Supreme Court Orders Testing Of Maggi In Mysore

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today ordered testing of samples of Maggi noodles in Mysore laboratory after the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) had directed that it be done in Chennai.
The top consumer commission had on December 10 sent 16 more samples of Maggi noodles for testing at Chennai to ascertain the quantity of lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) in them, in connection with the government's Rs. 640 crore suit against the company for alleged unfair trade practices.
A bench of justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C Pant said, "During course of the hearing they (Centre and Nestle) agreed that the primary concern is health and the test has to be carried out to meet the parameters of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006."
"...the consent was arrived that Mysore is well equipped with all tests and being a referral notified laboratory, sample should be sent there," it said.
The bench, meanwhile, stayed the proceedings before the NCDRC and directed that the test report, including the earlier one, be placed before it.
"In view of the aforesaid, it is directed that Local Commissioner appointed by the NCDRC shall send samples earlier collected by him to Mysore for tests.
"The test report including earlier ones, shall be produced before this court. In the meantime, NCDRC shall not proceed," the bench said.
During the arguments, Nestle India Ltd, through senior advocate Harish Salve, opposed NCDRC's direction for test at Chennai saying it is not accredited for salt and lead test.
This was vehemently opposed by Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who said that on their request the sample has been sent to Chennai.
However, later Nestle India and the Centre agreed for testing samples at Mysore.
The court's order came on a plea filed by Nestle India Ltd against the order of top consumer commission.
While posting the matter for January, the bench said that the plea be listed along with the appeal filed by food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on January 13, against the Bombay High Court verdict.
The Bombay High Court had on August 13 lifted the ban on nine variants of the fast food and asked the company to go for fresh tests.

SC to hear Nestlé’s plea seeking stay on NCDRC order on Maggi on 16 Dec

SC is also hearing FSSAI plea against the Bombay high court order which lifted the ban on the manufacturing and sale of Maggi in India
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear a plea by Nestlé India Ltd seeking a stay on the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) order for testing of samples of its popular snack Maggi noodles on Wednesday.
NCDRC, on 10 December, directed 16 samples of Maggi to be tested.
A two-judge bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and P.C. Pant on Tuesday issued notice to the central government in Nestlé India’s plea.
Mint had reported on 11 December that Nestlé India was planning to move the apex court against NCDRC’s order.
The centre has filed a class-action suit against Nestlé before NCDRC alleging unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading advertisements by the firm. It has sought Rs.640 crore as compensation. The court is also hearing food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plea against the Bombay high court order which lifted the ban on the manufacturing and sale of Maggi in India.

SC notice on Nestle's plea against retest order

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the central government's response on Nestle India's plea challenging the "legality and correctness" of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) order directing testing of 16 samples of Maggi noodles to ascertain their safety for consumption.

 A bench of Justice Dipak Misra and Justice Prafulla C. Pant, while issuing notice to the government, which is also on caveat in the matter, said that it would hear the matter on Wednesday as senior counsel L.Nageshwara Rao sought the interim stay of the NCDRC's December 9 order directing the testing of 16 samples.
Nestle, in its plea, said that "the commission had directed that out of withdrawn stocks of Maggi noodles in the custody of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (of which 100 batch numbers were randomly noted by the local commissioner), 16 samples be sent for testing for presence of lead in any form and monosodium glutamate (MSG), including their quantity in the samples at the Export Inspection Council of India, Chennai".
The NCDRC had ordered the testing of the Maggi noodles in the course of the hearing of the central government's class action suit against Nestle India, the manufacturer of the noodles, seeking about Rs.640 crore in damages for alleged unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading advertisements.
Nestle India has assailed the NCDRC order holding that if a laboratory in terms of section 2(1)(a) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986 is recognised by the central or the state government or has been established under the law and maintained, financed or aided by either of the governments, then it need not necessarily be accredited by the NABL or notified by the Food Safety Standard Authority of India.
However, the Bombay High Court by its August 13, 2015, order had held that since the labs which tested Nestle's Maggi noodles were not accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), their findings could not be relied upon.
Initially, Nageshwara Rao said that Nestle India plea challenging the NCDRC order could be taken up on January 13 when the court will hear the central government's challenge to the Bombay High Court order.
However, when he sought the interim stay of the NCDRC order, the court said that the matter would to be taken up on Wednesday as it sought the central government's response on Nestle's plea.
Contending that the NCDRC had gravely erred while ordering further testing of the samples, Nestle India has said that the samples from the withdrawn Maggi noodles have already been tested in FSSAI notified and accredited laboratories.
It further said that in the past few months it had voluntary, in the consumer interest, "undertaken testing of 3,566 samples of its instant noodles at nine different labs in India and abroad including samples tested at FSSAI notified and NABL accredited labs in India and all test results have shown Maggi noodles compliant".

The perils of pesticides - Maneka Gandhi

Last month a municipal gaushala in Patiala fed its cows the normal green fodder and 39 died within a few hours. A mob gathered and the gaushala workers, who had no hand in getting the feed that was supplied by a commissioned contractor, fled. The issue was taken up by communal elements and they took over the gaushala on the excuse that they could look after the cows better. Two days later, 27 more died. Only then did the local administration start looking at the source of the contractor’s feed. Till today neither he nor his suppliers have been arrested.

In September, scientists at the Central Food Toxicology Research Institute detected cancer-causing fungal toxins exceeding safety limits in samples of ultra-high temperature processed milk — milk considered to be extremely sterile and pure. This is a problem that has been highlighted by scientists for the last 10 years without having any action taken.

The poisonous compound is called aflatoxin M1 and it was found in 20 per cent of the samples of Ultra High Temperature-processed milk they examined. Earlier, studies in India over the past decade have identified aflatoxins in raw and pasteurised milk but this is the first report of aflatoxins in UHT milk, which is usually sold in tetrapacks as a shelf-stable product that needs no refrigeration until opened.

Scientists at the CFTRI selected 45 samples of UHT milk from brands sold across the country and found that aflatoxin M1 levels exceeding limits imposed by India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority in 10 out of the 45 samples of UHT milk, in six out of 45 samples of raw milk and in three out of seven samples of pasteurised milk. The raw and pasteurised milk was collected from suppliers across Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the findings have appeared in the journal Food and Chemical Toxicology.

High levels of aflatoxins in livestock feed such as maize residue and peanut cake seem to be the reason for the toxins in milk. This is not the first time that warnings have been given to the livestock sector. In northwest India in 1974, thousands of cattle died after eating mouldy maize with extremely high aflatoxin levels (ranging from 6,250 to 15,600 mg/kg). More than 40 years later, the dairy industry in India, which relies on milk supplies from livestock, does not test samples for aflatoxin before they pool the milk for industry-level processing. Since the late 1990s, reports of aflatoxins in milk have emerged from Thrissur in Kerala and Anand in Gujarat. Biochemists at the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, had detected very high aflatoxin levels in samples of infant milk food, milk-based weaning cereals and liquid milk in 2004.

Aflatoxin-producing members of Aspergillus are common and widespread in nature. They can colonise and contaminate grain before harvest or during storage. Host crops, which include maize, sorghum and groundnuts, are particularly susceptible to infection by Aspergillus following prolonged exposure to a high-humidity environment or damage from stressful conditions such as drought. Humidity, moisture and poor storage conditions contribute to the growth of fungi and aflatoxins in livestock feed.

Researchers have reported high values “up to 3,300 micrograms per kg” of the fungal toxin aflatoxin B1 in livestock feed. Aflatoxin B1 is metabolised by animals and converted into aflatoxin M1, which is secreted in milk. Aflatoxins are also sometimes found in eggs and meat when animals are fed contaminated grains.

Since studies show that these aflatoxins are resistant to heat treatment, the object should be to reduce their intake. But while most developed countries have set maximum permissible limits for aflatoxin levels in livestock feed, no such mandatory limits exist for livestock fodder in India. The limit for aflatoxins in milk set by the European Commission is “0.05 microgram per kg”. Ninety per cent of our milk is higher than this. In 2006, the FSSAI imposed 0.5 microgram per kg limit on milk in India — 10 times higher than the EC limit. Even that is lower than what is currently found.

Recent studies conducted by the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics in South India revealed that aflatoxin levels were as high as 40 times the permissible limit. In a study published in the journal Food Control, researchers found that over 90 per cent of the milk samples used in the study contained aflatoxin M1 levels. In these studies, contamination of milk was found to be high in both rural and urban areas, across a cross section of the population. Children were found to be most susceptible to the adverse health effects of these toxins.

