிறுவனத்தின் இயக்குநர் சந்தானராஜன். அவர் பேசும்போது, ''ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளில் பல வகையான கெமிக்கல்கள், குறைந்த விலையில் கிடைக்கும் தடைசெய்யப்பட்ட வண்ணங்கள், பாதிப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்தும் கலவைகள் என பலவற்றையும் கேட்பாரற்றுக் கலந்து வருகின்றன பல நிறுவனங்கள். மேலும், பேக் செய்யப்படும் பிளாஸ்டிக்குகள் ஏற்படுத்தும் பாதிப்புகளும் பல. அப்படியான பிளாஸ்டிக் மெட்டீரியலில் பேக் செய்யப்பட்ட உணவுகளை நாங்கள் 'கெமிக்கல் விருந்து’ என்று குறிப்பிடுவோம்.

சாதாரணமாகவே பிளாஸ்டிக் ஆபத்தை விளைவிக்கக்கூடியவை. இதில் மாதக்கணக்கில் உணவு பதப்படுத்தப்படும்போது ஏற்படும் மாற்றங்களும், விளைவிக்கும் கேடுகளும் நிறைய. எங்கள் 'கான்சர்ட்’ அமைப்பும், இன்னும் பல நுகர்வோர் அமைப்புகளும் 'உணவுப் பொருட்களின் பயன்பாட்டுக்குத் தகுதியான பிளாஸ்டிக் பொருட்களுக்கு பிரத்யேக முத்திரை ஒதுக்குங்கள்’ என்று பல முறை அரசிடம் வலியுறுத்தி ஓய்ந்துவிட்டோம்!

வண்ணமும், குறியீடும்!

பொதுவாக, உணவு வகைகளில் பயன்படுத்தக்கூடிய வண்ணங்களில் இரண்டு வகை உண்டு. ஒன்று இயற்கை வண்ணம் (natural),மற்றொன்று செயற்கை வண்ணம் (synthetic).கறிவேப்பிலையில் உள்ள பச்சை நிறம், கேரட்டில் உள்ள ஆரஞ்சு நிறம் போன்றவை இயற்கை வண்ணங்கள். செயற்கை நிறங்களில் அனுமதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ள 8 நிறங்களைத் தவிர மற்ற நிறங்களைப் பயன்படுத்தக்கூடாது என்பது விதிமுறை. ஆனால், பெரும்பாலான நிறுவனங்கள் மிகக்குறைந்த விலைக்கு கிடைக்கிறது என்பதற்காக தடைசெய்யப்பட்டுள்ள வண்ணங்களை ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளில் பயன்படுத்தி வருகிறார்கள்.

விளம்பரங்களை நம்ப வேண்டாம்!

விளம்பரங்களில், 'இதில் இந்தச் சத்து உள்ளது’, 'ஃப்ரெஷ்ஷாக கிடைக்கும்’, 'ரெண்டே நிமிஷத்தில் சமையல் ரெடி’ என்றெல்லாம் கூவுபவர்கள், தங்களுக்கு தரப்பட்ட தொகைக்காக கேமரா முன் பேசியவர்களே! எனவே, விளம்பர யுக்திகளுக்கும், விளம்பரங்களில் தோன்றுபவர்களின் வார்த்தைகளுக்கும் ஏமாறாதீர்கள்.

கொதிக்காத ரசம், முக்கால் பதம் வெந்த கத்திரிக்காய், மசித்த கருணைக்கிழங்கு என்று ஒவ்வொரு உணவையும் பதம் பார்த்துச் சமைத்தவர்கள் நம் பாட்டிகளும், அம்மாக்களும். சமைப்பதற்கு சோம்பேறித்தனப்பட்டு ரெடி டு ஈட்' உணவுகளை வாங்கிச் சாப்பிடும்போது, அதன் விலைக்கு தோல் அலர்ஜியில் இருந்து புற்றுநோய் வரை நமக்கு இலவசமாகத் தரப்படுகிறது என்பதை நொடிப்பொழுது மனதில் நிறுத்துங்கள்!'' அக்கறையுடன் அழுத்தமாகச் சொன்னார், சந்தானராஜன்!

சமைப்போம்!

''வேண்டவே வேண்டாம்!''

ரெடிமேட் உணவு தயாரிக்கும் நிறுவனம் ஒன்றில் வேலை செய்யும் நண்பர் ஒருவர், தன் பெயர் தவிர்த்துப் பேசினார்.

''நான் கண்கூடாகப் பார்க்கும் அனுபவத்தில், ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளை விஷம்னுதான் சொல்வேன். 99% ரெடிமேட் உணவு நிறுவனங்களுக்கு லாபம் மட்டுமே இலக்கு. யார் குறைந்த விலைக்கு உணவைக் கொடுத்து, அதிக வாடிக்கையாளர்களைப் பிடிக்கிறாங்கனு அந்த நிறுவனங்களுக்கு இடையில நடக்குற போட்டியில, உணவுப் பொருள்ல கலக்கப்படும் கெமிக்கல்ஸ், அதோட தரம் பத்தி எல்லாம் அவங்களுக்கு கவலையே இல்ல. ரெடிமேட் உணவு தயாரிக்கும் நிறுவனங்கள்ல வேலை செய்யும் பணியாட்களில் இருந்து, உரிமையாளர்கள் வரை அந்த உணவுகளை யாரும் சாப்பிட மாட்டாங்க. ஏன்னா, அந்தளவுக்கு அதில் அட்டூழியம் நடக்குது. மனசாட்சி உறுத்தலோடதான் இந்த வேலையைப் பார்க்குறேன். வேற வேலை தேடிட்டு இருக்கேன். முடிந்தவரை யாரும் ரெடிமேட் உணவுகள் சாப்பிடாதீங்க!'' என்றார் வருத்தத்தோடு.

