FOOD SAFETY LATEST

Jan 8, 2018

Prasadams from TN temples to be exhibited in Delhi

Residents of New Delhi will get an opportunity to savour the mouthwatering prasadams from famous temples of Tamil Nadu at the food exhibition conducted by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The prasadams would be showcased for its quality and hygiene way it is prepared as prescribed by FSSAI.

The prasadams include panchamirtham from Palani Murugan temple and ghee wafting laddu, murukku, appam and puttu from Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple. Thenkuzhal and adhirasam from Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple would also be sent from Trichy. The famous milagu vadai from Tiruvannamalai Annamalaiyar temple could also be in the list, if things fall in place.

"While the prasadams from Srirangam and Madurai will be airlifted, panchamirtham would be carried in train since the latter's shelf like is longer. Hundred pieces of each items sent to expo, which is to be held at January 12, in New Delhi. A separate stall for the prasadams has been allotted," said a higher official from Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department (HR&CE) from Chennai.

The prasadams would be sold at the same price at which they are sold in the temples. For instance, a laddu weighing 60 grams in Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple, which is known for its quality and taste, would be sold for the same Rs 10 in New Delhi too. Similarly, murukku and appam also would be sold at the same price.

"All prasadams are being prepared using the best quality ingredients procured from cooperative societies and it is being checked by a team regularly. For making laddu, the ghee is procured only from Aavin," said an official from Meenakshi Amman temple.

Officials said that a team of eight officials from HR and CE temple would attend the workshop conducted by FSSAI on the previous day of exhibition. A communication with this regard has been sent to Tiruvannamalai temple. The temple authorities are expected to take a call in a day or two.

Officials also said that around 40 prominent temples took part in the workshop conducted by FSSAI in 2016 which focused on serving prasadam made in a hygienic manner. Many of them have now got certifications from the food quality ensuring body after they implemented the recommendations made by FSSAI.

This would be the first time prasadams from Tamil Nadu are exhibited. FSSAI had requested the HR& CE officials for this arrangement. It is to sensitise on the quality of prasadams being served in temples.

All alcohol outlets now under food safety ambit

Summary: Under these guidelines, alcoholic drinks are classified as food, too.An official in the excise department said while only bars and restaurants have been obtaining a licence from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) so far, all kinds of alcohol licences have now been brought under the ambit of the FSSAI.Around 11,000 liquor licences have been issued in Goa. Panaji: The excise department has directed all businesses engaged in the manufacture and sale of alcohol to obtain Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) licences from the designated state licensing authority immediately.In a circular issued last week, excise commissioner Amit Satija stated that it was mandatory for all manufacturers, importers, marketers, suppliers and retailers to obtain FSSAI licences under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006/ Rules and Regulations 2011.

Panaji: The excise department has directed all businesses engaged in the manufacture and sale of alcohol to obtain Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) licences from the designated state licensing authority immediately.In a circular issued last week, excise commissioner Amit Satija stated that it was mandatory for all manufacturers, importers, marketers, suppliers and retailers to obtain FSSAI licences under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006/ Rules and Regulations 2011. Under these guidelines, alcoholic drinks are classified as food, too.An official in the excise department said while only bars and restaurants have been obtaining a licence from the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) so far, all kinds of alcohol licences have now been brought under the ambit of the FSSAI.Around 11,000 liquor licences have been issued in Goa.

Artificial fruit ripening centre to be set up soon

Jan 7 - Why do green bananas bought from the city markets turn bright yellow after a few hours? And later within a day, black blotches appear on the banana peel? The taste too is not that of fresh fruits. These are indications of chemical ripening, which has become a growing menace in the city, posing severe health hazards to the consumers.Besieged by the problem, the Assam State Agricultural Marketing Board has planned to set up an organic fruit ripening centre in the city.

“The Central Government has approved our proposal under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana. The centre will come up within this financial year. The Board has decided to set up the centre at Ulubari,” Bulbul Hussain, Joint Chief Executive Officer (Tech) of the Board, told The Assam Tribune.

The centre would be used mostly for bananas, and if required, even for papayas. It would have a capacity to ripen 20,000 bananas daily and would be set up at an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore.

“If successful, we would replicate the model in other towns of the State like Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar etc.,” Hussain said.

The centre will have chambers to store fruits. Ethylene would be injected into the chambers to ripen the fruits.

Ethylene (C2H4, also known as ethene) is a gaseous organic compound that is the simplest of the alkene chemical structures (alkenes contain a carbon-carbon double bond). It is the most commercially produced organic compound in the world and is used in many industrial applications. Early examples of human utilisation of ethylene to enhance fruit ripening include the ancient Egyptian practice of gashing figs to enhance ripening responses.

The ethylene produced by the injured fruit tissue triggers a broader ripening response. Similarly, the ancient Chinese practice of burning incense in closed rooms with stored pears (ethylene is released as an incense combustion by-product) which stimulates ripening of the fruit.

When fruits are exposed to ethylene under controlled conditions, they will initiate their respiratory climateric pattern and ripen at a relatively uniform rate.

While ensuring uniform ripening, ethylene ripening also keeps intact the quality of the fruit.

Hussain said no electricity will be used at the centre and it will be run on biomass. The model of operating the centre is yet to be worked out.

A good chunk of bananas and other fruits which are sold in the city markets are reportedly ripened using calcium carbide. Use of carbide for ripening is prohibited by The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and action can be initiated under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1955 for any violation.

Calcium Carbide in fruits

3 banana vendors held for using harmful ripening agent

The lid finally blew off a long held fear about the use of carcinogenic agents for ripening fruits sold in the market. The suspicion has grown all the more compelling with the police arresting three fruit vendors in Dimapur for allegedly using an industrial chemical to speed up the process of fruit ripening.

