Sep 21, 2018
Doubts raised over food safety in India
CAG report reveals gaps in the working of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
An audit of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s premier watchdog on the food, by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reveals gaps in the working of the body. FSSAI is responsible for implementing the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006 and CAG found that though it has been more than a decade since the enactment of the act, FSSAI is yet to frame regulations and guidelines to govern different procedures.
Neither FSSAI nor the state food authorities have documented policies and procedures on risk-based inspections and the FSSAI does not even have a database on food businesses in the country. Other than this, FSSAI has failed to set up well-equipped food labs in the state too. Only seven out of 72 states laboratories passed the standards issued by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). CAG pointed out that as the laboratories are not well-equipped, there is a possibility that unsafe food articles continue to be manufactured and sold.
The audit report also found that the there is an acute shortage of licensing and enforcement officers in the states which severely affected food safety measures. In case of renewal of the license too, FSSAI did not adhere to regulations. For example, in 49 cases pertaining to Central Licensing Authority (CLA), Kolkata and Guwahati, food business operators (FBOs) applied for renewal of licenses after their expiry.
Despite the fact that the licenses had already expired at the time of application, instead of issuing fresh licenses as stipulated by law, CLAs renewed the licenses. The gap between the expiry of the licenses and their irregular renewal ranged from one year to five and a half years. CLAs, thus, irregularly legitimised the gap period of food business during which FBOs operated without valid licenses in violation of section 31 of the Act.
For the performance audit, CAG examined FSSAI along with its regional and sub-regional offices in the nine selected states and one union territory between the time period from August 2011 and March 2016. The report was tabled in the Parliament on December 19, 2017.
CAG has recommended that FSSAI should expedite the notification of regulation on areas that have been specified in the FSS Act, but are yet not covered. FSSAI would also have to ensure that all licenses issued are reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, before issuing. FSSAI and the state food authorities have to conduct surveys of food business activity under their jurisdiction to ensure a comprehensive and reliable database of FBOs and ensure better enforcement and administration of the FSS Act.
CAG has also recommended that the authority may frame standard operating procedures on the formulation and review of standards, and ensure that these are being followed in the near future. Ministry of Health and Family and Welfare should ensure accreditation of all state food laboratories, pertaining to equipment and functionality of the lab.
Producers’ body seeks international norms for Indian wine standards
Nashik: The All India Wine Producers’ Association (AIWPA) has strongly urged that Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to replicate the norms set by of International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) for manufacturing of wines in India.
The FSSAI has set the ball rolling to implement for the first time new safety standards for wine manufacturing in the country that would come into effect from April next year.
According to some members of AIWPA replicating, the norms set by OIV would be beneficial for the wine manufacturers of India as it would help them in marketing their products overseas.
“The OIV is an international association of 46 wine producing countries across the globe, including India. OIV controls 80% of the wine business at present in the world. If FSSAI replicates the safety standards of OIV, it will increase the trust of Indian wineries in international markets,” opined some association members.
According to the AIWPA insiders the guidelines set by OIV is more than enough for the Indian wine manufacturers not only to enhance the quality of wines but also expand their overseas market at a faster rate.
Currently, there are no standards designed for wine production in India so far. The FSSAI has already prepared a draft of wine standards and invited suggestions and objects.
“The OIV has set its wine standards which are being followed up by these countries. Hence, we want the FSSAI to implement the wine standards as set by OIV. This will help us to reach overseas wine export markets,” Yatin Patil, president of AIWPA, said.
Patil added that the association has requested FSSAI to consider the suggestion of the association on this issue.
Informing about the differences of wine standards between OIV and FSSAI, he said “There are differences between the draft of wine standards by FSSAI and the one set by OIV. The differences are related to wine definition, wine additives and processing aids.”
According to Patil, the wine manufacturers in India would not find it difficult to follow the norms either set by FSSAI or OIV.
“We must have wine standard as per the world standards with focus on consumer safety if we have to increase our wine export. We can’t bring control on wine being imported in the country until we have wine standards and norms,” another office-bearer of the association said.
“Such norms will help us to further enhance the quality of the products. We will also get benefitted from the export market. Moreover, we will also get protected from the sub-standard products coming from abroad,” he added.
220kg banned gutka products seized
Erode: Food safety officials have seized banned gutka products worth Rs 2.25 lakh from a powerloom unit near Veerappanchatram here on Thursday.