At least 14 different types of aflatoxin are produced in nature. Aflatoxin B1 is considered the most toxic and is produced by fungi called Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. These are among the most potent of carcinogens that cause more than 90,000 cases of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer each year. Consumption of aflatoxins can also lead to vomiting, abdominal pain, liver damage, convulsions, kidney, liver and heart disease and, in extreme cases, coma and death. Long-term aflatoxin poisoning in cattle leads to decrease in growth rate, lowered milk production and immune suppression. Some experiments have also shown high incidence of hepatitis B infection where dietary exposure to aflatoxins was prevalent.

Aflatoxins are strongly associated with stunting and immune suppression in children. In a 2015 study published by Mitigating Aflatoxin Consumption for Improving Child Growth, researchers established a relationship between aflatoxin exposure and linear child growth. The study focused on children in the last trimester of gestation to age two (the primary period of growth faltering), and studied 1,829 pregnant women who were enrolled from 2013 to 2014. Initial data collection found aflatoxin in the blood of all participants. The researchers reduced aflatoxin exposure by 50 per cent in all participants and found that the reduction led to improved growth in the children tested.

Feed refusal, reduced growth rate and decreased feed efficiency are the predominant signs of chronic aflatoxin poisoning in animals. In addition, listlessness, weight loss, rough hair coat and mild diarrhoea may be seen. Anaemia along with bruises and subcutaneous haemorrhages are also frequent symptoms of aflatoxicosis. Increased susceptibility to other diseases, increased abortions and rectal prolapse are also signs. But in our country, where vets are like hair on a near balding head, who is interpreting these symptoms?

How many of you know what food is being fed to the animals that give you milk? There are no pastures left in this country and cows/buffalos graze on the roadsides and on dirty human-rodden grass. All green fodder grown for animals is done so with pesticides. Remember that if UHT milk, which means milk that has been pasteurisd at very high temperatures, cannot remove the fungus, it is better not to drink the stuff at all.

To join the animal welfare movement contact gandhim@nic.in, www.peopleforanimalsindia.org 

Bugs and Approvals, another controversy brewing with Baba Ramdev’s Noodles?

While many dismiss these initial reports, there is no denying that incidents like these could snowball into a bigger controversy.

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev planned to take on the instant noodles market with his 'healthy alternative' you could have instead - Patanjali Atta (wheat) noodles. Few weeks into the launch, and the noodles is already getting into trouble, just like the man himself.

According to Zee News reports, bugs were found in a packet of Patanjali's Atta noodles in Jind, Haryana. These bugs were spotted inside a sealed pack and the customer is reportedly gearing up to sue the company.

Also, India's food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has said that Ramdev's company Patanjali Ayurved didn't have approvals for instant noodles before it's launch. Patanjali officials however said it is not required to get a product specific approval to launch instant noodles. They argue noodles falls under the 'pasta' category, and they had a license for the same.

While many dismiss these initial reports, there is no denying that incidents like these could snowball into a bigger controversy. Patanjali noodles has huge potential in a market where people are increasingly looking for quick and easy meal. While a sizeable chunk of the pie is hooked onto Maggi, Patanjali's low prices give it the edge in an increasingly crowded market. Most of it's products sell at 30-50% cheaper rates than it's peers from multinational brands.

Did not order Maggi ban, FSSAI tells SC

"The High Court erred in coming to the conclusion that the show-cause notice was a ban order," the FSSAI argued in its appeal against a Bombay High Court lifting the ‘ban’ on the Maggi noodles.

In a twist to the Maggi noodles ban case, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday told the Supreme Court that it had never, in the first place, banned Nestle India’s popular household two-minute snack.

Instead, the FSSAI said it only issued a show-cause notice to the company, seeking an explanation about the “excess” lead levels in its products and, secondly, why it had made a “false declaration of no added MSG (Monosodium glutamate) when its products contained MSG.”

“The High Court erred in coming to the conclusion that the show-cause notice was a ban order,” the FSSAI argued in its appeal against a Bombay High Court lifting the ‘ban’ on the Maggi noodles.

Seeking a stay of the High Court judgment, that has paved the way for Maggi's return, the top food regulator said “harm may be caused to consumers of the products, which will have an adverse effect on human health and life in the country.”Apprehensions raised by the FSSAI prompted a Bench led by Justice Dipak Misra to direct the Nestle and the Maharashtra government to respond by Jan. 13.

The FSSAI, represented by Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, explained that it had only asked the company to stop further manufacture, production, import distribution and sale of its noodle variants in public interest during the period of consideration of the notice. This, it contended, would hardly have the effect of a “ban order,” especially when Nestle had already issued a press release declaring that it was recalling its products under the scanner for excessive lead content. Nestle went on to destroy over 25,000 tonnes of Maggi products.

The FSSAI argued that the company, instead of replying to the show-cause notice, moved the Bombay HC.

‘HC order fallacious’

The High Court had interpreted the FSSAI notice as a ban order, and concluded that banning the company's products without even affording it an opportunity to be heard was against the basic principles of natural justice.

The FSSAI termed the High Court order as “fallacious.” It asked how a notice issued in public interest could be described “arbitrary, unreasonable, lacking transparency” by the High Court. That too when the High Court itself has recorded the fact that out of 82 samples, 30 had lead levels in excess of permissible limits.

The Food Authority said the High Court had erred in disregarding the reports of two notified and NABL-accredited labs (Kolkata and AVON) that levels of lead were over the limit. It said the HC has committed a mistake by asking the company itself to provide the fresh samples for testing instead of asking a neutral authority to do so.

SC seeks response from Nestle India, Maharashtra on FSSAI’s plea

The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from Maggi noodles manufacturer Nestle India Ltd. and Maharashtra on a plea filed by food regulator FSSAI against the Bombay High Court verdict lifting ban on nine variants of the fast food and asking the company to go for fresh tests.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla C. Pant fixed the plea of Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for hearing on January 13 when it will consider its prayer for stay of the High Court verdict.

The present petition is being filed… seeking special leave to appeal against impugned judgement dated August 13/ modified on September 4, passed by the Bombay High Court... vide the judgement, the High Court had quashed the show cause notice (of FSSAI) on the ground that the same violated the principles of natural justice and also passed directions permitting the respondent company (Nestle India) to sell its products if its samples passed fresh tests...”

“Respondent company has been permitted to choose the samples of its products to be given for testing and the High Court has listed out the laboratories that were suggested by the respondent company to carry out the tests, thereby vitiating the very purpose of testing any product under the (Food Safety and Standards) Act,” FSSAI said in its plea.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for FSSAI, said that the laboratories, accredited under the statute, should be allowed to conduct tests on such food products.

The regulator, seeking a stay on “the operation of the impugned final judgement” of the High Court, raised the question of law saying “whether the main duty of the authority (FSSAI) is to regulate or monitor the food products at any stage of production and whose primary concern has to be the safety of the food products being consumed in the country?”

The plea further said whether a show cause notice can be set aside by the High Court in “writ jurisdiction” without first directing the FSSAI to respond to the allegations made in the notice.

The Bombay High Court had on August 13, lifted the ban slapped by food regulators on Nestle India’s nine variants of the fast food in the country while asking the company to go in for fresh tests.

The regulator, in its plea, objected to the observation of the High Court that its notice asking the company to stop manufacturing and sale of Maggi products was violation of the principle of natural justice when it is evident that the firm itself had stopped manufacturing and sale even before the issuance of the notice.

The High Court had allowed Nestle to go in for fresh test to ascertain whether lead content in the popular snack is below permissible limit.

This will be done by sending five samples of each variant of the instant noodles to three independent laboratories in Punjab, Hyderabad and Jaipur which were accredited with National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), it had said.

Atta noodles: Ramdev's Patanjali among 2 firms served FSSAI

Two ayurvedic firms including yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved Ltd have been served notice by the government for violating food safety norms in manufacturing atta noodles, Health Ministry J P Nadda said today. 

"The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) has issued a notice to M/s Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and M/s Akash Yog Health Products Pvt Ltd on November 19 asking them to show cause as to why action should not be taken against them for violating the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act...For manufacturing, relabelling and marketing Patanjali atta noodles without obtaining valid approvals," Nadda said in a written reply to Lok Sabha. 

