10 tonnes of chemically ripened mangoes seized in Goa

Panaji: Nearly 10 tonnes of artificially ripened mangoes were seized in Goa during a raid on Wednesday, an official said. The mangoes were later destroyed.

Food and drugs administration officials destroyed the mangoes

The mangoes, mainly of Ratnagiri Alphonso, Pairi and Mancurado varieties, had been artificially ripened using a chemical called Ethrel and were stored in a godown at Sirsaim village, located 25 km north of Panaji.

Food and drugs administration officials destroyed the mangoes, he said.

“The lot was seized from a vendor and would have been transported to the market for sale in a few days. About 10 tonnes of mangoes of several varieties were destroyed,” food safety officer Rajiv Korde said.

Mangoes are the staple fruit with the advent of summer along the Konkan region, which includes Goa.

FDA destroys 12 tonnes of force-ripened mangoes

MAPUSA: The food and drugs administration (FDA) on Wednesday seized and destroyed about 12 tonnes of mangoes which were allegedly ripened artificially. Based on a tip-off, the FDA inspectors raided a godown at Sirsaim, and seized three varieties of mangoes - Pairi and Afonso - procured from Ratnagiri and Mancurad bought locally.

Rajeev Korde, senior food safety inspector, FDA, said vendor Sham Dhargalkar bought mangoes in bulk to sell them during the five-day Shirgao zatra that starts today.

Korde said they had to destroy the seized mangoes at Ganeshpuri, Mapusa, on Wednesday itself, as they had no place to store them. The chemical used to ripen the mangoes was Ethrel, which is harmful for human consumption. Korde said that while the chemical is used to encourage plant growth, it can't be applied after the crop is harvested.

The FDA team comprising Flavia D'Souza, Sudhakar Parsekar and Sudit Naik also seized chemical bottles- four empty and two full-used to ripen mangoes. Mangoes dipped in Ethrel ripens within 48 hours and any trader selling artificially matured fruit is set to gain as decay of the fruit is delayed. It doesn't turn soft or soggy like a natural mango foes two or three days later after maturity. Also, mangoes ripened artificially look attractive and have no creases," he said.

The FDA has registered an offence against Dhargalkar and further investigation is under way. Two years ago, in a major raid in Vasco, FDA had seized 25 tonnes of mangoes ripened artificially.

FDA seizes 10 tonne of artificially-ripened mangoes

The mangoes which were seized at Sirsaim.

MAPUSA: The food and drug administration (FDA) on Wednesday seized around 10 tonne of mangoes at Sirsaim, Bardez that were being chemically ripened in violation of food laws.

“Around 10 tonne of mangoes of various varieties including Ratnagiri Hapus, Pairi and Mancurad, that were being chemically ripened in violation of food laws, were seized at Sirsaim by the food and drug authority,” said senior food safety officer Rajiv Korde.

“The mangoes were ripened using a chemical which is a plant growth regulator. Through this treatment of chemical, mangoes get artificially ripened in 24 hours with a yellowish colour while the natural ripening process takes around four to five days,” the officer said.

He said the etheryl treatment, a chemical solution like carbide, used in the artificial ripening of mangoes, could be harmful for consumers.

The artificially-ripened mangoes were allegedly brought from the neighbouring state of Maharashtra, according to the information available from sources. These mangoes were seized by senior food safety officer Rajiv Korde, who was assisted by officer Flavia D’Souza and staff Sudhakar Parsekar and Sudip Naik.

The person carrying out artificial ripening of fruits could get punishment upto 3 years of imprisonment or fine of upto Rs 5 lakh or both under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” the senior food safety officer said, adding that, “the seized chemically ripened mangoes will be destroyed and buried so that the animals don’t consume such mangoes.”

DINAMANI, KAALAI KATHIR & DINAMALAR NEWS

TAMIL HINDU NEWS

பழக் கடைகளில் அதிகாரிகள் சோதனை கார்பைடு கல்லில் பழுக்க வைத்த 100 கிலோ மாம்பழம் பறிமுதல்

சேலம், ஏப்.22:

சேலத் தில் கார் பைடு கல் மூலம் பழுக்க வைக் கப் பட்ட 100 கிலோ மாம் ப ழங் களை அதி கா ரி கள் பறி மு தல் செய் த னர்.

மாம் பழ சீசன் தொடங் கி யுள் ளதை அடுத்து சேலம் சின்ன கடை வீதி பகு தி யில் உள்ள பழக் குடோன் களில் மாம் ப ழங் கள் பழுக்க வைக் கப் ப டு கின் றன.

இங்கு சில குடோன் களில் மாம் ப ழங் கள் கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக் கப் ப டு வ தாக புகார் கள் எழுந் தது. இதை ய டுத்து சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை நிய மன அலு வ லர் அனு ராதா தலை மை யில் உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை அலு வ லர் கள் பாலு, திரு மூர்த்தி, இளங் கோ வன் ஆகி யோர் அடங் கிய குழு வி னர் நேற்று சின் னக் கடை வீதி, பழைய பஸ் ஸ்டாண்ட் பகு தி யில் உள்ள பழ குடோன், சாலை யோர பழக் க டை களில் சோதனை நடத் தி னர்.

5க்கும் மேற் பட்ட குடோன் களி லும், 20க்கும் மேற் பட்ட சாலை யோர கடை களி லும் நடந்த சோத னை யில், 3 சாலை யோர பழக் க டை களில் மாம் ப ழங் கள் கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக் கப் ப டு வது தெரிந் தது. இதை ய டுத்து கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைத்த, 100 கிலோ மாம் ப ழங் களை அதி கா ரி கள் பறி மு தல் செய் த னர். பின் னர் அந்த கடைக் கா ரர் களுக்கு நோட்டீஸ் வழங் கப் பட்டது.

இது கு றித்து உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் கூறு கை யில், “ கார் பைடு கல் மூலம் பழுக்க வைக் கப் ப டும் மாம் ப ழங் கள் வாச னை யின்றி இருக் கும்.

இந்த பழங் களை சாப் பிட்டால் உடல் நலம் பாதிக் கும். இந்த சோதனை தொடர்ந்து நடத் தப் ப டும். கார் பைடு கல் மூலம் பழங் களை பழுக்க வைக் கும் பழக் க டைக் கா ரர் கள் மீது கடும் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும்,” என் ற னர்.

