May 31, 2016
Food licensing and registration deadline extended till Aug. 4 by FSSAI
Mumbai
The latest FSSAI deadline for licensing and registration of food business operators (FBOs) under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, that ended on May 4, 2016, has been given another three-month extension till August 4, 2016. The extension has been approved by the ministry of health and family welfare and a message in this regard was conveyed to FSSAI on Monday.
While speaking to FnB News, Rakesh Chandra Sharma, director (enforcement), Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), confirmed, “For the benefit of FBOs, once again the deadline for licensing and registration will be extended till August 4, 2016. The decision is taken and passed by ministry of health & family welfare.”
Explaining further, he stated, “We asked for time for the decision. The decision came from the health ministry, though due to some work, it was delayed.”
Meanwhile, a source from FSSAI, informed, “FBOs will be given extension for next three months. The official notification on the same would be notified by FSSAI in a couple of days.”
He added, “This will be the last chance given to FBOs to get registered or licensed.”
The decision came almost a month after the last deadline ended, as FSSAI was opposed to further extension but traders were demanding it.
Licensing and registration has remained a cause of concern for the food regulator ever since the implementation of FSSR, 2011, in the country. In spite of consistent efforts on the part of FSSAI and several extensions - the latest being seventh - most FBOs failed to comply. Out of 5 crore FBOs in the country, around 35 lakh have succeeded in obtaining licence or securing registration.
Food 'cops' raid Moreish firm
Patna: The food safety wing of the state health department on Monday collected samples of bread from Moreish Foods Limited's unit at Jagdeopath to check the presence of Potassium bromate and Potassium iodate in its products. The samples of cakes and 'maida' have also been collected and sent to the food safety lab in Kolkata.
Incidentally, the Centre for Science Studies recently came out with a study saying some bread samples contained both these chemicals which are carcinogenic (causing cancer).
The officials also confiscated pan masala, gutka, zarda and other smokeless tobacco products worth Rs30,000 from three shops in Phulwarisharif on Monday.
The department has not yet given its go-ahead to 'Dosa Plaza' to operate its joint at Biscomaun building. In the raid conducted on Sunday, the joint could not produce the mandatory food licence. "The manager claimed that he did posses the certificate, but was not available with him at the time of the raid. So, we ordered him to close the shop till he showed the licence or get it from the department concerned," an official said.
The officials were shocked to see one of the cooks in Rajasthan Hotel at Fraser Road having a wound. "The fungi on the wound was clearly visible during the raid," said an official. The hotel has also been asked to close its kitchen till it satisfies the standard requirements. Turmeric, flour and other food samples were collected from the hotel for investigation.
The kitchen of Pal Hotel on Budh Marg was also shut for its "unhygienic condition". The officials said the hotel had been asked to rectify and submit an application for fresh inspection to the department. If the department is satisfied, the kitchen would be given green signal to function. Samples of paneer, noodles and a few other items were also collected and sent for lab test.
The raiding team had four officials, including food safety officer Mukesh Kashyap and food safety inspector Sudama Chaudhary.
Ban on packaged drinking water worries hoteliers
Safety concerns:Along with the clampdown on packaged drinking water in restaurants, supply of mineral water in bottles at functions will also be banned.
Customers prefer mineral water to boiled water,they say
Among the decisions that the city Corporation took on Friday to control plastic waste in the city is one which could cause some worry to restaurateurs. The civic body has banned the serving of packaged drinking water at hotels and marriage halls from July 1. According to many hoteliers in the city, a considerable number of customers these days choose mineral water ahead of boiled water. “We ask our guests whether they prefer boiled water or mineral water. But, more often than not, they prefer packaged mineral water. Some customers even check whether the bottle has the food safety authority’s tag and the ISI mark. But if such a rule solves the plastic garbage issue, then we will follow it strictly,” says Antony, Manager of Flavors Restaurant, Vazhuthacaud.
In places like Kovalam, many of the restaurants serve their guests only mineral water. “The restaurants in Kovalam are not being provided with even a proper water connection. We usually buy water cans from outside or get filtered drinking water. All foreign tourists ask for mineral water only. They are not ready to take the ‘risk’ of drinking water which is not packaged. Also, in our climatic conditions, everyone prefers chilled water. We do give boiled water to those who ask for it, but with warnings,” says Ashokan, manager of German Bakery in Kovalam.
The pile-up of mineral water bottles in canals and drains, which block the flow of water and the large number of bottles found in other public places, had prompted the civic body to go for this drastic step. In recent times, half litre bottles of mineral water have been used widely various functions. These will henceforth be banned.
Bread-makers start using stickers, safety-labels on packs
FSSAI yet to come out with notification for removing potassium bromate as additive
NEW DELHI, MAY 30:
Bread-manufacturers are going all out to convince consumers about the safety of their products with clear labelling and stickers proclaiming that their breads are potassium bromate-free, even though the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is yet to bring out a notification for removing it from the list of permissible food additives.
CSE report effect
The move by the All India Bread Manufacturers Association (AIBMA) follows a recent report by the Centre for Science and Environment claiming to have found carcinogenic chemicals in samples of bread and bakery products in the Delhi-National Capital Region Bread makers last week decided to stop using potassium bromate.
A food additive, potassium bromate is used to bind the dough and make it whiter.
AIBMA officials said after taking a decision to voluntarily stop using bromate, its members have now decided to put labels and stickers to disclose ingredient information to consumers.
Many pan-India players have already started selling bread with printed labels on their packaging, saying “this bread is bromate-free.”
Some other smaller players have started putting stickers till the time they come out with new packaging.
Special permission
AIBMA officials said they had got special permission from the FSSAI for using tickers on bread packs to inform consumers.
Ramesh Mago, President, All India Bread Manufacturers Association and MD of Kitty Industries, said: “Some players were already not putting potassium bromate in their breads. Other members of the association, who were using it, have stopped doing so. We do not directly purchase potassium bromate, it is the bread improving agents that may come with potassium bromate, and members are working on changing that now.”
He said in the next 7-10 days, he expects even smaller players to use potassium bromate-free bread improving agents. “As an association, our members have also taken a decision to put in clear labelling to clear the confusion in the consumer’s mind,” Mago said.
Impact on sales
While some industry players said bread sales had dipped 15-20 per cent following safety concerns, some others said the drop in sales was not significant any more.
Voluntary decision
HK Batra, MD, Perfect Bread and former President of AIBMA, said: “We asked for permission to put stickers and do black marking or cutting on labels, as smaller players may take time to change the packaging. Some varieties have longer shelf life, so we have got permission to use stickers for the next six months. Overall, players have started implementing the voluntary decision we took of not putting potassium bromate in bread.”
Who needs bread?
The readily available go-to staple was never really a healthy choice. Try these recipes for wholesome sandwiches and burgers that don’t require bread
Let’s admit it: Many of us live on bread, almost. It’s our go-to food when we don’t feel like cooking, are tired or when the kitchen is low on groceries. While buying, we ensure it is the healthy brown variety, and not white, and that it’s not past its best-before date. But do we really check beyond that?
A recent study did. Last week, Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a study that said all types of bread—white, brown, multigrain, wholewheat, even pavs, buns and pizza breads—that are sold at retail shops, bakeries and outlets in Delhi contained carcinogenic chemicals. Carcinogenic chemicals are responsible for causing cancer and some can also lead to thyroid disorders.
The CSE study found potassium bromate and potassium iodate in 84% of bread and bakery samples collected from the city. “These oxidizing agents are banned by many countries, including the UK and the European Union. But India continues to use them as flour treatment agents (the chemicals make bread fluffy, soft and give it a good finish),” says Amit Khurana, programme manager (food safety and toxicity) at CSE.
Following the study, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the regulator, immediately announced the decision to ban the use of the two chemicals. On 27 May, the All India Bread Manufacturers’ Association, which represents over 90 organized bread manufacturers, announced its decision to voluntarily stop using potassium bromate and potassium iodate as additives in bread from that very day. “There are several FSSAI-approved alternatives like ascorbic acid, enzymes and emulsifiers,” says Khurana, who was part of the study. He adds, “There’s insignificant difference in terms of cost for the manufacturers when they change additives, so they should have no problem shifting to healthier options.”
Ritika Samaddar, chief dietitian at the Max hospital in Saket, New Delhi, believes it is better to avoid bread, or make it at home. “Bread really is at the bottom in the health food chart. Whether it is white, brown or wholewheat bread, harmful additives or not, each slice is high in carbohydrates and sugar. It might be a source of fibre, but in that context our roti is a hundred times better,” she says, adding: “When made at home, we are able to monitor the whole flour percentage and the kind of additives (yeast is the best bet).”