The arrests were made on January 6 at New Market and could involve a multi-crore illicit fruit ripening trade run right under the nose of the authorities. The substance in question – Calcium Carbide- is an industrial chemical used in steelmaking and commonly in iron welding units.

It unravelled with the arrest of one Laxmi Sha, a New Market-based banana vendor on January 6 from whose shop the police also recovered approximately 3kgs of Calcium Carbide. Sha’s arrest led to the arrest of two others – Baiju Sha and Rajesh Mahdo. A huge quantity of bananas was also seized.

According to the police, Sha admitted to using the chemical agent to artificially speed up the ripening process. “The arrested accused stated that half a kilogram of Calcium Carbide (CaC2) can ripen 3 quintals of unripe bananas,” stated the police. He was further said to have told the police that fruit traders in Dimapur use the chemical to artificially ripen fruits like mangoes, watermelons, apples and bananas.

Quoting scientific reports, the police said that the chemical contains arsenic and phosphorous; ingestion of which poses serious public health concern. Stating that further investigation is on, the police said that the seized Calcium Carbide, suspected to have been procured from Bhutan, and the bananas confiscated is being sent for forensic analysis. Calcium Carbide is also available in the market here for use in industrial units and not for fruit-processing.

Asked whether the state food safety authority has been alerted, the police said that it will be coordinating with the department in concern.

While some states in India have banned the use calcium carbide by fruit vendors, many are still to follow suit.

As per the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations 2011, use of Calcium Carbide for ripening of fruits is prohibited. The Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in December 2016 has also asked the state health authorities to conduct frequent inspection of fruit and vegetable markets.

FDA officials raid store, seize banned gutka worth Rs 64,000

Thane, Jan 7 (UNI) Officials of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) here on Saturday raided a store in the powerloom town of Bhiwandi and seized banned Gutka worth around Rs 64,000.

FDA Assistant Commissioner (Food) Thane, M N Chowdhary told UNI that the officials of the FDA conducted the raid on the Bamhur Cigarette and General Stores at Gaibinagar and seized a stock of Dubai Gutka and Vimal Pan Masala.

The shop owned by one Shekar Jaffar Ahmed Ali Jaffar was sealed, he said and added that an offence under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 was registered against the shop owner.

He said action had been taken against the same shop twice earlier for the same offence and this was the third time the FDA had raided the shop and found to have stocked the banned goods.

Jan 7, 2018

DINAMALAR NEWS

Food for thought

Jan 6, 2018

DINAKARAN NEWS

Come July, label mandatory for food certified as ‘organic’

Companies not sticking to standards can be prosecuted, according to FSSAI

Come July, it would be illegal to sell organic food that was not appropriately labelled so.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had issued regulations that required food companies selling organic produce to get certified with one of the two authorities — National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) or the Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India). Companies could also get a voluntary logo from the FSSAI that marked its produce as ‘organic.’

Though NPOP and PGS-India had been in the certification business for some years, it was mostly a voluntary exercise. “From July, any company that claims to sell organic food and not sticking to standards can be prosecuted,” Pawan Aggrawal, CEO, FSSAI told The Hindu.

“..Labelling on the package of organic food shall convey full and accurate information on the organic status of the product. Such product may carry a certification or quality assurance mark of one of the systems mentioned… in addition to the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India’s organic logo,” said a FSSAI notification on January 2 and published in the Gazette. These rules were finalised after almost a year of being sent out as a draft for public comments.

Third party certification

For nearly two decades now, organic farming certification had been done through a process of third party certification under the NPOP. It was run by the Ministry of Commerce and was used for certifying general exports. Nearly 24 agencies were authorised by the NPOP to verify farms, storages and processing units and successful ones got a special ‘India Organic’ logo.

The PGS-India programme, in contrast, had been around for only two years and — unlike the top-down approach of the NPOP — involves a peer-review approach. Here, farmers played a role in certifying whether the farms in their vicinity adhered to organic-cultivation practices. This programme was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture through the National Centre of Organic Farming.

FDA testing six brands of packaged drinking water

After receiving a letter from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra has collected six packaged drinking water samples from across the city.

While the FDA had started collecting samples in October 2017, as per a letter sent by the FDA joint commissioner (Food) to FSSAI, they have collected six samples of packaged drinking water of different brands in the city.

The FDA letter reads, "The samples were sent for analysis to State Public Health Lab, Pune. However, the test facility for bromate was not available in the lab, therefore, the samples were sent to another lab in Jogeshwari (east). While the lab has tested these samples for bromate and the analysis report of these samples are sent to Pune lab. FDA is yet to receive these analysis reports. As soon as the reports are received, further action in the matter will be taken as per the Act."

In 2017, a social activist from Mumbai filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to look into the matter of packaged drinking water containing harmful substances such as bromate. The letter was then forwarded from NHRC to FSSAI and later the FSSAI authority had asked FDA to conduct further investigation.

Researchers at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in 2015 found out that there is the presence of carcinogen (cancer-causing) bromate in packaged drinking water available in Mumbai. Based on this report, a complaint was filed on July 7, 2017, to the NHRC by the activist.

The activist, who does not wish to be named, said, "I am not happy with the way FDA is dealing with the issue since the number of samples collected and sent for analysis is extremely low. I will be writing to FDA to collect more samples considering the fact that 28 out of 100 samples were contaminated while doing the research. There are fewer chances of finding contamination in merely six samples."

Alcohol alert on bottles soon

In a first, FSSAI - a body under Union health ministry - is regulating all varieties of alcoholic products by permitting only prescribed percent of alcohol in your drink.

