Food Safety officials in Vadakara working in decrepit building

The dilapidated office building of the Food Safety Officer in Vadakara. 

Shaky building may collapse any time, fear staff

The circle office of the Food Safety Department in Vadakara, housed in a 30-year-old dilapidated building of the Irrigation Department, is struggling to cope with its increasing work of enforcement and administration, say officials.

The administrative affairss of Vadakara, Kuttiyadi and Nadapuram circles of the department are handled in this shaky building, where five staff members are compelled to work under the situation. Those who visit the office from the Vadakara, Kuttiyadi and Nadapuram regions with various applications too are put to difficulties owing to the poor facilities at the circle office.

An officer attached to the circle office said the building was unfit now to carry out the operations of the department and it might collapse any time. Even renovation would not help to solve the crisis now, he said.

The electrical fittings, pipes, doors and windows are all in a damaged condition. The toilet block is in a poor shape, compelling the staff to look for other facilities. No renovation work has been carried out in the building for over 10 years.

The employees said they were in distress during the rainy season as the roof tiles had been damaged in several areas and rain water leaked in . The wooden ceilings too have been damaged owing to lack of maintenance.

‘Duplicate butter, cheese being used by eating joints’

Vadodara: Team of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) on Monday cracked down upon wholesalers dealing in butter, cheese and related products in the city. 

The action was fallout of a representations in the VMC general board that ‘duplicate’ butter and cheese were being used by several street food vendors and even hotels in the city.

Food safety officers of the civic body checked dealers in the Jetalpur Road, Raopura, Khanderao Market and Harni areas of the civic body. They collected eight samples of items branded as cheese, pizza cheese, butter, paneer and fat spread during the drive. These would be tested in the public health laboratory of the civic body to find if there is adulteration.

A major controversy had been raked up after opposition corporator Farid Lakhajiwala alleged in the general board that ‘duplicate’ butter and cheese was being used by eateries in the city.

He had gone to the extent of claiming that mutton tallow was being used to prepare these items and they were available at very cheap rates as compared to pure butter or cheese.

The officials checked both the establishments that were named by Lakhajiwala in his representations. The teams also checked other establishments to verify if the allegations were true.

Lakhajiwala, however, said that the action had been taken a week after he made the representations. He said that this was too late and the dealers may have become alert and taken the adulterated material off the shelves.

Food safety officers seize adulterated spices

Jaipur: Five thousand kilograms of adulterated spices were seized by a team of food safety officers from a manufacturing unit of spices in Laxminarayanpuri of Jhotwara area on Monday. The unit has been sealed. More than 1,500 kg of powdered poha (flattened rice) has also been recovered from the unit owned by one Himmat Singh. “The owner brought powered poha and would then mix it in spices such as turmeric powder, coriander powder and chilli powder,” said an official.

The manufacturing unit was functioning without any licence. “We found that the owner has not procured food licence under Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA). He was running the unit at a rented accommodation,” the food safety officer said. The officials have also collected samples of spices and sent them to food laboratory for testing. The health department officials alleged that the accused sold adulterated spices to those involved in selling adulterated spices in Gangapur City and Karauli. Officials claimed that they have seized more than 3,300 kg of adulterated spices.

32% of your packaged food products are genetically modified

Gone are the days when you knew where the food you were eating was coming from, what with pretty much everything mass produced and packaged at distant locations, after a series of processes to ensure great shelf life. But with increasing incidences of lifestyle diseases, the average Indian has wisened up, and is trying to pay heed to what he/she should or should not eat. The worrisome part, though, is that while we read the nutrition information on packaged food to determine what could be good for us, what we often ignore or fail to understand is that we may be risking our lives owing to the fact that much of what we consume has been genetically modified. 

A recent study by the Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML) at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) to understand whether GM foods are available in the Indian market, tested 65 imported and domestically produced processed food samples. Overall, 32% of the food products were GM positive, with a whopping 46% of imported food products also testing positive. About 17% of the samples manufactured in India tested positive, all of which contained cottonseed oil. What’s worse is that of the 20 GM-positive packaged samples (excluding crude cottonseed oil), 13 did not mention use of GM ingredients on their labels. In fact, some brands, including big international names, claimed to have no GM ingredients, but tested positive.

Speaking about this issue, Dr Priyanka Rohatgi, chief clinical dietician, HOD, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at a city hospital, says, “Though India has resisted GM food production, there have been instances of such food being imported into the country (including corn, baby food and breakfast cereal, which have been introduced without adherence to relevant labeling laws). While a Directorate General of Foreign Trade notification in 2013 addressed the issue of labeling by requiring those importing GM food to explicitly mention it in their labels, in the case of home-manufactured products like edible oil, there are chances of GM cottonseed oil being mixed with other edible oil without any labeling.” 

Elaborating on the health implications, Dr Priyanka says, “There is a strong correlation between the increasing use of herbicides, genetically-modified crop growth and the increase in a multitude of diseases. Studies have shown the sudden increases in the rates of diseases in the mid-1990s coincided with the commercial production of GE crops. Although such crops can resolve the issue of hunger in developing countries, the misuse of the technology can only be tackled by being aware customers. Some of the most negatively impacted food items are corn, soya, canola, aspartame and sugar beets, which should be avoided.”

ALL ABOUT GM FOOD

• Food produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has not allowed GM food in India so far.
• The FSSAI and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have not approved any GM food product. However, the CSE study confirms the illegal presence of imported and domestically manufactured GM foods in the Indian market. As per the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, every package containing GM food shall bear ‘GM’ at the top of its principal display panel.
• As per Rule 6(7) of the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2011, every package containing GM foods shall bear at the top of its principal display panel the letters ‘GM’.

Illegal but available: Who will regulate GM foods in India

Genetically modified (GM) food is available – illegally – on a large scale in the Indian market, according to a study by Centre for Science and Environment. The Delhi-based non-government put out its findings on 26 July.

GM foods are not permitted by existing laws and regulations under them, and are not expected to be sold in India. In fact, campaign groups such as Coalition for a GM-Free India have lodged complaints with concerned regulators last February and March, based on data from the Union commerce ministry.

In its latest study, CSE found that 32% of the samples it tested were GM-positive – 16 of these foods (80%) were imported and five were manufactured in India. This means that the vast majority of illegal GM foods are making their way into India by way of stealthy imports. 

Thirteen of the brands did not mention the use of GM ingredients anywhere on their labels; three products were even mislabelled that they were GM-free.

GM-positive imported food products were based on, or used soy, cotton seed, corn and rapeseed, expectably; positive samples manufactured domestically were made from cottonseed – no surprises there either. 