சேலத்தில் கார்பைடு கற்கள் மூலம் பழுக்க வைத்த 100 கிலோ மாம்பழங்கள் பறிமுதல்

சேலம், ஏப்.22-

சேலத்தில் சில வியாபாரிகள் தங்களது குடோன்களில் செயற்கையான முறையில் அதாவது கார்பைடு கற்கள் மூலம் மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்வதாக சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை ஆணையாளர் குமாருக்கு புகார் சென்றது.

இதையடுத்து பழக்கடைகளில் சோதனை மேற்கொள்ளுமாறு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு அவர் உத்தரவிட்டார். அதன்பேரில், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா தலைமையில், அலுவலர்கள் பாலு, திருமூர்த்தி, இளங்கோவன், ஜெகன்நாதன் ஆகியோர் சேலம் சின்னக்கடை வீதியில் உள்ள பழக்கடைகளில் சோதனை மேற்கொண்டனர். அப்போது அங்கு பழங்கள் வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த கூடைகளை அதிகாரிகள் சோதனை செய்தனர். இதில் 2 பழக்கூடைகளில் மாம்பழங்களுக்கு இடையே கார்பைடு கற்கள் வைத்திருப்பது தெரியவந்தது. அதன்பின் அதிகாரிகள் அந்த 100 கிலோ மாம்பழங்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். மேலும் பழங்களின் இடையே வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த 9 கார்பைடு கற்களையும் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.

இதைத்தொடர்ந்து தேர் வீதி பகுதியில் உள்ள வாழைப்பழம், சப்போட்டா, மாம்பழம், ஆரஞ்சு, பப்பாளி, முலாம்பழம் ஆகிய குடோன்களிலும் அதிகாரிகள் ஆய்வு செய்தனர். அங்கு அழுகிய நிலையில் இருந்த பழங்களை அப்புறப்படுத்தும் படி குடோன் உரிமையாளர்களுக்கு அதிகாரிகள் அறிவுரை வழங்கினர்.

100 கிலோ மாம்பழங்கள் பறிமுதல்

சேலத்தில் கார்பைடு கல் மூலம் செயற்கையாக பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட 100 கிலோ மாம்பழங்களை உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.

சீசனையொட்டி மாம்பழங்கள் வரத்து தற்போது அதிகரித்துள்ள நிலையில் சேலத்தில் உள்ள மொத்த பழ வியாபாரக் கிடங்குகளில் மாம்பழங்கள் பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன.

இதில் சிலர் மாம்பழங்களை விரைவாக பழுக்க வைப்பதற்காக கார்பைடு கல்களை பயன்படுத்தி செயற்கையாகப் பழுக்க வைப்பதாக புகார் எழுந்தது.

அந்த வகையில், சின்னக்கடை வீதியில் உள்ள பழக் கடைகளில் உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறையின் மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா தலைமையில் அதிகாரிகள்

குழுவினர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். சாலையோர கடைகளிலும் இந்த ஆய்வு நடைபெற்றது.

இதில் கார்பைடு கல்களைப் பயன்படுத்தி செயற்கையாக பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட 100 கிலோ மாம்பழங்களை உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்து அழித்தனர். மேலும், கார்பைடு கல் வைத்து மாம்பழங்களை செயற்கையாகப் பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்தது குறித்து நோட்டீஸ் வழங்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாக அதிகாரிகள் தெரிவித்தனர்.

தற்போது, மாம்பழ சீசன் தொடங்கிவிட்ட நிலையில் இதுபோன்ற ஆய்வுகள் தொடர்ந்து நடத்தப்படும் என உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத் துறை நியமன அலுவலர் டி.அனுராதா தெரிவித்தார்.

MAALAI MALAR NEWS

TAMIL MURASU NEWS

MALAI MURASU NEWS

100 kg of artificially ripened mangoes seized in Salem

Food safety official inspecting a mango godown in Salem on Tuesday.

Officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department have raided godowns and retail shops in the city and seized 100 kg of mangoes that were artificially ripened using calcium carbide.

A team led by District Designated Officer T. Anuradha and Food Safety Inspector visited wholesale godowns in Chinna Kadai Veedi in the city.

Retail shop

During inspection they found calcium carbide kept in-between mangoes and sold at a retail shop.

The workers and traders were asked not to use the banned chemical.Officials said that seven teams conducted checks at various parts of the district.

Packaged drinking water, fresh juices, beverages too would be monitored.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMANI NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

Online registration of food businesses gets poor response

The online licencing and registration of food businesses in the district has got very poor response till now. As per the officials concerned the reason behind this poor response is the extension of last dates for registration by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) again and again.

As per the records of the civil surgeon’s office, Ludhiana, 725 licence and 850 registration have been made through online mode in Ludhiana till now. The number is too less even from the offline registration done till February 4, 2014. At that time, 2,150 food business operators in the city had got licence, and 14,750 operators had got registered.

Under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, it was made compulsory for all the food business operators to get registered with state authority. If a food business operator has an annual turnover of more than Rs 2 lakh, he has to take a licence from the state authority.

The pace of registration and making licences by the food business operators in Ludhiana is very slow, as there is a notion among the operators that deadline for registration will be extended again. Till now, the deadline for registration and licences have been extended in 2012, 2013, two times in 2014 and two times in 2015. Now, August 4 has been set as the new deadline for registration or licencing of food businesses.

District health officer Dr Abnash Kumar said, “Now, the process for registration and licencing has become totally online. The FSSAI has extended the deadline, but we can’t force anyone to get registered earlier.”

School college canteens remain a miss Under the Food Safety Act, canteens in schools and colleges also need to get registration or licence from the authorities. But, not many school or college canteen contractors have got themselves registered yet. This has worried the parents, whose children most of the time prefer to eat from canteen.

Besides, in the past health department also didn’t pay much heed to collect samples from school or college canteens. Recently health department collected samples of cornflakes and sandwiches from Sacred Heart Convent School, Sector 39, after a person filed a complaint with the civil surgeon.

Fruit importers allege delay

Business houses importing fruits through the Kochi port have alleged delay in clearance of consignments by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, forcing them to route cargo via Kochi’s neighbouring ports.

In a complaint to the Kochi port authority, an importer said fruit consignments reaching the Kochi port took seven to nine days to get No-Objection Certificates whereas at other ports NOCs were issued in three days.

Improve facilities at Sabarimala: HC

Directive issued on the basis of Special Commissioner’s report

A Division Bench of the High Court has issued a set of directives to improve pilgrim facilities at Sabarimala.

