Caterpillar found in food served at university canteen

Vadodara: After pictures of a caterpillar being found in vegetable curry at the mess of the Sarojini Devi Hall of the girls’ hostel campus of the MS University (MSU) went viral, teams of food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) cracked down on the canteens and messes in the hostel campus. 

The teams destroyed a whopping 190kg material found unfit for consumption and the conditions in all the messes were found unhygienic.

The photograph that had gone viral on Tuesday following which the VMC commissioner instructed the food safety officers of VMC to swing into action. The food safety department formed two teams that checked messes in both the boys and girls hostel campuses of the MSU. 

In all, 10 messes were checked by the officers. The conditions in all 10 were found to be unhygienic and notices were issued to them under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

A major row was raked up after a student staying in the Sarojini Devi Hall posted pictures of the vegetable curry with caterpillar on Facebook and it was also circulated widely on the WhatsApp. Following this, VMC officials checked six messes in the boys hostel campus and four in the girls hostel campus.

The food items that were found unfit for consumption included vegetables and vegetable preparations, spices, edible oil, snacks, sweets, food colours and sauce. Besides destroying 190kg such material, the teams also collected nine samples of food and ingredients that were sent to the laboratory for testing.

The officials also met wardens of the hostels and other staffers and instructed them to maintain hygienic conditions. It was only after this that the MSU officials swung into action and shut down the Sarojini Devi Hall mess. The contractor of the mess was also blacklisted.

MSU vice chancellor Professor Parimal Vyas said that the mess was sealed. “Some vegetables were not of good quality. We will be imparting training to those managing and working at the messes. VMC officials will also be involved in the process,” he said.

CMO Wokha on obtaining FSS license

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Wokha Dr. Robin Lotha has notified consumers and food business establishments that as per the provision laid under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules 2011, a final notification has been sent to all the businesses operating in the district to obtain the FSS License or register their food business establishments (Food Manufacture, Distributor, Stockiest, Agencies, Departmental, Supplies, Whole-seller, Retailers, Hotels etc.) from the office of the Designated Officers (Chief Medical) on or before September 15.

Operating Food Business without the FSS License or registration will attract up to five lakh rupees in fines and imprisonment of up to six months under section 63 of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

WB: “Fungus Infected Food, Cockroach Encroachment Found In Restaurants” Says IAS Officer Making Sure Of Food Safety

Just a few months back, there were several reports of rotten meat being sold in West Bengal. A 2011-batch Indian Administrative Service officer, Nikhil Nirmal, who was recently appointed the District Magistrate (DM) of Alipurduar, West Bengal is making sure that there are better hygiene and food safety measures in his district.

In 2014, Alipurduar was given the status of a separate district after bifurcating from itself parental district Jalpaiguri. Alipurduar is four hours drive (200 Km) away from Jalpaiguri district. Alipurduar’s DM, Nikhil took the job in June 2017. As soon as he was appointed as the DM, he made sure that his district has better food and safety measures as it is the “most basic need”.

“It is not just West Bengal who do not follow proper guidelines for food safety as a public health issue. Most states in India are reeling through the same problem. This issue should properly be taken care of, as it is one of the basics for a healthy life,” says Nikhil, speaking to The Logical Indian. According to a report, Subhash Dutta, environmental activist and lawyer said “West Bengal is a paradise of adulteration and hell as far as checks of food safety are concerned.

He told us that, the Food Inspector (FI) of Jalpaiguri district takes care of the inspection in both the areas since the post of Food Inspector under the Alipurduar Municipality is vacant. “As Alipurduar is quite far from Jalpaiguri, the inspector would rarely come for any inspections here. When I noticed this, I asked the FI to come for inspection every week, and now he visits the district every Wednesday,” he said.

This measure was not enough for the officer, who recently lost one of his close friends due to food poisoning after eating in a restaurant in his hometown Kochi, Kerala.

The First raid

“On July 11, I mentioned poor food safety conditions in my district during an administrative meeting where Kolkata Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also present. In the meeting, the CM did emphasise on the need for food safety measures in the state. Very soon after that, I gave the orders for the raids to be conducted in the district to check if eatery shops are following the proper guidelines or not,” said Nikhil (31).

Two weeks after the meeting with the CM, the first raid was conducted in Alipurduar. “With a team of officials, we also took videographers to take the videographic evidence of these shops. When we went to many restaurants in the markets, we found out that these shops did not have the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence with them, which is mandatory for anyone who is manufacturing food and selling it,” he said. According to the officer, three restaurants were shut down after the raid.

No FSSAI licence

“As Alipurduar is a small district, many of these restaurants owners do not know how to get an FSSAI licence and why it is important, so I decided to organise an awareness camp for the people to understand the need of it,” he added.

The camp was organised where food merchants were educated about the importance of health and hygiene. They were also asked to fill out an online form to get FSSAI credentials.

“I assume that getting an FSSAI license is important, but it is a bit lengthy and technical process to ensure that restaurant owner and the sweet shop owners from where a lot of people consume food should immediately take proper health and hygiene measures,” said the 31-year-old.

Considering the urgency of the situation, the officer ordered for the second round of raid in the district. This time the motive of the inspection was to check if these places have a sanitary condition to eat or not.

The second raid

“During the raid, we found out fungus infected food kept in these kitchens. In most of these shops, food was being cooked, but the cooks were not wearing gloves, apron and headgear. The same cooking oil was being used multiple times, which is also an unhealthy practice. There was cockroach encroachment in the kitchens too,” he added.

This time four shops were sealed off. Out of the four, three were renowned sweet shops in the area and one was a restaurant where most middle-class people would go to eat, told the officer. When we asked him, what are the proper guidelines that should be followed by restaurants for standard food safety he said that many rules are to be followed by any shop that is selling food items. First is an FSSAI licence, the regular pest control should be down, and the owner should have a pest control licence. Proper gear should be used while cooking. Kerosene oil is strictly not allowed to be used. Utensils for serving food should be replaced every year and a few more.

The officer also told us that a special task force has also been constituted to ensure proper check and the task force will also take care of awareness of the people. “After the raids, we have received more than 300 applications for FSSAI. Till now there is a good response from the people. We have got an affidavit signed from few of the sealed shoppes, that they will follow the standard protocol now,” said Nikhil Nirmal. He further says that how in many foreign countries, there is a food safety rating board outside restaurants and India should also adopt something similar.

Talking about the West Bengal food safety measures, Nikhil said because many administrative places are vacant in the state, there is a lack of scrutiny. According to the Indian Express, West Bengal is among several states in the country plagued by a shortage of food safety officers. Food safety officers from FSSAI said that the requirement was to have 180 safety officers in Bengal, but at present, there are only 42 officers.

Direction of regarding permission for use of ethephon for artificial ripening of fruits

Guidance Note: Artificial Ripening of Fruits

FSSAI gets Centre’s nod to create 493 additional posts

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 15

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has got approval from the government for creating 493 additional posts in various functions. The move will enable the authority to increase its headcount from the current 356 employees.

Late last year, the CAG had pulled up the Health Ministry and FSSAI for not framing recruitment regulations even after a decade of the enactment of the FSS Act resulting in acute shortage of staff at various levels.

In a statement, FSSAI said the Health Ministry has issued orders for creating 493 additional posts for the Authority. “A large majority of the newly created posts are for technical functions, particularly at the cutting edge, that of Technical Officers (255 posts) and Assistant Director Technical (60 posts), where the staff shortage is particularly acute. In addition, 74 new posts of Central Food Safety Officers have been created.” FSSAI said the move will reduce its dependence on States for conducting food safety inspections and enable enforcing Central licensees directly.

