Health impact of unsafe food

March 17, 2015:

Maintain hygiene; separate raw and cooked foods; cook thoroughly; cool and keep food at safe temperatures; use safe water and raw materials-these are some crucial elements to keep food safe and nutritious, and the same has been highlighted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which will be observing April 7 as World Health Day . 

“Globally, the health impact of unsafe food includes vicious cycles of disease and malnutrition particularly affecting most vulnerable. Notably, food containing harmful bacteria, viruses or chemical substances is responsible for over 200 diseases, from diarrhoea to cancer,” Dr Asheena Khalakdina, WHO Country Office for India, told Metrolife, listing food and waterborne diarrhoeal diseases, which kill an estimated two million people, mostly children, annually. 

Ironically, food even leads to non-communicable diseases too. “Foods rich in trans fats, saturated fats, sugar, salt or sodium increases the risk of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure. Therefore, food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked,” Khalakdina said at a conference organised by WHO along with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), recently. 

Unsafe food has non-health impact too. “Foodborne diseases have negative economic consequences for individuals, families, communities, businesses and countries. They impose substantial burden on health care systems, trade and tourism, reduce economic productivity and threaten livelihood,” Vinod Kotwal, director, National Codex Contact Point, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), MoHFW, said. 

Khalakdina also highlighted the role of FSSAI in regulatory mechanism, risk assessment and risk management. 

The experts underscored the importance of ensuring food safety globally as well. “Food supply chain now crosses countries and multiple national borders. There are a wide range of issues which vary from country to country like microbiological contamination, drug residues and genetically modified foods. Since there has been globalisation of food trade, it directly links to outbreak of foodborne illnesses, trade disputes and food recall,” Khalakdina said. 

Experts pointed out that new threats are constantly emerging due to changes in food production, distribution and consumption, thanks to intensive agriculture, globalisation of food trade, mass catering and street food. Even new and emerging bacteria and toxins, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, food allergies and diets increasingly rich in salt, sugar and fats are the problem areas.

“There is a challenge to ensure microbiological safety of food. Since infected animals show no illness, so public health initiatives must include apparently healthy animals and safety of their food. Secondly, contaminated food usually looks, smells and tastes normal, therefore, visual inspection of food is not sufficient to guarantee it is safe. Lastly, new control techniques are required because pathogens survive traditional food techniques,” said Khalakdina.

Interestingly, these issues are important to India due to its nationwide food supplementation programmess like midday meal, Integrated Child Development Services Scheme (ICDS), public distribution system and in light of the rising incidence of ailmets like diabetes, obesity, heart diseases and hypertension. 

DM fines traders for substandard quality of food

PANAJI: The district magistrate (DM), North Goa, has imposed a penalty of 75,000 on a Karnataka-based food trader, Sharda Traders, for violating provisions of Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, and Rules and Regulation 2011.

District magistrate Nila Mohanan also imposed a fine of 50,000 each on Suresh Kumar Borana of Kohinoor Sweet Mart, KTC, Panaji, and distributor, Mandora Rajivbhai of Paresh Namkeem, Chimbel, and fine of 10,000 against vendor, Narendra Purohit for similar violations.

The samples of the namkeen were drawn by food and drug administration's senior food safety officer Rajiv Korde . The laboratory analysis proved that the food items were of substandard quality.

The samples contained synthetic non-permitted colour tartrazine, the officials alleged. The FDA official also found that food items were misbranded, as packets did not contain label declaration as required under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standard (packaging and labelling) Regulation 2011.

In the order, Mohanan also directed the Karnataka food trader to immediately discontinue further manufacture and distribution of sub-standard and misbranded food article. The trader has been directed to file an affidavit in compliance within 15 days of the order, failing which stern action will be initiated against him.

The samples contained synthetic non-permitted colour tartrazine, the officials alleged.

Are You Getting a Raw Deal When You go Shopping?

Nasimuddin also expressed his worries about the digital divide between urban and rural demographics, where the latter were not yet aware of their rights as a consumer.

CHENNAI: The consumer has a right to get whatever he is promised; however in most cases the consumer rarely gets even half of the benefits that is advertised by a product, said Md Nasimuddin, IAS, Principal Secretary to the Food and Consumer Protection Department of Tamil Nadu.

Nasimuddin made the comments in his address as the chief guest at a seminar on ‘Food Safety, consumer product safety and Misleading Advertisments’ as part of the world consumer rights day celebrations on Monday, at the JBAS College for Women.

“Much of the advertising fails at this front (delivery). The consumer has a right to get what he is promised,” Nasimuddin said, adding that the entire responsibility of protecting consumer rights was not of the government department alone, but of all stakeholders, including civil society.

Nasimuddin also expressed his worries about the digital divide between urban and rural demographics, where the latter were not yet aware of their rights as a consumer. “With more and more e-commerce coming in, we face a big challenge in the years to come. All stakeholders must come together and work on solutions,” he said.

Explaining the three stages that a consumer had to cross-before purchase, time while making a purchase and after purchase, Nasimuddin said that it was there needed to be an effective redressal mechanism, if the consumer was not satisfied with the product. The role of government agencies, as people kept consuming more, was nascent and evolving and officials like himself were trying to make it work, he said.

Speakers at the seminar included Nirmala Desikan, Chairman and Managing trustee of Consumer Association of India (CAI) and Amanda Ling, Director General, Consumers International among others.

Biosafety tests of GM crops a necessity: WHO

While the World Health Organization has not formulated any detailed official position on the issue of genetically modified crops, its India country office is of the opinion that proper evaluation is a must to ensure safety

At present, the global instruments to ensure food safety and public health includes the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005

In order to build awareness about food safety among various stakeholders, the World Health Organization on 13 March 2015, organized a technical briefing for mediapersons. The event, held in Delhi, was for discussing the theme of World Health Day 2015, 'From farm to Plate, keep food safe'

Various speakers representing WHO, Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI), and National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) presented on their respective roles in ensuring awareness about the need to have safe food.

Replying to a question raised by BioSpectrum on WHO's position on GM crops, the WHO's representative maintained that GM crops should be evaluated extensively and the balance must be maintained. Since there is a foreign gene being inserted in to a plant genome, it is the matter of choice for consumers but we believe that can be done after proper tests. "FAO/WHO Codex guidelines exist for risk analysis of GM food. We have been a part of consultations at the multiple levels and will continue to give our inputs whenever required. We are working on it," she said while speaking on the occasion. 

Dr Anil Kumar, additional director, NCDC, Delhi gave insights about the role of organization in providing quick response to the outbreaks. He added, "The institute was, in addition, expected to provide expertise to the States and Union Territories (UTs) on rapid health assessment and laboratory based diagnostic services. Surveillance of communicable diseases and outbreak investigation also formed an indispensable part of its activities."

"The challenge for food regulators is to maintain a food regulatory system that delivers safe food for the population, enables consumers to make informed choices and also maintains public confidence in the food regulations," mentioned the FSSAI representative.

At present, the global instruments to ensure food safety and public health includes the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005; INFOSAN which is International Food Safety Network of food safety authorities managed jointly by FAO & WHO for information exchange and cooperation. Besides that there is CODEX Alimentarius, the Global standards setting based on scientific evidence concerning hygienic and nutritional quality of food (WHO & FAO joint program)

Costco Canada fish import license suspended by food safety agency

(Reuters) - Costco Canada's fish importing license has been suspended, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency said, after the federal food safety watchdog determined the company violated the country's Fish Inspection Regulations.

The agency did not issue a recall for any products in relation to suspension.

