``உணவு என விற்பனை செய்யப்படுபவை பெரும்பாலும் விஷங்களே!’’ - மருத்துவர் கு.சிவராமன்

இன்று நாம் மிகப் பெரிய வணிக வன்முறையைச் சந்தித்துக்கொண்டிருக்கிறோம். நீங்கள் சாப்பிடும், உங்கள் தட்டில் பரிமாறப்படும், கடைகளில் தேடிப்பிடித்துச் சாப்பிடும் அத்தனை உணவுகளும் எப்படிப் பயிராக்கப்படுகின்றன... எப்படிப் பாதுகாக்கப்படுகின்றன... எப்படிப் பக்குவப்படுத்தப்படுகின்றன... எப்படிப் பரிமாறப்படுகின்றன... என அனைத்துப் படிநிலைகளையும் ஆராயவேண்டியிருக்கிறது. அப்படி ஆராய்ந்தால், இவை அனைத்திலும் வணிக வன்முறை தலைத்தூக்கி நிற்பதை நாம் அறிந்துகொள்ளலாம்.

அண்மையில் சென்னை, ஸ்டெல்லா மேரிஸ் கல்லூரியில் `சேவ் ஃபுட்ஸ் ஃபெஸ்டிவல்’ (Save Foods Festival) என்ற விழா நடந்தது. அதில்

சித்த மருத்துவர் கு.சிவராமன் பங்கேற்று உரையாற்றினார்... தன் உரைக்கு அவர் மையப் பொருளாக எடுத்துக்கொண்டது இந்தப் பிரச்னையைத்தான். `எல்லாவற்றையும் வணிகமாக்கிவிட்ட இன்றைய நவீன உலகம் உணவையும் விட்டுவைக்கவில்லை’ என்ற நிதர்சனமான உண்மையை விரிவாகப் பேசினார் சிவராமன்... ``ஒரு காலத்தில் தொற்றுநோய்கள்தான் நமக்கு ஆபத்தானவையாக, உயிர்கொல்லியாக இருந்திருக்கின்றன. குறிப்பாக, இந்தியா சுதந்திரமடைந்த நாள்களில் அதாவது 1947-க்குப் பிந்தைய காலத்தில் காலரா, காசநோய், பிளேக் போன்ற தொற்றுநோய்களின் தாக்கம்தான் இங்கே அதிகமாக இருந்தது. இன்றைய மருத்துவ உலகம் இவற்றையெல்லாம் வெகுவாகக் குறைத்துவிட்டது. ஆனாலும், தொற்றுநோய்கள் அல்லாத பிற வாழ்வியல் நோய்களான சர்க்கரைநோய், உயர் ரத்த அழுத்தம், மாரடைப்பு, புற்றுநோய், உளவியல் நோய்கள் போன்றவற்றின் எண்ணிக்கை கணிசமாக உயர்ந்திருக்கின்றன. இதற்கு, நம் குடும்பத்திலேயே நிச்சயம் ஓர் உதாரணம் இருக்கும். மாறுபட்டுப்போன நமது உணவுப் பழக்கமும், அதைத் தனது சந்தைப்படுத்துதலின் மூலம் சாதித்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும் வணிகர்களும்தான் இதற்கான காரணம்’’ என்றவர், நம் கேள்விகளுக்கும் பதிலளித்தார்.

``வியாபாரமயமாகிப் போன இன்றைய உணவும், உணவுக்கான விலையும் சாமானியர்களை வெகுவாகப் பாதித்திருக்கின்றன. இந்த வியாபாரம் எங்கிருந்து தொடங்கியது?’’

``இது இன்று நேற்றல்ல... விவசாயம் என்றைக்கு விவசாயத் தொழில் நிறுவனங்களாக உருமாறியதோ, அன்றைக்கே உணவு வியாபாரமும் தொடங்கிவிட்டது. விளைவித்தவனுக்கும், உணவை உண்பவனுக்கும் இடையே உள்ள இடைவெளிதான் இன்றைய வணிகத்துக்குப் பெரிய சந்தையை அமைத்துக் கொடுத்திருக்கிறது. இவர்களுக்கு இடையிலிருக்கும் வணிகர் மட்டுமே இதில் கொள்ளை லாபம் பார்க்கக்கூடியவராக இருக்கிறார். இதில் லாபம் வாடிக்கையாளருக்கும் இல்லை, உற்பத்தி செய்பவருக்கும் இல்லை. இதன் விளைவாகத்தான் நாம் இன்று நோய்களையும், விவசாயிகளின் தற்கொலைகளையும் சந்தித்துவருகிறோம். விவசாயிக்கு வருமானம் இல்லை, வாடிக்கையாளருக்கு சத்தான உணவு இல்லை. இந்தப் பிரச்னைகளைச் சரிசெய்ய வேண்டுமானால், நியாயமான வர்த்தக நடைமுறையைக் (Fair trade practice) கொண்டுவர வேண்டும். இதனால் மட்டுமே உற்பத்தியாளர்களுக்கும் நுகர்வோர்களுக்கும் நியாயமான பகிர்தலை உருவாக்க முடியும்.’’

``சிறுவர்கள் முதல் பெரியவர்கள் வரை பாரம்பர்ய உணவு உண்பதை ஓர் அவமானமாகப் பார்க்கிறார்கள். மேலைநாட்டு உணவுகளைத் தேடித் தேடி சாப்பிடுகிறார்கள். மற்ற நாடுகளின் தட்பவெப்பநிலைக்கு உகந்த அந்த உணவுகள் நம் நாட்டு தட்பவெப்பநிலைக்கு உகந்ததாக இருக்குமா?’’

``உணவை நிச்சயம் உலகமயமாக்க முடியாது. ஜெர்மனியில் ஓடும் காரை இந்தியாவில் ஓடச் செய்யலாம். ஆனால், ஜெர்மனியில் சாப்பிடும் உணவை இந்தியாவில் உண்ண முடியாது. ஒருவரின் உணவுப் பழக்கம், அவர் வசிக்கும் தட்பவெப்ப நிலையையும், அவருடைய மரபணுவையும், அவர் செய்யும் தொழிலையும், அவரின் மனதையும் சார்ந்தது. இத்தாலியில் இருக்கும் பீட்சாவை நாம் சாப்பிடுவது, நம் மரபணுவுக்குப் பரிச்சயமில்லாத ரசாயனக் கலவையை உட்கொள்வது போன்றது. இந்த உணவுப் பழக்கம் வேறுவிதமாக வினையாற்றி, புதுப் புது நோய்களை உருவாக்கிக்கொண்டிருக்கிறது.’’

``இன்றைய இளைய தலைமுறையினர் ஆரோக்கியத்தில் காட்டும் அக்கறை மிகவும் குறைந்துவிட்டது. இன்றைய அவசர உலகில், காலை உணவைத் தவிர்ப்பது, `குப்பை உணவுகள்’ என்று குறிப்பிடப்படும் உணவுகளைச் சாப்பிடுவதன் விளைவு எப்படிப்பட்டதாக இருக்கும்?’’

``நம்முடைய மருத்துவத்தின்படி காலை உணவு மிக முக்கியமான ஒன்று. இன்று பலரும் உடல் எடையைக் குறைக்கிறேன் பேர்வழி என்று சொல்லிக்கொண்டு ஓட்ஸ் கஞ்சியைக் குடிக்கிறார்கள். உண்மையில் ஓட்ஸ் என்பதை குதிரைகளுக்குத்தான் கொடுப்பார்கள். இன்று `ஓட்ஸ்’ என்ற பெயரில் அவல் போன்று விற்கப்படுபவை, பல ரசாயனக் கலவைகளைக் கொண்டு பயிரிடப்பட்டு, பல்வேறு மாறுதல்களுக்குப் பிறகு வெறும் சக்கையாக மட்டுமே சந்தைக்குக் கொண்டுவரப்படுன்றன. இந்தியாவில் இருக்கும் கம்பு, கேழ்வரகு, குதிரைவாலி, சோளம் போன்றவைதான் சிறந்த காலை உணவாக இருக்க முடியும். இவை தவிர இட்லி, தோசை, கம்மங்கூழ், தினைப் பொங்கல் போன்றவற்றையும் நாம் காலை உணவாகச் சாப்பிடலாம். இவற்றைச் சாப்பிட முடியவில்லையென்றால், வாழைப்பழம், கொய்யாப்பழம், பப்பாளிப்பழம் அல்லது கைக்குத்தல் அவல் போன்றவை சிறந்த காலை உணவுகள்.’’