The food safety regulator will also create posts in new functional areas such as social and behaviours change communication, training and capacity building and new technologies, it added.

Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, said with increased staff and resources, FSSAI would be able to discharge its responsibilities more effectively and would also be able to attract a diverse talent pool with special skill-sets required for its activities.

Globally, food safety regulatory agencies are known to be operating with a much bigger workforce. For instance, in the US, USFDA AND FDA has a combined staff of 14,200 people. Officials said compared to these numbers and international benchmarks, India still has a much smaller workforce deployed in the field of food safety.

However, officials added that on its part, FSSAI is working on a unique model of partnerships with all stakeholders to evolve a low-cost regulatory system that strongly leverages on latest technologies.

GOVT SANCTIONS 500 POSTS FOR FSSAI

With food regulator FSSAI facing manpower shortage, the government has sanctioned an additional 493 posts for the authority to discharge its responsibility effectively for ensuring safe and nutritious food to people.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which currently has 356 sanctioned posts, will now be able to conduct food safety inspections, besides law enforcement for central licensees directly instead of being fully dependent on the states.

Ministry of Health and Family has issued orders to create 493 additional posts for the authority, the FSSAI said in a statement. It has been functioning with merely 356 sanctioned posts and most of its staff is on short-term contract or on deputation.

With increased staff and resources, he said the FSSAI will be able to discharge its responsibility more effectively so as to inspire trust and assure safe and nutrition food for all citizens.

By more than doubling the staff strength of FSSAI, the Centre has addressed one of the key concerns raised by the CAG in its performance report of FSSAI and also by the Parliamentary Standing Committee in its latest report, the statement said.

"A large majority of the newly created posts are for technical functions, particularly at the cutting edge, that of Technical Officers (255 posts) and Assistant Director Technical (60 posts), where the staff shortage is particularly acute," the statement said.

City steps up drive against sale of illegal meat

Chennai: The city corporation has intensified the crackdown on the sale of unauthorized and unwholesome meat from meat shops, seizing 1,082kg of such meat from April to June. Last year, the civic body seized 6,200kg of such meat.

But, the sale of such met continues in areas like Pudupet and Chintadripet where it is mostly sourced from other states, say officials.

Data from the civic body as well as from the food safety department shows that shops in the Royapuram zone remain notorious for selling unwholesome meat and that not cut in authorized slaughterhouses.

From April 2017 to March 2018, Royapuram and Teynampet accounted for the most quantity of such meat, with 1,955kg being seized from Royapuram alone.

“While all seized meat is not rotten, we find it has not been cut at authorized corporation slaughterhouses, where a veterinarian is present through the morning hours for ante-mortem of the animal being slaughtered. Only during such inspections, we know the meat is safe for human consumption,” said a corporation official.

Most of the unwholesome meat seized is from around Egmore and Central stations, besides Chintadripet and Sowcarpet, said sources.

“A visit found that most of such meat gets cut inside homes or is sourced from states like Andhra Pradesh. In several instances, meat was found ferried in buses, trains, and even private vehicles,” officials told TOI. “The problem with meat being sold from unauthorized slaughtering is we can’t find if the animal was already dead or what the animal is. The ice used for ferrying meat from other states keeps it good for a few hours, but it rots after an overnight journey. During raids, we also seized several packets of flavour enhancers used to mask smell of rotten meat,” said a food safety department official, saying the serious problem stemmed from the lack of enough slaughterhouses.

Greater Chennai Corporation currently has slaughterhouses in Kallikuppam, Villivakkam , Saidapet, and Permabur. The official added that while sellers of such meat are fined, it is essential to make sale of such meat a criminal offence. “We need corporation’s cooperation in charging these offenders under IPC,” he said.

Sanitary inspectors suggest that the revenue department order closure of units found repeatedly illegally selling such meat.

However practical reasons dominate the unauthorized slaughter of animals, say traders. “It happens early and is wrapped up before 9am. We need to sell meat through the day, and it is not possible for meat to remain wholesome if it is cut in the morning. For these reasons, we slaughter animals ourselves,” said a trader, requesting anonymity.

Corporation sources said they planned to set up a slaughterhouse in the Thiruvottriyur zone, and one in Perungudi or Sholinganallur.

Fines imposed on traders for food adulteration

GUWAHATI: The Kamrup (Metro) district administration has imposed heavy fines, the total collection amounting to Rs 8 lakh, on traders found guilty of indulging in food adulteration. 

ADC Prasanta Pratim Kathkotia, who carried out a number of raids in the Fancy Bazaar area, said at least 82 cases have been registered against traders who were cheating buyers by selling food products of low quality. Kathkotia said similar raids will be carried out in other city markets.

"Prakash Kabra, a mustard oil trader in Fancy Bazaar, was fined Rs 1 lakh. Dulal Mandal, a food business operator in Fancy Bazaar as well as the Bimal Oils and Foods Limited have been fined Rs 1.4 lakh each for selling oil of low quality," said a statement issued from the DC office. Ambaji Food Products Limited of Ranchi has also been fined Rs 1.25 lakh for distributing food items of poor quality.

Pointing out that food adulteration is a crime under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, deputy commissioner Virendra Mittal has asked the officials to intensify their operations.

Corrupt fruit vendors are not being spared either with a trader from the Narengi area being fined Rs 20,000 for ripening bananas using carbide.

Officials of the district administration and food inspectors had destroyed around 12.5 quintals of mangoes after these were found to be ripened using chemicals in a market in Fancy Bazaar a few weeks ago. The market value of the damaged mangoes is reportedly more than Rs 62,000.

MPs’ panel raps FSSAI over lax enforcement of food safety laws

The panel observed that the quality of food is deteriorating and use of contaminants is increasing

The incidence of ADD and food poisoning was high in places where food is cooked in bulk, such as canteens, hotels and weddings.

New Delhi: In a scathing report, a parliamentary panel has rapped the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over weak enforcement of food safety laws, leading to “rampant food adulteration” by manufacturers and producers. The report by the standing committee on health and family welfare, presented to the Rajya Sabha last week, recommended the restructuring of the FSSAI— an autonomous body under the health ministry.

The panel observed that the quality of food is deteriorating and use of contaminants is increasing. Milk and food items that were safe previously were no longer safe because of adulteration, while there has been a tremendous increase in the use of hazardous chemicals for artificial ripening of fruits and vegetables.

The implementation and enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 rests primarily with state and Union territory governments, for which regular surveillance, monitoring and inspection is required to be undertaken by them.

“The Committee however notes that many states do not have a separate food safety department. Food adulteration, lack of quality checks, misleading labelling, sale of defective food products etc. that have become the norm these days are primarily an offshoot of absence of a dedicated and robust food safety apparatus at the State level,” the report said.

“The policies and the existing food laws are inadequate and are weakly enforced. This poor implementation of the Food Law has resulted in rampant food adulteration and various food scandals. Substandard quality food has been reaching the market and causing irreparable damage to public health,” the report said.

With staff drawn from states, the committee said FSSAI cannot function at its optimum level without employing technical persons as permanent staff. It recommended that FSSAI be restructured and people with domain knowledge and expertise in food hired to run it.

“Food safety is a specialized job and FSSAI being a science based organization should be equipped with proper tools and capabilities and headed by someone with the requisite technical acumen and appropriate expertise to address the challenging task of food regulation for a country like India,” the report said.