The CFIA, which suspended the license on February 26, publicized the suspension on Friday, saying Costco Wholesale Corp did not consistently apply adequate food safety controls.

Under the penalty, the wholesale retail giant cannot import fish products into the country until the agency is satisfied the company has implemented the necessary changes.

The CFIA said Costco violated rules that required written notification for each shipment of fish to an inspector either before or within 48 hours of importing the products, and regulations that stipulated imported fish cannot be moved without permission.

The impact of the suspension is unclear. Costco operates 89 warehouses in Canada and reported Canadian revenue of $17.94 billion in 2014.

The company could not be immediately reached for comment. The Canadian Press, citing an e-mail from Costco, said the suspension came about as a result of three administrative incidents in the last two years, impacting a limited number of canned tuna products, and did not affect other fish products sold. (Reporting by Solarina Ho; editing by Gunna Dickson)

After Maharashtra, Haryana govt imposes ban on sale of beef in any form

Close on the heels of Maharashtra government banning sale of beef in any form, Haryana has imposed a similar ban with a proposed 10 years rigorous imprisonment for cow slaughter.

Though several beef traders’ associations are protesting against the ban in Maharashtra, other BJP-run states such as Haryana have been toying with the idea of emulating it. 

Omprakash Dhankad, agriculture and animal husbandry minister, Haryana, informs,“We have imposed complete ban on the sale of beef in any form. Also, canned beef has been covered in the ban, as it was legal during the tenure of the previous government.”

Dhankad explained that the government was considering framing stringent laws to impose ban on cow slaughter under 'Gau Sanrakshan Avm Gau Samwardhan' (Cow Protection and Cow Conservation and Development) Bill and that would soon be presented in the Budget session of the Haryana Assembly.

“The Bill has been framed after studying laws in different states, which would be more rigid and it would include the provision of 10 years of imprisonment, if found guilty of cow slaughter,” he added. 

He said that action would be taken not only against the slaughter house, but also the driver of the vehicle carrying the beef, whereby the vehicle would be confiscated. Further, the new Bill is also expected to double the jail-term for cow slaughter in the state as against the present law with rigorous imprisonment of five years.

World Health Day to focus on food safety this year

Mar 16, 2015

About 306 outbreaks of food poisoning and 344 outbreaks of diarrhoea were reported between 2011 and 2014

Food poisoning and diarrhoeal infection are the two leading causes of food-borne illnesses in India. Moreover, due to lack of laboratories and shortage of manpower, many outbreaks of the diseases are not investigated properly.

This year, with food safety as a theme of World Health Day that will be observed on April 7, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended a slew of measures to make food safe for consumption.

According to the data provided by the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, there were 306 outbreaks of food poisoning and 344 of diarrhea between 2011 and 2014. This meant that 46 per cent of the total outbreaks were due to food borne diseases.

"Diarrhoea is also related to consumption of improper food and can be clubbed with poisoning," said Anil Kumar, head, Centre for Epidemiology and Parasitic Diseases of the National Centre for Disease Control. He was speaking at a WHO programme on food safety.

Kumar added that lack of thorough epidemiological and lab investigations to identify the exact reason for food causing the illness hampers effective prevention strategies. "We launched pilot projects in two districts each of Gujarat and Tamil Nadu for surveillance. Once we have improved our existing model, we will implement it across the country," he said.

"Food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances is responsible for over 200 diseases—from diarrhea to cancers," said Asheena Khalakdia of WHO. She added that globally, foodborne and waterborne diarrhoeal diseases kill two million people annually, mostly children. "Nearly 700,000 deaths in children occur in South East Asia region," she said.

By focussing on food safety this year, WHO is helping governments across the world, including India, to adopt policies for food safety. "Some challenges in India include enforcement of food safety regulations, compliance with international standards, and consumer awareness and education," said Khalakdia.

Street food vendors of Chandigarh pledge to serve safe food

Chandigarh:

Nasvi, with collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism, organised two 6-day training programs in Chandigarh from 16th February to 21st February and 23rd February to 28th February at Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technolgy (CISM), Sector 42 D, for orientation, testing and certification of street food vendors. The understanding with the Ministry of Tourism was that National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) will nominate these street food vendors derectly to the IHMs and FCIs and that the IHMs and FCIs will accept them for skill testing and certification under the standard 6-day programe for street food vendors. A total of 57 vendors and small traders took part in this training program. They were given training on personal hygiene, food safety, cleaniness and food preservation. Trainers from Chandigarh Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technolgy (CISM) provided training to the trainees. After this training course, a test was taken of these trained vendors. The satisfactory part of this test was that all the 57 vendors passed the test with flying colours. The trainers were quite satisfied with the outcome of this training course and expressed their hapiness that all the vendors are now well trained on personal hygiene, food safety, cleaniness and food preservation.

The first batch had 32 street food vendors whereas second batch had 25 street food vendors.

After successful completion of the training program these street food vendors were given certificates by the Municipal Corporation Mayor Ms Poonam Sharma. On the occasion Secretary and Principal of HTMC were also present apart from other dignitaries.

These vendors have realised that cleaniness, personal hygiene, food safety and preservation play a great role in attracting people to street food. They are sure of their culniry skill, they only needed a know-how on personal hygiene, food safety, cleaniness and food preservation. This traing course provided them all they needed to make their mark as successful ambassador of street food.

St Joseph’s alumni rue degrading standards

NAINITAL: The alumni of Nainital's prestigious St Joseph's College have expressed their concern over the degrading standards of the institute. A residential school run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers that also runs St Columba's in New Delhi, the institute was found to be lacking in ensuring hygiene and food safety standards during an inspection conducted by the food inspector and the Nainital sub-divisional magistrate on Thursday. 

Ashish Chauhan, sub-divisional magistrate of Nainital, told TOI that the inspection team found lack of hygiene and garbage disposal as some of the main problems. The irregularities prompted the officials to impose a fine of Rs 2 lakh for violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The team that conducted the inspection on Thursday reportedly found 90 packets of milk products past the use-by date. At least 40 packs of cold coffee, three bottles of mineral water and a bottle of green chili sauce too were meant for use, despite being well past expiry date. 

Irregularities and discrepancies have been observed in many instances in the past in conditions at some residential schools in the Lake City. Teams of inspectors who conducted checks in December last year on instructions from the district magistrate had found food and lodging arrangements wanting, and medical facilities scant at some schools. 

Task Force on FSSR yet to submit report; Industry wants detailed review

New Delhi

In the winter session of Parliament, Union health minister J P Nadda had announced creation of Task Force to review the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006, and Regulations, 2011, comprehensively. The task force was scheduled to submit its recommendations in 45 days. But no further developments have been noted in this regard.

Interestingly, the ministry of health and family affairs is not aware of why the report has not yet been submitted. When questioned, all it could say was, “We have no idea.”

However, there has been an unease amongst the industry with several of the FSSR norms being a cause of concern. From language of the regulations to advisories on product approval, licensing, legal proceedings, to punishment, the industry has many reservations.

There are some 37 sections and clauses wherein the industry wants a review of the language and terminology.

According to sources in the ministry, it would take some time before the final draft of the review is out for the public comment. The Task Force is yet to submit the report while post filing of report, a cabinet note will be prepared by the ministry to raise it before the prime minister and the Cabinet. Thereafter comments will be invited from the law ministry on the proposed draft.

An official privy to the matter stated that it was highly unlikely that the review draft would be ready in this Budget session. “Even it can go beyond the Monsoon session,” the official added.