``இந்தியாவில் இளம் பெண்களை அதிகமாக அச்சுறுத்தும் நோய்கள் எவை?’’

``நான் மருத்துவக் கல்லூரியில் படித்த நாள்களில், `மார்பகப் புற்றுநோய் யாருக்கெல்லாம் வரலாம்?’ என்ற கேள்வி எழும்போதெல்லாம், திருமணம் ஆகாத, பால் புகட்டாத மகளிருக்கு முதுமையில்தான் மார்பகப் புற்றுநோய் வருவதற்கான வாய்ப்புகள் அதிகமாக இருப்பதாக நினைத்தோம். இந்த வருடக் கணக்கெடுப்பின்படி, இந்தியாவில் பரவலாகக் காணப்படும் மார்பகப் புற்றுநோய் 30 முதல் 35 வயதுக்குட்பட்ட பெண்களைத் தாக்கக்கூடியதாக மாறியிருக்கிறது. இளம் பெண்களைத் தாக்கும் மற்றொரு நோய் சினைப்பை நீர்க்கட்டிகள் (Polycystic ovarian disease). முன்பெல்லாம் இந்தக் கட்டிகள் யதேச்சையாக அல்ட்ரா ஸ்கேன் (Ultra scan) மூலம் கண்டறியப்பட்டன. ஆனால், இன்று பத்தில் இரண்டு பெண்களுக்கு இந்தச் சினைப்பை நீர்க்கட்டிகள் இருப்பதாகச் சொல்லப்படுகிறது. இந்தக் கட்டிகள் மூலம் பெண்களின் மாதவிடாய் சுழற்சி பாதிக்கப்படுவதோடு கருத்தரிப்பும் தள்ளிப்போகும் அபாயமும் இருக்கிறது. இதனால் பெண்கள் மனம், சமூகம், பொருளாதாரம்... என எல்லாவற்றாலும் பாதிக்கப்படும் அபாயம் ஏற்பட்டிருக்கிறது.’’

``நீங்கள் சொல்லும் `உணவே மருந்து’ என்ற கருத்து மக்கள் மத்தியில் தவறாகப் பொருள்கொள்ளப்படுகிறதே... `உணவு’ என்ற பெயரில் நாம் இன்று உண்பதெல்லாம் உணவுதானா... நீங்கள் `உணவே மருந்து’ என்னும் பெயரில் குறிப்பிடுவது எதை?’’

``இன்று உணவு என்ற பெயரில் விற்பனை செய்யப்படுபவை பெரும்பாலும் விஷங்கள்தான்! நாம் இங்கு உணவு என்று சொல்வது நமது மரபு சார்ந்த உணவுகளை. நாம் பாரம்பர்யமாக விளைவித்துவரும் உணவுப் பொருள்கள்தான், அனைத்து வகையான பிரச்னைகளுக்கும் உரிய தீர்வு.’’

``இன்று தூக்கம் முதல் பசி வரை எல்லாவற்றுக்கும் மருந்து, மாத்திரைகள் பெருகி வருவதுபோல், சமீபத்தில் அவற்றைப் பயன்படுத்துவோரின் எண்ணிக்கை கணிசமாக உயர்வதற்கான காரணம் என்ன... இதற்கு சித்த மருத்துவம் கூறும் தீர்வு என்ன?’’

`` `மருந்தென வேண்டாவாம் யாக்கைக்கு அருந்தியது

அற்றது போற்றி உணின்.’

- இதுதான் சித்தமருத்துவம் கூறும் அடிப்படைக் கருத்து. நாம் சாப்பிட்ட உணவு முழுமையாக ஜீரணித்து முற்றிலுமாக உட்கிரகிக்கப்பட்ட பிறகு, அடுத்த வேளை உணவை உண்ண வேண்டும். இதைத்தான் சித்த மருத்துவம் `பசித்துப் புசி’ என்கிறது. ஆனால், இன்று பசி எடுக்காமலேயே பசி எடுக்க ஒரு மாத்திரை, உண்ட உணவைச் செரிக்கவைக்க ஒரு மாத்திரைஎன்று உட்கொள்ளும்போது அது நோயைக் கூட்டுகிறது என்பதைப் புரிந்துகொள்ளாமல் இன்றைய சமூகம் மருந்துகளுக்கு அடிமையாகிக்கிடக்கிறது.’’

உணவு என்ற பெயரில் நம்மைச் சுற்றிப் பின்னப்பட்டிருக்கும் மிகப்பெரிய சந்தையும், அதனால் நாம் சந்திக்கப்போகும் பின்விளைவுகளும், நினைப்பதைவிட மிகக் கொடியதாக இருக்கும் என்பதை மிக அழகாகச் சொன்னார் மருத்துவர் சிவராமன். அதற்கு அவர் மேற்கோள் காட்டிய வரி... ``இந்த ஒரு தலைமுறைதான் தன் அடுத்த தலைமுறையின் மரணத்தை அருகிலிருந்து பார்க்கப் போகும் தலைமுறை.’’

``அப்படி கடைசி தலைமுறை ஆகாமல் இருக்க வேண்டுமென்றால், இயற்கை முறையில் உற்பத்தி செய்யப்பட்ட, நம் நாட்டில் பாரம்பர்ய முறையில் உற்பத்தி செய்யப்பட்ட உணவுகளை உண்பதுதான் சிறந்த வழி’’ அழுத்தமாகச் சொல்கிறார் சிவராமன்.

``பானி பூரியில இதெல்லாமா சேர்க்கிறாங்க?’’ - அதிரவைத்த புகார், அலறவைத்த ரெய்டு

வட இந்தியாதான் பூர்வீகம். ஆனாலும், தமிழகத்தில் பலராலும் தவிர்க்க முடியாத நொறுக்குத்தீனி பானி பூரி. இந்த `கரகர’ ஸ்நாக்ஸ், குழந்தைகள் முதல் பெரியவர்கள் வரை அனைத்து தரப்பினருக்கும் ஃபேவரைட். சென்னையின் முட்டுச்சந்தில்கூட குட்டி வண்டியில் பானிபூரி வியாபாரம் படுஜோராக நடந்துகொண்டிருக்க, அண்மையில் வாட்ஸ்அப்பில் வந்ததாகச் சொல்லப்பட்ட ஒரு தகவலும், அதற்காக உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத்துறை எடுத்த நடவடிக்கையும் பானி பூரி பிரியர்களின் வயிற்றில் புளியைக் கரைத்திருக்கிறது. 

சென்னையிலிருக்கும் உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலகத்தின் வாட்ஸ்அப் எண்ணுக்கு வந்தது அந்தப் புகார். அதில் குறிப்பிடப்பட்டிருந்த தகவல் இதுதான்... `பெரும்பாலான கடைகளில் விற்கப்படும் பானிபூரிகளில் பான் மசாலா கலந்தது போன்ற சுவையும் மணமும் இருக்கிறது.’ 

நம் அன்றாட நொறுக்குத்தீனிகளில் ஒன்றாகிவிட்டது பானி பூரி. குழந்தைகளையும் இளம் வயதினரையும் அதன் சுவைக்கு அடிமையாக்கும் நோக்கத்தில், பான் மசாலா சேர்க்கப்பட்டிருக்கலாம் என்ற சந்தேகம் ஏற்பட்டதால், உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் பல இடங்களுக்கும் நேரில் சென்று சோதனை நடத்திவருகிறார்கள்.

பான் மசாலா சேர்த்தால் என்னென்ன பிரச்னைகள் வரும்? போதை மறுவாழ்வு மருத்துவர் அனிதா ராவிடம் பேசினோம். 