A cucumber bread sandwich contains 120 calories (one slice of white bread has 75 calories, brown, 73, and multigrain, 69), the same amount as one paratha, says Niyati Likhite, dietitian at the Fortis Hospital in Kalyan, Mumbai. “While the calories are the same, a bread sandwich is a high source of trans fat and sugar, which is not the case with paratha made with the good-fat ghee (clarified butter),” she says.
But won’t life be more difficult without eating the good-old lettuce bread sandwich at 4pm, when you are already trying hard not to eat a samosa or a patty in the office canteen? “There are a number of ways to make sandwiches sans bread. You can use protein-rich tofu, which is 100 times healthier than paneer, sweet potato, which offers healthy carbs, fibre-rich cucumber, even mushroom, which is one of the few readily available sources of vitamin D,” says Samaddar.
May 30, 2016
100 litres of adulterated tomato sauce thrown in gutters by FSDA
AGRA: More than 100 litres of pungent smelling tomato sauce was thrown in gutters by team of Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) on Monday in Kheragarh, Agra district.
A team lead by designated officer Ramnaresh Yadav of district food safety department along with junior colleagues conducted surprise raid at a godown owned by Manoj Kumar and found large quantity of adulterated sauce which was about to be dispatched in retail market of Agra city.
Kheragarh is a hub of huge market for adulterated food items. It is a stronghold of the 'milk mafia' and now it's turning out to be major supplier of adulterated food items in Agra, Etah, Mathura and other nearby districts.
Speaking to TOI, Ramnaresh Yadav said, "We got an input about adulterated sauce been ready to transfer in city to be served in various restaurants. We found more than 100 litres of pungent smelling sour tomato sauce, which was store in big canisters."
"We have taken a sample of sauce and send for laboratory examination, while the rest was thrown in gutter. We will book Manoj Kumar, once the laboratory sends its scientific report of adulteration," he added.
On anonymity a source of FSDA claimed, that sauce served with fast food in scores of restaurants in city and on street food corner are adulterated and should not be consumed, as they chemical used in making synthetic sauce can cause even cancer.
On suspicion of adulteration, the FSDA team also collected sample of mustard oil from a grocery store, owned by Ved Prakash in Kheragarh.
‘Artificial ripening agents can be dangerous to health’
Artificial ripening agents, such as calcium carbide, used on fruits can cause serious health problems, said Anil Kumar Anadure, chemistry expert and principal of the B.V.B College.
He was speaking at a workshop on “Post harvest management and ripening of mango” organised at the College of Horticulture here in Bidar on Monday.
The artificial ripening agents contain hydrides of arsenic and phosphorus that can cause cardiac problems, besides damaging the reproductive health of women, he said.
S. Devendra, district food safety and standards officer, spoke about the legal implications of such adulteration. He said artificial ripening using banned substances could attract a jail term of six months to six years and a fine of Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh. He also spoke about how some traders were making false claims that these chemicals extended the shelf life of fruits.
S.S. Baragimath, deputy director of horticulture, said the department provided incentives to fruit farmers who could set up ripening chambers in their backyard. He also said that the state government had instructed officials to initiate action against traders, stockists or farmers, who were found using such ingredients in the post harvest process or sale.
Programme coordinator and post harvest technologist from CoH Tippanna K.S. demonstrated various cost-effective methods to ripen fruits, including use of ethylene gas.
M. S Lokesh, dean of the college, and others interacted with around 60 fruit sellers and farmers who participated.
FDA warns to suspend CP Club’s food licence
FOOD and Drugs Administration (FDA), Nagpur Division has issued notice to Central Provinces (CP) Club, one of the most recognised clubs in city, with a warning of suspension of its food licence from June 21 to July 5.
FDA officials found clear discrepancies during two inspections of the Club, on November 17, 2015 and May 18, 2016 and no efforts on part of the Club caterer to take corrective measures.
Talking to ‘The Hitavada’, Shivaji Desai, Joint Commissioner (Food) said, “Even after the two inspections of the CP Club the management of CP Club had taken no action to take corrective measures to clear discrepancies.
“During the two inspections, FDA found that there were violations of schedule 4 of Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006, rules 2011 and regulations 2011. The condition of kitchen was extremely unhygienic, there was no pest control, the water tank was not cleaned, there was no proper place for storage of vegetables, non-veg items,” he said.
FDA has sent a notice to CP Club to suspend its licence with effect from June 21 to July 5.
Joint Commissioner (Food) NR Wakode said, “The first inspection was done by Food Safety Officer (FSO) AD Raut on November 17. He found violation of several rules of FSSA Act, hence he gave oral warning to improve the conditions by November 21. Again when he visited the Club on November 21, no action was taken by ‘The Bakers’, the catering company employed by the Club.” Raut said the caterer had assured to improve the conditions within six months. When the department received another complaint from a member FSO Raut visited the Club on May 18 and found no improvement in the conditions of the kitchen premises. “When the party did not improve after second inspection, FDA had no alternative than to issue a notice on May 20 to suspend its licence,” Raut said. The date of suspension of licence has been fixed according to provisions of FSSA Act. The act gives a time of one month to the party to go in appeal with higher authorities. Wakode mentioned that FDA conducted the inspection under Schedule 4 of FSSA Act 2006. He warned of more such inspections on food business operators and promised action against those found violating rules.
Do You Know What Your Chewing Gum Contains?
Do you know that every time you're popping your favorite chewing gum in your mouth, you could actually be chewing a secretion from sheep's wool? Yes, that's right! It has been found that chewing gum contains lanolin, which is a waxy secretion from the sebaceous glands of the skin of sheep. Its function is to make sheep's wool waterproof. For this reason, lanolin is generally used as an ingredient in skin products, which is fine. But is it alright to consume it? Lanolin is present as a component of chewing gum base (the rubbery substance that imparts the "chewable" characteristic to chewing gum), which is regarded as standardized and so manufacturers do not need to reveal its individual ingredients. Therefore, the innocent-looking chewing gum might not be as innocuous as you thought!
What Goes into Making a Chewing Gum?
Chewing gum is typically composed of Gum Base, Softeners, Sweetenersand Flavors. These are briefly discussed below.
Gum Base: As indicated above, the gum base is rubbery in nature, and used to be derived from latex sap (called chicle) of the sapodilla tree. Other natural sources include gum Arabic, natural resin, food grade agar, Chiku,Ghatti, Jhingan, Khair etc.
However, these days, with the advent of rubber synthesis technology,synthetic rubber is primarily used for making the gum base. These include:
- Synthetic resin
- Polyvinyl acetate
- Polyethylene
- Glycerol esters of wood resin/gum resin
- Glycerol esters of partially hydrogenated wood/gum resin
As has been indicated above, there are many components of gum base (besides lanolin) that remain unknown to the consumer, since the manufacturers have no intention to declare them, in the absence of any strict regulations forcing them to do so.
Softeners: As the name suggests, the primary function of this component is to maintain a "soft" consistency of the gum so that it is appealing to the consumers. This component helps to retain moisture and prevents the gum from hardening. The most common softeners are glycerin and vegetable oil.
Sweeteners: As you have probably guessed, the most common sweetener is sugar. Sometimes, corn syrup is also used. For the health conscious, the following artificial sweeteners are also used:
- Saccharin sodium
- Sorbitol
- Mannitol
- Xylitol
- Maltitol
- Aspartame (methyl ester)
- Acesulfame potassium
- Sucralose
What are the Various Varieties of Chewing Gums?
Chewing gums come in a variety of shapes & sizes, attractive wrappers, flavors (already discussed) and a number of novel functions. Some chewing gums are advertised to impart a white sheen to the teeth (Orbit Whitening) or for giving kids some fun e.g. Bubble Gums (Hubba Bubba, Super Bazooka etc.). Other varieties have medical functions, and contain drugsimpregnated in them. These include the following:
The major international agency on food safety and standards is the Codex Alimentarius, which has fixed the maximum levels (in mg/kg) of various food additives in chewing gum. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the apex food regulatory authority in India has fixed the chemical composition and maximal levels (in ppm) of the various food additives in chewing gum/bubble gum.
Are there any Health Hazards from Chewing Gums?
Yes there are! There are a number of health hazards that consumers should be aware of.
Chewing Gum Can Trigger Temporo-Mandibular Joint Disorder (TMD): The temporo-mandibular joint is the joint that connects the jaw bone (mandible) with the temporal bone of the skull. Excessive chewing can cause differential contraction of the muscles, particularly if you chew more with one side of the mouth as opposed to the other. This can trigger TMD, which causes chronic pain, tightening and inflammation of the jaw muscles, ear aches, tooth aches, as well as migraine-type headaches.