HIGHLIGHTS

1 FSSAI is prescribing alcohol content for each alcoholic beverage.

2 Alcohol manufacturers, domestic or foreign, will have to abode by prescribed alcohol content level in the drink.

3 The authority says ensuring consumption safety of alcoholic drinks is its main aim.

For Bacchus lovers, it's time to say cheers on a healthy note! For, next time you down a peg of your favourite wine or whiskey, be assured that its alcohol content would be within a safe and permissible limit - as per the standards fixed by Food Safety Standard & Authority of India (FSSAI).

In a first, FSSAI - a body under Union health ministry - is regulating all varieties of alcoholic products by permitting only prescribed percent of alcohol in your drink. All categories of hard drink such as beer, wine, brandy, country liquor, gin, rum, whisky, vodka and wine (red and white) have been regulated.

FSSAI is also prescribing the limit of heavy metals in hard drinks. These heavy metals are found naturally in alcoholic beverages. There will also be an advisory on life safety - 'Be safe, do not drink & drive'. This will be in addition to the existing labelling that mentions 'Alcohol is injurious to health'.

Drunk driving is one of the leading causes of accidents and deaths in India. The World Health Organisation study also identifies drunk driving as one of the five key risk factors for road deaths.

According to the ministry of road transport and highways report, 2015, 6,777 individuals were killed because of drunk driving. In 2016, Delhi alone saw as many as 28,006 motorists prosecuted for driving under the influence of alcohol.

FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal told MAIL TODAY, "There was no regulation on alcohol in our country. It is for the first time FSSAI is regulating such beverages. We have been working on this for past two years to develop standards for alcohol limit. The final standards have been sent to the Union health ministry for health minister's approval and will be notified very soon. FSSAI is now moving along the lines of Bureau of Indian Standards and International Organisation of Vine and Wine."

"These regulations are made under the Food Product Safety & Standards (Alcoholic Beverages Standard) Regulations 2018," said Agarwal.

Another official said: "For the regulation of alcohol, the ministry has covered entire products containing alcohol. Any product with over 0.5 per cent of alcohol is called alcohol beverage. Now, these fixed standards for limiting alcoholic content would be applicable under FSSAI Act, 2006, to all domestic products as well as imported products."

Other countries have to follow new permissible limit for importing their alcohol beverage to India.

"The regulations are being made with the aim to control the market of alcohol manufacturers and also people should get a safe drink," he added.

Jan 5, 2018

RASFF ON CHOCOLAES

DINAKARAN NEWS

Madurai has least licenced food establishments in TN

Chennai: From fiery local flavours sold off push-carts to burp-inducing meals in its famed messes, Madurai may be a haven for gastronomical indulgences, but their quality has now come under the spotlight with the district recording the least number of licenced food establishments in the state.

Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration data shows that only 29% of Madurai’s 27,357 food businesses are certified as being safe and hygienic. In Chennai, with 32,002 such establishments – the highest in the state – 54% are either licensed or registered.

The Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, mandate a licence for any food business with an annual turnover of more than ₹2 lakh. Those with a lower turnover must register with the state food safety department. After eight extensions, the last deadline for acquiring licence expired in August 2016.

Last month, commissioner of food safety P Amudha gave the go-ahead to crack down on establishments that don’t apply for licences on or before December 31. In her latest communication, she has directed food safety officers across the state to step up awareness campaigns over the next two weeks before taking punitive measures. “Our officials have fanned out to distribute pamphlets to unlicenced businesses. We are also maintaining a record of the exercise. This way, the owners can’t claim they were unaware of the law when we take action,” said R Kathiravan, designated food safety officer, Chennai.

In March 2016, the food safety department found 5.43 lakh food establishments in the state, including pushcart vendors, retailers, provisional stores, bakeries, hostels, restaurants, fruits and vegetable shops and units that engage in making sweets and savouries. Less than 50% have been certified. Madurai fared the worst. A food safety official in the district blamed it on “corruption” among inspectors. “Quite a few staff were abruptly moved out after they had swindled money meant for awareness programmes,” said a senior official. Another said hotel owners in the district were politically backed.

Here's why you should buy organic food

NEW DELHI: The demand for organic foods began with fruits and vegetables when there were reports of pesticide residues in them. However, the popularity of organic foods has now extended to food grains, pulses, tea, spices and even oilseeds.

"Organic foods have gained popularity because people have become aware of their benefits. They contain no chemical pesticides and fertilizers and are grown naturally with manure or compost and only natural pesticides and insecticides are used," said Dr. Saurabh Arora, MD (Auriga research and Director at Arbro Pharmaceuticals) and Founder of Food Safety Helpline.

"Children are more susceptible than adults to diseases caused by chemical pesticide residues in food and so parents prefer to give them organic foods. Another advantage is that organic foods do not contain growth hormones or antibiotic residues. Animals are often given growth hormones and antibiotics in animal feeds which are directly passed into animal foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products and from foods to the consumers. In organic farming these practices are banned and animals feed outside in natural surroundings. Antibiotic containing foods consumed frequently makes these antibiotics ineffective in humans," he added.

Organic food products are either grown under a natural system of agriculture, without the use of synthetic fertilizers or they are processed products made from organically produced raw materials.

"Therefore, any food offered for sale as 'organic food' in India, needs to comply with the provisions laid down under either the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) administered by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) or the Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) operated by the ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare. There are a number of organic brandsthat use the term 'organic" on labels but if these products are not certified then their authenticity is suspect," said Arora.

According to the Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) such foods that are labelled organic but not certified cannot be considered safe. The ICRIER also mentioned the need for a uniform standard for organic foods in its last report.

