Jul 12, 2016
HC direction to Chennai Corpn on slaughter house
The Madras High Court has directed the ChennaiCorporation Commissioner to spell out its stand whether any place can be declared as a slaughter area under the Chennai City Municipal Corporation Act-1919, when under the Central Act on Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 there are rules framed known as Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules 2001.
The First Bench Comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan gave the direction yesterday on a PIL filed by Radha Rajan seeking to direct the authorities to ensure that no camel slaughter takes place in Tamil Nadu.
The court asked the Food Safety and Standard authority ofIndia to file Counter affidavit within two weeks failing which the Joint Secretary of the department shall remain personally present in Court with records.
Stating that certain aspects which need to be addressed by the authorities of the Centre and the state such as whether slaughtering of camel is permitted, whether there are abattoirs in existence where slaughtering of camel can take place after completion of requisite formalities, the mode and manner of transportation of camels and posted the matter for further direction to August 18.
Packaged water: Pepsico, Coca Cola, Bisleri have valid license
Pepsico, Coca Cola and Bisleri have got a clean chit from food safety regulator FSSAI for their packaged water facilities, while crackdown is underway on some smaller players operating without valid manufacturing licences.
The three players -- Pepsico, Coca Cola and Bisleri -- command 60 per cent market share in the packaged drinking water segment.
After examining all relevant documents of these three companies, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) today said that Pepsico, Coca Cola and Bisleri have "valid FSSAI/BIS license/certification".
"It can be safely concluded that the said food and beverage operators (FBOs) comply with relevant provisions of FSS Act, rules and regulations," FSSAI said in a statement.
Last month, FSSAI had asked state authorities to crackdown on mineral water packaging units that are operating without its licence. As many as 75 per cent of the packaging units owned by various firms were said to be operating without an FSSAI licence. These units were operating under a BIS certification.
When contacted, FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said, "Their (Pepsico, Coca Cola and Bisleri) names were not in the list of companies not having valid licence. But they figured in the media reports. So, we asked them to submit the details."
These three companies have 60 per cent share in packaged drinking water market in the country, he added.
FSSAI had asked the three companies to submit all the details of various manufacturing/processing units including third party manufacturer and processors after they claimed that they have valid licences by FSSAI and BIS.
Out of total 5,842 registered water packaging units, 1,495 units have both BIS and FSSAI licences, while 4,347 units have only BIS certification.
Agarwal said, "We are still in the process of cracking down on those units which do not have valid licence. Those are mostly small companies."
Pepsico sells its packaged water under the brand name Aquafina, Coca-cola sells under the name Kinley, while Bisleri sells packaged water under its own name.
Ludhiana’s Radisson Blu hotel fined Rs 26 lakh over substandard food products
Finding food products at Hotel Radisson Blu on Ferozepur Road here as substandard, the Ludhiana administration has imposed a Rs 26-lakh penalty on its management. The fine has been imposed for violation of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and Rules 2011 after the food samples were not found substandard in the laboratory tests.
Another popular shop, Chaurasia Pan Parlour on Chandigarh Road, has been fined Rs 2 lakh.
Issuing magisterial orders in this regard, additional deputy commissioner Rishipal Singh said samples of jam, noodles, imli (tamarind), curd and chutney from the hotel and those of True Lemon (ready to serve beer) from Chaurasia Pan Parlour had been taken for test.
The laboratory tests found all the samples below the quality standards set under the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and Rules 2011. The owners have been directed to deposit the amount in government treasury immediately.
Rishipal said the violations of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 in any form will not be tolerated.
Clarifying its stand, a spokesperson of Hotel Radisson Blu said most of the samples taken by the health department were of imported packed products. “Nestle curd, Stute Diabetic Jam and How How Rice Noodles (made in Thailand) were among the samples found substandard. Hence, we cannot be held responsible for their quality. We provide globally-acceptable products to our guests,’ he said.
He said they will appeal against the order and present the bills of the products to the authorities for taking up the matter with the companies concerned.
For violation of Food Safety & Standard Act 2006, hotel Radisson Blu fined Rs 26 lakh
He informed that when these samples were checked as per the government process in the laboratory, all these products were below the quality standards under Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and Rules 2011. A checking report from Food Analyst Punjab, Chandigarh, was also issued. Keeping in mind the safety of residents and public interest, Hotel Radisson Blu has been fined Rs 26 lakh and Chaurasia Pan Parlour Rs 2 lakh. This fine has been imposed under section 51 of the act. The violators have been directed to deposit the amount in government treasury immediately.
While giving a clear cut warning to those selling below standard food products, Rishipal Singh said that the violation of Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 would not be tolerated at any cost. He said that if any person is caught violating the act, hefty fines would be imposed on them.
Want relief for bad food? Store vomit sample
NEW DELHI:
Did you get an upset tummy after eating from a local restaurant? Then you may be eligible to get up to 35 lakh in compensation under the Food Safety Act.
Not so easily, though.
First, you have to preserve some of the food that you ate and get it tested at the city’s food safety lab at the earliest.
Second, you have to preserve the sample of your vomit or stool and get a physician to certify you have had food poisoning.
If you furnish all the proof, the manufacturer or vendor will, after a prolonged court battle, pay you Rsl lakh in race of any harm, Rs 3 latch for grievous harm and Rs 5 lakh for death, according to section 65 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
“For claiming compensation, the person has to get the same food that he ate, tested. And, the sample has to be tested within 24 hours, otherwise, the manufacturers may contest that the food went bad because the consumer did not keep it under proper refrigeration,” an official from Delhi’s food safety department said.
“It is a very strict Act and a person will have to prove beyond reasonable doubt in the court of law that he/ she got sick because of the food. This means we have to medically examine whether the food poisoning happened due to the same strain of bacteria or virus found in the food,” the official added.
The official agrees that the conditions for compensation are impractical.
“The onus lies with the consumer to collect the proof. Nobody saves half their sand-wich or a little bit of the dal, just in case they fall ill later. And, what if the person gets sick after four days? Then, even if they complain and we find the food to be contaminated, we can only take action against the manufac-turer or vendor. They will not receive any compensation as they will be unable to prove the food they had four days ago was contaminated,” the official said.