Chewing Gum Can Cause Gastrointestinal Problems: Chewing gum increases the air intake into the gastro-intestinal (GI) tract, which can cause abdominal cramps and bloating. It can also aggravate the condition in patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Peppermint flavored chewing gum can cause gastric acid reflux. Also, popping a chewing gum into the mouth immediately causes the brain to send signals to the digestive system to be prepared to expect food intake. As a result, saliva and other gastric juices, including gastric acid starts to be secreted. Since, there is no intake of food, this actually may compromise your ability to digest food due to lack of digestive juices, when you actually consume food. This can cause indigestion. Some chewing gums sweetened with artificial sweeteners can cause diarrhea.
Chewing Gum Can Cause Tooth Decay: Consumption of chewing gum sweetened with sugar essentially coats your teeth with sugar, which leads to tooth decay. Besides tooth decay, dental erosion can also occur. Dental erosion occurs by cumulative decalcification, which slowly erodes the teeth. This can occur even in the presence of artificial sweeteners, since they contain acidic flavorings and preservatives that can erode the teeth, in spite of the presence of xylitol that fights cavities.
Chewing Gum Can Release Mercury from Dental Fillings:Amalgamated dental fillings typically contain silver, mercury and tin. Chewing releases mercury vapors from the fillings, which can be rapidly absorbed into the blood. Although the amount of mercury is minute, you wouldn't want to contaminate your system with mercury, however small.
The foregoing discussion highlights the composition, varieties and health hazards of chewing gums. Although the damaging effects of chewing gums have been highlighted, it may be added that chewing a piece of gum after a meal, once in a while, helps release saliva that keep your teeth clean and the flavor can add freshness to the breath. Just don't make it a habit.
About Dr. Saurabh Arora
A dynamic professional with doctorate in pharmaceutics from Jamia Hamdard University and post graduate in the same field from NIPER, Dr. Saurabh Arora has invented a patented nano technology based delivery system for curcumin, the active constituent of Haldi. He has a number of national and international research publications and patents to his credits. He is a member of the Indian Pharmaceutical Association.
Heading the testing laboratory and research business at Arbro and Auriga for close to 10 years, he has designed and setup 4 state of the art testing laboratories in New Delhi, Baddi and Bangalore. Dr. Saurabh Arora leads a team of over 250 scientists and professionals in 4 laboratories which serve more than 10,000 customers each year from the food, retail, hospitality, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, agri, medical device, research, academics and real-estate industries.
He has also established Food Safety Helpline, a one stop solution for the people in the food industry to stay up-to-date, understand and implement the requirements of the Food Safety and Standards Act and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The site has a simple objective to help food businesses understand and comply with the requirements of this new and rapidly evolving food law which has been put in place to provide safe and hygienic food to all the citizens of India.
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
They Kill The Insects, But What Are They Doing To You?
Every kid has heard his or her mom order them to eat their vegetables (as a vegetarian, it was either that or nothing for me!). Even in school, we were taught that vegetables are an important source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. Of course, all of this is true, but what else are we eating ALONG with the veggies? Let me enlighten you: The pesticides and insecticides that are routinely sprayed on them to keep them from being destroyed. These chemicals have definitely reduced the amount of crops lost, but at what cost?
There is now overwhelming evidence that some chemical pesticides pose a risk to human life.
The pesticide residue problem is a serious food safety issue in India. A 2009 study on the benefits and hazards of pesticides noted that India is the world's twelfth largest pesticide manufacturer. The study went on to point out that there is now overwhelming evidence that some chemical pesticides pose a risk to human life. A 2013 study on pesticide residues in vegetables in the Andaman Islands found that 34% of the samples collected tested positive for pesticide residue. A 2007 studypointed out the potential side effects of a large number of pesticides. These include chronic liver damage, reproductive disorders, cancer and foetal development issues. While some pesticides have been banned, or have had their use restricted, a fair number are yet to be regulated.
Pesticides don't just enter our bodies through food. They also seep into groundwater and contaminate sources of drinking water. One survey, conducted on water extracted from hand pumps and wells around Bhopal, found that 58% of the samples were contaminated with organochlorine pesticides. A 2015 study on contamination of the Kaveri river detected the presence of DDT, endosulfan, among other organochlorine pesticides. India banned the use of DDT in agriculture way back in 1989. Once groundwater has been contaminated, it may take years for it to dissipate. In some cases, cleanup may be impossible.
One survey, conducted on water extracted from hand pumps and wells around Bhopal, found that 58% of the samples were contaminated with organochlorine pesticides.
Apart from the contamination issue, pesticides in water bodies also end up in fish. This is also a food safety issue. A 2006 study on the presence of organochlorine pesticides in fish collected from the Calicut region of Kerala did detect the presence of these pesticides in the fish. The concentrations of the chemicals were below the permissible limits, which may be fine for occasional consumption. The problem is that people eat these fish regularly, over a span of several decades.
Pesticide contamination/poisoning is definitely a big food safety issue. The easiest solution would obviously be to eat organic food, i.e., crops grown without pesticides. Unfortunately, organic food is prohibitively expensive. Just take a look at the price tag on these products the next time you're vegetable shopping. Educating farmers and encouraging them to reduce the use of chemical pesticides would definitely be a step in the right direction. The more organic farms there are, the cheaper the organic food. Education is a long-term solution, though. A shorter term solution could be to provide farmers with safe, or at least safer, pesticides and insecticides at a subsidized rate. The key is to start now!
Eat healthy, stay safe.
Why Steel Silos For Wheat Storage
Steel silos not only have a high storage capacity but are also easy to aerate and hence maintain the quality of grains
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution together with the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and various other ministries have assigned the mandate to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to come up with standards for fortification of food grains such as wheat flour and rice which will add to the nutrient value of food intake. This in turn will help improve the health of nation.
“The Government has urged the industry to participate in recently floated tender process for construction of steel silos with capacity of 1.3 million tonnes (MT) of wheat storage,” said Mr. Subhasish Panda, joint secretary, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
He was speaking at the inaugural function of a summit on Food grains storage in India: Technology option for upgradation organized by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
“We are happy that the industry is working in sync with the Government and has accepted the public private partnership mode for the development process. We have signed agreements with a number of private companies for construction of steel silos for wheat storage,” he added.
It must be mentioned here that steel silos for wheat storage is a widely accepted technology. It is easier to make a steel silo, and since all parts of a steel silo are made in a factory the quality control can be done. Further, steel silos not only have a high storage capacity but are also easy to aerate and hence maintain the quality of grains.
“We are certainly not looking at creating more space but upgrading the existing spaces. Steel silos will replace all those godowns that are in end-of-life situation,” said Panda.
Regarding rice he said that its bulk storage is a tricky task. “But we are working on the technology that can be adopted for rice storage. Rice needs a lot of temperature control, and its long storage is difficult since rice tends to break under its own weight,” he said.
The government is monitoring each and every aspect of the food supply chain, particularly issues related to food grains; their storage and transportation and state of the fair price shops that distribute the grains to the beneficiaries. Soon the operations of all the Fair Price Shops will be automated so that the benefits reach the target group and only genuine people are helped.
“We are trying to bring in technology at these locations that are specific to transportation from the FCI (Food Corporation of India) godowns to the state governments and fair price shops,” said Mr. Panda.
Allaying the fears regarding the shortage of foodgrains and storage capacity, Panda stated that at any given point of time the Government has more than 80 million metric tonnes (MMT) of storage and there is a peak of 60 MMT of food grains that are stored in the capacity all over the country.
“We are working on different components of the entire food chain; at the field, farmer and procurement of food grains, and also seeking the help of various state governments in procurement of grains so that a buffer stock can be build and food security issues can be efficiently addressed,” he said.
“Information technology is being used to benefit the farmers. A central database of the amount of procurement taking place has been prepared, IT is also used to facilitate the payments to be made to the farmers so that they are encouraged to go in for higher production in the next year,” added Panda.
EXCLUSIVE: India's food regulator caught napping
What's FSSAI
- Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is the country's food regulator
- It draws its power from Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006
What's wrong with it
- It is hardly doing its job
- Reaction to a note by a legal advisor is shocking
More in the story
- How FSSAI has been abdicating responsibility
- Just how vulnerable does that make us all
A strange note was written last December. Strange, but important as it has revealed how callous India's food regulator is.
The note talked about how food could become a tool for bioterrorism. It was written to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) by one of its legal advisors.
It all started with a case filed in Delhi High Court by Hyderabad Duty Free Retail Ltd (HDFRL), challenging national food regulator's authority to oversee food and beverage being sold at the country's international airports.
HDFRL's argument: FSSAI had no jurisdiction over imported food sold in airports.
The counterargument: Giving up FSSAI's duty to check food coming into the country will give rise to diseases due to consumption of products that were counterfeit or past their sell by date.
But not that alone. For the first time, perhaps, someone underscored the "capability of food as a tool for bioterrorism".
According to the legal advisor's note: "All imported food items should be looked at with a comprehensive view of the safety of the citizens of India." It urged that FSSAI asserts its right to regulate and check all food being imported in the country, including what's sold at duty-free shops at airports.