கிராமங்களிலும் ரெடிமேட்!

இந்தியாவில் ரெடிமேட் உணவைப் பயன்படுத்து கிறவர்களில் 78% பேர் நகரங்களைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள், 22% பேர் கிராமங்களைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் என்பது ஓர் ஆய்வு சொல்லும் அதிர்ச்சித் தகவல்.

கிழக்கு மற்றும் வடகிழக்கு இந்தியப் பகுதிகளைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் 21% பேர், வட இந்தியாவைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் 38% பேர், தென் இந்தியாவைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் 28% பேர், மேற்கு இந்தியாவைச் சேர்ந்தவர்கள் 36% பேர் ரெடிமேட் உணவைப் பயன்படுத்துகிறார்கள். 

அடுத்த ஐந்து ஆண்டுகளில், இது 40% 60% அதிகரிக்கும் என்பது கணிப்பு.

மிளகாய்த்தூளையும் விட்டுவைக்கவில்லை!

'கான்சர்ட்’ நிறுவனம், இந்திய நுகர்வோர் துறையின் அனுமதியின் பெயரில் மிளகாய்த்தூள்குறித்த ஆய்வு ஒன்றை மேற்கொண்டது. 'மிளகாய்த்தூள் விலையுயர்ந்த பொருளாக இருப்பதால், அதனுடன் மிளகாய் காம்பு, இதழ்கள் முதலியன சேர்க்கப்பட்டு அரைக்கப்படுகின்றன. இதனால் அதன் வண்ணம் குறையும் என்பதால், அதில் சூடான் வண்ணம் எனும் பெட்ரோலியப் பொருளுக்கு போடப்படும் வண்ணம் சேர்க்கப்படுகிறது. இதைச் சாப்பிடுவதால் கேன்சர் வருவதற்கான வாய்ப்பு அதிகரிக்கிறது.

மேலும், மிளகாய்த்தூளில் இயற்கை வண்ணம் மற்றும் காரத்தன்மை நீடிக்க 2% தாவர எண்ணெய் சேர்க்க அனுமதிக்கப்படுகிறது. ஆனால், அதிகமான நிறுவனங்கள் தாவர எண்ணெய்க்குப் பதிலாக மினரல் எண்ணெய் சேர்ப்பதுடன், அதனை லேபிளில் சரிவர தெரியப்படுத்துவது கிடையாது. இதுவும் புற்றுநோய்க்கான வாய்ப்பை அதிகரிக்கும் அபாயப் பொருளே!’ என்கிறது அந்த ஆய்வு.

மொத்த நுகர்வோரில், 75% பேர் நிறுவனத்தின் பெயரை மட்டுமே பார்த்துவிட்டு, அதிலுள்ள தகவல்களை கவனிக்காமல் வாங்குகிறார்கள். மீதமுள்ள 25% பேரில் 39% நுகர்வோர் பயன்பாட்டு நாளையும், 27% நுகர்வோர் தயாரிப்பு தேதியையும் பார்த்து வாங்குகிறார்கள்.

குழந்தைகளைக் கண்காணியுங்கள்!

'ரெடி டு ஈட்' உணவு சாப்பிட்ட நாளைத் தொடர்ந்த நாட்களில் உடலில் ஏற்படும் மாற்றங்களைக் கவனியுங்கள். கூடவே, தொடர்ந்து ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளைச் சாப்பிட்டு வரும் குழந்தைகளிடம் ஏற்படும் மாற்றங்களைக் கண்காணியுங்கள். ஒன்று, அது அதிக துறுதுறு என்று மாறும். அல்லது மந்தமாக மாறும். குழந்தைகளின் இந்த நடவடிக்கை மாற்றங்களுக்கும், அவர்கள் சாப்பிடும் ரெடிமேட் உணவுகளுக்கும் சம்பந்தம் உண்டு என்பது நிரூபிக்கப்பட்ட உண்மை!

DINAMALAR NEWS

Fake organic brands thrive under FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been issued a legal notice by the Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) for issuing the 'organic' certificate and logo to companies caught cheating consumers.

The federation, in its notice on January 3 , has blamed the food authority for letting "fake, wrongly labelled and misbranded organic products" deceive millions of consumers in India.

The CCFI had collected and shared 25-30 samples from across the country where organic brands were clearly found flouting and misusing the certificate and logo issued by the FSSAI. The federation has also alleged that these companies were spreading deliberate misinformation about conventional food consumed by a large number of people.

"These are serious violations by organic brands who are openly flouting various provisions of the FSSAI Act. These popular brands are also spreading fear among the consumers through printing unsubstantiated and unscientific claims," said Rajju Shroff, Chairman, CCFI.

A sample of 'Organic Rava Idli' mix collected by the federation showed the FSSAI licence number but the label did not disclose the percentage of ingredient used at the time of manufacturing. Similarly, the label on a packet of 'Organic Chaat Masala' didn't disclose the percentage of ingredients. Also, the packet had no FSSAI licence number on it.

To top it, it was found that the FSSAI has not booked a single violator for mislabeling products sold as organic in the past eight years.

Some of the samples collected by the federation were manufactured by the biggest brands in the organic industry in the country.

"We have decided to take FSSAI to the court because we feel they are not vigilant and apparently have no intention to crack down on such fake organic brands carrying objectionable, unscientific and unsupportable label claim.