``பானி பூரியில் பான் மசாலா சேர்க்கப்பட்டிருக்கிறதா என்பது எனக்குத் தெரியவில்லை. அதை உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள்தான் உறுதிசெய்ய வேண்டும். அதேபோல, இதுவரை சிகரெட், பீடி, புகையிலை போன்றவற்றுக்கு அடிமையானவர்களைப்போல, 'பானி பூரி அடிக்‌ஷன்' என்பதற்காக யாரும் சிகிச்சை எடுத்துக்கொள்ளவில்லை. ஒருவேளை அப்படி பான் மசாலா சேர்த்திருந்தால், அது கண்டிப்பாக, பானி பூரிக்கு அடிமையாக்கும் நோக்கத்தில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டிருக்கலாம். பான் மசாலாவும் ஒருவகைப் புகையிலைப் பொருள்தான் என்பதால், புகையிலை (Tobacco) ஏற்படுத்தக்கூடிய புற்றுநோய் போன்ற பல பிரச்னைகளுக்கு உள்ளாக நேரிடும். இது உண்மையெனத் தெரியும் பட்சத்தில் கண்டிப்பாக நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்பட வேண்டும்’’ என்கிறார்.

இது குறித்து, உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலக எண்ணைத் தொடர்புகொண்டு பேசினோம்.

``பானி பூரியில் வட மாநிலத்தவர்கள் சிலர் பயன்படுத்தும் `மாவா’ போன்ற பான் மசாலாப் பொருள்கள் சேர்க்கப்படுவதாக புகார் வந்தது உண்மைதான். இந்தப் புகாரின் அடிப்படையில்தான் உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத்துறை கமிஷனர் அமுதா தலைமையில் தனிக்குழு அமைக்கப்பட்டது. சென்னையில் சௌகார்பேட்டை, புரசைவாக்கம், வடபழனி உள்ளிட்ட பல்வேறு இடங்களில் உணவுப் பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் 22 பேர் 5 குழுக்களாகச் சென்று சோதனை நடத்தினார்கள். சோதனையின்போது பூரி, புதினா தண்ணீர், சாஸ், சமோசா... இவற்றைப் பொரிப்பதற்காகப் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் எண்ணெயின் தரம்... என அனைத்தும் சுகாதாரமாகத் தயாரிக்கப்பட்டிருக்கின்றனவா எனச் சோதிக்கப்பட்டது. கசடு தங்கிய நிலையில் காணப்பட்ட புதினா தண்ணீர் உள்ளிட்ட சில கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டு கால்வாயில் கொட்டி அழிக்கப்பட்டன. 

அதேபோல, தங்களுடைய பகுதியில் இதேபோல சுகாதாரமற்ற நிலையில் உணவுப் பொருள்கள் விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டால், தயங்காமல், '9444042322' என்ற உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலக எண்ணைத் தொடர்புகொண்டு புகார் அளிக்கலாம் அல்லது வாட்ஸ்அப்பிலும் தகவல் தெரிவிக்கலாம். அந்தத் தகவல்கள் அடிப்படையில் சோதனை நடத்தப்பட்டு உரிய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்" என்று தெரிவித்தார் நம்மிடம் பேசிய அதிகாரி. 

பானி பூரி சாப்பிடுவதால் என்னென்ன விளைவுகள் ஏற்படும் என்பது குறித்து உணவியல் நிபுணர் தாரிணி கிருஷ்ணன் சொல்கிறார்...

`

`உடல் ஆரோக்கியத்தைக் கெடுக்கும் மைதா, பேக்கிங் சோடா போன்றவைதான் பானி பூரி தயாரிக்கப் பயன்படுத்தும் முக்கிய மூலப்பொருள்களாக இருக்கின்றன. இவற்றைத் தொடர்ச்சியாக உணவில் சேர்த்துவந்தால் உடல் பருமன், சர்க்கரைநோய் போன்ற பாதிப்புகள் ஏற்பட வாய்ப்பிருக்கின்றன. அந்த பூரியில் சத்துகள் பெரிதாக இல்லை என்பது ஒரு பக்கம். இன்னொரு பக்கம், அதைத் தயாரிக்கப் பயன்படுத்தப்படும் தண்ணீரே எந்த அளவுக்குச் சுத்தமாக இருக்கும் என்பது கேள்விக்குறி. அதேபோல, கடைக்காரர்கள்,அந்த பூரியைப் பெரும்பாலும் தங்கள் கை விரல்களால் உடைக்கிறார்கள்; அதற்குள் மசாலாவை வைத்து, பானியில் முக்கித் தருகிறார்கள். அதனால், அவர்களின் கை விரல்களின் நகத்தில் படிந்துள்ள அழுக்குகளும் கையில் உள்ள அழுக்கும் பானியிலும் ஒட்டிக்கொள்ளும் வாய்ப்பும் உண்டு. சுத்தம் இல்லாமல் பரிமாறப்படும் அதைச் சாப்பிடுவது, வாந்தி, வயிற்றுப்போக்கையும் ஏற்படுத்தலாம். இது போன்ற சாலையோரக் கடைகளில், சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் உணவுகளைச் சாப்பிட்டால் ஹெபடைடிஸ் ஏ தொற்று, டைஃபாய்டு காய்ச்சல் போன்றவை ஏற்படும் அபாயமும் இருக்கிறது. 

இது நம் மக்களின் பாரம்பர்ய உணவே அல்ல. எனவே, ஆசைக்காகச் சாப்பிட்டால்கூட என்றைக்காவது ஒருநாள் சாப்பிடலாம். அதுவும், முடிந்தவரை சுகாதாரமான தண்ணீர், ஆரோக்கியமான உணவுப் பொருள்களைக்கொண்டு தயாரிக்கப்பட்டதா என்பதை உறுதி செய்துகொண்டு சாப்பிடுவது அல்லது வீட்டிலேயே செய்து சாப்பிடுவது சிறந்தது.’’ என்கிறார்

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

Food Safety team lifts samples for analysis

JAMMU, Feb 23: A Food Safety team led by Dr Parvesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner Food Safety Jammu lifted the milk samples for analysis from various shops.

The team also comprised of Food Safety Officers namely Ajay Khajuria, Jai Inder, Hans Raj and Daleep Singh.

The milk samples were lifted for analysis from Jandial Cheese Corner, Sunil Cheese Corner and Gupta Milk Shop Sarwal.

The team also inspected the kitchens of Old Age Home Ambphalla and asked the management to provide nutritious and hygiene food to all old age members. The team also conducted inspection in Fruit Mandi Narwal and checked licences of the firms whether they have attained or not. The samples were lifted to analyze the agents of ripening of the fruits such as calcium carbide.

The team also conducted inspections in the food courts at City Square Mall and Dominos at Dogra Chowk. The team challaned Nai Delhi Fast Food Corner at Trikuta Nagar for lack of infrastructure and stopped its commercial activities.

Later, the team inspected Bar Bieque Nation at Greater Jammu and lifted samples of items which were without labeling and sent them to lab for analysis. Samples were also lifted from spices units from Shikara and Lajwab Spices at Gangyal. The team inspected the shops at Aquaf Market and asked them to improve their hygiene conditions.

Earlier, a workshop-cum-awareness programme was organized at Channi Himmat for food business operators. More than 50 business operators participated. They were told about FSS Act and asked to maintain norms as per act right from personal hygiene to hygiene level of cooking, processing of kitchen level along with serving to customers.

KMC to issue showcause notice to 3 packaged drinking water companies

Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided to issue showcause notice to three noted packaged drinking water companies, after its food safety officers stumbled upon coliform bacteria in jars of these companies.

The civic body will also initiate legal steps against a number of companies dealing with packaged drinking water, even though they do not possess proper licence.

"The showcause notice will demand an explanation on the part of these companies as to why coliform bacteria, much above the permissible limit, have been found in their packaged drinking water jars, despite them having the stamp of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). For the legal step against the unlicensed packaged water, we are waiting for the approval of the Food Safety Commissioner," Member, Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh said.

It may be mentioned that tests by the KMC laboratory had detected irregularities in as many as 12 of 15 bottles of packaged drinking water, three of them ostensibly from reputable brands. The samples were recovered after a joint raid by KMC food safety officers and the enforcement branch of state police.

Special checks cover small scale food business operators

Officials of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India inspecting food at a roadside eatery in the city. 

They are asked to register themselves with FSSAI

To ensure quality and hygiene in eatables sold by small scale food business operators (FBO), Food Safety Department is conducting checks in roadside eateries, push carts and mobile eateries in the district.

Such FBOs are also asked to register themselves with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

B. Vijayalalithambigai, Designated Officer of FSSAI, Coimbatore, said that food safety officers were currently conducting the inspections at 2,000 odd small scale FBOs running roadside eateries, push carts and mobile eateries.