The thrust of the legal consultant's argument was that terrorists would have a field day if food coming in the country wasn't regulated or checked for safety. They wouldn't have to take the traditional route of assembling bombs, conducting recce, looking for recruits and arranging logistics.
Enemies of India can just garnish imported food with Bacillus Anthracis (that causes anthrax) or spray it with a bacterium called Clostridium Botulinum, which causes the muscle-paralysing botulism.
India has been importing record quantities - millions of tonnes - of wheat, rice, maize, apart from regularly buying pulses, sugar and sugar confectionery, tea, coffee, spices, dried fruits, edible oil, vegetables, dairy products and cereals from neighbouring countries.
Quoting a report compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, USA, the 11-page legal note to FSSAI talked about the dangerous epidemics and diseases that people in India might be exposed to, if appropriate measures were not taken.
The note went on to list causes, effects and prevention of diseases like brucellosis, pneumonic plague, smallpox and tularemia and could spread by contaminated food.
FSSAI'S REACTION
"A very interesting and informative treatise which has little or no relevance to the case at hand...We have to address issues of food safety, not of bio terrorism or disease control... which in any case will operate outside the confines of the legal system of the country... The measures adopted by us have to be no more restrictive of trade than is required... I reiterate my directions... that we should not contest this matter any further," FSSAI Chairperson Ashish Bahuguna wrote in an internal note.
Remember, this body is responsible for regulating all food in India, except the produce of the country's farmers and fishermen. Its jurisdiction is covers "the whole of India," according to the Section 1 (2) of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.
The 'trade-friendly' attitude is not towards airport shops alone. Documents available with Catch show how FSSAI has gradually weakened food regulation and quality check at 125 of India's 200 big and small ports.
The food regulator, through an order on 29 March, delegated the responsibilities of food safety officers to those in the Customs department.
The task requires specialised qualification to check imported packages for necessary labels, take their samples and analyse their reports. How qualified Customs officials are to carry out such task is anybody's guess.
According to FSSA, the act governing FSSAI, a very specific procedure has been put in place to check food that is imported into India.
According Paragraph 47 of the Act: "In case of imported articles of food, the authorised officer of the Food Authority shall take its sample and send to the Food Analyst of notified laboratory for analysis who shall send the report within a period of five days to the authorised officer."
A Food Safety Officer is the designated officer to check labels on imported food and take samples for testing.
Food Safety and Standards Rule, 2011, the rulebook for FSSAI, states that such an officer "shall be a whole time officer and shall, on the date on which he is so appointed possesses the following:
(i) a degree in Food Technology or Dairy Technology or Biotechnology or Oil Technology or Agricultural Science or Veterinary Sciences or Bio-Chemistry or Microbiology or Masters Degree in Chemistry or degree in medicine from a recognised University, or
(ii) any other equivalent/recognised qualification notified by the Central Government, and
(iii) has successfully completed training as specified by the Food Authority in a recognised institute or Institution approved for the purpose."
But the March 29 FSSAI order changes all that. It says: "The superintendent/ appraiser/ inspector/ examiner of the concerned port mentioned in the list enclosed hereby is hereby notified as the Authorised Officer for the jurisdiction mentioned against each port for imported food clearance from the date of order till further orders."
Ports (both by the sea and inland) in Bangalore, Surat, Ahmedabad, Rewari, Panipat, Mundra, Jaipur, Indore, Puducherry Dawaki, Agartala and Attari were among those notified in the list.
Recently, a blunder by the Customs department in checking and sampling imported food was brought before the Delhi High Court: A food distributor imported 'energy gels and energy chews' and got a clearance.
But it was found out that the importer affixed those labels while the package was in Customs custody. Customs officials had no explanation for the blunder.
The court rapped both the Customs and FSSAI, which argued that food products such as energy gels and bars, called proprietary foods, were not in its ambit.
In its 23 May judgment, the High Court ruled that regulating proprietary foods was the responsibility of FSSAI and delegated the responsibility of regulating and checking samples of imported food back to it.
It asked Customs to not give any clearance to imported food until FSSAI personally okayed it.
Meanwhile, larger threats loom.
In Chennai, there is no court where you can file cases against unhygienic food suppliers
CHENNAI: Planning to prosecute someone for making or selling unsafe food? You may have to wait a while, as there is no court in Chennai where you can file such cases, as the Express finds out.
For years, the Chennai Corporation filed cases of food adulteration under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 at designated courts - court number 19 and 20 inside Ripon Building.
However, all that changed after the Food Safety and Standard Act of 2006 was introduced, under which the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was set up.
After it came into existence, the new act superseded eight existing acts. Since then, such cases are filed by Food Safety Officer (FSO) in judicial magistrate courts in other parts of the State and the country but not in Chennai.
“When we went to file cases, the judicial magistrate courts in Chennai declined to take food adulteration cases, saying they never handled such cases earlier.
This is because the cases were filed only at the designated courts till then,” said a senior official. So as many as 30 unsafe food cases are pending in Chennai over the years, the official added.
The food safety commissioner has informed the State government, and that the home department seem to have identified the court to file these cases. The Government Order in this regard is expected soon, the official added.
According to the present procedure, the Food Safety Officer (FSO) files application for adjudication with the district revenue officer (DRO), an adjudicating officer but with limited powers.
The district revenue officer hears cases related to substandard products and misbranding, and is only authorised to impose a fine up to Rs 5 lakh. Only the courts can award punishment involving imprisonment.
The fine amount differs for each section: misbranding, Rs 3 lakh while misleading advertisement can be fined as much as Rs 10 lakh.
Food biz operators shell out 38L fine
PUNE: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has recovered over Rs 38.33 lakh from 441 food manufacturers, packers and labellers in Pune as a fine for not filing their annual returns in time for the financial year 2014-15.
The FDA has also directed licensed food business operators, having an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above, to submit their returns by May 31, failing which a fine of Rs 100 a day would be levied.
"Food business operators are asked to submit annual returns of their transactions made till March-end after the new Act came into force in August 2011. The Act aims at bringing the food industry under one umbrella by scrapping all old licences. The food industry needs to be regulated in order to ensure food safety," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
The city has over 9,000 licensed food business operators, who have an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above. They include food manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, recyclers, processors, transporters, restaurants, hotels and catering business operators.
"As per the Food Safety and Standards Act and Regulations 2011 (licensing and registration), the business operators have to submit the returns in the particular format (form D-1). Only owners of milk businesses have been asked to submit the returns in half yearly format as given in form D-2," said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
FDA seizes ghee worth 1 lakh
Nashik: The Nashik Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) recently stopped the sale of a Vanaspati ghee brand in the district after finding the presence of nickel in more than permissible proportions in the product.
Vanaspati ghee worth over Rs 1 lakh of the same brand was seized from a distributor in the Nashik Road division.
Senior officials said that in February, FDA's Pune office had seized edible oil and Vanaspati ghee worth over Rs 2 crore manufactured by Cargill India Pvt Ltd and sold under the brand name Gemini from the company's factory in Daund, Pune.
The oil and Vanaspati ghee of the brand had nickel content more than the permissible limit, which was extremely harmful for human body.
Taking note of the action by its Pune unit, officials of FDA Nashik raided the godown of the supplier of the company in the city, Shree Santaram Enterprises at Gandharwanagari, Nashik Road, in the same month and seized Gemini Vanaspati ghee packets worth over Rs 1 lakh.
The officials said that subsequently, they sent the samples of the product to the State Public Health Laboratory in Pune for checking the content of nickel. Vivek Patil, food safety officer of FDA, Nashik, said, "While we got reports that the content of nickel was in the standard proportion, we decided to send the samples to the Referral Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad."
"We recently got the analytical report from the laboratory. While the standard quantity of nickel in Vanaspati ghee should be 1.5ppm, the three samples had nickel content of 1.94 ppm, 2.24 ppm and 1.99 ppm," he added.
Officials said that Vanaspati ghee was used by a large number of people, especially during the festival season, as ghee from cow or buffalo milk was expensive.
Senior officials of the FDA said that while their drives to check food samples were a continuous process, they also took action against defaulters in case of receiving inputs from people regarding the quality of food articles.
Just a week ago, the administration had raided the Blue Bird mineral water bottling plant in Dindori for not procuring any kind of permission from the FDA for setting up the unit and selling water under the brand of Oxyrill in the market. At the time of the raid, FDA officials found that no standard procedure of purifying and disinfecting the water was being adhered to.
FDA to train more than 1,000 Kolhapur street food vendors about importance of cleanliness, hygiene
Kolhapur: Citizens may soon have little to fear while digging into their favourite street snacks with cleanliness and hygiene training on the cards for over 1,000 street vendors.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will team up with students from the department of food science and technology of the Shivaji University, Kolhapur (SUK), to train more than 1,000 street side food vendors in the city about importance of the cleanliness and hygiene.