Now, the Food Safety Standards and Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations 2017 along with the unified logo for organic food products, supported with the tagline "Jaivik Bharat."

All organic foods certified under this logo also need to convey the full and accurate information on labels about the organic status of the food. The 'Jaivik Bharat' logo will henceforth be recognised as a mark of quality assurance given by the above mentioned certification bodies in India or any other bodies recognised by FSSAI.

Rising popularity of organic foods: What you should know

“Organic foods have gained popularity because people have become aware of their benefits. They contain no chemical pesticides and fertilizers and are grown naturally with manure or compost and only natural pesticides and insecticides are used,” said Dr. Saurabh Arora, MD (Auriga research and Director at Arbro Pharmaceuticals) and Founder of Food Safety Helpline.

“Children are more susceptible than adults to diseases caused by chemical pesticide residues in food and so parents prefer to give them organic foods. Another advantage is that organic foods do not contain growth hormones or antibiotic residues. Animals are often given growth hormones and antibiotics in animal feeds which are directly passed into animal foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products and from foods to the consumers. In organic farming these practices are banned and animals feed outside in natural surroundings. Antibiotic containing foods consumed frequently makes these antibiotics ineffective in humans,” he added.

Organic food products are either grown under a natural system of agriculture, without the use of synthetic fertilizers or they are processed products made from organically produced raw materials.

“Therefore, any food offered for sale as 'organic food' in India, needs to comply with the provisions laid down under either the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) administered by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) or the Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) operated by the ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. There are a number of organic brands that use the term ‘organic” on labels but if these products are not certified then their authenticity is suspect,” said Arora.

All organic foods certified under this logo also need to convey the full and accurate information on labels about the organic status of the food. The ‘Jaivik Bharat’ logo will henceforth be recognised as a mark of the quality assurance given by the above-mentioned certification bodies in India or any other bodies recognised by FSSAI.

Man found guilty for mixing colour in jalebi after 22 years

SHAHJAHANPUR: A shopkeeper was sentenced to one-year imprisonment on Tuesday after he was found guilty of mixing synthetic colour in jalebi 22 years ago.

Food security team had taken samples of jalebi from his shop in Lakhimpur Kheri on December 26, 1995. He was found him guilty of mixing synthetic colour in the sweet which were not suitable for human consumption. The court of additional judicial magistrate in Mohammadi also imposed a fine of Rs 3,000 on the shopkeeper. His imprisonment will be extended by another 15 days, if he failed to pay the fine.

District food safety officer, Amar Singh Verma, said, "The samples of jalebi were taken in 1995 from the shop of Ram Gopal in Mohammdi. After the samples had failed in lab test in Lucknow, a case was registered against him in June 1996 in the court of judicial magistrate of Mohammdi. He was booked under section 16 of Prevention of Food Adulteration Act."

The court has directed Mohammdi police to arrest the accused and send him to district jail. However, Mohammadi police station is yet to receive a copy of the court order.

Station officer of Mohammdi police station, D K Singh, said, "I have heard about the judgment but I am yet to receive a copy of the court order, directing us to arrest the accused.

Jan 4, 2018

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

Administration warns of strict action against food adulteration

Sellers asked to ensure food packets labels contain all details as mandated by law

The district administration and the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department has asked sellers to ensure food packet labels contain all details as mandated by law and warned of stringent actions if violation found.

A joint press release from Collector S. Prabhakar and T. Kalaivani, Designated Officer, said that producers’ manufacturers of cooking oil, traders involved in re-packaging and selling it for Pongal and persons involved in retail sale of the packages should ensure quality is maintained. As per the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, the package should contain, brand name, vegetarian symbol, manufacturing date, details of manufacturer with address and contact details, batch number, quantity, MRP, best before use, specific edible oil details and nutritional information.

If traders are involved in mixing two-edible oils and selling, they should have obtained Agmark certification. If the packets are sold without these details, action will be taken against the seller, the release warned. Consumers were also asked to purchase the product that carries all these details.

Likewise, jaggery and brown sugar producers and sellers were asked not to use chemicals beyond the permitted level. The bright yellow jaggery is obtained after mixing chemicals that are harmful to health. Only jaggery in page and dark colours, produced without adding white sugar and chemicals, are good for consumption. As per the FSS Regulations (Food Product Standards and Food Additives), a maximum of 70 ppm sulphur dioxide is allowed while making jaggery. Hence, consumers were also asked to buy only unadulterated jaggery.

Complaints regarding adulteration or related to food items can be lodged at 0424-2223545 or WhatsApp number 94440-42322. Also, they can visit the office functioning at the premises of District Headquarters Hospital, the release added.

Workshop on food hygiene conducted for sweet shop owners

JAMMU, Jan 3: One day workshop on food hygiene was conducted for the members of Halwai Association of Jammu (sweet shop owners) by a team of food safety under the supervision of Controller, Drug and Food Control Organization here today.

On the occasion, the food safety team led by Dr Parvesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner Food Safety Jammu and assisted by Ajay Khajuria, Daleep Singh, Jai Inder and Hans Raj, Food officers asked the participants to maintain the norms of Food Safety and Standards Act. Dr Parvesh Kumar asked them to wash hands before making any sweet item, keep watch over the raw material being supplied to them, prepare sweets apart from selling area, buy good quality khoya, sugar, milk, saffron, ghee, silver foil, keep good utensils properly stored and not to sell expired sweets. He requested them to use dustbin for waste materials, maintain personal hygiene and proper dress code. The participants were taught ways to maintain food quality and also informed about how this will help to boost their income by providing good quality food to the customers. The members of the Sweet Shop Association raised various issues including use of inferior material by some sweet shops, to which Dr Parvesh Kumar assured them that strict action will be taken against those indulging in use of inferior material and playing with the lives of the people.