“We are primarily checking aspects such as hygiene and quality of the food served in such stalls. They need to be educated on cooking and storing foods in hygienic conditions, ill effects of using colouring agents and reheated oils. However, we have not lifted samples from such stalls as many of them are unaware of good practices to be followed,” said Ms. Vijayalalithambigai.

During visits to pani puri stalls, vendors have been asked to use gloves, and provide potable water at stalls.

As of now, around 50 small scale FBOs have obtained registration certificate from FSSAI in the district.

Many of them have applied for the registration which is under process.

While FBOs with annual turnover above ₹ 12 lakh is required to obtain a licence from FSSAI, those with annual turnover below ₹ 12 lakh are mandated to get a registration certificate.

“A meeting of small scale FBOs has been arranged on Saturday with the help of association members. They will be briefed on the registration and good practices to be followed,” said Ms. Vijayalalithambigai.

Meanwhile, FSSAI has advised all FBOs in Coimbatore to complete the registration and licence before February 28. As per estimation by FSSAI, there are 28,983 FBOs in Coimbatore which include those with annual turnover above and below ₹ 12 lakh a year.

Coimbatore street vendors audited by food safety officials

Audit part of the ‘Project Clean Street Vendors’ initiated by FSSAI in March 2016

Small food business operators in Tamil Nadu’s Coimbatore district are being audited for the past one week by state food safety officials.

The audit is being done to spread awareness about sanitary and hygiene practices among the vendors. It is part of the “Project Clean Street Vendors” initiated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in March 2016. The project was started to develop training and capacity building for street vendors and to ensure a proper regulatory system in order to stream line vendors under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The audit is taking place during the night and an awareness camp is scheduled for February 24, 2018, in Coimbatore city to educate vendors about hygiene practices. Consumers are also being educated to eat or buy from registered and licensed vendors.

As part of the audit, officials are making sure that street vendors like panipuri stalls, food vans as well as local tea stalls do not add colouring agents to food. They have also advised them to use potable water, wear gloves, register and obtain licenses. The officials have tested tea being sold in the stalls for adulterants.

They have asked vendors to use banana leaves as packaging material instead of plastic. For tea, they have asked vendors to use glass cups to ensure that the beverage doesn’t get in contact with plastic as it is harmful says Vijayalalithambigai, designated officer of the Tamil Nadu food safety wing. She adds that the vendors are supposed to register by February 28, 2018. Till now, 18,231 vendors have registered and have obtained license under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

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Halal or Not: FSD says ‘dressed chicken halal, not happy with hygiene’

Srinagar, Feb 21: Food Safety Department has given an ultimatum to the traders for arranging refrigerated vans to import dressed chicken, even as they claim having no doubts about the birds being slaughtered in a halal way.

Commissioner Food Safety Department, Hilal Ahmad Mir, told The Kashmir Monitor that he has asked his department to issue an order for the sellers to procure these vans within seven days.

“We have been busy with the court directions to seal the unlicensed dealers in the Valley. But I already communicated to my officials about the issue. I have learnt that the dealers have demanded two days for procuring these vehicles,” he said.

Mir, however, challenged the laboratory report that stated the dressed chicken imported to Kashmir may not be halal.

“I have confirmed it and saw the Food Standards Safety of India reports that the chicken was slaughtered in a halal way. Besides, bacterial load is always in chicken, even in the one we slaughter at home. It gets cleaned with cooking,” he said.

He said his only apprehension was related to the hygiene, especially when the temperature rises.

“It takes these dealers enough time to transport the chicken from New Delhi to Srinagar. So, as temperature increases, there may be chances that it will be infected if it is not transported in refrigerated vans,” he said.

Mir said they would collect the chicken samples once more to check the level of hygiene.

The sellers, meanwhile, claim that the government’s failure to set up a mandi has prevented them from setting up cold storages here.

They said there was no announcement from the government over the subsidy for buying refrigerated vans.

“We are ready to buy refrigerated vans, but where will we store the chicken and fish? The government has failed to establish the fish mandi here even when the funds for the same has been approved,” President Srinagar Wholesale Fish Dealers Association, Waqar Ahmad Dar, said.

The association countered the Department of Animal Husbandry’s claims that the chicken supplied here was not halal.

“We are ready for laboratory tests for the chicken and fish. Animal Husbandry Department actually wants to sabotage this trade. They are being used by the local poultry owners to issue such orders and decrees against us,” Dar said.

KMC drive on packaged drinking water continue, shocking results revealed

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) continues its food safety drive against unlicensed water packages which are allegedly responsible for the diarrhoea outbreak in the city.

The civic body has seized dozens of packaged water containers sold by unlicensed vendors across the city which includes names of renowned brands.

The civic body health officials along with food safety officers and the enforcement branch of the Kolkata Police are conducting several drives across the city seizing packaged water that are sold by unlicensed vendors, at times with labels of known brands.

After the diarrhoea outbreak, KMC had collected around 200 water samples which include samples from packaged water-mostly 20- 30litres containers- that were being sold in diarrhoea affected wards.

As per information shared by the KMC, some of the seized containers revealed renowned brand names that sell mineral water in the market.

The tests carried out on the water samples revealed presence of Coliform bacteria in high amounts, as confirmed by health officials According to the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Praveen Kumar Tripathi : “Several brands of such packaged water containers have been recovered from areas of Anandapur, Kasba, Netaji Nagar and Tiljala.

The water samples have been collected and will be tested in the KMC laboratories.” The unlicensed water vendors are apparently manufacturing and selling these packaged containers across the city in places such as Baghajatin, Ranikuthi, Kasba, Jadavpur and several others. It was observed that these vendors often collect the water from the ponds or use tap water to fill up the containers.

Following which, these packages are labelled and sent to the markets for sale. The water, allegedly, is rarely treated or purified before bottling. Meanwhile, tests conducted on KMC supplied water revealed high amounts of chlorine which is considered to be detrimental to human health, as stated by health experts.

The civic body after the diarrhoea outbreak had reportedly increased the amount of chlorine used to purify the water at the treatment plant, as stated by an engineer.

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Ahead of pongala festival food safety wing launches inspection

Attukal Devi temple in Thiruvananthapuram all decked up on the eve of the start of annual pongala festival on Thursday

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the annual pongala festival at the Attukal Bhagavathy temple beginning on Thursday, the Food Safety Commissionerate has launched a campaign for preventing the sale of adulterated and unhygienic food to pilgrims.

Two restaurants were closed during inspections taken out at 49 restaurants in the Corporation wards situated near the temple. Four hotels, 16 provisional stores and four bakeries have been slapped with notices, Food Safety Commissioner Veena N Madhavan said. 

Hotel Aswathi situated near the temple and Hotel Krishnadeepam at Kalady were shut down by the Food Safety officers. The commissionerate has made extensive arrangements for ensuring supply of water and food for the pilgrims arriving for the festival. Six special food safety squads have been deployed in the festival zone. They will function round-the-clock.

Liquor Ban

The district collector has ordered liquor ban in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation area and Vellar ward of Venganoor grama panchayat on March 1 and 2 in connection with the Attukal pongala. The ban will be in effect from 6 pm on March 1 to 6 pm on March 2.

Health Department opens 24-hr control room

Preparations of the Health Department for the Attukal pongala festival have been completed, the District Medical Officer (DMO), said. The health department has opened a 24-hour control room at the district medical office which can be contacted on 0471-2466828. The department’s control room at Attukal will be functioning on Thursday. A special medical team will be deployed in connection with the Kuthiyottam ritual. Health sqauds consisting of medical team, ambulance, health inspectors and junior health inspectors will be deployed at the venue. Inspections under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) have been launched in areas falling in the festival zone, the DMO said.

Food safety control room

From Thursday, a food safety control room will begin functioning at Attukal. Pilgrims can register their names for the ‘Annadanam’ at the control room. Complaints and grievances, if any, can also be filed at the temporary facility.

Complaints regarding food safety can be lodged with the Food Safety Commissionerate on the following numbers:

8943346198, 8943346526, 8943346582, 7593873324, 7593862806, 8943346181, 8943346195, 8592999666, 7593873351

Toll-free no: 1800 425 1125

Civic body conducts raids against unlicensed vendors

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is conducting raids against unlicensed vendors who are selling packaged water without the food safety stamp of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The move comes after the civic body traced contamination inside packaged water sold in diarrhoea affected areas which allegedly has led to the diarrhoea outbreak.