“Engaging manpower with technical skill and competence, therefore, becomes imperative for effective rendering of important mandate given to FSSAI. The Committee is of the opinion that the regulatory body should be run by experts or scientists in the food sector with bureaucratic support,” it said.

The parliamentary panel also highlighted that the health ministry’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP) has indicated that food poisoning was one of the commonest outbreaks reported in 2017 apart from acute diarrhoeal disease (ADD). The data suggest that 312 of the 1649 outbreaks reported till the third week of December, 2017 were due to ADD and 242 were due to food poisoning. The incidence of ADD and food poisoning was high in places where food is cooked in bulk, such as canteens, hotels and weddings.

Why the credibility of FSSAI is key to promoting biotech in India

The food standard regulator has so far not assessed the safety of even one GM food and neither does it have a set procedure to assess safety.

Why the credibility of FSSAI is key to promoting biotech in India

Recently, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released a laboratory study that found that one-third of the processed food samples it tested had genetically modified organism (GMO) genes. GM-positive products included infant food, edible oil and packaged food snacks. About 80% of the GM-positive products were imported from the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Thailand etc.

The law in India strictly prohibits the import, export, manufacture, use or sale of GM organisms/products without approval of regulatory agencies like the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). None of the products found GM-positive in the CSE study were approved by the regulators and were, hence, illegally sold. In addition, most of the products failed to mention use of GM ingredients anywhere on their labels, which is required by the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules 2011 of the ministry of consumer affairs. All in all, the companies selling these GM products were flouting the laws of the country. CSE’s simple recommendation is that the law of the land be implemented. The existing law explicitly states that GM products can be sold in the market, but only after an approval process that includes scientific assessment of their safety to the health and environment. The law also requires that packaged food made from GM crops clearly display ‘GM’ on the package as consumers have the ‘right to know’ what they are eating.

The simple demand to implement the law led to a fierce debate on the pros and cons of GM food. While the anti-GM group demanded action against companies, the pro-GM group issued a fascinating exposition to proclaim that the law itself is a problem. In all these, the FSSAI came across in a bad light. Let’s first look at the response of the pro-GM group. Swaminathan Aiyar published an opinion piece on August 1, 2018, in The Economic Times (bit.ly/2MgqSg3), where he blamed CSE for ‘unscientific falsehood’. He wrote that we should not bother about ‘sundry rules and laws’ flouted by companies as these GM regulations are an outcome of ‘unscientific scaremongering’. Mr. Aiyar went on to vouch for the safety of GM food by stating that Indians have been eating GM oil and Vanaspati for long without any evidence of ill effects. He further provided ‘hard proof’ by stating that millions of Indian tourists to the US eat GM food, but are unaffected.

In a similar vein, an editorial published on August 2, 2018, in the Business Standard (bit.ly/2MFSCXI) vouched for the safety of GM food by stating that the illegality happening in India is ‘the most reassuring evidence of safety of GM products’. It stated, ‘Many farmers grow Bt-cotton most carelessly without observing the recommended safety measures. The GM foods are also being consumed, even if unknowingly, as revealed by the CSE report. Yet, hardly any deleterious fallout has been observed until now’. Both the aforementioned pieces implored the government to approve new GM crops. I am not going to comment on whether the government should approve or reject the demand for new GM crops; approval or rejection should be made on the basis of hard scientific data and open public discussion. What I am going to comment on is how the unscientific logic of the pro-GM lobby is harming the development of biotechnology.

There is now a scientific consensus that eating GM food today will not make people sick tomorrow; the health impacts of GM food can be chronic and, in many cases, uncertain. The only way to establish the safety of GM food is by conducting long-term health studies. Unfortunately, while India has allowed cultivation of GM cotton and there is a clamour to allow more crops based on data submitted by companies, no long-term health study has been commissioned so far. My advice to the pro-GM lobby is that, instead of putting out arguments like ‘Indian tourists not getting affected’ or ‘farmers are growing GM crops carelessly’, they should seriously ask the government to do some health studies so that consumers can gain confidence. Company-sponsored data is not going to help the matter as companies such as Monsanto have been found to ghostwrite their own safety reviews. Recently, Monsanto was fined $289 million in California because its herbicide, glyphosate, was indicted for causing cancer. The jury found that Monsanto knew about the dangers of this weedkiller but failed to warn consumers.

Likewise, every country in the world, including the United States—the Mecca of GM food—has laws to assess the safety of GM crops and foods. By pooh-poohing GM regulations, the pro-GM lobby is actually creating deep doubts in the minds of people. If GM food is safe, companies should be encouraged to follow the law and put all information in the public domain. So, my advice is that, instead of questioning the law, GM supporters should advocate that the law is implemented in an impartial manner. Unfortunately, the currently GM debate has put a big question mark on the impartiality of FSSAI.

In an interview published on August 9, 2018, in this newspaper (bit.ly/2OowPV2), FSSAI CEO, Pawan Kumar Agarwal, stated, “There is a regulatory vacuum as far as GM food is concerned”. He went on to add that GM food would be properly regulated in the country once FSSAI came out with the new law. With this answer, he shrugged off the responsibility of the FSSAI to take action against companies for the illegality. He further stated, “The view of the food authority is, based on scientific evidence across the world, that there is no verifiable health impact of GM food vis-à-vis conventional food on humans”.

These views of Mr. Agarwal have hurt the credibility of FSSAI.

It is true that the FSSAI has so far not come out with regulations of GM food. But it is equally true that this doesn’t stop it from taking action against companies. The Union health minister, JP Nadda, made this clear in his answer in the Lok Sabha in February, 2018. He stated, ‘No standards for GM foods have been laid down/notified by the FSSAI. However, even in the absence of specific standards for GM foods, as per Section 22 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, GM foods are not allowed to be manufactured, imported or sold in the country”. So, the ‘regulatory vacuum’ that Mr. Agarwal stated can’t be an excuse for the FSSAI not to take action against illegality. Similarly, there is no basis for Mr. Agarwal to state that, “there is no verifiable health impact of GM food vis-à-vis conventional food on humans”. The FSSAI has so far not assessed the safety of even one GM food. In fact, it does not even have a set procedure to assess safety. By making an unsubstantiated claim, Mr. Agarwal has put doubts in the minds of people about the impartiality of FSSAI vis-à-vis GM food.

The bottom line is that if the regulators are suspect, we will never be able to use modern biotechnology for the benefit of all. Our regulators don’t have to be haters or lovers of GM food—they are supposed to use the best scientific knowledge and implement the law. This is the least that the citizenry expects.

The writer is a Deputy director general, CSE.

Action against illegal Genetically Modified foods sought

IFSF said it was not satisfied with the inadequate responses of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on the matter of “hazardous” GM foods flooding Indian markets illegally.

Protesting activists demand removal of genetically modified food products from markets outside the FSSAI office in Bengaluru on Monday

BENGALURU: A citizens’ delegation of India For Safe Food (IFSF) on Monday approached the Karnataka Food Safety Commissioner demanding the removal of unapproved Genetically Modified (GM) foods from the market and for penal action to be initiated against violators of laws that regulate GM foods in India.

IFSF said it was not satisfied with the inadequate responses of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on the matter of “hazardous” GM foods flooding Indian markets illegally.

This follows Centre for Science and Environment’s findings that 32% of the food samples it tested were GM positive.