FSSAI has also not drawn any sample of organic products from retail market for tests in the eight years of its existence," said Shroff.

As per Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, no person shall manufacture, distribute, sell or expose for sale or dispatch or deliver to any agent or broker for the purpose of sale, any packaged products which are not marked and labelled in the manner as many be specified by regulations.

"The 'Organic' logo does not and cannot represent any health or safety or nutrition distinction over conventionally produced farm products criteria. The organic logo certifies the product was produced using certain organic production and processing standards," said S. Ganesan, Public Policy Advisor to CCFI.

The federation also demanded the FSSAI to take action against the organic food companies.

It's trust vs certification

For farmers, trust sells more than organic licence

Organic food outlet Restore, which has become a household name in Chennai, has an annual turnover of Rs 1 crore 

A FOOD SAFETY and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) official walked into Restore, an organic food store at Kottivakkam in Chennai. He picked up a packet of rice off the shelf and noticed some bugs in it. “How can you sell groceries with bugs?” he asked. The staff told him their customers buy their goods precisely because of the bugs in them. The official was amused, but then asked to see the organic certificates of the farmers who supplied the store. The staff told him the supplying farmers did not have certification. Taken aback, the official asked, “How will your customers trust that your products are organic?”

“We told him our customers trust our products precisely because our farmers don’t have certificates but are part of our trust-network. The kind of customers we have would rather trust people than institutions and would rather support small farmers than big landlords and industrialists,” says Sangeetha Shriram, one of the founders of the store. The incident ended with the bemused official handing them their licence and buying a few products in the bargain.

One of the main bottlenecks in marketing organic food is certification – for all farmers it is a hassle, for small farmers it is an expensive task. And for customers, certified organic food means a premium price that is unaffordable.

But is organic certification the best way to get trusted organic food? Farmers, agriculture activists and those involved in marketing organic food think it is not. That is perhaps the reason several cities in India are seeing the rise of community-supported organic food marketing endeavours.

Trust is long-term

The best way to get authentic, trusted organic food, say those who deal in it, is to establish close contact between procurers, consumers and farmers. Restore, which has virtually become a household name in Chennai, relies on this practice.

“Initially, we would visit every single farm we procured from, and spend a whole day there, getting to know the farmer, his philosophy and practices,” says Shriram, “We got cheated a few times, but with time we developed an intuitive check-list of what to look out for. Two of the things were biodiversity on the farm and the process of preparing organic inputs.”

Farmers on their part also feel that selling food on trust works better.

R Jagannathan from farmer group Nalla Karai, which has become extremely popular in Chennai for its organic leafy vegetables, says, “Most of our customers are convinced because our greens are tastier than those available in the market.”

Dheeraj Pipada, farmer from village Wadgaon Kolhati in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, agrees. “Unless you are a really big producer company who wants to sell to corporates or go for exports, trust works better than certification.” Pipada is part of a group of 12 farmers who has started their own organic shop, Rich & Fresh, in Kothrud, Pune, two years ago.

Pipada’s group has certification under government’s Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) that certifies all crops grown organically on the farm and provides each farmer with an individual certificate. Pipada says big procurers often do not trust PGS and prefer certification from private agencies which costs up to Rs 30,000 per year.

Arti Pankharaj of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, who is helping farmers in Wardha, Maharashtra, convert to organic, says that nailing down cheating is difficult. “In our area farmers mostly go for PGS but even fellow farmers in a group find it difficult to tell when one member is cheating.” She thinks consumers are better off with trust chains. “A committed farmer will not cheat because she will find organic cultivation beneficial too,” she says.

The affordability factor

One problem with certified organic food is that it becomes a premium niche product sold in swanky upmarket outlets out of the reach of the middle class. One of the main reasons trust marketing endeavours are succeeding is that they have managed to keep prices reasonable.

“We fix our prices in a way that is fair to the farmer as well as the customer,” says Shriram, “Our goods are certainly not cheap, but they don’t cost an arm and a leg either. And they remain stable.” This is particularly true for vegetable prices, she says, “Take tomatoes. Our price is Rs 38 a kg, irrespective of whether the market price is Rs 18 or Rs 80.”

Alpana Bose Tambe, a government employee in Wardha, Maharashtra, says, “There is a big difference in price between branded organic foods in supermarkets and food sold by grassroots organisations like the Gram Sewa Mandal. It is still priced higher than market food but you are sure you are getting good food.”

The stability in price also helps both farmers and consumers plan their production or spending more effectively.

Proof of the pudding

Any marketing endeavour’s success depends on consumer acceptance, and trust-based enterprises are proving their mettle on this count too. Restore, in existence since 2008, has a turnover of Rs 1 crore. Nalla Keerai and Rich & Fresh both do business worth Rs 3-4 lakh per month.

Kavitha Kuruganti of Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture, a federation of organic farmer groups in India, says while it is not possible to get realistic estimate of the number of farmer groups and endeavours involved in trust-based organic food marketing in the country, numbers of both farmers and consumers are certainly growing.

“Finally,” says Vasant Futane, veteran organic farmer from village Rawala in Amravati district of Maharashtra, “Trust marketing is the only way ahead for making organic cultivation worthwhile to farmers and organic food products affordable to the common man.”

Bapat promises measures to strengthen FDA

PUNE: From staff crunch to ill-equipped laboratories, state food and drug minister Girish Bapat on Thursday reviewed Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) long-pending issues and promised that the state government will ensure their speedy resolution. The minister also asked FDA officials to work towards building the department's image.