It may take a couple of hours to two days for an infection to set in. “If the toxin is already present in the food product because of the action of a bacte-ria, a person will get sick in two or three hours. But, if the person ingests the infection, it will take a little longer. The most com-mon bacteria – staphylococcus takes 6 hours and bacillus cereus takes 12 to 24 hours to start act-ing,” said Dr Srikant Sharma, senior consulting physician at Moolchand hospital.
To date, no ease for compensa-tion has been filed under the Act, whidi came into force in am.’This clause is beneficial in case of mass outbmaks, where several people fall ill and we can register a stronger cases Even then the evidence will mostly be circumstantial,” the food safety department official said.
Jul 11, 2016
Workshop on ‘Scientific Cooperation Framework for Food Safety’
FSSAI is organising a workshop on ‘Scientific Cooperation Framework for Food Safety’ tomorrow, 12th July 2016, at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
The event will seek to identify gaps in new food-based studies and research and also launch a new initiative called FSKAN. FSKAN (Food Safety Knowledge Assimilation Network) will facilitate the building of a scientific cooperation framework through exchange of information, implementation of joint projects and exchange of expertise.
More food productivity, better preservation must
July 11, 2016,
With concern over food safety slowly but surely nestling in the collective consciousness of consumers, the demand on the food delivery system is growing. Food safety standards continue to be redefined and recalibrated along the entire chain, and product management at its source is increasingly being viewed as a crucially important step in ensuring that the food that reaches our tables is safe. The focus is finally on the farm.
Burgeoning population has heightened the need for greater productivity and efficiency in preservation methods. Chemicals in the form of fertilisers, pesticides, insecticides and preservatives have come to play a part in the push for these goals, and their negative impact on food safety needs to be nullified. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has spelt out the Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) for pesticides in fruits and vegetables, and the challenge for the food production and delivery chain is to constantly meet those safety standards.
Thanks to sustained campaigns consciousness over food safety is gaining ground rapidly. It is expected encompass more and more consumers in the coming years, and there is now a growing number of consumers ready to pay the extra buck for safer food. This backdrop will buttress the belief that now is the time to have the farmers play a bigger role in the food safety chain. It has to start with convincing and committing them to that path, and educating them on the methods and means to achieve those goals. In most cases round the country, it will entail big course corrections.
For example, farmers usually make sure they sell the fruits or vegetables they produce as early as possible to avoid the risk of damage by pests, often oblivious to the pre-harvest gaps prescribed for the pesticide. In certain areas, they lease out their land to traders. In the absence of training or knowledge about their use, farmers and traders spray pesticides and insecticides as guided by the salesmen. An assessment of practices required to ensure compliance must be made and training imparted to help farmers achieve them. Technical manpower will have to be mobilised to meet and monitor objectives. It is, thus, important to promote ‘best practices’ among farmers, possibly in a certifiable form, so that consumers are satisfied with the safety of the food they are buying and the farmers bask and blossom in the trust such certification brings.
The standards specified by GAP (Good Agriculture Practices) at the farm level, which include registration of pesticides by their manufacturers, are practised by several countries to ensure only safe fruits and vegetables reach consumers. To meet these standards, many export-oriented farms are already in compliance with GAP, which addresses economic viability, environmental sustainability, social acceptability along with food safety and quality. There is no reason why other farms cannot fall in line to ensure safe food right across the country. If the cost of compliance is ever a concern, it would be good to reflect on the savings brought about, both at an individual as well as at the government level, by the decrease in diseases.
Farmers need to be encouraged to implement Integrated Pest Management (IPM) by bringing biopesticides into equation. Manufacturers of pesticides and insecticides must ensure their products are appropriately registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, and that they abide by a Code of Conduct while selling their products to the farmers. Legible labelling of pre-harvest diffusion period of a pesticide is a 'must'.
Processed food products
Most retailers buy from traders and are usually unaware of which farm the fruits, vegetables or processed food products they sell have come from, and are oblivious to the health hazards posed by pesticide residues. They also lack the ability to check the produce for them. Roadside vendors are even more removed from such knowledge and knowhow. This is where certification can be the answer, and it will be about preparing farmers with practices that help keep pesticide residues within limits.
Retail chains insist on compliance through third party verification. If retailers are able to get practices at the source certified, they can display it on the packages. Consumer awareness on food certification by third party agencies like GAP will encourage more widespread compliance at the farm level. The resultant cascading effect will take 'best practices' to every corner of the country and ensure a healthier nation. It's a win-win scenario for all. While consumer demands will set the tenor in production, with profitability providing the push, participation in the promotion of safe food will have farmers flush with pride in their produce.
Since most of them are small and marginal players, it would be best for farmers to form groups to implement 'best practices' and obtain third-party certification. Costs will thus get divided and together they will also be able to generate marketable volumes. State governments, agricultural universities, national research centres should facilitate such cluster development approaches so that every farm is on board. Sweetening substances injected into fruits, colours smeared on the vegetables to have them look fresh... The threat to health from adulteration is a very serious one. Certification can act as the firewall against it.
As compliance becomes a consumer-driven compulsion, hopefully leading to habit for farmers and others in the food delivery chain, and unsafe food is filtered out of the system. It would also lead to import of produce of comparable quality and safety. Export-quality food and food products wouldn't have to originate from some 'oasis of best practices' but be available from farms across the country. Employment generation will be an offshoot of the programme, which will also contribute to the improvement of the environment and soil fertility, all adding to the quality of life ushered in by safer food. The farm is surely the place to start.
(The writer is Advisor, FSSAI. ‘The article is dedicated to Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan TM – a pan-India awareness campaign on `Safe Food for All’)
‘Only a few institutions applied for FSSAI licence’
Compliance by college and hostel students in the district to the requirement of registering with FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) has been dismal, official sources said.
Despite a recent directive, only a few institutions have applied for FSSAI licence, Designated Officer for Food Safety and Drug Administration Karunanidhi said.