Further, according to sources in the industry, the government is not appearing keen on having discussion on this issue. Though some meetings were held in the health ministry office, they had fewer representation from the industry.

Meanwhile, most industry bodies have submitted their representation to the health ministry. Some of the demands:

Section 31 and Section 63: Licensing

The industry says that appropriate drafting is needed to ensure that the intended objective behind single-window mechanism for licence to operate is achieved. “We strongly feel that there should be only one licence applicable for business entity as was envisaged during the drafting and review of FSS Bill 2005, with an understanding that all licences of food business operations (factories, warehouses) where food products are manufactured/packed/handled should be endorsed in same licence.”

Moreover the licences should be on food-category not for every single-food. Multiplicity in either licensing or registration or related matters at Central and/or state authorities is not only a retrograde step bringing back the complex licensing system and inspector raj but multiple approvals leads to move away from intended objective behind the FSSR while putting significant distress on FBOs.

“Therefore we propose to review the whole aspect around licensing now considering a small part of licences have been issued by the authority in last couple of years,” says a representation from All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA) to the ministry of health.

It added, licence application should be simplified to focus on requirement related to food safety viz. contact and legal information (name, location(s), address/contact, etc.), activity related information (type of activity, categories of food to be handled / manufactured, size of business if relevant, etc.) and commodity related information (commodity type, countries from which commodities are typically imported).

Section 63 refers to punishment for carrying out a business without a licence whereas it has been observed and represented that despite efforts even from Central Food Safety Authority many states did not progress with the institutional mechanism of receiving the applications less said about approval, hence this provision needs to be modified considering vast majority of licences still pending to be issued/renewed by the authorities both in Central and states. To this effect, the Central Advisory Committee’s report providing the status of licensing applications processed may be reviewed by the government and therefore appropriately modify the provision in Section 63 while simplifying licensing provisions under the Act as well as under the Regulations thereunder.

Additional critical observations and proposals by the industry

1. To make Provision for Adjudication and Legal Proceedings relating to a Food Sample in the State of Registration of the FBO 

As per present laws, legal proceedings against an FBO are pursued in the city/place where the sample has been taken. We are aware that samples of food products are taken randomly without any pre-evidence from millions of retail stores and restaurants all over the country. The entrepreneur has to run to spread over locations in the country to attend these proceedings leading to critical loss of time, energy and resources besides causing undue exploitation and unmanageable mental stress and subjecting him to severe uncertainties of legal schedules and multiple visits. The entrepreneur cannot do much else leave alone attending to improve production and packaging systems or product innovation.

This cumbersome and archaic procedure of food legislation needs to be rationalised to save unproductive loss of time, energy and resources and to enable the entrepreneur to devote to consumer needs and bring about the much needed growth of the sector.

To make the system more efficient and productive it has been suggested that after a food sample has been taken the adjudication and legal proceedings of the same should be conducted in the state of registration/licensing of the FBO. This will save critical resources of the government and the FBO and will also enable the Authority to focus on product improvement instead of only doing a legal exercise. Moreover, many times the same product has been sampled from different locations thereby making multiple proceedings of one product happening at spread over locations. This extra wastage of precious time, energy and resources both of the entrepreneur and the Authority can be saved.

2. Fines/Penalties should be only on the Business Entity and not on the Business Entity plus on every Director/Partner. This increases the Fine/Penalty manifold and is not justified.

3. The Turnover of Rs 12 lakh for Registration is too low. It calculates to a sale of only Rs 3,000 per day which is not even enough to sustain. The Turnover level for Registration should be calculated on the basis of a sale of at least Rs 10,000 per day or also consider the number of direct employee FBO employs as a cut-off / deciding factor.

4. FSS Act to consolidate the laws relating to food (as per the preamble)

The objective of FSS Act is to consolidate the laws relating to food. However, there are discrepancies in this regard. Parallel provisions relating to food exit in State Regulations also whereby states have in the past exercised certain powers beyond FSS Act. This leads to harassment and non-uniformity in the implementation of food laws in the country and is contrary to the basic spirit of FSS Act. This is a serious distortion which needs to be rectified to ensure a scientific and transparent implementation of food legislation in the country. This can be done by making an appropriate provision in Sec.97 of FSS Act which covers 'Repeal and Savings.'

5. Integrate Provisions of "Packaged Commodities Rules" with FSS Act

Provisions relating to packaging and labelling of food products also exit in the 'Packaged Commodities Rules' under the 'Weights & Measures Act.' This a serious anomaly vis-a-vis the objective of FSS Act to consolidate the laws relating to food. This anomaly needs to be urgently removed by making an appropriate provision in Sec.97 of FSS Act covering 'Repeal and Savings.' This duality causes confusion, unnecessary harassment and prosecution.

6.Labelling Changes

There is a critical need to move to uniform compliance date as is the practice in the international food regulatory regime, with compliance and tolerance criteria clearly spelt out in the guidelines or annex to Regulations, Guidelines for claims in general and considering the significant inventory losses the industry is supposed to bear with frequent and piece-meal changes in the regulations relevant from labelling of pre-packaged foods. The infrastructure for compliance by the enforcement authorities also needs to be improved considering the subject being so vast and needs continuous capability building – for example, a food analyst may not be qualified to interpret the claims and can trigger enforcement actions leading to more trivial matters progressed to the courts and involving significant amount of time of officials, FBOs, judiciary in such matters which may have emanated from such matters.

7. It is paramount to highlight one concern from food industry that the excessive and unclear regulations are placing a high burden on businesses, the public sector and also the civil society, not-for-profit organisations and includes judicial resources involved, so hinders effective delivery of intended objectives and benefits behind the regulations such issued. Government of India is progressing a very challenging but very relevant to review and revise/repeal regulatory measures which are not enforced properly to reduce regulatory burden on society and businesses while reducing the number of competing statutory rules and regulations in force.

8. We also request that for the benefit of every FBO in the country and those who export into India, a comprehensive and explanatory User Guide to the Food Safety and Standards Act, and Rules and Regulations made thereunder are provided to share the intended objectives. Also it is pertinent that we have a 3-5 years strategic plan for the food standards development and related regulatory measures, including options to ‘how to make submissions to seek revisions to Act or Rules or Regulations’ and sharing progress report on the Food Safety Development Work-plan. It is also very important that public consultations are held frequently by the Food Safety Authority.

DINAMALAR NEWS

State anganwadis lack basic hygiene, funds to fill tummies

COIMBATORE: In a corner of the government high school in Sundapalayam, Coimbatore district, is a small asbestos sheet mounted on four wooden poles. A red-sari clad woman, with her hair partially tied, can be seen stirring some food in two large aluminum vessels inside. The smoke from the vessels overpowered the smell of freshly cooked food. She was preparing the mid-day meal for 120 students, stirring the sambar in one vessel and boiling eggs in the other. 

This is the condition in which many schools in the state prepare the mid-day meals for students. In the absence of a well-equipped and ventilated kitchen, a large number of schools prepare meals out in the open amidst sand, dust and stones which could very well be mixed with the food on a windy day. With no concrete ground, the cook often places the stirrer on the mud floor before putting it back inside the vessel. 

The unhygienic condition in which the food is cooked is just part of the problem. The pittance the student is served is far from adequate to fill their stomachs. Each child in the state is allotted 1.30 on days when sambar rice and dal is served (thrice in two weeks) and 1.80 on days when variety rice is served. "When we serve dal, each child is allotted 0.70 for vegetables, 0.20 for spices and 0.40 for firewood," said Jayamary, a noon meal coordinator at two high schools in West Coimbatore. 