He ascertained that medical certificate is mandatory for workers working in sweet shops and vendors. Dr Parvesh Kumar asked the participants to get their licences registered within two weeks and maintain norms as per Food Safety and Standards Act, otherwise action will be initiated against them.

Rs 60 L fine on 43 firms whose food samples failed lab test

Greater Noida, Jan 3 (PTI) Food safety officials today said a fine of about Rs 60 lakh has been imposed on more than 40 firms whose samples failed lab test.

Gautam Buddha Nagar food safety department designated officer Sanjay Sharma said the additional district magistrate has levied the fine of Rs 60 lakh on 43 firms whose food samples failed in lab tests.

The fine amount ranged between Rs 5,000 to Rs 3 lakh, he said.

The food samples that were taken included paneer, pizza, cooking oil, milk, pulses, spices and bottled water, he said.

Jan 3, 2018

FSSAI asks food companies to confirm compliance with new regulations

List of permissible food additives also increased, says regulator

NEW DELHI, JANUARY 2:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which has expanded the scope of regulations and standards to include a wider range of food products in the past two years, has asked companies to re-validate their product approvals, if their products are not covered under these regulations.

Till August 2015, FSSAI was following a mechanism of granting product approvals/ No Objection Certificates to companies to manufacture or import products, for which standards did not exist. However, this mechanism was suspended on the direction of the Supreme Court in 2015, and FSSAI decided to frame the necessary regulations for such products.

Product approvals

In addition, it has also asked food companies that had been granted product approvals earlier but their products now come under the purview of the additional regulations, to confirm to the Authority that their products comply with these regulations.

Last month, CAG had recommended to FSSAI to ensure that all licences issued to food companies under the “erstwhile system of product approvals” are reviewed and licences cancelled and reissued as warranted under the present procedure.

In its letter, FSSAI said that to facilitate clearance of new food products, it has now enlarged the scope of proprietary food by making amendments in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011. “The list of permissible food additives has also increased under these regulations. In addition, several new product standards/regulations have also been developed,” it said.

The regulator also pointed out that it has also notified regulations, which has set standards for categories such as health supplements, nutraceuticals, food for special dietary uses and special medical purposes besides specialty foods containing probiotics, botanicals, and prebiotics as well as novel foods.

“However, food business operators, whose products are still not covered under any of these regulations, are advised to re-validate their products approval/ NOC granted to them by submitting the necessary documents to the Authority as per requirement given under the Food Safety and Standards (Approval for non-specified and Food Ingredients) Regulations, 2017,” FSSAI stated. It has given food companies 30 days to comply with this directive.

FSSAI warns against sale of contaminated food

No standards have been prescribed so far under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 for creatine monohydrate.

Chennai: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has warned businesses and consumers against the sale and consumption of contaminated food after it received an alert from the International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN) about the alleged contamination of infant milk formula with Salmonella Agona.

As per the country's apex food regulator (FSSAI) notice, there was no report of any import of the contaminated infant formula product to India, yet there could be a possibility of this product reaching the consumers through online sales or by other means. Hence, a notice has been issued to the public and various stakeholders, so that any inadvertent consumption of the infected products is avoided.

Meanwhile, it has come to the notice of the FSSAI that creatine monohydrate (used as a product or an ingredient) is being manufactured, imported and sold illegally by various companies and e-commerce platforms under different brand names with or without a valid FSSAI license number. No standards have been prescribed so far under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 for creatine monohydrate.

The regulator issued a letter mentioning the details of companies and sellers, including e-commerce sites to food safety commissioners of States and Union Territories (UTs) and authorised officers to keep a check on the sale of such products, by inspecting the premises of the firms and verify if any product having creatine monohydrate is being manufactured, stored or sold by firms.

Worried of Food Adulteration? File a Complaint & the Govt Will Pay for the Tests!

Anyone can get suspicious food products tested at FSSAI laboratories, and they will even be reimbursed for the cost of the testing if any adulteration is detected.

We live in a time when food adulteration is widespread, and the belief that there is not much that one can do to tackle the problem is what deters most of us from actually taking action against this illegal practice.

However, this is set to change because the government wants each one of us to come forward and test dubious food products.

Upon finding that there hadn’t been a single complaint registered for food adulteration under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s Special Act (FSSAI) since its introduction in 2006, the centre has decided to make the provision more visible amongst the public.

Under the Act, an ordinary citizen can get suspicious food products tested at FSSAI laboratories, and they will even be reimbursed for the cost of the testing if any adulteration is detected.

The price ranges between ₹2,000 and ₹5,000, depending on the type of food product.

“In a recent FSSAI audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), it emerged that there has not been a single complaint received under the Act and therefore, we have decided to advertise the provision widely,” an official in the Union health ministry told The New Indian Express.

He also mentioned that while the procedure was open to anyone and everyone, it was the time-consuming procedure that dissuaded most people from filing a complaint. “Public participation is must to enhance food safety standards,” an FSSAI official added.

Centre asks state officials to crackdown on milk adulteration

The Centre has directed state food commissioners to crackdown on milk adulteration by installing testing equipments and taking random sampling every month at village levels.

Union Ministers of State for Agriculture Parshottam Rupala and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat recently held a meeting to discuss the issue of adulteration of milk and milk products with the state cooperative milk federations, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Food Safety and Standards Authority and state Food Safety Department representatives.

"MOSs (Minister of States) advised the stakeholders to identify the unscrupulous agents who indulge in adulteration of milk as their business," an official statement said.