S M Deshmukh, assistant commissioner, city unit of FDA, said there is a dire need of training and assistance for streetside food vendors to let them know about the importance of food hygiene, cleanliness, how it should be stored and how they can keep the food fresh. He added that it will help to improve food safety.
Deshmukh said the training will begin from June 15 and the department will start with a survey of such vendors. It is likely that the number of street vendors may be more than 1,000.
Another official from the department said the number of street food vendors has increased in the recent years and most of them are at public places like Rankala lake, movie theatres, the RTO office, and bazaar areas.
"There is always concern about the cleanliness and possibility of related illnesses where streetside food is concerned. All vendors need to know about the scientific methods of food preparation, its storage, and how small things like wearing gloves while serving food and keeping food at the right temperature can help greatly," said the official.
An official from the university department said the FDA initiative an innovative one as students will be able to interact with vendors and tell them about food safety. He added that the students are well-suited for this initiative since they study various aspects of food and food precessing such as preservation, chemistry, quality and others.
உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் தகவல் உணவு விற்பனை நிறுவனங்கள் உரிமம் பெற வேண்டும்
நாகை, மே 30:
நாகை நக ராட் சி யில் உள்ள உணவு விற் பனை நிறு வ னங் கள் உரி மம் பெற வேண் டு மென உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் தெரி வித் துள் ளார்.
நாகை நீலா ய தாட்சி அம் மன் கோயில், நடு வர் கோயில் ஆகி ய வற் றில் உள்ள அன் ன தான கூடங் கள், பழைய பஸ் நிலை யத் தில் உள்ள அரசு மலிவு விலை உண வ கம், தேநீர் கடை க ளில் நக ராட்சி உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் அன் ப ழ கன் நேற்று ஆய்வு செய் தார். அப் போது உணவு தயா ரிப்பு மற் றும் பரி மா றும் ஊழி யர் கள் தன் சுத் தத்தை பேண வேண் டும். சமைத் த வு டன் பரி மா றும் முன், உணவு மாதிரி ஒவ் வொரு உணவு வகை யி லும் அரை கிலோ அள வுக்கு எடுத்து சுத் த மான கண் ணாடி பாட் டி லில் வைக்க வேண் டும். பாது காக் கப் பட்ட குடி நீர் வழங்க வேண் டும். பொருள் இருப்பு வைக் கும் அறை யில் மரத் தா லான ஈரம் இல் லாத கட் டை கள் மீது அரிசி உள் ளிட்ட உணவு பொருட் களை பாது காப் பாக வைக்க வேண் டும் என் றார்
மேலும் உணவு பாது காப்பு மற் றும் தர நிர் ண யச் சட் டம் 2006 மற் றும் விதி கள் 2011ன்படி ஏற் க னவே நடை மு றை யில் இருந்த உணவு கலப் பட தடைச் சட் டம் உள் ளிட்ட சட் டங் க ளில் பெறப் பட்ட உரி மங் களை புதுப் பிக்க அளிக் கப் பட்ட கால அவ கா சம் கடந்த 4ம் தேதி யு டன் முடிந் து விட் டது. எனவே உணவு விற் பனை செய் யும் நிறு வ னங் கள், இல வ ச மாக உணவு வழங் கும் நிறு வ னங் கள், தனி ந பர் மற் றும் அரசு நிறு வ னங் கள் உட ன டி யாக பதி வுச் சான்று அல் லது உரி மம் பெற வேண் டும் என் றார்.
ஆய் வின் போது நாகை நக ராட்சி வரு வாய் ஆய் வா ளர் தாமோ த ரன் உட னி ருந் தார்.
உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை சோதனை புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல்
பண் ருட்டி மே 30:
பண் ருட்டி அருகே அண் ணா கி ரா மம் உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் கந் த சாமி தலை மை யி லான அதி கா ரி கள் மேல் பட் டாம் பாக் கம், பி.என்.பாளை யம் ஆகிய பகு தி க ளில் உள்ள கறி, மீன் கடை கள், மளிகை கடை கள், ஓட் டல், பெட்டி கடை, தேனீர் கடை க ளில் திடீர் சோதனை நடத் தி னர்.
இதில் தேனீர் கடை யில் கலப் பட டீ தூள் இருப் பது கண் டு பி டிக் கப் பட் டது. இதே போல் பெட்டி கடை யில் தமி ழக அர சால் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட ரூ.1000 மதிப் புள்ள புகை யிலை பொருட் கள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட் டன. கறிக் கடை உரி மை யா ளர் 15 நபர் க ளுக்கு சுகா தா ர மின்றி கடை நடத் தி ய தால் எச் ச ரிக்கை செய் யப் பட் டது.
கார்பைடு கல் மூலம் பழுக்க வைத்த சுகாதாரமற்ற மாம்பழம் விற்பனை ஜோர் கண்டுகொள்ளாத சுகாதாரத்துறை
சென்னை, மே 30:
கடை க ளில் கார் பைடு கல் மூலம் பழுக்க வைத்த மாம் ப ழங் கள் தாரா ள மாக விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. இதை தடுக்க வேண் டிய சுகா தா ரத் து றை யி னர் கண் டும் காணா மல் உள் ள னர்.
மாம் பழ சீச னை யொட்டி நக ரம், கிரா மம் என அனைத்து பகு தி க ளி லும் மாம் பழ விற் பனை அதி க ரித் துள் ளது. தற் போது பெய்த மலை யி லும் காற் றி னா லும் மாங் காய் கள் ஏரா ள மாக கீழே கொட் டி யுள் ளன. இவற்றை மொத்த வியா பா ரி கள் வாங்கி சேக ரித்து குடோ னில் இருப்பு வைக் கின் ற னர். மொத் தம் மொத் த மாக வாங்கி வரும் மாங் காய் உடனே விற் ப னை யாகி கையில் பணம் பார்க் க வேண் டும் என்ற நோக் கில் மாங் காய் க ளுக் குள் கார் பைடு கற் களை வைத்து பழுக்க வைக் கின் ற னர்.
இத னால் ஓரிரு நாட் க ளி லேயே மாங் காய் நல்ல நிறத் து டன் பழுத் து வி டு கின் றன. இவற்றை தள் ளு வண்டி வியா பா ரி கள், பழக் கடை நடத் து ப வர் கள் மொத்த வியா பா ரி க ளி டம் பெற்று கிலோ ₹30 முதல் ₹50 வரை விற் பனை செய் கின் ற னர். மாம் ப ழம் வாங் கும் நுகர் வோர், இயற்கை முறை யில் பழுத் ததா, கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக் க வைத் த தா? என கேட் டால் வியா பா ரி கள் பேச்சு ஜாலத் தில் பொது மக் களை ஏமாற் று கின் ற னர்.
“தோப் பு க ளுக்கு நாங் களே நேரில் சென்று வாங்கி 10 நாட் க ளாக பழுக்க வைத்து விற் ப னைக்கு எடுத்து வந் துள் ளோம்” என கூறி ஏமாற் று கின் ற னர். வியா பா ரி க ளின் பேச்சை நம்பி வாங்கி சென் றால் அந்த பழங் க ளில் எவ் வித சுவை யும் இருப் பது இல்லை.
இப் ப ழத்தை சற்று அதி கம் சாப் பிட் டால் வாந்தி, வயிற் றுப் போக்கு ஏற் ப டு கி றது.
திரு வள் ளூ ரில் கார் பைடு கற் கள் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக் கப் பட்ட மாம் ப ழம் விற் பனை நடப் பது நக ராட்சி சுகா தா ரத் துறை அலு வ லர் க ளுக்கு நன்கு தெரி யும். ஆனால் வியா பா ரி க ளி டம் எவ் வித நட வ டிக் கை யும் எடுக் க மாட் டோம் என பேரம் பேசி வி டு வ தால் கண் டும் காணா து போல் ஒதுங்கி விடு கின் ற னர். பொது மக் கள் மாம் ப ழம் மீதுள்ள ஆசை யால் வியா தியை விலை கொடுத்து வாங் கு கின் ற னர்.
கார் பைடு மாம் பழ விற் ப னையை வெளிப் ப டை யாக அனு ம திக் கும் நக ராட்சி சுகா தார பிரிவு அதி கா ரி களை ஒதுக் கி விட்டு பொது சுகா தா ரத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் நேரி டை யாக களம் இறங்கி மாம் ப ழங் களை அழிக்க நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும் என பொது மக் கள் எதிர் பார்க் கின் ற னர்.
May 29, 2016
பிரெட் சாப்பிட்டால் புற்றுநோய்?
