Eggs feel like plastic after cooking, sent for testing

CUDDALORE: The residents of Kattumannarkoil in Cuddalore district have expressed apprehension over the sales of `plastic eggs' in their locality. They claimed that a resident identified as Vidhya from Sarvarajanpet near Kattumannarkoil bought eggs from a grocery shop in the village on Friday . When she attempted to make an omelette she noticed that the egg white looked abnormal and resembled plastic.

She brought the issue to the notice of her family members and neighbours. They tested the other eggs and also found that the white material in other eggs too looked like plastic. They alerted the district officials. A team led by district food safety officer Ravi reached the village and collected the egg samples. The officials sent the samples for testing to a government laboratory at Coimbatore.

"It is highly impossible (to manufacture plastic eggs). There is no need for such eggs as there is good supply of eggs in the state. However we have collected samples of the eggs and have sent it for analysis to a government laboratory in Coimbatore," said Ravi.

Eggs containing plastic-like material have been reported in a few places in the state and neighbouring Kerala. However, food safety officials dismissed it as rumours. They said the transparent protein member between the egg shell and egg white might have thickened due to prolonged refrigeration making it look like plastic when cooked.

Are you drinking poison this summer?

Cold drinks in Jammu & Kashmir adulterated, misbranded

Impure samples, convictions highest yet no blanket ban

JAMMU, Apr 15: Beware! You may be at risk. Food Safety and Standards of Authority of India (FSSAI) has placed Jammu and Kashmir among top ten states in the country where highest number of aerated or carbonated cold drinks have been found adulterated and misbranded.

28 percent of total samples analyzed by FSSAI were found adulterated and misbranded. According to the annual public testing laboratory report for the year 2015-16; 1354 samples were received from Jammu and Kashmir. Of these samples, 1215 were analyzed i.e around 89 percent of the samples received by the testing laboratory of FSSAI were tested. 334 samples of the carbonated/aerated cold drinks were found adulterated and misbranded.

This has been revealed by Ministry of Food Processing in its latest data on adulterated aerated/carbonated soft drinks for the year 2015-16. The above data is 27 percent of the total samples sent to the laboratory for testing from Jammu and Kashmir, thus, clearly indicating how bleak the scenario is yet the state government has preferred not putting a blanket ban on the manufacture and sale of cold drinks in the state. 

Though the state has launched highest number of convictions in the country yet it has desisted from following several other states in the country which have put a blanket van on the carbonated/aerated cold drinks. 

Jammu and Kashmir has launched just 1 criminal case and 335 civil cases against various internationally acclaimed soft drink companies for having violated the norms, manufactured and sold adulterated and misbranded cold drinks across the state but has preferred not to take required steps for ensuring that these companies conform to the norms. 

Of 336 cases launched by the state government, convictions have taken place in 225 cases, which is highest in the country. An amount of Rs. 22.15 Lakh was realized as penalty from various companies.

The data puts a question mark on the seriousness of the government in ensuring people do not face health hazards because of the cold drinks which are both adulterated. More serious is the silence of the state government in sharing the details of the companies who are playing with the lives of the commoners. State prefers keeping the details top secret, thus allowing cold drinks manufacturers to play with the lives of the commoners across the state.

Data of J&K being 9th state in the country from where adulterated samples were received increases health risk of the people since a government study had found five different toxins-heavy metals antimony, lead, chromium and cadmium and the compound DEHP or Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate-in cold drinks produced by two major multinational companies, PepsiCo and Coca Cola.

The study, commissioned by top Health Ministry body, the Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), had found that these toxins leached into five cold drink samples picked up for the study - Pepsi, Coca Cola, Mountain Dew, Sprite and 7Up - from the PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles they were in. Mountain Dew and 7Up are owned by Pepsico, while Sprite is owned by Coca Cola. Results had further shown that there was significant increase in leaching with rise in room temperature.

Under the DTAB's instructions, the study was conducted by the Kolkata-based All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health (AIIH&PH), which comes under the Health Ministry. AIIH&PH had picked up four bottles (600 ml size) each of the cold drink brands as samples through the "stratified random sampling method". The institute had then handed over samples to the Kolkata-based National Test House (NTH), which falls under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, to perform the tests.

While there are no permissible limits for heavy metals in cold drinks, the tests found 0.029 milligrams per litre (mg/L), 0.011 mg/L, 0.002 mg/L, 0.017 mg/L and 0.028 mg/L of antimony, lead, cadmium, chromium and DEHP, respectively, in Pepsi. In Coca Cola, 0.006 mg/L, 0.009 mg/L, 0.011 mg/L, 0.026 mg/L and 0.026 mg/L of the aforesaid heavy metals, respectively, were found. The results were similar for Sprite, Mountain Dew and 7Up.

The leaching of these heavy metals-from PET bottles in which the drinks were packaged-increased with the rise in room temperature. For example, at normal room temperature, the tests found 0.004 mg/L and 0.007 mg/L of lead in 7Up and Sprite, respectively. However, when it was kept at 40 degree Celsius for 10 days, the lead increased to 0.006 mg/L and 0.009 mg/L, respectively. The World Health Organisation (WHO) considers lead and cadmium two of the top ten chemicals of "major public health concern".

According to the WHO, children are particularly vulnerable to harmful effects of lead. "Lead can have serious consequences for the health of children. At high levels of exposure, Lead attacks the brain and central nervous system to cause coma, convulsions and even death. Children who survive severe lead poisoning may be left with mental retardation and behavioural disorders," the WHO has noted.

For cadmium, the WHO said, "Cadmium exerts toxic effects on the kidney, the skeletal system and the respiratory system and is classified as a human carcinogen." Chromium, antimony and DEHP are also known to cause serious side effects on the body.

Kozhikode boy dies of ‘food poisoning’

KOZHIKODE: The department of food safety department on Saturday banned the sale of Cuckoo-brand pudding in the district after a four-year-old boy from Kappad died of suspected food poisoning.

Yusufali, son of Palodayil Basheer and Surabhi, died on Friday night a day after he had consumed jelly-candies and the pudding bought from a bakery at the Moffusil bus stand.

The boy's mother has been undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital. They had bought the candy and pudding from Royal Bakery before boarding a bus on Thursday. The child later complained that the candy was bitter, and the mother, after tasting it, threw away the packet, police said. The boy and the mother complained of uneasiness and nausea on Friday morning, and the child was taken to a private hospital in Kappad, before he was referred to the medical college. Police said the boy died while being shifted to the medical college.

Police registered a case of unnatural death, and along with the food safety officials, inspected the bakery from where the candy was purchased. Samples collected would be sent for chemical analysis. Food safety officials said they had sealed the Royal Bakery which sold the candy. "We banned the Cuckoo-brand pudding in the district after it was found that the packet did not mention the manufacturing or expiry dates," O Shankaran Unni, assistant commissioner of the food safety department said.

The city corporation, meanwhile, banned the sale of Tiger Highcount jelly-candies in its area. A team led by corporation health standing committee chairman K V Baburaj also visited the bakery.

Health inspector P Abdhul Khader said both the mother and child had the candies and pudding from the bakery. The food safety department said it was not sure now if food poisoning had caused the boy's death. Police said they were waiting for the postmortem report.