“Educational institutions also get categorised as food business operators in the event of the annual turnover of the hostels they run exceeding Rs. 12 lakh per annum. Private colleges and schools are, by and large, unaware of the provision in the Food Safety Act for carrying out inspection and closure of operations without licence,” Mr. Karunanidhi said.
Last year, Kerala Government made it mandatory for anganwadis and hostels and canteens in educational institutions to secure FSSAI licence to ensure food safety.
30% food samples collected across state fail quality tests
Adulterated or misbranded
Out of the total 820 samples of food collected by the health authorities during this period, 239 samples failed quality tests
These samples were either adulterated or misbranded by the food safety administration
These samples were of milk, sweets, bakery products, grocery items etc
Thirty per cent of the food samples collected in the state in May were adulterated. This despite the fact that all district magistrates had asked the health and civic authorities to ensure sale of quality food items.
Out of the total 820 samples of food collected by the health authorities during this period, 239 samples failed quality tests. These samples were either adulterated or misbranded by the food safety administration.
These samples were of milk, sweets, bakery products, grocery items etc.
Twenty-nine samples of food items failed quality tests in Amritsar, five in Bathinda, five in Barnala, 15 in Faridkot, four in Fatehgarh Sahib, three in Fazilka, 13 in Ferozepur, two in Gurdaspur, five in Hoshiarpur, 29 in Jalandhar, 17 in Kapurthala, 21 in Ludhiana, three in Moga, 23 in Mohali, 18 in Nawanshahr, 17 in Patiala, five in Pathankot, seven in Ropar, 17 in Sangrur and one sample failed the tests in Tarn Taran. No samples of food items were collected in Muktsar district during this period. In Mansa district, eight samples of food items were collected and all passed quality tests.
The Health Department had fixed a target to collect 1,740 samples of food items but the district-level health authorities’ collected only 820 samples, which were 47 per cent less than the target.
A senior official of the Health Department said over 1,000 samples of food had been collected in June. Their reports are awaited.
Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani has called a meeting of all civil surgeons on July 12 in Chandigarh, in which the issue of quality in food products will be discussed.
Jul 10, 2016
பெட்ரோலிய கழிவின் மினரல் ஆயில் மூலம் நூதன மோசடி: மரச்செக்கில் ஆட்டிய சமையல் எண்ணெய் எனக்கூறி விற்பனை
நாமகிரிப்பேட்டை: உடலுக்கு கேடு விளைவிக்கும், பெட்ரோல் கழிவில் இருந்து கிடைக்கும் மினரல் ஆயிலில், வாசனை மற்றும் நிறமிகளை கலந்து நூதமான முறையில், சமையல் எண்ணெய் விற்பனையில் மோசடி நடக்கிறது. தம்மம்பட்டி, நாரைக்கிணறு பகுதியினர், இந்த ஆயிலை மரச்செக்கில் ஆட்டிய சமையல் எண்ணெய் எனக்கூறி விற்கின்றனர்.
மண்ணுக்கு அடியில் இருந்து கிடைக்கும் குருடு ஆயிலில் இருந்து, பெட்ரோல், சமையல் எரிவாயு, டீசல், தார் உள்ளிட்ட பொருட்கள் பிரித்து எடுக்கப்படுகிறது. இதில், மினரல் ஆயில் என்ற வாசனையில்லாத, நிறமில்லாத, பசைதன்மையில்லாத ஒரு வகை எண்ணெயும் கிடைக்கிறது. மலிவான விலையில், எதற்கும் பயன்படாத இந்த மினரல் ஆயிலை, தற்போது திருச்சி, சேலம், நாமக்கல், கரூர், தர்மபுரி உள்ளிட்ட மாவட்டங்களில் பலர் சமையல் எண்ணெய்யாக பயன்படுத்துகின்றனர்.
கலப்பட எண்ணெய்: பெரிய அளவிலான கன்டெய்னரில் வாங்கப்படும் இந்த ஆயிலில், தேங்காய் எண்ணெய், நல்லெண்ணெய், கடலை எண்ணெய் ஆகிவற்றுக்கு என, தனித்தனியாக கிடைக்கும் வாசனை, நிறமி ஆகியற்றை தரும் கெமிக்கல் கலக்கப்படுகிறது. குறிப்பாக, 14 லிட்டர் எண்ணெய் கேனில், சில துளி கெமிக்கல் விட்டால், அந்த எண்ணெய்க்கான குணம், மணம் கிடைத்துவிடும். சேலம் மாவட்டம், தம்மம்பட்டியில் இருந்து, பல பகுதிகளுக்கு கலப்பட எண்ணெய் சப்ளை செய்யப்படுகிறது.
நாமக்கல் மாவட்டம், நாமகிரிப்பேட்டை அடுத்த நாரைக்கிணறு கிராமம், தம்மம்பட்டி அருகிலேயே இருப்பதால், இங்கும் கலப்பட எண்ணெய் தயாரிப்பு அமோகமாக உள்ளது. இப்பகுதியில் வசிக்கும், 400க்கும் மேற்பட்டோர், கலப்பட எண்ணெய்யை கேனில் வாங்கிச்சென்று, பல மாவட்டங்களில் விற்று வருகின்றனர். இவர்கள், 'எங்கள் தோட்டத்தில் விளைந்த எள், கடலையை மரச்செக்கில் ஆட்டி எடுத்து வருகிறோம்' எனக்கூறி, மார்க்கெட் விலையை விட லிட்டருக்கு, 20 முதல், 50 ரூபாய் வரை குறைத்து விற்கின்றனர். அதேபோல், சுற்று வட்டார பகுதியில், சில்லி சிக்கன் விற்பனை செய்யும் கடைக்காரர்களும், இந்த எண்ணெய்யை அதிகளவு வாங்கி செல்கின்றனர். இந்த எண்ணெய்யை பயன்படுத்துவதால், பல்வேறு பக்கவிளைவுகள் ஏற்படும் அபாயம் உள்ளதாக மருத்துவர்கள் தெரிவிக்கின்றனர்.