"Cooking for 100 children, we allot 100gm of dal per child and 10kg of rice. For this huge quantity of rice the funds allotted for vegetables is a mere 70, for spices it is 20 and firewood 40," she said. 

"This is impractical because one tempo load of firewood itself costs 1,500. The vegetables, which include carrot, beans, tomato and potato, would go over budget even if we bought just 1kg each," said a midday meal worker in Vedapatti. 

Meanwhile, the government supplied rice, dal and eggs too is shoddy in quality. While the rice and dal is often full of stones, many eggs come broken. "At least five to six of every 100 eggs come broken," said the headmistress of a government school in Perur. 

While saying nothing about maintaining a hygienic kitchen, the ministry for food safety has set guidelines which include bans on jewelry and neatly tied hair. 

The official in charge of the midday meal scheme in the district collectorate said they have undertaken a plan to construct new kitchens or improvise kitchen rooms in more than 60 schools in the upcoming financial year. "We will ensure that no school functions without a kitchen after 2016," said the officer. "As for increasing funds allotted for the midday meal, we have made the request to both the Centre and the state through many forums," she said.

Sanitize drive to ensure safe street food

BHUBANESWAR: In a step to make street food safer and healthier in the state capital, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a drive to distribute polythene hand gloves, caps and masks to street food vendors across the city. 

The civic body's move has come at a time when water-borne diseases such as jaundice is spreading in several parts of the state. Most of the food kiosks selling local food such as dahi vada and aloo dum, gupchup, chat, ghuguni and other fast food are not maintaining proper hygiene during preparation and serving of food. 

Led by city mayor Anant Narayan Jena, the civic body started the drive from Unit-II market where there is a cluster of eatery stalls on both sides of the road. To begin with, the civic body has procured the sanitized gloves and provided them to selected shops. However, subsequently, the food stalls will have to buy the gloves. 

The mayor said distributing the gloves was part of an awareness drive after which a squad would be formed to monitor whether the food stalls are following the safety norms. 

"If the eatery staff members are found to be not wearing the gloves, a fine will be imposed on them. The squad, which will consist of officials of the city health office, will also ask the eateries to stop selling food," said the mayor. He added that the squad would also ensure that the food stalls used purified water to prepare the food. 

According to All Odisha Roadside Vendors' Association (AORVA) president Pratap Sahu the state capital has 1200 gupchup stalls, 700 fast food stations and nearly 1,100 dahi vada and aloo dum stalls. 

"At present, all the stalls use water supplied by the public health and engineering department (PHED) in making the food. Some vendors also pump tube well water and use that for making chat. Apart from asking the vendors to use sanitized hand gloves, the civic body should provide safe water at certain points so as to facilitate them to use the water exclusively for preparing food," Sahu told TOI. He added that food prepared by the eateries should be sent for tests periodically. 

Medicine specialist K S Kumar said that bacteria such as coliform, Ecoli, salmonella, shigella, and staphylococcus aureus that are found in food items which can cause jaundice, urinary tract infections, diarrhoea and typhoid. 

"Intestinal and liver complications are found in people who consume unsafe food. If the infection remains undetected, it may lead to serious complications," said Kumar. 

Official sources said the civic body was also planning to train the street vendors on how to prepare food following the safety norms. 

"We will try to train some selected vendors about food preparation and safe ways of handling them while serving," said an officer of the city health office. 

Seminar on food safety

"It would boost the health of government school children if they were to hike funds allotted for midday meal," said chief educational officer A Gnanagowri. 

In commemoration of World Consumers Rights Day, Consumers Association of India, Vettuvankeni, is organising a seminar on the topic ‘Food Safety, Need for Product Safety and Misleading Advertisements,’ on March 16 at JBAS College for Women, Teynampet. Time: 9 a.m.

According to a press release, Amanda Long, director general, Consumers International, a federation of more than 250 members covering over 120 countries, will be the chief guest.

Indirani Duraisingam, regional director, Consumer International — Asia Pacific, will preside over the event. For more details, call 2449 4573 / 2449 4574 / 2449 4575 / 2449 4577.

Conducted by Consumers Association of India on March 16

Delhi government plans to merge Food Safety, Drug control departments

The govt feels that by merging these two depts, the strength of officials and staff will increase and they would be able to launch "strict checks" against adulteration.

NEW DELHI: Noting that adulterated food is a "serious threat" to people's lives, the Delhi government has made a plan to merge its two departments - Food Safety and Drug Control- to eradicate adulteration in food and drugs from the city. 

The government feels that by merging these two departments, the strength of officials and staff will increase and they would be able to launch "strict checks" against adulteration across the national capital. 

"In Delhi, adulterants are used indiscriminately. Most people don't complain about adulteration as they think it is not such a big issue...but we don't know that the child who drank milk adulterated by detergents subsequently died," Health Minister Satyendra Jainsaid. 

"We have to get down to basics. We will completely stop adulteration in Delhi," he said. 

The minister said, "At present, food and drug adulteration are handled by different departments...we are going to merge them and this adulteration will be stopped completely."

A senior official said the government will spare no effort to identify the perpetrators and bring them to book. 

"City government would adopt a stern stance against those found guilty of such acts as consumers are entitled to get best quality products when they make a purchase," the official said.

The ‘myth’ological ban on beef

Karan Sehgal / The Goan March 14, 2015

Beef shops are all shut in the markets of Goa. At the same time, Maharashtra government has recently banned the slaughter of bull and bullocks. Put together, it paints an extremely grim picture for beef lovers in the state of Goa. The whole issue of beef not available in Goa is riddled has so many myths circulating around it that we at The Goan felt it is only appropriate that we will de-mystify those myths and bring some facts to the table

Beef shops are all shut in the markets of Goa. At the same time, Maharashtra government has recently banned the slaughter of bull and bullocks. Put together, it paints an extremely grim picture for beef lovers in the state of Goa. A number of restaurants in Goa have few days of beef stored in their cold storage which means unless supply of beef is resumed in the state they will be forced to change their menu. Besides, beef-lovers are returning empty-handed from the market as beef traders have shut their shops.

Beef traders have shut their shops as a protest against unreasonable business scenario in the state. They alleged that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are not allowing trucks with cattle or beef to enter Goa from Karnataka using one pretext or the other. The NGOs allege that the beef traders are indulging in illegal business practices such as not having required certificates or having fake certificates; they even allege that beef traders slaughter cows, calves, which isn’t allowed under the law. The net result of all these factors is beef traders are finding it very difficult to carry on with the business in Goa.

The situation is so complex that if the law is followed in its true spirit most meat traders (which includes all kinds of meat and not just beef) will be found to be violating it since this industry has gone more or less unregulated in Goa just as in larger India. There are roadside stalls, there are shops without proper air-conditioning, sometimes without even a water supply, and there are questionable business practices like meat-sellers don’t clean the knife and other equipment properly. There are then lapses in terms of not getting required approvals from administrative bodies like panchayats and municipal corporations. It is these factors which have brought a halt on the beef trade in Goa and not the recent ban in Maharashtra.

Naturally, the consumers are complaining and Goa Meat Complex is perturbed. Lyndon Monteiro, chairman of Goa Meat Complex, “We had given a deadline to all beef traders to open their shops by Wednesday, March 11, 2015, but they didn’t open their shops. Due to this, we have decided to make fresh certified beef available to consumers in Goa”. However, Goa Meat Complex is not in the business of selling beef; it is a slaughterhouse and a government undertaking.