The court issued the order on April 9 after taking note of the final report submitted by Special Commissioner K. Babu on the conduct of the previous Mandalam-Makaravilakku pilgrimage.

The Bench comprising Justice T.R. Ramachandran Nair and P.V. Asha said the Special Commissioner had made certain important suggestions.

The court said there was a need to improve sanitation facilities and drinking water supply at Sabarimala, Pampa, Nilackal, and on the trekking paths. Sufficient number of free toilets should be provided at these places. The TDB should explore the possibility of installing more e-toilets for woman pilgrims on the trekking path, the court said.

Water kiosks should be set up to check the exploitation of pilgrims by vendors. The Public Works Department (PWD) and the TDB should complete the annual repair and maintenance of various buildings at Sabarimala and at various base camps before the commencement of the next pilgrim season.

The court lauded the Food Safety Department for the ‘bold stand’ it had taken to ensure the quality of Appam, Aravana, and other food articles during the previous pilgrim season.

The PWD had been directed to complete the repair of all roads leading to Sabarimala before October 31. The Special Commissioner’s report put the total number of pilgrim casualties on the Sabarimala trekking path at 30.

The court directed the government to deploy trained volunteers to help pilgrims on the trekking path. The court stressed the need to extend the Safe Zone project of the Motor Vehicles Department to more areas. The court made special references to the services rendered by Sunil Babu, Safe Zone Nodal Officer; P. Vijayan, Deputy Inspector General of Police, who launched the Punyam Poonkavanam cleaning drive; C.P. Gopakumar, Superintendent of Police in charge of the Vigilance and Security wing of the TDB; volunteers of the Akhila Bharatha Ayyappa Seva Sanghom and the Amritanandamayi Math.

Work of food safety wing lauded
Ensure better sanitation facilities, TDB told

IPAK urges to follow Food Safety directives

Imphal, April 21 2015 : Indigenous People's Association of Kangleipak (IPAK) Manipur has urged Hotel and Bakery owners especially with the commencing of summer season to follow the food safey recommendations by the department concerned.

IPAK in a press release issued by General Secretary, W Santa states that any Hotel and Bakery found going against the directives of Food Safety Department will be banned immediately in consultation with Food Safety Department.

Hence, it urged to sell quality commodities/ ingredients in food making procedure and avoid selling expired products or infected food items.

Further, IPAK appealed to all to be cautious with outside foods items as the death rate has been comparatively high with birth rate of 1.5% while the total indigenous group of people is only 0.2% of the total population of the Nation.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINATHANTHI NEWS

ARTIFICIALLY RIPENED MANGOES SEIZED

DINAMANI NEWS

திருச்சியில் கார்பைட்டில் பழுக்க வைத்த 1 டன் மாம்பழம் பறிமுதல்

திருச்சி, ஏப். 21:

திருச்சி காந்தி மார்க் கெட்டில் கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து செயற் கை யாக பழுக் க வைக் கப் பட்ட 1 டன் மாம் ப ழங் கள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட்டன.

தமி ழ கத் தில் மாம் பழ சீசன் தற் போது களை கட்டத் துவங் கி யுள் ளது. திருச் சி யி லும் மாம் ப ழங் களின் விற் பனை படு ஜோ ராய் நடந்து வரு கி றது.

இதை பயன் ப டுத் திக் கொள் ளும் வியா பா ரி கள் பழுக் காத மாம் ப ழங் களை செயற்கை முறை யில் கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைத்து விற் பனை செய்து வரு கின் ற னர்.

இந்த மாம் ப ழங் களை வாங்கி சாப் பி டு ப வர் கள் வயிற்று வலி, அஜீ ரண கோளாறு உள் ளிட்ட பல் வேறு தொல் லை களுக்கு ஆளா கின் ற னர்.

உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் எச் ச ரித் தும் வியா பா ரி கள் சிலர் தொடர்ந்து கார் பைட் பழங் களை விற் கின் ற னர். திருச்சி காந்தி மார்க் கெட் பகு தி யில் உள்ள மாம் ப ழக் கடை களில் உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை நிய மன அலு வ லர் ராம கி ருஷ் ணன் தலை மை யில் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை அதி காரி செல் வ ராஜ் மற் றும் ஊழி யர் கள் நேற்று அதி ர டி யாக ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர்.

இதில், 2 கடை களில் கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து மாம் ப ழங் கள் செயற் கை யாக பழுக் க வைக் க ப டு வது தெரிய வந் தது.

இதை ய டுத்து ரூ.50 ஆயி ரம் மதிப் புள்ள 1 டன் மாம் ப ழங் கள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட்டன. இவை வாக னம் மூலம் எடுத் துச் செல் லப் பட்டு அரி ய மங் க லம் குப் பைக் கி டக் கில் நக ராட்சி பணி யா ளர் க ளால் கொட்டப் பட்டு ஜேசிபி இயந் தி ரம் மூலம் அழிக் கப் பட்டன.

Officials raid godowns, seize ripened mangoes

A worker loading the mangoes seized by food safety officials at Gandhi market in a truck on Monday.

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department raided fruit godowns in Gandhi Market area here on Monday and seized one tonne of mangoes which were being artificially ripened using carbide stones.

Acting on a complaint, a team led by Designated Officer A. Ramakrishnan and Food Safety Officers raided 12 godowns and seized 1.5 kg of carbide stones kept in one of the godowns.

The carbide stones were kept in the godown ahead of stocking mangoes which were expected to arrive on Monday night, Dr. Ramakrishnan said. The team raided another godown and seized one tonne of mangoes which were ripened using carbide stones kept in several packets. The seized mangoes were destroyed later in the Ariyamangalam compost yard. Dr. Ramakrishnan said a Food Safety Officer had been asked to regularly monitor the godowns in view of the heavy arrival of mangoes in the next few days to check artificial ripening of the fruit.

Carbide stones are used to induce ripening and for better appearance, he said and added that consumption of artificially-ripened mangoes would pose health-related problems.

Fruits merchants cry foul

The campaign against the use of toxic substances to artificially ripen fruits, including mangoes, is part of a conspiracy to stunt the growth of fruits sale by creating a fear psychosis in consumers, the All Kerala Fruit Merchants Association has alleged.

Speaking at a press meet here on Monday, the association office-bearers, who maintained that the people’s fear was completely misplaced, said their members were selling fruits to customers only in complete adherence to all the food safety laws existing in the State.

Loss

State president of the association P. Hamza, who spoke on the occasion, said that the ‘smear’ campaign had cost them around 25 per cent of their annual sale compared to that of last year.