இதுகுறித்து மாவட்ட நுகர்வோர் பாதுகாப்பு குழு உறுப்பினர் கலைவாணன் கூறியதாவது: தூய்மையான கடலை எண்ணெய் லிட்டர், 150 ரூபாய், நல்லெண்ணெய், 200 ரூபாய்க்கும் விற்கப்படுகிறது. ஆனால், இதுபோன்ற பெட்ரோல் ஆயிலில் கலப்படம் செய்து விற்கப்படும் கடலை எண்ணெய் லிட்டர், 85 ரூபாய்க்கும், நல்லெண்ணெய், 80 ரூபாய்க்கும் விற்கப்படுகிறது. நடுத்தர குடும்பத்தினர் மற்றும் ஏழைகள், விலை குறைவாக இருப்பதால், இதை வாங்கி செல்கின்றனர். இதனால், பல்வேறு கொடிய நோய்களுக்கு ஆளாக வாய்ப்புள்ளது. கடலை எண்ணெய் என்று விற்கப்படும் ஆயில் பாக்கெட்டில், நிலக்கடலை படம் போட்டிருந்தாலும், கடலை எண்ணெய் என்று எழுதுவதில்லை. சமையல் எண்ணெய் என்று பொதுவாக குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளனர். இதேபோன்ற மோசடிகளை அதிகாரிகள் உடனடியாக கண்டுபிடித்து நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும். இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.
இதுகுறித்து, சிங்களாந்தபுரம் டாக்டர் செந்தில்குமார் கூறியதாவது: கலப்பட ஆயில்களை உணவில் சேர்த்துக்கொள்வதால், ரத்தத்தின் உறையும் தன்மை அதிகமாகிவிடும். இதனால், குறைந்த வயதில் கூட மாரடைப்பு ஏற்படும். அல்சர் போன்ற குடல் புண் நோய் மட்டுமின்றி, ஜீரண மண்டலமே பாதிக்கப்படும். புற்றுநோய், பக்கவாதம் உள்ளிட்ட கொடிய நோய்களும் தாக்கும் அபாயம் உள்ளது. பாக்கெட்டில் அடைத்த பொருட்களை பயன்படுத்தியதில் இருந்தே, இதுபோன்ற பாதிப்பு அதிகரிக்க துவங்கிவிட்டது. இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.
நாமக்கல் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்புதுறை அலுவலர் டாக்டர் கவிக்குமார் கூறியதாவது: பெரும்பாலும் நல்லெண்ணெய், கடலை எண்ணெய் தான் கலப்படம் செய்வர். நல்லெண்ணையில் ஆமணக்கு எண்ணெயும், கடலை எண்ணெய்யில் பால்மோலிவ் ஆயிலும் கலப்படம் செய்வர். கலப்பட ஆயில் குறித்து, ஆய்வுக்கு உட்படுத்தினால் தான் உண்மை தெரியவரும். நல்லெண்ணெயை பொறுத்த வரை, அக்மார்க் சான்று பெற்றால் தான் பாக்கெட்டில் விற்க முடியும். மினரல் ஆயிலில் கலப்படம் குறித்து புகார் எதுவும் இல்லை. தகவல் கிடைத்தால், தீவிர நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.
தமிழகத்தில் போதை பொருட்கள் ஊடுருவல்: சோதனை சாவடி அலுவலர்களே காரணம் என புகார்
மேட்டூர்: ''தமிழக எல்லையில் உள்ள போக்குவரத்து துறை சோதனை சாவடி அலுவலர்களின் அலட்சியமே, போதை பொருட்கள், தமிழகத்தில் ஊடுருவ காரணம்,'' என, தமிழ்நாடு லாரி உரிமையாளர் சங்கத்தினர் குற்றம்சாட்டுகின்றனர்.
தமிழகத்தில், போக்குவரத்து துறை கட்டுப்பாட்டில், 18 சோதனை சாவடிகள், கேரளா, கர்நாடகா, ஆந்திரா எல்லைப்பகுதிகளில் அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. ஆந்திரா, கர்நாடகாவில் இருந்து வரும், சரக்கு லாரிகளை சோதனை செய்வதில்லை. அதிக பாரத்தை கண்டுபிடிக்க எடை கிடையாது. அதனால், பான்பராக், குட்கா, கஞ்சா சாக்லேட் போன்றவை, தமிழகத்தில் எளிதாக ஊடுருவுகின்றன.
இதுகுறித்து, தமிழ்நாடு லாரி உரிமையாளர் சங்க மாநில தலைவர் சுகுமார் கூறியதாவது: போக்குவரத்து துறை கட்டுப்பாட்டிலுள்ள சோதனை சாவடிகளில், சென்னை அடுத்த நொச்சிகுப்பம், வேலூர் அடுத்த திருவலம், கிருஷ்ணகிரி அடுத்த ஒசூர் ஆகியவை முக்கியமானவை. அந்த சோதனை சாவடிகள் வழியாகவே, வடமாநிலங்களில் இருந்து, பான்பராக், குட்கா, கஞ்சா சாக்லேட் போன்ற போதை பொருட்கள் ஏற்றிய லாரி உள்ளிட்ட வாகனங்கள், தமிழகத்துக்குள் நுழைகின்றன. நொச்சிகுப்பம் சாவடி வழியாக மட்டும் தினமும், 5,000க்கும் மேற்பட்ட சரக்கு வாகனங்கள் தமிழகத்தில் நுழைகின்றன. எல்லை சோதனை சாவடிகளில் சந்தேகத்துக்கு உரிய சரக்குகளை ஏற்றி செல்லும் வாகனங்களை சோதனை செய்ய கூட, போதிய அலுவலர்கள் கிடையாது. அதை சாதகமாக்கி, எளிதாக போதை பொருட்கள் பாரம் ஏற்றிய லாரிகள், தமிழகத்துக்குள் நுழைந்துவிடுகின்றன. லாரிகளில் கூடுதல் பாரம் ஏற்றப்பட்டுள்ளதா என்பதை கண்டறிய, 18 சோதனை சாவடிகளிலும் எடைமேடை கூட இல்லை. அதற்கு, உயர்நீதிமன்றம் செப்., 30ம் தேதி வரை அவகாசம் கொடுத்துள்ளது. அதற்குள், அனைத்து சாவடிகளிலும் எடைமேடை அமைக்க வேண்டும். காலியாக உள்ள அலுவலர் பணியிடங்களை நிரப்ப வேண்டும். மாநிலம் முழுவதும் கடை, குடோன்களில் சோதனை செய்வதற்கு பதிலாக, வடமாநிலங்களில் இருந்து, தமிழகத்தில் நுழையும் சரக்கு லாரிகளை ஆந்திரா, கர்நாடகா எல்லையில் உள்ள சாவடிகளில் சோதனை செய்தாலே கஞ்சா சாக்லேட், பான்பராக், குட்கா உள்ளிட்ட போதை பொருட்களை கட்டுப்படுத்திவிடலாம். இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.