முன்பெல்லாம் காய்ச்சலோ உடல் நலிவோ ஏற்பட்டால்தான் பிரெட் எனப்படும் ரொட்டி வகையறாக்களைச் சாப்பிடுவோம். இப்போது நகரங்களில் பெரும்பாலான வீடுகளில் காலை உணவு, ரொட்டிகளால் அமைகிறது.
தீயில் வாட்டியோ, நெய் அல்லது வெண்ணெய் தடவியோ, நடுவே காய்கறிகளை வைத்துச் சாண்ட்விச் என்ற பெயரிலோ, முட்டை விரும்பிகளாக இருந்தால் பிரெட் ஆம்லெட் வடிவிலோ ரொட்டிகளைச் சாப்பிடுகிறார்கள். தெருவுக்குத் தெரு துரித உணவகங்களும் பேக்கரிகளும் நிறைந்திருக்கும் சூழலில் பிரெட், பர்கர், பாவ் பாஜி, பீட்ஸா போன்றவற்றைச் சாப்பிடுகிறவர்களின் எண்ணிக்கை அதிகரித்துவருகிறது.
‘கோதுமை மாவு அல்லது மைதா மாவில் செய்யப்படும் ரொட்டி வகைகள் கார்போஹைட்ரேட் நிறைந்தவைதானே’ என்று படித்தவர்களும், ‘டாக்டரே சாப்பிடச் சொல்றாங்க. அதுல என்ன கெடுதல் இருக்கப் போகுது?’ என்று படிக்காதவர்களும் நினைப்பதில் தவறேதும் இல்லை.
சாத்தியமும் நிகழ்தகவும்
உலகச் சுகாதார மையத்தின் ஓர் அங்கமாகச் செயல்பட்டுவருகிறது புற்றுநோய் ஆராய்ச்சிக்கான சர்வதேச அமைப்பு. இந்த அமைப்பு உலகம் முழுக்கப் பல்வேறு மாதிரிகளைப் பரிசோதித்து அவற்றில் மனிதர்களிடமும் விலங்குகளிடமும் புற்றுநோயை உண்டாக்கக்கூடிய பொருட்களை ஐந்து வகையாகப் பிரித்துப் பட்டியலிட்டிருக்கிறது.
புற்றுநோயை நிச்சயம் உருவாக்கும் ஆபத்து கொண்டவற்றை ‘கிரேட் 1’ என்று வகைப்படுத்தியிருக்கிறது. முதலுக்கும் கடைசிக்கும் இடைப்பட்ட நிலையில் இருக்கிறவற்றை 2A, 2B என்று இரண்டு வகையாகத் தரம் பிரித்திருக்கிறார்கள்.
அவை நோய் ஏற்படுத்துவதற்கான சாத்தியம் உள்ளவை (Possibly), நிகழ்தகவு கொண்டவை (Probably). இதில் புற்றுநோயை உண்டாக்கும் சாத்தியம் கொண்டவை பட்டியலில் இடம்பெற்றிருக்கிறது பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட். நிகழ்தகவு கொண்டவை என்ற பிரிவில் இடம்பெற்றிருக்கும் பொருட்களைச் சாப்பிடுவதால் புற்றுநோய் வரும் என்பது நிச்சயமில்லை. அதனால் அதில் ஆபத்து குறைவு.
அனைத்திலும் ஆபத்து
புற்றுநோயை உருவாக்கும் என்பதால் உலக அளவில் பல்வேறு நாடுகள் பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட்டுக்கு ஏற்கெனவே தடை விதித்திருக்கின்றன. ஆனால் பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட், ஆக்ஸிஜனேற்றம் அடைந்து புரோமைடாகிவிடுவதால் அதனால் எந்த ஆபத்தும் இல்லை என்ற சமாதானத்துடன் இந்தியா அதன் பயன்பாட்டுக்கு அனுமதியளித்திருந்தது.
அறிவியல் மற்றும் சுற்றுச்சூழல் மையம் சமீபத்தில் வெளியிட்டிருக்கும் ஆய்வு முடிவைத் தொடர்ந்து உண்ணும் பொருட்களில் பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட்டைப் பயன்படுத்தத் தடை விதித்திருக்கிறது இந்திய உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு ஆணையம் (FSSAI).
உத்தரவாதம் என்ன?
பிரெட் வகைகளில் மட்டுமல்லாமல் காபியில் தொடங்கி அழகு சாதனப் பொருட்கள், மின்னணு சாதனங்கள் போன்ற நாம் தினமும் பயன்படுத்தும் பல்வேறு பொருட்களிலும் பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட் இருக்கிறது. மக்கள் நலனில் அக்கறை கொண்ட அரசு, கேடு விளைவிக்கும் பொருட்களை நிச்சயம் தடை செய்திருக்கும் என்ற நம்பிக்கையில்தான் பொதுமக்கள் பல்வேறு பொருட்களைப் பயன்படுத்தியும் சாப்பிட்டும் வருகிறார்கள்.
இப்படித் திடீரென வெளியாகும் ஆய்வக முடிவுகள் அந்த நம்பிக்கையை நீர்த்துப் போகச் செய்கின்றன. இன்னும் எத்தனை வேதிப்பொருட்கள் இப்படி ஆய்வுக்கு உட்படுத்தப்படாமல் நாம் சாப்பிடும் பொருட்களில் நிறைந்திருக்கிறதோ என்ற கேள்வியும் எழத்தான் செய்கிறது.
வேதிப் பொருட்கள் குறித்தோ அவற்றின் தீங்கு குறித்தோ அறியாத ஒரு சாதாரணக் குடிமகன் எந்த அடிப்படையில் ஒரு உணவைச் சாப்பிடுவது? அவருடைய நல்வாழ்வுக்கான உத்தரவாதம் என்ன?
“இந்த ஒரு வேதிப்பொருள் மட்டுமல்ல, கிட்டத்தட்ட நாற்பதாயிரம் வேதிப் பொருட்கள் உணவு தயாரிப்பிலும் பதப்படுத்துதலிலும் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகின்றன. உலக அளவில் தடை விதிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும் பல்வேறு பூச்சிக்கொல்லிகளையும் உரங்களையும் இந்தியாவில் இன்னும் பயன்படுத்திக்கொண்டுதான் இருக்கிறோம்.
மக்களுக்கும் சூழலுக்கும் கேடு விளைவிக்கும் பொருட்களைக் கட்டுப்படுத்துவதிலும் அவற்றைத் தடை செய்வதிலும் அரசும் தரக் கட்டுப்பாட்டு ஆணையமும் காட்டும் மெத்தனமே இதற்குக் காரணம்” என்று சொல்கிறார் பாதுகாப்பான உணவுக் கூட்டமைப்பைச் சேர்ந்த அனந்து.
விழிப்புணர்வே மாமருந்து
மக்கள் விழிப்புடன் இருப்பதும் அறியாமையில் இருப்பவர்களிடம் விழிப்புணர்வை ஏற்படுத்துவதும்தான் இதற்குத் தீர்வாக இருக்க முடியும் என்கிறார் அவர்.
“இன்று திரும்பிய பக்கமெல்லாம் வேதிப்பொருட்களின் ஆட்சி. நம் வீட்டுச் சமையலறையைக்கூட அவை விட்டுவைக்கவில்லை. சுவையூட்டிகள், மணமூட்டிகள், நிறமூட்டிகள், துரித உணவு வகைகள் என்ற போர்வையில் வேதிப் பொருட்கள் நம்மை ஆக்கிரமித்திருக்கின்றன.
தினசரிச் சமையலில் கூடுமானவரை செயற்கை வேதிப்பொருட்களைக் குறைக்க வேண்டும். உணவுப் பொருள் என்றால் ஒரு நாளுக்குள் அது கெட்டுப்போக வேண்டும். ஆறு மாதம் முதல் ஒரு வருடம்வரை கெடாமல் இருந்தால், அது எப்படி உண்ணத் தகுந்த பொருளாகும்?
கண்ணைக் கவரும் நிறத்திலும் வடிவத்திலும் அடுக்கிவைக்கப்பட்டிருக்கும் பொருட்கள் ஆரோக்கியத்துக்கான சாவு மணி என்பதை உணர வேண்டும். தவிர்க்க முடியாத சூழ்நிலையில் மட்டுமே பிரெட், பிஸ்கட் போன்றவற்றைச் சாப்பிடுவது என்ற உறுதி ஒவ்வொருவருக்கும் வேண்டும். நம் பாரம்பரியச் சமையலில் ஏராளமான அற்புதங்கள் நிறைந்திருக்கின்றன. அவற்றைக் கடைப்பிடித்துவந்தாலே போதும், நலவாழ்வு வசமாகும்” என்கிறார் அனந்து.
