பெரிய மார்க்கெட்டில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி சோதனை

புதுச் சேரி, ஜன. 30:

புது வை யில் காலா வ தி யான உண வுப் பொருட் கள் அதி க ள வில் புழக் கத் தில் இருப் ப தாக உணவு பாது காப்பு துறைக்கு புகார் கள் வந் தன. இதை ய டுத்து பாது காப்பு அதி காரி தன் ராஜ் தலை மை யி லான குழு வி னர் நேற்று பெரிய மார்க் கெட் பகு தி யில் அதி ரடி சோத னை யில் ஈடு பட் ட னர்.

அங் கி ருந்த சுவீட்ஸ் கடை கள், மொத்த வியா பார மளிகை கடை கள் மற் றும் வணிக நிறு வ னங் க ளில் ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர். அப் போது பிஸ் கட் உள் ளிட்ட திண் பண் டங் க ளில் தயா ரிப்பு நிறு வ னத் தின் பெயர், விலை பட் டி யல், பொருள் தயா ரிக் கப் பட்ட தேதி, காலா வ தி யா கும் தேதி உள் ளிட் டவை இடம் பெ றா மல் இருந் தது கண் ட றி யப் பட் டது. அவற்றை உணவு பாது காப்பு அதி கா ரி கள் கைப் பற் றி னர். மேலும் அவற்றை விற் பனை செய்த வியா பா ரி க ளுக்கு கடும் எச் சரிக்கை விடுத் த னர்.

உணவு சம் பந் த மாக பொருட் க ளில் குறிப் பிட்ட தக வல் கள் இடம் பெற வேண் டு மென அறி வு றுத் திய அதி கா ரி கள், அவை இல் லா மல் விற் ப னைக்கு வரும் பொருட் களை வாங்கி நுகர் வோ ருக்கு விற் பனை செய் யக் கூ டாது என்று எச் ச ரித் த னர். இனி மே லும் இது போன்ற தவ று களை தொடர்ந் தால் வியா பாரி கள் மீதும் நட வடிக்கை எடுக் கப் படும் என்று கண் டித் த னர். 15 கடை க ளில் மொத் தம் 30 திண் பண்ட ெபாட் ட லங் களை அதி கா ரி கள் பறி மு தல் செய் த னர். உணவு பொருட் களை தயா ரித்து கடை க ளுக்கு சப்பை அனுப் பும் உரி மை யா ளர் கள் லைசென்சு பெற் றி ருக்க வேண் டு மெ ன வும், அவை இல் லா மல் உணவு தயா ரிக் கும் நிறு வ னங் கள் மீது நட வடிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என்று அதி கா ரி கள் தெரி வித் த னர்.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

Food Business Operators to have license for running business

The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India has made it mandatory for all Food Business Operators to obtain online registration/license of their establishments for running their business.
A State Govt official said all food manufacturers, packers, whole sellers, distributors and sellers, food importers, hotels, restaurants, clubs, canteens, caterers, food transporters, food storage establishments, food processing units etc. were covered under the Food Business Operators.
Official said that Operators will have to register or obtain license before 4 February, 2016, and action would be taken against the Food Business Operators which failed to obtain license/registration before the time limit under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, he further added.
Food Business Operators could contact the Chief Medical Officer or Designated Officer or Food Safety Officer of their concerned district.

Carbide-ripened fruits can trigger health epidemic

 

Taking serious note of the failure of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments to check the carbide menace, the High Court has asked Principal Secretaries (Agriculture & Marketing) to appear before it on February 1
A division bench of the High Court has rapped recently the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments over its negligence to check the carbide menace and failure to take concrete steps to overcome the problem of artificial ripening of fruits with calcium carbide chemical and also failure to create awareness among the citizens about the ill-effects of consuming such fruits. It directed the Principal Secretaries of Agriculture and Marketing of both the States to appear in person in the court on the next day of hearing on February1.
Calling fruit traders who use carcinogen calcium carbide to ripen fruits ‘worse than terrorist’ the Bench also directed the two States to take steps for establishment of ‘ethylene chambers’ for ripening fruits by the stakeholders and for its close monitoring by the authorities to overcome the problem of availability of carbide fruits on the markets, in an earlier occasion.
Though Telangana stands third in area and eighth in production of fruits in the country, it has only three ripening chambers and five cold storages in the State as it produces around 40,79,399 tonnes of fruits every year, which constitutes 74% of total horticulture cropped area.
Following the High Court censure, the Telangana government proposed to the Centre to set up four ethylene chambers in major markets this year initially as the Centre has agreed to sanction Rs 92 lakh expenditure towards its share of 35% and the remaining 65 percent expenditure bared by Telangana.
In Telangana, Gaddiannaram fruit market is the biggest market in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with 97 godowns, from where hundreds of fruit companies do business. The Telangana government has also decided to set up five big cold storages in major markets this year, as the Centre has offered to give Rs 14.67 crore to set up 11 cold storages.
However, the doctors warned that the health benefits are being threatened by a potentially harmful compound ‘calcium carbide’ believed to have carcinogenic properties is being used to ripen fruits by corrupt business men and shady market traders who are looking to make quick buck. Worse, many traders inject harmful chemicals (sweeteners) in mangoes, papaya and apples to make them taste unnaturally sweet.
When calcium carbide compound whose two main products – acetylene, a colourless gas widely used as fuel and calcium cyanamide used as fertilizer - comes into contact with water, it produces acetylene gas that hastens the ripening of several fruits such as mangoes, bananas and apples.
This chemical is extremely hazardous because it contains traces of arsenic and phosphorus which both have dangerous effects on the human body. The reason for using calcium carbide is that it is freely available and very cheap compared to ethylene. The doctors also warned that consumption of such artificially ripened fruits can cause mouth ulcers, gastric problems, diarrhoea, and skin rashes.
Free radicals from carbide play a major role in the ageing process as well as in the onset of cancer, heart disease, stroke, arthritis and perhaps allergies. If pregnant women consume these artificially ripened fruits, it can cause miscarriages and developmental abnormalities if the child is born.
Besides this, as per the Food Safety (Prohibition & Restriction on sale) Regulations 2011, “No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale under any description, fruits which have been artificially ripened by use of acetylene, gas, commonly known as Calcium Carbide.”
The division bench was acting on a PIL that was admitted suo moto and observed that the problem of use of calcium carbide is pervasive and is more than expected. In order to prevent the use of calcium carbide by the wholesale/ retail fruit vendors and the use of citizens and issued necessary instructions to both Telugu States to implement the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, in true spirit to comply the directions of the division bench.
But the previous orders had not been implemented so far in both States, stated the bench. As per High Court directions, both AP and TS should create awareness among the consumers about the dangers posed by fruits artificially ripened and enhanced, and encourage the consumers to buy seasonal fruits and shun products that reach them from far off nations both at premium price and at the cost of their health.

Health experts demand pictorial, health warnings on junk food

New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) After tobacco products, even junk food products may have pictorial warnings, if a proposal by health experts is accepted by the government.
Health experts have demanded pictorial and health warnings on junk food and detailed information for consumers about what goes into the food they buy and the effect it can have on their health.
A panel of experts formed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), comprising doctors from AIIMS, experts from Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and dieticians from National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad have proposed pictorial warnings on fast and junk food.
The panel was constituted six months ago to look at the prevalence and data on consumption of high fat, sugar and salt and make recommendations. The final report will be out in February.
"We have recommended pictorial warnings on junk foods like chips, colas, pizzas, burgers or health warnings saying that this product contain fat and salt in excess of what is recommended or even a picture of liver may be on pack indicating that consuming them may led to fatty liver in children and adults," said Dr Vandana Jain, Additional Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at AIIMS, who is also a member of the panel.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), effective population-based childhood obesity prevention strategies include restrictions on marketing of unhealthy food (biscuits and potato chips, for instance) and non-alcoholic beverages (soft/carbonated drinks) to children.
Children having fatty liver are at risk of liver cirrhosis and end stage liver disease and may require liver transplantation later in their life. Obese children also experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, insulin resistance and low self esteem.
AIIMS in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) have also conducted a study to look at the prevalence of fatty liver in overweight adolescents aged 10 to 15 years.
The study included 220 overweight children, who visited AIIMS Paediatric Department with obesity and other related problems. Their parents were also enrolled in the study.
"We conducted blood tests, ultrasounds and other tests and 62.5 per cent of the children were found to have fatty liver and 65 per cent of the mothers had fatty liver while among the fathers, 69 per cent have fatty liver.