SC ALLOWS A REGULATORY VACUUM

What many may not know is that the Supreme Court of India was involved in creating a regulatory vacuum when it disposed off a writ petition (No. 11 of 2008 along with 173 of 2006) on 11 August, 2017. The petition was on regulatory agencies acting irresponsibly and jeopardising citizens’ health and environment.

“There is no notification/regulation allowing any activity in connection with genetically engineered and modified food,” the court said, probably not realising that GM foods were already flooding into India, in the absence of both Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) in the Union environment ministry as well as the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in the Union health ministry taking responsibility for regulating GM foods. It appears that this set the stage for flooding of our markets with illegal GM foods.

SHOCKING APATHY OF REGULATORS

Be that as it may, the more shocking response has been from the food safety regulator, FSSAI and of the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), both key regulators in this context.

FSSAI put out a press release by the evening of 26th itself, which was quaintly called “Update on GM Food Regulation”. In this, FSSAI does not mention anything about what it intends to do about the illegal GM foods that are out there in supermarket shelves or about any deterrent action to prevent violations of the law.

The press release only talks about how FSSAI has “initiated the work on framing regulations on GM food”, for laying down procedures for safety assessment and approval of GM foods, based on internationally well established and accepted scientific principles, procedures and best practices. Incidentally, FSSAI has been saying this for years now.

A perusal of old press releases by FSSAI threw up another press release from another time exactly seven years ago, with regard to “unapproved food items being sold in the country (from 26 July, 2011!).

Here, Commissioners of Food Safety were being asked to advise the enforcement wing to be more vigilant, and also take legal action in case of violations of prevalent laws when unapproved foods are sold. Why is the FSSAI approaching the current illegal GM food scenario differently then?

The Director General of Foreign Trade, which should have watched out for illegal GM food coming in through the import route, has an equally ineffective and brazen response, on twitter. Referring to a letter that the DGFT sent to a few other agencies after a complaint by a citizens’ coalition, the twitter handle of DGFT (@dgftindia) tweeted out saying “please take note of OM issued by DGFT. You are requested to take up the issue with the departments concerned with reference of the said OM”. 

This was an 'office memorandum' from the DGFT to the Department of Revenue (Customs) in the Union Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Plant Quarantine Division of Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, wherein the DGFT only asks these other agencies “to take note of the complaint on apparent violations (in regulations) for necessary action as deemed fit”.

This means that the DGFT itself was certainly not going to investigate and initiate punitive action against violators of its own legally-created regulatory regime.

A third agency, in the form of Department of Consumer Affairs, which is, of course, aware of the violations of its Legal Metrology Act’s rules related to GM labelling, has chosen to keep quiet as usual. This has been their approach for years now, even after concerned consumers presented them with unlabelled GM cotton oil in 2013 and sought its intervention in implementing its own regulation.

Here is a classic case then of complete non-implementation of the regulations by multiple agencies, and lack of action even after violations are proven.

FOOD BRANDS AND IMPORTERS IMPLICATED

CSE reported how the American pharma company Abbott Laboratories is selling GM infant food in India, meant for toddlers with ailments, without labelling the foods as GM, and how they don’t do so in the United States. Double standards of corporations is something that Indian citizens have had to contend with for a long time now, and the story is repeating itself once again.

It is also interesting how so many corporations have indulged in flouting the FSSAI, DGFT and Legal Metrology Act regulations apparently wilfully.

Read together, it does not appear to be mere regulatory failure by one agency or the other, as much as a deeper strategy put into operation, of orchestrated back-door entry of GM into India. This suspicion gains credence in the context of very successful pushing back of any commercial cultivation permission to GM foods within the country by alert citizens.

EXPERTS AND CITIZENS CONCERNED

Over the past decade or so, hundreds of experts – agriculture scientists, biotechnologists, biologists, environmentalists etc – have been engaging with the issue of transgenic technology in our food and farming system and have been warning the government against promoting the same in our country.

Medical experts are one such group who have written to concerned ministers on occasion. Public rejection of GM foods became apparent on social media platforms like Twitter, a day after CSE’s findings were made public.

Thousands of tweets were shot off tagging the regulators and the Prime Minister by ordinary citizens on #StopGMFood hashtag. Their concern is driven by the fact that there is indeed scientific evidence on the adverse health impacts of GM crops.

Evidence from experimental studies from around the world has pointed to adverse impacts like allergies, organ damage, immune system damage, reproductive health problems, effects on growth and development, inter-generational impacts, cancerous growths etc.

GM ENCOURAGED, ORGANIC CURTAILED?

The irony of the current situation of regulation for food safety is inescapable. Organic foods, which by themselves go a long way in fulfilling the mandate of FSSAI are being put through mandatory certification requirements by FSSAI, when chemical-fed foods have to meet no such requirements.

And when illegal GM foods are also allowed to flourish by sheer lack of inaction by the FSSAI. So, whose side is the FSSAI on, and who is to make the food safety regulator fulfil its basic mandate then? It is hoped that Parliament will debate this issue thoroughly and that the Ministers concerned will intervene and ensure that regulators discharge their responsibilities in favour of ordinary citizens.

VIOLATIONS GALORE

Any GM food offered for sale in India has to have the approval of FSSAI, which is the food-safety regulator formed under the Food Safety & Standards Act 2006. Section 22 of the Act specifies this. This Section has not been converted into notified regulations as yet and FSSAI, by its own admission in the Supreme Court, has argued that any GM food in the market is therefore, unpermitted and illegal.

Further, any GM food brought into India should have declared itself as such under the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act, 1992, that too after the approval of Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee created under the Environment Protection Act 1986’s 1989 Rules, in the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.

Even though Rule 11 has been exempted by a notification by GEAC (that too for the “occupier” as defined in the Parent Act EPA 1986, the Rules read as 2 (1), 2 (2) along with 7(1), require GEAC approval, along with the DGFT notification under FTDRA 1992.

Additionally, the Legal Metrology Act, 2009, administered by the Department of Consumer Affairs, has notified in 2012, a rule that “every package containing the genetically modified food shall bear at the top of its principal display panel the words 'GM'”.

Therefore, the foods that have tested positive in CSE lab testing have violated the Food Safety Act, the Environment Protection Act, the Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act as well as the Legal Metrology Act. Apart from the fact that they could be potentially harmful to human health.

Like Sunita Narain of CSE wrote recently, it is ultimately about citizens’ food, choices and health. It is up to citizens whether they will stay quiet or force the regulators and food industry players to work for citizens’ welfare.