Ramdev had launched the product with the aim to capture the noodle market by branding his product as healthier and more affordable than other instant noodles available to consumers. 

Instant noodle Maggi was banned earlier this year for five months after some samples were found to have dangerous levels of monosodium glutamate and lead. However, it returned to shops after a clean chit from labs.

Maggi row: Supreme Court issues notice to Nestle India on FSSAI’s appeal

After a favourable HC order, Swiss giant Nestle had relaunched its instant noodle on November 9.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from Nestle India on an appeal by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) against lifting the ban on popular instant Maggi noodles.

A bench led by Justice Dipak Misra waived off the formal notice as Nestle’s counsel Harish Salve accepted the notice and said he would file a reply to the petition by January 5.

Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for the FSSAI, said he was not pressing for an immediate stay of the Bombay High Court order but, he wanted to draw the court’s attention towards the difficulties being faced by the good regulator in view of the HC order. The bench agreed to examine FSSAI’s contentions on January 13.

After a favourable HC order, Swiss giant Nestle had relaunched its instant noodle on November 9.

The FSSAI, in its petition, has questioned the “sanctity” of the samples provided to the government-approved labs for the re-test, contending that the High Court had asked Nestle to provide samples whereas it should have been picked up randomly from the market. As per the sources, seeking Maggi samples from Nestle vitiated the entire procedure of re-testing and that a neutral authority should have ideally lifted the samples.

Further, the petition has claimed that the Bombay High Court allowed substantial changes in its order when Nestle filed a plea for correction of the original order on the ground of there being certain typographical errors.

“This led to a substantial impact on the outcome of the proceeding before the High Court,” FSSAI officials said.

They added that stacking Maggi back on shelves without a fresh permission from the authorities also amounts to a breach of a pertinent provision in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

In August, the High Court had quashed the orders of FSSAI and Maharashtra food regulator FDA, which had banned nine variants of Maggi noodles in the country. It had said that the principles of natural justice were not followed in executing the ban as the manufacturer was not given a hearing. The court had allowed Nestle to go in for fresh testing of five samples of each variant of the noodles at three independent laboratories in Punjab, Hyderabad and Jaipur which were accredited with National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

It had clarified that these samples would be taken out of the 750 samples preserved by the company following the ban and if the lead content was found below permissible limits by the three labs, Nestle India will be allowed to manufacture Maggi noodles. Subsequently, Nestle had announced that tests done on fresh Maggi samples provided to government approved labs were found safe and retail sales would start shortly.

Excessive usage of chemicals found in ginger cultivation, processing

Officials seize 100 kg sulphur cubes, 10 kg calcium hypochlorite from processing units

Indiscriminate application of harmful chemicals to brighten the colour of ginger came to light during a raid by the officials of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on ginger processing units in the district on Saturday.

The officials raided four units in the district on Saturday, including three units at Ripponpet and one at Ayanur village. During the raid, the officials were shocked to see that sulphur and calcium hypochlorite, also known as bleaching powder, being extensively used in the processing of ginger.

The officials seized 100 kg sulphur cube and 10 kg calcium hypochlorite from the processing units. K. Krishnappa, District Food Safety Officer, told The Hindu that according to Food Safety Act, usage of sulphur and calcium hypochlorite for processing food is an offence.

Samples of ginger from the units had been sent to laboratory for tests. If the tests were to confirm the presence of traces of chemicals in the samples, then stern action would be initiated against the owners of the processing units.

The area of cultivation of ginger has expanded rapidly across the district. The total area under ginger cultivation stood at 2,000 acres in 2008 and it had increased to 16,000 acre,s now.

Under traditional methods of processing, ginger tubers are soaked in water and the rhizomes on it will be peeled off with the help of bamboo knives, coir or sea shells. As the ginger gets discoloured due to bacterial and fungal wilt infection, it used to fetch low prices in the market. To prevent discolouring, ripening and rotting in ginger, harmful chemicals like sulphur and calcium hypochlorite were being used during processing.

After washing the tubers with a solution mixed with calcium hypochlorite, they were placed in air-tight chambers by burning sulphur. The Sulphur dioxide gas released in the chamber removes the dark spots and gives bright color to the ginger.

The people residing in the vicinity of ginger processing units in Ayanur village had recently developed breathing problems and allergy. They had lodged a complaint with the Department of Health and Family Welfare, blaming the usage of sulphur in ginger processing unit as the reason for their health disorders. Based on the information provided by the officials of the Department of Health and Family Welfare, the FSSAI officials raided the units.The usage of chemicals in the processing of ginger ha also caused pollution in water bodies that were in the vicinity of ginger processing units. Last year, toxic foam had frothed from Kerekatte tank on the outskirts of Shikaripur owing to the release of liquid waste from the ginger processing units.

Following this incident, the Shikaripur Town Municipal Council had shutdown three ginger processing units0 that were responsible for polluting the tank.

Pesticides are used indiscriminately even during ginger cultivation. A study by the experts from the Centre for Ecological Sciences of Indian Institute of Science and Vrikshalaksha Andolan had revealed that the land in Malnad region was becoming barren and water bodies, including Tunga, Bhadra and Varada rivers, getting polluted owing to excessive usage of pesticides in the cultivation of ginger.

According to Food Safety Act, usage of sulphur and calcium hypochlorite in food processing process is an offence.

K. Krishnappa,, District Food Safety Officer

Now, Patanjali noodles also under food safety scanner

DEHRADUN: After state food authority gave clearance to Maggi noodles in Uttarakhand on Wednesday, Ramdev's Patanjali noodles has come under the scanner of the authorities due to controversies over an insect allegedly being found in the sealed packet of the noodles. As per Haridwar food commissioner's office, samples of Patanjali noodles will be sent for testing soon.

On the directions of the Uttarakhand health minister Surinder Singh Negi, the food safety department has come into action. Food safety department (Haridwar) designated officer Mahimanand Joshi said, "We have received verbal orders from the minister. Within two days, we shall get the samples collected for testing. We have not done sampling of Patanjali noodles till date, but it has become necessary after complaints have come from different parts of the state."

Acharya Bal Krishana of Patanjali, said, "These are all rumours. No one has come up with proper evidence till date. It's a strategy to malign our image. The maggi issue is not clear because at one point it was being reported that the packet was sealed and then it was said that bugs were identified in cooked Maggi."

Health minister Negi told TOI, "As the product is being manufactured in our state, it becomes our moral duty to check the product. Also, the news over bugs being found makes for a strong reason for us to ensure that whatever is being manufactured in Uttarakhand is free from controversies and is healthy. Sampling would only clear the doubts of people who have raised question on the atta noodles."

After Nestle's 2-minute noodles was banned in the country, yoga guru Ramdev tried to make the most out of the opportunity by launching his Patanjali Atta Noodles. But within a day of its launch, FSSAI officials said the atta noodles' manufacturers were not in possession of product licence.

Street food vendors undergo training in Delhi

More than 500 vendors from all over India participate in training programme

New Delhi: People, especially foreigners, visiting Delhi often complain of the Delhi Belly syndrome, even as most enjoy the gorgeously tempting street food sold at every nook and corner of the city.

To beat the negative tummy experiences, more than 500 street food vendors from all over India joined a mass training programme on food safety and hygiene, held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Thursday.

Pledging to work towards ensuring food hygiene and safety ahead of the three-day (December 11-13) food festival, the vendors hoped to do good business all year round.

Dalchand Kashyap, a vendor selling chaat (spicy snacks) for the last 24 years said, “I have learnt a lot from such workshops. The authorities even arranged to send me to Singapore early this year to learn the basics of hygiene, upkeep of food and also how to neatly display it.”

A third generation street food vendor, Kashyap said, “It has added to my income as, seeing the hygiene level I maintain, people from far off places too come to me to savour the snacks and appreciate my food habits.”

Organised by the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI), the workshop was addressed by Dr Mrinalini Darswal, Food Safety Commissioner in the Delhi government.

Appreciating the work undertaken by NASVI, she pointed out that she had witnessed remarkable change in street vendors’ attitude. “The fact that they use caps to cover their heads, clip their nails and keep them clean and use gloves to serve food, has added to their professionalism.”

The event was also attended by S.S. Gill, special secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Bimal Dubey, Director, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Dr Atreyi Ganguli, World Health Organisation officer, municipal executives, health officers, dietitians and nutritionists.