The association members also said that consumers were welcome to take the issue to the Food Safety Commissioner if any such cases were reported from any part of the State.

Hoteliers to move court seeking return of fine

Forum says food safety inspectors collected Rs.18 lakh ‘arbitrarily’

The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association on Monday said that it would move the High Court to realise the estimated Rs.18 lakh collected “arbitrarily” by the office of the Food Safety Commissioner from hoteliers in the State last year.

In a statement here, association general secretary Moideen Kutty Haji claimed that the High Court had upheld his organisation’s contention that food safety officers had no right to impose fines.

The court had deemed illegal the practice of slapping “improvement notices” and fines on hoteliers at the same time, he said.

He said that the court upheld the association’s argument that as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, only the “adjudication officer” could impose fines.

The law bestowed no such authority on food safety inspectors.

Mr. Moideen said the ‘capricious action’ by food safety inspectors had caused huge losses to the hospitality industry and bankrupted hoteliers.

Many establishments burdened by huge fines were forced to shut shop. He said the State was morally bound to pay back the fines it had collected in such a fashion.

DFCO realises Rs. 2.19 lakh as fine from erring traders

SRINAGAR: An amount of Rs. 2.19 lakh was imposed as fine on 21 food business operators under Food Safety and Standards Act for manufacturing/selling sub-standard/misbranded food articles of spices, milk, beverages and sweets. The erring traders were warned not to indulge in such kind of malpractice in future or else their licenses will be cancelled.

Meanwhile, food analyst of Public Health Laboratory Kashmir had declared two samples of Biryani and Chicken Tika unsafe, as synthetic colour was detected in them. The Food Safety Wing of Drugs and Food Control Organization Srinagar warned such hoteliers, restaurant owners and Dhabawalas, who use synthetic colours in the preparation of food to desist from such malpractice otherwise action as warranted under Food Safety and Standards Act will be taken against them which may include closure of their business.

‘Beef ban contravenes Central laws’

Petitioners challenging Maharashtra’s controversial beef ban law told the Bombay High Court that the provision criminalising consumption of beef obtained by the legal slaughter of animals in other States was in contravention of Central laws.

Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Aspi Chinoy told the court that Section 5 (d) of Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, which prohibits possession and consumption of meat of cow, bulls and bullocks even if the animals have been slaughtered outside Maharashtra, was in conflict with Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Livestock Importation (Amendment) Act, 2001.

He said whereas the Food Safety Act allowed the consumption of canned meat, the Livestock Importation Act had a category for “live-stock products’ including meat from bovine animals.

“Even though the Maharashtra Bill has got presidential assent now, the Bill was passed in 1995. Whereas these are Central Laws passed by Parliament and came into being much later,” he submitted.

On how Section 5 (D) caused a conflict, counsel said the Act criminalises consumption or possession of meat obtained legally. Also, the clause was not in consonance with the other provisions of a law whose purpose was ensuring the safety of agricultural assets in Maharashtra.

“Meat brought from other States would have no impact on the livestock here but this, in effect, is saying people not to consume beef at all. This, in effect, violates one’s freedom to eat what he or she likes and hence the right to privacy,” he said, responding to an affidavit filed by the government justifying the ban.

Beef ban law is 'reasonable restriction', does not violate fundamental rights: Maharashtra govt to HC

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Monday justified its new beef ban law before the Bombay high court claiming it was a ''reasonable restriction''.

An affidavit of the state animal husbandry department, submitted to the court by advocate general Sunil Manohar, denied that the law, which criminalizes even possession of beef, violates any fundamental rights. ''It cannot be said that simply because the possession of meat of cow progeny is banned so as to give complete effect to the directive principles of the Constitution, the right of citizen under Article 21 (right to life) to have his own choice of food stands violated or stultified,'' the affidavit said.

The state said that the cow, and its progeny were the backbone of Maharashtra's agrarian economy and to protect it and also to prevent cruelty to animals the law was brought into effect. The government also clarified that the ban was only on the slaughter of cows, bulls and bullocks and the possession of flesh of these animals. ''There is no total ban on import of meat or livestock. The only ban is for the possession of meat/flesh of cow progeny within the state of Maharashtra and there cannot be trade or commerce of meat/flesh of cow progeny. All other kind of meat including that of buffalo is permitted to be possessed,'' added the affidavit. ''Though the provision may result in affecting the import of cow progeny flesh, the same is only incidental to the real nature and character of the enactment and hence cannot affect the competence of the legislature to enact (the law),'' the state said.

The government opposed any stay and pointed out that the law had received the President's assent and was ''in public interest''.

The petitioners, who have challenged the beef ban law questioned section 5D of the Act that criminalizes possession of beef and in turn its consumption. Senior advocate Aspi Chinoy, contended that the beef ban law was contrary to central laws like the Food Safety and Security Act and the Livestock Import Act that treats beef as a ''wholesome, and permissible food''.

READ ALSO: Beef ban just the beginning, Maharashtra government tells Bombay high court

The division bench of justice VM Kanade and justice MS Sonak has scheduled the case for further hearing on Tuesday April 21, 2015.

READ ALSO: PIL challenges provision under new beef ban law

In 1976, the Maharashtra government enacted a law banning the slaughter of cows. In 1995, the government makes changes to the law by the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, which banned the slaughter of bulls and bullocks as well. Twenty years later in February 2015, the President of India grants sanction to the law. The Maharashtra government notifies the law in March 2015 and it comes into force across the state.

Food safety is a must for sustainable development

Food safety is a theme having high priority and relevance among governments, civil society, the private sector and intergovernmental agencies across the globe. Changing consumer preferences, changes in production and distribution methods, evolving trade and travel, shifts in climatic and environmental factors, and growing anti-microbial resistance are some of the factors that increase the probability of occurrence of food hazards and food safety incidents. Unsafe food is a major public health issue and restoring food trust with the consumer is now becoming an important area of concern among governments, regulators and enforcement agencies, and large multinational companies.

In India, increasing agricultural exports have long been an integral part of the government's sector-development strategy. However, there have been serious challenges faced by exporters in order to streamline exports with the ever-changing food quality and safety norms of major importing countries. There have been incidences in which Indian export products have not complied with international food quality and safety norms leading to restrictions in market access to the importing countries.