The author is the co-convenor of Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA)

Equipment, manpower deficit hobbles Valley’s Food Safety on Wheels program

Program will become functional in a month: Commissioner

The food safety vans, which are meant to provide instant and mobile food testing service in J&K to ensure quality of commodities in market, are not being put to use since March 2018, due to lack of proper equipment and manpower shortage. 

A report by Food Safety and Standards Association of India (FSSAI) has revealed, no monthly progress report (MPR) has been sent by the DFCO to FSSAI, the central regulatory authority, in past six months as mandated under food safety laws.

The progress report of states uploaded by FSSAI on 25 July, latest one available, states “MPR pending for May and June 2018” for J&K. In May, the FSSAI report stated “MPR pending for March, 2018”.

When contacted Commissioner food safety J&K, Dr Abdul Kabir Dar agreed that work output of food safety on wheels was low. “There was some problem with technical staff as well as drivers,” he said, adding that the issue had been “sorted out recently”.

He said the department had sourced technical staff from health department to run the mobile labs and to “fill the gaps”.

“We have roped in an agency to train the staff and the vans will become fully functional in a month,” the commissioner said.

Currently, he said the vans were being used for “transportation of samples, do basic testing and create awareness, especially in peripheral areas”.

A source in the department said the reports were not being sent on a regular basis because of “inadequate output” of these testing labs.

“These are merely vehicles without requisite equipment and manpower for testing. That is a big hurdle,” the source said.

Sharing details he said the equipment that has been fitted in the van for milk testing was able to give a report only on whether water has been added to it or not.

Moreover, the machine is not fit to test processed milk available in market, local and from other states. “It can only test solid fat and non solid fat in raw cow’s milk,” he said. He said other types of milk, toned, pasteurized, packaged, was out of the ambit of testing due to lack of facility.

Similarly, for testing edible oil, the equipments fitted in the vans have provision to give only refractive index of oil. It cannot detect impurities and adulteration. The same is case with water testing.

An official of the department said that manpower engaged to run the equipment in mobile vans was also not “adequately trained”.

This has also been corroborated by FSSAI, which in its May status report stated that in J&K “Training and awareness programs (for mobile testing vans) are also not being undertaken”.

The program, which cost state Rs 2.4 crore, was flagged off in J&K in March 2017 to improve infrastructure for food testing in state.

While Rs 1.75 crore had been allocated by the state government for procurement of five testing vans, Rs 60 lakh was given by FSSAI for two of the mobile labs fitted with “high tech” equipment to detect adulteration and quality of food samples on the move in market and food business operators.

DINAKARAN NEWS

Small quantity of pesticides found in honey samples Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/national/small-quantity-pesticides-685787.html

Several brands of honey sold in the market contain traces of pesticides, Indian scientists have found. 

After analysing 150 samples of honey purchased from the markets of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, they found 12% of them (18 samples) contain pesticides in small quantities.

A bulk (about 72%) of the contaminated samples contained organophosphates followed by organochlorines, including fipronil and synthetic pyretheroids.

The frequently detected pesticides were monocrotophos (four samples) followed by dichlorvos (three). Chlorpyrifos, profenofos, ethion and lindane were found in two samples each.

Although the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India hasn't fixed a "maximum residue limit" for pesticides in honey yet and the amount detected is in trace quantities, the scientists said it was still a matter of health concern because nobody knew the cumulative effect of these pesticides, if consumed for a long time.

"Considering the possible accumulative effects of substances with similar mode of action and customary (traditional and cultural) feeding of honey to the infants, old and ill people in India, precautionary measures should always be taken in the foreseeable future to safeguard consumers health," the researchers reported in the latest issue of the journal Current Science.

How did the pesticides find their way to the honey? The researchers said the widespread and indiscriminate use of pesticides over the years contaminate blossoms from which honey bees collect nectar for honey production.Bees on their foraging expeditions also pickup and transfer pollutants from contaminated water and soil to their respective hives. This may result in the transfer of pesticide residues to honey and finally to consumers.

Scientists from CSK HP Agricultural University, Palampur and Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, didn't disclose the brand names.In their report, they said the samples comprised branded honey (certified and uncertified) sold in retail markets and unbranded, processed honey sold by traders, self-help groups, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Agricultural Universities), co-operative societies and road side vendors.

Out of the 150 samples, only 59 had certification.For laboratory tests, they employed QuEChERS— a solid phase extraction method commonly used for detection of pesticide residues in food besides chromatography studies.In the process, they established a standard protocol for testing and validating more honey samples.

The new report comes five years after New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment showed presence of low level of antibiotics in 11 common brands of honey – out of 12 – picked up from the market.

Food safety teams inspect rly stations

Chandigarh, August 5

Food safety teams conducted an inspection at several railway stations in the state in the wee hours of Sunday to check the supply of substandard khoya and paneer from neighbouring states.

Commissioner, Food Safety, KS Pannu said it was reported that substandard perishables were flooding local markets through inbound trains arriving early in the morning.

Meetings were held with the railway authorities. Special teams were sent to prominent railway stations. Samples have been collected and forwarded to the State Laboratory at Kharar.

At places where no perishables were off-loaded on Sunday, the railway authorities were requested to inform the food safety teams before releasing milk products so that samples could be taken for a quality test. The authorities have agreed to share information regarding the arrival of perishables.

Pannu said special nakas were also set up to check the entry of milk and milk products by road from neighbouring areas.

The statewide inspection of milk establishments continued for the second day. As many as 150 samples have been collected and sent for testing. The samples have been collected from large dairy establishments as well as milk vendors.

Samples of desi ghee, paneer and khoya have also been taken and sent for checking. Substandard milk and cream infested with insects were also detected during the raids and destroyed on the spot.

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAMANI NEWS

Banned gutka products worth Rs 3.5 lakh seized, two detained

Salem: Banned gutka products worth Rs 3.5 lakh have been seized from two different places in the city in as many operations separately lead by food safety officials and police.

According to an official source, district designated food safety officer S Mariappan got a tip that banned gutka items were being sold in a grocery shop at Suramangalam area in the city and conducted a raid at the shop.

During the search, officials came across a small wooden door affixed to a wall. “Shop owner Thallsharam, 42, had hidden the door by stocking soft drink bottles in front it,” Mariappan said.

When the officials opened the door, they found banned gutka items worth Rs 1 lakh in the secret room. The officials seized all the banned gutka products and sent samples for lab test.

“We will initiate stern action against the grocery shop owner after getting the lab test report,” Mariappan said. The officials also sealed the grocery shop.

In another instance, the Suramangalam police, who were on a vehicle check at the toll plaza near Omalur on Salem-Bengaluru National Highway, seized banned gutka products worth Rs 2.5 lakh from two omni buses.