“FSSAI CEO’s statements in this regard are a matter of great concern. Denial of adverse health impacts of GM foods by the food safety regulator does not bode well, and it does not inspire citizen confidence in FSSAI,” IFSF said in a statement. “Further, FSSAI is refusing to implement the legal provisions contained in the Food Safety and Standards Act-2006 when confronted with unapproved and potentially hazardous foods that are being sold. In fact, the 2006 Act calls for action from FSSAI if there is violation of other laws too. However, the CEO gave no assurance to the citizen delegation that met him on August 7 in Delhi.”

IFSF, citing scientific studies, said GM foods are known to cause various health problems, like allergies, organ damage, adverse impacts on growth and development, reproductive health problems, immune system disorders and even cancerous growth, and attributed it to the use of deadly chemicals in GM crop production, including of glyphosate and glufosinate.

Kavitha Kuruganti of the Coalition for a GM-Free India said, “Whose interests is FSSAI protecting by not ordering removal of such unapproved hazardous GM foods from the market?” Sehar Iqbal of Greenpeace India, said, “GM foods have crept into our plates and we have no idea about it! This kind of mass deception is unacceptable and illegal. How safe are we or our children? It’s time that our authorities get their act together and answer some inconvenient questions.”

However, Dr Harshvardhan B, Special Squad, FSSAI Karnataka, told The New Indain Express, “Food Safety Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey has called for a meeting in this regard on August 18. The FSSAI Act does not mention anything about GM Food, so we need guidelines from Delhi to act on it. We don’t know how to identify them and take them off the shelves, so we need to know if they are operating under any specific brand names so that we can take action.”

Bangaluru activisit protests aginst GM Food, Food Safety Commissioner promises action

The protests came after a report by the Centre for Science and Environment found that 32% of the food samples it tested were GM-positive.

Armed with placards, activists in Bengaluru protested in multiple locations against the introduction of genetically modified (GM) foods into the market on Monday. Activists also met Karnataka Food Commissioner and Head of Civil Supplies department Pankaj Kumar Pandey and highlight GM foods, and he reportedly agreed to look into the matter.

Among these activists was Kavitha Kuruganti from the Coalition for a GM-Free India. “He agreed that GM foods have not been concluded to be safe, and that it is known that there are no good effects. He has promised to look into the matter of prohibiting such foods from Karnataka, at least. Using the authority vested in the State Food Commissioner as per the Food Safety & Standards Act 2006, and he will now organise a meeting on the 18th of August with his officials to take a decision in this matter,” she said.

Kavitha said that similar demonstrations by activists will be carried out in other cities such as Chennai, Hyderabad and Chandigarh until the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) makes its stand clear on the issue.

The protests came after a report was published by the Centre for Science and Environment at the end of July, which found that 32% of the food samples it tested were GM-positive. Following the report, many activists had asked FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal to stop the sale of these products. Some of them even met Pawan Kumar in early August, but that meeting was not fruitful.

“In the name of a regulatory vacuum, the FSSAI cannot deny citizens their right to know what they are eating, their right to safe food and their right to informed choices. When the FSSAI admits in the Supreme Court that it has not permitted any GM foods to be sold in India, it follows logically that it has to implement the provisions of the Act which disallow GM foods and unsafe foods from being sold in the country. Whose interests is FSSAI protecting by not ordering the removal of such unapproved hazardous GM foods from the market?” Kavitha asked.

Similarly, activists also questioned the FSSAI’s lack of transparency.

“This kind of mass deception is unacceptable and illegal. How safe are we or our children? It’s time that our authorities get their act together and answer some inconvenient questions,” said Sehar Iqbal from Greenpeace India.

Food safety officials inspect dairies, eateries in Ahmedgarh

Mandi Ahmedgarh, August 14

Continuing their pursuit under the Tandarust Punjab Mission, officials of the food safety and dairy departments conducted inspection at eateries and dairies of the town and surrounding localities.

Besides sealing samples for testing purity of food items, the officials organised meetings with owners and staff of various eateries and give tips about storage and preservation of various perishable food items.

However, no case of adulteration or recovery of synthetic milk was reported during the inspection.

Officials led by deputy director, Dairy Department, Jaswinder Singh and food safety officer Divya Goswami said eateries and dairies supplying food items were inspected for ensuring safety and purity of various food items in the town.

Though some establishments at nearby villages in Sangrur district were raided for verification of reports about manufacturing of synthetic milk and adulterated milk products, no evidence of the illegal act was found from the spots visited by the officials.

Showing satisfaction over the standard of cleanliness and hygienic environment, Jaswinder Singh and Goswami said minor discrepancies due to lack of knowledge about food safety were taken a lenient view.

“A majority of dairy owners and milkmen did not know that stainless steel was the ideal alloy for manufacturing containers and tanks for milk and milk products. We have now cautioned all dairy owners against use of plastic and chemically active metals for manufacturing milk,” said Jaswinder Singh, appreciating that some of the dairy owners had already started using stainless steel containers.

The officials said legal action against the violators of the law would be initiated if samples of food were found to contain materials hazardous for human health.

After TOI report on careless bakers in city, Parikshan to organise training on food safety

Visakhapatnam: In an effort to enable those in the food business understand the need to implement hygiene standards during the manufacturing process, a food safety training and certification csourse (FOSTAC) will be organised for the first time in the city by Parikshan, a food formulation consultancy service. This comes after TOI recently reported on how most of the bakeries in the city flout legal metrology rules.

Stating that Parikshan as an organisation has been helping food establishments maintain food safety and hygiene standards across the country, Devika Koneru, head-operations, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana region, said, “Food Safety Supervisors (FSS) will train employees to implement and maintain good hygiene practices. He will also assist operators to conduct in-house supervision, correct irregularities detected and conduct food hygiene and safety training of food handlers in his organisations.”

Adding that every bakery unit should take assistance for labelling from authorised food safety organisations and comply to them, she added, “The course for bakery units will include legal conditions mandated in the law, reasons for food spoilage, experiments on adulteration, packaging and labelling requirement.”

As per the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodity) Rules 2011, 6 (D), the address of the manufacturer, net quantity of the product, maximum retail price, date of packing, ingredients and use by date should be mentioned on the products. Speaking to TOI, Vikas Pandey, state president, consumer rights organisation (CRO), said, “In a survey that was conducted recently in various areas of the city, it was found out that 93% of the local bakeries do not adhere to the rules regarding the need to mention basic details. Since health of consumers is a matter of serious concern, we will submit our survey results to the district administration and the Legal Metrology department. We will also submit a letter demanding strict action against those who do not abide by the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodity) Rules 2011.”

Over 16 lakh fine realized from erring business operators

SRINAGAR: The Commissionerate of Food Safety department during last three month have lifted 706 samples of different food articles for analytical purposes out of which 192 has been found not conforming the standards prescribed under Food Safety & standards Act, 2006 and accordingly precautions under different provision of FSS Act have been lodged in the competent courts of law. The violators of the different provisions of the Act have been imposed a fine of Rs. 16,74,400/= so far. With regard to the implementation of Cigarette & Other Tobacco Products Act, 247 people have been found smoking at Public Places and an amount of Rs.16470/= have been imposed as fine on the violators. 

The Commissionerate of food safety has placed seven mobile food testing vans (FOOD SAFETY ON WHEELS) in the state and so far about 359 samples of food have been tested in mobile food testing vans out which 22 have been found of not of standards quality and 39 food safety awareness programs have been conducted with the help of these Mobile Food Testing Vans for awareness of the general public as well as the Food Business Operators. 