Now, pictorial warning on your burgers, colas?

New Delhi: Should chips, burgers and colas-which are often blamed for the rising cases of obesity-come with a pictorial warning? While the effectiveness of this is under debate, health experts believe such steps are necessary to discourage people, particularly children, from consuming these.
According to Dr Vandana Jain, additional professor at the paediatrics department of AIIMS, obesity is leading to serious health issues, including fatty liver disease, in children. Jain, who is also part of an expert panel formed by FSSAI to prevent obesity due to consumption of food high in fat, sugar and salt, said pictorial warnings for chips, colas, pizzas, burgers, etc is something even the committee is in favour of.
"This has been included in the draft noting. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India panel will meet again on February 2 to decide whether it should be part of the final list," she said.
Sunita Narain of Centre for Science and Environment said pictorial warnings on junk food are welcome and they would push for its implementation.
According to World Health Organisation, poor diet is a global health concern and a leading cause of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular ailments, diabetes and cancer. In 2012, the Ontario Medical Association also demanded that junk food be treated like tobacco and be taxed heavily and packaged with graphic warnings. Experts said warnings could be in the form of labels stating that the product contains excess fat and salt or even a picture of liver indicating that consuming such food may lead to fatty liver.
AIIMS, in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research, conducted a study to look at the prevalence of fatty liver in 220 overweight kids aged 10-15 years. It included 220 overweight kids who came to the hospital complaining of obesity-related problems. "About 62.5% had fatty liver. Our findings also showed that 65% mothers and 69% fathers alos sufferred from fatty liver," said a doctor, adding that such kids are at risk of liver cirrhosis and end-stage liver disease.

FSSAI cracks the whip on unauthorised food business

The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India has made it mandatory for all Food Business Operators (FBOs) to obtain online registration or licence of their establishments for running their business.
A spokesman of Himachal Government on Thursday said that the Government of India has fixed February 4, 2016 as the last date for obtaining licence or registration.
He said that all food manufacturers, packers, whole sellers, distributors and sellers, food importers, hotels, restaurants, clubs, canteens, caterers, food transporters, food storage establishments, food processing units etc. were covered under the FBOs.
He said the action would be taken against the FBOs which failed to obtain licence or registration before the time limit under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
The spokesman added for more details the FBOs could contact the Chief Medical Officer or Designated Officer or Food Safety Officer of their concerned district.

Inquiry into use of sewage water for vegetables

NAVI MUMBAI: Authorities from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a detailed inquiry on Thursday regarding the use of contaminated water by small time farmers on plots adjacent to railway tracks. MPCB officials collected water samples and FDA officials took samples of vegetables.
"Illegal pipes have been laid connecting the sewerage channels to water these plants," said BJP party worker, Santosh Pachalag. The party had complained to the authorities on January 20.

Food SafetyOfficials Swing Into Action Ahead of Attukal Pongala

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In view of the Attukal Pongala next month, the Commissioner of Food Safety has asked shops, hotels, restaurants, bakeries and all business establishments producing and selling foodstuffs within city limits to ensure that guidelines issued by the Commissionarate are strictly followed.
Food Safety registration will be a must for all those who are involved in ‘annadanam’ and those who have set up temporary eateries during the festival. They can contact 8943346526 or the nearest Akshaya Centre for details regarding registration. Only those outlets with registration will be allowed to function. The registration can also be done through Akshaya Centres.
“It has come to our notice that juice, sweets and ice-cream, mixed with artificial colours and sweeteners, are being widely sold during festivals,” Food Safety Commissioner T V Anupama said.
The Commissioner urged traders to desist from unfair practices as offenders can be punished with imprisonment of six months and fine of Rs 5 lakh. The public have been advised not to buy candy floss and ‘ice fruit’.
The District Food Safety Assistant Commissioner and the Intelligence Wing have constituted special squads to check adulteration. “To fulfill the objective of providing safe food to all, traders, public and devotees should co-operate with the Food Safety Commissionerate,” Anupama said.
Food safety numbers
1800 42 1125 (Toll-free), 8943341130, 8943346526, 8943346529, 8943346195

Food Handlers and Hygiene: How much do we know

To FEED must be a SACRED act, as what we eat eventually mingles with the GODLY soul in us all.

There were times when the kitchens were temples and cooking food was a form of offering to God. The guest was a welcome angel (Atithi Devo bhava) and not a client as of now.

Practicing and looking for FOOD HYGIENE is becoming very important as more and more of us are shifting from essentially ‘home-cooked-family-meals’ to ‘street food-kitty-restaurant-tiffin meals’.

We need to look at the condition of kitchen, the hygiene of the food-maker (most are self-trained cooks) and the choice and cleanliness of ingredients used.

According to the Public Health Association, only 53% of Indians wash their hands with soap after defecating and only 30% before preparing food. Nobody has any figure of the boil/skin-infection, cough-sneezing-tuberculosis-jaundice-history and smoking and alcohol habits or vaccination status of the cooks preparing food on the street, in banquet halls, marriage palaces, restaurants, or even the five-star kitchens.

Coliform bacteria, entamoeba, salmonella, shigella, staphylococcus, hepatitis A-E and many of the poorly handled viral and protozoal infections can EASILY enter from the food if prepared with SULLIED hands of infected cook. Some studies have documented Enterobacteriaceae (Salmonella, Shigela etc) and Staphlococci to be in as much as 44 and 80 percent of food handlers respectively.

A cross-sectional study on food handlers in Central India reported that the frequency of pathogenic organisms on the hands was 56.87%. The different degrees of hand contamination between studies could be explained by the degree of adherence of food handlers to food safety measures and hand washing in different geographic regions and the class of the recruits.

The FOOD-HANDLERS, increasingly, are being recruited from poor, deprived backward sections of society on paltry salaries. Their family backgrounds, education, health and hygiene standards are abysmally low and the GUEST for them is just a client and not GOD as envisioned by Gandhi and our Indian ethos.

Most of the domestic help and cooks in the modern households are no better and there is hardly an effort to improve their hygiene and cleanliness standards.

Mary Mallon, now known as Typhoid Mary, was a healthy woman when she was discovered and quarantined to be the cause of a typhoid epidemic in 1907. The public health concerns are not as robust now. The street-food vendors and the food handlers in banquet halls, marriage palaces and 3-5 star hotels need regulatory health practices.

The municipal bodies or state health bodies can have modular courses and mandatory certifications. Informally, the food handlers and the cooks can be supervised at home and at ‘managed hotels’ for hand-hygiene, infective illness, skin integrity and possibly be convinced of presumptive treatment with anti-helminthic (deworming Albendazole )and anti-protozoal medicines (Metronidazole) periodically along with vaccination for the water –borne diseases like typhoid and hepatitis A.

Till we have MORE hygiene education and prophylactic-preventive care of food-handlers, some tips may be handy.

• Check for a rapid-turnover place. Observe hand-hygiene of self and the cook.
• Try eating Tandoori Roti/foods directly from Tandoor. A hot fried food (coming from a deep fryer) is also less likely to be infective.
• Avoid raw foods, salads, curd, raw cheese and frozen foods when you eat in open ambiance parties. Also, avoid ‘milk-creamy-cheesy’ curries and opt for ‘onion-coriander-condiments’ curries instead.
• Have natural beverages like coconut water or steaming hot tea-coffee etc.
• And do pay attention and possibly talk about in the places you frequent and eat. A
• And have more of get-togethers and parties where the POOLED-HOME COOKED food is a trend and a fashion statement!