“We got a tip that banned gutka items were being smuggled to Salem from Bengaluru in private omni buses,” said P K Senthil Kumar, inspector of police, Suramangalam police station.

Cops searched two omni buses at the toll plaza and found 18 bundles of gutka products from the vehicles. Police seized the contraband and detained the omni bus drivers for smuggling banned gutka items in their buses.

“We have registered a case and inquiries are on,” an investigation official said.

Kashmir has no microbiology lab to check food quality

Official announcements confined to papers

SRINAGAR, Aug 4: Despite multiple announcements by the government, Kashmir valley has no microbiological laboratory to check quality of food items.

There has been an increased flow of poor and substandard food products in the Valley. To stop this, the government announced several times that microbiological lab will be made operational shortly. Despite these announcements, the much needed facility is yet to be made available to ensure hygienic and good quality food to the people. 

The microbiological laboratory according to an official of Food Safety Department would ensure that meat and poultry products are manufactured to "their standards, stored and shipped under proper conditions, and comply with the regulations of their destination market". He said there has been an increase in the sale and intake of misbranded food items in the Valley. "Out of the samples collected from the market in the last one year, 50% were either substandard or unsafe for consumption," the official said. In 10 months till May, official figures of the Food Safety Department reveal that out of 1351 samples of different food items collected by food inspectors from the Kashmir division, 330 were found unsafe, 106 substandard, and 204 were misbranded. In Srinagar district, the Food Safety Department had collected 445 samples for testing, while 135 food items were found to be "misbranded and substandard". An official said there is no analytical laboratory to ensure superior hygiene, quality, and meat safety. "Retailers sometimes sell dead animals, and there is no way for us to know the state of meat," the official said.

The High Court has stressed the need for prohibitory measures for the strict implementation of Food Safety and Security Act, which essentially prevents food adulteration in the state.

In an article last year, Dr. Fayyaz Ganie - the veterinarian and founder of Truevet Biosciences - a Srinagar based biotechnological company had said that all over the world a comprehensive approach to meat safety is applied from the farm to the customer. This includes "inspection of meat before and after slaughter, testing for germs, and detection of organic traces".

Meanwhile, a senior official of Food Safety Department, said that government has taken several measures to ensure people get hygienic and good quality food.

Asked about the absence of microbiological laboratory in the Valley despite multiple announcements by the government, he said, "The microbiological lab will be made operational soon in Dalgate."

Food items seized in Kohima, Jalukie

Kohima District Food Safety Team seized 37 packets of local chilli powder, found to contain colour additives, and 850 gms of salted dry fish which tested positive for formalin during its inspection drive carried out at P.R. Hill T. Khel market and Super Market Kohima on Saturday.

The team seized 15 packets of local chilli powder at P.R. hill, 22 packets of local chilli powder sold by local mothers and 850gms of salted dry fish which were reportedly brought from Moreh (Manipur) at Super Market Kohima. At P.R. hill T. Khel market, the team tested apples, tomatoes and fresh fish brought from Imphal for preservatives with negative results. The team also tried to test the presence of carbide in fruits at Super Market, however the team said that the fruit dealers/distributors had gone to their villages two weeks ago and so the tests could not be conducted.

The inspection drive team consisted of an analytic enforcement team and a food technician team along with the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India mobile van tested the food items on the spot. 

The food safety team expressed gratitude to Angami Youth Organization for their presence during the drive and assisting the team. The department informed this correspondent that such inspection drives would continue to be conducted in the coming days for other food items also. 

Food Safety inspection conducted at Jalukie town

Food Safety Wing under CMO Peren inspected shops selling food items on August 3 led by the District Food Safety Officer, Samlamgwamlie Michui with the help of district administration led by Dobashis and police personnel at Jalukie town. 

A press release issued by Food Safety Wing under CMO Peren stated that the Food Safety officials inspected various shops and informed the food business operators about the importance of selling safe and wholesome food to its buyers which is, the release said, not only their duty according to the FSSA but also an ethical responsibility. They were told to make sure that the team does not find expired items in their shops. They were also directed to properly label products that had no labels. The food business operators were asked to duly check their own shops, dispose off expired items to avoid seizure and penalties in the future.

Large quantities of goods were seized during the inspection, especially cold drinks and cooking oil, which were being sold beyond the “best before” dates. Others items such as masalas and biscuits were also seized but in a lesser quantity. The release stated that the public should also remain aware and check the best before date when they purchase any item from shops.

After the inspection, the team took all the seized items and destroyed them in the presence of Food Safety officials.

Chilli powder with added colour seized in Kohima

Vendor selling chilli powder at Super market in Kohima.

Kohima, August 4 (MExN): The District Food Safety Team carried out an inspection drive at T. Khel Market, PR hill and Super Market at Kohima on August 4.

Dr. Ritu Thurr, Chief Medical Officer, Kohima in a press release informed that during the course of inspection drive, the team tested fruits, fresh fish, salted dry fish and chilli powder.

The chilli powder sample collected from local vendor at T. Khel and Super Market were found added with colours. The remaining stock of 15 packets from T. Khel market and 22 packets from super market were seized.

The team even took sample of salted dry fish from Super market which tested formalin in them, remaining stock of 850 gms were seized.

Health officials found boxes of raw chicken 'leaning' on packaged foods in Chipotle restaurants linked to illness reports

Hollis JohnsonChipotle has spent millions of dollars on measures to improve food safety.

Health officials have inspected three Chipotle restaurants in Powell, Ohio, after receiving nearly 700 inquiries related to a suspected foodborne-illness outbreak.

Inspectors said they found boxes of raw chicken "leaning" on other packaged foods, creating a contamination risk, in two restaurants.

The violations come after Chipotle has spent millions of dollars on measures to improve food safety.

Health officials have inspected three Chipotle restaurants in Powell, Ohio, following reports from customers who said they got sick after eating at the restaurants.

In two of the restaurants, inspectors found boxes of raw chicken "leaning" on other packaged foods, according to health records.The violations come after Chipotle has spent millions of dollars on measures to improve food safety.

The Delaware General Health District (DGHD) on Thursday found "boxes of raw chicken partially leaning onto boxes of packaged foods" at the Chipotle restaurant located at 9733 Sawmill Parkway that's at the center of a suspected illness outbreak, according to health records. The proximity of the raw chicken to other foods presented a risk of contamination, according to the report.

Following a visit to another Chipotle at 8695 Owenfield Drive in Powell on Wednesday, inspectors wrote, a "box of raw chicken [was] observed up against boxes of unopened beans and very close to ready-to-eat items."

Inspectors also found foods that were not being held at proper temperatures.