"The state FDA currently has a 30% staff crunch. Besides, the department needs good office spaces, independent vehicles for officials, godowns for storing seized goods and well-equipped laboratories for precise and fast results of food samples drawn during surveillance. State FDA minister Girish Bapat promised us speedy resolution of all these issues and asked officials to work hard to further enhance FDA's image," said state FDA commissioner Purushottam Bhapkar. Replacing the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954 and other seven rules/orders, the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules and Regulations 2011 came into force across the country from August 5, 2011.

"Be it filling posts or bracing up our laboratories, we need to strengthen the department in all respects. That was the main topic of the minister's meeting. He promised that all of them will be considered and speedily resolved," Bhapkar said

Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), Pune division said, "Currently, we have to store the seized gutka in our cabins and office premises. This is inconvenient to us as well people who visit us for official work."

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the state government's prime organisation for consumer protection. The foremost duties of FDA is to ensure food is safe and prepared in hygienic condition, drugs and medical devices used for both humans as well as animals are safe and effective.

India must harmonise its food standards to global norms to ensure `Make in India’ succeeds

India must revisit its food standards if it has any serious intention of addressing the malnourishment issues in the country as also get its act together to ensure the success of `Make in India’ campaign.

Participating in the panel discussion at the India Food Forum, Jitendra Nautiyal, Regional Audit Manager of the certification body, NSF International said, “Many Quick Service Restaurant companies are keen to enter India but want to ensure audit of their suppliers here. However, there is a dilemma with respect to the harmonisation of these standards.”

In 2006, there was one central act that was passed converging eight archaic laws. However, it left the state laws untouched which also needed to be repealed. 

“Food safety norms need to be evolved if Indian trade has to grow. For Pan-masala, you only need to add that it is injurious to health while the Indian regulator insists that Scotch must have `best before date’ on its label,” said Ujjwal Kumar, Executive Director, Food Safety, TFS Corporate Solutions.

Is it the safety of the food or the safety of the label? Expert panellists wondered at the panel discussion on the subject – Food Regulatory Guidelines – changes, challenges and way ahead.

Indian Foodlaws were enacted decades ago keeping in mind the issue related to adulteration and hence food safety as an issue remained restricted and neglected, said Dr. Pankaj Jaiminy, Assistant Vice-President, TUV SUD, South Asia.

According to Dr. Vaibhav Kulkarni, Director, Abbott Nutrition Regulatory Affairs, Abbott Nutrition International, “Getting product approvals process is going the wrong way in India and turning out to be the biggest challenge that particularly for importers and manufacturers of nutraceuticals.”

As per the present laws, one spends 6-18 months to get an approval which is valid for only one year and shipments for such products are getting stuck for such approvals, which have otherwise been coming into the country for the past 15 years, Kulkarni said. 

The first half of the 8th edition of India Food Forum had sessions on how one can get inside a shoppers mind followed by a session on how the food retail industry will evolve in the next decade and the factor that drive this evolution. 

Speaking on the purpose of influencing Indian shoppers in store of the Indian consumer, Manoj Kulkarni, Director, Shopper Marketing, Nielsen said, “41% people buy brands which they have planned on purchasing while 18% people decide to purchase a particular brand but buy another instead, 29% thought of purchasing a particular brand but did not purchase anything while the remaining 12% are just walk-ins with no intention of buying anything.”

Dissecting the three key trends in Indian Food sector, Craig Wimsatt, CEO, Bharti Retail said, "Firstly the offerings will continue to change in the food segment, secondly there will be a rapid increase in the food offerings and thirdly e-commerce space will serve consumer in a different and innovative manner.” He also mentioned about the changing scenario in consumer's preference in terms of brands and taste with the changing landscape.

Anjan Chatterjee, Founder, Speciality Restaurants commented, “Only innovation can redefine the Indian food industry. Every customer is now on a look-out to try out something new, something innovative. We as consumers are now changing the notion of 'Fine' dining to 'Fun' dining since people are now more experimental with their choices and tastes.”

Having a different point of view on redefinition of Indian Food industry, Martin Hill, Commercial Director, Fair Trade International emphasized on the importance and significance of trust and value to be imbibed amongst the customers.

Global cuisine gets a dash of local flavour

Serafina’s lasagna is made using bathua

The recent change in food safety and labelling guidelines set by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has had a positive impact on the food industry in the city. Restaurants and hotel chains relying heavily on imported meats, seafood, cheeses, oils and even vegetables, have had to turn to locally available options because of the guidelines.

This has resulted in greater innovations from restaurateurs and chefs when it comes to planning their menus. From growing their own greens to finding new local alternatives, everyone is digging deep to find solutions. 

Serafina, the New York-based north Italian eatery in Koramangala uses lamb from local abattoirs for their popular lamb chops, which is now called the Grilled Bannur Lamb Chops. Bannur is a small village near Srirangapatna where they rear a special breed of lamb. "In taste, the lamb is 80-85 per cent close to the New Zealand lamb chops," Chef Savardekar says. One of the few restaurants to have a Carpaccio Di Filetto (thin slices of raw beef filet), Savardekar says that they procured beef samples from Tamil Nadu and zeroed down on a particular breed since they need the highest quality meat for the Carpaccio.

Another interesting fallout of sourcing locally is the incorporation of desi greens and produce in fine dine. Serafina, for instance, has a seasonal River Green Lasagna on the menu. It's a regular lasagna but made with bathua (a leafy vegetable found during the winter months and similar to spinach). 