Surprise raid: Unhygienic food,banned tobacco products seized

TTD against allowing food inspectors into its temple kitchen

TTD has been told to obtain a food safety licence for the laddu. 

Says it will hurt religious sentiments of devotees

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is totally averse to the idea of allowing food inspectors into its temple kitchen ‘Potu’, which it says is a “pious” place, where the food offered to the presiding deity as ‘Naivedhyam’ is prepared by cooks, particularly those belonging to the Sri Vaishnavite sect.

Of late, the TTD is confronted with the demand to obtain a food safety licence from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to its ‘laddu’ prasadam. The laddu has been defined as food under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. It is against this backdrop that the FSSAI, following a RTI application by a Bengaluru-based activist T. Narasimhamurthy, recently directed the Central Licensing Authority in Chennai to inspect the ‘potu’ at Tirumala where the laddus are prepared, and obtain a license to run the kitchen.

But the temple administration seems to be in no mood to yield to the demand, which it says will not only hurt religious sentiments of devotees, but also tantamounts to transgression of the ancient tradition. Outsiders are not allowed to walk into the kitchen of any Sri Vaishnavite temple.

TTD Health officer S. Sermista told The Hindu that the laddus at Tirumala are prepared in strict adherence to the stipulations laid down by the FSSAI. The raw materials are thoroughly tested. The TTD has a state-of-the-art laboratory to check the quality of the raw materials as well as all the prasadams being prepared in the temple kitchen. The quality of laddus and other prasadams are checked thrice before being distributed to the devotees. Utmost importance is being attached to hygiene and upkeep of the surroundings inside the kitchen. Steam is used in the cleaning of the vessels and containers used in the cooking.

The Mysuru-based Central Food Training and Research Institute undertakes periodical check-ups and offers technical advice in addition to the validation of digital instruments as well as their upgradation, Ms. Sermista said.

She said ultimately it is for the management to take a decision whether or not to apply for a license for the laddu. She reiterated that laddu is a prasadam which is also provided at subsidised price and that it cannot be defined as ‘food’.

When her attention was drawn to the materials such as bolts and gutkha covers being found in the laddus, she brushed them aside attributing it to the internal conflict between the two groups of potu workers, who she claimed, indulged in an ugly war of defaming each other.

New norms render salt laboratories irrelevant

Thoothukudi is largest salt-producing district in Tamil Nadu.

Central Salt Dept. closes down quality checking facilities

The Central Salt Department recently closed down all quality check laboratories in the State, excepting one in Tuticorin. The laboratories at Cuddalore, Vedaranyam, Marakanam, Veppalodai near Tuticorin and one at Tuticorin had been established to check the quality of iodised salt and quantity of salt produced.

Sources in the Department said the laboratories became irrelevant after quality control of salt came under the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). “We have no authority under any Act to penalise salt manufacturers if the salt is not of the prescribed quality. But the FSSAI can... so it made sense to shut down the labs,” explained an official. Another reason for the closure was that the country had become self-sufficient in production of salt and produced quality salt. Employees — three attached to each lab — have been redeployed by the Government of India, said an official.

In neighbouring Andhra Pradesh too laboratories at Ongole, Chinna Ganjam and Naupada have been closed. Only the one at Kakinada continues to function.

Tamil Nadu produces about 27 lakh tonnes of salt a year with Tuticorin being the highest producing centre. Tuticorin, Vedaranyam, Marakanam and Kovalam are the other big production centres. There are several small salt producing centres including Nagapattinam and Morekulam in the State. Andhra Pradesh produces 3 lakh tonnes of salt annually.

Salt manufacturers in the State say the move to close the labs is yet another step towards the closure of the department itself. “The government is not for continuing the present leases to salt manufacturers. They had planned to lease out through tender system. But that has been put on hold. They are not renewing leases and instead plan to convert the land as real estate, ” alleged a salt manufacturer.

Drinking iced tea may up cholera risk in endemic countries

Bangkok, Apr 14 (PTI) Consuming iced tea and not always boiling drinking water may increase the risk of cholera in endemic countries, a new study has found.

After over a decade of declining cholera incidence, Vietnam faced an increase in cases of the diarrheal disease during 2007-2010, researchers said.

Risk factors for contracting cholera in Ben Tre province of Vietnam include drinking iced tea or unboiled water and having a water source near a toilet.

Cholera transmission is closely linked to inadequate access to clean water and is often spread through contaminated drinking water.

In the Ben Tre province of the Mekong Delta region in the southern part of Vietnam, no cholera cases were reported from 2005 until an outbreak in 2010.

In the new study, Thuong Vu Nguyen from the Pasteur Institute Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and colleagues interviewed 60 people who were confirmed to have been infected with cholera during the 2010 outbreak in Ben Tre.

Information about each persons eating and drinking behaviors and living environment was recorded.

The researchers also collected samples of nearby river water, drinking water, wastewater samples, and local seafood to test for Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria which spreads the disease.

The researchers found that drinking iced tea, not boiling drinking water, having a main water source near a toilet, living with other who have diarrhea and having little or no education were all associated with an increased risk of cholera, while drinking stored rainwater, eating cooked seafood or steamed vegetables were protective against the disease.

As much as 22 per cent of people with cholera reported drinking iced tea in the week prior to their disease, whereas only three per cent of controls had drank iced tea in the week before being interviewed.

Patients with cholera were also more likely to always put ice in their water and to use sedimented river water for drinking, bathing, cooking, and brushing their teeth.

More work is needed to determine why iced tea boosts the risk of cholera, but the researchers hypothesise that the bacteria may be found in ice, which is often bought from street vendors.

"This present study has important implications for Vietnams cholera responses," researchers said.

"Along with traditional approaches that focus on enhancement of safe water, sanitation, and food safety, combined with periodic provision of oral cholera vaccines, a water quality monitoring system at ice-making plants should be established," they said.

The study was published in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Yogi Adityanath's crackdown on slaughterhouses: Despite licences, corrupt cops exploit meat-sellers

Editor's Note: A few days after Yogi Adityanath took charge as the new chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and issued proclamations that his government would vigorously pursue and prosecute those "malfeasants" engaged in — variously — the running of illegal slaughterhouses, and harassing women on the streets, Firstpost asked Arpit Parashar to file ground reports documenting the doings of law enforcement forces deployed to shut meat shops, and apprehend "Romeos". This is the third in a multi-part series of stories Parashar sent us.

After the BJP government came to power in Uttar Pradesh and Yogi Adityanath took oath as the chief minister of the state, the police and the bureaucracy were asked to clamp down on the illegal slaughterhouses in the state, which they have duly done over the past few weeks with an iron fist. However, in the urge to implement the 'rules' by the book, the state government has ended up encouraging the bureaucracy to exploit the call for implementation for 'law and order' by forcing even regular and license-holding meat sellers to cough up exorbitant amounts of money in bribes to keep their shops open.