District designated food safety officer Dr T Kalaivani said they conducted a surprise raid at the unit based on a WhatsApp information. “We seized 220kg banned tobacco products from the unit, from where they were being distributed to retail markets secretly.”
Preliminary investigation revealed that the powerloom unit owner’s brother Kamal Hassan has a grocery store at Veerappanchatram. “He used to stock banned gutka products in his sister’s powerloom unit,” Kalaivani said, adding, “He did not stock these items in his shop fearing raid.”
The officials have sent samples of seized tobacco items for lab test.
HC orders closure of illegal slaughterhouses within 72 hours in U’khand
Nainital: Uttarakhand high court on Thursday ordered all the illegal slaughterhouses in the state to be “sealed within 72 hours” and directed to ensure that no animal is slaughtered on the streets or in open spaces.
The division bench of acting Chief Justice Rajiv Sharma and justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari also directed the state government to constitute a committee for slaughterhouses “as per the letter dated April 26, 2012 issued by the Union ministry of environment and forest, if not already constituted, within a period of seven days.”
The directions come after Haridwar resident Parvez Alam had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) and placed before the court pictures of animals being slaughtered brutally.
Observing the pictures were disturbing, the bench remarked, “How can the authorities permit the slaughtering of animals in the streets, in villages and towns, is beyond our comprehension. Animals also have constitutional legal rights. The authorities cannot remain mute-spectators towards the slaughtering of animals, that too, in a very beastly manner,” the court said.
The court observed in the order, “It is the duty cast upon all the executive officers of the local self-government, municipal corporations, municipalities, nagar panchayats and other panchayats to ensure that no animal is slaughtered in the public streets/paths/roads and at open spaces, open to public gaze.”
The HC further directed the state government to ensure that no slaughterhouse is permitted to run without complying with the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.
Kartikey Hari Gupta, the advocate for the petitioner, said that there are no proper facilities in slaughterhouses. He added that there is no proper flooring, water supply or ventilation in the slaughter houses. After which the court said that it is the duty of the statutory authorities, including police, to ensure that no illegal slaughtering takes place and the slaughterhouse must follow the standards laid down by the State Pollution Control Board and the Pollution Controlling Committees.
Earlier, a division bench of the HC had ordered that the slaughter of goats will not take place in the open during the festival of Eid and must be done in slaughterhouses only.
Poor hygiene and violation of food safety norms at LU mess
LUCKNOW: Several anomalies were found in a surprise inspection of Lucknow University’s central mess by the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) officials on Wednesday.
The inspection was carried out following several incidents of worms being found in the mess food in the past one month.
FSDA team inspected the kitchen area, drinking water facilities, and food storage at the mess for more than two hours.
In its report released in the evening, FSDA pointed out poor hygiene in the mess and violation of food safety norms.
In the past one month, inmates of boys’ hostels had lodged five complaints of worms being found in the three meals — breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The FSDA team arrived at the central mess before the lunchtime to inspect the quality of food being served to students.
“The team didn’t find any insect. Hostellers claimed there was an insect in the meal but it turned out be a burnt cumin seed. But there lack of hygiene and food safety norms were not being adhered to,” said district food officer TR Rawat.
“We have informed the university officials about the irregularities and have given 15 days to the mess manager to improve things. If he fails to do so we would be asking the university to evict the mess in charge,” said Rawat.
AMC health teams raid food stalls at multiplexes
AHMEDABAD: The health department of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation carried out raids on several units including food stalls at multiplexes like Cinepolis India Private Limited, PVR limited, City Gold Entertainment among others.
Bhavin Solanki the medical health officer, AMC, said that the flying squad of the AMC health department carried out the raids on several units and issued notices to 16 units for not following hygienic conditions.
Solanki said that during the year 2018 a total of 1,519 food samples were collected in raids and 138 failed to meet food safety standards. Of these 61 were sub-standard, 76 were misbranded and one was found to be unsafe.
A total of 118 samples are being examined. Solanki further said that on Thursday the AMC team conducted raids at places including City Gold Media Limited (Bapunagar) where a sample of a bottle of 1-litre packaged drinking water was taken.