Similarly, Manu Chandra, Executive Chef Olive Beach, Bangalore and Executive Chef and Partner Monkey Bar & The Fatty Bao, has a Spinach, Bathua Garlic soup with feta dumpling on the Olive Beach menu. "The boom in the restaurant business has meant a degradation in the supply chain over the last seven years. With many facing difficulty in sourcing, people are looking inward (for produce, and by extension, inspiration)," Chandra says. Olive Beach also serves a grilled chicken breast dish with lal saag (amaranth). 

Farm to fork

For the diner, these trends are a win-win because it means more local, fresh food on your plate rather than frozen or packaged food that has travelled thousands of miles to reach you. Even for chefs there's more scope for experimentation and innovation. As Chef Chandra says he would rather serve freshly-caught Snapper or Tuna from Cochin or Lakshadweep than rely on frozen Cambodian Basa. And if Chef Savardekar has his way, you might just be chomping on Kerala arbi instead of mashed potatoes with your grilled lamb.

Aiming to become more self-sustaining, several city hotels and restaurants have set up kitchen gardens in their backyard. While these gardens can't sustain the needs of the hotel, they are helping chefs plan more seasonal specials. For instance, The Oberoi's winter menu features a handpicked selection of dishes celebrating seasonal local produce - heirloom tomatoes, baby greens, carrots, beets, micro-greens and many such products. They have a 800 square feet terrace garden where they grow herbs and edible flowers. All their European main course dishes are accompanied by a side salad — these are made with in-house produce.

Naveen MV, Managing Director, First Agro, which supplies zero pesticide produce from their farm in Talkad to 25 large hotel properties across Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Hyderabad says, "Food imports have become tough due to various compliances instituted by the FSSAI. Plus, many international hotels have Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of buying local and fresh produce in less than 100 km from the hotel to lower carbon footprint."

Regional specialties

When the US-based National Restaurant Asso-ciation asked 1300 chefs to predict what would still be hot in 2025, their top picks included environmental sustainability, local sourcing and healthier fare (minimally processed food). Incidentally, these three points are among 2015's culinary forecast too. 

"Local, and fresher Indian formats. In other words, contemporizing of Indian cuisines," as Chef Chandra puts it, is the big trend of 2015. What this specifically means is that Indian food is no longer about the blanket North Indian / South Indian divide. The direction now is hyper local. "I feel like there is going to be a focus on the cuisines available in the micro markets," Chef Narang predicts.

FDA raids on Gutka sellers in Mira Road

The notorious 'Gutka Mafia' seems to be unfazed by the recent crackdown initiated by the Thane (rural) police and their FDA counterparts to clamp down on the illegal trade of banned tobacco products. A FDA team led by Assistant Commissioner Rajendra Runwal along with police personnel carried out raids in the Mira Road region on Wednesday. While four people have been booked in this context, guthka and scented tobacco products of various brands worth more than Rs 12,500 have been seized by the police team. The accused identified as Fayyaz Khan (19), Irfan Ansari (19), Asif Ansari (26) and Ahemed Ansari (41) have been charged under the relevant sections of the IPC and under regulations of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011,” said Food Inspector Manek Jadhav.

Adulteration: Bitter truth about sweets

LUCKNOW: Sweets being served by some of the renowned shops in the city are heavily adulterated and spurious a report released by Food Safety and Drug Authority said here on Wednesday.

The FSDA raided on December 30 when six teams went in different directions of the city to assess the quality of sweets being sold in shops. The teams raided nine shops in posh areas and collected 20 samples which were sent for analysis. The results were announced by FSDA commissioner Badal Chatterjee who said, "Eight of the 20 samples failed quality standards and two of the failed samples were found unsafe for consumption."

He added that one of the unsafe samples belonged to a shop in Telibagh area. "Presence of detergent power was detected in khoya barfi samples picked from here," Chatterjee said, adding that other unsafe samples were reported from a popular shop in Hazratganj area. "Chemical colours were used instead of food grade colours to beautify the sweets," the officer told reporters.

Remaining six samples were found substandard. Gomtinagar restaurant and sweet shop was using poor quality deshi ghee and khoya. Similarly, khoya samples from Indiranagar based shops also failed. Bad quality refined oil was being used in a Hazratganj shop. Samples collected from an Aashiana sweet shop faultered on packaging standards. Raids were conducted on bakeries before Christmas.

Special helpline to ensure food safety at fete

The Food Safety Authority has come out with special helpline numbers to accept complaints on the quality of food supplied by eateries in the city during the State school arts festival. Citizens can contact the authority at 8943346564, 8943346612, and8943346191. A toll-free number 18004251125 too will be available.

M.K. Raghavan, MP, inaugurated the media committee office of the State School Arts Festival at the Malabar Christian College High School building here on Wednesday. Identity cards for the mediapersons were distributed on the occasion.

FDA cracks whip on foreigners selling wares at Arambol

MAPUSA: On Wednesday evening, officials of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) confiscated food items being sold by foreigners at Arambol beach. The tourism department will soon be reporting the matter to the Foreigners Regional Registration Offices (FRRO).

Tourism director Ameya Abhyankar confirmed this saying, "No permission has been given by the tourism department even though the foreigners are paying sopo to the local panchayat. We are planning to take action and to report the matter to the FRRO for further action. Flying squads have also been deputed."

The action comes a day after TOI reported in its edition dated January 14 that since the start of the tourism season in November 2014, every evening at 5, around 250 foreigners flock to Arambol, not as tourists, but as businessmen/women, sitting in a 300m-long line and selling food items like momos, pizzas, sandwiches, salads, tea, coffee, soups etc, at a spot on the beach they call the "Arambol sunset point".

While business, which goes on till 9pm, is brisk for the tourists from Russia, Israel, China and Nepal, locals operating shacks in the vicinity claime that their business is down by 50%.