There have been concerns over pesticide residues in horticultural produce (EU's ban on India's mango exports in 2014, Saudi Arabia's ban on India's chillies' export in 2014, the Indian Grape Export Crisis in 2003), aflatoxin contamination and the use of prohibited food colorants in spices' export (Indian dry chili exports faced rejection in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK due to the presence of aflatoxin in 2004-05, EU banned fish and fish exports from India in 1997 due to salmonella detection). 

Sudden changes in the import norms, stringent food safety and quality norms followed by major importing countries have increased challenges for food exporters in gaining access to these markets. Even for large multinational companies disruption in food supply is a major concern for loss of brand value among its consumers.

Apart from dealing with the challenges in getting access to the international market, the food industry has to deal with various intrinsic issues impacting food quality and safety across the supply chain. The existing extension system does not focus on food quality and safety domain as a result of which there is limited awareness among farmers towards these areas. Further, limited training avenues and support infrastructure, coupled with high cost of certification, creates a disincentive for adoption of standard practices by small holders and marginal farmers. This poses serious challenges to product quality standardisation for food companies engaged in cross border procurement and trade.

Further, quality and safety management systems, product certification and standardisation regarding food safety and quality are still in their infancy and need immediate attention. The government should provide an integrated legal framework and platform to facilitate implementation of food quality and safety management systems. To further harness the potential of the agriculture and food industry, robust policy strategies on food quality and safety are absolutely imperative, with emphasis given on a holistic farm-to-fork approach, as an effective means of reducing probable food hazards. In addition, focused approach towards improving areas such as tax incentives, skill development and education programmes, stakeholder awareness campaigns, international cooperation and related policies can improve the level of food safety and quality in India and gain the much-needed Food Trust among consumers.

Concerted efforts are required both by the government and the private sector at policy and implementation levels, respectively. There is a need to go beyond compliance to improve standards and secure greater market access of our food products in the developed markets. Enabling transparent integration of knowledge, technology and information across the food supply chain, coupled with effective risk monitoring, could lead to improved traceability and increased supply chain resilience, ensuring food safety and security at the national level.

PwC considers food safety an important precursor to ensuring food security. Food safety is a vital constituent to achieve sustainable development - it must be systematically assimilated into all policies and interventions to improve nutrition and food security. It is also quintessential for the food value chain stakeholders to assess and mitigate food safety risks throughout the supply chain to maintain trade competitiveness and to ensure sustainability in the long run.

Food Safety Standards Act of India, Training on Statutory & Regulatory Requirements, Food Safety & Quality – Best Practices

Event Description

The Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, notified in the Gazette of India dated 1st Aug 2011 have come in force since 5th Aug 2011 which subsequently got amended as Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Act, 2014. It is thus important for all concerned stakeholders to get sensitized on the requirements & challenges they will face, with the enforcement of new Rules and Regulations.

Food processors, Food Service industry, Regulators, Exporters need to immediately start training their workforce for working towards implementation of Basic Hygiene Practices in their processing units and Supply Chain and simultaneously build in-house capability for conducting audits to identify the gaps for improvement.

In Schedule 4 of the Regulations “General Hygienic and Sanitary Practices need to be followed by All Food Business Operators”, the requirements have been detailed in Part II. While the entire document is important for all the Food Businesses Operators, it is this part which provides requirements significantly different from the earlier PFA & where Food Business Operators are most likely to falter if they do not gear up now.

To quote this part of the regulation “The establishment in which food is being handled, processed, manufactured, packed, stored, and distributed by the food business operator and the persons handling them should conform to the sanitary and hygienic requirement, food safety measures and other standards as specified below……………”

With this background, CII is organizing a one day Workshop for the Ready to Eat Sector on Food Safety and Standards: Preparing for the New Regulatory Regime on 22 April, 2015 at Park Hotel, Kolkata.

Date and Venue

Start Date:Apr 22, 2015 

Venue: Park Hotel, 17 Park Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறையினர் சாலையோர கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு தரமற்ற உணவுகளை அழித்தனர் சுற்றுலா பயணிகளுக்கு தரமான உணவு, குடிநீா் வழங்க அறிவுறுத்தல்

Here are FIVE BEST Tips to Cook meat safely

1. Meat Safety:

Storing and Handling Meat, Poultry, and Fish

Various sorts of microbes can develop on creature items. It’s critical to securely handle and store a wide range of meat. Then again, numerous individuals think that it befuddling that distinctive sorts of meat have diverse taking care of standards. It might be consummately protected to eat one sort of meat a week after it was arranged or solidify it to eat later. Be that as it may, different sorts ought to be discarded after just a couple of days or kept unfrozen.

2. Handling Meat:

Make a point to wash your hands every now and again when setting up any sort of meat, fish, or poultry.Set up the meat on a different surface from other cooking materials. Germs spread effortlessly. It’s especially essential to keep vegetables and different fixings far from meat, particularly on the off chance that you are not cooking them together in the same dish. Utilization separate cutting sheets. You ought to additionally clean every cooking utensil after they come into contact with crude meat. Diverse utensils ought to be utilized to serve sustenance than set it up.

3. Meat Storage:

As a general rule, uncured raw meat lasts safely for around three days in the refrigerator. If you are planning to keep uncooked meat longer, then freezing is your best bet. Meat should be sealed in an airtight package before freezing. Then it can usually be frozen for at least several months.

Safe freezing and refrigeration time also depends on the storage temperature. Freezers should be kept as close to 0 degrees Fahrenheit as possible. This helps keep food fresh and retain nutrients. Refrigerators should be kept at around 34 F to effectively prolong the shelf life of foods. This temperature is just above freezing.

4. Cooking Temperature and Food Safety:

Cooking temperature affects both the taste and safety of food. From a safety perspective, hotter temperatures at the center of the meat are safer. However, safe cooking temperatures vary for different types of meat.

Poultry should never be eaten rare. It should always be cooked thoroughly. Undercooked poultry can spread salmonella and other diseases.

Pork should always be cooked to at least the high end of medium. Pork can carry several potentially dangerous types of worms and parasites.

Beef has a wider safety range. However, rare meat lovers are safer sticking to steaks, roasts, and chops. Ground meat needs to be cooked to a higher temperature. This is because whole cuts of meat typically have the most bacteria on their surfaces. Bacteria found in ground meats may be mixed throughout.

5. Cooking Fish:

Fish has a wide spectrum of safe cooking methods. They change depending on the type and quality of fish you are cooking. The method used to cook the fish is also extremely important.