Speaking to Gulf News, Anurag Shankar, programme manager of NASVI, said, “Street food vendors add to the country’s economy in a substantial way. Serving all — from a cart puller to an office executive, even though they know to cook, due to lack of education, are not familiar with cooking and serving standards. Training them will keep the masses healthy.”

With a membership of over 750,000 vendors, NASVI has been aggressively working with roadside entrepreneurs to promote the depth and diversity of India’s street food for the last 20 years. But of late, it has also begun focusing on health and nutrition for all.

A spoonful of stevia

India is just waking up to the leaf that sweetens, but its slightly bitter aftertaste could put off potential users. Globally, consumption of stevia has been low

Next Diwali or Christmas, when you shop for fruit juices, drinks, yoghurt and lassi, a ‘Made with Stevia’ label on packaged beverages and dairy products may grab your attention.

Approval from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) last month has propelled companies to explore products made from stevia, a natural sweetener, derived from a plant that is both grown locally and imported from countries that have a tropical and sub-tropical climate. Companies plan to roll out a few options initially, growing the range depending on consumer interest.

Amul India, for instance, plans to unveil stevia products in a calibrated manner. The company has begun trials to see if it can roll out a stevia-based dairy product. “We would like to take our time to formulate the right product because our experience shows taste is of prime concern to consumers,” said MD, RS Sodhi.

Indeed, some consumers may find stevia’s mildly bitter aftertaste unappealing. Kishore Pasari, 62, a South Mumbai resident who has been suffering from acute diabetes for the past 25 years, said the taste is a downer for him. “I’ve tried putting the leaf in tea as a substitute for sugar but the taste puts me off and does not satisfy the sugar craving.”

Priya Shah, (22, name changed), an obesity patient, said she would rather not eat sweets than consume stevia-made desserts or beverages. “Either you indulge or you don’t,” she said.

Taste or health?

While taste is an issue with some consumers, the health benefits are immense. For one, it is healthier than aspartame, an artificial sweetener commonly known as ‘chemical poison’. “Excess consumption of aspartame can lead to deterioration of brain and nerve cells. Stevia on the other hand, is 100 per cent herbal, helps to lower blood pressure and does not aggravate blood sugar levels,” said Pooja Goel, a Bandra-based nutritionist.

In the past few years, health-conscious consumers have increased their preference for grains like ragi and bajra. Similarly, nutritionists and experts expect consumers to warm up to the benefits of stevia in the coming years. Hence, the success of stevia will depend on how consumers respond and whether a diabetic India makes the seemingly right choice.

Stevia is also a good flavour enhancer, said Leena Mittal of Herboveda India, wholesale suppliers of stevia and stevia-based products. “It’s a great substitute for aspartame. We’ve replaced cane sugar with stevia in lemon water and some desserts and you can’t tell the difference.”

Here’s the secret of how Herboveda India has managed to cut the bitter aftertaste. Stevia comes from a leafy green plant and its leaves contain compounds called steviol glycosides and rebaudioside. The former is 200 to 400 times sweeter than table sugar and leaves a slightly bitter aftertaste, but reubaudioside apparently has no such flavour. Herboveda India imports this Korea and China.

Food and beverage companies in India are willing to spend on sourcing stevia and exploring this untapped market, provided they get a right product formulation. Delhi-based Mother Dairy is one such example, and is eager to explore a domestic health-conscious market. “The FSSAI move is a positive one and we will now hasten the process of formulation,” said S Nagarajan, CEO, Mother Dairy.

The company is into research and development and is hopeful that in 12 months, it will have innovated a beverage product in the beverage category using stevia. Currently, it offers more than 12-14 varieties of fruit juices and drinks under the brand name Safal.

Getting the formula right

A lot of factors will need to be considered while formulating the right product, though, said Dr TSR Murali, R&D head, Mother Dairy. On the one hand, it would have to be zero calories, nutritional and healthy and on the other, it has to be delicious and have a shelf life.

That can be quite a challenge, as globally too companies are struggling to hit the market with a perfect product.US companies, which began early in offering stevia products, have managed to create an industry size of just $200-300 million in seven years. Given the initial excitement, it was expected to be worth a a billion dollars but its bitter aftertaste has generated a slow response.

The USFDA approved the use of stevia extracts in 2008. The global volume consumption of stevia products is just about 1,019 tonnes in 2014 as compared to 925 tonnes in 2013 (see chart), according to data provided by Euromonitor International. There is no data available for India as it’s a market that is just beginning to open itself to the stevia experiment. However, even globally, manufacturers haven’t designed any product that is 100 per cent stevia-based and offers great taste, said Mother Dairy’s Dr Murali.

Mother Dairy could roll out a beverage if initial research indicates a consumer acceptable product and medium complexity in development, he added.

It would need trials in adapting it to both categories of fruit juices and dairy products like lassi. “The acid types and levels in each product are different and we have to test it on both product categories to see the best mix, suitability and shelf life,” he said.

Even though companies are doing a toss-up between taste and health, consumers may be opening up to the idea. “The more the merrier! I have no diabetes and a zero-calorie dessert means I can keep them coming,” said Biju Gupta, a dessert lover.

The writer is a freelance business journalist

While taste is an issue with some consumers, health benefits are immense. For one, it is healthier than aspartame

Consumer tribunal allows tests on Maggi samples in FSSAI storage

The government’s request was opposed by Nestlé India, which has indicated that it wants to get on with business after the Bombay high court set aside the ban

New Delhi: India’s apex consumer tribunal has accepted the government’s plea for testing the Maggi Noodles samples kept by Nestlé India Ltd at the food regulator’s storage in Lucknow around the time the product was banned from the market in June.

The government’s request to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) was opposed by Nestlé India, which has indicated that it wants to get on with business after the Bombay high court set aside the ban, and its products were found safe by accredited laboratories.

“We are disappointed that the Hon’ble Commission has today given Order directing further testing of 16 samples..,” said a Nestle India spokesperson. in a statement. “In recent months alone, Nestlé India has conducted over 3,500 tests representing over 200 million packs in both national as well as international accredited laboratories for testing and all reports are clear.”

Maggi noodles were banned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for allegedly containing a flavouring agent and lead in excess of prescribed norms.

The Bombay high court lifted the ban in August, conditional to fresh testing of the noodles that would be produced at the company’s plants. Those cleared the tests, and Nestlé has relaunched the noodles with much fanfare and to an overwhelming reception from the market. The food regulator has appealed that the Bombay high court’s order in the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the government and the Indian arm of the Swiss MNC have continued to fight it out in the NCDRC, which on Wednesday allowed the fresh testing. The accredited lab for conducting the tests to determine levels of lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) is likely to be decided on Thursday.

The samples were initially to be sent to an accredited lab in Mumbai, but this was opposed by Nestlé India, which told the court that the lab was not adequately equipped to test for levels of lead.

The process of sending samples is set to begin on 14 December and the report will be produced before court on 12 January, along with the test report of 13 samples sent to the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) in Mysore.

The government, which has initiated action against Nestlé India on behalf of consumers in the apex consumer court, on 23 November sought permission for further testing of 31 batches of Maggi at an accredited laboratory to settle the question of safety. These samples are from the stock that Nestlé India kept at an FSSAI godown in Lucknow.

A bench of the NCDRC comprising justices V.K. Jain and B.C. Gupta, which heard the case, reserved its decision on 1 December and asked the government to submit a list of accredited and recognized laboratories where the tests could be conducted.

On 15 October, the NCDRC ordered tests on 13 samples of the noodle at the Central Food Technological Research Institute. The results are awaited.

Nestlé India contested the government application, claiming it would amount to exceeding the scope of the case placed before the consumer forum.

“It is an adversarial litigation and must be restricted to the scope of pleadings,” Nestlé India said in its legal filings.

The government continued to press for testing, saying that it was the first case of its kind where the concern of consumers was being voiced in the interest of justice.

It claimed that testing was justified under the provisions of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986.

The government, in a class action suit, has claimed a compensation of `640 crore from the company, alleging unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading advertisements.

HC questions disparity in sending samples to labs by FSSAI

NEW DELHI, DEC 9: 

The Delhi High Court today questioned the food safety and standards authority (FSSAI) why there was a disparity in the number of samples sent for testing to government labs vis-a-vis private labs.

A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva raised the query after it was told by an NGO that while lakhs of samples are sent to 68 private labs across the country, the four government-run labs only get a few thousand each.