In an emailed statement to Business Insider, Chipotle spokeswoman Laurie Schalow said: "Food safety is our number one priority and we are proud of the industry leading practices and training we have in place across our system. These instances where two SEALED packaged products were next to each other in the walk-in refrigerator were immediately remedied."

DGHD said late Thursday that it had received nearly 800 calls and emails concerning suspected illnesses potentially stemming from the Sawmill Parkway Chipotle restaurant. Officials have tested customers' stool samples and have not yet identified a source of the possible illness outbreak. The location temporarily shut down on Monday for cleaning and reopened on Tuesday.DGHD has also received three reports of possible illnesses stemming from two other Chipotle locations - the Chipotle restaurant on Owenfield Drive and another Chipotle restaurant at 1710 Columbus Pike in Powell - which prompted inspections of both locations.

FSDA to check food being served at kanwariya camps

Meerut: Officials of the Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) are keeping a close watch on the food being served to kanwariyas at the camps set up on the Kanwar Yatra route to prevent any form of adulteration. Food being sold by dhabas and hotels on the route are also under the scanner.

In addition, the FSDA team has been tasked with ensuring that meat shops on the yatra route remain closed till the pilgrimage ends.

“Lakhs of kanwariyas on their way to Haridwar on foot pass through the city during the Kanwar Yatra. Various volunteers, city-based NGOs and religious groups play host by providing food and set up camps for the Shiva devotees to stay. To ensure that unadulterated and healthy food is served to the kanwariyas, we have formed teams of FSDA officials who will conduct surprise checks at these camps,” said Archana Dheeran, Meerut designated officer, FSDA.

An 11-point instruction notice has been circulated by the FSDA and put up at all the camps to make sure that the orders are followed strictly. The instructions include covering food properly, preventing use of food colours and serving fresh food.

“Instructions have also been given that no person with communicable disease prepares the food so as to prevent diseases from spreading among the kanwariyas. Raw vegetables have to be used only after they are cleaned in chlorinated water. The people serving food should wear clean clothes and head gears,” said Dheeran.

Orders have also been given to place dustbins and make available soap and water at the camps. The FSDA team will conduct checks and, if any suspected item is found, it will be seized, destroyed and action taken against those flouting norms. “We have asked the hotels and dhabas on the Kanwar Yatra route to display their rates, so that kanwariyas are not fleeced. Checking is also being done to see that meat shops on the yatra route are shut, and if at all any shop is found open, police help will be sought to shut it,” said Dheeran.

FSDA Norms

Ban on use of edible food colour

Dhabas and hotels told to display food rate list

No person with a communicable disease should cook food in camps

Food must be kept covered at all times

Flour units under scanner

VADODARA: Ahead of the holy month of Shravan during which many people fast during the day, officials of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) checked units making flour that is fit for consumption even during fasts. Teams of the civic body collected samples of the flour that were sent to the public health laboratory for testing.

According to officials, food safety officers of the civic body checked units in the Bakrawadi, Harni Road, Sayajigunj, Mandvi and Chokhandi areas of the city. Six samples were collected from the flour stored in the units.

The civic body will also be holding a workshop on Saturday for street food vendors in the city. They will be given tips on hygiene during the event to be held in the Diwalipura community hall of the civic body.

Mission Tandrust Punjab: Food Safety Team raids dairies and Sweet Shops

Nawanshahr, August 04, 2018: On the directions of K.S Pannu, director mission tandrust ,Punjab ,Nawanshshr Food Safety Team, comprising of Manoj Khosla assistant commissioner food, Sangeeta Sehdev food safety officer raided various dairies, milk suppliers/ vendors, sweets shop early in this morning and took six samples of milk and milk products for analysis. Manoj Khosla said under tandrust punjab a special drive is going on to curb the adulteration . 

He further said we are committed to come up to the expectation of the society and will win the fight against spurious food products with the cooporation of the society. Ms Sangeeta Sehdev told that the reports are being sent to the head office on daily basis. 

She further appealed to the public to inform the department regarding any illegal activity being carried out in food products.Action will be taken against the delequents as per food safety act and drive will be continued more intensively in coming days.

Food safety teams raid milk establishments to check adulteration

Chandigarh, Aug 4 (UNI) Acting tough against spurious milk and milk products, newly appointed Punjab Food and Drug Administration Commissioner K S Pannu constituted 22 teams to raid dairy establishments across the state to check the prevailing malpractices in terms of quality of food.

The teams raided 300 places across the state in past 24 hours and collected samples, which have been sent to State Food Testing Lab at Kharar for testing.

Mr Pannu said that the State has adopted zero tolerance policy with regards to food adulteration, under Tandarust Punjab Mission.

He warned those indulging in food adulteration to immediately stop such activities otherwise department will leave no stone unturned to crush such practices with heavy hands.

Any person indulging in food adulteration is liable for imprisonment of six months and fine up to Rs 10 lakh.

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Food Adulteration Becomes a Menace

Massive graft in food business has compounded with a rampant collusive culture of corruption at all official levels

Notwithstanding with the people’s fundamental right to be free from hunger and to consume safe food, free from toxics, pesticides, other micro-biologicals, chemicals and physical contaminants, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat contain residues of pesticides. Adulteration of food is caused by sand, stone, chalk powder, mineral oil, coal tar, dyes, arsenic, lead, mercury, pesticide residues, larvae in food, rampant use of formalin in fish, infection by rodents, insects in the form of excreta etc.

Poor implementation of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 that created the food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), coupled with law enforcers (food inspectors) and deficiencies in the testing laboratories, lead to persistence of menace of food adulteration.

Over-use of pesticides in farming, its residue in food chain, poor sanitation in food market, cold storage, adulteration of food items including soft drinks, packaging and transportation are major threats to food safety. As a result, there are severe health hazards like rapid increase in serious diseases like cancer, ulcers, asthma etc. and deaths due to such diseases. All these because of unsafe foods. Common adulterants are urea/detergent powder in milk, animal fat in ghee, brick powder in red chilly powder, chicory in coffee, papaya seeds in black pepper etc. used by unscrupulous traders for sheer profiteering with the connivance of greedy and corrupt law enforcers that pose health hazards to consumers.

Even setting up of a regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has not been helpful except that there has been labeling of food items including processed foods and soft drinks indicating ‘FSSAI Approved’ with no further and continuous checks and balances. Consequently, manufacturers and traders continues to play havoc causing irreparable health hazards to the people. Food adulteration together with air and water pollution in the backdrop of very poor public health care infrastructure has dented people’s income and assets as major portion of their earnings is spent on medicare.