Monteiro’s job becomes complex because his objective is to make beef available to beef starved people of Goa. He may choose to get into beef retailing in the short run but in the long run the trade will have to sort out its business model itself. Monteiro’s initiative of making beef available are likely to send panic waves to the already grieving beef traders as they will see them being replaced for the task of beef selling. Monteiro will have to walk a very fine line here.

But, Goa Meat Complex’s isn’t the only government body which will have to find a way out of this mess as even food and drugs administration (FDA) department will have to work extremely hard to sensitise various stakeholders in the beef trade as to what the regulations actually require because the situation at present is miserable. In many cases, municipalities haven’t even provided a basic infrastructure to sell not just beef but any kind of meat.

The entire administration will have to improve drastically. Panchayats, municipal corporations, animal husbandry department and FDA will all have to consolidate their databases on beef traders and iron out anomalies. The task is going to be herculean. As of now, FDA has just visited meat shops in municipalities in Goa and has found out a very high number of irregularities. FDA is planning to visit villages soon to inspect and it is likely that it will find irregularities there too.

The need of the hour is long-term solution and not a short-term fix. Unfortunately, there are no short-cuts here. The process of improvement must start here and only in few years’ time that one can expect that various government departments will have consolidated database about beef-traders, beef-traders will know what exactly the regulations are, consumers will know what kind of product they should buy and where from.

In the meanwhile, the issue is becoming contentious with every passing day. The whole issue of beef not available in Goa is riddled has so many myths circulating around it that we at The Goan felt it is only appropriate that we will de-mystify those myths and bring some facts to the table.

Myth 1: All beef is cow meat

The Goan opinion: This wrongly held belief is at the centre of any kind of debate on the ban on beef. By definition, beef is cattle meet, which means the meat of cow, bull, ox, male buffalo and female buffalo are all termed as beef. What is loosely being described as a ban on beef in Maharashtra is actually a ban on the slaughter of bull and bullocks (also termed as ox). Maharashtra still doesn’t have ban on the slaughter of male buffalo and female buffalo. Interestingly, Maharashtra has a ban on the slaughter of cows since 1976. Goa too has the ban on the slaughter of cows. As per the law in Goa, there is a ban on the slaughter of female buffalos too. However, Goan law allows bull, ox and male buffalo of more than twelve years of age can be slaughtered if they can’t be used for economic purposes like agriculture.

Myth 2: The recent ban on the slaughter of bull and bullocks in Maharashtra will have adverse impact on the tourism industry in Goa

The Goan opinion: It is true that Goa hardly makes its own beef, which is mostly because the number of cattle in the state is just too low for it to be self-sustainable for its beef consumption. Besides, Goa has a large Christian population and a small Muslim population too, which means a good portion of its overall beef demand comes from its own local population. Then, Goa is an international tourist destination and travellers from all parts of the world come to the state every year. In fact, a number of tourists spend a part of their year, sometime stretching upto six months, in Goa. All this, put together, shows that the demand for beef in Goa is quite high. And, since Goa doesn’t produce its own beef, it has to come from neighbouring states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. But, Goa gets most of its beef from Karnataka and not Maharashtra as confirmed by JafarBepari, president of Qureshi Meat Traders Association of Goa. And, since the ban pertains to Maharashtra, it per se has no impact on Goa and hence no impact on tourism industry

Myth 3: Beef makes up for a large part of sales at all hotels and restaurants catering to tourists

The Goan opinion: This is not entirely true. However, this is not entirely incorrect either. Shridhar Nair, general manager, The Leela Goa, said, “Not even 5% of our hotel’s food sales are on account of beef. Most of the international tourists in Goa like to have seafood for which Goa is extremely famous”. However, there is a counter-point to this. Lloyd Braganza owner of House of Lloyds in Saipem said, “My place is famous for pork chops and beef steaks and therefore for me the combined share of pork and beef sales of my total sales is a lot higher than for most restaurants”. Lester Remedios, owner of Angaara restaurant in Candolim, said, “We are basically a bar-be-cue and grill restaurant and therefore the share of beef is very high in our overall food sales. Beef accounts for 70% of our food sales. We realised couple of weeks back that supply of beef was going to get affected, so we bought extra beef and stocked it, which will run out in a week’s time. We were actually thinking in the morning what to replace beef with in our menu”. Overall, there are restaurants which get a high share of their sales from beef; however, it is not true for all.

Myth 4: Goa Meat Complex is shut and hence beef can’t be produced in Goa.

The Goan opinion: This is the mother of all myths in Goa. Goa Meat Complex is government undertaking. By law, all animals, which can be slaughtered in Goa, have to be taken to Goa Meat Complex. Most meat traders have complained that Goa Meat Complex has been shut for the last two years due to renovation work and therefore cattle can’t be taken there for slaughter. Lyndon Monteiro, chairman of Goa Meat Complex, said, “We are not shut. Traders are not bringing cattle for slaughter and hence we aren’t able to produce meat”. To understand why cattle are not being brought to Goa Meat Complex, one has to understand the nuts and bolts of this complicated business. As discussed already, only bull, ox and male buffalo of more than 12 years of age can be slaughtered in Goa and that too when it can’t be used for economical purposes, which means not all cattle can be slaughtered. When a cattle is brought to Goa Meat Complex, an ante-mortem is done to make sure that the animal is fit for human consumption. For this purpose, a competent authority is posted by the government. If the authority feels that the animal is not fit for human consumption, then the slaughter is not allowed. On the same lines, post killing the animal, a post-mortem is performed to ascertain that the animal is fit for consumption or not. Obviously, the government has put controls in place following which is a complex process which not every trader is willing to do.

Gaurav Yadav, an animal rights activist, said, “In 2013, when non-governmental organisations (NGOs) raided Goa Meat Complex, they found 19 calves there while it is illegal to slaughter young cattle. Surprisingly, the doctor at Goa Meat Complex had given approval for their slaughter. In another instance, traders had brought pregnant cows for slaughter. These cows later delivered calves when they were brought to goshalas”. Clearly, the law was not being followed. The combined impact of all these factors affected the activities of Goa Meat Complex.

However, it must be realised that a very complex legal structure in India is also to be blamed for this to an extent. The slaughter of cow is banned in Maharashtra. But, the slaughter of buffalo is not banned there. Suppose, a truck is coming from Maharashtra to Goa with beef, an issue can always be raised as to what kind of beef that is. For this purpose, police at check-post should be equipped enough to check. It requires very high efficiency in law enforcement which more often than not is not the case in India.

Consider this. The high court few years back had said that a NGO representative should be present at Goa Meat Complex to make sure that nothing illegal happens while slaughtering of cattle. The question to be asked is why the court had to rely on a non-government body to make sure that the laws made by the government are implemented? The question to be asked is why the state government is failing so badly to implement the law in the matters pertaining to slaughter of animals. Only when the high court realised that illegal activities were happening despite the rules and procedures prescribed by the government that it ordered for the presence of an NGO representative. The question to be asked then is how people should know whether the representative and the NGO are genuine or not. Clearly, this is not a simple case of Goa Meat Complex being alleged to be shut. It is a case of unscrupulous elements in meat trade; it is a case of extremely weak implementation of law; it is a case of law itself being extremely complicated.

Myth 5: Traders aren’t in the wrong and all of them are victims of NGO actions

The Goan opinion: Traders complain that NGO activities create problems at Goa-Karnataka border when they try bringing cattle or beef from the other side of the border. To this Gaurav Yadav, an animal rights activist, replied, “There are regulations which govern the movement of cattle and beef. For instance, beef should be in ice-box. But, such regulations are flaunted on a regular basis. Then, a certificate has to be issued from the slaughter-house that the meat is indeed of a bull and not of a cow. We have found cases wherein these traders had fake certificates. It is only when such cases have been found that NGOs have raised their voice”.