Food for Thought
Increased consciousness against the use of animal ingredients has prompted a new focus on food labelling around the world
Food has been much in the news lately.
Last month, the Registrar General of India released results of a 2014 survey on household habits—including vegetarianism and non-vegetarianism. The survey produced some startling results. Seventy-one percent of Indians over 15 years of age are non-vegetarian—a four percentage points fall from the previous baseline survey done in 2004. It is a common myth that Indians are substantially vegetarian. The results of the survey at the state level are even more interesting. Rajasthan is the most vegetarian state in India with approximately 75% vegetarians, and Telangana the least with only 1% vegetarians. Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana are among the most vegetarian states with Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal among the least. The five southern states taken together have a median vegetarian population of 2.3%.
While the survey asks other questions of the households surveyed (including the type of contraceptive method used) it does not investigate vegetarianism. Counter-intuitively, even as India’s per capita income rises, the country has become more vegetarian rather than less. Received economic wisdom has it that as a country becomes prosperous more meat, poultry and eggs per capita will be consumed. While India is indeed the most vegetarian country in the world, most countries have a sizeable number of vegetarians (for ease, I am making no distinction between vegetarian and vegan diets). Surprisingly, China at 5% of its population is estimated to have more vegetarians than the US at about 3% (though rising fast). Israel, Germany and Brazil have reasonably significant vegetarian populations. Religion-based vegetarianism in China and Taiwan falls into two buckets: Daoist vegetarians refrain merely from eating meat and Su vegetarians who refrain from meat and fetid vegetables like garlic and shallots. Given the centrality of milk and milk products, India’s religious vegetarianism is significantly lacto-vegetarianism.
There is a gradual increase in vegetarianism around the world. Google reported a sharp increase in searches around the world over the last few years for the word “vegan”.
The increased consciousness against the use of animal ingredients has prompted a dramatic new focus on food labelling around the world. In the US and UK, vegetarian and vegan foods currently follow guidance issued by their respective food standard agencies. These protocols require full disclosure of ingredients and self-certifications that follow guidelines. Grocery retailers like Sainsbury and Waitrose in the UK now label many of their own products as “vegan”. India has taken a lead in this area and requires a green dot for vegetarian food and a brown dot for non-vegetarian food in addition to a full list of ingredients. Soon there may be a blue dot for diabetes-friendly food in India.
Food labelling and safety in India falls under the purview of the Food Standard and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) established in 2006 by consolidating various food standard and safety regulations in one agency. FSSAI has eight regional offices, four referral laboratories and 72 local laboratories located around India. The Lucknow regional office was the one that issued a show cause notice to Nestle India Ltd about the presence of excess lead contaminant and incorrect food labelling for its Maggi product. According to a recent Right to Information response received by The Times of India, the Lucknow office had also issued notices to Mother Dairy for Fruit Added Lassi being sold without a licence, to Hindustan Unilever Ltd for producing sub-standard bread and to the Lulu Group for illegal slaughter at its Barabanki facility.
In a surprise move in March, FSSAI shut down the Lucknow and Chandigarh regional offices and has said it is moving towards a deregulation and self-compliance regime. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has withdrawn its earlier commitment of greater funding for FSSAI and encouraged the regulator to decentralize its enforcement activities to the states, and outsource some of its food testing to certified external laboratories.
FSSAI’s role is in flux. What should the right policy be?
At a time when the consumer is seeking greater truth in labelling and greater trust in the product she is consuming, FSSAI should indeed focus its role on regulation, licensing and standards. It is a good idea to outsource testing. However, the states have a very inconsistent capacity to enforce the standards. This is the area that will need the most work. States will need help with a greater number of accredited laboratories, more technically trained manpower and a general institutional capacity to be fair, but firm in their enforcement activities. The focus of enforcement should change from output and adulteration to certifying input and manufacturing processes.
The need for a greater selection of food types, including vegan food, will continue apace. Regulators will not be able to enforce standards on a rapidly expanding range of output foods. The focus must rightly shift towards regulation, standards and self-governance. Enforcement will be the (sugarless) icing on the cake.
P.S.: “The vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind,” said Albert Einstein. That’s a relative view, of course.
Narayan Ramachandran is chairman, InKlude Labs.
Comments are welcome at narayan@livemint.com. To read Narayan Ramachandran’s previous columns, go towww.livemint.com/avisiblehand
House panel seeks FSSAI report on synthetic milk
- A parliamentary panel has raised concerns over reports of increase in supply of synthetic milk in cities
- The panel has sought reports from food safety regulator, FSSAI, on the number of milk samples tested so far
- The lawmakers also took up the issue of how chemists sell medicines even after their expiry dates
NEW DELHI: Raising concerns over reports of increasing supply of synthetic milk in cities, a parliamentary panel has sought reports from food safety regulator, FSSAI, on the number of milk samples tested so far, their findings and action taken against offenders.