அளவுக்கு மிஞ்சினால் ஆபத்து
எந்தவொரு வேதிப்பொருளும் அளவுக்கு மிஞ்சும்போதுதான் ஆபத்து. அது பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட்டுக்கும் பொருந்தும். இது சிறந்த ஆக்ஸிஜனேற்றி என்பதால் பிரெட் தயாரிப்பிலும் பேக்கரி துறையிலும் பொருட்களை உப்பச் செய்யவும், மிருதுவாக்கவும் பயன்படுத்தப்படுகிறது.
தயாரிப்பின்போது முழுமையாக ஆக்ஸிஜனேற்றம் அடையாமல் கசடாக இருக்கும் பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட்டின் அளவு அதிகமாக இருந்தால், அது மனிதர்களிடம் புற்றுநோயை ஏற்படுத்துவதற்கான சாத்தியம் அதிகம்” என்கிறார் வேதியியல் துறை உதவிப் பேராசிரியர் ஜான் மரிய சேவியர். பிரெட் தயாரிப்பில் 50 (p.p.m.) அளவிலும் பேக்கரி பொருட்களில் 20 (p.p.m.) அளவிலும் பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட்டைப் பயன்படுத்தலாம் என அனுமதித்திருக்கிறது இந்திய உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தர கட்டுப்பாட்டு ஆணையம் (FSSAI).
இந்த அளவுகள் நேர்மையாகக் கடைப்பிடிக்கப்படுகின்றனவா என்பது சந்தேகமே என்கிறார் இவர். “உணவுப் பொருள் தயாரிப்பின் எந்த நிலையிலும் வேதி மாற்றம் ஏற்படலாம் என்பதால், பயன்படுத்தப்படும் பாத்திரத்தில் தொடங்கி ஒவ்வொன்றையும் ஆய்வுக்கு உட்படுத்தித் தரச் சான்றிதழ் வாங்குவது முக்கியம்.
உணவுப் பொருளில் சேர்க்கப்படும் வேதிப்பொருட்களின் பெயர்களைக் குறிப்பிட்டால், அது மக்கள் மத்தியில் அச்சத்தை ஏற்படுத்தும் என்பதால் குறியீடுகள் (Code) மூலம் குறிப்பிடுகிறார்கள். மக்களிடம் விழிப்புணர்வு அதிகரித்துவரும் இந்தக் காலத்தில் குறியீடுகளைத் தவிர்த்துவிட்டு வேதிப்பொருட்களின் பெயர்களை அச்சிட்டால் தரத்தைச் சரிபார்த்து வாங்க முடியும்” என்கிறார் மரிய சேவியர்.
ஆனால் புதுடெல்லியைச் சேர்ந்த அறிவியல் மற்றும் சுற்றுச்சூழல் மையம் சமீபத்தில் வெளியிட்டிருக்கும் ஆய்வு முடிவுகள், நம் நினைப்பைத் தகர்க்கின்றன. ரொட்டி, பாவ், பர்கர், பன், பீட்ஸா போன்றவற்றில் புற்றுநோயை உருவாக்கக் கூடிய வேதிப்பொருட்கள் இருப்பதாக இந்த மையம் தெரிவித்திருக்கிறது.
“டெல்லியில் நாங்கள் பரிசோதித்த மாதிரிகளில் 84 சதவீத மாதிரிகளில் பொட்டாசியம் புரோமேட், பொட்டாசியம் அயோடேட் இருப்பது கண்டறியப்பட்டது. எங்கள் ஆய்வக முடிவை உறுதி செய்வதற்காகத் தனியார் பரிசோதனை மையம் ஒன்றில் சோதனைக்கு அனுப்பினோம்.
அந்த முடிவு எங்கள் ஆய்வக முடிவை உறுதிசெய்திருக்கிறது” என்று சொல்கிறார் அறிவியல் மற்றும் சுற்றுச்சூழல் மையத்தின் இணை இயக்குநர் சந்திரபூஷன். இந்த ஆய்வு முடிவுக்கு ஆதரவாகப் புற்றுநோய் ஆராய்ச்சிக்கான சர்வதேச அமைப்பு (IARC) வெளியிட்டிருக்கும் பட்டியலைச் சுட்டிக்காட்டுகிறது இந்த மையம்.
Government must strictly ban use of potassium bromate, a known carcinogen: Pramod Kumar Julka
Interview with former dean and professor of oncology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences
It has been a rattling week for bread lovers after a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found over 80 per cent of popular brands laced with compounds linked to cancer. Traces of potentially harmful potassium bromate and potassium iodate were found in samples taken from Delhi.
While potassium bromate, a known carcinogen, helps hold dough together, potassium iodate is used as a flavouring and maturing agent; it is also linked to thyroid disorders. These chemicals were found not just in white bread, a category usually dissed by health experts, but in brown bread as well, besides ready-to-eat burgers, pizza bases, pavs and buns. Pramod Kumar Julka, former dean and professor of oncology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, tells Nikita Puri why this is a cause for concern. Excerpts:
Do CSE's recent findings worry you?
Though reports on potassium iodate leading to cancer haven't been confirmed, potassium bromate was found to be a carcinogen by France-based International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) way back in 1990. This is also known for causing neurological dysfunctions, and hampering learning abilities - essentially our cognitive functions. Consumption of potassium bromate also leads to DNA damage, besides hearing impairments. So, yes, it worries me.
CSE's findings have to be verified and confirmed, though. It is essential to also do these tests in good labs, maybe in AIIMS.
A number of countries have banned the use of potassium bromate as a flour treatment agent, the European Union has banned potassium iodate as well. Should we follow suit?
Potassium bromate was banned way back in 1992 in other countries. And, though, the CSE report has alarming data, it should be verified. It's a good thing that the government has now banned the use of these products, at least till further tests are conducted and similar results found again.
Some reports suggest that baking the bread properly changes the bromate compound and makes it harmless by leaving no residue in the end products, is that correct?
Even if it's baked properly, potassium bromate itself is a chemical carcinogen, and a carcinogen will always be a carcinogen, and it'll never go away completely. Only properly conducted clinical trials can give certainty in such cases.
If the CSE report is proven and these compounds are found in our bread, the government must strictly ban the use of such compounds with immediate effect. I believe that's what the government is also considering.
According to CSE, 32 out of 38 samples were found to have potassium bromate or potassium iodate residue in the range of 1.15-22.54 parts per million, is this quantity a worry?
Generally, we don't believe in a threshold dose (the amount of drug administered that produces a detectable effect). As I always say, a poison is always a poison, even if it is taken in low doses. There is no study that has proven that beyond a certain limit things are carcinogenic. Unless and until we have a study to prove at what quantity something is dangerous, we cannot scientifically say that.
Bread has become an essential part of many households - how do we go forward with the knowledge that our daily bread could be harmful?
We use atta bread at home, but that's likely to have potassium bromate too. The bread-making industry needs to be firmly told not to use these compounds. I think CSE has already started doing it - it has recently said that these compounds should be banned if it's being used. But, of course, these findings should be verified again.
Additionally, we need to have quantities of everything clearly listed on the packaging, something that we rarely see being done in our country. Ideally, they should write everything, like they do in the US.
Is potassium bromate used only because it is cheaper than other alternatives?
Yes, besides the fact that it is cheap, it helps solidify bread also, that's something about the baking process. But health should come first, everything else after. There should be no bromate in the bread; they should absolutely ban it.
Do we do enough tests in the country to check for chemicals in our food?
No, it's really not up to the mark. There should be many more tests and clinical trials carried out even in the food industry, and there should be much more compliance with laws. This is very important because everyday we get new cancer patients. We have 1.45 million new cancer cases, according to recent data. The numbers are increasing every year - three years ago the number was 1.1 million.
பழநி அருகே சூடு வைத்து பழுக்க வைத்த 1 டன் மாம்பழம் அழிப்பு
பழநி, மே 29:
பழநி அருகே சூடு வைத்து பழுக்க வைத்த 1 டன் மாம் ப ழங் களை அதி கா ரி கள் பறி மு தல் செய்து அழித் த னர்.
திண் டுக் கல் மாவட் டம், பழநி அருகே ஆயக் குடி பகு தி யில் ரசா ய னங் களை பயன் ப டுத்தி செயற் கை யாக பழுக்க வைத்த மாம் ப ழங் கள் விற் கப் ப டு வ தாக புகார் எழுந் தது. இதை ய டுத்து மாவட்ட நிய மன அலு வ லர் சியாம் இளங்கோ, பழநி உண வுப் பொ ருள் தரக் கட் டுப் பாட்டு அதி காரி மோக ன ரங் கன் ஆகி யோர் நேற்று ஆயக் குடி பகு தி யில் உள்ள பழ மண் டி க ளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர்.