Other places raided include Wide Angle Cinema, Satellite Crossroads (tomato ketchup collected), Cinema Ventures, Himalaya Mall (butter, salt for popcorn collected), CinePolis India Private Limited, Ahmedabad One, Vastrapur (cheese seasoning), City Gold Entertainment, Ashram Road (samosa), PVR Limited, fourth floor, Motera (pizza sauce), Revolution Video Cinema, Indrapuri (instant popcorn), Rajhans Cine World, Nikol (sunflower oil), Anupam Cinema Khokhara (cotton seed oil) among others.
Stock of scented tobacco, paan masala worth Rs 2.56 lakh seized by FDA
Nagpur: A special squad of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) and Zone 5 police jointly raided a godown on Kalamna Road, Kamptee and seized a stock of banned scented tobacco and Paan Masala worth Rs 2.56 lakh.
According to reports, the raid was carried out on the godown of Baba Nanak Provisions, owned by Rajkumar Shrichand Sachdev. Packets of various brands of scented tobacco and 256 kg of tobacco were seized in the raid. The raiding FDA officials found the accused firm was dealing in banned scented tobacco and its other tobacco products slyly. The sale of scented tobacco, gutkha, paan masala has been banned in the State.
The action was carried out by the FDA squad led by Assistant Commissioners Shashikant Kekre and Sharad Kolte. The police team was led by Police Inspector Jitendra Thakur. An offence under Sections 188, 273, 328 of the IPC read with Sub Sections 3 (1), 22 (5), 26 (2) (4), and 59 of Food Safety Act and further probe is underway.
The FDA Assistant Commissioner has appealed people to inform them on 07122562204 if they notice clandestine sale of the banned scented tobacco, paan masala and other harmful products.
H&FW team visit health units
Health & Family Welfare (H&FW), district monitoring and supervision team visited Sanis, Bhandari, Nyiro & Englan block health units on September 19 and 20.
A press release from CMO office Wokha, media officer NHM, Mhonbeni Ezung stated that the team interacted with medical officers, and medical staff discussing health services and facilities available. The team encouraged them to be regular in sending reports and properly document all activities of the health centre. The team checked all the registers, peer assessed KAYAKALP-initiating hospital cleanliness, checked hygiene & infection control practices, and Measles Rubella Vaccination Campaign (M-RVC) preparedness. They also told the food business organisation to obtain food licenses and medical fitness certificates, and explained the offences and penalties under various Sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Food Standards Act 2006.
The purpose of the visit was mainly for the upcoming M-RVC set to begin from October 3. The district team was led by Dr. Robin Lotha, chief medical officer; Dr. Zuben Kikon, deputy CMO; Matsung, DPM (NHM); Dr. Thungchanbeni, DPM (QA); Dr. Khesheli, MO (IDSP); Pelerieno Kehie, FSO; Mhonbeni, media officer (NHM); and Oponthung, DEO (IDSP).
Sep 20, 2018
Food delivery firms start delisting restaurants without FSSAI Licence
Food aggregators such as Zomato and Swiggy have started delisting restaurants that do not have a licence from the food regulator from their platforms
Food aggregators such as Zomato and Swiggy have started delisting restaurants that do not have a licence from the food regulator from their platforms to comply with a directive to this effect from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) given earlier in July.
Zomato has already delisted hundreds of restaurants from its food ordering platform for not being compliant with FSSAI norms on food safety and hygiene, its CEO Deepinder Goyal has said. “As and when these restaurants provide us their FSSAI licenses, we will enable them for online ordering services,” he said in a blog post on Tuesday.
Swiggy meanwhile began the delisting process for restaurants since the FSSAI notice was first sent in July.
"We have set up an FSSAI Assist Program to help all non-compliant restaurants procure their licenses within the specified timeframe," said a spokesperson at Swiggy.
While Zomato did not specify the number of restaurants, the exercise is being carried out across all 34 cities where the firm has presence. Zomato lists over 50,000 restaurants on its food delivery platform and over 1.4 million restaurants across the 24 countries it is present in. Swiggy has over 40,000 restaurants listed on the platform in India.
For those restaurants which are among the top rated ones on the platform and/or offer high repeat order volumes to the platform, but don’t possess the adequate licence, Zomato has offered an extension until September-end to comply with regulations.
“Most of our high order volume restaurant partners currently have or have applied for their FSSAI licences. We are certain this move will not have an impact on our order volumes,” said Mohit Gupta, CEO, food delivery business at Zomato. Gupta added that if restaurants failed to meet the timeline, they will face the risk of being delisted even while maintaining that Zomato will relist such errant restaurants as and when they provide the mandated licence.