The KMC has recently begun food safety drives to stop the sale of packaged water by unlicensed vendors after around 3000 citizens fell ill with diarrhoea. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee claimed around 200 samples of water were collected from different areas in the city and the packaged water showed signs of contamination.

The mayor said, “The diarrhoea outbreak was clearly a result of a water-borne disease. We are carrying out raids with the help of the enforcement department.

Our aim is to seize water packages that are being sold by the unlicensed vendors. Most of these water packages are manufactured in various areas in North and South 24 Parganas.

Strict legal action will be taken against the offenders.” The member mayor-in-council (MMIC), Health, Atin Ghosh said, “The food safety raids are part of our routine work.

“Packaged water samples collected from places like Ranikuthi, Baghajatin Station Road, and few of the affected wards revealed the presence of Coliform bacteria in high amounts. We are cracking down on the unlicensed water vendors who are selling such spurious water without FSSAI.

The contamination is mostly found in 20litres jars.” “The names of some of the unlicensed suppliers and vendors who are distributing these samples have been collected and will be sent to the state food safety commission.

Legal action will be taken against the offenders . We have also requested the enforcement department to monitor such illegal activities in the districts” said Mr Ghosh.

Soon, eateries will have to appoint food safety supervisors to acquire licences

New Delhi:

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has drafted new regulations for culinary businesses, making it mandatory for such establishments to employ at least one food safety inspector as a pre-requisite for obtaining licences.

E-commerce operators are also required to fulfil the regulations formulated by the country’s food regulator to ensure hygiene standards. Such entities have to apply for licences under a separate ‘e-commerce’ category under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Amendment Regulations-2018.

“These draft regulations are in the process of being notified… meanwhile, keeping in mind the public health interest and to ensure the food safety of food business operations, it has been decided to operationalise these regulations with immediate effect,” the FSSAI order read.

The Hindustan Times had first reported on the regulator’s plans to make it mandatory for all food businesses with 25 or more people (such as caterers, manufacturers, companies transporting food items and retail outlets) to have at least one FSSAI-trained safety supervisor.

“We have introduced a slew of changes, and are in the process of introducing further changes to ensure that those associated with food businesses meet all regulatory requirements. Our consumers need safe and hygienic food items,” said FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal.

“These regulations will be enforced once they are notified in the Gazette of India,” he added.

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Food companies slapped Rs 4 Lakhs fine for ‘misbranding’ rusk

BAREILLY: Additional district magistrate (city) OP Verma on Tuesday has slapped a rusk-making unit and a milk processing unit under the Food Safety & Standard Act (FSSA) with a fine of Rs 4 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively for violating the norms.

The food safety inspectors had collected rusk samples in 2016 from a food products company in Fatehganj West and from a restaurant at CB Ganj. The food products firm was found guilty of misbranding the rusk it produces. ADM imposed a fine of Rs 4 lakh on the unit.

Similarly, the lab reports said the milk sample, collected from a restaurant in CB Ganj was substandard. The manager of the milk processing unit that supplies pasteurized full cream milk was fined Rs 2 lakh.

A team of food safety and drugs administration (FSDA) department had raided the food products company on February 11, 2016. The team “purchased” four packets of rusk from the unit and sent the same to the government-run laboratory in Varanasi for tests.

The lab report came in December 2016. Thereafter, the FSDA officials took the matter to the court of the ADM. The lab report said that the manufacturer had not declared its batch number and packing date on its wrapper. Besides, nutritional information and “best use before” dates were written in small letters instead of capital letters, which is a violation of FSS (packaging and labelling) regulation, 2011. The lab report termed the sample as “misbranded”.

In another matter, FSDA team had collected milk samples from CB Ganj in October 2016 and sent the same to the Varanasi lab. The lab report suggested that the milk fat was about 23% deficient, “Hence the sample is substandard.”

The ADM said, “After hearing both sides and on the basis of evidences produced by the FSDA officials, the food products company is found guilty under section 58 and 52 of FSSA. Similarly, manager of the milk unit is found guilty under section 51 of FSSA.”

The court slapped a fine of Rs 4 lakh on BR foods while City Fresh was penalised by Rs 2 lakh. Both the guilty are given 30 day time to deposit penalty amount in the court.

Food safety teams raid sweet shops collect samples in Pilibhit

PILIBHIT: With Holi round the corner, a team of food safety department raided three sweet shops in Amaria on Monday and collected samples of different sweets for a lab test. They also destroyed adulterated sweets such as jalebi and carrot halwa.

Samples of edible refined and mustered oils were also collected from many shops. The samples were sent to a state laboratory in Lucknow. Meanwhile, an action report was filed before additional district magistrate (judicial) Vinod Kumar Gaur.

The food department swung into action following the order of the officer designated of food safety and drug administration, V K Verma. The drive will continue till Holi.

According to Verma, a food safety team also sealed a meat shop in Amaria, which was running without licence. Another departmental team collected samples in Puranpur tehsil area on Tuesday and checked quality of edible materials at 10 shops.

FOOD OPERATORS WARNED OF ACTION FOR FAILING TO REGISTER WITH DEPT

Panaji (Goa): The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has asked all the food operators to follow proper procedures to carry out their business at different establishments failing which they will face penal action. 

“The food business operators operating canteens, eateries, food joints and/or supplying food to all educational institutes like school, Higher Secondary Schools, Colleges, Universities, Technical Training Centers as well as food business operators operating in Government offices, private offices, etc are required to obtain either the registration or license under the food safety and standard Act., failing which penal action shall be applied as per the provisions of law,” FDA official said. 

The Food Safety and Standards Act, mandates the need of a license/registration to operate any food business in the country, and the food business operator found operating without the stipulated license/registration, are dealt under the penal provisions of the Act, which includes a fine up to Rs 5 lakhs, and imprisonment for a term which may extend up to six months.

The food business operators are also expected to operate their kitchens as per the hygienic and good manufacturing practices guidelines, stipulated under schedule 4 of the Food Safety Act, 2006. As such, all food business operators are requested to obtain License/Registration and to maintain hygiene in their kitchen, failing which they are warned of action as per the provisions of law.

FSSAI order on Renewal of License/Registration Certicates

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Adulterated food floods city market, citizens in a tizzy

VIJAYAWADA: Health experts and residents of Vijayawada are concerned over the quality of food items being sold in the city in the light of seizure of 2,700 kg of spurious ghee during a raid at a private transport office at Nunna, by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and police in a joint operation.

The people fear that necessary commodities like groceries, fruits, vegetables and even sweets and confectionaries are adulterated and misbranded and is afraid that consuming such food will affect health adversely. Recent raids have raised serious apprehensions among the residents about ghee and other food items available in open market.

Manufacturers are mostly targeting economically weaker sections and adulterated food items are marketed in the colonies and city outskirts. Consuming such food items can cause intestine related ailments. “For greed of fast money, some of them are producing and selling adulterated products in open market. We don’t know the right place to get quality food items,” said D Padma, a resident of Satyanarayanapura.

During the raids, Nunna police had found that Sunil Kumar, the kingpin, did not have necessary permissions from FSSAI to operate ghee manufacturing unit. He was running an illegal ghee manufacturing unit in Surampalli village and was marketing it in AP and Telangana under popular brand names like Krishna Pure Ghee, Sri Lakshmi, Nandini Ghee and Madhura.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP- North) K Sravani said that two other persons, Pochepalli Venkateswara Rao and Chitturi Seetharamayya, were working under Sunil for past two years and Ghee worth `6 lakh and machinery worth `25 lakh were seized from the manufacturing unit in Surampalli village near Nunna. “He did not have the license to operate the unit. The spurious ghee was mixed with boiled palm oil, and vanaspathi in the ratio 10:40:50.” The officer also said that a manhunt was initiated to nab the prime accused Sunil. 

Despite police monitoring and inspection by food safety officials greedy manufacturers are continuing illegal practices putting public health in danger. “We have registered over 200 criminal cases against adulterators for endangering public health. More such raids will be conducted to put an end to the adulteration menace in the city,” said FSSAI assistant controller N Poornachandra Rao.

Some Of The Fish You Eat In India Can Make You Very Sick

One of the earliest memories I have of my grandmother is her buying fish from the fisherwoman who used to come to their doorstep practically every day (she even cleaned the fish as a special favour to my grandmother). Both my grandparents loved their fish, and my grandfather could never quite figure out why I hated it. Fortunately for them, they had no idea what else they were eating along with their beloved fish.