The parliamentary committee on consumer affairs, which met on Friday, pointed to how huge quantity of milk, curd and ghee are made available in cities like Delhi at any given time when there are numerous marriages or parties . Sources said the law makers wanted to know whether any check is carried out to find out how much quantity is being made available from different points. "They wanted both legal metrology and food safety departments to check quantity and quality of milk made available," said a source.
Referring to wafers' packets, that have more air and less quantity, the MPs also raised the issue of "deceptive" packaging by companies to give an impression how a packet may be containing more items. "The MPs were of the view that officials from both the weight and measure departments of states and their food safety wings should verify both the quantity and quality of food items being sold ," said a source.
The lawmakers also took up the issue of how chemists sell medicines even after their expiry dates.
Head of the parliamentary panel J C Diwakar Reddy said they will persuade the Prime Minister for early passage of the Consumer Protection Bill, which will address most of their concerns.
Jul 9, 2016
Old stocks of chocolates confiscated in Erode
CHOCOLATES CONFISCATED
Officials of Food Safety and Drug Administration inspected shops along Kongallamman Koil Street in the city on Friday and confiscated old stocks of chocolates that were unfit for consumption. Chocolates beyond expiry date were found in 12 out of the 20 inspected shops, District Officer for Food Safety and Drug Administration Karunanidhi said, advocating awareness among buyers about ‘use by’ and ‘best before’ dates while making purchase.
400 kg of banned substances seized in raids across Chennai
Officials check items at a shop in Tambaram
Teams search 84 shops near schools, colleges
As many as 300 officials conducted a series of raids to unearth paan masala and gutka across the State on Friday.
In Chennai, the Food Safety Department on Friday seized over 400 kg of banned substance, including from two godowns. Four teams raided 84 shops in areas surrounding 26 schools and colleges in the city. The areas covered included Alwarpet; Tenynampet; Peter’s Road in Royapettah, Gopalapuram; Cathedral Road; Poes Garden area; Mannadi; Sowcarpet; and Koyambedu.
A raid on a godown on Varadamuthaiappan Street in Sowcarpet yielded around 400 kg of the banned substance. “The substance was being transported from North India. We have sent samples to the King Institute in Guindy for testing,” an official said.
Eight bags of chips packets kept in unsanitary conditions were also seized. So far, the raid covered around 100 schools. The raids will continue till all schools were covered, officials said.
Though the department conducted regular raids, it had no provision to fine them. “The raids are only control measures. We forward the results of the sample to the police for further action,” the official said.
In Tambaram, 10 kg of prohibited items, such as paan masala packed in sachets, were seized. More than 350 bottles of cold beverage, which did not bear any details and rotten eggs stored for sale were destroyed.
Officials also found food items that officials described as ‘substandard and injurious to health’.
The raid in Tambaram was conducted by A. Ramakrishnan, designated officer of Kancheepuram district and Tambaram food safety officer R. Velavan.
Results of earlier raid
Police sources said the forensic test on chocolates, said to be laced with some drug, had been completed and the results would be sent to the court as it is confidential. “In the last one week more than 500 people have been arrested for selling banned products in over 12 police districts in the city,” said a senior police officer.
The police have seized more than 175 kg of ganja, 1,292 packets ofmaava and 10,681 packets of other tobacco products.
Drive against sale of banned tobacco products, intoxicant chocolates
Health at stake:Collector S. Natarajan inspecting seized intoxicant chocolates and banned tobacco products at the Collectorate in Ramanathapuram on Friday.
Launching a drive against sale of intoxicant chocolates and banned tobacco products, the District Food Safety wing of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has seized intoxicant chocolates and banned tobacco products worth Rs. two lakh in the district.
After launching the drive on July 6 as part of the State-wide drive, the Food Safety officials have seized products worth Rs. One lakh in Ramanathapuram municipal limit and products worth an equal amount after raiding retail shops at block levels throughout the district, Food safety wing District Designated Officer M. J. C. Bose said.
Inspecting the seized products, including locally-made unbranded and sub-standard chocolates, which had ingredients to stimulate intoxication and banned tobacco products such as ‘Baangu Urundai’ and ‘Cool Lip’ at the Collectorate here on Friday, Collector S. Natarajan said the drive would continue until further orders and advised school children not to buy the chocolates.
Pointing out that retail outlets, especially those located near schools and colleges were flooded with banned products, coated with attractive synthetic colours, the Collector appealed to the students and general public to avoid buying unbranded chocolates and biscuits.
Stern action
The retail and wholesale sellers should avoid selling such products, failing which stern action would be taken against them, the Collector warned. Public could alert the district administration, police or the food safety cell by calling 04567 231170 if they come across sale of such products in their areas, he said.
Dr. Bose said samples of the seized products were being sent to food analysts in Palayamkottai and further action would be taken against the sellers based on the reports of the analysts. The District Revenue Officer (DRO) would be the adjudicating official in case of sub standard and misuse of branded products, he said.
In case of sale of unsafe products, the department would file case before Judicial Magistrate courts, he said.
Dr. Bose was assisted in the drive by Food Safety officers M. Karunanidhi, A. Karunagaran and A. John Peter.
Officials seize banned tobacco products
T. Anuradha, Designated Officer of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, conducting surprise check for banned tobacco products at a shop in Salem on Friday
The officials of the Food Safety Department and State Narcotics Intelligence Bureau (NIB) conducted surprise check in shops in Shevvapet area in the city on Friday and seized banned tobacco products worth more than Rs. 2.5 lakh.
Officials sources said that a team led by T. Anuradha, Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, conducted surprise check near a school in Kannankurichi in the city on Thursday evening, when they spotted a man selling chocolates without any details on the cover.
Enquiries with him revealed that the chocolates were supplied to him by a shop functioning at Shevvapet. Following this, Dr. Anuradha along with Thangavel, Deputy SP, State NIB, conducted surprise check in the shops in Shevvapet. They seized banned tobacco products worth Rs. 2.5 lakh from the shops.
On spotting the official team, two traders instantly closed their shops and fled the scene. Dr. Anuradha sealed both the shops.