Moreover, it is clear that not any and everyone had problems at check-post. Shridhar Nair, general manager, The Leela Goa, said, “We get our supply of beef from Karnataka. We have a supplier who supplies beef to us at our door-step. We have never had such problems”. Traders are on the receiving end of NGO actions also because the regulations governing the trade of all kinds of meat aren’t strongly enforced in India. So, the blame goes to both administrators and people practicing the trade. However, this is not to suggest that all traders are not following the rules. But those who are not following it are high in number. For instance, meat shops are required to have a water heater as per food and drugs administration (FDA) guidelines so that they have hot water to clean the meat. A number of meat shops use heating rods to boil the water, which is not as per the guidelines. Sometimes, municipalities haven’t given the water connection. The regulations even require all shops to be in a structurally sound structure but often that is not the case. This is not specific to Goa as it is a pan India phenomenon. There are many other regulations as per food and drugs administration too. For instance, walls of meat-shops should be easily washable, which also is not followed in most cases. A source on the condition of anonymity informed, “Majority of meat traders in Margao were operating on Sopo, which is one day tax”. This shows that they don’t have long-term permissions from municipality. Again, this is not just a lapse on the part of trader but even on the part of municipality. But, the point remains that it will be reductive to say that all traders are being troubled at Goa-Karnataka border by NGOs 

Myth 6: Suddenly FDA department has woken up to implement rules, while not much was done earlier

The Goan opinion: This again is a misunderstanding of the situation. It should be taken into account that ‘Food Safety & Standards Act’ (FSSA) came into being only in 2011. Besides, beef isn’t the only item which is covered by this act. All meats and other food items and even drugs are covered by this act. FSSA shook the entire food industry in India as they all had to comply with a new act. Moreover, the other laws which governed these industries are still applicable. Besides, it was only in 2014 that the Government of India issued advisories saying that items which weren’t brought under the ambit of FDA should be brought under it. As a result, slaughter-houses, meat-traders and even liquor were brought under FDA only in 2014. But there were other lapses too. For instance, meat traders are governed by panchayat rules and also municipality regulations. Reliable sources said that before FDA department came into being no government agency had updated information about number of meat-traders, their names, their shop details as to what kind of facility they operated in. FDA officials have been going to different municipalities in Goa and finding out irregularities in meat-trade. The sequence of all these events from 2011 to 2014 shows that FDA hasn’t suddenly woken up to implement the rules. Besides, FDA standards will be applicable to other varieties of meats like chicken, mutton and pork as well, which means that beef traders aren’t the only one who will have to comply with the guidelines. Besides, this paper visited a prominent importer of various kinds of frozen meats who supplies to major hotels and restaurants in Goa who said that he has faced no problems from any government department ever because he has got all the approvals and he follows all laws. This again shows that people who are following law aren’t facing any problems. 

Quotes:

“Post the inspections carried out by FDA, I am writing to all municipalities in Goa to look into the feasibility of providing bare minimum infrastructure at market places for the sale of meat”

-Salim A. Veljee, director, Food and Drugs Administration

“The situation indeed is very serious. I have been getting calls from other restaurants asking me if I can give them beef since they have totally run out of stock. I must also add that the quality of beef, when it is available, is also very bad. Since my restaurant is known for beef steaks, all these factors adversely affect us”

-Lloyd Braganza, owner, House of Lloyds

“The kind of cruelty towards cattle we have seen when it is brought from Karnataka to Goa is unspeakable. There have been cases wherein cattle which can be used for economical purposes is brought for slaughter, which is not allowed. In the past, first information report (FIR) was filed against people indulging in illegal activities in beef business but no concrete action was taken”

-Amrut Singh, animal rights activists

“We had given deadline to all beef traders to open their shops by March 11, 2015, which they failed follow. As a result of which, we have decided to make fresh beef available to people of Goa, even though beef selling isn’t our business”

-Lyndon Monteiro, chairman, Goa

DINAMALAR NEWS

Advertisement of Tobacco Products

New Delhi: March 13,2015

As per the Report of the Tobacco Control in India (2004), tobacco advertising, in direct or indirect form, boosts consumption. There are independent studies that have been conducted to determine the impact of advertising and promotion of tobacco products on the consumption of these products by Indians. Evidence suggests that exposure to promotional activities for tobacco leads to initiation and progression of tobacco use. Research also corroborates that exposure to tobacco advertisements and receptivity to tobacco marketing are significantly related to increased tobacco use among students. Further, tobacco use in Indian movies has been independently associated with ever tobacco use among adolescents in India. Brief of the key studies on impact of advertising and promotion on youth uptake is annexed.

Section 5 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003(COTPA, 2003), prohibits all direct and indirect advertisements of the tobacco products. The said prohibition also extends to any activity that promotes the use or consumption of cigarettes or any other tobacco products.

The advertisement of Pan Masala is regulated by section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which states that every package of Pan Masala and advertisement relating thereto, shall carry the warning, “Chewing of Pan Masala is injurious to health”.

Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), lays down that tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products. Therefore, Gutkha is a prohibited product, under the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and hence its advertisement is also prohibited.

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

Centre seeks information on checks on slaughterhouses

PUNE: The urban development ministry has sought information from all state governments about the functioning of slaughterhouses and if the enforcement standards laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards regarding disposal of animal waste and slurry, as well as ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection of meat animals, are being complied with. The ministry has also sought information whether the state governments have formed the state committees to oversee the functioning of slaughterhouses.

The Supreme Court had in August 2012, in response to a writ petition, directed state governments to form committees. The apex court had issued the directions for effective implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Establishment and Registration of Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Rules 2000, provisions of the Environment Protection Act, and Solid Wastes (Management and Handling Rules) 2000.

Among the functions of the state committees would be to identify and prepare a list of slaughterhouses located within municipal corporations, councils or other local self government bodies, call for reports from the district magistrate, deputy commissioners or district food safety inspectors on the compliance of applicable laws, recommend modernisation of old slaughterhouses, relocation of slaughterhouses that are located near residential areas and recommend measures to deal with solid waste as well as water and air pollution.

The committees would also have to carry out surprise and random inspections of slaughter houses and issue directions, check child labour, and continuously identify and crack down on unlicensed slaughter houses, and unlawful establishments where animals are being slaughtered howsoever on a small scale. The committees would have to as well as send bi-annual reports on the state of slaughter houses to the central committee.

The committees would be headed by secretary of the state urban development department and would have members from the departments of health, animal husbandry, labour, food safety commissioner representing Central Food Safety and Standard Authority of India, state pollution control board, animal welfare board, state police, as well as other officers and experts. Secretary of the ministry of urban development department would be the nodal officer who will coordinate with the state committees and get information about the functioning of slaughter houses.

Awareness campaign by Food Safety Unit

The District Food Safety Unit, South Andaman, in association with Andaman Chamber of Commerce & Industry organized an awareness campaign on the enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act 7 Rules in South Andaman District. The program was held at Hotel TSG Grand, Dollygunj on Mar 12, 2015, in which the officials of Food Safety department and District Administration sensitized the food business operators and other stakeholders on various aspects of enforcement of the new Act and Rules during the program. They explained the Do & Don't of the food and explained how to keep veg and non-veg food articles separately, besides maintenance of hygiene in surrounding while preparing food and serving it. The Inspection is done by the Food Safety department and the samples, if any, are sent to mainland for testing.