Extent and gravity of food adulteration can be gauged in the light of massive corruption in food business compounded by a rampant collusive culture of corruption at all official levels with no accountability, whatsoever. Both the Union and State Governments are lax with no public concern in the matter. Unless accountability of public servants is fixed by amendments in Article 311 of the Constitution of India, no fruitful public good can be expected in the present system. At the same time, a law of torts (negligence) be legislated to make people in all walks of lives accountable as also safety clauses in all laws which protect public servants for action taken in good faith be abrogated to make them accountable to the people at large, to stem the rots in public administration.

An inquiry in the union Ministries of Health, Food Processing, and Food & Consumer Affairs elicited nil response on the gravity of the growing menace of food adulteration in the country. Nevertheless, to improve the situation greater consumer awareness is called for. Consumer literacy needs to be increased for better awareness of consumer rights and responsibilities. Regular inspection of food outlets to keep premises free from infestations of food bacteria is need of the time. Mass media need to be tapped to make people aware of the menace of food adulteration.

Street food vendors are another source of adulterated food because of their exposure to air and water pollution over and above the normal food adulteration. Added to this, unsafe drinking water is a major health hazards and cause of food adulteration. Woe of food adulteration is continuing unabated as 30 mega food parks sanctioned long ago are yet to be functional across the nation to maintain a modicum of hygienic and unadulterated processed food. Even reverting to organic farming is no option as it is not remunerative to farmers and the cost of organic food products is too high.

There is need for scientific studies by the National Institute of Health & Family Welfare and Indian Council of Medical Research to find out dimensions of food adulteration and remedial measures with the FSSAI taking more and more samples for testing and punitive actions, lest it should be continuing all hunky dory paper work with no end to public suffering from food adulteration!

FSSAI gives aggregators 2 weeks to dump unlicensed eateries

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 2

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has given leading food aggregators two more weeks to submit action plans on delisting unlicensed and non-registered restaurants. It is also planning to conduct an audit of food aggregators to check their compliance levels with food safety regulations.

On Wednesday, the food regulator had a review meeting with 10 food aggregators — Zomato, Swiggy, UberEats, Foodpanda, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, JusFood, Box8 and LimeTray.

During the review, it found nearly 30-40 per cent of restaurants on these platforms were either unlicensed or unregistered. This is after the regulator had directed these players to de-list such restaurants or eateries by July 31.

FSSAI also noted that some food aggregators had been operating without a licence. “In many cases, listed food businesses have recently applied for FSSAI license/registration but still do not possess them,” FSSAI noted.

Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, said these measures were part of a special drive being undertaken to ensure compliance with food safety laws by all food operators. “We have notified regulations that bring food aggregators and food e-commerce platforms within the purview of the food safety law, and we hope these platforms begin to take food safety seriously from a regulatory standpoint,” he added.

Zomato, Swiggy response

A spokesperson for Zomato said: “While we can't comment on the number (of such resturants) since they are changing by the hour, we can assure that we are working with the FSSAI and the restaurant industry actively to make sure that everybody is compliant with the guidelines.”

A spokesperson for Swiggy said it was closely working to ensure that there is a compliance plan for all restaurant partners.

“We are working with reputed third-party agencies to set up a support system and help expedite this process for them,” the spokesperson said.

FSSAI guidelines, which became operational in February, make it mandatory for e-commerce food services platforms to display the FSSAI licence or registration number of the restaurants listed on their platforms. In addition, food e-commerce players, excluding those that only provide listing or directory services, need to obtain an FSSAI license.

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FSSAI officials seize 1 tonne of adulterated tea powder in Tirupur

Around one tonne of adulterated tea powder was seized by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officials, in Tirupur district on Wednesday.

Food safety officials inspect the adulterated tea powder packets, in Tirupur

Coimbatore: 

Acting on a tip-off, a team of the food safety officials led by the district designated officer Tamil Selvan conducted a surprise raid past midnight on Tuesday at the house of one Murugesan at Samundipuram. 

In the raid, the officials discovered a huge quantity of tea powder packed in cartons and kept ready for supply. “A check revealed that the tea powder was adulterated. About one tonne of the tea powder was seized from his house,” said the officials. 

The officials said that they received frequent complaints from the public that adulterated tea was being sold by bakeries and tea stalls. “We carried out an inspection and found tea, made of adulterated powder, is being served to customers at bakeries at Perumanallur and Periyayipalayam neighbourhoods.

“When inquired, the shop owners claimed to have bought the tea powder from Murugesan,” said an official. Thereafter, the officials carried out a surprise check at the house of Murugesan and seized the adulterated tea packs and a huge volume of chemical colouring agents. 

“Consuming adulterated tea may cause cancer and other health ailments. The seized tea powder has been sent for a lab testing and action would be initiated against Murugesan based on its report,” said the FSSAI officials.

Food safey department seizes adulterated oil, empty sachets from unit in Dindigul

DINDIGUL: Days after acting against a company manufacturing adulterated oil in Madurai, officials from the food safety department unearthed a similar unit in Nandhavanampatti in Dindigul district. Apart from adulterated oil, a large quantity of empty pouches were also seized.

The unit was unearthed by a team of officials led by designated officer for food safety, Dr K Natarajan. The search was conducted on Tuesday evening based on a complaint received through WhatsApp. 

Natarajan said that the unit, which has been functioning for several months, was manufacturing adulterated groundnut oil. They found only 14 boxes of adulterated oil worth Rs 10,500 at the time of inspection. However, they found 21,000 empty pouches worth Rs 1.36 lakh. Subsequently, the unit was sealed the same day.

“Both edible and non-edible oils were found to have packed in the brand name of Sakthi. While groundnut pictures were printed on the pouch, it contained palmolein oil, mixed with flavour. A sample has been lifted and sent for lab testing. An improvement notice has also been served,” said Natarajan.

Officials said that the adulterated oil was sent for sales not only in Dindigul but also to other neighbouring districts. They have asked the shopkeepers and distributors not to sell the oil to the public.

Spurious tea powder stored in a godown located in R S Salai in Dindigul was also seized by the officials on Wednesday morning, during a search based on a tip-off.

In total, 50kg of tea powder was seized. Name of the brand mentioned in the box was Amoha. It was also mentioned that the tea powder was manufactured in Singanallur in Coimbatore. The seized powder was worth Rs 20,000.

FDA begins drive to check food stalls at public places

With a view to set up 'Clean Street Food Hubs' to provide safe food, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has begun inspection of food stalls located at Girgaum, Chowpatty and Juhu in Mumbai and also food stalls in public places in Pune and Nagpur.