Dr J.K. Bhutani, MD is a protagonist of preventive and promotive health care based on austere biology and facilitating self-healing powers of human organism. Twitter: @drjkbhutani

WHO, INDIA CONCERNED OVER RISING OBESITY

Two different surveys released back to back by India and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recently have underlined common concern: Obesity is on the rise at an alarming level among adults as well as children. 

While the WHO report has attributed marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic beverages besides declining physical activity as a major factor in the increase in numbers of children being overweight and obese, particularly in the developing world including India, the recent survey by the Union Health Ministry, which covered all age groups, shows sedentary lifestyle as well as unhealthy diets reason for the dangerous trend.

As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), released last week by the Union Health Ministry, in the past 10 years, the number of obese people has doubled in the country with most of the States experiencing the dangerous trend.

As per the survey conducted by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), released last week, people having Body Mass Index (BMI) over 25 kg per metre square have been considered as obese.

The first phase of the survey says that Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar and Sikkim have more than 30 per cent of their populations falling under the “obese” category while in Bihar, Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Tripura and West Bengal, more than 10 per cent population is obese. This is double compared to the last NFHS, which was conducted in 2005-06.

Health condition of children globally too is dismal. As per a WHO commission report, released on Tuesday, childhood obesity has reached alarming rates globally in the developing world, including Asia and Africa where the number of obese and overweight children under five has nearly doubled since 1990.

Overall, the number of obese and overweight children under five rose from 31 million to 41 million between 1990 and 2014. Asia currently accounts for nearly half (48 per cent) of young children categorised as overweight or obese.

The Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity (ECHO) presented the final report to the WHO, culminating a two-year process in 100 countries to address the alarming levels of childhood obesity and overweight globally.

“What’s the big message? It’s not the kid’s fault,” said Peter Gluckman, Commision’s co-chair. Biological factors, inadequate access to healthy foods, a decline in physical activity in schools and the unregulated marketing of fattening foods are among the drivers of a worsening epidemic that requires a coordinated global response, the report said.

“Dieting and exercise alone are not the solution,” Gluckman said. In Indian context, Gluckman’s concerns highlight the urgency to enforce the draft guidelines prepared by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on availability of wholesome and nutritious food in schools to control junk food consumption among children.

The draft guidelines propose to restrict sale or availability of food which are high in fat, salt or sugar content within 50 metres of schools’ premises. This includes chips, ready-to-eat noodles, pizzas, burgers, sugar-sweetened carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, potato fries (commonly called French fries) and confectionery items.

However, the FSSAI is yet to notify the guidelines to ensure better health of the schoolkids

Nutraceuticals, food supplements no longer to be considered proprietary foods by FSSAI

NEW DELHI: Nutraceuticals and health and dietary supplements such as fortified foods and energy drinks will no longer be considered proprietary food by India's regulator, according to revised rules, and they will likely have to be approved as a separate category.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has amended regulations to fix loopholes in the definition of proprietary food, under which approval had been sought for several nutraceutical and
health supplements as proprietary foods.
According to the FSSAI's new regulations uploaded on its website on January 25, proprietary food is now defined as "...an article of food that has not been standardised under these (Food Safety and Standards) regulations, but does not include any novel food, food for special dietary use, functional food, nutraceutical, health supplement and such other articles of food which the Central Government may notify in this behalf."
The regulations specify that "the Food Business Operator shall be fully responsible for the safety of the proprietary food."

 

"Proprietary food shall use only such additives as specified for the category to which the food belongs and such category shall be clearly mentioned on the label along with its name, nature and composition," according to the regulations known as the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Amendment Regulations, 2016.
"Nutraceuticals and food supplements will now have to be approved under the regulations for nutraceuticals," an FSSAI official said.
India's nutraceuticals market is estimated to cross $6.1 billion by 2020 from $2.8 billion, according to a study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India and market research firm RNCOS in August. Nutraceuticals can be classified as dietary supplements, including vitamins and minerals, and functional food and beverages such as those fortified with omega fatty acids and probiotics and energy and sports drinks.
Following the controversy over the regulator's ban of Nestle's Maggi instant noodles, which the Bombay High Court lifted in August, and the product approval process, which was quashed by the Supreme Court in the same month, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had said that the government plans to review and amend the Food Safety and Standards Rules, 2011.
The food regulator recently uploaded a list of 8,000 approved additives after setting new standards for them, the food categories in which they can be used and their permissible limits. It is also preparing new standards for product approval.

Ask Away: Street food safety

Samosas and pakoras, which are freshly deep fried in front of your eyes, are absolutely okay. 

I'm travelling to India later this year. I love Indian food, but am anxious to avoid gastro-dramas. I'm a meat-eater, but happy to go vegetarian for a spell if that's the safest thing. Any advice?
Sharon Cook
I asked Swamy Akuthota, an Indian food expert who founded Auckland's acclaimed Satya restaurants and has travelled extensively in India to research food.
He says the two problem areas are water-borne infections and viral infections.
To avoid the first, drink bottled water with tamper-proof lids from reputable stores.
Street food is generally safe if it's being cooked in front of you at high temperatures. "For example samosas and pakoras, which are freshly deep fried in front of your eyes, are absolutely okay," he says.
Cold mango lassis, which are freshly churned from full yoghurt trays are usually safe - go for disposable cups rather than glass, as the later may have been washed in stagnant water.
Fruit juice vendors squeeze from fresh fruit - and according to Akuthota, Indian fruits can have an intense flavour. Try a few until you find one that suits your palate.
Viral infections can be avoided by using a face mask in very crowded areas and using hand sanitiser before eating. "Try to eat at crowded popular outlets as the food standards are generally good and there is no stagnation of food," he says.
And yes, avoiding meat is a good idea.

DINAMANI NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

Ingredient-based approval for proprietary foods likely

In a bid to clear the confusion over definition of proprietary food items, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has come up with a new description on Monday. According to it, proprietary food items, prepared using standardised ingredients, are permitted for consumption. The new regulation is a step towards the global practice of ingredient-based product approval, which is in place in countries such as USA, UK and Singapore among others.

"Proprietary food shall contain only those ingredients other than additives which are either standardised in these regulations or permitted for use in the preparation of other standardised food under these regulations," FSSAI said in the notification. It, however, has retained the existing list of food additives to be used in proprietary foods.
According to Ashish Prasad, partner, Economy Law Practice, the definition of non-standardised foods in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 had much scope for clarification. "The recent definition is a balanced one which got rid of ambiguity. While, it clarifies the ingredients and additives to be used in proprietary foods, it also excludes novel and functional foods, nutraceutical and health supplements from its purview," he said.
Experts say the lack of a list of approved ingredients has led to confusion.
According to Gowree Gokhale, partner, Nishith Desai Associates, the global practice is to have two lists of approved ingredients, indicating permissible limits and labelling guidelines, and banned items. This would help cover all segments of the sector, she says. But in India, the product approval regime till recently pertained to final food products, not food ingredients and additives.
FSSAI is currently preparing a separate guideline for nutraceutical and novel food items which has now been separated from proprietary foods.

Implement new relaxed regulations, FSSAI tells state regulators

FSSAI says products for which standards have not been framed but have ingredients already approved by it, may not require any approval
New Delhi: In a bid to ease product approval system, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked all state food regulators to implement the new relaxed norms for those items wherein standards have not been laid down so far.
FSSAI had earlier this month said that products for which standards have not been framed but have ingredients and additives that are approved by the regulator, may not require any approval.
The FSSAI has laid down quality standards for 370 products. Its approval is a must for all other products, which are also known as proprietary food.
The notification, dated 12 January, was issued to amend the Food Safety and Standards Regulations. The central food safety regulator has issued a circular, dated 14 January, directing all the state food regulators to implement the new relaxed norms for product approval process.
In the notification, the regulator said, “Proprietary food shall contain only those ingredients other than additives which are either standardised in these regulations or permitted for use in the preparation of other standardized food under these regulations.”
The notification also adds that the proprietary food shall use only such additives as specified for the category to which the food belongs and it shall be clearly mentioned on the label. However, it has also been clarified that the food business operator shall be fully responsible for the safety of the proprietary food.
These new norms will not apply to novel food, food for special dietary use, functional food, nutraceutical and health supplement articles of food.