The department issued four advisories for the awareness of consumers as well as Food Business Operators. The services of the Mobile Food Testing Vans were utilized during the current Shri Amarnathji Yatra-2018 for ensuring availability of safe and hygienic food to the pilgrims. During the recent yatra period 546 Dhabas, Restaurants and Tea Stalls etc, 546 langers and 157 other Food Business Establishments were inspected and 40 samples of different food articles were lifted for analytical purposes. 

These inspections were conducted via Baltal and Pahalgam Routes. The department conducted Induction Training of Food Safety Officers, two training programmes of all the regulatory officers on implementation of Food Safety Compliance through Regular Inspection and Sampling (FoSCoRIS) at Jammu and Srinagar in collaboration with Food Safety & standards Authority of India. The department has recently conducted Milk Quality Survey throughout the State in collaboration with Food Safety & Standards Authority of India and about 104 milk samples have been dispatched for testing at Gujrat through FASSI notified agency. 

The Food Testing Laboratories at Srinagar have been upgraded with the help of State as well as Central grant. This Commissionerate has different projects like Food Safety Training & Certification (FoSTaC), Food Safety Compliance and Sampling (FoSCoS), Street Food Vendors Training, Hygiene Rating and Responsible Place to Eat in the pipe line for implementation in the coming months. 

The proposal for allocation of the adequate budgetary provisions for strengthening of enforcement mechanism at district and block levels for the implementation of FSS act in letter and spirit in the state. The same has been submitted to the Government and is under active consideration at various levels.

There is a regulatory vaccum in GM food, says CEO of FSSAI

In a study released in the last week of July, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says it tested 65 food products and found 21 of them testing positive for material from genetically-engineered (GE) plants.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 specifically authorised FSSAI to come out with regulations.

In a study released in the last week of July, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says it tested 65 food products and found 21 of them testing positive for material from genetically-engineered (GE) plants. Of these, 16 were imported. It has raised an alarm and has called on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ban such food products, though India releases GE crops for cultivation (only cotton so far) after they are found to be safe for humans, animals and the environment. Vivian Fernandes interviewed the CEO of FSSAI, Pawan Kumar Agarwal. Here is an edited and annotated version:

Is the manufacture, import and sale of food containing genetically-modified (GM) plant material disallowed in India?

There is a regulatory vacuum as far as GM food is concerned. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 specifically authorised FSSAI to come out with regulations. Until 2016, the environment ministry had issued an order under their act (the Environment Protection Act), which kept the provision that we could regulate it, in abeyance. Once that was withdrawn, we started working on how this could be regulated. We have a scientific panel which has met several times and the regulations have been finalised. The threshold above which we have to label (food containing GM material) was part of the labelling regulations. Now that we are coming out with GM regulations, that provision is being taken out and inserted here.

When will the GM regulations be notified?

Very shortly. These will be put up for consultations. They are draft regulations.

Will you insist on labelling of GM food?

That is the proposal. But the draft regulations will have to be first approved by the government.

Why have labelling at all? It is not mandatory In the United States and Canada, for instance.

Different countries have taken different views. The scientific committee and the authority (FSSAI) have taken a view that it must be labelled. Other than the US, several countries have mandatory labelling requirements. Even in the US, it is voluntary. (The US Food and Drug Administration doesn’t require mandatory labelling of food derived from bioengineered plants because it says it isn’t aware that it poses a different or greater safety concern than food developed by traditional plant breeding. The geneticist Deepak Pental of Delhi University says labelling is meant to alert consumers to a health concern. GM crops are approved only when they are not toxic or allergic to humans. Labelling would prejudice the consumer against the product.-Vivian)

A regulatory vacuum means the manufacture, import and sale of GM food is not disallowed?

It is not disallowed. The view of the food authority is, based on scientific evidence across the world, that there is no verifiable health impact of GM food vis-à-vis conventional food on humans. Obviously, if certain (GM) food is to be allowed, it has to be approved by GEAC (Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee) and then only it will come to us and we will do the risk assessment, just as we do with conventional food before clearing it for consumption.

What is the need for FSSAI to do separate risk assessment, when bioengineered plants have to pass two levels of biosafety trials before being cleared for cultivation?

That is biosafety for growing the crops. They do it for its impact on the environment. We do it for its impact on human health.

Sir, the Biosafety Research Level-I and Level -II trials are meant to ensure that the crops which GEAC recommends for cultivation are not toxic or allergic to humans and animals. Their safety to the environment is also assessed. Will there be a parallel risk assessment by FSSAl, before GM crops are allowed to be cultivated?

For cultivation, the GEAC gives approval. But if any food contains GMOs (genetically-modified organisms) or LMOs (living modified organisms), then their (GEAC) approval will have to be obtained first and then they will have to come to us.

Sir, 96 percent of the cotton grown in India is genetically-modified Bt cotton. Most of our cottonseed oil comes from Bt cottonseed. We have been eating it since 2002 or 2003. In all these years, why did we not test the oil for GM material?

As I said, the FSSAI Act is of 2006. It became operational in 2011. Till 2016, we could not act (for the reasons mentioned earlier). We have now put some regulations. Our current understanding based on scientific evidence is there is no verifiable health risk from GM food. So I don’t think there will be much challenge in terms of it getting approved by FSSAI once it is approved for cultivation in India or abroad. But they have to follow a process because our act requires it. As for labelling, FSSAI wants to make it mandatory, but that depends on whether the government agrees. That also has to go through a consultation process and based on the feedback a final view will be taken.

At what level of GM material will labelling be triggered?

In our labelling regulations, it was 5%, but we have received many representations. We may review it. We will send it to the government within a week or two. (According to a FSSAI press release, Japan, Canada, Thailand and Indonesia allow GMO content up to 5 per cent without labelling. The European Union’s limit is 0.9 per cent. Lower the threshold, higher is the cost demonstrating or verifying compliance – Vivian).

What do you think of the study by the Centre for Science and Environment? Are you convinced about the methodology they have adopted?

CSE’s study is useful. At least some data is available. There are some concerns about the methodology, but something is better than nothing.

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAMANI NEWS

Organic products demand edging up

‘We want consumers to know what they are eating’

FSSAI’s The Eat Right Movement seeks to push manufacturers and consumers towards healthier choices

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently started The Eat Right Movement, a nationwide campaign to improve public health and push the food industry to produce healthier choices. Thirty companies, including 18 packaged food companies, have signed various associations with the regulator to bring down salt, sugar and trans fat content in their products. Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI explains the motivation behind the campaign, and the road ahead.

How did the campaign start?

Last November, we came across a report on disease burden in India, which compared statistics between 1990 and 2016. The incidence of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) was extremely high and had been rising steadily over the years. The reason we figured was our unhealthy eating habits. The report got us thinking about measures we can take as regulators. The initiative requires a multi-sectoral approach, and we are trying to make interventions at all levels: regulation, supply and demand.

Can Indians give up on packaged food and beverages?

It’s not easy. It may not happen in a day or a month or even a year, but we have to begin the conversations. As the country’s food authority, we have taken the initiative of talking to all stakeholders and see if we can start the change gradually.

Food companies in Western countries have been told to reduce salt and sugar content. Is it viable?

What we have started in India is similar to initiatives taken in the UK and some Western European countries. However, they have also developed robust monitoring systems to pull up those not adhering to the norms. In the future, we hope to cover the monitoring aspect as well.

Have targets and deadlines been set for reduced salt and sugar content?

We don’t even have a clear picture of the current levels of consumption, so setting targets will be difficult. What we are aiming at is to get food businesses to move in this direction. We are coming up with new labelling regulations and setting a threshold for salt, sugar and trans fat content, beyond which the product can be termed as unhealthy. We want consumers to know what they are eating. There are concerns from the industry on such norms, but we are in the process of fine-tuning them.