Taking cognizance of the TOI report, food safety officers Rajiv Korde, Rajatam Patil and Shailesh Shenvi visited the beach site late Wednesday evening and found four foreigners selling artificial jewellery, food articles and other general items by displaying them on clothes spread on the beach. All the four foreigners were served with unlicensed operation notices and their activities were immediately stopped. These four foreigners were warned of legal action under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the Rules /Regulations 2012 if they are found selling goods again.

"The foreigners were directed to obtain all approvals from the local authorities, including holding a business visa, to undertake such activities. As other articles, like artificial jewellery, do not fall under the purview of the FDA, they were not ceased. Only the food items were confiscated," FDA director Salim Veljee told TOI.

Veljee said that other departments like the tourism department and local panchayat should also remain vigilant over such illegal activities.

Shopkeeper held for selling gutka; 4 companies also booked

A 70-year-old grocery shop owner was today arrested for allegedly stocking and selling banned gutka worth over Rs one lakh at his shop in Badlapur in the district. 

The state police, for the "first time", has also booked the manufacturing companies of the banned substance found at the shop in order to find out how despite a ban, the gutka was still being sold in Maharashtra. 

The accused, Guruling Veerabhadra Hore, of Shirgaon in Badlapur, was arrested after the Food and Drug Administration raided his shop last evening and seized gutka worth Rs 1,35,720 of various brands, Assistant Police Inspector P B Bondve of the Badlapur (East) police station said. 

Besides Hore, police have booked four gutka manufacturing companies located in various parts of the country. 

"It is for the first time that besides the one who stocks and sells gutka, the manufacturers of the banned substance have also been booked. We have done this as we want to carry out a deep inquiry into how despite a ban, gutka is still being sold in Maharashtra," Bondve said. 

Hore and the manufacturers have been charged under sections of Food Safety and Standards Act, he added. 

The Maharashtra government has banned sale and manufacturing of gutka, paan masala and all types of processed or packaged tobacco.

சங்ககிரி கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு

சேலம் மாவட்டம், சங்ககிரி பழைய பேருந்து நிலையப் பகுதியில் மாவட்ட உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை நியமன அலுவலர் டி.அனுராதா புதன்கிழமை திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டார்.

மாவட்ட உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை நியமன அலுவலர் டி.அனுராதா தலைமையிலான அலுவலர்கள் சங்ககிரி பழைய பேருந்து நிலையம் அருகேயுள்ள பேக்கரிக் கடைகள், ஹோட்டல்கள், தேநீர், குளிர்பானக் கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டார்.

அப்போது, காலாவதியான குளிர்பானங்களை பறிமுதல் செய்து அழித்தனர். மேலும், ஹோட்டல்களில் சோம்பு, சர்க்கரை, கடுகு உள்ளிட்டப் பொருள்களில் ரசாயனக் கலவைப் பூச்சு உள்ளதைக் கண்டறிந்து கலப்படமற்ற பொருள்களை பயன்படுத்துமாறு அதன் உரிமையாளர்களிடம் அறிவுறுத்தினார். இந்த ஆய்வினால் அந்தப் பகுதியில் பரபரப்பு ஏற்பட்டது.

DINAMALAR NEWS

வெல்ல ஆலையில் அதிகாரிகள் சோதனை

தர்மபுரி, ஜன.14:

தர்மபுரி அருகே வெல்லம் ஆலையில் உணவு பாது காப்பு அதிகாரி அதிரடி சோதனை நடத்தினார். பரிசோதனைக்கு வெல்ல மாதிரி சேகரிப்பு அனுப்பி வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. ரசாயனம் கலந்திருந்தால் ஆலைக்கு சீல் வைக்கப்படும் என எச்சரிக்கை விடுக்கப் பட்டது.

தர்மபுரி அருகே முத்துக்கவுண்டன் கொட்டாய் பகுதியில் இயங்கும் கரும்பு வெல்ல ஆலையில் வெல்லத்தில் ரசாயனப் பொரு ட்கள் கலப்பதாக புகார் வந்தது. கலெக்டர் உத்தர வின் பேரில், நேற்று உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அதி காரி தினேஷ் தலைமையில் அதிகாரிகள் திடீரென சோ தனை நடத்தினர். இதில் பீமன் என்பவருடைய வெல்ல ஆலையில் அதிரடி சோதனை நடத்தினர்.

இச்சோதனையில் பிளீ ச்சிங் பவுடர், ஹைட்ரஜன் பெராக்சைடு, ஹைட்ரஜன் சல்பேட், சோடா உப்பு உள் ளிட்ட ரசாயன பொருட்கள் வெல்லத்தில் கலப்பதாக சந்தேகம் அடைந்த அதிகாரிகள் மாதிரி எடுத்து அனுப்பியுள்ளனர்.

பரிசோதனை யில் ரசாயன பொருட்கள் கலந்திருப்பது உறுதியா னால், ஆலை சீல் வைக்கப் படும் என மாவட்ட நியமன அதிகாரி தினேஷ் கூறினார்.

பாப்பிரெட்டிப்பட்டி அருகே அனுமதியின்றி கடைகளில் பதுக்கிய புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் அதிகாரிகள் நடவடிக்கை

பாப்பிரெட்டிப்பட்டி, ஜன.14:

அனுமதியின்றி பதுக்கி விற்ற புகையிலை பொருட் களை உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.