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY!!!

Implement new relaxed regulations: FSSAI to state regulators

New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) In a bid to ease product approval system, food safety watchdog FSSAI has asked all state food regulators to implement the new relaxed norms for those items wherein standards have not been laid down so far.
FSSAI had earlier this month said that products for which standards have not been framed but have ingredients and additives that are approved by the regulator, may not require any approval.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has laid down quality standards for 370 products. Its approval is a must for all other products, which are also known as Proprietary food.
The notification, dated January 12, was issued to amend the Food Safety and Standards Regulations.
The central food safety regulator has issued a circular, dated January 14, directing all the state food regulators to implement the new relaxed norms for product approval process.
In the notification, the regulator said: "Proprietary food shall contain only those ingredients other than additives which are either standardised in these Regulations or permitted for use in the preparation of other standardised food under these regulations."
The notification also adds that the proprietary food shall use only such additives as specified for the category to which the food belongs and it shall be clearly mentioned on the label.
However it has also been clarified that the food business operator shall be fully responsible for the safety of the proprietary food. These new norms will not apply to novel food, food for special dietary use, functional food, nutraceutical and health supplement articles of food.

For taking action against spice brand

Food Safety chief faced threat: Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson on Saturday said that there was tremendous pressure on Food Safety Commissioner T.V. Anupama after she had taken action against a certain spices brand on food adulteration charges. “She received direct threat after she took the bold step of testing and later banning some products of the brand. Her action provoked high-level intervention and even I came under pressure,” he said at the annual convention of the Kerala Management Association in response to a query from the audience as to why the government was not taking adequate steps to curb dangerous levels of pesticide residue in vegetables and provisions. Ms. Anupama told The Hindu that she had received eight threatening letters, some from a national forum in which most leading pesticide manufactures are members. “While some letters originated from anonymous sources, some were from this association. It wasn’t a big trouble, but there sure were attempts to put me under pressure… They had also filed a case in the High Court in which I was made to respond in my personal capacity. The case is still on,” she said.

New FSSAI rules bring welcome change

Approval yoke on proprietary foods goes, but ensuring safety is now food industry’s burden
Last year, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) hit the headlines for being at loggerheads with the food industry. The ‘product approval’ system of the FSSAI attracted the maximum criticism, till it was struck down by the Courts. As per the system, food business operators (FBOs) had to obtain prior approval for all non-standardised food products (only 377 food items were standardised) before dealing in them. FSSAI had also not spared those ‘proprietary foods’ which had a history of being consumed for a long time.
Although the Supreme Court struck down the FSSAI product approval system, the industry’s doubt that it could return persisted because it had been struck down primarily for not following the correct procedural route before promulgation. The provisions under the system had not been tested in the courts. So, industry feared that FSSAI might bring it back after following due procedural formalities. However, to the great relief of the food industry, FSSAI has now taken a more pragmatic approach. Two recent developments show that the food regulator has decided to adopt a more sensible and practical manner.
First, FSSAI notified the operationalisation of standards for food additives for use in various food categories. Earlier, under the Food Products (Standards and Additives) Regulation, 2011, a very limited number of additives were allowed to be used against certain categories of food items. This posed significant problems to the food industry as they were required to obtain product approval for almost all kinds of processed food items. Now, FSSAI has come up with a detailed list of additives allowed for different categories of food items. This automatically reduces the need for obtaining any product approval for a vast majority of food items.
Second, departing from its earlier stand, FSSAI has now specifically allowed the manufacture and sale of ‘proprietary food’. Section 22 of the FSS Act defines proprietary food to mean an article of food which is non-standardised, but safe. Section 22 prohibits the manufacture, distribution, sale or import of proprietary foods unless it is specifically provided for under the Act and the Regulations made thereunder. Till now , such foods were being manufactured and sold by virtue of Regulation 2.12 of the Food Products (Standards and Food Additives), which described proprietary food as non-standardised food which needed to conform to certain requirements. However, FSSAI had taken a view in the past that such foods were not to be allowed without product approval. Even after the product approval system was struck down, industry remained doubtful.
Now, Regulation 2.12 has been changed so as to allow the manufacture, sale, distribution or import of proprietary foods without product approval. As per the changed description of proprietary foods, it will be permissible to use all standardised ingredients as well as ingredients allowed to be used in standardised food items. Through this change, FSSAI has now allowed manufacturing and sale of a vast majority of proprietary foods without the requirement of any approval.
However, while doing so, FSSAI has also introduced two very important changes which a FBO has to bear in mind. First, FSSAI has shifted the burden of ensuring safety of proprietary foods on the FBOs. Until now, the approach of FSSAI was to first check the safety of the proprietary food item and allow its usage after it passed all tests. From now onwards, though the FBO is allowed to use different kinds of ingredients and additives, it will be responsible for checking and ensuring that the final food item is safe for consumption and does not have any adverse effect on the consumer. The second change is that the scope of proprietary food has been restricted by specifically excluding certain categories of food products like neutraceuticals, health supplements, food for special dietary uses, functional food and novel food. Therefore, a food item falling under any of these categories cannot be manufactured, sold, distributed or imported because of the bar imposed under Section 22. Therefore, the food industry units need to cross-check whether their products fall under any of the excluded categories.
There is no doubt that the changes brought by FSSAI, i.e., putting a detailed list of food additives allowed to be used and allowing usage of different kinds of ingredients for proprietary foods without product approval, are welcome steps and the industry would cheer for it. At the same time, the exclusion of certain food products from the category of proprietary foods must have been disappointing for certain sections of the food industry. However, a draft regulation dealing with these categories of food items was put in public domain a few months back for public consultation and it is expected that the concerns of the industry would be definitely taken care of when the final regulation is brought into force. Nevertheless, the food industry now needs to be very careful while dealing with proprietary food items, and must check whether the additional conditions put under the changed description are met or not.
The author is joint partner, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan. Views are personal

State ranks 2nd in food adulteration

Grim scenario

• Most food samplestaken from the state were found adulterated
• Adulteration is rampantas the Health Department doesn’t conductfrequent checks

Food adulteration the state is the second highest in the country. As per the Food Safety and Standards Authority in India, 1,458 food samples were found to be adulterated, unsafe and misbranded in the state. Uttar Pradesh with 4,119 failed food samples has the poorest record.
Health Department officials said except certain fruits, most food items in the state were found adulterated. Milk products, cheese, ghee, tea, bottled water, chillies, garlic, turmeric and black pepper are some of the food items that are usually found adulterated in the state.
Harmful chemicals are reportedly found in numerous food items and adulteration is rampant as the Health Department doesn’t conduct frequent checks.
“Shopkeepers too promote such products in a bid to make a killing,” said a Health Department official. He further said the highest percentage of milk samples fail in the state with the rate having doubled from 22 per cent to 44.3 per cent last year.
On Friday, the Bathinda police raided a factory that mixed fake ghee with desi ghee. Similar incidents have also been reported in other parts of the state. There are also reports of pulses and apples being coloured with harmful chemicals.
Commissioner of Food Safety, Hussan Lal, said the government had devised a mechanism wherein a person with a particular quantity of milk would be given a licence to sell. “Similarly, 50 designated food safety officers have been deployed across the state.
Soon, their number will be raised to 60,” he said. Lal further said they would focus on active surveillance to stop the sale and manufacture of adulterated food.

Seminar for entrepreneurs in food industry on Jan.30

CONCERT (Centre for Consumer Education, Research, Teaching, Training & Testing) and Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation will be organising a seminar on “Resource Efficiency” for small and medium enterprises on January 30. Time: 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. Venue: Hotel Raj Park, Alwarpet.
According to a press release, the programme is meant for entrepreneurs in food processing and beverages industries.
There will be sessions on understanding the basic principles of sustainable consumption and production; resource efficiency methodology specific to the industry; food safety regulations, licensing and registration, added the press note.
Officials from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will be handling the sessions.
For registration and other details, call 98412 26768 / 94442 53739.