The secretary of Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying & Fisheries issued a direction to all chief secretaries and food commissioners of states to conduct 500 random sampling of milk every month at village level for detecting adulteration particularly of edible oil, sucrose and detergents.

"This drive will be started immediately and 50,000 samples will be taken countrywide. FSAAI has been advised to follow up on this," the statement said.

States have been advised to install milk adulteration testing equipments at village level for detection of adulteration by various adulterants, it added.

"Assistance for this will be provided by DADF under the National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD). Rs 100 crores have been set apart for this," the statement said.

The government's research body Indian Council of Agricultural Research was directed to enable quick testing methods for testing chemicals, which are not detected by the existing testing machines.

Uttar Pradesh is being assisted to install 390 milk adulteration testing equipments in 2017-18 at village/District level. Other states are also being encouraged like Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu etc.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been directed to develop standards for honey testing as fructose adulteration malpractice is rampant.

NDDB is setting up a National Honey Testing Laboratory for the purpose with the central government assistance.

Jan 2, 2018

PRODUCT APPROVAL/NOC's issued by FSSAI

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Upgrade of FSSAI’s labs is critical for India’s food safety ecosystem

At a time when the food regulator is reviewing the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, to make it robust and globally benchmarked, it is critical that the regulator takes notice of the gaps that CAG has raised in its report and also sensitise those states, which are not doing enough on the food safety front. This is extremely critical from the public health perspective.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to create laboratory network to test food

The country’s top food regulator ----the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ---- plans to upgrade 15 laboratories across the country. Currently, after primary testing at local labs, the sample is sent to an appellate authority in case of discrepancies. Once upgraded, the 15 labs will have the authority to certify their findings, which can be used as the basis for punitive action. India has more than 250 food-testing laboratories, of which about 150 are run by either the state or central governments, but none has the standing that would mean its findings are immediately and completely accepted by all stakeholders, including food companies. That’s the gap FSSAI’s new network of laboratories will be looking to fill.

There’s more work to be done, though, as enumerated in a recent report on the regulator by the government auditor, the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) that revealed serious gaps in the organisation’s processes. According to CAG, neither the nodal organisation nor state authorities has documented policies and procedures on inspections, a critical aspect of the regulator’s jop. Alarmingly, FSSAI does not even have a database on food businesses in the country.

There’s more: FSSAI seems to have failed in its effort to set up well-equipped food labs in the states: Only seven out of 72 states laboratories passed the standards issued by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. The audit report also found that the there is an acute shortage of licensing and enforcement officers in the states.

CAG was asked to audit the food regulator in March 2017. It was asked to look at how FSSAI fixes standards, finalizes regulations, approves products, ensures compliance and conducts surveillance. And it seems to have found lapses in all.

This is worrying. The foods business is a rapidly growing one, and , more importantly, one where poor quality standards could even result in a public health crisis. The foods regulator has to enjoy the confidence of the public as well as companies in the foods business. FSSAI is in the process of reviewing the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 by benchmarking it with similar laws in other parts of the world. It should also look within and address the gaps highlighted by CAG’s audit.

Dec 31, 2017

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Boiling over: State governments look the other way on food complaints

NEW DELHI:

■ Utsav Madan, a West Delhi resident, bought a packet of Moong Dal from a departmental store. As he boiled it the water turned a deep yellow. The artificial colour wore off.

■ Debashish, a Thane resident, bought a box of sweets from a restaurant. The restaurant was smelly. The sweets were sour and too old to eat.

Utsav and Debashish were victims of food adulteration. Across the country, consumers have complained about the quality of the food they are buying. These include milk and dairy products, spices and cereals. But unlike the hue and cry that breaks out when questions are asked on the quality of popular branded products—like Maggi noodles in 2015—they rarely merit government attention.

Data from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) shows that state administrations choose to overlook not only complaints, but also evidence, of impure food. An analysis of the FSSAI data shows authorities have tested similar sample sizes of edibles (around 80,000 per year), while the number of ‘samples found adulterated’ has constantly risen in the same period.

Food safety officers in states are required to take food samples and send them for analysis in laboratories. A total of 84,537 samples were collected from all the states in 2014-15; 77,941 in 2015-16, and 80,463 in 2016-17.

In contrast, the number of adulterated food samples rose from 14,716 in 2014-15 to 16,133 in 2015-16 and to 16,659 in 2016-17.

“Departments in most states are short-staffed. There are only about 30-40 or 50 food inspectors in each state, which is too little. There are thousands of dairies and groceries and restaurants in any big city,” said Naresh Kadyan, a consumer rights activist who has been campaigning for right quality of milk.

Even for those found guilty, punishment is a rarity. Convictions were only 1,402 in 2014-15, 540 in 2015-16 and 1591 in 2016-17. In most cases the authorities impose fines.

In 2014-15, total fines collected was Rs 11.28 crore, in 2015-16 it was Rs 21.65 crore and in 2016-17 it was Rs 15.90 crore.

“(Food adulteration) is a bailable offence and the accused have never got arrested. Basically, the food safety department is like a toothless tiger,” said Kadyan.

The Law Commission has recommended that sections 272 and 273 of the Indian Penal Code be amended to make adulteration a serious crime.

From milk to cereals: Food adulteration rampant but monitoring lax

Seized spurious milk powder and other material from a dairy unit.

NEW DELHI: Utsav Madan, a West Delhi resident, bought a packet of Moong Dal from a departmental store. As he boiled it the water turned a deep yellow. The artificial colour on the lentils wore off.

Debashish, a Thane resident, bought a box of sweets from a restaurant. The restaurant was smelly. The sweets were sour and too old to eat.