The stall owners have been asked to take precaution of using only pure and potable water for preparing food and for serving to customers. They have been asked to clean the drums, in which water is stored, every day so that the bacteria germs like E Coli do not get accumulated. E Coli leads to intestinal infection, including diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fever and even kidney failure.

“In the street food vending initiative, FDA will be the first one to fill up gaps where there is a lack of good facilities. The problems that come in the way of maintaining good hygiene include non-potable water, cleanliness of the place, and waste disposal. We are checking even whether these stalls have proper drainage system so that the water does not get stagnated near the stall, FDA Joint Commissioner Shailesh Adhav told 'The Afternoon D&C' and added that these stall owners have been given training about food safety measures. The FDA is also in the process of procuring two food testing labs, at a cost of Rs 10 crore each. Besides Girgaum Chowpatty and Juhu in Mumbai, 'Clean Street Food Hubs' will be set up at Sarasbaug in Pune and at Phutala talao in Nagpur.

Even private food technologists, have come forward to assist us”.

“The road side eateries will also be brought under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and an awareness will be created among vendors to ensure that they take all precautions right from selection of hygienic ingredients while preparing food articles. Most of the states have already began spreading the message of 'health food'. Similarly, Maharashtra too will spread out this message across the state, including villages”.

In a related development BMC’s hydraulic engineer department drew 3086 water samples from 24 wards. Of these 53 samples were found unfit for human consumption and in 14 cases water was found containing E Coli. In all BMC has identified 174 water sampling spots in slum and non-slum areas, each.

As per the agreement between Maharashtra FDA and Coca-Cola, nearly 1,200 street food vendors in Pune were recently given training on the aspect of safe and nutritious food, enabling them to improve the quality of their offering.

This initiative was a part of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Coca-Cola to train 50,000 street food vendors across India over next three years under the project ‘Clean Street Food. As part of this initiative, Coca-Cola India, is closely working with FDA in upgrading the eating out experience for the local populace.

Also, a machinery for fortification of food, including milk, maida, salt, vitamins etc., will be set up in the state. The food fortification or enrichment is the process of adding micro-nutrients to food. Although generally it is a purely commercial choice to provide extra nutrients in a food, basically it is a public health policy which aims to reduce the number of people with dietary deficiencies.

The FDA has also began a drive to register and issue licenses for vendors. They include fruit, vegetable, coconut water vendors, egg, chicken, meat and fish sellers, panipuri sellers, soda, wine and beer shops, canteens in school, colleges and other public places, hotels, and restaurants to name a few. So far, over one lakh local market shopkeepers and vendors have a food safety registration or license.

Food sellers who have a turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh need to have a compulsory food license. If the turnover is less than Rs 12 lakh, they need to register with FDA. As per the Section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, if the food vendor does not register, he can be punished for six months in jail and pay Rs 5 lakh in fine.

Manufacturers and distributors too are supposed to sell food products only to those who have registration or license. If they sell food products to vendors who are not registered, they can be fined up to Rs 2 lakh.

“We have served notices on vendors and shopkeepers. They will be given some time. Even after that, if they fail to have a license, we will take strict action against erring vendors” Adhav said.

Groundwater in 5 dists contaminated

Storm in tea cup settled

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Health Secretary Preeti Sudan gets interim charge of FSSAI chief

Health Secretary Preeti Sudan was today given interim charge of chairperson, Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), an official order said.

Sudan is a 1983 batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved entrustment of the interim charge of the FSSAI chairperson to Preeti Sudan, the Secretary, Department of Heath and Family Welfare, with effect from July 28, 2018, the order said.

‘Tolerance limits’ to be fixed by food regulator for presence of antibiotics in animal, foods

NEW DELHI: Worried about consuming antibiotics through eggs, meat or milk? You may breathe a sigh of relief. The food regulator has decided to curb use of antibiotics and veterinary drugs to ensure safety of animal products such as processed meat, meat products, poultry and eggs, sea foods and milk.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will soon fix "tolerance limits" for presence of antibiotics in such food items. FSSAI has made changes to the existing Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011. The amendments are likely to be notified by end of this week, official sources said.

The proposed regulations will also require vets and animal owners to ensure that any animal products they produce are drug-free before they can be used as food. The new regulations would also mean enforcement of drug withdrawal period before treated animals, eggs or milk are used for consumption as food. This allows time for the drugs to completely leave the animal’s system, an official said.

Once the new regulation is in place, FSSAI will do surprise inspections and random sampling to check all such products available in the market do not contain antibiotic residues beyond the permissible limit.

The move comes in the wake of concerns related to presence of antibiotics in such animal foods. While India has been under severe international pressure, overuse of antibiotics in food-producing animals is often blamed for the increase in super bugs.

“Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem and animal products are a major source of it. We want to ensure that no contaminated food products are able to enter the food supply,” FSSAI chief executive Pawan Kumar Agarwal told TOI.

Antibiotics are given to farm animals like cows, pigs and poultry for primarily two reasons – either to treat infections and prevent an illness from spreading or to promote their extra growth. Low doses of antibiotics are mixed with fodder for greater production of meat or milk in a shorter period of time. These low doses may also reduce death rates and improve reproduction.

While resistant bacteria can be passed from food-producing animals to humans, anti-microbial resistance threatens the effective prevention and treatment of an ever-increasing range of infectious diseases like tuberculosis, malaria, urinary tract infection (UTI) and even HIV.

The government has already initiated several measures to contain misuse of antibiotics in humans. For instance, the campaign — ‘Medicines with the Red Line’— which involves packs of certain medicines carrying a ‘red line’ to differentiate them from other drugs and discouraging unnecessary prescription.

Still many antibiotics including some unapproved ones are regularly sold over the counter in India. India is one of the five BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) that accounted for three quarters of the 36% rise in worldwide antibiotic consumption between 2000 and 2010, according to a 2016 study. That study also found that in the BRICS countries 23% of the increase in retail sales volume of antibiotics was attributable to India.

Gold jewellery worth Rs 9.4 lakh looted from Madurai food safety official’s home

CHENNAI: Unidentified people broke into a house of an official in the food safety department and decamped with gold jewellery worth Rs 9.4 lakh.

The incident took place when the official -- G Baskaran from Vilangudi -- went to Courtrallam with his family members. The house is located in Demcy Colony at Vilangudi.

Baskaran and family members left the city on Sunday and returned on Monday evening. They found the doors of the house open and alerted the police. 

Police said the burglars had gained entry into the house by breaking open the front gate and main door.

The Koodalpudur police registered a case.