பாப்பிரெட்டிப்பட்டி அரு கே கடத்தூரில் அர சால் தடைசெய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை பொருட்களான குட்கா, பான்பராக், ஹான்ஸ் ஆகியவை பதுக்கி வைத்து விற்பதாக கலெக்டர் விவேகானந்தனுக்கு புகார் வந்தது. இது குறித்து விசாரணை நடத்த உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறைக்கு உத்தரவிட்டார். அவரது உத்தரவின் பேரில் மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர் தினேஷ் மற்றும் அரூர், மொரப்பூர், பாப்பிரெட்டிப்பட்டி உணவு பாது காப்பு அதிகாரிகள் கொ ண்ட குழுவினர் கடத்தூர் பகுதியில் உள்ள பெட்டிக்கடை, டீகடை மற்றும் பல சரக்கு கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு செய்தனர்.

இநத் சோதனையில் பெட்டிக்கடை மற்றும் பலசரக்கு கடைகளில் பதுக்கி வைத்திருந்த பான்பராக், ஹான்ஸ் மற்றும் குட்காவை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். முதல் முறையாக பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டதால், அதிகாரிகள் எச்சரித்து அபராதம் விதித்தனர். மீண்டும் இது போல் நடந்தால், சட்டப்படியாக நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என அதிகாரிகள் எச்சரித்தனர்.

VS opposes pepper cleaning drive

Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan on Tuesday sought the intervention of Civil Supplies Minister Anoop Jacob to alleviate the fears of the residents of Walayar village in Palakkad district in connection with the attempts by the Food Safety Department (FSD) to wash and clean about 60 lakh kg of seized adulterated pepper using the facilities of a private factory located close to the Coimbatore border.

In a letter, a copy of which was released here on Tuesday, Mr. Achuthanandan said the whole process seemed unscientific as the chances of bringing back the original character of the seized pepper through washing and cleaning using detergents was very low.

Expert opinions

Mr. Achuthananadan also quoted expert opinions recommending safe disposing of the adulterated pepper.

Quoting a report in The Hindu on the issue, Mr. Achuthanandan said that the washing and cleaning of adulterated pepper using detergents would cause pollution and exploitation of remaining groundwater resources of Walayar. Meanwhile, FSD officials said the adulterated pepper would reach Walayar on Thursday for cleaning using the facilities of a private factory there.

Security

Tight police security would be accorded to the trucks carrying the pepper from FSD godowns in Edathala, Vazhakulam, North Paravur and Cherthala. Janajagratha, a voluntary organisation, on Tuesday approached District Collector K. Ramachandran urging him to use the district magistrate’s powers to prevent further pollution of Walayar.

Whole process seems unscientific, says Achuthanandan.

Cleaning of 6,000 tonnes of tainted pepper from tomorrow

KOCHI, JANUARY 13: 

Some 6,000 tonnes of pepper, valued at ₹450 crore at current prices and locked up in warehouses in Kerala for being found tainted, could be released in the open market soon as its cleaning will begin this week. The first lot of 60 tonnes of the pepper contaminated with mineral oil will leave Kochi on January 15 and from then onwards a similar volume of pepper would be transported daily to Walayar in Kerala’s Palakkad district, FSSAI officials said.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Kerala, has outsourced for the cleaning of the entire volume of contaminated pepper to Indian Products Limited (IPL).

Speaking to BusinessLine, TV Anupama, Commissioner, FSSAI, Kerala, said Assistant Commissioners in Kochi and Palakkad will handle the operations.

She said the cleaning of the entire volume of the pepper will be done according to the directions of the Kerala High Court. Samples would be drawn from each lot and tested in various government laboratories in Kerala.

The Kerala High Court, disposing of a writ petition on August 28, 2014, ordered the FSSAI to allow the National Commodities and Derivatives Exchange to clean the pepper without prejudice to the exchanges’ rights/claims etc, against any party for the costs incurred.

“All the owners of the pepper lots have been notified of our decision,” K Ajith Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, Kochi said.

The IPL has developed its own technology to clean the pepper using a food grade detergent, he said.

Around 200 tonnes of pepper from the stock were released in recent months, following clearing of counter samples held by some members of a cartel in three instalments, after reportedly testing them at a Public Analysts Laboratory in Kolkata.

The Commissioner said the parties have done it after getting permission from the higher Appellate authorities.

Environmental concerns

Meanwhile, environmental activists in the region have come out against the cleaning of such huge volume of pepper using “heavy doses of detergent”. They alleged that it would “pollute their surroundings apart from exploiting the region’s water resources”.

When asked for her reaction, the Commissioner said the FSSAI is carrying out the High Court’s order. “We have not received anything in writing about such issues,” she added.

Supreme Court strikes down labelling norms for canola oil

BENGALURU, JANUARY 13: 

The Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on guidelines for labelling for canola oil. Subsequently, there will be also no restriction on canola oil imports.

The FSSAI had gone to the Supreme Court in appeal against a Bombay High Court order which, on a petition from Dalmia Continental Pvt Ltd, stayed guidelines for import of canola oil. Dalmia Continental is one of the largest importers of canola oil.

FSSAI had issued a guideline stating that all canola oil consignments be labelled as “Rapeseed oil – low Erucic Acid”. Following this, all canola oil imports were detained at the ports, forcing Dalmia Continental to move the Bombay High Court.

The Supreme Court ruling will allow importers of canola oil to call the edible oil by its name.

"The industry is free to call canola oil by its name and imports will no longer be restricted," said VN Dalmia, Chairman, Dalmia Continental Pvt Ltd.