Riyaz Mohammad, who used to run his chicken shop in the Sector-9 area of Noida, which is also called the meat market because of the large cluster of meat shops in the area, was asked to deposit Rs 2 lakh with the officials of the Noida Authority to reopen his shop despite the fact that the license issued by the Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration of the state government is valid till 2020. "They said this was a security deposit which had to be paid but that no receipt will be given for this. It will just be to ensure that no action is taken against us and our shops are allowed to remain open. We know this is just a bribe," he says.

UP government has encouraged bureaucracy to exploit the call for implementation for 'law and order' by forcing license-holding meat sellers to cough up exorbitant amounts of money in bribes to keep their shops open. Image courtesy: Arpit Parashar

Apart from the officials, the policemen also came calling on his shop asking him to shell out Rs 50,000 as bribe-cum-security deposit to keep his shop running. "Their argument was that the rate of bribe to be paid to the police has gone up and that it would now be implemented from 2014 when the BJP had come to power at the Centre." This entails a monthly payment of Rs 500-1000 per meat shop, which was only Rs 200 earlier.

The policemen have asked meat sellers to pay as per the revised rate, which means depositing 10,000-30,000 per shop depending on its size and sales, as well as deposit hefty amounts as security to ensure that no action is taken against them in the near future.

Junaid Ahmed, who represents many pockets of Noida and Ghaziabad in the loosely organised Uttar Pradesh meat sellers' union, says, "They have threatened that no shop will be allowed to open without paying these bribes. They have instilled fear in us that they would act against us on the smallest complaint received even if we managed to open our shops based on the legal paper work. Such complaints can even be concocted or politically motivated since the BJP workers want to see us suffer. It is blatant extortion." The meat sellers across the state, especially in the National Capital Region (NCR) districts of Noida, Ghaziabad and Meerut have held many dharnas outside the offices of district magistrates as well as police headquarters and demanded that the extortion in the name of implementation of 'law and order' be stopped but to no avail.

A senior police official from Ghaziabad, speaking on the condition of anonymity, nonchalantly said that when the notebandi happened many of the policemen lost their savings, which were presumably their earnings from bribes received through various means. "Many of them even gave the money back to a lot of people and distributed it among various relatives or even shop owners from their areas. This opportunity now is the way to earn some of it back." And so the meat sellers simply have to compensate for the empty pockets of the policemen by coughing up hefty sums.

This move is politically motivated too.

Lokesh Mishra, a BJP worker from the Vijay Nagar area in Ghaziabad, says, "Under the previous (Samajwadi Party government) rule these meat sellers would openly side with the SP or BSP but not support the BJP. They would arm-twist the policemen too by opening shops all over the district without even procuring licenses. Now that the police are cracking down on them they are making all sorts of noises on exploitation. They deserve it."

This political patronage has allowed the police and administration officials to implement their own set of rules and terms of engagement on the ground. Most of the meat sellers did procure licenses from the state government, which were issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. Junaid Ahmed says, "Very few meat shop owners from among the people I know were running their shops without licenses. The police are working to extort money despite that." Among the shop owners from the meat market area in sector-9, for example, 47 shops have been forced shut despite the fact that all of them have licenses and required permissions valid till at least next year; many got licenses renewed only last year and so can run their shops freely till 2021, as per the law.

Riyaz Mohammad, who used to run his chicken shop in the Sector-9 area of Noida, was asked to deposit Rs 2 lakh to reopen his shop despite the fact that the license issued to him is valid till 2020. Image courtesy: Arpit Parashar

The plight of the meat shop owners whose licenses have recently expired is worse. They have been asked to deposit between Rs 3-5 lakh as 'security' which is non-refundable. Hearing a petition on the delay in issuing licenses to meat shop owners in the state, the Allahabad High Court has come down heavily on the Yogi government. Pulling up the state government for mal-administration in the civic bodies, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court issued an order on April 3 directing it to ensure that licenses of mutton and chicken shop keepers which expired on March 31 are renewed within a week. The bench also issued orders that within the administration must also provide facilities for a slaughter house for goats and chicken at the distance of every two kilometers within 10 days.

The two-judge bench of Justice AP Shahi and Justice Sanjay Harkoli, hearing a PIL filed by Saeed Ahmed and others from the Bahraich district, pulled up the state government acknowledging that the non-renewal of licenses has adversely affected the livelihood of lakhs of people in the state. The petitioners had pleaded that their shops had been rendered illegal simply because the administration had been acting in an unconstitutional manner. The bench has warned the government that it will be held accountable for implementation of its orders, fixing April 30 as the next date for hearing.

But the administration officials are in no mood to relent across the state. Leave along renewing licenses within a week, as per the HC orders, even the people holding valid licenses have not been allowed to open shop unless they have coughed up the exorbitant sums demanded by administration and police officials. The meat market in sector-9 only has a handful of meat shops open now while others are simply living off savings and hoping to borrow money from various sources to fill the pockets of the officials in return for 'permission' to resume their livelihoods.

Eatery owner sentenced till rising of court

Summary: According to the prosecution, Bharat Kanojia, Food Safety Officer, conducted an inspection on the business premises on December 14, 2015. “...The Food Safety Officer has categorically deposed regarding the factum of such an inspection. The accused was found preparing and selling food articles such as dal, rice, chapati and snacks without a food licence. No raid had ever taken place and the accused never sold any of the alleged food articles to any customer. Sandeep RanaTribune News ServiceChandigarh, April 14A 21-year-old college student, who runs Kelong (Joy Land Ventures) restaurant at Elante Mall, was sentenced till the rising of the court by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) for preparing and selling food articles without a food licence.

Sandeep Rana Chandigarh, April 14 A 21-year-old college student, who runs Kelong (Joy Land Ventures) restaurant at Elante Mall, was sentenced till the rising of the court by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) for preparing and selling food articles without a food licence. The convict, Amandeep Singh, an undergraduate student at a city college, was also fined Rs 20,000 by the CJM, Akshdeep Mahajan. According to the prosecution, Bharat Kanojia, Food Safety Officer, conducted an inspection on the business premises on December 14, 2015. 

The accused was found preparing and selling food articles such as dal, rice, chapati and snacks without a food licence. Kanojia prepared a memo and challaned the accused. It was signed by the accused and attested by witness Bipin Kumar Roy.

‘Penalise vendors selling unhygienic food’

With the onset of summer, diet plays an important role in keeping healthy. With many preferring street food to satiate their taste buds, it is important to focus on hygiene in order to stay fit. Here's what our readers have to say on what needs to be done to keep a check on street food vendors:

Consumers should avoid uncovered food

Come summer and you can see numerous roadside food vendors putting up temporary shops. As far as hygiene is considered, the standards are very poor. The concerned authorities are also turning a blind eye to this issue. The vendors do not cover the food items which attracts flies and germs. The least a vendor can do is cover the food items. Water is the next most important thing. The vendors use water from roadside taps which is not clean. This water is stored in bottles thus giving an impression that it is bottled water. Consumers should avoid drinking such water. GVMC should ascertain that all vendors big or small follow certain norms of hygiene. It should be compulsory to cover the food items so that they are not exposed to insects. Water can be supplied by GVMC to these vendors and the civic body should ensure that only such water is used. Consumers should also cooperate and consume only hygienically stored food.