Meat stalls to be monitored

The City Corporation and the district unit of Food Safety and Drug Administration have evolved a mechanism to constantly monitor hygiene in mutton, chicken and fish stalls, as instructed by the district administration.
Awareness programs are being conducted at zonal levels involving top-level officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration department, and sanitary inspectors to sensitise sellers to identifying apt locations for retail sale of meat, the ways to safeguard meat from contamination, hygienic disposal of wastes, keeping surroundings clean, self-hygiene, and other safety practices.
Mutton sellers have been told that the goats must be culled only at the Corporation Slaughter house, and advised to utilise utensils without rust for carrying the meat to the selling points. They were told about the ways to obtain licence for meat sale.
Safeguarding meat from contamination, hygienic disposal of wastes in focus

UT health department to launch mobile food testing laboratory in Feb

with the UT health department all set to launch a mobile food testing laboratory in February, the city residents will be able to get food samples tested in their sectors only. The laboratory will roam across the city, collecting samples and spreading awareness about common food adulterants.
The main aim of launching the mobile food testing lab is to check adulteration in milk and related products, ghee, spices, etc. Besides, experts will also make people aware about how to differentiate original food items from adulterants.
The lab will be equipped with automatic machines which will give instant results.
Sukhwinder Singh of the food safety cell said, “The mobile lab van will have an automatic machine for checking adulteration in milk and related products. After picking up a sample, the machine will tell within three-four minutes whether it’s adulterated or not. It will also find out the kinds of adulterant — like water, urea, detergent, etc.”
The adulteration in several other food items like curd, sugar, khoya, spices, pulses, etc can also be detected with the machine.
Citing a few common adulteration practices, Singh said, “Pulses can be polished with lead chromate, spices are adulterated with artificial colouring, starch is added in khoya, chalk powder in sugar and mineral oil in edible oil.”
The food safety officers will also educate public about common adulterants. “People will be taught to differentiate original from artificial like mixing dried payapa seeds with black pepper.”
Dr VK Gagneja, director health services, said, “The food testing lab service will be launched in February. It will move across the city to collect samples for testing. The van will be stationed in different sectors on selected days.”

3 teams to check samples of food to be served to VVIPs

According to the UT health department, teams from the food wing will check samples of the food items to be served to the VVIPs.
THE UT health department has deputed three food safety teams in view of French President Francois Hollande’s visit to the city on Sunday.
According to the UT health department, teams from the food wing will check samples of the food items to be served to the VVIPs.
A senior officer from the UT health department on Friday said that the food safety teams visited several places where Hollande and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit on Sunday afternoon.
“Our teams are already on the job and they are carrying out inspections,” said Dr Rajender Sharma, from Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16, who is involved in the food safety arrangements.
Dr Sharma said that the food department office situated at GMSH would remain open on Sunday due to the visit. “For the entire day, all the staff will be available at the office to meet any exigency,” he added.
A food official said that once the department received the final schedule about the visit on Saturday, the teams would be deputed to those particular places. “Sampling would be done before the food is served to them,” he said. “It is all part of the protocol which is being followed.”

JD(U) asks Nadda to stop lifting of ban on Khesari dal

JD(U) today opposed any decision to lift the 55-year-old ban on Khesari dal and sought Health Minister J P Nadda's intervention, alleging "vested interests" in central government and research organizations were behind the move.
Party general secretary K C Tyagi targeted Consumer Affairs Ministry headed by Ram Vilas Paswan for favouring lifting of ban on the pulse and claiming that it will help reduce pressure on pulses imports.
He also hit out at Agriculture Ministry headed by senior BJP leader from Bihar Radha Mohan Singh, accusing the government of resorting to this move due to "agriculture failure".
Paswan had on Thursday said,"I read in newspapers that three new varieties of Khesari dal have been developed. If these varieties prove to be fit for human consumption, I think its cultivation should be allowed. This will help reduce stress on pulses production and imports."
The Food Minister had also said he himself has eaten Khesari dal for 15 years and never had any health problems.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to come out with a draft notification to allow three variants of Khesari dal following a green signal from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Agriculture Ministry said on Thursday that the government was promoting cultivation of three drought-resistant new varieties of khesari dal, with low neurotoxin ODAP content, in traditional areas.
Tyagi, however, alleged the recent proposal has nothing to do with the extra pulse production and arranging protein for the poor but "there seems to be the vested interests of the Consumers Ministry and other so-called research organisations".
Holding that the lifting of the ban could be "injurious" to health, he also wanted that the matter should be discussed in the coming Parliamentary session.
"This is to bring to your notice that the Indian Council of Medical Research has proposed to lift ban on the Khesari dal, which was banned in the year 1961 by Jawaharlal Nehru government as its consumption was linked to a neurological disorder called latheism.
"This issue is much important as it is related to the health of the citizens. The lifting of the ban could again be injurious to health and will lead to paralysis of the lower parts of body and numbness in the limbs and spine," he said in the communication.
The JD(U) leader alleged that as the government has not succeeded in bringing up the production of pulses, the lifting of ban and introducing Khesari for public consumption is being used as "political tool to escape its agriculture failure".
"Such proposal, which affects public health directly, should never be taken into consideration by Government," he said alleging the government after "failing" to control prices of food commodities, now propose to allow cultivation of banned toxic Khesari dal in order to give cheap pulses to the poor.
He held that the proposal of the government will create a class differentiation. "Rich will consume Tur, arhar, moong and urad and the poor will restrict to Khesari only."
Tyagi told Nadda that being Health Minister, he should acknowledge "ill-effects" of Kheari dal and intervene into the matter. Tyagi urged him "not to give consent" to the draft notification for public consultations on the issue.
"This issue should not be dealt in a hurry and should be discussed in coming Parliament session," he said.

Now, areca tea hits the market

Dharmastala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade, on Friday, launched areca tea in the City. The beverage is developed by Nivedan Nempe, a postgraduate student in pharmacy.
The product, initially available in the State, will be launched nationwide in a span of two months. Speaking on the occasion, Nempe said the tea helps improve digestion and act against depression. The product has been certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and has also received the Make in India Excellence Award-2015.
Speaking on the occasion, Heggade said that farmers were becoming victims of fluctuations in the price of farm produce and the government should therefore ensure stable prices for agricultural produce.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Kimmane Ratnakar, opined that a suitable market should be provided for the product, which would otherwise vanish from the market.