In 2009, the Times of India published an article about a study carried out by the Indian Institute of Environmental Medicine, which found that Mackerel and Pomfret from the Versova docks in Mumbai contained an unsafe amount of mercury. However, the study did note that fish from other docks in and around Mumbai were found to be safe to eat. Another study, conducted in 2014, found that while there was heavy metal contamination in fish caught in Mumbai Harbour, it was below the permissible limits, and the fish was safe for human consumption.

Toxins like heavy metals and PCBs build up in the body over decades, and are associated with a number of serious side effects.

Unfortunately, fish consumed in other parts of the country may not be as safe. A study conducted in 2015, which tested commercial fish species sourced from three reservoirs in the Cauvery Delta, found unsafe levels of iron, zinc, lead and chromium, among other metals, in the fish. It noted that the concentration of metals in many samples exceeded the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) standards. The study concludedthat the concentration of metals in the fish suggested a risk for humans. Another study found that shrimp collected from the Subarnarekha River, which flows through Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha, contained heavy metals in concentrations sufficient to be a health hazard.

Heavy metals aren't the only toxic contaminants people might be ingesting along with their fish. A 2016 study on fish collected in Hyderabad found that the fish were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The study found that the concentration of PCBs in the fish was high enough to pose a lifetime cancer risk.

Because of the length of the coastline, fish is a dietary staple in a large part of the country. This makes contamination of fish a huge food safety risk. Also, toxins like heavy metals and PCBs build up in the body over decades, and are associated with a number of serious side effects.

Sadly, there isn't much that can be done to get rid of the toxins in fish because fish contamination is a result of water bodies being polluted. Unless we stop dumping untreated waste in the water, we will keep consuming contaminated fish. This means that the Government must take action to ensure that all waste released into water bodies is properly treated or else, the entire coastal population will continue getting poisoned.

The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.

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VMC food safety officers target caterers

Vadodara: Food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) targeted caterers on Saturday. Food and raw material samples were collected from the caterers. According to VMC officials, the checking drive targeted caterers in Alkapuri, Gorwa, New VIP Road, Makarpura and Chhani area. In all, nine samples were collected by the officials during the drive. One of the caterers was also issued a notice after it came to light that the conditions in his premises were not hygienic. Officials added that the drive was conducted in wake of the fact that the caterers were widely providing services in the wedding season and it was necessary to ensure that standards were maintained

How safe is restaurant food?

Soumya MS, a techie in Kochi, likes to try out the fare dished out by various restaurants, both small and big. The other day, she and a few of her friends visited a restaurant in Aluva and ordered biryani. It sure looked piping hot and the aroma was alluring too. But as her friend dug out the masala, there popped up a cockroach!

She says, “Given that most us are ‘paying guests’ who stay away from our homes, we are forced to rely on restaurant food. As a result, someone or the other is always down with food poisoning.” A frequent victim is a friend from north Kerala who loves his chicken and beef. “Many hotels in the city have swank interiors but nobody knows what goes on in their kitchens,” she adds.

A recent drive by the Thrikkakara Municipality Health Department revealed that seven hotels in the city were functioning in unhygienic conditions. Meat, chicken and fish were cleaned in wash basins, it was found. They were let off with a warning.

Shibu KV, Assistant Commissioner of Food Security, Kochi, confirms that many a hotel takes care to project cleanliness in the reception and dining areas but the production area leaves much to be desired. “The way they operate within the food outlets is pathetic. It is the meat items that are the most risky as they do not store them under ideal temperature conditions. The place and the manner in which they are stored are also appalling. Shawarma is another food item that often causes food poisoning. Hence, it is best if meat-based food items are avoided to the extent possible.”

In most of the medium-range hotels, those in charge are not really trained in hotel management. Acute labour shortage means that anyone is drafted in as chef or waiter, with no awareness on food safety. Shibu says this negligent attitude can never be encouraged. “We have four squads in the city to scrutinise the menace, in addition to a Quick Response Team (QRT), which takes swift actions according to the complaints they receive on a daily basis,” he says.

He points out that a few hotels have an open cooking space, which the customers can see for themselves, and lauds it as a good practice. If other hotels follow suit, it would be a good step towards healthy eating, he says.

Echoing a similar opinion is Vinoy J, a young chef, who has worked in Kochi. “I remember how fish was often cleaned in wash basins, next to the cleaning brushes and soap water. The masala was also prepared in the same surroundings. Chemical ingredients and food colour were used. The oil used was not pure coconut oil, and they would re-use it for a few days. Beef is kept in the refrigerator for days on end.”

The responsibility of storing the leftover food ingredients is often left to the cleaning staff who do not have the required knowledge to preserve them in safe conditions.

“Many of the hotels go for the cheapest available ingredients, whether it is garlic, ginger or rice.”

A former waiter on condition of anonymity recalls, “A hotel where I used to work in used to source stale chicken and use it for making Shawarma, It was the same in case of milk, as it was later used while baking cakes. The oil too was reused multiple times.”

It is the student community that suffers the most. Kurian Jacob, a final year student at Sacred Heart College, eats out three times a day because there is no ‘mess’ in his college. “We are far from choosy and have food from any outlet. It is true that we are not that health conscious. Recently, my friend, who had a glass of innocuous-looking ginger lime from a small joint was affected by food poisoning for almost three days.”

He says it is not unusual to find human hair in the food served in some food joints. “While many of them start by saying that they want to serve only healthy food, commercial considerations get the better of them not long afterwards.”

The hotels that are caught red-handed are given strict warning and shut down for a few days, Shibu says. If they continue with the same practice, they will have to permanently down the shutters, according to him. He says that his team receives a minimum of 10 complaints every day from unhappy customers.

Something that people can do on their own is to identify the hotels that are trustworthy. “The most effective method is word of mouth, and when that comes from a person close to you, one can breathe a sigh of relief. Social media groups can also act as watchdogs,” says Shibu.

The tip that he gives the layman is to avoid eating out to the extent possible, and choose only those places that are within one’s vicinity and recommended by people who have tried it out.

Substandard mawa-making unit unearthed during raid

Jaipur: Ahead of Holi, health authorities unearthed a unit producing substandard mawa by using skimmed milk powder in Chhitwadi village of Jaipur district on Saturday morning.

Chhitwadi is the place which is surrounded by small and big units of mawa, paneer and other milk products which are supplied to Jaipur for consumption.

Early on Saturday morning, food officers reached the area and conducted raids in the units.

“We have seized 150kg of skimmed milk powder, 200 kg of ready mawa and 100 kg of unprepared mawa,” said Dr Narottam Sharma, chief medical health officer (Jaipur I).

The farm raided by the health department officials is situated on Chomu-Chandwaji road with name Rahul Fresh Farm. However, his owner Dinesh Sharma said, “I kept the skimmed milk power for setting paneer in my unit.”

When the health authorities inspected his firm, they found bags of skimmed milk powder. “The labourers were using the skimmed milk powder. Actually mawa is produced from fresh milk but here they were using powdered milk to produce substandard mawa,” said Virendra Singh, a food safety officer.

He said that there were three containers full of mawa and they were preparing another 150 kg of mawa using powdered milk. Singh said that though the mawa was not adulterated with any harmful substance but it was not the pure form of mawa which is sold to the consumers.

Officials alleged that selling substandard mawa is a kind of cheating with consumers. They collected eight samples of milk products from Chhitwari area and sent them for testing to government-run laboratory.

Box:

Pure versus spurious sweets

A consumer can identify sweets made of substandard mawa by its texture. The pure mawa has more fats and substandard mawa has less fats. Having more fat, the sweets made of mawa do not break but substandard mawa sweets are a little more brittle than pure mawa sweet. Mawa produced by skimmed milk powder is prepared easily taking much lesser time than pure mawa. It is relatively cheaper than pure mawa but they are sold at equal prices.

Drive for healthy pongala

Food safety officials to ensure quality food at stalls.

Devotees purchase earthen pots for Attukal Pongala festival from a steet vendor in Thiruvananthapuram. Attukal Pongala is on March 2.