“Why this disparity? Why not send more to government labs? Do the government labs not have the capacity? Why are you not then upscaling the capacity?” the court asked FSSAI.

NGO Lok Jagriti, represented by advocate Govind Jee, also claimed that the government-run labs were not well-equipped and even the staff there did not have the proper training.

He also sought that independent scientific panels be set up, as stipulated under the FSSA Act, for coming up with standards for food additives, flavourings, processing aids and materials in contact with eatables, among others.

The authority responded that such panels are already in place. It, however, said it has no labs of its own and was dependant upon four Food Research and Standardisation Laboratories (FRSL) which were set up under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

It also said that all the labs it used for testing were accredited with the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).

The court, thereafter, directed that anything that is prohibited under the FSSA Act and rules and regulations framed under it, but which is permitted under the Codex Alimentarius - a collection of internationally recognised standards relating to foods, food production and food safety - or any other global standard, would be prohibited as per Indian law.

On the disparity in number of samples sent for testing to private and government labs, the court noted that the concern raised was with regard to authenticity and reliability of the reports of private labs.

DINAMALAR NEWS & FLOOD RELIEF MATERIALS DISTRIBUTED AT CUDDALORE

Every Fifth Food Sample Found Adulterated and Misbranded: Report

One out of every five samples of food items tested by public food safety labs in the country has been found "adulterated and misbranded", with maximum in Uttar Pradesh followed by Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
Over Rs 10.93 crore penalty has been imposed in 2,795 cases, while culprits have been convicted in 1,402 cases so far this year, according to the testing report of public laboratories released by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
As per the report compiled by the state governments, food safety labs received 83,265 samples, of which 74,010 were tested till November 24 of 2015.
Out of the tested samples, the labs found 14,599 samples were "adulterated and misbranded", the data showed.
A maximum 4,119 samples were found adulterated and misbranded in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Punjab (1,458), Madhya Pradesh (1,412), Gujarat (1,243), Maharashtra (1,162) and Tamil Nadu (1,047).
The penalty of Rs 10.93 crore has been imposed in 2,795 cases, and maximum fine of Rs 5.98 crore was imposed for cases reported in Uttar Pradesh.
As many as 2,676 criminal cases and 7,860 civil suits were registered, of which convictions were reported in 1,402 cases, the report added.
Issues related to quality of food and FSSAI came into the limelight after it imposed the ban on Maggi in June this year, which was later lifted by the Bombay High Court.
In August this year, the Supreme Court junked the FSSAI's advisory that asked manufacturers to get clearance for products even if the ingredients were already approved or deemed safe.
The government is also mulling Rs 1,750-crore proposal to strengthen central food regulator FSSAI as well as state bodies.

Every 5th food sample found adulterated and misbranded: Report

Over Rs 10.93 crore penalty has been imposed in 2,795 cases, while culprits have been convicted in 1,402 cases so far this year, according to the testing report of public laboratories

New Delhi, Dec 6: One out of every five samples of food items tested by public food safety labs in the country has been found “adulterated and misbranded”, with maximum in Uttar Pradesh followed by Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
Over Rs 10.93 crore penalty has been imposed in 2,795 cases, while culprits have been convicted in 1,402 cases so far this year, according to the testing report of public laboratories released by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).As per the report compiled by the state governments, food safety labs received 83,265 samples, of which 74,010 were tested till November 24 of 2015.
Out of the tested samples, the labs found 14,599 samples were “adulterated and misbranded”, the data showed.A maximum 4,119 samples were found adulteraed and misbranded in Uttar Pradesh, followed by Punjab (1,458), Madhya Pradesh (1,412), Gujarat (1,243), Maharashtra (1,162) and Tamil Nadu (1,047).The penalty of Rs 10.93 crore has been imposed in 2,795 cases, and maximum fine of Rs 5.98 crore was imposed for cases reported in Uttar Pradesh. 

As many as 2,676 criminal cases and 7,860 civil suits were registered, of which convictions were reported in 1,402 cases, the report added.Issues related to quality of food and FSSAI came into the limelight after it imposed the ban on Maggi in June this year, which was later lifted by the Bombay High Court.In August this year, the Supreme Court junked the FSSAI’s advisory that asked manufacturers to get clearance for products even if the ingredients were already approved or deemed safe. The government is also mulling Rs 1,750-crore proposal to strengthen central food regulator FSSAI as well as state bodies.

Sale of colour powder banned in food stalls

Thiruvananthapuram: The food safety commission has banned the sale of colour powders, used by Ayyappa devotees for 'petta thullal,' at shops selling food products. This has been done to avoid food poisoning.
"There are chances of the powder getting mixed with food items. The ban is as per Section 30 (2) of Food Safety and Standards Act," said food safety commissioner T V Anupama in a statement issued after a meeting convened to review the steps taken at Sabarimala.
The department has also banned sale of cut pineapples for three months in Erumeli.
"Most vendors lacked the mandatory health cards and food safety registrations," she said.
The department has also urged the Erumeli gramapanchayat to suspend the licence of hotels which are found discharging waste water into the Veliyathodu, a major water body in Erumeli.

Worms allegedly found in Ramdev’s noodles

Jind, Dec 4 (UNI) Yog Guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Atta noodles have again found itself in the soup, when a resident of Narwana, Haryana today alleged that some worms were found in the Ramdev backed noodles.
Coming close on the heels of Food Safety and Regulatory Authority of India (FSSAI) controversy, when its Chairman Ashish Bahuguna had said, "They have got no permission from authorities to sell noodles".
Vinod Kumar said he had bought Ramdev Maggi from Savdeshi Kendra last evening, and alleged that when he cooked it today he found some worms in it.

Resurrection

Maggi noodles returns to shop shelves. But getting its mojo back could be a long haul.

Lijiye, mooh Maggi kijiye." With these words, a variation of the traditional Indian exhortation to partake of sweets on auspicious occasions, Suresh Narayanan, Managing Director, Nestle India, welcomed guests at the re-launch of Maggi noodles on Dhanteras day, November 9. Commercial sale began three days later, on November 12, with Maggi noodles hitting a limited number of outlets in 100 cities and towns across the country. The same day, in a tie-up with Nestle India, e-commerce giant Snapdeal held a flash sale of the product that settled any doubts about whether its enforced absence from shop shelves for over five months had impacted its popularity. Within five minutes, 60,000 Maggi noodles 'kits' - each kit containing 12 packets - were sold out. Snapdeal held a second flash sale on November 16 - which was just as successful.
Nestle's troubles, however, are not yet entirely over. Maggi noodles disappeared from the market following a nationwide ban on it imposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on June 5. The ban came after a number of laboratories to which Maggi noodles samples were sent for testing found unduly high levels of lead in them - in one case 17.2 parts per million (ppm) against the permissible level of 2.5 ppm - as well as the presence of monosodium glutamate, even though the packaging claimed there was none. Nestle challenged the ban in the Bombay High Court, which, on August 5, ruled decisively in its favour, maintaining that the FSSAI had been unable to substantiate its charges against the product and that its order was "arbitrary, unjust and violative of Article 14 of the Constitution". It permitted Nestle to restart selling once old as well as fresh Maggi noodles samples had been tested by laboratories certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
Nestle accordingly submitted such samples of all the nine variants of Maggi noodles and all of them passed the safety tests. But the FSSAI has now approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order on several counts, but primarily maintaining that Maggi noodles samples chosen at random by an independent body should have been tested in laboratories, and not those provided by Nestle. "It was like asking a person under suspicion for a crime to provide evidence against himself," says an FSSAI official. But, with Supreme Court hearings yet to start, Nestle has not deviated from its roll-out plans.
The instant noodles market in India amounted to Rs 5,300 crore in 2014, according to Euromonitor, with Maggi, the market leader, having 63 per cent market share. Its temporary disappearance was thus bound to have major repercussions. Nestle India, to whose revenue Maggi contributed around 26 per cent, certainly suffered, recording a net loss of 3.29 per cent or Rs 64.4 crore in its April to June quarter (its first ever loss in 15 years) and a shrunken profit of Rs 124.2 crore in the July to September quarter, down by over 60 per cent from the same quarter a year ago when it was Rs 311.29 crore. It had to destroy around 300,000 tonnes of noodles following the ban, taking a hit of around Rs 320 crore.