Banned tobacco products worth Rs 70L seized, 4 held

Madurai: A special police team seized banned tobacco products worth Rs 70 lakh and arrested four people in this connection from Madurai on Tuesday. The total estimated weight of the contrabands is more than four tonnes.

The arrested are Ravindran, of K Pudur, his worker Muthupandi, Vairavasamy, from HMS colony and Ashok Kumar Jain from Mela Masi Street. Police said the banned products were found piled up in 306 bags in a godown in Sundararajanpatti, in the Appan Thirupathi police limit.

On receiving tip-off, police carried out a raid on a godown and nabbed Ravindran and Muthupandi. Further investigation into the incident led to the arrests of Vairavasamy and Ashok Kumar. Police, who speculate that there could be a network in operation, have registered a case and begun an investigation.

Three four-wheelers used for products distribution and an amount of Rs 2.40 lakh were confiscated. Police said they have raided two more spots and seized banned tobacco products from there following an intelligence input.

The products were shifted to Appan Thirupathi police station on three trucks. A police officer said that the contrabands were found to have been procured from Bangalore and were distributed across southern Tamil Nadu.

With both police and food safety officials toughening action against sale of banned tobacco, the prices of the tobacco products have doubled and even tripled in retail sector. It was only recently that the city police have seized banned tobacco products from a godown in Sellur. Around 1450 kgs of contrabands were seized by the police team led by Sellur station inspector then.

Illegal unit closed, 1 tonne adulterated ghee seized

Madurai: Close on the heels of acting against adulterated oil unit, food safety officials seized adulterated ghee weighing around 1 tonne and closed the illegal unit in the city. The worth of the seized ghee is estimated to be at least Rs 2 lakh. Officials said that the unit which has been functioning for several months would have sold adulterated ghee weighing hundreds of tonnes.

In the oil unit, which was unearthed last month at Chinthamani, over 10 tonnes of oil was seized. It was found that flavour mixed palm oil was sold as ground nut and gingelly oil at a higher price.

A team of officials led by designated officer for food safety Dr M Somasundram conducted a check in the illegal ghee manufacturing unit, functioning at a complex in Iravathanallur on Ramanathapuram road. “Samples have been lifted and sent for lab testing. Severe action would be taken against the proprietor. If proven, the offence can attract fine amount and even jail sentence up to six months,” Somasundaram said.

Three large containers of adulterated ghee and boxes of ghee cans which were ready for market have been seized. “We found the product in the market. Inquiries led us to the unit. We suspect that many such units may function in the city as well as rural areas. The crackdown against such units would be conducted,” Somasundaram said.

Officials said that rejected packets of vanaspathi procured from the production units were mixed with oil to bring it to the consistency of ghee. The mixture was added with flavour and colours to make it smell and look like ghee. The officials could not find much of ghee in the unit.

“We found a large number of containers of oil and vanaspathi. The unit has been functioning stealthy without even a board,” said the designated officer.

Officials said that the maximum retail price of the ghee was printed as Rs 600 per kgs, even as Aavin ghee is sold at only Rs 460. They had printed sticker rolls with addresses mentioned in Tirupur and Erode. They had packing rolls with different brand names as well. The units had two machines, both worth Rs 3 lakh. They were used for packing. The unit was also manufacturing adulterated coconut oil and other edible oils, said the officials.

Vigilance and Enforcement, food safety departments seize 500 kg spurious tea powder

After receiving complaints about the poor quality tea powder being sold at shop number 283 of the wholesale market, a team of officials inspected the shop’s stock.

VIJAYAWADA: Sleuths of Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) carried out joint raids on grocery shops at Gollapudi Wholesale market at Gollapudi village near Vijayawada on Tuesday and found some traders resorting to adulteration.

After receiving complaints about the poor quality tea powder being sold at shop number 283 of the wholesale market, a team of officials inspected the shop’s stock and found that the trader was adulterating tea powder and selling it at a higher price than normal.

Regional Vigilance and Enforcement officer (RVEO), V Harshavardan, also inspected the shop along with the officials and said the accused trader was mixing harmful dyes and artificial colours to give the tea powder ‘a rich look’ before selling it to customers. Officials seized 500 kg of tea powder from his shop and sent a sample of it to a laboratory.

“The accused trader was adulterating the tea powder by adding artificial colour to it to make it look fresh.We also found something wrong with the packing,” he said.

The officials said that the licence of the trader was cancelled. “It is learnt that the accused trader is also supplying adulterated tea powder to tea stalls and to other mandals. If proved guilty, he will be awarded ten years in jail and a fine of `10 lakh will be imposed on him.”

Vigilance, food safety officials raid tea powder units

Close watch:Officials during the raid on a tea powder shop in Vijayawada on Tuesday. 

Samples sent for lab test on suspected adulteration

Officials of the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted raids on tea powder manufacturing units in the Gollapudi Market Complex on the BRTS Road and other locations here on Tuesday.

They seized the samples and sent them for laboratory following allegations of adulteration.

“Ch. Suman Kumar, who is running Suvarchala Traders, is sourcing the raw material from Guwahati, Ooty, and other places. His shop has no valid licence,” said Vigilance DSP R. Vijay Paul.

The team, comprising Regional Vigilance and Enforcement Officer V. Harshavardhan Raju, Assistant Food Controller N. Purnachander Rao, and Mr. Vijay Paul, seized about 500 kg tea powder worth about Rs. 1 lakh.

“We are verifying the licence, packing permission, and the ingredients used. It is suspected that some colour is being used in the tea powder against norms,” the authorities said.

Further action would be taken on receipt of the lab reports, said Mr. Raju.

Stale food seized from busy outlets in Kasaragod

Seized items include frozen mango juice and chapathis

The inspection carried out by the municipal officials here on Tuesday recovered stale and rotten food items from 13 of the 17 outlets in various parts of the town.

The operation, thus, exposed the lack of teeth in the regular exercise to check food security. The raid carried out by a four-member team of the municipality’s Health officials, assisted by the curious local people, found that the usually busy outlets dotted at Thalangara, Bank Road, Pallam, KSRTC deport, and old bus station premises in the town were supplying stale food articles to the customers visiting the town, Health Inspector K.V. Rajeevan, who led the search operations, said.

The seized stale items like frozen mango juices, chapathis, porotta, and chicken and beef delicacies kept in refrigerators for days to minimise losses. The outlet operators are usually let off after imposing fine amount in the range of Rs. 3,000 and above.

The official also found that the outlets were found to be by and large relying on over-used edible oils to prepare fried food items and snacks.

“We are not empowered to send such stale food items for laboratory examinations, as such works could be done only by the food safety officials,” the Health official said, adding enhanced public awareness alone could arrest such illegal business practices.