Thiruvananthapuram; The Food Safety Officials will launch a drive next week to check for adulteration in raw materials such as jaggery, ghee and condiments for pongala. Once the food stalls near festival venue become active on Thursday there will be drives to check the quality of food there also. "During the past two years, we couldn't find adulteration in jaggery. However, spoiled cauliflower and vegetables which were not washed are regularly found in Gobi Manchurian served by vendors around the venue. Cauliflower available in the city is generally high on e-coli as they grow on human waste. They are susceptible to food poisoning until treated properly. Juice corners also will come under scanner," said Food Safety officials.

"Apart from this testing will be done for the suspected use of colours. Crackdowns will be organised at hotels at Manacaud, Killipalam, Attukal and Attakulangara," he said. Three squads of food safety officers will be deployed in the core pongala zone and control rooms will be opened. As in previous years resident's associations and private parties to secure the department's authorisation to serve food on the day of pongala. Around 25 health inspector will be pressed into action on the final days of pongala

Shop owner acquitted of charges of possessing gutkha

Thane (Maharashtra), Feb 17 (PTI) A local court has acquitted a 26-year-old shop owner from Mumbra near here of the charge of possessing gutkha which is banned in Maharashtra.

District and Additional Sessions Judge AS Bhaisare, in his recent order, held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charge against Nadim Suhel Ahmed Shaikh who was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Public Prosecutor Sangita Phad informed the court that on January 28, 2015, police personnel and sleuths of Food and Drugs Administration raided the shop owned by Shaikh and allegedly seized from his possession banned goods, including Goa Gutka 1000 and Vimal panmasala.

After hearing the prosecution and defence, the Judge acquitted Shaikh of all the charges

IITs And Other Top Institutes Fail FSSAI Food Safety Audit

Top 12 institutions of higher education have failed the food safety audit conducted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) reports Times of India. Several hygienic flaws were found in the kitchens of IITs and IIMs.

NON COMPLAINT KITCHENS

The FSSAI audit found flaws like food residue in utensils which were said to be washed, kitchens were found to have rodent faeces, overflowing sinks and choked bathrooms amidst the others during the audit. The audit was conducted in accordance to the food safety and standards (food safety auditing) regulations of 2017 for the institutions – Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Science (IIS) Bangalore, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and Jodhpur, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Bombay, Guwahati, Kozhikode, Delhi, Chennai, Roorkee, Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata.

The Times of India reports that barring the campus kitchens of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Roorkee which passed the test, rest all the institutions failed the audit. The campus kitchens, hostels kitchens, guesthouse kitchens and cafeterias were inspected on the basis of design, facilities, and maintenance of cooking area, usage of food-grade utensils and equipment, control of operations, the food preparation, maintenance, sanitation, personal hygiene, training and record keeping. The kitchens were to get a score above 77 out of a maximum 114 to be complaint.

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

SAFETY DEMO

Mumbai: Fake Food Safety Inspector Demands Rs 15,000 From Ghatkopar Hotel, Caught

Nashik Man Had Demanded Rs 15 K From Ghatkopar Hotel Manager, Who Became Suspicious When He Was Told A Receipt Would Be Sent The Next Day

Omkar Bhanushali

The police have arrested a man posing as a food safety inspector at a popular Ghatkopar hotel. According to cops, the man, identified as Omkar Bhanushali, was carrying an ID card of a Vigilance Food Safety Inspector from the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). He allegedly demanded Rs 15,000 from the hotel as "fine".

Hotel Radha Krishna, located at Ghatkopar West is a famous joint serving Indian as well as Chinese food. On Thursday, a man wa­lk­ed into the hotel and star­ted taking photos. When the hotel manager objected to this, the man introduced himself as an officer from the FSSAI.

After the 'inspection', Bha­nushali started me­n­tioning flaws in the hotel. When the manager enquired what the hotel authorities should do, Bhanushali demanded R15,000 money as fine.

Bhanushali told the manager to pay in cash and said a receipt would be sent to him the following day. This made the manager suspicious, who told Bhanushali to wait and called up senior police inspector Vyankat Patil at Ghatkopar police station.

Patil said, "I received a call from the hotel saying an FSSAI officer was demanding money from them. I asked them to tell the person to wait and sent my officers to crosscheck his identity. When asked abo­ut his tenure at FSSAI, Bha­n­ushali seemed baffled. The team brought him to the police station, where he confessed to impersonating an FSSAI officer," Patil said.

A Nashik resident, Bhanushali clai­med to be an advocate. "We have found that he has visited many hotels across Mumbai, posing as an FSSAI officer. We are contacting these hotels and to verify the facts," said another officer. Bhanushali has been booked under IPC 170 for impersonating a public servant.

Domino’s Pizza To Shell Out 9.5 Lakh Rupees As A Fine For Using Unfit Cheese

International pizza chain Dominoes has been slapped with a fine of 9.5 lakh rupees by Additional District Magistrate of Shahjahanpur for using cheese unfit for consumption in their pizzas.

Facts

On 4th July 2011, food security officer Yugul Kishore took a sample of cheese from an outlet of Dominos at Shahjahanpur and dispatched it for the lab test at government regional public analysis laboratory in Varanasi. After complete and detailed examination of the sample sent, Food analyst UC Gangwar reported that the milk fat in the diced super stretch Mozzarella cheese sample was below 35 percent. 35 percent milk fat is the minimum level prescribed by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India in Mozzarella cheese to be fit for consumption.

The report was sent to the food security officer on 5th August 2015 after the lab tests on the sample were finished in-between 22 July to 28 July 2015.

A case was filed against Jubilant Food Works (franchisee for Domino’s pizza), Schreiber Dynamic Dairies in Pune(the supplier) and the seller Suresh Upadhyaya after serving them with an official court notice.

Judgement

The trial lasted for almost two years and during the course of the trial defendant even filed a counter case arguing that sample of cheese taken was not kept under advised conditions. The court found all the three defendants guilty and imposed a fine of 9.5 lakh rupees out of which district manager of Jubilant Food Work has to pay 4 lakh rupees. The supplier Schreiber Dynamic Dairies in Pune has to pay 5 lakh rupees and the remaining balance of rupees 50 thousand rupees will be borne by the seller Suresh Upadhyaya.

Moreover, Additional District Magistrate of Shahjahanpur JK Sharma added that “the sample failed to pass the lab test and it was a serious issue as they were not delivering what they have promised.”

Spokesperson of Jubilant Food Works stated that same batch of cheese at a NABL- certified lab confirms that the fat content in the cheese is as per the limit mentioned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. District manager of Jubilant Food was unaware of the fine imposed in this matter and added that all legal issues were being dealt with Jubilant Foods including this one as well.

Learning Outcome

Food Safety and Standard Authority will not allow any food producer big or small, to sell food-products in Indian markets which do not fulfill safety requirement and standard of quality prescribed by it.

Juice vendor arrested in Odisha after 300 people hospitalised

CUTTACK: A day after nearly 300 people, including children, were admitted to hospitals after drinking ‘sharbat’ from a makeshift stall on Maha Shivaratri, Salepur police arrested the vendor, Prabhakar Rout on Thursday.

Rout (54) of Telipada under Raisunguda was nabbed from Dhenkanal on Thursday night and brought here where he was produced in a court, police said.During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had been selling ‘sharbat’ on different occasions for the last 30 years. Except an old essence which was from last year’s stock, no other harmful ingredients were used in the ‘sharbat’, police said quoting the accused.

Along with Food Safety Officer Prabhakar Pradhan, police collected samples of the drink, liquids and other materials used for an examination. The samples have been sent to State Forensic Science Laboratory, Bhubaneswar to ascertain the cause of contamination.Meanwhile, Cuttack Municipal Corporation has launched a crack down on ‘sharbat’ stalls in the Millennium City on Friday. A special team comprising City Health Officer, Food Inspector and Health Standing Committee Chairman visited different ‘sharbat’ and ‘lassi’ stalls in the city and advised them to maintain hygiene.

Audit of IITs & AIIMS finds more than a fly in the soup

Among The Institutes, Only IIM-Ahd, IIT Roorkee Pass Inspection

New Delhi: A Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) third-party food safety audit of campus kitchens at 12 top Central institutions of higher education has found that providing good food to the best brains in the country isn’t apriority for most institutions.

A majority of the institutions have failed to clear the food safety audit.

Common problems, especially for those ranked lower in the audit, include cleaned utensils retaining food residue, rodent droppings around the kitchens, reheating of food several times, kitchen staff wearing shoes in the kitchen that are meant for the outside, choked bathrooms and overflowing sinks where utensils are cleaned.