DINAKARAN NEWS

No justification for lifting ban on khesari dal

The desperation is clearly visible. Unable to rein the prices of common man’s dal, the mere idea of allowing the cultivation of toxic khesari dal shows policy makers at a loss.
In a grim famine-like situation I would have still accepted it. But to use the high prevailing prices of pulses as a justification for lifting the ban of the harmful khesari dal hardly makes any sense, both scientifically as well as economically.
Khesari dal was banned in 1961. The ban was imposed after reports of spread of a disease lathyrism, a neurological disorder from eating khesari dal (botanical name: Lathyrus sativus) that leads to limping, was widely reported and diagnosed. According to New Scientist (Aug 23, 1984) — “the disease has two forms: latent and established. The latent form is characterised by mild back pain, an alteration in gait and difficulty in running. In just over half the cases, the disease goes no further. But in its established form, lathyrism leads to spastic paraplegia of the lower limbs; the fortunate sufferers can hobble on crutches; for others leg muscles give way completely and patients are reduced to crawling helplessly.”
Despite the ban, khesari dal is still grown in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It certainly has some positive traits — it is a drought resistant crop, very hardy, and has a shorter growing period.
Since it is cultivated in Bangladesh, reports of the dal being smuggled by traders have also appeared from time to time. Even local traders are known to mix it with arhar to make a fast buck. So when scientists at the Kanpur-based Indian Institute of Pulses Research claim they have developed three varieties – mahateora, rattan and prateek – which do not carry the water soluble, non-protein amino acid ODOP toxin, I wonder how will they ensure that these three varieties are not adulterated with the traditional legume grains that carry the toxin. Since it is practically impossible to ensure, why then willingly get into a problem we know we have no control over.
There are several studies showing detoxification of ODOP by certain processing techniques like roasting, soaking prior to boiling, treatment with tamarind water etc. Some studies indicate that frying in oil removes 72-100 per cent of ODOP. Still, I don’t think it will be advisable to promote khesari dal in the common man’s menu assuming that he/she would take the necessary precautions. It is therefore very important to know how and on what basis the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has accorded approval to the three varieties. After all, any discerning consumer would like to know the details so as to be convinced. Similarly, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) also need to hold rigorous trials and that too in public domain before any definite conclusion is arrived at.
There seems to be no justification in pushing for the revival of toxic khesari dal’s production in the garb of boosting domestic pulses production. In any case, even if the commercial trials for khesari dal are approved, it will be before several years before its production can make a significant addition to India’s production of pulses. This risk is certainly therefore not worth the effort. Instead of diverting attention to khesari dal, which has historically been found to be toxic for human health, the entire thrust should focus on increasing domestic production of pulses.
Boosting domestic production of pulses needs a two-pronged strategy. First, it is important to raise the import duties so as to stop the cheaper imports coming in. At the same time, I see no reason why India should not refrain from importing yellow peas, which is traditionally used as cattle feed in Canada, and selling it as an alternative to arhar. Putting a stop to imports must be accompanied by announcing a procurement policy that assures farmers that every grain of legume produced will be purchased by the government agencies. A high minimum support price (MSP) along with the promise of an assured procurement is the only mechanism to boost domestic production.
The government’s move to procure only 40,000 tonnes of pulses for the proposed buffer it intends to create is a flawed approach. Building up a buffer on assured procurement and leaving the rest of the farming communities to be exploited by the private trade is no incentive for production growth. Such a policy may enable the government to meet any eventuality arising from rising prices, but is fraught with dangers. Unless the availability of pulses in the market increases, and that it possible only if the total production goes up, the buffer will not be of any help in bringing down the prices.

Hotel Ashoka’s licence suspended for 3 days

Nagpur: Food and Drug administration has suspended licence of Hotel Ashoka for three days starting from February 6 to 8 on charges of uncleanliness found in various parts of the establishment during inspection and violation of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
During suspension period, licence holder of restaurant cannot produce, store, sale and distribute any food items. Further action under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 will be taken if violations are found in further period, the assistant commissioner (food) of Food and Drug administration department N R Wakode has stated in notice issued to the restaurant.
Food and Drug administration department took this action following complaint lodged by president of Anti-Adulteration Consumer Society Mohammad Shahed Shareef.
Following complaint of uncleanliness, food safety officer A D Raut had inspected restaurant on September 18, 2015. Shortcomings in 15 to 16 cases like filth in water tank, storage of raw material, vegetarian and non-vegetarian items together in deep freezer and others.
The rectification notice was sent to restaurant on September 21.
Review inspection was done on December 1, 2015. During this inspection, shortcoming found in earlier inspection were again found. Show cause notice was issued to the restaurant on December 3, 2015. In view of public health, the department took decision to suspend licence of the restaurant for three days.

Expiry dates on food items must

The government’s move to ensure that packaged food items display information about their expiry dates, and not labels like “Best Before’’, “Best if Used by’’, “Use by’’ or ‘’Sell by’’ is welcome, because it will remove a lot of confusion or misunderstanding about their use from the consumers’ minds. A large number of food items are sold with these labels and their meaning is not clear. Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan has said that the label “Best Before’’ would be replaced by expiry dates. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission had pointed out that these labels are confusing and demanded that the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) should examine the issues connected with labelling. Most manufacturers of food items do not give an expiry date but give a date before which they claim the items are best used. This is misleading.
These labels may at best be indicative of the qualities of a food item, like freshness, taste, consistency or nutritive value, but they do not indicate safety. They may give the impression that they can be used after the “Best by’’ date. But they do not say for how long they can be used after the given date. The manufacturer may actually be avoiding the responsibility for safety by not giving a clear date of expiry. It is also not known how these “Best by’’ dates are decided. It seems the manufacturers decide these dates themselves on the basis of criteria which others are not privy to. Manufacturers of the same items with the same date of manufacture may give different “Best by’’ dates. The prescription may be valid only if the food item is kept unopened or in climatic, temperature or other conditions assumed by the manufacturer. Many people get the impression that it is not bad to use an item after the date, though they may not get the best quality. On the other hand, if the item does not become unsafe or does not lose much value, throwing it away may amount to wastage.
It is best to avoid this confusion and prescribe an expiry date on the packets. But how would the expiry dates be decided for different kinds of food items manufactured in different ways? Can the decision be left to the
manufacturers, and what will be the role of the FSSAI, which is unable to discharge even its present responsibilities. A clear statement of the expiry date is needed to ensure safety and to give confidence to the consumer.

Rice, wheat to be fortified with iron, vitamins

FSAAI has approved norms for fortification for wheat flour, while it is in the process of doing so for rice
The government on Thursday announced that rice and wheat supplied from the central pool stocks might be fortified with iron and vitamins to reduce malnutrition.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSAAI) has already approved norms for fortification for wheat flour, while it is in the process of doing so for rice, food minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here on Thursday.
However, the proposed fortification plan is still a concept, which is being discussed at a committee of secretaries, sources said. There is plan to distribute fortified wheat in place of wheat if there was consumer demand, the sources said.
While the government plans to get the atta fortified by the millers, the fortification of rice will be done by FCI when paddy is milled, they said.
The government is yet to analyse the cost for fortification of 61 million tonnes of rice and wheat, which is the estimated annual requirement.

Avoid packaging of food items in newspapers

SRINAGAR, : Additional Commissioner, food safety Srinagar in a communiqué has advised people to avoid the packaging of food articles particularly hot fried items in newspapers because newspaper ink may contaminate food articles resulting into serious health complications. As in Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the use of synthetic Food Colours is restricted to certain beverages and bakery items. Strict action under relevant provisions of Food Safety & Standards Act 2006 shall be initiated against violators.

வேலூர் மாநகராட்சியில்தான் இந்த அவலம் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் தின்பண்டங்கள் கண்டுகொள்ளாத அதிகாரிகள்

வேலூர், ஜன.22:
வேலூர் மாந க ராட்சி பகு த தி க ளில் சுகா தா ர மற்ற முறை யில் விற் ப னை யா கும் தின் பண் டங் கள் குறித்து அதி கா ரி கள் கண் டு கொள் வ தில்லை என்ற குற் றச் சாட்டு எழுந் துள் ளது.
வேலூர் மாந க ராட் சி யில் வேலூர் புதிய பஸ் நி லை யம், பழைய பஸ் நி லை யம் மற் றும் சாலை யோர பகு தி க ளில் சிக் கன் பக் கோடா, முட்டை சேமியா, போண்டா, பானி பூரி, பேரீச் சம், பப் பாளி, தர் பூ சணி, அன் னா சி ப ழம் போன்ற உணவு பண் டங் கள் சாலை யோ ரங் க ளில் விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. இந்த பொருட் கள் அனைத் தும் சுகா தா ர மற்ற முறை யில் திறந் த நி லை யில் விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. இதில் சிக் கன் பக் கோடா கடை க ளில் தர மற்ற எண் ணெய் களை பயன் ப டுத் து வ தா க வும், முந் தை ய நாள் விற் ப னை யா காத இறைச் சியை குளிர் சா தன பெட் டி யில் வைத்து அடுத்த நாள் பொரித்து விற் பனை செய் வ தா க வும் புகார் எழுந் துள் ளது.
இப் படி விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டும் பொருட் க ளால் ஏற் ப டும் விளை வு களை அறி யாத பாமர மக் கள் அதனை வாங்கி உண்டு பல் வேறு நோய் க ளுக்கு ஆளா கின் ற னர்.
இதனை ஆய்வு செய் ய வேண் டிய சுகா தா ரத் துறை அதி கா ரி க ளும் கண் டு கொள் வதே இல்ைல என்ற குற் றச் சாட்டு எழுந் துள் ளது.
எனவே சாலை யோ ரக் க டை க ளில் சுகா தா ர மற்ற முறை யில் உணவு பொருட் கள் விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு வதை தடுத்து பெரிய கடை க ளில் விலை அதி க மாக விற் கும் கடை கள் மீது அதி கா ரி கள் உட னடி நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும் என் பதே பொது மக் க ளின் கோரிக் கை யாக உள் ளது.