இதில் எத் த னால் மூலம் பழுக்க வைக் கப் பட்ட 1 டன் மாம் ப ழம் கண் டு பி டிக் கப் பட் டது. அவற்றை அதி கா ரி கள் பறி மு தல் செய்து, தீ வைத்து அழித் த னர். தோட் டக் கலைத் துறை அனு ம தி ய ளித் துள்ள கானிசா முறை யில் சுவற் றில் காகி தத்தை ஒட்டி தெளிப் பான் மூலம் பழங் களை பழுக்க வைத் துக் கொள் ளு மாறு அதி கா ரி கள் அறி வு றுத் தி னர்.
FDA seizes expired snacks costing Rs 36,300
NAGPUR: The Food and Drug Administration food wing seized snacks costing Rs 36,300 of different manufacturers with expiry date in the market.
The material including chocolates, biscuits and chiwda were seized from the premises of Ritesh Imtani's ice candy manufacturing unit in Kamptee.
The material was seized under a planned raid conducted in the leadership of assistant food commissioner S E Pawar and food safety officer Amit Uplap. "All these snacks have labels with their best use date expired. FDA has destroyed the entire material and started the procedure for appropriate action against," said Pawar.
Shivaji Desai, joint commissioner (food) told TOI that since the owner was a manufacturer of ice candy, finding snacks that too with expired dates on his premises has raised eyebrows about his intentions. He could be involved in illegal sale of such materials.
Soon, hygiene tips for Kolhapur street vendors
Kolhapur: Citizens may soon have little to fear while digging into their favourite street snacks with cleanliness and hygiene training on the cards for over 1,000 street vendors.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will team up with students from the department of food science and technology of the Shivaji University, Kolhapur (SUK), to train more than 1,000 streetside food vendors in the city about importance of the cleanliness and hygiene.
S M Deshmukh, assistant commissioner, city unit of FDA, said there is a dire need of training and assistance for streetside food vendors to let them know about the importance of food hygiene, cleanliness, how it should be stored and how they can keep the food fresh. He added that it will help to improve food safety.
Deshmukh said the training will begin from June 15 and the department will start with a survey of such vendors. It is likely that the number of street vendors may be more than 1,000.
Another official from the department said the number of street food vendors has increased in the recent years and most of them are at public places like Rankala lake, movie theatres, the RTO office, and bazaar areas.
"There is always concern about the cleanliness and possibility of related illnesses where streetside food is concerned. All vendors need to know about the scientific methods of food preparation, its storage, and how small things like wearing gloves while serving food and keeping food at the right temperature can help greatly," said the official.
An official from the university department said the FDA initiative an innovative one as students will be able to interact with vendors and tell them about food safety. He added that the students are well-suited for this initiative since they study various aspects of food and food precessing such as preservation, chemistry, quality and others.
Rs 2.09 lakh fine imposed on business establishments
UDHAMPUR, May 28: Additional Deputy Commissioner, Udhampur Angrez Singh Rana today imposed a fine of Rs.2.09 lakh on various business establishments for violating the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Samples of different essential commodities which included Mustard oil Brand Super Gold, Global Desi Ghee, Makhan manufactured by Mohan Food Products Satwari, Milk and Paneer were found to be substandard and Mango drink (Brand Maza), Biscuit (Brand Britania ) were reported as misbranded.
Earlier, during the routine market checking the samples of various food items were lifted by the Food Safety Officer and sent to Public Health Laboratory Jammu for analysis and the reports of the food analyst conformed that these samples were misbranded and substandard.
The challans against the defaulting shopkeepers were produced by the FSO before the court of Adjudicating Officer.
Khader orders testing of bread samples
Health Minister U T Khader on Saturday issued directions to the department and the food safety inspectors to collect bread samples from various sources and get them tested.
This comes close on the heels of reports about presence of potassium bromate beyond the permitted quantity in bread.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Health Commissioner P S Vastrad said they had instructed safety inspectors to collect samples and send them for testing. The orders have been issued for packaged bread sold in bakeries, but major brands manufacturing units were not included on the first day.
Food safety joint director Dr H S Shivakumar said 13 samples were collected from malls and outlets (including bakeries) on Saturday. There will be no sample collection on Sunday, but it will continue on Monday. The samples will be sent to a premier lab for testing.
There is no target set as such, but samples from across the city are being collected. The team is collecting samples to test for potassium bromate and update (a conjugate base of iodic acid). The Health department is awaiting communication from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India on this.
The Health department officials said that the inspection was not aimed at creating fear among consumers, but bakers are not convinced. They say it will create more doubt among the people.
B S Bhat, president of the Karnataka Wrapped Bread Manufacturers Association, said whatever was being done was unwanted and unnecessary. Legally, flour millers are permitted to use 20 ppm of potassium bromate and bakers are permitted up to 50 ppm. No baker in the state uses potassium bromate, but it cannot be said that it is not added by the flour millers, he said.
FSSAI defends bromate proposal in packaged water
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Saturday said the proposed new standard for the potential cancer-causing contaminant “bromate” at 10 micrograms per litre in packaged drinking water is in line with best international practices.
In a written statement, FSSAI, referring to its proposal, said, “This is a draft standard and would be finalised after getting inputs from the stakeholders. The process for setting the standards for food articles is a continuous evolving process.”
Business Standard on Friday had reported that FSSAI in January had proposed to permit 10 micrograms per litre of bromate in bottled water (Click here to read the story). Currently, bromate is not allowed in bottled water in India. The proposal was put in public domain for 30 days for feedback. Since then, the food regulator has not passed the final order though the period for receiving comments is over.
In January 2015, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre scientists published research showing high levels of bromate in 27 per cent of the bottled water samples they had picked up. The study read, “Bromate levels varied from below detection limits to 43 microgram per litre with an average of 10.7 microgram per litre. At that juncture, bromide presence was not allowed at all in bottled water.”
FSSAI said in its statement, “Current standards of water being developed by FSSAI recognise that this contaminant may be found in water in some cases and prescribes a limit for bromate in water. While India’s ground realities have to be kept in mind, FSSAI is committed to continuously improving and aligning the national food standards with global standards.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that the toxic contaminant should ideally not be present at all in drinking water. But, based on the limited capability in 2005 of detecting the contaminant in labs prescribed then, countries such as the US and the European Union (EU) set the bromate standard at 10 micrograms per litre — the level at which it could be then detected in lab samples. In 2014, the US approved testing methods that can now confirm presence of bromates even at the limit of 0.02 microgram per litre and alternatives to using ozone for disinfecting water. The standards of these countries have not been revised since. The FSSAI in its statement referred to the standards of EU and the US at 10 microgram per litre and Australia at 20 microgram per litre, while stating it had now proposed comparable standards for bromate in packaged water.
FSSAI said, as the story had noted, that bromate contamination can occur during the use of ozone and hypochlorite solutions to disinfect water that is to be packaged. Some bottlers of water world over do use alternative methods which do not require ozone that leads to bromate formation, notes the International Bottled Water Association in its briefing note on bromate. Ozonation, a cheaper disinfectant method, has been traditionally used for large-scale disinfestations in municipal water supply across EU and the US.
Before the release of the statement by FSSAI, its Chief Executive Officer Pavan Kumar Agarwal had told Business Standard on Saturday: “FSSAI is currently updating the list of additives, the draft for which was recently put in public domain. Once this exercise of setting the standards for nearly 11,000 additives is complete, all such issues that arise out of anomalies in vertical standards, such as that of packaged water, shall be automatically taken care of. This is because the master list of additives being finalised shall overrule all existing vertical standards of additives and contaminants.”
The press release from FSSAI later pointed out that bromate is an additive for bread but a contaminant in bottled water. The list of additives with their maximum use levels, being finalised by FSSAI, does not deal with the contaminants.
Potassium bromate not allowed as additive in packaged water: FSSAI
It is not an additive but a contaminant in water.
Potassium bromate is not allowed as an additive in packaged drinking water but its permissible limit as contaminant has been fixed because its traces are found in groundwater or when water undergoes treatment, FSSAI has said.
Potassium bromate, which is carcinogenic in nature and causes cancer, was in news over its alleged presence in bread. After that, the FSSAI said it has decided to remove bromate from the list of additives. Bromate is not inherent component of water but traces of bromate can be found in drinking water when the water undergoes treatment.
It is also found in groundwater due to cross penetration of salt water when water source is close to sea or industrial effluents facilities. As it is found in the source of water, its limit as contaminant has been fixed.
"Thus in water, bromate is not an additive but a contaminant," Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said in a statement. Current standards of water being developed by FSSAI recognise that this contaminant may be found in water...and prescribes its limit at 0.01 ppm or 10 ppb significantly lower than the permissible limit in bread which is at 50ppm, FSSAI added.
The maximum limit suggested by the scientific panel is at par with global standards of WHO which is also 10ppb, the food safety regulator said. The proposed regulation of FSSAI is in line with the best international practice and intended to control the presence of this contaminant to a safe level.
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