M Suryanarayana, Retired govt employee

Use safe drinking water

Hygiene is the practice of keeping oneself and the surroundings clean to prevent disease. Roadside vendors, restaurants and star hotels should ensure that every food item they serve is hygienically prepared. Water is the main source of diseases. Therefore, clean and safe drinking water should be used for cooking purposes. Secondly, the surroundings of kitchens and food courts should be neat and clean. Thirdly, the chef and other cooking staff should use gloves and clean utensils. The food items and edible oils should be used fresh. The health department should also keep an eye on fruit juice shops and chaat centres. Any deviation in this regard must be punished and penalised.

V Ramesh, Retired employee

Prevent violators of food hygiene

With the early onset of summer this year, street vendors have already set up cold drinks and fruit juice centres across the city. But, many of the vendors do not follow hygienic and just focus on making profits. Even the public does not bother. Street vendors should voluntarily adopt hygienic measures to improve the quality of food served. GVMC authorities should also clean up the areas around these eateries. Proper waste management should be in place and the authorities should lay down regulations regarding food safety and cleanliness. Penalty should be imposed on vendors who flout rules.

NN Sindhuraveni, IT professional

Train roadside vendors

Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) as well as the municipal authorities must jointly organise hygiene training for street vendors where they should be taught techniques of food storage as well as handling and maintaining hygiene. Vendors must be made to appear for a test after the training and certificates should be given based on performance. An ID card, pocket book stating the guidelines, and a hygiene kit containing aprons, gloves and caps should be given to all the vendors after the rigorous training. This periodic training to vendors shall improve the hygiene standards.

Gajjarapu Sri Harsha, MBA student

Issue licences to vendors

Why only summer? The public expects hygienic food throughout the year, whether road-side or otherwise. Only a strong and determined administration can ensure the well-being of its citizens. Roadside vendors are a big risk to everyone. They do not pay any taxes to the local authority and cannot be traced in case people fall sick after consuming their food items. Visakhapatnam cannot be home to such businesses. The policy should be 'do business, but responsibly'. All roadside vendors should obtain a licence and told to operate at least 500 meters away from each other.

D Ravi, Retired executive

Buy from busy vendors

Today's life is busy and fast where there is no time for cooking. Both the husband and wife earn good money and depend on street food or restaurants for their meals. However, there is a dark side to this convenience. Depending on how busy a street food vendor is, food may be sitting around a while before we come along and buy it. Cold food attracts insects. When choosing street food, look for carts that are busy as this means the food is prepared on the spot. Health and food inspectors must examine and penalise errant vendors.

Choppa Rama Raju

Impose spot fines

With the summer heat leaving Vizagites dehydrated, roadside vendors are having a field day selling cut watermelons and mangoes which are exposed to germs and insects. GVMC should carry out surprise checks to ensure that the vendors keep their food items covered. Inspectors should impose spot fines if any vendor is found ignoring hygiene and also check the water being used for making fruit juices.

R Sekar, PSU employee

Regular inspections a must

Public health inspectors play an important role in ensuring that hygienic food is sold across the city. They must inspect all public establishments serving food items on a regular basis. Further, stakeholders should be trained on implementing minimum precautions about food safety. Street vendors should keep the food properly covered at all times to maintain hygiene.

Neeharika Annamreddi, Student

Raids carried out under COTPA

UDUPI: The district tobacco control unit with allied departments carried out raids in Kundapur and Karkalataluks and imposed fine on shops and commercial establishments selling tobacco in contravention of COTPA(Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products Act), 2003. Armed with directions given by additional DC and district health and family welfare officer, officials of the tobacco control unit registered 35 cases under various sections of COTPA in Kundapur taluk and 20 cases in Karkala taluk.

In Kundapur, fine amounting to Rs 6,610 was collected. Under Food Safety Act, the officials carried out raids on 20 shops and seized banned tobacco products and issued notices to 15 shop owners. Five advertisement hoardings in contravention of COTPA were removed. Shop owners were directed to display placards informing people about hazards of consuming tobacco products and also ensure no sale of tobacco within 100 metres of educational institutions.

In Karkala, the officials collected fine amounting to Rs 4,000 and raided 12 shops and establishments. Notices were served to eight shop owners and banned tobacco products were seized. Officials also removed five advertisement hoardings that violated provisions of COTPA.

The raids were also carried out with a view to ensure that Udupi district is adjudged the best district in terms of implementing COTPA on World Anti-Tobacco Day on May 31.

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

Kerala: Curb on bottled water splits doctors

Commission acting chairman P. Mohanadas has asked health secretary and food safety commission to submit a report within one month.

KOCHI: The recent order of the State Human Rights Commission against transporting packaged drinking water in open vehicles under the scorching sun has created widespread discussions on the topic and the medical fraternity in the state remains divided in its approach to the issue. While a section of oncologists welcomed the move, another group observed that such orders would create unnecessary panic. Based on a complaint submitted by a doctor, the Rights Panel banned carrying water in plastic cans and bottles in open vehicles during summer citing “serious health hazards”.

Commission acting chairman P. Mohanadas has asked health secretary and food safety commission to submit a report within one month. The Commission observed that though bottles were safe, it would be subjected to chemical changes when it became hot. It would release toxic substances which made packaged water unsafe, according to the Commission. However, questioning the decision’s scientific base, Dr. Narayanankutty Warrier, senior consultant, head of the oncology department, MIMS Hospital, Kozhikode said that extensive research and studies were needed to prove that hot plastic bottles of food grade quality, would release carcinogenic substances. “Similar to the controversy on mobile tower radiation, this also will create panic among people, especially those who consume packaged water every day,” he said.

Meanwhile, a few other medical experts observed that though scientifically not proven, such orders would help lessen the risks if any. “Though the disease is caused by multiple factors, every risk element even if it is less than point one per cent, should be avoided as a comprehensive clinical trial to prove the correlation is not feasible in the state,” said Dr. Arun R. Warrier, consultant, medical oncology at Aster Medcity, Kochi. Earlier, the health department authorities had issued a warning against drinking water from plastic bottles kept in vehicles parked under the sun for a long time.

Paan shops under scanner for food safety

VADODARA: For the first time in the recent past, the food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) checked 'paan' shops in the city. The officials checked 15 such outlets in the city including prominent shops as well as street vendors and destroyed a large amount of material kept at these shops.

The shops that were checked by the officers late on Wednesday evening include five very prominent ones located in the Alkapuri and Sayajigunj. It also came to light that 12 of the 15 outlets checked by the officers did not have food safety licences. Officials said that even pan shops were covered under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

The officers destroyed 56 packets of lime that is used in paan as well as 'masalas' prepared at the shops. They also destroyed 28 packets of catechu or 'kattha', 31 jars of 'chutney' used to add flavour to 'pans'. These packets did not have manufacturing or expiry dates as well as batch numbers.

Despite 15k eateries, city lacks standardized food safety tests

Surat residents are known for their street food habits

SURAT: It's an old saying, 'Surat nu jaman, ne Kashi nu maran' (eat in Surat and die in Kashi). However, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), which is preparing hard for the Smart City challenge, is yet to frame Standard Operating Procedure (SoPs) for food safety.