Check cooking instructions for different types of fish. In general, fish should be cooked all the way through. However, medium-rare may be acceptable for certain types of fish. Raw fish, like sushi, should only be eaten with caution. It must be prepared carefully to reduce the risk of contamination.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Five eateries closed after raids

Safe Kerala initiative to check infectious diseases

In raids conducted by Health Department officials in the capital district on Saturday, five eateries, including the canteen at the Neyyattinkara Government General Hospital, were closed after they were found supplying unhygienic food.

The other eateries closed were a canteen functioning at the comfort station at Neyyattinkara; two hotels at Poovar; a bakery at Puthenthope; and a hotel at Kilimanoor, a senior Health Department official toldThe Hindu .

The raids conducted as part of the Safe Kerala, an initiative to check infectious diseases and promote public health, found 93 teams drawn from various wings of the Health Department inspecting as many as 1,404 eateries in the district.

Food Safety Act

• Of these, improvement notices have been issued to 441 eateries and fine to the tune of Rs.19,000 was collected from various outlets.
• The fines were imposed under Section 69 of the Food Safety Act which has a provision for compounding offences. The team carried out checks in the eateries to ascertain the hygiene, including personal hygiene of cooks; quality of water; facility for dumping waste; and drainage facility, the official said.
• Raids in eateries were conducted across the State, the official said, adding that surprise inspections would be carried out in the coming months.

93 teams inspect 1,404 eateries

Rs.19,000 collected as fine, notice to 441 outlets

School celebrates World Health Day

Around 800 students of S.J.T. Surana Jain Vidyalaya took out a rally to mark World Health Day. They carried placards with slogans to spread awareness of food safety — this year’s WHO theme.

Sunil Singhvi of Singhvi Hospital and Pavan Bohra, an alumnus of the school, a dentist and assistant professor at Ramachandra Medical College were the chief guests. They flagged off the rally.

Dr. Singhvi stressed on the importance of eating the right food with good nutritional value, while Dr. Pavan said eating junk food would lead to tooth decay.

Academic director Jayanthi Balachandran and principal Uma Murthy addressed the students on the significance of healthy food.

Big Bazaar bakery under scanner

NAGPUR: Retail giant Big Baazar was found to be running a bakery on its Ramdaspeth premises without proper permissions in place. While the company has a license for running a restaurant in the building, it didn't have the necessary permissions required under the Food Safety and Standards Act of India (FSSAI). The perishable goods in the bakery were also found without appropriate information about their shelf life.

NGO Anti Adulteration Consumer Society found the violations when its members took up a routine check of the bakery on Friday. They found that products like white bread, bar chocolate cake and chilli coriander bread didn't have the essential best before date imprinted on their packages. They immediately informed officials from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who conducted an enquiry into the complaints on the same day.

"We found that some of the bakery items had a best before date in an improper format. We have taken samples and sent them for analysis. The bigger problem was that they had the licenses in place for running a restaurant and were running the bakery as part of the restaurant. The rules require separate permissions for them both," said food safety officer Praveen Umap who along with fellow officer Abhay Deshpande conducted the raid.

"Bakery items are perishable even if kept in fridge, which makes the best before and manufacturing dates necessary as per FSSAI norms. Their absence can create several health problems for consumers," said Anti Adulteration Consumer Society chairman Shahid Shareef.

When contacted, officials of Big Bazaar acknowledged that the raid had taken place and said that certain queries were raised about their operations. "Certain things have been brought to our notice in terms of the way things were operating in the bakery. We are working on those issues and care will be taken that we abide by all the rules and regulations," said the official.

Five eateries closed after raids

In raids conducted by Health Department officials in the capital district on Saturday, five eateries, including the canteen at the Neyyattinkara Government General Hospital, were closed after they were found supplying unhygienic food.

The other eateries closed were a canteen functioning at the comfort station at Neyyattinkara; two hotels at Poovar; a bakery at Puthenthope; and a hotel at Kilimanoor, a senior Health Department official told The Hindu .

The raids conducted as part of the Safe Kerala, an initiative to check infectious diseases and promote public health, found 93 teams drawn from various wings of the Health Department inspecting as many as 1,404 eateries in the district.

Food Safety Act

Of these, improvement notices have been issued to 441 eateries and fine to the tune of Rs.19,000 was collected from various outlets.

The fines were imposed under Section 69 of the Food Safety Act which has a provision for compounding offences. The team carried out checks in the eateries to ascertain the hygiene, including personal hygiene of cooks; quality of water; facility for dumping waste; and drainage facility, the official said.

Raids in eateries were conducted across the State, the official said, adding that surprise inspections would be carried out in the coming months.

HC seeks Delhi govt’s reply on plea against ban on chewable tobacco

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response of the city government on a plea of manufacturers against ban on sale of chewable tobacco in the national capital from March 30.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to Food Safety Commissioner of the Delhigovernment while restraining it from taking any action against sellers till the next date of hearing on May 20.

“Issue notice. The respondent should not take any coercive action against the sellers and the manufacturers till the next date of hearing,” the judge said.

The court’s notice was issued on a plea by a manufacturer S K Tobacco Industries, which has sought quashing of the notification by the Arvind Kejriwal government, banning sale, purchase and storage of all forms of chewable tobacco including “gutkha, khaini and zarda” in the national capital.

Delhi govt to respond on plea against ban on chewable tobacco

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday sought response of the city government on a plea of manufacturers against ban on sale of chewable tobacco in the national capital from March 30.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to Food Safety Commissioner of the Delhi government while restraining it from taking any action against sellers till the next date of hearing on May 20.

"Issue notice. The respondent should not take any coercive action against the sellers and the manufacturers till the next date of hearing," the judge said.

The court's notice was issued on a plea by a manufacturer S K Tobacco Industries, which has sought quashing of the notification by the Arvind Kejriwal government, banning sale, purchase and storage of all forms of chewable tobacco including "gutkha, khaini and zarda" in the national capital. 

The plea, filed through advocate Prarthana Sampath, contended that the state government has no power to issue such a notification under the Food Safety and Standards Act and deserved to be quashed.

The company claimed that it was manufacturing pure tobacco product governed by Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, hence the power to regulate the sale or ban tobacco products rests with Centre and not the state.

The plea, also filed by advocate Kewal Singh Ahuja, further stated that the government has "erroneously" ignored that the petitioner company has "goods worth several lakhs stored in its godown for being dispatched for sale and further several lakhs already there with the retailers."

"Without giving an opportunity to at least clear the existing stock, the government's action is vitiated in law and gravely effected by revengeful attitude and thus, arbitrary and liable to be struck down," it said.