Both Utsav and Debashish were victims of food adulteration. Across the country consumers have complained about the quality of the food they are buying. These include milk and dairy products, spices and cereals. But unlike the hue and cry that breaks out when questions are asked on the quality of popular branded products, like ‘Maggi’ noodles in 2015, they rarely merit government attention.

Data from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has now shown that state administrations choose to overlook not only complaints, but also evidence, of impure food.

An analysis of the FSSAI data shows authorities have tested similar sample sizes of edibles (around 80,000 per year) from across India while the number of ‘samples found adulterated’ has constantly risen in the same period.

The food and grocery business as grown at the same time, as has the size of the population. Food safety officers in the states are required to take food samples and send them for analysis in laboratories.

A total of 84,537 adulterated food samples were collected from all the states in the year 2014-15; in 2015-16, 77,941 samples were collected and in 2016-17 the number was 80,463.

In contrast, the number of adulterated food samples rose from 14,716 in the year 2014-15 to 16,133 in 2015-16 and to 16,659 in the year 2016-17.

“There are many issues. The departments in most states are short-staffed. There are only about 30-40 or 50 food inspectors in each state that is too little given the demand. There are thousands of dairies and groceries and restaurants in any big city,” said Naresh Kadyan, a consumer rights activist who has been campaigning for right quality of milk.

Advocate Umesh Sharma said the enforcement of law is poor. “We can’t rule out the nexus among the stakeholders. The issue is directly related to the public health and government should take some serious initiatives to implement the food safety rules,” he said.

Even for those found guilty punishment is a rarity. The number of convictions was only 1402 in the year 2014-15, 540 in 2015-16 and 1591 in 2016-17. In most cases the authorities impose fines.

In the year 2014-15, total fines collected was `11.28 crore, in 2015-16 it was `21.65 crore and in 2016-17 it was `15.90 crore.

“(Food adulteration) is a bailable offence and the accused have never got arrested. Basically, the food safety department is like a toothless tiger,” said Naresh Kadyan, the consumer activist.

The Law Commission has recommended that sections 272 and 273 of the Indian Penal Code be amended to make adulteration a serious crime.

Depending on the gravity of the offence, punishment could be up to life in prison. The panel, headed by former Supreme Court judge B S Chauhan, also wanted Section 357 of the Criminal Procedure Code to be amended so that courts can order compensation for victims. The law commission said the minimum punishment should start with six months in jail.

“To combat adulteration in food items like milk, spices, honey, water, oil and other such items FSSAI has released guidelines,” said an officer of the authority.

A senior official of the FSSAI said it is not only artificial colours and putrefaction that are considered to be impure food. Food that contains additives that exceed permissible limits also fail tests.

Officials said that while adulteration in food items becomes more rampant during festive season due to high demand, there were only a few such instances that have been in public focus in recent years.

Despite this, even the limited samples tested in the last three years clearly show that more and more food is being made artificially unfit for consumption.

243 notices served for fire safety violations

VADODARA: The Banyan City has witnessed major fires in 2017 like at the collector office and at Schaefflar India at Maneja, and it may not be a surprise if an incident like the one at Kamala Mills Compound in Mumbai is repeated here. Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) this year has served notices to 243 premises owner for violation of fire safety norms.

According to sources in VFES, 80% of the 243 premises that were served notices were commercial properties where daily footfall was in thousands.

"These notices are served and a fine is slapped when the premises owner apply for renewal of the NOC (no objection certificate). While a few buildings do follow the norms like having fire extinguishers and the smoke detection and extinguishing systems, but many of them have outdated or non-functional systems," said a fire official.

Interestingly, the fire compliance ratio in the city was quite low. "Only 15% premises owner who have been served notice make changes in the fire safety systems," the official said.

Another senior fire official said that when the norms are not complied even after the notice they serve another notice to disconnect electricity and water connections of the building.

But such extreme steps have hardly been taken. "Legally, the water and electricity are essential services and these can be disconnected when the fine due is 30% of the building's value and the fine we slap is not that high compared to high value of the commercial buildings. So we do not snap water and electricity connections," the fire official said.

A station officer who has participated in many rescue operations told TOI: "There have been instances when the building owners make civil changes in the building to suit their commercial purposes, but they do not realize that such action of theirs will cost them heavily when a major mishap takes place."

Dec 30, 2017

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Food safety officials check 25 restaurants

Vadodara: The food safety department of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) stepped up its drive to check restaurants on Friday. Officials checked 25 restaurants in different parts of the city.

The drive began on Thursday when the civic body officials checked 13 restaurants in different parts of the city. With the New Year eve festivities nearing, VMC has increased vigilance to ensure that quality and hygiene of food items are maintained. Thousands of people will flock to these restaurants on Sunday night to usher in 2018.

The restaurants checked on Friday included those n Fatehgunj, Sangam, Harni and Sayajigunj areas. Samples of prepared food as well as raw materials were collected from here even as 62kg of food items kept in unhygienic conditions were disposed of by the officials. The officials also issued notices to four restaurants.

15 eateries closed down

Violation of food safety standards detected

Officials of the Food Safety Commissionerate have shut down 15 eateries functioning close to the Secretariat and the legislators’ hostel on charges of violation of food safety standards.

Ten special squads conducted raids on 60 restaurants and found many establishments to have flouted basic hygiene standards that had been prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

The eateries that were found to have functioned without the requisite licence and also failed to ensure the quality norms included the Hotel Chirag Inn, Trivandrum Cafeteria, Hotel Casamia, Jithu Joji eatery and Deepa Hotel at Palayam, an eatery at Vanross Junction, and the Housing Board canteen.