How many companies have shown willingness?

Thirty companies have signed various associations with us, including 18 packaged food companies, close to 10 e-commerce players and retailers and some restaurant and hotel associations. ITC, Kellogg’s, Mapro, Marico, Patanjali, Haldiram’s, MTR, Bikanerwala, Britannia, DelMonte, Nestle, Hindustan Unilever Limited are some of the companies who have signed on. The Indian Bakers Federation, Wheat Products Promotion Society, Federation of Biscuit Manufacturers of India, Indian Vanaspati Producers Association are among the bodies that have committed to bring about change.

What are these commitments?

Some have signed general commitments in groups, while some have signed individual ones to reduce the salt, sugar and trans fat content. The commitment documents include pledges like encouraging the use of right choice of fat or oil, reformulating products to reduce fat, sugar and sodium, reducing trans fat content in all foods to less than 0.2% by 2022 in a phased manner.

How will you ensure success?

The success of this initiative depends on consumer demand. Consumers have to consciously and actively move towards a healthy lifestyle, and their demands will automatically push companies to create new, healthy products.

Temples to have food safety registration

‘Prasadams’ or offerings should conform to hygienic standards

Food items (‘prasadams’ or offerings) sold at temples to devotees should conform to the safety and hygienic standards of food safety, the Commissioner of Food Safety has said.

From September 1, temples should follow all regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act of India 2006 as well as the Food Safety (Licensing and Registration) Rules.

All temples will thus have to secure a licence or registration under the said rules in order to sell ‘prasadam’ through temple counters, the Commissioner said in an official release here.

The authorities concerned should ensure that the storerooms and areas on the premises of temples where the food is cooked should maintain the hygiene standards under Food Safety and Standards Act .

It should also be ensured that the water used for cooking food and served as drinking water is safe. The water should be tested periodically and the certificate on water safety kept for perusal, the Commissioner said.

The safety and hygiene standards should be strictly maintained when in comes to mass feeding and any other food and drinks distributed inside the temple so that there is no possibility of food poisoning episodes.

He said the food safety regulations followed by the two of the biggest temples in the State, Sabarimala temple and Attukal Devi temple and the food safety regulations, licence and registration processes followed in connection with the temple festivals at these temples can be a model for all other temples in the State.

Ban on silver foil use to garnish sweets from Nov

Madurai: The use of silver foil to garnish sweets will be a thing of the past as the food safety officials are planning to enforce a ban on its usage from November this year. As the sweet preparation is expected to begin soon to meet the demand for the Diwali festival, which falls on November 6, it is imperative on part of the bakers to stay away from using silver foil, which is manufactured using animal parts.

Food Safety and Standards (food products standards and food additives) Fifth Amendment regulations 2016, brought in new regulations on the use of silver foils to address various issues prevailing in its production. 

It was widely manufactured by hammering silver placed between sheets of intestine of animals such as cow and buffalo for hours together to get the required thinness.

There were also complaints of adulteration by using aluminium, a heavy metal which can cause health problems, instead of silver. The regulation has addressed it by mandating the weight of silver foil up to 2.8 gram per square metre. Aluminium cannot be beaten as thin as silver.

An official from the department said it may still contain the pieces of the animal, which can cause heath problem. Moreover, it cannot still be called as a vegetarian food. Although advanced methods to prepare the foil using machinery can be done, it is hard to distinguish between the two, he said.

Some of the bakers in the city have given up the usage of silver foils voluntarily. They say that they have done it to maintain the standard and to give the best to the consumers. “We have stopped using silver foils a few years back voluntarily since its production involves animal intestine. We could not able to differentiate the ones produced safely,” said M Jayakumar of Jayaram Bakery said.

The regulation could not be implemented since the Delhi high court had stayed the proceeding, considering the large workforce involved in the job.

Adulterated ghee worth Rs 7.24L seized

Rajkot: The special operations group (SOG) of Rajkot police seized a large cache of adulterated ghee worth Rs 7.24 lakh from a factory behind Ruda Transport Nagar near Sokhada village on Saturday.

“SOG head constables — Manrupgiri Goswami, Jitubha Jhala, Mehul Madhvi and Vijendrasinh Jhala — received a tip-off during patrolling about the adulterated ghee stored at Dhara Fate and Proteins Veg Fat Palmolein and Veg Oil Factory in Jai Jalaram Industrial Estate. Acting on this information, we conducted the raid,” said Rajkot SOG inspector S N Gaddu. 

Police recovered 422 containers of adulterated ghee, worth Rs 6.64 lakh, 150 barrels of adulterated ghee worth Rs 60,000 and raw material to be used for adulteration.

“Food and drugs safety officers — D J Solanki and A B Patel — collected the samples of adulterated ghee for examination. Once the examination report is submitted, we will file the chargesheet and book the accused,” said an SOG official.

Stemming dangers of carbide-ripened fruits

FORCED ripening of fruits meant for human consumption, using dangerous chemical substances, is fast becoming a culture in this part of the world, despite its hazardous implications for health. Experts and institutions have always warned against the practice, with the most recent of such warnings coming from the National Agency for Foods and Drugs Administration and Control. The regulatory agency, in a statement by its Director-General, Moji Adeyeye, took a particular interest in the ingestion of fruits in which calcium carbide has been used to quicken the ripening process.

According to Adeyeye, a professor of Pharmaceutics, Manufacturing Science and Drug Product Evaluation, carbide contains impurities such as arsenic, lead particle and phosphorous. “Consumption of fruits containing these impurities may cause cancer, heart, kidney and liver failure,” she explained. Irritation of the mouth, nose, eye and skin, permanent skin damage, vomiting, difficulty in swallowing, sore throat, shortness of breath and numbness are some of the other health hazards associated with coming in contact with carbide or ingesting any food item ripened using the chemical.

With the growing interest in meals of fresh fruits and vegetables, it is not surprising that diseases such as cancer and internal organ failure are becoming commonplace in Nigeria. Among many prominent Nigerians that have fallen victim to cancer, for instance, was the former DG of NAFDAC, Dora Akunyili. According to figures made available by the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, there were over 2 million cases of cancer in the country in 2016, with 100,000 new cases occurring every year. Dapo Campbell, a professor of oncology, said that about 10,000 Nigerians died of cancer yearly, but reports credited to the World Health Organisation put the latest figures at 80,000 cancer deaths per annum.

This is why efforts should not be spared towards ensuring that all foods and drinks taken in the country are properly monitored just as it is done in advanced countries. In Europe, for instance, any food item imported has to meet set standards before the citizens can be allowed to eat it. Little wonder that about 67 food items exported by Nigeria to the European Union countries were banned between 2015 and 2016 for failure to comply with their standards. Conversely, in Nigeria, people eat anything that comes their way, mainly out of ignorance, arising from low levels of awareness.

Ripening is a natural process that takes place in fruits. This process, according to scientists, is aided by ethylene, a hormone released naturally by fruits. It is the process that softens fruits and makes them ready for ingestion. Typically, fruits change colour, texture, taste and, in some cases, emit pleasant aroma when they are ripe. Ripening makes fruits nutritious; and, for the traders, this is a delicate period when as much of the fruits as possible have to be sold or risk them rotting away.