But the entire instant food and beverages industry also suffered, since it was quality concerns that sparked the ban. According to a recent report by IMRB Kantar Worldpanel, the overall food and beverages segment in India grew only four per cent in the July to September quarter, compared to nine per cent in the same quarter a year ago, while ready-to-eat foods fell by nine per cent in the same quarter, against a five per cent growth a year ago. "The Maggi controversy has had collateral negative impact across the entire fast moving foods industry," says N. Chandramouli, CEO of brands research company Trust Research Advisory (TRA).
Not surprisingly, a number of rivals have sought to fill the vacuum created by Maggi's disappearance with extensive advertising campaigns to push their own products. Following the Maggi controversy, the FSSAI directed other noodles makers as well to get samples tested all over again. ITC, which makes the second biggest instant noodles brand Sunfeast Yippee!, got 800 samples examined at NABL and FSSAI approved laboratories in India, as well as at international ones in Italy, Singapore and Japan, and having received a clean chit, marketed the results widely. "The noodles category had been impacted, and we felt it imperative to clear the air of confusion and reinstate consumer trust," says V.L. Rajesh, who heads the foods business at ITC. "We thus embarked on communicating in an open and transparent manner with a reassurance campaign."
Indo-Nissin Foods' Top Ramen brand initially went the Maggi way and withdrew from the market, after a couple of its samples were also found to possess high levels of lead, and approval was held back by the FSSAI. But it was re-launched in September, accompanied by full-page print ads proclaiming: "Two things are synonymous with us - noodles and trust." Hindustan Unilever, which produces the Knorr brand of noodles, has tied up with online retailers to improve sales. Most curious, however, is the case of Patanjali noodles, a new product launched by the Baba Ramdev backed Patanjali Ayurved Ltd. While the manufacturer claims these atta noodles are much healthier than the maida ones made by rivals and flaunts an FSSAI clearance licence number on its packaging, the FSSAI has maintained that the product was never submitted for testing and, hence, its sale is illegal. Ashish Bahuguna, Chairperson, FSSAI, has directed his officers to take appropriate action.

As we re-launch, I would like to reiterate that the reason consumers choose Nestle is quality.
Suresh Narayanan
MD, Nestle India Meanwhile, Nestle India has taken a number of steps towards damage control. Even before the favourable High Court verdict, it replaced its then MD in India, Etienne Bennet, with Suresh Narayanan, the first Indian to hold the position in 16 years. Nestle spokespersons insist that Narayanan's choice has nothing to do with his nationality - and indeed he has an impressive record of growing Nestle's business in Singapore, despite the 2008 global financial crisis, and thereafter in Egypt, despite the political upheaval there - but that can hardly be taken at face value. With his extensive Indian experience - Narayanan joined Nestle in India and was moved overseas for the first time only in 2003 - he was able to reach out much more easily to stakeholders and reassure them. "The love for our traditional Maggi Masala Noodles has been immense," he told Business Today. "I respect that and am determined to deliver on that."
To keep a tighter check on quality in future, Nestle also seems to have decided to manufacture all its Maggi noodles in house. In end-September, it terminated a 12-year-old contract with its sole third party producer, Kolkata-based SAJ Food Products. Production of Maggi noodles has begun at three of its five facilities - Nanjangud (Karnataka), Moga (Punjab) and Bicholim (Goa). Simultaneously, a high-powered advertising campaign to announce the return of Maggi noodles is being turned on. Even while the product was off the shelves, Nestle kept Maggi alive in customers' memories with a number of ads bearing twee taglines: 'We miss you too' and 'Kab wapas aaogey' (When will you return). The thrust in the new ads will be: "Your Maggi is safe, has always been". While Publicis India, which handled the Maggi account for Nestle, will continue to do so, McCann Erickson India, headed by the high profile Prasoon Joshi, has also been roped in.
Apart from the Supreme Court worry, Nestle has also to deal with the fact that, apart from the FSSAI, seven state governments - Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura - had separately banned Maggi noodles, and these bans are still in force. It is due to this that two Maggi production units, at Pantnagar in Uttarakhand and Tahliwal in Himachal Pradesh, have yet to restart functioning. The company also faces a class action suit for Rs 640 crore filed against it by the Ministry for Consumer Affairs in the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, charging it with unfair trade practices, false labelling and putting out misleading ads.
The response to Maggi noodles' return is no doubt heartening for Nestle. Yet, the TRA's 2015 report on India's Most Attractive Brands, based on research across 16 cities between June and August - when Maggi noodles had disappeared from shop shelves - shows Maggi's overall attractiveness ranking having fallen from 44th in 2013 to100th in 2015, a 56-rank drop. In the fast moving foods category, Maggi was in first place in 2013, but is now second, yielding to MTR Foods. "My feeling is that Maggi may not be able to stem this fall simply with some clever advertising," says Chandramouli.
Abheek Singhi, Partner at Boston Consulting Group, feels the packaged fast foods industry was in any case slowing down in keeping with falling consumer demand all over. "Players are trying to create excitement through innovations and usage occasions, and specifically in the food category, trying to provide reassurance about safety - not only functionally, but also at an emotional level," he says. But will it work? "Anyone who thinks Maggi will emerge without much damage is living in a fool's paradise," says Chandramouli.

Suresh Narayanan, MD, Nestle India.
"OUR PRODUCTS HAVE BEEN, AND WILL ALWAYS BE, SAFE FOR CONSUMERS"
On August 1, at the height of the Maggi crisis, Suresh Narayanan, head of Nestle's Philippines operations, was shifted to India to take charge. Edited excerpts from an interview:
Q. What are your re-launch plans for Maggi noodles?
A. Rebuilding consumer trust and reassuring them of the quality and safety of our products will be the focus. The impact of the Maggi noodles issue is not restricted to Nestle only. It has had a much larger impact bringing the entire supply-chain mechanism to a standstill. I need to look at that.
For Nestle, quality is trust. Our products have been and will always be safe for consumers. As we re-launch, I would like to reiterate that the reason consumers choose Nestle is quality. I would also like to emphasise Nestle's bonds of consumer relationship and friendship extending to millions of Indian consumers over 100 years. I am completely committed to the idea and the dream of 'Make in India'.
Q. What are your marketing and advertising plans to revive the sale of Maggi?A. Nurturing a relationship over long years requires you to stay true to values through thick and thin, and never take things for granted. I am proud that Nestle has lived up to the world's best quality standards and will continue to make sure that only the best of our products reach our consumers every day. This is the message that I wish to drive through our marketing and advertising campaigns.
Q. Are you looking at innovative options for Maggi and your other brands?
A. The mandate currently is to bring back Maggi noodles to all our consumers. While I will be looking into innovative options, it is a fact that the love for our traditional Maggi Masala Noodles has been immense, and I respect that affinity which our consumers have. I am determined to deliver on that.
(The author is a freelance journalist based in Mumbai)

Aaganwari Center supplied substandard food

Govt imposes fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on Chatisgarh-based Company
Srinagar:
A Chattisgarh based company has been fined for supplying substandard food items to Aanganwari centers in J&K, officials told Rising Kashmir on Friday.
According to Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety Srinagar, Hilal Ahmad a fine of 1.5 lakh has been imposed on M/S Divine Corpse Private Limited for supplying sub-standard nutritional items to various Aanganwari centers of District Srinagar.
The court of Additional Deputy Commissioner, Srinagar Nazir Ahmad Baba, who is also the Adjudicating Officer has imposed a fine of Rs 3.20 lakh on various food business operators including Rs 1.50 lakh the Chhattisgarh based Company for the malpractice.
“The seized goods from the company include sugar, salt and Moongi. The huge quantity of substandard food material will be destroyed scientifically in presence of a constituted committee,” Ahmad said.
He said the department has started a drive against adulteration particularly in milk. “The suppliers and milkmen have been warned to desist from malpractices, otherwise strict action under Food Safety & Standards Act shall be initiated against them,” Assistant Commissioner said.

Company fined for supplying sub-standard food items

Restaurants, milk suppliers under scanner
The Food and Drug Control Organisation has slapped fine on a food company for supplying sub-standard edibles to Anganwari centres.
Assistant Commissioner Food Safety, Hilal Ahmed Mir has imposed a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh on a Chhattisgarh-based company having its branch office in Srinagar for supplying sub-standard and inferior nutritional items to Anganwari centres.
The company had allegedly supplied inferior sugar, moong, salt and other food items which were destroyed scientifically in presence of a committee, a spokesman of the organisation said in a handout.
The Assistant Commissioner, he said, also fined many restaurants across the city for violating Food Safety and Standards Act. “Any establishment found violating any provision of the Food Safety Act will be dealt with strictly,” the spokesman quoted Mir as having said, adding, “Milk suppliers too are under scanner.