The queries and doubts of the food business operators were answered at the interactive session that followed the awareness generation programme. All food business operators, directly or indirectly associated with food manufacturing/distribution and sale of food articles have been attended the program.

The Food Safety Unit started operation in August 2011 at State level and Regional level from Campbell to Diglipur.

WHO links food safety and nutrition

New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) Linking food safety and nutrition, the World Health Organisation on Friday said food and water borne diseases kill an estimated two million people across the world annually.

"Globally, every year, millions of people die of food contamination. Food borne illness is a serious cause of concern. Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked," said Asheena Khalakdia, the team leader for communicable diseases at WHO country office for India.

She said that from production to consumption, there were several potential areas of food contamination and safe and healthy food should be the prime focus.

"Food safety is a big issue so this year we have come up with a theme on food safety on the occasion of World Health Day on April 7, 2015," she said, during a technical session on the theme for the World Health Day.

The WHO experts enumerated five key points for safer food.

These include cleanliness, keeping the raw and cooked food separate from other foods, cooking thoroughly especially meat, poultry, eggs and seafood at 70 degrees Celsius, keeping food at safe temperatures, using safe water and raw materials.

"Food safety is a shared responsibility. It is important to work all along the food production chain - from farmers and manufacturers to vendors and consumers. We want these five keys for safer food to be made accessible to every consumer. All the stake holders should come forward on a joint platform to share this responsibility," she added.

2 years after Bihar tragedy, schools still flout midday meal rules: Study

The study found most children come to school on an empty stomach.

Nearly two years after the midday meal tragedy at a Bihar school where more than 20 children died after eating pesticidelaced lunch, a first-of-its-kind comprehensive review of the scheme's implementation has revealed that food safety norms are still not followed in schools serving the noon meal.

There are no systems for buying and storing of raw material, those responsible for buying raw ingredients have no knowledge of quality parameters and possibilities of contamination still loom large.

That apart, the recent report also points out how most children come to school on an empty stomach and nearly 60 per cent suffered nutritional deficiencies.

The findings have emerged after a year-long project on a 'Comprehensive Investigation and Intervention in Mid-Day Meals' in two blocks of Faizabad district of Uttar Pradesh.

Commissioned by the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development for creating templates for systemic improvements of the Midday Meal Scheme, the project was carried out by the Swami Sivananda Memorial Institute (SSMI), a Delhi-based non-profit institution.

The report emphasises the need for reinventing the midday meal according to local needs and ground realities, and calls for greater sympathy for the cookcum-helpers who prepare the meals in less than satisfactory conditions.

"If during the study in Faizabad, it is noticed that a large number of children are coming hungry, it is just common sense that a hungry child cannot pay attention to what is being taught, obviously the relationship between hungernutrition and cognition needs to be investigated..." writes K. Ashok Ram, SSMI general secretary, in the report.

The study has recommended that the midday meal scheme be split so that there are two components to the meal - a snack as soon as the child comes to school followed by the full-fledged meal.

They have also recommended health checks and better remuneration for cooks, nutrition surveys on eating habits of children over a 24-hour cycle and rapid food safety surveys and overall, more investment in food safety. That apart, it has recommended smokeless chulhas and kitchens with separated cooking, washing and storage area.

Interestingly, this report also indicates that a hot cooked meal made at the school was better than the kind delivered and served in some areas by a centralised kitchen.

The December 2014 report was recently submitted to the HRD ministry.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

Poor hygiene, stale food at St Joseph’s, finds raid

NAINITAL: St Joseph's College in Nainital, a prestigious residential school run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers that also runs St Columba's in New Delhi, was found to be lacking in ensuring hygiene and food safety standards during an inspection conducted by the food inspector and the Nainital sub-divisional magistrate on Thursday. 

Deepak Rawat, district magistrate, Nainital, said, "We decided to inspect the school after receiving some complaints. The inspection team has sent me a detailed report and recommended a fine of Rs 2 lakh for violation of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006." 

The team that conducted the inspection reportedly found 90 packets of milk products past the use-by date. At least 40 packs of cold coffee, three bottles of mineral water and a bottle of green chili sauce too were meant for use, despite being well past expiry date. 

A member of the inspection team told TOI that garbage disposal and hygiene were also concerns at the institution, established more than a century ago. 

"The canteen and cooking facilities did not appear like they belonged in a reputed school. School authorities had done little to improve conditions since the inspection last year," sub-divisional magistrate Ashish Chauhan of Nainital, who led the inspection team, said. 

Irregularities and discrepancies have been observed in many instances in the past in conditions at some residential schools in the Lake City. Teams of inspectors who conducted checks in December last year on instructions from the district magistrate had found food and lodging arrangements wanting, and medical facilities scant at some schools. 

Peter Emmanual, principal of St Joseph's, said, "I was not in the school when the inspection happened. I was at the bank for question papers of the ongoing board exams. We will see the notice when it comes, and make an appropriate response."

KFC faces pressure after McDonald's says no antibiotics in chicken

KFC is owned by Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands Inc, which has no publicly stated policy on antibiotic use in the production of meat it buys. There are concerns that use of the drugs in meat production has exacerbated the rise of deadly "superbugs" that resist treatment.

KFC, the world's largest chain of fried chicken restaurants, may face pressure from consumer and environmental groups to change how its poultry are raised after McDonald's Corp said it would switch to chicken raised without human antibiotics. McDonald's will phase out chicken raised withantibiotics that are important to human health over two years to allay concern that use of the drugs in meat production has exacerbated the rise of deadly "superbugs" that resist treatment, Reuters reported last week. Within days, retailer Costco Wholesale Corp told Reuters it aims to eliminate the sale of chicken and meat raised with human antibiotics.

KFC is owned by Louisville, Kentucky-based Yum Brands Inc , which has no publicly stated policy on antibiotic use in the production of meat it buys. Chick-fil-A, another chicken restaurant chain that competes with KFC, says about 20% of the chicken it serves is raised without any antibiotics, and that its entire supply chain will be converted by 2019. Both McDonald's and Yum are stepping up efforts to win back younger and wealthier diners lured away by chains such as such as ChipotleMexican Grill Inc and Panera Bread Co , which boast antibiotic-free meats and other high-quality ingredients.

Yum's KFC restaurants in China two years ago suffered a massive sales hit following local media reports that a few poultry farmers supplying KFC fed excessive levels of antibiotics to their chickens. "The train has left the station," Bob Goldin, a food services company consultant at Technomic in Chicago, said of McDonald's influence on US chicken production standards. Yum, which also owns the Taco Bell and Pizza Hut chains, declined to discuss its standards for antibiotic use in meat production. "The chicken served in our US restaurants is USDA high quality, and free of antibiotics," the company said in an emailed response to Reuters queries.

The antibiotic-free statement refers to a lack of residue in the meat served at its restaurants and not the practice of delivering antibiotics to chickens before they are slaughtered, said Steven Roach, food safety program director at Food Animal Concerns Trust in Chicago. The US Department of Agriculture has three classifications for poultry, A, B, and C, and doesn't have a "high quality" designation for chicken. Poultry rated A is what's typically found at retail, while poultry rated B or C is usually used in further-processed products where the meat is cut up, chopped, or ground, according to a USDA website.