However, not many are ready to wait for the natural ripening process, which is why fruits such as bananas, mangoes and pineapples are sometimes forced to ripen, using artificial or chemical agents such as calcium carbide and ethephon. The motivation is the desire for high turnovers and profits. But due to its hazardous nature, calcium carbide is banned in many countries. In India, for instance, where artificial ripening of fruits is rampant, the chemical has been banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006. The offence is likened to food poisoning and anyone caught in the act risks spending up to 10 years in jail.

In Nigeria, very little seems to be happening by way of monitoring to spare people a sure death by instalments. While it is important to come up with periodic warnings, as NAFDAC usually does, about an existing danger in consuming some poisonous food, helping to raise awareness amongst members of the public, health and regulatory authorities, however, have a greater responsibility to go beyond just raising the alarm to enforcing compliance with extant laws concerning the quality and standards of ingestible items in the country. Experience has shown that people who benefit from unlawful acts will not readily give it up, unless forced to do so. In this case, the urge for profits is so irresistible that it invariably trumps concerns for human health.

By now, NAFDAC ought to have developed the capacity to monitor fruit sellers, especially those who bulk-buy with intent to resell. Forced ripening of fruits is common in the cities where fruits are hardly planted but are in high demand. NAFDAC should ensure that the habit is discontinued, especially by those who may not even know that what they are doing constitutes a health hazard. It may not be possible to arrest everybody involved but when a few are picked up and prosecuted, it will serve as a deterrent to others.

It is important to help members of the public to identify fruits that have been forced to ripen. Such fruits, it is said, are more attractive and are identified by their uniformity in colour. Fruits ripened by calcium are soft and have very short storage lifespan. They are less tasty compared to those that ripen naturally.

In a place like Dubai, for example, which imports large quantities of fruits, there is a newly-acquired device for the testing of fruits and vegetables to detect the level of insecticides and chemicals to ensure their fitness for human consumption. According to the Dubai Central Lab, the device has the capacity to test 600 samples of fruits a day. “Our current system takes up to 260 kinds. The new device, operated by the latest technology, will offer different kinds of inspection,” said a report quoting Ahmed Amin, the Director of DCL. This is one of the areas that NADFAC should be exploring.

FSSAI To Use Triple E Strategy For Engaging With Educational Institutions

Food Security and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), India’s apex food regulator, has agreed to use the Triple E strategy for effective engagement with higher educational institutions (HEIs) regarding food safety and applied nutrition. The adoption of this strategy was decided upon during a discussion with the vice-chancellors of various private universities, academicians, the industry and industry associations. This comprehensive engagement framework that uses the three ‘E’s – Engage, Excite, Enable, was another important initiative to contextualize and update the food safety ecosystem in India and to facilitate upcoming food professionals of the future.

A MORE HOLISTIC CONCEPT

The discussion was attended by the joint secretary, ministry of human resource development (MHRD); the president and secretary general, ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI); the deputy director general, Association of Indian Universities (AIU), and representatives from the University Grants Commission (UGC), the National Institute of Food Technology and Entrepreneurship Management (NIFTEM); the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology (IIFPT); the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC) India.

Ensuring that employable skills are delivered by HEIs was the highlight of the discussion. A more holistic concept of ensuring safe and wholesome food instead of just preventing adulteration and the measures to co-develop and implement an updated curriculum that reflects this shift in thinking were also discussed.

THE NEW CURRICULUM

Practical learning through internships and fellowships, promoting interactive learning through opportunities for students to participate in socially-relevant, advocating merit scholarships for deserving students, along with a programme for faculty training and development were parts of the framework that was decided upon according to the publication.

FSSAI will reportedly explore opportunities for collaboration with MHRD and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports for the further distribution of information. The regulator believes that it will be able to create a future-ready skilled workforce for the future food industry in India with this initiative.

DINAKARAN NEWS

FSSAI unveils initiative to collect, convert used cooking oil into biofuel

FSSAI wants businesses using more than 100 litres of oil for frying to maintain a stock register and ensure that used cooking oil is handed over to registered collecting agencies 

64 companies in 101 locations will enable collection of used cooking oil

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 10

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Friday launched RUCO (Repurpose Used Cooking Oil), an initiative that will enable collection and conversion of used cooking oil to bio-diesel. The initiative has been launched nearly a month after the food safety regulator notified standards for used cooking oil.

FSSAI may also look at introducing regulations to ensure that companies that use large quantities of cooking oil hand it over to registered collecting agencies to convert it into biofuel.

Under this initiative, 64 companies at 101 locations have been identified to enable collection of used cooking oil. For instance: McDonald’s has already started converting used cooking oil to biodiesel from 100 outlets in Mumbai and Pune.

The regulator believes India has the potential to recover 220 crore litres of used cooking oil for the production of biodiesel by 2022 through a co-ordinated action. In a statement, Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, said, “While biodiesel produced from used cooking oil is currently very small, but a robust ecosystem for conversion and collection is rapidly growing in India and will soon reach a sizable scale.”

“FSSAI wants businesses using more than 100 litres of oil for frying, to maintain a stock register and ensure that UCO is handed over to only registered collecting agencies. There is a possibility that a regulation will be developed on these lines,” he added.

According to FSSAI regulations, the maximum permissible limits for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) have been set at 25 per cent, beyond which the cooking oil is unsafe for consumption.

In partnership

FSSAI is also working in partnership with Biodiesel Association of India and the food industry to ensure effective compliance of used cooking oil regulations, the statement added. It is also going to publish guidance documents, tips for consumers and posters in this regard. It is also conducting several awareness campaigns through its e-channels.

“FSSAI has additionally launched a micro-site to monitor the progress of the collection and conversion of used cooking oil into biodiesel,” the statement added.

Food regulator to engage with educational institutes to create skilled workforce

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 10

FSSAI is establishing a comprehensive framework for engagement with higher education institutes on issues concerning food safety and applied nutrition in a bid to create a future-ready skilled workforce in the food processing industry.

As part of this strategy, the regulator has initiated discussions with vice-chancellors of various universities, academicians, industry and industry associations, besides officials of other Ministries.

“Measures to co-develop and implement an updated curriculum that reflects the shift in thinking from merely preventing adulteration to a more holistic concept of ensuring safe and wholesome food have been discussed,” FSSAI said in a statement.

The framework will adopt a comprehensive approach through the introduction of relevant content in course curricula, enhancing practical learning through internships and fellowships, and promoting interactive learning through opportunities for students to participate in socially relevant projects related to food safety and nutrition.

“A triple E-strategy (Engage, Excite, Enable) to engage effectively with Higher Education Institutes was agreed on,” the statement added.

Check quality of drinking water in hotels, FSSAI told

Current law mandates check of ‘packaged drinking water’

New Delhi, dhns: Lawmakers have asked the food safety regulator to carry out periodic inspection of ordinary drinking water being served in hotels, restaurants and other eating joints to ensure that potable water is being served to the customer.

The food safety law currently mandates the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to check the quality of only “packaged drinking water” leaving the non-bottled drinking water being served in small and medium-sized restaurants outside the quality net.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health has now directed the FSSAI to undertake timely inspection of the water provided in the food business premises such as eating outlets to ensure that the joints provide clean drinking water to its customers.

In its report submitted in both Houses of the Parliament on Thursday, the panel suggested changing the definition of food to include potable water as well so that food business operators couldn’t take advantage of the loophole in the law.

The committee, headed by Samajwadi Party leader Ramgopal Yadav, also asked the regulator to have a stringent approach on the use of food colour.

“The use of food dyes has to be regulated because time and again, the food dyes have been linked to health problems. Excessive use of colouring matter in food may cause an allergic reaction to some people or hyperactivity in sensitive children,” it said in the report.