The move follows FSSAI’s directive to leading food service providers such as Swiggy, Zomato, Foodpanda and UberEats to delist non-FSSAI licensed food businesses from their platforms, following complaints of sub-standard food being served through such platforms.
“Most of the food delivery players have given their commitment to ensure the issue is tackled and have sought time until the end of September to ensure compliance,” said Pawan Kumar Agarwal, CEO at FSSAI. “They expect that about 90-95% of restaurants on their platform will turn compliant by then,” he told ET.
The earlier deadline the regulator had fixed for complying with its directive was July 31.
As of now, 30-40% of restaurants on food delivery platforms have failed to comply with FSSAI’s hygiene requirements and face the risk of being delisted, Agarwal said.
FSSAI has employed third party audit firms to undertake a check on restaurants listed across all such platforms, and has told delivery aggregators to start displaying hygiene ratings going forward.
“We are soon going to list the audit agencies handling this task but the onus of the audit’s effectiveness will be on the aggregators,” Agarwal said.
Swiggy has also been working with Equinox Labs, a food-audit firm accredited by FSSAI/ NABL on food hygiene audits that are conducted at restaurants to ensure the food is being prepared in accordance with the hygiene standards.
FSSAI is also looking into issues of hygiene with regard to usage of cooking oil by restaurants – an issue where it expects delivery aggregators to contribute significantly with regard to enabling disposal mechanisms.
India: Necessity Of Licensed Food Outlets
Being a country of food loving people, India is a market of multiple food joints delighting numerous taste-buds. There has been a rapid and remarkable increase in the restaurant business of the nation which cater to the needs of around 1.2 billion citizens. Ranging between the wide market of the country, eateries are visible throughout the country varying from small hawkers on the roads to the most expensive and lavish restaurants symbolizing the class and status of the segment of the population visiting them.
Legal Requirements
The commercialization of food products in India is administered by the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (hereinafter referred as "FSSAI") according to the guidelines issued under the Food Safety Standards Authority of India Act, 2006 (hereinafter referred to as the "Act").
Registration and Licensing prerequisite
In order to ensure the safety of the consumers, the Government emphasizes on the need of obtaining requisite licenses and adhere by the standards prescribed. The Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, (hereinafter referred to as the "Regulations") lays down the procedure for registration and licensing of food business in India. Some of the provisions of the Regulations state the following:
- For the purpose of registration of the business, the applicant is required to submit application with the Registering Authority with payment of prescribed fees and a self-attested declaration of adherence assuring that the applicant shall follow the basic hygiene and safety requirements;
- No person shall commence any food business unless he possesses a valid license for commencing or carrying on food business granted by the Central Licensing Authority. For the said purpose, the applicant is required to submit documents such as Blueprint/layout plan of the unit, details of directors/ partners/ proprietor & equipment, proof of possession of premises, Food Safety Management System plan, documents indicating constitution of the food unit (like partnership deed, articles of association), NOCs from Municipality or local body and from State Pollution Control Board, source of raw material, etc.
The grant of the aforesaid registration and license certifies that the food business operators carry out their activities in a clean, adequately lighted & ventilated, hygienic environment, having proper storage facilities and sanitation facilities thus safeguarding the interests of the consumers.
Food delivery entities delist non-licensed food joints
Food delivery entities such as Zomato and Swiggy have adopted a pragmatic approach of working towards the safety of its customers. These corporates have delisted the restaurants lacking the license issued by FSSAI in furtherance of the FSSAI directive issued on July 20, 2018 requiring the online food operators for delisting such joints by July 31, 2018.1
With the revolution in the food services industry, there has been a substantial rise in the number organized food outlets. Since food has a major contribution in the growth of the Indian economy, it is important that the businesspersons involved therein follow the legal compliances to deliver highest quality service.
Workshops stress on hygiene of food handlers at Pb varsity
Chandigarh: The University Institute of Hotel Management and Tourism (UIHMT) organised a training programme workshop for those working at the Student Centre on Wednesday as a large number of students eat food there and personal hygiene of those handling the food was important.