It contended that the government arbitrarily discriminated between smokeless and smoking forms of tobacco products, which is "unreasonable and has no rational nexus with the object sought to be achieved."

"Prohibition of one kind of tobacco, smokeless tobacco and leaving out the other kind i.E. Smoking tobacco, does not envisage any public interest sought to be achieved by Article 19 (6) of the Constitution of India," the plea said.

The high court is hearing a similar plea by another manufacturer Sugandhi Snuff King Pvt Ltd seeking quashing of the Delhi government's notification banning sale, purchase and storage of chewable tobacco in the city.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain had banned the sale, purchase and storage of chewable tobacco from March 30, saying enforcement teams of Delhi Police as well as Health Department have been asked to conduct surprise inspections across the city to ensure that the ban is implemented.

However, no such ban was enforced on cigarettes.

Health Department officials have said there was a Delhi government notification of September 2012, which was in pursuance of a series of directions from the Supreme Court to ban gutkha in the city.

But since the ban mentioned the term "gutkha", the tobacco retailers started selling the components of gutkha (betel nut and raw tobacco) in separate pouches. So, the purpose of banning the item was not served.

Therefore, the health department had last year started with a new proposal to ban all the raw chewable tobacco products in Delhi, a government official had said.

Artificially ripening of fruits akin to poisoning – now a criminal offence

The usage of calcium carbide to artificially ripen fruits is already banned, although without stringent action against defaulters.

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has now decided to strictly enforce Section 328 of the IPC that will be applicable against all those who are found using calcium carbide to ripen their fruits faster so they can be sold on the markets, reported Pune Mirror.

Traders are likely to indulge in this practice as the demand for the fruits continues to be on the rise. This decision was made taking into account the different weather conditions over the last few months. There will be no bail applicable to offenders.

The usage of calcium carbide to artificially ripen fruits is already banned, traders found guilty of it in the past have been likely to get bail and hence escape legal proceedings. According to Indian law, using calcium carbide to artificially ripen any fruit is banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Regulations Act of 2011 (FSSR). So in a stringent move, such attempts have been denoted as an offence under Section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison etc., with intent to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Fresh orders were issued on Monday to all state FDA units in order to bring this into force immediately. A diktat has also been issued by the state to implement this new addition in the concerned law at the earliest possible date or immediately.

When this law comes into force, the use of calcium carbide or similar chemicals to artificially ripen fruits will be viewed as a crime- an attempt to destroy the life of or impair the health of others by use of poison. When this IPC section is applied practically, offenders will be unable to get bail from the court after arrest and if their guilt is proven by process of prosecution in a special court, the accused may face rigorous imprisonment for a period of up to ten years.

Many traders have been found using this chemical to ripen fast moving fruits such as mangoes, bananas and papayas so that they are available in the market before the season for these fruits starts.

According to the report, a FDA official who chose to remain anonymous said that consuming such ripened fruits may cause headaches and dizziness and might even lead to cancer and heart diseases.

No stay by High Court on ban of tobacco products in Delhi: Government

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday said that the High Court has not put an stay on the notification banning manufacturing, storage, distribution or sale of tobacco products in the national capital.

According to Delhi government's Food and Safety Department, the High Court has only restrained the department not to take any coercive action against a petitioner, who had filed a case against the ban.

Department claimed that some of the tobacco traders were under the impression that the notification has been stayed by the court following media reports in this regard.

According to Delhi government's Food and Safety Department, the High Court has only restrained the department not to take any coercive action against a petitioner, who had filed a case against the ban.

"The notification of ban on tobacco products has not been stayed. All the food safety officers of the department have been directed to keep a vigil in the market and set up their enforcement activity to check and lift sample of such tobacco products as have banned under the notification," a senior government official said.

Department has advised tobacco traders not to violate the provision of the notification.

DAILY THANTHI NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

Healthy drinks to beat the summer heat

Food Safety wing plans to INSPECT TEMPORARY SHOPS

Come summer, and a host of temporary shops come up on the roadsides all over the city offering a variety of drinks.

Ranging from ‘sherbat’ to fruit juices, cool drinks and watermelons, these shops offer a range of drinks. With mercury rising, people buy these drinks and fruits in large quantities, looking for a respite from the searing heat. However, the public must exercise a lot of caution as water-borne diseases spread quickly with unsafe and unhygienic handling, says R. Kathiravan, Designated officer of Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (Food Safety wing)

While the Food Safety Wing has enumerated around 850 roadside eateries, who always put up shop in the same areas, these vendors offerings juices come up only in summer and are highly mobile, making it difficult to regulate.

They mostly operate using pushcarts and do not stay in one place for long. While many eateries have obtained licences from the Food Safety Wing, the push-carts never do so. As a result, the quality of their products is difficult to ascertain.

Those having registered are subject to frequent checks.

The best way to ensure safety, Dr. Kathiravan says, is to ask the fruit vendors to cut the fruits in their presence and avoiding flavoured drinks that appear to have excess colour.

Further, he says, consumers must also, to the extent possible, drink fruits in disposable cups.

Many of these shops were located beneath trees with no water source nearby. Hence, it was highly suspect if they washed properly the utensils and cups in which the food and drinks were served.

“It is also ideal if people went for things like coconut where it is almost impossible to adulterate or tamper.”

He says the food safety wing is gearing up to conduct inspections in fruit juice outlets to crack down on unhygienic handling of fruits.

Tamta asks CMOs to take action against illegal butcher shops

DEHRADUN: Joint commissioner (food) B R Tamta has asked chief medical officers (CMO) of different districts to take action against illegal slaughter houses in the state. A writ warning has been issued to the CMOs for failing to issue strict directives to butcher shops in the past. The action came after a letter was sent to the chief secretary by People for Animals (PFA) authorities alleging operation of illegal slaughter houses across the state. 

Gauri Maulekhi, member secretary, PFA, said, "Not a single slaughter house in the state follow norms which have been laid out under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Meat is sold without checking if it is safe to consume. No veterinary doctors have been deputed at slaughter houses so far to undergo checks. Meat is also sold in the open. Moreover, the food department has issued a large number of unauthorized licenses. We brought these issues up with the chief secretary nearly two months back." 

S P Aggarwal, CMO, Dehradun, expressed ignorance over reports that licenses were issued in large numbers saying that the food safety wing is responsible for it. 