Not Part of the Conversation

McDonald's told Reuters it worked with a wide range of stakeholders, including environmental group Friends of the Earth, to develop its US chicken guidelines. Yum and its brands have ignored requests for information regarding its antibiotic policy, said Kari Hamerschlag, senior program manager for Friends of the Earth's food and technology program. "They have so far not answered any of our emails or phone calls," said Hamerschlag, who is working with other advocacy groups to persuade food companies to change their supplier standards to exclude animals raised with the routine use of antibiotics. By contrast, McDonald's was "very responsive" to the groups' requests, she said. 

Other groups working with Friends of the Earth to cut antibiotics from chickens and other meats include the Natural Resources Defense Council, Consumers Union and the Center for Food Safety. Friends of the Earth said its interest in antibiotics has to do with animal agriculture's connection to the environment and human health. KFC supplier Tyson Foods Inc did not comment. Other US chicken producers that have supplied Yum either declined to comment or could not be reached. It's not known who KFC's biggest supplier is or how many chickens KFC buys a year. 

In 2012, Chinese media reports about excessive antibiotic use by a few KFC chicken farmers hammered sales there. The country has more than 4,800 KFC restaurants and accounted for nearly half of Yum's 2014 operating profit. In response, Yum dropped some 1,000 small poultry farmers from its supply chain and launched a public relations campaign to reassure diners about the quality and safety of its food. Yum operates separate supply chains in China and United States.

While antibiotics have made for big headlines in China, the issue also has surfaced at home. A Reuters investigation last year found that KFC supplier Koch Foods Inc from November 2011 to July 2014 had given some of its flocks antibiotics critical to fighting human infections, even though its website stated otherwise. The Chicago-based chicken producer changed the language on its website after questions from Reuters about its use of virginiamycin, an antibiotic included in a class considered "highly important" to fighting infections in humans. At the time, Koch said it has no plans to discontinue the use of virginiamycin, which it says may be used to prevent a common intestinal infection in chicken. Koch did not respond to interview requests for this story. KFC US said at the time that its "supply partners must adhere to our strict standards and specifications, which in some cases are more stringent than the FDA's regulations." It declined to comment this week.

Strawberries top list of pesticide-laced food: EU report

Nearly half of food products in Europe contain residues of pesticides, with strawberries the most likely to exceed legal limits, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said on Thursday.

The official EU body also found traces of pesticides in organic foods, though it said its analysis of almost 81,000 food samples found the risk of any negative impact on health was low.

But campaign groups said the data was worrying, especially in the cases where residues of more than one pesticide were found. They said the pesticides were mostly fungicides, which are possible carcinogens, and more research was needed into the implications of exposure to more than one.

The latest EFSA report, for 2013, found that almost 55 percent of the samples of food products in European Union and neighboring countries were free from detectable traces of chemicals.

Of the rest, only 1.5 percent clearly exceeded legal limits, meaning that businesses responsible for them face action.

The highest rate of exceeding limits was for strawberries (2.5 percent of the sample). They are especially sensitive to disease and so undergo considerable spraying with pesticides.

EFSA said it had tested for 685 pesticides in the 27 nations that belonged to the EU for all of 2013 (Croatia joined in that year), plus Norway and Iceland, and had found multiple residues in 27.3 percent of samples.

"For short-term exposure, the risk of European citizens being exposed to harmful levels of residues via their diet was rated as low," the EFSA said in a statement.

"Exceeding the legal limit does not necessarily imply exceeding the safety limit," it said.

The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) advocacy group was sceptical, calculating that one out of every eight boxes of strawberries contained six pesticide residues.

"In general the pollution of European food with pesticide residues remains at a very, unhealthy high level and there is no real improvement visible in recent years," Martin Dermine of PAN Europe said.

For organic food, 15.5 percent of samples contained pesticides within legal limits and mostly of kinds permitted for organic farming, but 0.8 percent exceeded permitted levels.

Concern over pesticide residue in vegetables

The government has approached the Commissioner of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to convene a meeting of the Food Safety Commissioners of the southern States to discuss the issue of high pesticide residue in vegetables.
In a written reply to a question by I.C. Balakrishnan, about the steps taken to check the high levels of pesticide residue in vegetables being brought from neighbouring States, Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar said the Chief Minister had convened an emergency meeting to address these concerns.
At present, facilities for checking pesticide residues using Gas Chromatograph and Mass Spectrophotometer were available only at the agricultural university.
Samples
Food safety officers had been asked to collect samples from markets and to send them to the university. Action would be taken if the pesticide levels were found to be high, he said. Tender process was on to set up this testing facility at the laboratories of the food safety wing in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam, Mr. Sivakumar added.
Post-mortems
In reply to another question by N.A. Nellikkunnu, Mr. Sivakumar said that the government had issued orders allowing post-mortems to be held in the evenings too and that the process of creating physical infrastructure in hospitals to allow this was in the final phase. He said a recommendation to create additional posts in all five medical college hospitals to allow post-mortems in the evenings was under consideration.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

Cooks, no painted nails or bangles, please

Over 1.17 lakh midday meal cooks and helpers, who serve food to 61.4 lakh children in government and aided schools in the State.

Over 1.17 lakh midday meal cooks and helpers, who serve food to 61.4 lakh children in government and aided schools in the State, have a rather unexpected advisory from the Centre: do not wear nail polish or artificial nails. While at work, they have to ensure that they do not wear watches, rings, jewellery and bangles.

The guidelines to be implemented from the next academic year also states that they should avoid certain “hand habits”, such as scratching their nose, running fingers through their hair, rubbing eyes, ears and mouth, or “scratching beard or any other part of the body that is potentially hazardous when associated with handling food products, and might lead to food contamination through the transfer of bacteria from the employee to product during its preparation”. They have also been prohibited from blowing nose, spitting, smoking and chewing food on the kitchen premises. The cooks will have to “neatly” tie and cover their hair at work.

These are part of the guidelines on food safety and hygiene for school kitchens under the midday meal programme for cooks and helpers that have been formed by the Ministry of Human Resource Development. As per earlier State guidelines midday meal workers will have to undergo a medical examination once a year.

Amused by guidelines

Lakshmi Devi, a midday meal worker in a government school in Koppal, is rather amused by the guidelines about artificial nails.

“We do not have money to wear such fancy things,” says Ms. Devi, who earns Rs. 1,600 a month. “Let the government focus on increasing the budget allocation and procuring good quality vegetables and grains.”

State president of the Karnataka Rajya Akshara Dasoha Naukarara Sangha S. Varalakshmi concurs. “They should improve quality of infrastructure and utensils which are very old,” she says.

The guidelines have been framed following the Bihar midday meal tragedy in July 2013 where 23 children died. As many as 360 children of the Urdu Higher Primary School at D.J. Halli in Bengaluru were hospitalised owing to food poisoning in September 2014.

Midday meal workers, helpers are to follow an advisory on food safety and hygiene for school kitchens

No added colours: food laboratory

The samples of watermelons submitted to the Divisional Food Laboratory in Mysuru did not contain added colours.

Officials of the laboratory situated in Tilak Nagar in the city said six samples of watermelons were submitted to them by the Food Safety Officers of Mysuru during the last one week. “None of them contained any added colours,” a senior chemist told The Hindu .

Food Safety Officer M.S. Lokesh said that officers from different city divisions had submitted around 15 samples of watermelons after Chamaraja Assembly constituency MLA Vasu sought for a laboratory test in the wake of complaints that watermelons were being injected with chemicals and additives for lending a ripened colour.

“We subjected the samples for laboratory examination in view of the suspicion that unscrupulous persons were injecting additives to artificially ripen the watermelons and make quick money,” Mr. Lokesh said.