The health ministry’s Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme shows food poisoning is one of the commonest outbreaks reported in 2017 apart from the acute diarrhoeal disease. While there were 312 cases of the diarrhoeal diseases out of 1,649 disease outbreaks reported till the third week of December 2017, as many as 242 episodes were due to food poisoning. The incidences diarrhoea and food poisoning are high in places where food is cooked in bulk such as canteens, hotels and wedding venues.

Health ministry officials said food-borne illnesses were a greater health burden comparable to malaria, HIV/AIDS or tuberculosis. The root cause is unsafe, contaminated food and water. Because of poor food safety standards, the government in 2006 brought the Food Safety and Standards Act to replace nearly a dozen existing regulations. The authority was set up two years later and the law became operational from August 2011.

Seven years later, the Parliamentarians recognised there were flaws in the law that need to be corrected, the authority needed to staffed better and testing infrastructure required a boost.

GM Food: “Regulatory Vacuum” But Sale Not “Disallowed” says FSSAI

Pawan Agarwal, the CEO of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), admits there is a “regulatory vacuum” governing food containing material from genetically-engineered (GE) plants. He, however, shares that their manufacture, import and sale in India is not “disallowed.”

“The view of the authority is, based on scientific evidence across the world, that there is no verifiable health impact of GM (genetically-modified) food vis-à-via conventional food on humans,” Agarwal told The Quint.

Agarwal made that clarification after the Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment (CSE) published a report at the end of July that of 65 food samples it had examined, 21 had tested positive for GM material and of these, 16 were imported.

Alarm Versus Reality

The CSE report said various brands of imported canola oil, corn kernels, puffs and syrup, tofu, infant feeds and domestic brands of cottonseed oil were found to contain material from GE plants. CSE has raised an alarm, calling their sale without FSSAI approval as “illegal.” CSE’s director-general Sunita Narain was worried about food safety, because “GM food involves taking genes (DNA) from different organisms and inserting them in food crops. There is concern that this ‘foreign’ DNA can lead to risks such as toxicity, allergic reactions, nutritional and unintended impacts.”

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says on its website, that “it is not aware of any information showing that bio engine-ed foods differ from other foods in any meaningful or uniform way, or that, as a class, foods developed by the new techniques present any different or greater safety concern than foods developed by traditional plant breeding.”

US FDA also does not use the term “genetically modified” when referring to food, because technically, it is the plant that is genetically engineered and not the food. It prefers the phrase “food derived from genetically-engineered plants.”

GE crops have to meet a higher standard of proof for the absence of toxins and allergy-causing substances than those obtained through conventional breeding, before they are approved for cultivation.

Regulatory Vacuum in India

India’s Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) requires these crops to pass two levels of bio- safety trials in confined conditions before they are recommended for mass cultivation. In India only GE cotton has been allowed to be cultivated since 2002.

The cottonseed oil and meal that India produces is derived almost entirely from cotton that has been bioengineered to kill boll worms. But six centres of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) told a parliamentary committee last year that they did find GE cottonseed or oil cake derived from it harming goats, lamb, fish, chicken or cows.

The manufacture, import and sale of food products derived from GE crops are regulated by the Environment Protection Act. But these are no longer under the purview of the environment ministry, its adviser Sujata Arora said, as the powers have been transferred to FSSAI.

Explaining the regulatory vacuum, Agarwal said the law establishing the authority was enacted in 2006. It became operational in 2011 but till 2016, the environment ministry, through an order, kept the FSSAI’s regulatory powers in abeyance. FSSAI’s scientific committee has now made draft regulations for food containing GM material which will have to be approved by the government before the public comments are invited.

The ‘Label’ Issue

B.V. Mehta, director-general of the Solvent Extractors Association of India, an edible oil industry lobby, said it had applied and obtained open-ended permission in 2007 to import GE soybean oil, in place of six-monthly approvals till then.

Though rapeseed oil imported from Canada, United States and Australia is obtained from GE hybrids and sold in India as canola, Indian law does not require it to be labelled as GM.

The language on the labels it insists on is, “Imported Rapeseed ─ low erucic acid oil. Canola oil. (In addition trade name can also be used.)”

Erucic acid is the substance that gives mustard its pungency, which is why consumers in north and eastern Indian prefer Kacchhi Gani or cold-pressed mustard oil. (Rapeseed is related to mustard). In canola, the erucic acid content has to be less than 2 percent, while in mustard it is 48-50 percent. Lower the erucic acid level, higher is the oleic acid content, which makes it good for the heart, like olive oil. Rupinder Pal Singh Kohli, director of the company that sells Jivo, a popular canola oil brand, said FSSAI’s 2018 draft regulations have proposed labeling when GM material in edible oil exceeds 5 percent by weight. He said Jivo is processed at a temperature of 200-240 degrees centigrade before it is bottled and it unlikely that any GE protein fragments would remain in the oil.

Experts Find Lacunae in Methodology

Deepak Pental, geneticist and former vice-chancellor of Delhi University opposed labeling as it would unnecessarily prejudice consumers against food obtained from GE plants. Pental led the team that developed the GE mustard hybrid, DMH-11, which the GEAC recommended last year for cultivation. But it has not received the go-ahead from environment minister Harsh Vardhan.

Pradeep Burma, professor and head of the department of genetics, Delhi University, said the CSE study “lacks rigor in experimental design and analysis.” The methodology it has used ─ Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) ─ is extremely sensitive and can pick up minuscule traces of DNA from all kinds of samples, he said. So robust controls should be in place to ensure it does not pick up contaminants. The manual for the test kit used in the CSE investigation recommends three control reactions: negative control, positive control and extraction control. While negative control has been used there is no extraction control, he said.

Burma said most samples in the study have thrown up similar Ct values. This is not possible because different material – Bt cotton leaf, food containing material obtained from GE plants like corn, and oil derived from transgenic crops – will carry different amounts of transgenic DNA. For example, the Ct value of 27.7 for 35S P (a promoter derived from the Cauliflower Mosaic Virus and found in most GE plants) in Hudson brand canola oil and of 28.5 in Bt cotton leaf does not reflect the expected differences. (Ct value is inversely proportional to the DNA/RNA present in a sample).

The yield of DNA from a transgenic plant where all the cells will have genetically engineered DNA is expected to be much higher than in oil where most of the DNA will get degraded and fragmented in the course of processing. In the CSE study the Ct values of the oil sample show more amount of 35SP DNA in comparison to those in Bt cotton leaf samples.

CSE has been asked to comment on Burma’s comments. This story will be updated when we receive them.

(Vivian Fernandes is editor of www.smartindianagriculture.in. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)

Highway eateries checked for hygiene

Vadodara: Teams of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) on Friday cracked down upon highway eateries and ‘dhabas’ located on the national highway and roads connecting it to the city. Officers also visited street food vendors to check if they had started implementing the hygiene tips given to them in a workshop recently.

Food safety officers of the civic body checked nine eateries located near Kapurai Crossroads, Ajwa Crossroads and Golden Crossroads in the city limits. Officials collected nine samples of food items from these eateries. The samples will be tested at the public health laboratory of the VMC.

The drive revealed that six of the nine eateries were not maintaining hygienic standards. The officers issued notices to all the six eateries.

In the evening, teams visited the Kamatibaug, Fatehgunj and other areas of the city to check if street food vendors were following tips given to them during a recent workshop. It came to light that many of them had started using aprons and caps as suggested by the experts. They were also seen trying to ensure that other suggestions were implemented.