Maulekhi further said how basic facilities such as water supply, drainage systems, stun guns or incinerators remain absent in the shops. Checks on livestock are also not done to ensure if they are sick or pregnant before being butchered. Former chief secretary had directed the commissioner of Garhwal and Kumaon Mandal, district magistrates and the food safety commissioner to undergo inspection of slaughter houses at various parts of the state but little has been done so far. Similarly, directives to appoint veterinary doctors issued in all the municipal corporations have fallen on deaf ears.

Sensor that can detect spoiled food

New York, April 16 (IANS) Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have devised an inexpensive sensor that can tell consumers if the food in their grocery store or refrigerator is safe to eat.

The portable sensor, which consists of chemically modified carbon nanotubes, works by detecting the gases emitted by rotting meat.

"The device could be deployed in 'smart packaging' that would offer much more accurate safety information than the expiration date on the package," said senior study author professor Timothy Swager from MIT.

It could also cut down on food waste. "People are constantly throwing things out that probably aren't bad," Swager added.

In this study, the researchers tested the sensor on four types of meat: pork, chicken, cod and salmon. They found that when refrigerated, all four types stayed fresh over four days and when left unrefrigerated, the samples all decayed, but at varying rates.

There are other sensors that can detect the signs of decaying meat but they are usually large and expensive instruments that require expertise to operate.

"The advantage we have is these are the cheapest, smallest, easiest-to-manufacture sensors," Swager said.

The new device also requires very little power and could be incorporated into a wireless platform that Swager's lab recently developed that allows a regular smartphone to read output from carbon nanotube sensors such as this one.

The paper describing the invention was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Pesticides more harmful than thought

Not just on the honeybees, chemicals in pesticides have severe effect on other pollinators and natural pest controllers such as parasitic wasps, ladybugs, earthworms and many more

Dead bees displayed during a demonstration of Bulgarian beekeepers against the usage of neonicotinoid pesticides.

An European scientific body said Wednesday that a group of pesticides believed to contribute to mass deaths of honeybees is probably more damaging to ecosystems than previously thought and questioned whether the substances had a place in sustainable agriculture.
The European Commission in 2013 banned the use of three neonicotinoids clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam on flowering plants after a separate body, the European Food Safety Authority, found that exposure to the chemicals created high acute risks to bees.
But the chemicals continue to be employed on an industrial scale. A growing body of evidence shows that the widespread use of the pesticides has severe effects on a range of organisms that provide ecosystem services like pollination and natural pest control, as well as on biodiversity, the reports authors said.
Predatory insects like parasitic wasps and ladybugs provide billions of dollars worth of insect control, they noted, and organisms like earthworms contribute billions more through improved soil productivity. All are harmed by the pesticides.
Irreversible impact
Pollination typically by wind, bug or bird is essential to the global food supply. An estimated 75 percent of all traded crops, including apples, soybeans and corn, depend on pollination.
Neonicotinoids are absorbed by a plant so that the neurotoxic poison spreads throughout its tissues, including the sap, nectar and pollen. Far more deadly to insects than to mammals, they do not discriminate between harmful pests and beneficial pollinators.
But the pesticides are also among the most effective insecticides available to farmers. Proponents argue that they are essential to food security, and note that many of the chemicals they replaced were worse in important respects.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Artifical ripening now a criminal offence

Calcium carbide generally ripens fruit within 2.5 days, gives it appealing hue

FDA makes strict IPC Section 328 with a poisoning charge applicable against traders using calcium carbide to get fruits market ready; no bail for offenders.

Taking into consideration the slew of unpredictable weather situations over the last few months, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is stealing a march on traders likely to artificially ripen fruits using calcium carbide to keep up with market demand. While this practice is already banned, the authority has observed instances of culprits wriggling out of legal proceedings by obtaining bail, and in a stringent move, has henceforth denoted any such attempt as an offence under Section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Orders were issued in this regard on Monday to all state FDA units, to follow with immediate effect. A diktat was also issued by the state to implement this new addition in the concerned law immediately.

Now, the use of calcium carbide or any such chemical to artificially ripen fruit will be considered a crime — an attempt to destroy the life or impair the health of others by using poison. With this IPC section applied, offenders will be unable to obtain bail from the court after arrest. If guilt is proved by the prosecution in a special court, the accused may face rigorous imprisonment for up to 10 years.

Several traders were found to be using the chemical to ripen fruit like mangoes, bananas and papayas in a neat 2.5 days, so that they can be made available in the market before season starts, to avail of additional profit. The chemical also lends fruits an appealing hue for better marketability.

As per the law, using calcium carbide to artificially ripen any fruit is banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, and the Regulations (FSSR), 2011.

Joint commissioner (food) of the FDA's Pune division, Shashikant Kekre, told Mirror, "This year, despite the lack of yield, no cases have been discovered yet, perhaps out of fear of punishment. However, we have decided to make the law more stringent. Many cases are expected to arise with the arrival of the new stock of mangoes in the market."

He added, "Last year, we filed over 100 such cases. Now, it will be a nonbailable offence with IPC Section 328 to be applied in each case. The same section is also applied when other hazardous chemicals are used, like magnesium carbide in banned food items like gutkha, mava or scented tobacco. We have also started imposing a fine of up to Rs 3.5 lakh, which has proved to be a good disincentive."

According to an FDA official, who chose to remain anonymous, consuming such chemically ripened fruits may lead to headaches, dizziness, cancer and heart diseases. "We have suggested to traders that they use ethylene gas centres for this ripening for several kinds of fruits," he said. Another officer from the Mumbai FDA said, "The use of the new section started after a meeting between senior FDA officers, police and traders in February this year. A toll-free number, 1800222365, has also been activated in this matter, to connect all FDA units of the state."

A wholesale mango trader from Gultekdi, Hiraman Raoji Kale, told Mirror, "This is a welcome move aimed at controlling illegal activities. Chemical ripeners are used to earn extra profit with no regard for the lives of those who will consume the fruit. Use of this stringent IPC section is bound to reduce use of chemicals."

Ban on artificially ripened mangoes

The Commissioner of Food Safety has issued orders prohibiting the sale of mangoes which have been artificially ripened using calcium carbide across the State.

The ban is applicable to the sale, stocking, and exhibition of mangoes ripened using calcium carbide as well as the importing of such mangoes from neighbouring States.

The ban orders were issued invoking Food Safety and Standards Regulation 2.3.5 and FSSA Section 30.

The State police, Sales Tax, and Motor Vehicles departments have been given strict instructions to examine vehicles bringing mangoes from across the border to ensure that these are not being ripened using calcium carbide.

The public may call the toll-free number 1800 425 1125 if they find artificially ripened mangoes in the market.