This was revealed by SMC's health and hospital department, while replying to an application by Rajesh Modi under the Right to Information (RTI) Act. He had sought details on the procedure being followed by the department for food safety and hygiene, critical for preparing and selling food in the restaurants, hotels and at roadside eateries.

Diamond City could well be called the 'Food capital of India'. Surat residents are known for their street food habits. This is the reason why the restaurants are not doing well compared to roadside eateries, which dish out delicious food to the customers starting from evening till late night.

According to an estimated survey by the civic body, there are more than 15,000 roadside eatery stalls dishing out vegetarian, non-vegetarian and Chinese delicacies. Most of these eateries do their business only during night hours.

The roadside eateries, however, poses twin problems. The unhygienic environment exposes the food to open air. There are chances of dust on the road and insects settling down on the food. Throwing away of the leftovers on the roadside also creates an unhealthy atmosphere for the surroundings. The SoP, if at all framed by the civic body, would go a long way in ensuring quality at every stage of the food chain, so that the residents are served hygienic and quality foods. It will also facilitate scientific determination of quality of food.

When the civic body talks of smart city, it is yet to get smart by collaborating the manual data of the lab testing report of the food samples and water tested by the food safety officers. Even today, the old system of maintaining registers and there is no system of online data compilation.

As per the RTI reply, the health and hospital department has not conducted a single drive to spread awareness on food safety for the denizens in the city.

"There is no standard operating procedure for food safety and hygiene for a city having population of 55 lakh. The food safety officers conduct sample testing when they receive complaints — most of the complaints are done to harass the food stall owners," said Rajesh Modi, RTI activist.

FDA Crackdown On Gutkha Sellers After Mumbai Live Sting

The Food and Drug Administration has taken serious note of the sting operation carried out by the Mumbai Live team a few days ago on the illegal sale of gutkha right outside the Mantralaya.

A total of 12 stalls in the Mantralaya area which had been selling gutkha and pan masala sachets have been raided by the city unit of the FDA in the last two days. A large cache of Vimal pan masala, Rajnigandha, Miraj gutkha, Sagar Gutkha sachets were recovered from one vendor in the area, sources said. Action has been initiated against the vendor under the Food Safety Standards Act 2006.

A team comprising an assistant commissioner and five food officers from the FDA was involved in the raids.

FDA joint commissioner (food, Mumbai) Suresh Annapure told Mumbai Live that the team found sachets of pan masala and gutkha at one vendor from among the 12 raided.

Food and drug supplies minister Girish Bapat had assured Mumbai Live on Tuesday that a flying squad from the FDA would initiate action against offending vendors.

The Mumbai Live sting appears to have borne effect.

Banned Pan Masala, Gutkha Brazenly Sold Outside Mantralaya!

Mantralaya

This is something that promises to hit the politicians and bureaucracy where its hurts most.

While the sale of pan masala and gutkha was banned by Maharashtra in 2012, it appears to be openly sold right outside the state's centre of power in Mumbai - the Mantralaya.

The state claims that the items are not sold anywhere, these are quite openly available in most slum pockets of the city. However, Mantralaya, we feel, should be the last place where the banned items could be available so freely. 

In a sting operation conducted by Mumbai Live, it was witnessed, that how candidly these banned items are being sold right under the authorities' noses. This throws light on the audacity and apparently reckless attitude of the shopkeepers outside the Mantralaya and the laxity of the law enforcing authorities.

Will the government wake up now?

MILK ADULTERATORS TO FACE STRINGENT ACTION

 

The State Government has decided to take action against adulterators while ensuring supply of safe and quality milk and milk products to the consumers.

Fisheries and ARD Secretary Bishnupada Sethi recently held discussions with senior officials about the alleged adulteration of acetem into milk fat (ghee) and asked them to take stern steps against the culprits for the better interest of the consumers and poor milk producers, sources said.

The Government took this decision after Union Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries Secretary Devendra Chaudhry informed it about about adulteration of RBD palm oil and acetem into milk fat recently.

The acetem is a food grade chemical used to maintain the RM (Reichert Meissel) value of milk fat in combination of palm oil. Acetem was earlier being used in chewing gums.

The Centre has asked all States to take action against the culprits under FSS Act-2006 and submit action taken report (ATR).

Such adulteration is becoming an unfair trade practices for making easy money, said Chaudhry.

As the issue of sale of quality milk to consumer comes under the purview of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, which is implemented by FSSAI through the State Food Safety Commissioners, any sale of adulterated/synthetic milk is a market fraud and affects honest efforts of the milk producers.

The State Government machinery is equally responsible in controlling the menace of sale of adulterated/synthetic milk, pointed out Chaudhry.

How to check if your milk is adulterated

Some simple tests to check milk and milk products for common adulterants 

Many instances of milk adulteration have been reported

Reports of substandard and adulterated food frequent the front pages of newspapers. Samples of items we consume daily—milk, pulses, oils, vegetables, sugar, among many others—have been rated substandard.

While it is difficult to track the production process and locate the item’s source, simple tests can help you distinguish a pure sample from an adulterated one.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, has released a list of tests to detect some common food adulterants using household ingredients. The book is a compilation of tests for Detecting Adulterants with Rapid Testing (DART) covers common adulterants like artificial and toxic colours, extraneous matter.

In the first article of a series, we look at some easy ways to test milk for adulterants.

Test 1: Water in milk

Put a drop of milk on a polished, slanting surface

Pure milk either stays or flows slowly leaving a white trail behind

Milk adulterated with flow immediately without leaving a mark

Credit: FSSAI

Test 2: Detergent in milk

Take 5-10 millilitres (ML) of milk sample and equal quantity of water

Shake the mixture thoroughly

If the milk is adulterated with detergent, it forms dense lather

Pure milk will have a thin layer of foam

Credit: FSSAI

Test 3: Detecting starch in milk and milk products

Boil 2-3 ML of the sample (milk, khoya, chenna or paneer) with 5 ML of water

For other ghee and butter, water need not be added

Add 2-3 drops of tincture of iodine after letting it cool

Formation of blue colour indicates the presence of starch

Credit: FSSAI

Tests and images sourced from FSSAI’s booklet “DART”.

Amul hits back at HUL in ice cream war in Bombay high court

Amul says that HUL can not claim Kwality Walls was disparaged because of its ice-cream ad unless it could show the brand name was intrinsically linked to frozen desserts

HUL sells both frozen desserts and ice-creams under the Kwality Walls brand.

Mumbai: The makers of Amul ice-creams told the Bombay high court on Thursday that in many cases when a company compares its product to a rival’s in an advertisement, some disparagement is “inevitable”.

The lawyers of Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which has been sued by rival Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) over a contentious Amul advertisement, said this while pointing out several previous cases.

HUL, makers of the Kwality Walls range of frozen desserts and ice-creams, has accused GCMMF, makers of Amul ice-cream, of “disparaging” its product through an ongoing ad campaign that emphasizes the regulatory difference between ice-cream and frozen dessert.

“In comparing products, some showing down is inevitable,” GCMMF’s lead counsel senior advocate Ravi Kadam said. “Just saying ‘take my product’ is not disparagement,” he said.

Kadam cited several cases to show that advertisements comparing two rival products were legal as long as they only compared features to promote one product over the other, rather than denigrate either product or ask consumers to stop using them directly.