Dalmia said the Supreme Court, on Monday, dismissed the special leave petition filed by FSSAI against the interim order of the Bombay High Court. The High Court, on September 16, had also ordered release of all Dalmia Continental’s canola oil consignments blocked at the ports.

The Supreme Court ruled that Dalmia Continental was in full compliance with existing laws and that FSSAI had no case for mandatory re-labelling of canola oil. Dalmia said the latest order of the Supreme Court represents a major victory for the industry which had concertedly resisted re-labelling of canola oil.

FSSAI officials did not respond when BusinessLine sought their views on the issue.

The industry, Dalmia said, had argued that the requirement to re-label canola oil was discriminatory since the same labelling requirements are not imposed by FSSAI on other types of oil. In the Standard for Vegetable Oils of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, ‘Rapeseed Oil – Low Erucic Acid’ is the product category and ‘Canola Oil’ is the synonym mentioned in brackets.

Several other oils are presented in the same manner in Codex. For example, ‘peanut/groundnut oil’ and ‘corn oil’ are mentioned in brackets alongside their respective product categories ‘Arachis Oil’ and ‘Maize Oil’.

However, both peanut/groundnut oil and corn oil are not labelled and marketed as per these product category names, Dalmia said. Canola oil has been imported under this name since 2007 . It is imported mainly from Canada and the inbound shipments are estimated at around one lakh tonnes both in crude and refined forms.

Flood Affected Food Items Seized In Srinagar District

SRINAGAR, JANUARY 13: Continuing its drive against the adulterators the Food Safety department of district Srinagar filed eleven complaints in the court of adjudicating officer Additional Deputy Commissioner Srinagar Mr G A Dar under Food Safety and Standards Act. The samples were lifted mainly from manufacturing units and include the samples of spices, Milk products, beverages and sweets. The samples were declared Sub-standards/Misbranded by the Food Analyst Public Health laboratory Srinagar.

In the meanwhile the team of Food Safety Officers in Srinagar district seized 430 crates of flood affected Juice from Nowgam area of the district. Also 575 kilograms of Green tea which carried tempered date of packing was seized from Batmaloo areas. The samples of same were sent to Food Analyst Public Health Laboratory for analytical purpose.

How to check if milk and milk products are adulterated

Food is basis of our existence and none of us think twice or compromise on the quality of food. What if the milk which you make your child forcefully drink is adulterated? What if the paneer that has numerous health benefits, which your husband lovingly eats is full of unhealthy starch? There are certain tests you can easily perform in your kitchen with the help of easily available ingredients to assess the purity of these products which help you distinguish between adulterated and pure food.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) defines food adulteration as an act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale either by admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by removal of some valuable ingredient.

Food adulteration also takes into account unintentional contamination of food during their period of growth, harvesting, storage, processing, transport and processing, for example- pesticide residue in grains.

It also defines a food adulterant as any substance which is or can be employed for making the food unsafe or sub standard or mis-branded or containing extraneous matter. Food products can be adulterated by using various food additives like artificial colours which are very harmful to your health.

Here are a few things you should know about food adulterants and how to check if your food is adulterated:

Food product	Adulterant	Test to check adulteration
Milk	Water	Place a drop of milk on a shiny, polished slanting surface. Milk leaves no trail behind but if water is added to it you will find a white trail behind the drop.
	Starch	Add a drop of iodine solution (easily available in medical stores or the one from your first-aid box). Formation of blue colour indicates adulteration.
	Vanaspati	Take around 3 ml milk in a test tube and an ml of hydrochloric acid to it. Appearance of red colour after 5 minutes indicates presence of vanaspati in milk.
	Detergent	Add 5 ml water to approximately same amount of milk. Shake for 5 minutes. Appearance of lather indicates presence of detergent.
	Formalin	Take 10 ml milk in a test tube and add concentrated sulphuric acid to it from the sides of the test tube. Avoid shaking the tube. Appearance of violet ring at the intersection indicates presence of formalin.
Ghee/ Cottage cheese or paneer/condensed milk, khoa, milk powder	Coal tar dyes	To a melted sample of the product add approximately 5 ml of dilute sulphuric acid or concentrated hydrochloric acid. Appearance of pink colour in case of sulphuric acid and red incase of hydrochloric acid indicates presence of coal tar dyes.
	Starch	Add a few drops of iodine to the sample, if the brown colour becomes blue, it indicates presence of mashed potatoes.
Ghee / Butter	Vanaspati	To a little melted ghee add equal amounts of hydrochloric acid and add a pinch of sugar to it. Shake well and let it set for 5 minutes. If crimson colour appears in lower layer indicates presence of vanaspati.
	Mashed potatoes/sweet potatoes	Add a few drops of iodine to the sample, if the brown colour becomes blue, it indicates presence of mashed potatoes.

All these tests are easy to perform. A word of precaution would be to wear hand gloves while handling acids.

Food Safety officials seal two jaggery units in Omalur

Food Security officials inspecting a jaggery unit at Omalur in Salem district on Monday.

Two jaggery manufacturing units that were producing adulterated products in Omalur were sealed by Food Safety officials on Monday.

A team led by T. Anuradha, Designated Food Safety Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, and food inspectors inspected the units and found sugar and banned chemical being used in producing jaggery.

Adulteration

Mixing of sugar and the banned chemical is considered as adulteration.

The officials said that the manufacturers were warned not to involve in such production activities.

They had been given sufficient training on the usage of prescribed chemicals.

Despite these, they continued to involve in such activities that harmed the consumers.

Hence, the units were sealed, they added.

Manufacturing of jaggery in Omalur areas is in full swing to meet the demands for the Pongal festival. So, the officials are closely monitoring the units.