Ram Vilas Paswan favours lifting ban on Khesari dal if found safe

NEW DELHI: Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today favoured lifting the ban on Khesari dal if found fit for human consumption, saying that allowing its cultivation will help reduce pressure on pulses imports.
The Khesari dal was banned in 1961 due to health reasons. Food safety regulator FSSAI has sought Health Ministry's approval to hold public consultation on approval of three varieties of Khesari dal -- Ratan, Prateek and Mahateara.
"I read in newspapers that three new varieties of Khesari dal have been developed. If these varieties prove to be fit for human consumption, I think its cultivation should be allowed. This will help reduce stress on pulses production and imports," Paswan told reporters here.
The Minister said he himself has eaten Khesari dal for 15 years and never had any health problems.
"Khesari dal tastes good and it can be grown easily with less expense. It is grown mainly in north India,"
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to come out with a draft notification to allow three variants of Khesari dal following a green signal from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
"Based on scientific evidence and details that are available from experts, we reached the conclusion that lathyrism occurs only when it is taken in very large quantity. There is no evidence of lathyrism occurring due to consumption of the dal in last 20 years, " FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar had said yesterday.
"So, we have asked the Health Ministry to approve a draft notification for public consultation on the matter," he had said.
India's pulses production has stagnated at around 17-18 million tonnes and the country has to import 4-5 million tonnes to meet the gap.

Australian honey is most contaminated in the world, research reveals

 

All but five Australian honeys that were tested had more contaminants than the European Food Safety Authority would consider safe.
Australian honey is the most contaminated in the world and contains cancer-causing toxins as a result of lenient food-safety standards, according to new research.
All but five Australian honey brands tested had more contaminants which would not be considered safe or tolerable in Europe.
Research published in the Food Additives and Contaminants scientific journal reveals the majority of honey sold by leading brands in Australian supermarkets have the highest level of this poisonous toxin.The research reveals the cancer-causing toxin is found naturally in plants and used to ward of insects.
This poison is known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA), which has liver damaging toxins that have serious health consequences for animals and humans when consumed in high quantities.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) have sent out a warning to anyone, including pregnant or breast feeding women, not to consume more than two tablespoons of honey a day and to avoid that made from the plant Paterson’s Curse.
FSANZ told Yahoo7 there is no way to remove the poison from honey, so the action they take is to lower it's count in honey by blending and diluting it.
"Currently there are no methods for removing PAs from honey and removing source plants is not feasible for many areas where apiaries are kept," a spokesperson said. 

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are reportedly at higher risk of organ damage from such toxins.
"Contaminants should be kept as low as achievable. Therefore, blending is the most practical way of reducing the levels of PAs to the lowest achievable."
According to other food authorities around the world, this blending is deemed as an unrealistic solution.
The European Food Safety Authority consider 0.0007 micrograms of PA per kilogram of body weight, per day a safe intake to be consuming.
Whereas Australia's standards restrict the recommended intake to 1 microgram.
Australian toxicologist, Dr John Edgar, claims eating these poisons “could be a significant cause of cancer”, Fairfax reported.
“Reducing the contamination in foods such as honey, teas, salads, flour, dairy and herbal products could result in a significant reduction in cancer cases worldwide.”
Although, PSANZ sent out a warning to not ingest Paterson’s Curse honey, the government agency told Yahoo7 the levels of PA found in Australian homes is unlikely to pose a health risk.
"For people who eat small amounts of honey, the levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids should not be a cause for concern," the spokesperson said, adding that the toxin in Australia has a lower toxicity than the standard used overseas.
"The predominant PA in Australian and New Zealand honey, echimidene, is of a lower toxicity than the PA used as a standard to set values by some authorities," a FANZ spokesperson said.
Dr Nadine Chapman, from the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney, researches Australian bees and says the industry is aware of the issue and are finding ways to mitigate it.
"To say that Australian honey is the most contaminated in the world is an exaggeration and it depends on the contaminant," she said.
"As Australia does not have the Varroa mite and a number of other pests and diseases, we use less chemicals to manage our bees; we also try to minimise exposure to pesticides.”
In regard to the outcomes of this expert, FSANZ said they will still "reconsider whether the setting of a tolerable daily intake is appropriate for PAs in Australian and New Zealand foods".

No food licences for defence canteens

Following requests from the Ministry of Defence, Union health ministry has exempted unit run canteens (URC) from the purview of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licensing.
Following requests from the Ministry of Defence, Union health ministry has exempted unit run canteens (URC) from the purview of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licensing.
Ministry of Defence asserted that these URCs in India are attached to the canteen stores department (CSD) depots which are licensed by FSSAI and follow all the requirements stipulated under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 (FSS) Act. URCs are attached to the CSD depots and function as a welfare measure for defence personnel. The miniscule profits earned by the URCs are also ploughed back for the welfare of the forces.
"Following various representations from the Ministry of Defence, we have decided to exempt the URCs from the purview of the FSSAI licensing subject to some conditions," said a senior FSSAI official.
FSSAI, under the health ministry, has exempted the URCs but has made it mandatory for CSD depots to ensure that all URCs under their respective control adhere to all the provisions of FSS Act rules and regulations. Also, all the URCs will display FSSAI license numbers.
"The CSD depots were willing to take responsibility of food safety in respect of the URCs attached to each of them. The CSD depots have already taken FSSAI licenses (34 area depots and one base depot) and all the URCs buy food articles only from these depots. And, stringent protocols are enforced to ensure safety of food articles in all canteen depots run by the defence services," the official said.

FSSAI seeks govts nod for consultation on lifting Khesari Dal

New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) Three variants of Khesari Dal, namely Ratan, Prateek and Mahateara, might be available in the market for consumption soon after decades of ban as the food regulator has sought the Health Ministrys approval to hold public consultation on the issue.
The dal was banned in 1961 as its consumption was linked to neurological disorder lathyrism, the paralysis of legs.
"Based on scientific evidence and details that are available from experts, we reached the conclusion that lathyrism occurs only when it is taken in very large quantity. There is no evidence of lathyrism occurring due to consumption of the dal in last 20 years," Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Pawan Kumar said.
"So, we have asked the Health Ministry to approve a draft notification for public consultation on the matter," he said.
"The consultation will be held for 60 days during which people can give their inputs and suggestions on the matter," he said.
The decision to lift ban on Khesari Dal came after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommended FSSAI that three variants of the dal are safe for use.
However, the Health Ministry officials said all food products contain some kind of toxic elements from the earth and their effect on human health depends on the usage.
They said Khesari Dal is a rich source of protein and contains little amount of toxins like any other food item.
"The toxicity level of the dal depends on its usage. The view held by the ministry is that Khesari dal is a rich source of protein and all foods will have some residues that come from the water and the soil. So that is not a major issue. The only question is whether the residual is more than what is permissible," a Ministry official said.
"It depends on what quantity one is eating. Earlier, people used to have it three times a day because of its affordability. In that case the toxicity level may go up. But now nobody takes it day-in and day-out," the Ministry official said. There is only one variety of the dal produced locally that has not been studied by ICMR. "Rest all that they have researched have been found to be normal and FSSAI has agreed to it," the official said.