“Comparison is beneficial to the consumer to make an informed choice,” Kadam said. “The plaintiffs should not be hypersensitive,” he said, citing a ruling from a 2010 Delhi high court case between Dabur, makers of Odomos and Godrej Sara Lee, makers of Good Knight, both ranges of mosquito repellents.

Kadam also argued that HUL could not claim Kwality Walls was disparaged unless it could show the brand name was intrinsically linked to its category, frozen desserts.

“The public should associate the plaintiff (HUL) with frozen desserts,” Kadam said. “But the plaintiff has been trying to get as far away from frozen desserts as possible, trying to show that he makes ice-cream! HUL has the Kwality Walls ice-cream, so it is piggybacking on it to sell frozen desserts as ice-cream,” he said.

HUL sells both frozen desserts and ice-creams under the Kwality Walls brand. Under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations, ice-creams are made from milk or dairy fat while frozen desserts are those made with vegetable oil or vegetable fat.

GCMMF managing director R.S. Sodhi declined to comment, saying the matter is subjudice. An HUL spokeswoman said, “As the matter is subjudice, we have no comments to offer.”

The matter will be heard next on Monday, 17 April.

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HUL vs Amul: Bombay HC suggests changes in Amul ice-cream ads

Bombay HC has suggested Amul ice-cream change the way frozen desserts are visually depicted in all their ads from a semi-solid to liquid oil

Mumbai: In the ongoing hearing on Hindustan Unilever’s (HUL) plea against Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) in the Bombay high court, Justice S.J. Kathawalla suggested changes that could be made to Amul ice-cream ads in an attempt to reach a compromise.

The judge suggested that the makers of Amul ice-cream change the wording in their TVC’s voiceover and change the way frozen desserts are visually depicted in all their ads from a semi-solid to liquid oil.

HUL has sued GCMMF over its advertisements that supposedly emphasizes the difference between ice-creams and frozen desserts, saying it has harmed the Kwality Walls brand.

“Can the problem be solved with saying “vanaspati tel yaani vegetable oil” (vanaspati tel meaning vegetable oil) in the voiceover?” Kathawalla asked. “And you can show oil flowing into the cup (of frozen dessert in the ads)”, he said.

GCMMF’s counsel Ravi Kadam said he would put it to Amul to consider the first suggestion. However, HUL’s counsel Birendra Saraf, raised further objections, saying he would be satisfied after they have a look at the modified ad.

Kadam also laid out his defence against HUL’s suit, saying it was the multinational company’s burden to prove that consumers would be misled by the words “vanaspati tel” in Amul’s advertisements.

“The dictionary and Google both show that vegetable oil translates to vanaspati tel”, Kadam argued. “The public understands this equivalent and the dictionary shows what the public understands. The burden of proof is on HUL to show that the public does not understand (this translation).”

Further, Kadam argued that since 30% of frozen dessert makers in India use hydrogenated vegetable oil in manufacturing, the ads that refer to a generic frozen dessert cup do not denigrate an entire category.

HUL has accused Amul of disparaging frozen desserts and its product Kwality Walls by trying to imply that these are made with vanaspati or hydrogenated vegetable oil. HUL argued that since Kwality Walls is made from vegetable fats and not hydrogenated oil, and is a market leader in frozen desserts, its product is “disparaged” by Amul ads.

As per regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulations, ice-creams made without milk fat are to label themselves frozen desserts. Amul, made from milk fat, is legally called ice-cream under these rules.

GCMMF Managing Director R.S. Sodhi declined to comment, saying he was not aware of the proceedings. When contacted, an HUL spokesperson said, “As the matter is subjudice, we have no comments to offer.”

The matter has been adjourned to Thursday, 13 April.

Hottest question this summer - are you eating ice-cream or frozen dessert?

The heated ice-cream battle. But what is the real deal?

Who cares? Yes, that's what most people would say but FSSAI does care. In 2011, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) came with a directive for food companies that made it mandatory for them to tell the consumers what exactly they were eating. The authority decided that only products made with milk fat could be called ice cream; the rest, made with edible vegetable oil or palm oil, along with milk solids, had to be sold as 'frozen desserts'.

Now, this has led to an ugly war between two of the country’s biggest packaged food companies, Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and Amul, battling it out in court. HUL sells the Kwality Wall’s brand, and like most ice-cream manufacturers, they also use vegetable oil as a smoothening agent for their products, along with other milk solids. 

Vegetable oil helps reduce production costs because it is cheaper than dairy fat. But the FSSAI said that products made with pure milk fat were richer and healthier than their oil-based counterparts. Amul, played smart and came out with an advertisement calling its products - real milk, real ice-cream. This has obviously upset the other brands like Kwality, Vadilal, etc. They are crying foul over the ad and they have taken Amul to court over it. 

In a statement to TOI, an HUL company spokesperson, said: "Amul has been airing a misleading television commercial since March 2017. This advertisement makes factually incorrect statements creating apprehensions among consumers of frozen desserts. The advertisement makes incorrect claims about the usage of 'vanaspati/vanaspati-tel' in frozen dessert products. We wish to clarify that Kwality Wall's range of 'frozen desserts' do not contain Vanaspati. In fact, Kwality Wall's range of frozen desserts contain milk/milk solids like ice creams. The only difference is that frozen desserts use vegetable fat instead of dairy fat, which actually makes them healthier as they have lower saturated fat and do not have cholesterol."

While Amul is 'educating' consumers on the pros of having milk-based ice-cream, on the other hand, HUL has put up on its website the benefits of vegetable fat as opposed to milk fat. The matter is sub-judice now, as reported by Quartz website. It remains to be seen who wins the heated cold war.

TTD kitchen must get licence: FSSAI

Direction to licensing body comes after RTI plea on laddu

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has written to the Central Licensing Authority in Chennai to inspect the ‘pottu’ in the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) in Andhra Pradesh where the laddu is prepared, and directed it to obtain a central licence to run the kitchen.

Last October, following an RTI application by Bengaluru-based activist T. Narasimhamurthy, the director of the food safety management system had insisted that the TTD obtain a food safety licence like any other Food Business Operator for the famed Tirupati laddu. But there was no response, said Mr. Narasimhamurthy.

In December 2016, he sent a letter to the Director, Institute of Preventive Medicine, Andhra Pradesh, seeking the prosecution of TTD officials under Section 62 (obstructing food safety officer) and 63 (punishment for carrying out business without a licence). “As there was no proper response, I sent a legal notice to the institute of Preventive Medicine on March 18, 2017. In response to this, the FSSAI sent me a letter updating me on the action taken,” he said.

In the FSSAI letter, dated March 29, 2017 Prabhat Kumar Mishra, assistant director (regulatory compliance), FSSAI, has directed its central licensing wing to carry out inspection and direct the temple administration to obtain the license under the provision of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Speaking toThe Hindu , M. Kannan, deputy director, central licensing authority, Chennai, said he had already sent a letter to the TTD ten days ago asking them time to inspect the kitchen. “They haven’t replied till date. We will wait for five more days or will inspect the premises as per law,” he said.
Legal notice
“As there was no proper response, I sent a legal notice to the institute of Preventive Medicine on March 18, 2017. In response, the FSSAI sent me a letter updating me on the action taken,” he said.