After liquor, cakes, biscuits and chocolates under FDA scanner

Pune: After liquor, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have now decided to get products like cakes, biscuits and chocolates tested for quality according to the guidelines of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ahead of Christmas and New Year celebrations in the city.
FDA, which is the supreme food safety regulatory body, would initiate quality checks across bakeries in Pune district for three days starting from December 21.
“We would visit bakeries and shops where cakes and biscuits are made and will check for the quality of raw materials used. We would also get samples tested to ascertain that there is no adulteration,” said a senior official from FDA.
FDA officials said that apart from checking the quality of raw materials, the conditions in which cakes and biscuits are made and the hygiene of people involved in making these items will also be checked thoroughly.
“During Christmas, a variety of cakes and biscuits are seen in the market. We would be checking those already made and ready to be sold along with raw materials in almost all bakeries on December 21, 22 and 23. This has been conveyed to all officials who would carry out area wise checks,” added the officials.
The officials said that apart from bakeries, they would also visit various restaurants and hotels in the city before the New Year to ensure the quality of food products sold and the hygiene maintained by the hotels.
“For celebrating the New Year on December 31, many Puneites are seen visiting restaurants and hotels. To ensure that no adulteration takes place in hotels and quality is not compromised, we would be conducting tests of food products in hotels as well,” said the officials.

Poor hygiene, lack of tabs on street food to blame for infections: Docs

Every Monday and Tuesday, Dr Prasad SM has children walking into his clinic with symptoms of diarrhoea. Most often, it's the roadside pani puri and masala puri that are the culprits. The kids gorge on street food during the weekend, catching infections. "Absence of regulations and checks on quality of water being used in roadside eateries is a major shortcoming in the public health monitoring system. Have you seen any BBMP health inspector checking hygiene standards," asked Dr Prasad, who heads the paediatric department at the Dr BR Ambedkar Medical College Hospital.
The first report of the World Health Organization on food-borne diseases released on Thursday reveals the impact of contaminated food on health. In terms of numbers, WHO's southeast Asia region is one of the worst affected -it sees a whopping 150 million cases and 1,75,000 deaths a year. It is second only to the African region when it comes to the incidence of foodborne diseases, says the report.
Dr Lawrence Peter, HoD and consultant gastroenterologist, Manipal Hospitals, said a majority of foodborne infection cases are due to poor water supply. "Our government is not interested in providing safe water, which should be a priority . If I see 60 patients a day in the outpatient unit, an average of 10 are suffering from food and water-borne infections," he said.
The doctor pointed out that the fault lies in handling food. "Cooking food in a hygienic manner is not enough. How you serve matters a lot and that's where the hygiene is missing. Wearing plastic gloves is not enough," Dr Peter added.
BBMP has only 68 health inspectors, who have to monitor the entire city, said Dr Upednra Bhojani, researcher with Public Health Institute, an NGO. "Food safety remains as a concern. There are stringent rules and guidelines not being implemented effectively. Lack of manpower could be one of the reasons," he added.

DINAMALAR NEWS

10 ஆயிரம் கிலோ கலப்பட டீ தூள் பறிமுதல்

நாக மலை, டிச.5:மதுரை அருகே பத் தா யி ரம் கிலோ கலப் பட டீ தூளை அதி கா ரி கள் பறி மு தல் செய்து கம் பெ னிக்கு சீல் வைத் த னர்.
மது ரை யைச் சேர்ந் த வர் ஜெக தீ சன். இவர் நாக ம லைப் பு துக் கோட்டை அரு கே யுள்ள சம் பக் குடி கிரா மத் தில் கடந்த ஓராண் டாக டீ தூள் கம் பெனி நடத்தி வரு கி றார். வெளி யூர் க ளில் இருந்து டீ தூளை வாங்கி அதை தரம் பிரித்து பல பெயர் க ளில் பாக் கெட் போட்டு விற் பனை செய்து வரு கி றார். டீ தூள் பாக் கெட் க ளில் மதுரை, கோய முத் தூர் என ஊர் பெயர் சேர்த்து விற் பனை செய் வ தாக உணவு கலப் ப டப் பிரி வுக்கு தக வல் கிடைத் தது. நேற்று பிற் ப கல் 3 மணி ய ள வில் மாவட்ட உண வுப் பாது காப்பு மற் றும் மருந் தி யல் அலு வ லர் சுகு மாரி, மாவட்ட வழங் கல் அலு வ லர் ஜீவா, உண வுப் பாது காப்பு அதி கா ரி கள் வேல் மு ரு கன், சண் மு கம், கணேஷ் உள் ளிட் டோர் ஆய்வு செய் த னர்.
அங் கி ருந்த 10 ஆயி ரம் கிலோ டீ தூளில் கலப் ப டம் செய் யப் பட் டது தெரிய வந் தது. இதை ய டுத்து டீ தூள் மற் றும் கலப் ப டம் செய் யப் பயன் ப டுத் திய கலர் பொடி களை பறி மு தல் செய்து கம் பெ னிக்கு அதி கா ரி கள் சீல் வைத் த னர்.
இது குறித்து அதி கா ரி கள் கூறு கை யில், “பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட்ட கலப் பட டீ தூளை சோத னைக்கு அனுப்பி உள் ளோம். அதன் முடிவு கிடைத் த வு டன் சம் பந் தப் பட்ட நபர் மீது உரிய நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும்” என் ற னர்.

Chipotle E. coli case in Illinois as company raises food safety standards

Chipotle may not be able to use as much local food as it tightens food safety standards
The number of E. coli-related illnesses linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill grew to 52 on Friday, including one in Illinois, as the company said it will raise its food safety standards.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that as of Wednesday, illnesses had been reported by seven more people, including one in Illinois and others in Maryland and Pennsylvania. That brings the number of cases to 52 in nine states. Twenty people have been hospitalized but no deaths have been reported, the agency said.
Divya Mohan Little, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health, said the office was notified of an E. coli case involving someone who ate at Chipotle, and the department was working to determine whether E. coli was contracted at the restaurant.
"For now, (the department) is treating this case as an isolated incident and is not releasing information about the location of the individual," Mohan Little said in an email.
The Denver-based restaurant chain with more than 1,900 locations said Friday that it has brought on Seattle-based IEH Laboratories to help it find ways to improve food safety practices throughout its operations, from farms to restaurants. It still doesn't know what ingredient may be linked to the outbreak.
Specifically, Chipotle says it will:
•Implement DNA testing on all its ingredients before they are shipped to restaurants.
•Test ingredients that are near the end of their shelf life to ensure the quality is maintained while they are being stored.

•Improve training to ensure all employees are fully versed on the company's food handling and safety procedures.
But in striving for higher food safety standards, Chipotle said it may not be able to use as much locally sourced produce.
"We believe that there will be some local suppliers who are not able (or willing) to meet these new standards," Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said Thursday, before the safety initiative was announced.
Last month, the company removed language on its website about buying locally and replaced it with a note about supplier relationships. Arnold said that was in part due to the fact that the local program had gone out of season (it runs from June to October for most of the U.S.) and because of the upcoming changes to its food safety procedures. Arnold said the company is preparing for some local produce suppliers not to return next spring.
The planned tightening of food safety standards and possible changes in local sourcing were first reported by Bloomberg News.

Chipotle temporarily closed 43 locations in Washington and Oregon at the end of October after health officials discovered most of the people sickened in an E. coli outbreak had eaten at local restaurants. They were reopened in early November.
Washington and Oregon have the biggest concentration of confirmed cases of E. coli, but illnesses were also previously reported in California, New York, Ohio and Minnesota.
Late last month, the company said it is deep-cleaning restaurants linked to the outbreak, has thrown out food and surveyed employees for possible illness. No Chipotle employees have been ill, it said.