The Designated Officer told The Hindu that the raids were conducted to check the shops selling narcotic-mixed candies. However, banned tobacco products were found in the shops and were seized. She said that the officials were currently focussing on the shops near the education institutions.
During the raids, candies in colourful packing in different shapes and colours luring the school children were found in the shops. These chocolates were without the mandatory details such as manufacturer’s name and date of expiry.
The samples of the candies have been sent to the Government Food Laboratory at Udayapatti in Salem city for analysis. Action will be taken after the receipt of the laboratory report.
All you need to know about the GM food controversy
Picture shows activists of Greenpeace holding a protest against GM corn and the Monsanto Law on the National Day of Corn , in front of the Judicial Power in Mexico City on September 29, 2015.
A letter to Greenpeace endorsed by over 100 Nobel Laureates has yet again ignited a debate on whether genetically modified crops are safe or not.
Last week, over a hundred Nobel laureates shot off a letter to NGO Greenpeace calling its campaign against genetically modified (GM) crops “misleading” and “unscientific.” The letter has re-ignited the debate over how safe it is to consume GM food.
What does the letter say?
Addressing Greenpeace, the United Nations, and governments across the world, the letter points to how global production of food will have to double by 2050 to meet the demands of a growing global population. “Organisations opposed to modern plant breeding, with Greenpeace at their lead, have repeatedly denied these facts and opposed biotechnological innovations in agriculture. They have misrepresented their risks, benefits, and impacts, and supported the criminal destruction of approved field trials and research projects,” the letter says. It also urges Greenpeace and its supporters to re-examine the issue in the light of experiences of farmers and consumers worldwide as also new scientific findings. The letter wants Greenpeace to abandon its campaign against GM crop in general and Golden Rice in particular. It says Golden Rice, a genetically modified variety of rice infused with Vitamin A, is a must for curing Vitamin A deficiency in children in Africa who are affected by partial blindness because of the deficiency.
How have opponents of GM crops responded?
Indian environmental activist and anti-globalization author Vandana Shiva.
Environmentalist Vandana Shiva, founder of Navdanya, an organisation promoting organic farming, is clear that GM crops contaminate the environment and the letter by the Nobel winners is merely an opinion, and not an authoritative study to go by. In a written response to The Hindu, Ms. Shiva referred to the backlash the letter had received from several agriculture researchers and experts internationally. She cited Devon G. Peña, an anthropologist at the University of Washington, Seattle, and an expert in indigenous agriculture, who noted how the signatories were “mostly white men of privilege with little background in risk science, few with a background in toxicology studies, and certainly none with knowledge of the indigenous agro-ecological alternatives.” Ms. Shiva further said that the laureates’ letter relied for its impact entirely on the supposed authority of the signatories. Referring to a tweet from Philip Stark, Professor of Statistics at the University of California, Berkeley, she said the signatories comprised: “One peace prize, 8 economists, 24 physicists, 33 chemists, 41 doctors”. She also shared details as to how Greenpeace activists were stalled from attending the Washington press conference where the letter in question was released, as one of the security managers for the event John Bryne was a former head of corporate communications for Monsanto, the GM seeds giant. Thus tracing the entire episode to a GM lobby-driven public relations exercise, Ms. Shiva said the letter should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Further Greenpeace has denied accusations that it is blocking genetically engineered ‘Golden’ rice. Its spokesperson from South East Asia, Wilhelmina Pelegrina, told The Hindu that golden rice has failed as a solution and isn’t currently available for sale, even after more than 20 years of research. “As admitted by the International Rice Research Institute, it has not been proven to actually address Vitamin A Deficiency,” she said, further adding: “Corporations are overhyping ‘golden’ rice to pave the way for global approval of other more profitable genetically engineered crops. Rather than invest in this overpriced public relations exercise, we need to address malnutrition through a more diverse diet, equitable access to food and eco-agriculture.”
What is the science behind GM crops?
A DNA double helix is seen in an undated artist's illustration released by the National Human Genome Research Institute on May 15, 2012.
Ever since the discovery of the DNA double-helix model by Watson and Crick, scientists realised it was possible to manipulate the DNA features of an organism to create new traits in them by borrowing genes from other organisms and mixing it with theirs. In the case of GM food, scientists insert into a plant’s genome one or several gene from another species of plant or even from a bacterium, virus or animal. This is to inject desired traits such as pest-resistance or Vitamin A (as in the case of golden rice).
Is GM food unsafe?
Most studies on the safety of GM food are heavily debated; with the result that it is hard to conclude they are unsafe. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified glyphosate, a herbicide that goes with Monsanto’s Roundup Ready product, as “probably carcinogenic” in 2015. However, this has been challenged by food scientists. This ensures that only the weed dies and not the crop itself, as the GM food is modified to resist glyphosate. In a review paper of GMO safety assessment studies, environmental scientist Marek Cuhra has shown that glyphosate-tolerant GM food plants accumulate glyphosate residues at unexpected high levels. Minimum residue levels of glyphosate allowed on GM food has been notched up due to increased use of this herbicide on the glyphosate tolerant GM food crops, said Kavitha Kuruganti, an activist associated with ASHA – Kisan Swaraj Alliance. “The way the plant resists the herbicide has allowed more residues to remain on the plant, so this has increased exposure to glyphosate among GM food consumers,” she said.
Till date the most controversial study around safety of GM food has been on GM corn by French molecular biologist Gilles-Éric Séralini. In a 2012 journal paper, he had shown that rats fed GM corn and the herbicide Roundup developed tumours. But his journal paper was withdrawn after its data was shown to be flawed. A study released by the Japanese Department of Environmental Health and Toxicology, based on a 52-week feeding of GM soybeans to rats, found “no apparent adverse effect in rats” in 2007. In 2012, scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences released a review of 12 long-term studies and 12 multi-generational studies of GM foods, concluding there is no evidence of health hazards from GM food. The European Commission too funded 130 research projects on the safety of GM crops and could not find anything that could prove the risks from GM crops.
Is there more to the GM controversy?