FSSAI conducted the audits according to their draft food safety and standards (food safety auditing) regulations of 2017 for IIM Ahmedabad; Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Delhi; IIT Mumbai; IIT Guwahati; IIM Kozhikode; IIT Delhi; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata; IIT Chennai; AIIMS Jodhpur; IIT Roorkee; and IIT Kanpur.

At each institution, all kitchens and canteens were audited. Only most of IIM Ahmedabad’s and IIT Roorkee’s campus kitchens managed to pass the audit. The rest failed.

The auditors assessed the canteens, hostel kitchens, guesthouse kitchens and cafeterias on six parameters — design and facilities, which checks how the cooking area is maintained and whether they have safe food-grade cooking utensils and equipment; control of operations, or how food is actually prepared; maintenance and sanitation; personal hygiene; training and record keeping; and other comments, if any. The maximum score possible was 114, a score less than 77 was considered “noncompliant”.

FSSAI officials told TOI they are at present writing to all 12 institutions with detailed audit reports and grades and asking them to conform to norms as soon as possible.

A summary of the audit results accessed by TOI shows even institutions with relatively better grades were re-using vegetable oil, fungal or mold growth was found in vegetable storage areas, and the dough machines were rusted.

“Personal hygiene is a major issue in nearly all kitchens, so is the lack of understanding of what temperature you should heat food at, when to refrigerate food, and how many times food can be re-heated,” added an official. A premier medical education institute with one of the lowest scores was found to have shoes stored in the kitchen raw material storage area and an overflowing bathroom meant for kitchen staff.

At the other institutions the gaps include food storage areas used by kitchen staff as changing rooms, cockroach and other pest infestations, food and raw materials stored on the floor, drains not netted to prevent rat infestation, no cleaning and sanitation records, and stagnant water near the utensil-cleaning area. Many, it was found, were not FSSAI licensees either.

When contacted about the audit results, FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said, “The idea is not to name and shame these institutions. We are still communicating the results to them. But they will have to meet the norms. The positive news is that some are coming forward to improve their kitchens.”

Last year, a student found a dead rat in his south Indian thali at an IIT Delhi hostel. In Indore, recently, 15 students of a private engineering college fell ill after allegedly eating food contaminated by a dead lizard.

FSSAI direction on FSS (L&R) Amendment Regn, 2011

Adulterated brands flood market in Kerala as coconut oil prices skyrocket

When the shopkeeper showed reluctance in giving you the branded coconut oil you sought and tried pushing hitherto unheard brands available at low prices, did it make you wonder why he/ she did it? It may be because adulterated coconut oil brands have flooded the market. Such brands, it is claimed, provide a margin to shopkeepers who push their products. Low-quality coconut oil brands are raking in moolah at a time when prices of coconut and coconut oil have hit an alltime high in Kerala. Sample this: The Cochin Oil Merchants’ Association (COMA) tested the 31 brands it collected from different parts of the state, and found 21 of them were adulterated!

This assumes significance considering the fact the Commissionerate of Food Safety in 2016 banned the production and sale of 14 coconut oil brands in the state which were being re-branded and sold. Paul Antony, COMA secretary, said, “In a lab test conducted in December last year, we identified 17 adulterated brands. A case was filed in the Kerala High Court seeking a directive to curb the practice.” “Later, on the court’s order, we collected samples of 31 coconut oil brands from across the state and subjected them to a test at a private lab in Poonithura near Kochi.

It confirmed 21 of the 31 samples were adulterated. The iodine level in them exceeded 50 per cent. The permissible level is between 7.5 and 10 per cent,” he said. Following this, COMA sent the original copy of the lab report to the Assistant Food Safety Commissioner, Ernakulam, seeking action against erring brands. K V Shibu, Assistant Food Safety Commissioner, Ernakulam, said based on the lab report, the department collected 19 samples and sent them for lab test. “If the samples do not conform to standards under Food Safety Standards (Food products and Food Additive) Regulations 2011, action will be taken against brands under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. We have also sent a copy of the report submitted by COMA to the Food Safety Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram, as it has statewide implications,” he said.

Antony said when COMA was collecting coconut oil samples, shopkeepers were found pushing low-cost coconut oil brands to customers as the companies provide more margin to shopkeepers. “Moreover, 14 of the 21 adulterated brands were carrying the ‘Kera’ tag in their brand names, clearly as an attempt to hoodwink customers as the ‘Kera’ coconut oil brand sold by Kerafed has a lot of takers in the state,” Antony said. Food Safety officers said while banning erring companies was an option, it was not a permanent solution as most of such companies were fly-by-night brands. “If we ban an adulterated brand, it will become available in the market under another name very soon.

There is no control or regulation over the supply and sale of coconut oil brands in the state,” the officers said. As for iodine content, experts said if iodine value was around 50 per cent in the adulterated oil, coconut oil content in it will only be about 25-30 per cent and the rest will be other oils. “Since palm kernel oil is available for `60-70 per kg, one can simply adulterate coconut oil without much investment and can reap huge benefits, as coconut oil price reached a 30-year-high of `260 per/kg a couple of months ago,” said experts in the field.

The officers said around 400 oil container lorries cross into Kerala from Tamil Nadu per day and a good extent of adulteration is taking place in Kerala with the help of cross-border oil mafia. When contacted, K Anil Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Food Safety, refused a comment saying the matter was sub-judice.

2.7 tonne adulterated ghee seized

2.7 tonne adulterated ghee seized

Vijayawada: Food safety department and the city police on Thursday conducted a joint raid in Surampalli village under the Nunna police station limits and seized 2,700 kg adulterated ghee from the manufacturers.

According to information, the officials on a tip-off raided the two units and seized the ghee. Assistant food controller N Purnachandra Rao and Nunna circle inspector M V Durga Rao led the raids.

Purnachandra Rao told media that a trader named Venkat had been selling adulterated ghee under the popular brand names in the market. The officials seized 1,200 kg of ghee and fake labels of noted brands like Krishna, Srilakshmi, Madhura and Nandini.

Officials later raided another unit nearby and found about 1,500 kg adulterated ghee which is ready to be packed. The officials collected some samples for the lab tests and machinery has been seized. Purnachandra Rao said cases were registered against the manufacturer and the driver.

Tobacco products worth Rs 2.12 lakh seized

Police have recovered tobacco products worth around Rs 2.12 lakh during checking from an Imphal-bound truck along Imphal-Dimapur section of NH-2. Three persons alleged to be the owners of the tobacco products were also detained by the police along with the truck (ASO1EC6416) and handed over to the authority of state food safety office, an official said Thursday.

A team of Narcotic Cell of Imphal East district recovered 532 packets (200 gm each per packet) of tobacco products “Baba black deluxe chewing tobacco” packed in 10 cartons, the source said. The three individuals were identified as Md Amir Khan (26) of Kwakta village of Bishnupur district, Md Abdul Haque(30) of Khomidok of Imphal East and Md Abdul Hashim (24) of Paobitek of Imphal West district. 

A senior police officer said that police have been conducting drive against sale of tobacco items under Food Safety and Standard (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2011.

Milk adulteration: 8 samples tested in 3 yrs

While 6,649 and 7,635 samples of milk were analysed in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively, none of the samples were collected or analysed from the Capital. Most of the adulterated samples are from UP (1,306 out of 2,468). Of the total 7,638 samples collected from across the country, 2,332 were found to be adulterated, almost a third of the actual number. However, eight samples were collected in 2016-17 from Delhi. In the absence of stringent laws, the data reveals that every third sample in the country is adulterated.

Milk, instead of being beneficial, has become a cause of concern for many in the country. In a recent data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, only eight samples of milk from Delhi were analysed in the last three years and of these – one was found to be adulterated, but no penalties were imposed.

In the absence of stringent laws, the data reveals that every third sample in the country is adulterated.

While 6,649 and 7,635 samples of milk were analysed in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively, none of the samples were collected or analysed from the Capital. However, eight samples were collected in 2016-17 from Delhi.

Of the total 7,638 samples collected from across the country, 2,332 were found to be adulterated, almost a third of the actual number. Most of the adulterated samples are from UP (1,306 out of 2,468).

After the Supreme Court in August 2016 directed to curb milk adulteration activities in the country, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had advised all the states and Union Territories to comply with the directions and submit their ‘action taken report’ (ATR), but so far only nine states, excluding Delhi have submitted their reports.