55-Year-Old Ban On Cheap Dal Khesari May Be Lifted But Questions Remain

Experts say khesari dal once widely cultivated will be mixed with other dals and sold.Panna, Madhya Pradesh:
In the drought-hit district of Panna in Madhya Pradesh, khesari dal is the main source of nutrition for 20-year-old Jayanti Malik. Ms Malik's family owns five acres of land this year and has not sown anything except khesari Dal on almost a quarter of the land.
This is the only crop, they say, which can survive the harshest climates, ripens quickly and yields up to 500 kilos per acre. Despite these advantages, khesari was banned in 1961 because its consumption was linked to the neurological disorder lathyrism - which causes paralysis of legs.
Ms Malik told NDTV, "We consume khesari because it is a cheap source of protein and we don't have to do much to grow it. We are not aware that it is banned and have been growing it for years. So far, no one in our family has fallen ill after consuming it."
But, now it seems that the ban on the poor man's lentil may soon be lifted. In a reply to an RTI query, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research admitted that a research panel headed by India Council of Medical Research has proposed lifting the ban. In the new varieties of the dal, the toxicity is "negligible." The proposal is now being considered by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
Dr S Swaminathan, Director ICMR says, "When it is cooked, there will be negligible levels of toxins. Three varieties have been released. Research has been going on for at least six-seven years."
Research agencies feel the new varieties of the dal -- mahateora, ratan and prateek -- can reduce nutritional deficiencies in the poor. States like Madhya Pradesh are concerned because khesari is used for food adulteration. Agriculture expert and Activist Rakesh Deewan, who in the 70s even went to the Supreme Court to ensure effective implementation of the Ban on Khesari Dal, too says that lifting the ban will lead to khesari being mixed with more expensive dal varieties.
"The research panel says that the new varieties have negligible toxicity and not zero toxicity... The effect of the toxins cannot be felt immediately after consuming khesari but after some time," says Mr Deewan.

FSSAI directs state food safety commissioners to implement new norms on additives

NEW DELHI: The food regulator has directed all state food safety commissioners to implement the new standards for food additives notified by the regulator in December.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had uploaded a list of 8,000 approved additives, the food categories in which they can be used, and the permissible limit for them on its website on December 13, 2015.
"It is directed that the enforcement official in your state/UT be instructed to implement the said standards for food additives in various food categories," the FSSAI said in an internal communication to state food safety departments on January 14.
The regulator is preparing new rules for product approvals after an earlier advisory, which put it at loggerheads with the industry, was quashed by the Supreme Court for not having legal standing.
The FSSAI's proposed regulation may require product approval only if a new ingredient or additive, apart from the 8,000 specified earlier, is introduced in a food item. This norm, being followed in several developed nations, has been a long-standing demand of the Indian food industry.

DFCO inspects 799 establishments, 21 challaned for operating in unhygienic conditions

JAMMU, Jan 20: Drugs and Food Control Organization (DFCO) conducted inspections of 799 food establishments with an objective to ensure compliance with the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules and Regulations 2011.
The enforcement staff of DFCO also lifted 73 samples of milk and milk products, atta, oil cereals and sweets from the shops falling in the Municipal Limits of Jammu and the same were sent to Food Analyst Jammu for testing and analysis.
During the drive emphasis was laid to ensure proper/ acceptable levels of hygiene by the Food Business Operators. 21 food establishments were challaned for operating in unhygienic conditions.
The Adjudicating Officer (Additional Demo Commis-sioner, Jammu), realised Rs 1,90,000 from the defaulting Firms namely Fortune Inn Rivera, Lambar Da Dhaba, Spice Food Court, Professional Canteen, Amar Singh Club, Madan Lal Bansi Lal and Noorani Muslim Restaurant.
They were also served with improvement notices for upgrading their existing infrastructure/technology to meet the standards mandated under the new Food Law.
The Stake holders were impressed upon through the medium of a notice to adhere to the legal provisions and strive to meet growing public expectations.
The exercise was conducted by the Team of Food Safety Officers namely Hansraj, Jai Inder Singh, Dilip Singh, Ajay Khajuria under the supervision of Designated Officer, Municipal Limit Jammu (Assistant Controller Food) Sanjeev Kumar Gupta.

Seminar on food safety by Siegwerk

Siegwerk India is hosting a half-day seminar in association with Henkel in Delhi and Mumbai. The first seminar will take place in Delhi on 1 February 2015 and topic is ‘The Role of Flexible Packaging in Food Safety’ and in Mumbai on 3 February. The venue for the seminar in Delhi is hotel ITC Maurya.
According to Neelakamal Mohapatra of Siegwerk, “In India, the level of understanding of PS plus R concepts among the customers (printers) and end users are mostly in the developmental stage. While the European and US market are matured enough to handle the various upcoming and existing stringent food packaging regulations; the Asian market is far behind to meet the challenges of this changes. In Asia, depending on our business requirements, China is the most developed one. So the objective of this Seminar is twofold – one to educate the customers in terms of the necessity of these regulations and secondly the requirements derived from these regulations.”
The seminar will start in the evening of 1 February and the first topic will be on ‘Packaging safety compliance requirement for Flexible Packaging on Foods.’ Followed by topics on Food Packaging safety – How we at Siegwerk think about the topic; Understanding Food Safety and Global Regulations; Formulating Food safe inks; Food Safe Adhesives for Flexible Packaging; Food Safety – Flexible Packaging Manufacturers Perspective and panel discussion.
According to Siegwerk printers and converters dealing with flexible packaging business and end-users into NPH (Nutrition, Pharma and Hygiene) business must attend the seminar.
The seminar will be enlightened by speakers from Nestle, Siegwerk, Uflex and Henkel.

ASCI to probe celebrity endorsements of pan masala ads

The Delhi government recently asked Bollywood actors not to promote pan masala in ads
New Delhi: Advertising industry body the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) will investigate campaigns by pan masala brands featuring celebrities for violation of its code in the wake of the Delhi government asking stars such as Ajay Devgan and Shah Rukh Khan not to promote such items.
“Complaints against such advertisements have been received by ASCI and are being looked into. ASCI will approach the concerned advertisers to take necessary corrective action post decision by our consumer complaints council,” ASCI secretary general Shweta Purandare said in a statement.
She said while products such as pan masala and supari are not banned for sale or from advertising by law, “the ASCI code does not permit the use of celebrities in advertisements of products which by law require health warning on its pack or cannot be purchased or used by minors”.
On 18 January, the Delhi government had written to Bollywood actors including Ajay Devgan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Arbaaz Khan and Sunny Leone, asking them not to endorse pan masala products as they contain areca nuts, a potential cancer causing agent.
ASCI said it would investigate into the pan masala ads and ensure that there is no violations of its code of self-regulation. As per rules and regulation laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, statutory warnings are mandatory to be printed on the pack as well as for the ads, it added.
“It has been observed that large number of pan masala brands are in potential contravention of the advertising codes under ASCI’s chapter III,” it added.
Chapter III is to safeguard against indiscriminate use of advertising in situations or promotion of products which are regarded as hazardous or harmful to society, individuals, particularly minors. Moreover, its clause 2 also specifies that advertisements of products which, by law, either require a health warning in their ads or cannot be purchased by minors “should not feature personalities from the field of sports, music and cinema”. “It is important that the advertisers as well as celebrities are aware of this clause of ASCI code and sensitized to this issue so that they can advertise in a responsible manner,” said ASCI

Cancer-causing toxins found in Australian honey

Lenient food-safety standards are to blame, according to the Food Additives and Contaminants journal.
CANCER-causing toxins have been found in Australian honey as a result of lenient food-safety standards, research has shown.
Honey products readily available on supermarket shelves don’t meet international standards, the research published in the Food Additives and Contaminants journal says.
Products available in Australia can contain ingredients from harmful plants such as Paterson’s curse and fireweed if they are blended with other honey to dilute the toxins.
The European Food Safety Authority considers a safe intake of pyrrolizidine alkaloids to be 0.0007 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, per day.
But Australian standards recommend restricting intake to 1 microgram.
Experts say pregnant and breastfeeding women should be wary of the toxins.

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