Activists protesting against Bt Brinjal, the first GM food item to be introduced for trial in India. Picture was taken in Hyderabad in 2010.
It isn’t just about safety. There are arguments against GM food that are economic and social in nature. Advocates of organic farming like Vandana Shiva have voiced serious concern about multinational agribusiness companies such as Monsanto and Bayer taking over farming from the hands of small farmers, which includes several poor women in developing countries like India. This would mean loss of autonomy over the manner in which agriculture itself is practiced, with increased dependence on GM seed companies and herbicides manufactured by them, putting financial strain on farmer households.
There are also concerns regarding loss of food biodiversity if corporate food varieties begin to flood the markets. In a note published on the Navdanya site, Ms. Shiva wrote that Golden Rice is less efficient in providing Vitamin A than the biodiversity alternatives that those grown by indigenous farmers. She also wrote that GMO ‘iron-rich’ bananas have less iron than turmeric and amchur (mango powder). “Apart from being nutritionally empty, GMOs are part of an industrial system of agriculture that are destroying biodiversity, and we are losing access to the food systems that have sustained us throughout time,” she wrote.
However, scientists in the U.S. and elsewhere are firm that GM food can resolve the hunger challenge in the developing world, as the Nobel Laureates’ letter states. They also speak of the benefits of insect-resistant food crops that can increase farm productivity for farmers.
The GM scene in India
Though India has resisted GM food production till now, Ms. Kuruganti said there have been instances of GM food being imported into the country (including corn, baby food and breakfast cereal, which have been introduced without adherence to relevant labelling laws). While a Directorate General of Foreign Trade notification in 2013 addressed the issue of labelling by requiring those importing GM food to explicitly mention it in their labels, in the case of home-manufactured products like edible oil, there are chances of GM cottonseed oil being mixed with other edible oil without any labelling, she said.
Though no State government in India has permitted commercial cultivation of GM food till now, field trials for 21 GM food crops, including GM vegetables and cereals, have been approved by the government.
Getting compensation for bad food easier said than done
If you furnish proof, of food poisoning, the manufacturer or vendor will, after a prolonged court battle, pay you Rs1 lakh in case of any harm, Rs 3 lakh for grievous harm and Rs 5 lakh for death, according to section 65 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Did you get an upset tummy after eating from a local restaurant? Then you may be eligible to get up to Rs 5 lakh in compensation under the Food Safety Act.
Not so easily, though.
First, you have to preserve some of the food that you ate and get it tested at the city’s food safety lab at the earliest.
Second, you have to preserve the sample of your vomit or stool and get a physician to certify you have had food poisoning.
If you furnish all the proof, the manufacturer or vendor will, after a prolonged court battle, pay you Rs1 lakh in case of any harm, Rs 3 lakh for grievous harm and Rs 5 lakh for death, according to section 65 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
“For claiming compensation, the person has to get the same food that he ate, tested. And, the sample has to be tested within 24 hours, otherwise, the manufacturers may contest that the food went bad because the consumer did not keep it under proper refrigeration,” an official from Delhi’s food safety department said.
“When it comes to compensation, it is a very strict Act and a person will have to prove beyond reasonable doubt in the court of law that he/ she got sick because of the food. This means we have to medically examine whether the food poisoning happened due to the same strain of bacteria or virus found in the food,” the official added.
The official agrees that the conditions for compensation are impractical.
“The onus lies with the consumer to collect the proof. Nobody saves half their sandwich or a little bit of the dal, just in case they fall ill later. And, what if the person gets sick after four days? Then, even if they complain and we find the food to be contaminated, we can only take action against the manufacturer or vendor. They will not receive any compensation as they will be unable to prove the food they had four days ago was contaminated,” the official said.
It may take a couple of hours to two days for an infection to set in. “If the toxin is already present in the food product because of the action of a bacteria, a person will get sick in two or three hours. But, if the person ingests the infection, it will take a little longer. The most common bacteria -- staphylococcus takes 6 hours, bacillus cereus takes 12 to 24 hours and salmonella takes 36 to 48 hours to start acting,” said Dr Srikant Sharma, senior consulting physician at Moolchand hospital.
To date, no case for compensation has been filed under the Act, which came into force five years ago, in 2011. “This clause is beneficial in case of mass outbreaks, where several people fall ill and we can register a stronger case. However, even then the evidence will mostly be circumstantial,” the food safety department official said.
FSSAI’s risk assessment cell for easy food recall to become a centre soon
FSSAI has established a National Risk Assessment Cell at its headquarters here to ascertain risk areas of concern. This has been done to strengthen the food safety ecosystem that would eventually help the apex food regulator to deal with the crisis related to food safety involving situations like food recall.
Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, revealed in a statement in a newsletter of FSSAI that this would eventually develop into a National Food Safety Risk Assessment Centre. “A National Risk Assessment Cell has been established to assess risks in areas of concern and I would like to inform that this cell would eventually be strengthened and developed into a full-fledged National Food Safety and Risk Assessment Centre,” he stated.
He pointed out that the body had created a new division for implementation of the GHP and GMP measures by the FBOs. He stated, “FSSAI has also created a new division, Food Safety Management System (FSMS) Division for the consistent implementation of the preventive measures i.e., Good Manufacturing Practices, Good Hygiene Practices & Hazard Analysis & Critical Control Point in various kinds of food businesses.”
Informing about labs, Agarwal stated that 16 new NABL accredited labs were notified by FSSAI recently.
Besides, FSSAI had set up seven new scientific panels to speed up the process of setting standards along with adoption of Codex standards. In order to ensure food safety across the nation, new key regulations relating to recall procedures, traceability, product approval, claims, food fortification, and school canteens are being finalised. “We have recently released nine new manuals of method of analysis of foods,” he said.
Meanwhile, FSSAI Mobile App, launched in March 2016, is receiving citizen’s trust nationwide and to further enhance this, an elaborate system is now being developed such as to directly inform the concerns to the regulatory staff at the field level. Also, the organisational structure of FSSAI has been strengthened and a system of team-based approach has been initiated for seamless flow of information across various divisions, according to him.
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