Indian food regulator, FSSAI looks at America for global standards

Food regulator FSSAI today said it has entered into an agreement with US-based Decernis Ltd which will enable it to access various international regulations.

With this tie up, the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) would get access to database of over 70,000 standards for food additives, food standards, food contact and contaminants from over 170 countries.

“Under this agreement, Decernis would facilitate access to various international regulations through a user-friendly online platform,” the regulator said in a statement.

It would also enable the scientific panels of the regulator in understanding the global standards and benchmarking Indian regulation to those norms.

The database will also be of immense help in the risk assessment.

Under the pact, FSSAI will share with the American company its notices of new draft and final regulations.

FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said, “As per the good regulatory practices, international practices are required to be taken into account while framing the national standards or guidelines.”

FSSAI to get flavour of global food standards

NEW DELHI, APRIL 12: 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has entered into an agreement with US-based Decernis Ltd, which will allow it to have access to a database of international food regulations through an online platform.

In a statement, it said this agreement will give access to database of over 70,000 standards for food additives, food standards and food contaminants from over 170 countries.

Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, said that as per the good regulatory practices, the authority needs to take international practices in account, while framing national standards and guidelines. “This module will help FSSAI in accessing various regulations and practices which are followed globally,” he added. Agarwal said that access to international regulations will enable scientific panels in understanding global standards and also benchmarking Indian regulations to international standards, besides help in risk assessment.

Under the agreement, Decernis will also integrate Indian draft and final standards into its systems to improve the understanding and compliance of users.

“FSSAI will also assist in occasional client questions regarding the regulations of food standards, food additives, food contact substances, contaminants and pesticide residues,” the statement added. The regulator said that food compliance across countries, languages and cultures can be complex and this co-operation represents another step toward improving global food safety.

Substandard Food to Jawans Deployed at Borders

As per information received from Forces, mechanism to check quality of food being served to jawans is in place. Forces (CAPFs) while deployed under Ops Control of Army procure ration as per defence food specification/Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Also, some Forces like Assam Rifles is reported to have engaged nutritionist to prepare a standard menu based on calorific requirements of troops. In Forces, Unit Medical Officer/Duty officer/Senior officers check food for its nutritious value and quality during their visits. Monthly mess meeting is carried out to look into grievances and further improvements in the quality of food. In addition, this Ministry has also advised the forces that the senior officers may also partake the food prepared for jawans and endorse a note on the quality/quantity of food in inspection register. 

This was stated by the Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Kiren Rijiju in a written reply to question by Shri Lal Sinh Vadodia in the Rajya Sabha today.

DINAKARAN NEWS

Misbranding a major concern

Food Safety officers in Ernakulam find dates, raisins unsafe for consumption

‘Misbranding’ of products topped the list of complaints filed by the Ernakulam wing of the Food Safety Department before the adjudicating authorities in the previous fiscal.

Sixteen complaints related to misbranding were filed before the District Revenue Officer as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act.

The collected samples were found to have not included details regarding ingredients, nutritious content, batch number, lot number, date of manufacturing and date of expiry.

“The complaints about misbranding were found in packets of toor dal, drinking water, cake, rusks, double-toned milk, cashew nut, blended vegetable oil, etc.,” said K.V. Shibu, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety, Ernakulam.

Tea powder

Among the 45 complaints in which prosecution steps were initiated in the last fiscal, seven cases referred to the contamination of tea powder with iron filings. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has capped the limit of iron filings in tea powder at 250 mg/kg.

Stating that iron filings enter tea owing to either wear and tear of the processing machinery or deliberately, Mr. Shibu said tea powder having iron filings above the prescribed limit was unsafe for consumption owing to the health hazards it could trigger in human beings. Iron filings above the limits could lead to diseases such as cirrhosis, osteoporosis and heart failure.

The FSSAI has found that tea leaves could be contaminated with iron filings owing to processing methods such as sieving and crushing. In Ernakulam, samples of tea powder with iron filings were picked up from wholesale units, retailers and street vendors.

The inspections carried out by 14 food safety officers in Ernakulam found items such as dates and raisins unsafe for consumption. Dead insects were found in packets of dates and raisins. The teams also seized ice creams, curry powder and chilli powder under the category of “sub-standard” food items. The ice cream samples tested had very low quantity of milk fat revealing that it contained agents or flavours beyond the permissible limits.

The Ernakulam wing of the Food Safety Department also slapped a penalty of about ₹9 lakh on various hotels and restaurants for preparing and storing food in unhygienic conditions in the last fiscal.

Arabian food joints in city under the scanner again

The Food Safety Department has stepped up vigil over Arabian food joints in the city. The move comes in the wake of an incident reported last week in which eight persons fell sick and were admitted to various hospitals after they consumed an Arabian dish from an outlet near Edappally junction.

“We have slapped a fine of ₹10,000 on the food joint. Samples collected from the outlet have been sent to the Regional Laboratory at Kakkanad for further examination. The Department will initiate criminal proceedings based on the Food Safety Act if the tests reveal that the food was unsafe for consumption,” said K.V. Shibu, Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety, Ernakulam.

A similar incident was reported from an Arabic food joint along the Kaloor-Kathrikadavu stretch in October last year, found operating in unhygienic surroundings. Stale food items were found inside the refrigerator. The Food Safety officials said the stale dishes would either have been sold or removed from the outlets by the time the customers started experiencing health problems including vomiting and diarrhoea. Such complaints were reported mostly from outlets selling non-vegetarian dishes as chances of traders storing meat in refrigerator for a long period were high.

Surprise checks

Food Safety officers under the Assistant Commissioner of Food Safety in Ernakulam are expected to hold surprise checks at food outlets to check violations under the Food Safety Act. Random sampling of food items will also be carried out as part of the drive.

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மாம்பழம் விற்பனை செய்யும் கடைகளில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறையினர் ஆய்வு

சேலம்: சேலத்தில், கார்பைட் கல் மூலம் பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட மாம்பழங்கள், விற்பனை செய்யப்படுகிறதா என, உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் நேற்று ஆய்வு நடத்தினர்.

சேலத்தில், மாம்பழங்களை விற்பனை செய்ய, 100க்கும் மேற்பட்ட சில்லரை விற்பனை கடைகள், 50க்கும் மேற்பட்ட மொத்த விற்பனை கடைகள் உள்ளன. தற்போது, சீசன் நெருங்கி விட்டதால், ஏராளமானோர் மாம்பழங்களை விற்பனை செய்கின்றனர். பெரும்பாலான வியாபாரிகள், கார்பைட் கல் வைத்து விற்பனை செய்ய வாய்ப்பு இருப்பதாக உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரிகள் யூகித்தனர். அதன்படி, நேற்று உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அதிகாரி டாக்டர் அனுராதா தலைமையிலான குழுவினர், நேற்று சின்னக்கடை வீதி மற்றும் முதல் அக்ரஹாரம் பகுதிகளில் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். அப்போது, வியாபாரிகள் யாரும் கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட பழங்களை விற்பனை செய்யவில்லை என்பது தெரியவந்தது. இதையடுத்து அவர்களிடம், எப்போதும் கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைக்கக்கூடாது என்று எச்சரித்து விட்டு அதிகாரிகள் சென்றனர்.