NHRC notice to FSSAI over reports on pesticides in food items

The National Human Rights Commission has issued notice to food regulator FSSAI over reports of pesticides being found in food items more than the prescribed limit, Health Minister J P Nadda today said.
"NHRC has taken suo-moto cognisance of a news report published in the Times of India on October 5 titled 'Pesticides-soaked food samples double in 6 years'.
"In its notice, NHRC directed Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to submit its within eight weeks from the date of receipt of notice," the Union Minister said in a reply to Lok Sabha.
Maximum Residual Levels of pesticides in fruits and vegetables and other food products have been fixed under the Food Safety and Standards (Contamination, Toxins and Residues) Regulation, 2011.
"Presence of pesticides residues beyond these levels in food products including food, vegetables and meat is treated as a violation of the said regulations, which attracts penal action under the Act," he said.

Health risk of eating french fries is severe!

Health risk of eating french fries is severe!
French fry lovers, beware! A chemical in your favourite snacks - more commonly associated with heavy industry than crispy fried potatoes - may put you at severe health risk in the long run.
French fries contain acrylamide, a chemical that poses a risk for several types of cancer in rodents.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer considers the chemical a "probable human carcinogen".
Led by researcher Yi Wang from the University of Idaho, the team assessed more than 140 potato varieties.
The goal was to identify potatoes that make great French fries and form less acrylamide.
Researchers planted 149 potato breeds in five potato-growing regions across the US.
Upon harvesting, they sent some of the raw potatoes to labs.
There, the potatoes were stored in conditions similar to commercial potatoes.
After storage, the labs tested the potatoes for their levels of reducing sugars and asparagine - an amino acid that is a known precursor of acrylamide.
Researchers then fried some of the potatoes and observed how much acrylamide the potatoes formed.
The team found that it is fairly achievable to identify potato breeds that produce less acrylamide, especially when compared with the industry standard potato breeds.
"The real challenge is to find the varieties that not only have those characteristics, but also yield finished products with desirable processing quality that meet the stringent standards of the food industry," Wang explained.
According to him, the team hopes to identify genes that are related to lower acrylamide in certain fried potatoes.
The study shows a strong relationship between the genetics of a raw potato and its potential to form acrylamide.
If researchers are able to identify the specific genes, they may be able to eliminate them in the future. Scientists first began paying attention to the unwanted chemical's presence in food more than a decade ago.
Trace amounts of acrylamide are present in many foods cooked at high temperatures.
Relatively high levels are found in fried potatoes, including French fries and potato chips.
The research was published in the journal Crop Science.

Make food safety a public health priority: WHO

MUMBAI: WHO's first ever report on the estimated burden of foodborne disease shows that over 150 million people fall sick and 175000 die every year after consuming contaminated food in the south-east Asia region. Three in ten under-5 children suffer from diarrhoea, which continues to be a major killer.
The report has underlined the urgent need to make food safety a public health priority. "South-east Asia accounts for more than half of the global infections and deaths due to typhoid fever or hepatitis A. Foodborne diseases account for a significant proportion of the burden of disease here. Diarrhoeal diseases are the leading cause of foodborne disease burden in the Region," said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for south-east Asia.
She added that food contaminated with harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals are the main causes of foodborne diseases. Consumption of unsafe food causes nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea as an immediate effect, and has more serious long-term implications such as cancer, failure of kidney and liver and brain and neural disorders. "Foodborne diseases are most dangerous to the young children, pregnant women and older people. In addition to the serious health impact, foodborne diseases present a major cost to economies," she said.
The risk of foodborne diseases is the highest in the low and middle income settings where hygiene, safe water for preparing food, and adequate food production and storage conditions remain a challenge. Khetrapal said that all food operators and consumers should understand the roles they must play to protect their health and that of the wider community.

National Meet on Nutrition, Food Safety on December 4 in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Health Minister V S Sivakumar will inaugurate the 9th National Conference on Student’s Medical Research here on December 4. The conference will focus on “Nutrition and Food Safety - Opportunities and Challenges”.
Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) and the Department of Community Medicine, Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College, will jointly organise the two-day conference. On the first day, Dr C R Soman oration and distribution of ‘Dr C R Soman Best PG Thesis Award’ for the best theses submitted to KUHS in 2014 will be presented.
Health Secretary K Elangovan, KUHS Vice-Chancellor Dr M K C Nair, DME Dr Ramla Beevi, DHS Dr Ramesh R, Human Nutrition Unit, AIIMS, professor Dr Umesh Kapil, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, Deputy Director Dr Sudarshan Rao, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College principal Dr Thomas Mathew and Community Medicine, Thiruvananthapuram, head Dr Sarah Varghese will be present.
Vice Chancellor of Maharashtra Health University Dr Arun V Jamkar will deliver the first KUHS Oration on December 5. This will be followed by scientific sessions (free papers) where young doctors from across the country will present their research works.

ரூ.10 லட்சம் உணவு பொருட்கள் அனுப்பி வைப்பு

சென் னை யில் ஏற் பட் டுள்ள தொடர் மழை யின் கார ண மாக மக் கள் கடு மை யாக பாதிக் கப் பட் டுள் ள னர். வீடு க ளுக் குள் தண் ணீர் புகுந் துள் ள தால் சாப் பாட் டுக்கே வழி யில் லாத நிலைக்கு தள் ளப் பட் டுள் ள னர். இதை ய டுத்து பாதிக் கப் பட் டுள்ள மக் க ளுக்கு தமி ழ கம் முழு வ தும் இருந்து பொது மக் கள் உணவு பொருட் களை சேக ரித்து வழங்கி வரு கின் ற னர்.
அதன் படி சேலம் வணி க வ ரித் து றை யும், சேலம் மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப் புத் து றை யும் இணைந்து வியா பா ரி க ளி டம் இருந்து உணவு பொருட் களை சேக ரித் த னர். பிரட், கட லை மிட் டாய், ரஸ்க், பால் பவு டர், பிஸ் கட், தண் ணீர் பாக் கெட் என ரூ.10 லட் சம் மதிப் புள்ள பொருட் களை சேக ரித்து சென் னைக்கு அனுப்பி வைக் கப் பட் டது. இந் நி கழ்ச் சி யில் சேலம் வணி க வ ரித் துறை இணை ஆணை யர் கள் ஞான கு மார், ரவி, உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை மாவட்ட நிய மன அலு வ லர் டாக் டர் அனு ராதா, வணி க வ ரித் துறை அலு வ லர் பத் மா வதி, அனைத்து வணி கர் கள் சங்க பொதுச் செ ய லா ளர் ஜெய சீ லன், மற் றும் அதி கா ரி கள் கலந்து கொண் ட னர்.

வணிகவரி அலுவலகத்திலிருந்து சென்னைக்கு நிவாரண பொருட்கள்

சேலம்: சேலம் வணிகவரித்துறை அலுவலகத்திலிருந்து, 10 லட்ச ரூபாய் மதிப்பிலான உணவு பொருட்கள், சென்னைக்கு அனுப்பப்பட்டன. சில நாட்களாக பெய்து வரும் கனமழையால், சென்னை தனித்தீவாக தத்தளித்து வருகிறது. இங்குள்ள மக்களின் நிவாரணத்துக்காக, வணிகவரித்துறை மற்றும் உணவு பாதுகாப்புதுறை சார்பில், நிவாரண உதவிகள் வழங்க ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்யப்பட்டன. பல்வேறு உணவு நிறுவனங்களிலிருந்து வழங்கப்பட்ட, பிரட், பேக்கரி உணவுகள், பெட்ஷீட் உள்ளிட்ட, 10 லட்ச ரூபாய் மதிப்பிலான உணவு மற்றும் நிவாரண பொருட்கள் சேகரிக்கப்பட்டு, நேற்று காலை கண்டெய்னர் லாரியில், சென்னைக்கு அனுப்பப்பட்டது. 

வணிகவரித்துறை இணை கமிஷனர் ஞானக்குமார், ரவி, துணைக்கமிஷனர் பத்மாவதி, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் அனுராதா ஆகியோர் தலைமையில், இதற்கான ஏற்பாடுகள் செய்யப்பட்டன. 

இதே போல், இன்று காலை, 10 மணிக்கு, சேலம் அஸ்தம்பட்டி வணிக வரித்துறை அலுவலகத்திலிருந்து நிவாரண பொருட்களை ஏற்றிக்கொண்டு, வாகனம் சென்னை செல்ல உள்ளது எனவும், உணவு பொருட்கள் வழங்க விருப்பமுள்ள வணிகர்கள் மற்றும் பொதுமக்கள், இவ்வலுவலகத்துக்கு கொண்டு சேர்த்திடவும் கேட்டுக்கொள்ளப்பட்டுள்ளனர்.

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