Besides, the squads also found some other restaurants, including Hotel Aroma Classic at Vanross Junction, Gulan Fast Food at Palayam, Hotel Teekay International, Hotel Arul Jyothi at Statue, Hotel Zam Zam at Palayam, KeralaUniversity Library canteen, Kuttanad Restaurant (near AKG Centre) and another outlet that sold meals at Vanross Junction had maintained low standards of hygiene. These restaurants were ordered to be closed down with immediate effect. A total fine of ₹3,42,500 was also collected by the squads from 10 eateries for non-compliance with the prescribed norms.

McDonald's 'blatantly' ignores food quality issues, follows different food standards for India: Vikram Bakshi

McDonald's India partner Vikram Bakshi on Thursday hit out at the fast food major, saying it follows 'different standards' for India compared to other countries and continuously ignored the food quality concerns raised by him in the past four years. His remarks came hours after McDonald's suggested that CPRL's new logistic vendor may pose risk to McDonald's food quality and safety standards.

Bakshi said: "It appears that McDonald's have global standards for food safety and supplies, and they have a very different set of standards for countries like ours which is a clear double standard."

Fight between McDonald's and its India partner Vikram Bakshi has been going on for a few years. However, the latest round of exchanges started earlier this week after CPRL's logistics partner Radhakrishna Foodland stopped the supply that led to the shutdown of all McDonald's outlets in East India.

Vikram Bakshi blamed McDonald's for the 'abrupt supply disruptions' and partnered with a new logistics vendor ColdEX. Bakshi's move did not go well with McDonald's. The fast food giant alleged it had not approved the new vendor. McDonald's said: "Using unapproved vendors for the supply chain is creating serious compliance risks to McDonalds standards for food quality and safety."

To which Bakshi responded, saying that issues concerning public health have been blatantly ignored by McDonald's with no responses, visits or actions on food safety. "It is indeed ironic that the conscience of McDonald's has suddenly awakened to quality and food safety in India, when for the past four years, CPRL has been bringing to their attention, including their CEO, Steve Easterbrook, issues of the same, without extracting a single response or visit from them," Bakshi said in a statement.

Earlier this week, Radhakrishna Foodland had discontinued its supply services alleging reduction in volume and non-payment of certain dues, among others. Termination of supplies affected about 100 restaurants in East and North India. Bakshi said this was a pre-planned step in collusion with McDonald's and their wholly owned subsidiary in India MIPL. Later, NCLT-appointed CPRL administrator asked Radhakrishna Foodland to resume the supply services as the termination was in contravention of the NCLT judgement that ordered for smooth functioning of the CPRL restaurants without any hindrance.

The fight between McDonald's and Bakshi began in 2013 after fast food giant removed Bakshi as the Managing Director of CPRL. The National Company Law Tribunal later reinstated him and also refrained McDonald's from interfering in the functioning of CPRL besides appointing an administrator to oversee the smooth functioning of CPRL. The battle which gained momentum after Bakhshi's ouster turned ugly when McDonald's India terminated the franchise agreement of 169 outlets this year in August. Both the parties are now fighting out their case in various legal forums including NCLT, NCLAT and Delhi high court. Meanwhile, Bakshi continues to operate the outlets.

McDonald's follows different food safety and supply standards for India, alleges Vikram Bakshi

New Delhi: McDonald's estranged partner Vikram Bakshi on Thursday hit out at the fast food major, saying it follows "different standards" for India compared to other countries and continuously ignored the food quality concerns raised by him for the past four years.

Bakshi's response came after McDonald's India earlier alleged lapses in food quality and safety level by "all facets of the supply chain".

"It appears that McDonald's have global standards for food safety and supplies, and they have a very different set of standards for countries like ours which is a clear double standard," Bakshi alleged.

Countering Bakshi, McDonald's India said: "Using unapproved vendors for the supply chain is creating serious compliance risks to McDonald's standards for food quality and safety."

The battle between McDonald's India and Bakshi-led Connaught Plaza Restaurants Ltd (CPRL) intensified after the latters logistics partner Radhakrishna Foodland abruptly stopped supplies, which led to closure of about 84 outlets, mostly in east India and some in north on Monday.

Sixteen of the 84 outlets resumed operations today after Bakshi roped in a new logistics vendor ColdEX.

Meanwhile, the fast food giant has alleged that the new vendor is not approved by it.

Bakshi said issues that concern public health of this country have been blatantly ignored by the American company with no responses, visits or actions on food safety issues that were red flagged for immediate attention.

"It is indeed ironic that the conscience of McDonald's has suddenly awakened to quality and food safety in India, when for the past four years, CPRL has been bringing to their attention, including their CEO, Steve Easterbrook, issues of the same, without extracting a single response or visit from them," he said in a statement.

Radhakrishna Foodland had discontinued its supply services alleging reduction in volume and non-payment of certain dues, among others. McDonald's India further said that globally, it works closely with trusted network of suppliers to uphold stringent practices and efforts over the years have been successful in consistently reducing customer complaints.

Stating that the termination of supplies has affected about 100 restaurants, Bakshi said this is a pre-planned step in collusion with McDonald's and their wholly owned subsidiary in India McDonald's India Pvt Ltd.

He further said the termination is in contravention of the NCLT judgement that ordered for smooth functioning of the CPRL restaurants without any hindrance.

After Bakshi was ousted as the MD of CPRL in 2013, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) reinstated him to his position and also refrained McDonald's from interfering in the functioning of CPRL besides appointing an administrator to oversee the smooth functioning of CPRL.

The battle which gained momentum after Bakhshi's ouster turned ugly when McDonald's India terminated the franchise agreement with in August. Both the parties are now fighting out their case in various legal forums including NCLT, NCLAT and Delhi high court.

Meanwhile, Bakshi continues to operate the outlets.