இதுகுறித்து, டாக்டர் அனுராதா கூறியதாவது: சேலம் மாநகரில் உள்ள, மாம்பழம் மற்றும் வாழைப்பழம் விற்பனை செய்யும் வியாபாரிகள், கார்பைட் கல் மூலம் பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்கிறார்களா என்பதை ஆய்வு செய்தோம். 35 கடைகளில் நடந்த ஆய்வில், அது போல் யாரும் பழங்களை விற்பனை செய்யவில்லை என, தெரியவந்தது. இருப்பினும், அவர்கள் எத்தலின் திரவத்தை கொண்டு, பழுக்க வைத்திருப்பது தெரியவந்தது. அவ்வாறு செய்யக்கூடாது என, எச்சரிக்கை விடுக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.

சேலத்தில் 40 பழக்கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு; 15 கிலோ மாம்பழங்கள் பறிமுதல் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் நடவடிக்கை

சேலம்

சேலம் மாவட்டத்தில் தற்போது மாம்பழ சீசன் தொடங்கி உள்ளது. இதையொட்டி பழக்கடைகளில் மாம்பழங்கள் விற்பனை அதிகமாக காணப்படுகிறது. மாம்பழங்களை சிலர் ‘கார்பைடு‘ கற்கள் மூலம் பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்கிறார்கள் என புகார் எழுந்தது. இந்த மாதிரியான மாம்பழங்களை வாங்கி சாப்பிடும் பொதுமக்களுக்கு உடல் பாதிப்பு ஏற்படுகிறது. இது தொடர்பாக நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க 6 குழுக்களை மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா அமைத்து உத்தரவிட்டார்.

இந்தநிலையில் நேற்று சேலம் கடைவீதி, ராஜகணபதி கோவில் பகுதி உள்ளிட்ட இடங்களில் உள்ள பழக்கடைகளில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா தலைமையிலான அதிகாரிகள் திடீரென ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். இந்த ஆய்வில் எந்த ஒரு பழக்கடையிலும் ‘கார்பைடு‘ கற்கள் மூலம் மாம்பழங்கள் பழுக்க வைக்கவில்லை.

சில பழக்கடைகளில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு விதிமுறைகளை மீறி எத்திலினை திரவமாக பயன்படுத்தி மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்திருப்பது தெரியவந்தது. அந்த மாம்பழங்களை அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர். இதுகுறித்து உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் அனுராதா கூறியதாவது:–

கடைகளில் ‘கார்பைடு‘ கற்கள் மூலம் மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைத்து விற்பனை செய்கிறார்களா? என நடத்திய ஆய்வில், எந்த பழக்கடையிலும் அவ்வாறு மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க வைக்கவில்லை. இருந்தபோதிலும் எத்திலினை வாயுவாக பயன்படுத்தாமல், திரவமாக பயன்படுத்தி மாம்பழங்களை பழுக்க செய்து வைத்திருந்த 12 கிலோ மாம்பழங்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன.15 கிலோ மாம்பழங்கள் பறிமுதல்

மேலும் அழுகிய நிலையில் விற்பனைக்காக வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த 3 கிலோ மாம்பழங்களும் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன. மொத்தம் 40 பழக்கடைகளில் ஆய்வு செய்யப்பட்டு, 15 கிலோ மாம்பழங்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டன. பொதுமக்கள் வாங்கி சாப்பிடும் மாம்பழத்தை ‘கார்பைடு‘ கற்கள் மூலம் பழுக்க வைக்க கூடாது என கடைக்காரர்களுக்கு அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டன. இதுகுறித்து ஏதேனும் தகவல் தெரியவந்தால் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலகத்துக்கு புகார் தெரிவிக்கலாம். அதன்பேரில் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட பழக்கடைக்கு சென்று ஆய்வு நடத்தி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்.

இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.

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"I am keenly involved in the food safety drive at FDA"

Talking to Restaurant India, Shri Shivaji Desai, Joint Commissioner, Food & Drug Administration- Pune shares about the food safety programs at FDA.

Food safety has become a major issue in the last two years. Talking to Restaurant India, Shri Shivaji Desai, Joint Commissioner, Food & Drug Administration- Pune shares about the food safety programs at FDA.

What is your view on food safety in India?

The food safety and standards act, 2006, has been implemented since 2011. In Maharashtra, FDA has taken responsibility to implement this act. The restaurant factor is there. We have to follow norms mentioned in the schedule 4 i.e. part 5 that is for restaurant, hotel and catering facilities. It should be followed by these entrepreneurs. We have to inspect and take programs and inspect many times so that they should comply by the industries. If schedule 4 is complied you have achieve goals that is required by the act for safety management system.

Restaurants are following the norms but the unorganised sector is not. What do you have to say about it?

We are giving street vendors registrations and about 12 lacs vendors have been educated and provided license on it. Though, it is a very difficult task but people will have to come together to follow these regulations.

What is your view on growing culture of and restaurant as industry?

With growth of smart cities and IT industries there is a sudden push in the eating out trend. And, seeing the opportunity it provides, we have to support the food culture of India which is as diverse as its culture.

What is your role at FDA?

I am keenly involved in the food safety drive at FDA. We have done a special drive and we found majority is not complying with the law and we have issued notices as warnings. They have to comply in 14 days and if they do not we have to cancel their licenses.

Many a times restaurants have applied for licenses but it takes time to get the revert. What are you doing for it?

It is not at all difficult these days. It is an online process and FDA has launched a website and you have to make an online request and your license will be issued in 8-10 days.

Unmarked sweet leaves Shatabdi Express passenger sour

CHANDIGARH: The eatables served aboard the elite Shatabdi Express don't meet the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, alleges a passenger who got the taste of it on Friday (April 7) while heading in from Delhi.

The food containers, he alleges, were neither sealed nor carrying the manufacturer's name, packagingexpiry date, and the ingredient list."When I asked for the complaint register, the attendant failed to produce one," claimed passenger Ajay Jagga. He then wrote to railway minister Suresh Prabhu and railway board chairman AK Mittal, besides Health and Family Welfare Ministry secretary CK Mishra.

Jagga was aboard train 12045 on PNR number 2810937233 in C-5 coach at seat 17 when a mystery "sweet" with syrup was put before him in an unsealed plastic container that had no label and no mandatory consumer information. Every Shatabdi ticket includes Rs 130 for the food.

Divisional railway manager (commercial) Parveen Gaur Dewedi said: "We check the food served aboard the Shatabdi Express regularly but if some passengers have is sues, we will look into those, once I receive the complaint through proper channel."

Under clause 2.2.1of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, it is mandatory for packed food to carry a label mentioning in clear print the name, trade name, description, ingredients, batch number or code of the eatable inside.

TN GAZETTE NOTIFICATION - Conferment of powers to all the Principal District Judges / District Judges and the Principal Judge, City Civil Court, Chennai to deal with the offences under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.