The chef of the UIHMT of Panjab University, Jaswinder, apprised the workers on how to handle the food safely, how to preserve it and also how they can maintain personal hygiene. The workshop was conducted specifically for the workers of student centre. More than 80 of them working at the Student Centre as well of various hostels participated in this workshop. After the workshop, hygiene kits were distributed among the workers, which included bathing soap, paste, toothbrush, hand towel, shampoo, oil, comb, etc. The workshop was followed by a nukkad natak performed by Parampara Arts to create awareness about safe disposal of waste.
As part of ‘Swachhata Hi Sewa’ campaign, the Centre for Human Rights and Duties, Panjab University, Chandigarh, in collaboration with Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited organized a health and hygiene workshop for food handlers of Panjab University. Prof Emanual Nahar, Dean Student Welfare was the chief guest at the workshop. He assured that all efforts would be made by his office to ensure the welfare of workers as well as food safety on PU campus.
Dr Namita Gupta, chairperson, Centre for Human Rights and Duties stated that the job of the cooks and workers was very important as well as noble, so they must try their level best to serve hygienic food to the students.
In a recent visit to the mess of the hostels, a UIHMT team had made an observation in a report drafted by them that there was a dire need to revamp the kitchens, which were more than decade old. In the report it was stated that all kitchens have a permanent structure, which is not at all hygienic. In the report a suggestion was mooted that the authorities have to revamp the kitchen, which should be of steel and was removable so that after every fortnight the staff could clean the mess properly, which was not possible in the existing structure.
Another issue which the team observed in the mess of the hostels was that the storage of the raw material was as per the norms but the mess staff was untrained for food understanding, handling and cooking techniques. The department is going to propose a training programme for five days in which the mess staff will be trained about the food and hygiene in the mess. In fact, a check list will be prepared for all hostels, which the staff will have to follow while working in the kitchen and preparing food.
In a survey which was conducted in 2016 in all hostels of the campus as per the findings of the feedback forms, a large number of students had complained about the bad quality of food served in the mess of the campus.
Fill vacancies in food safety department: HC
HC takes suo-moto cognizance of reports about plight of 2014 flood victims
SRINAGAR: The J&K High Court Wednesday directed the state that the proposal for amendment to recruitment rules be cleared and pending vacancies in Food Safety Department be filled as soon as possible.
The court said if the directions are not implemented then Commissioner, Secretary ARI & Trainings and Commissioner, Food Safety, be present in the court on next date of hearing.
The direction was passed after amicus curie Bashir Ahmed Bashir informed the court that despite availability of mobile food testing laboratories no sample is taken randomly as these mobile labs lack technicians.
He informed that the Food Safety department lacks expert staff because of which public is made to consume adulterated food stuff.
Hearing the PIL on food adulteration, the division bench of Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice Dhiraj Singh Thakur remarked that good quality of food is the basic right of people and authorities cannot take the issue lightly.
Sep 18, 2018
250kg of gutka products seized in Trichy
TRICHY: The district food safety department in Trichy on Monday seized 250kg of banned gutka products, estimated to be worth Rs 2 lakh.
The products were seized from gutka wholesale dealer Prakash Shah of Nadu Gujili Street.
As directed by the commissioner of food safety and drug administration P Amudha, district food safety officials began a weeklong inspection drive to curb the sales and supply of gutka products.
The raid began in the morning and the officials found a few gutka products from a small-time retailer who was carrying it on a two-wheeler in Nadu Bijili Street.
They also found gutka products in some shops in the same area.
While questioning the shop owners, the officials came to know that it was being supplied by a wholesaler from Nadu Bijili Street. They went to his godown and found around 50kg of gutka products.
The officials conducted a raid at his house and seized 200kg of gutka products. The food safety officers confiscated the illegal products.
The product samples were sent to Chennai for testing. Officials said action would be taken against the wholesaler based on the results of test.
200kg of gutka products seized in Erode
Coimbatore: The food safety department in Erode seized 200kg of gutkha products worth Rs 2 lakh from a godown on Monday afternoon. The godown owner’s FSSAI license was immediately cancelled and the banned items were seized. The items will be destroyed once the samples test positive for nicotine content from the food testing laboratory.
The department was informed by the Erode collectorate which received an anonymous tip about a grocery shop in the district selling gutkha products. “The informer told us it was a shop in Veerapachathram, opposite the Mariamman Koil in the area,” said designated food safety officer, Kalaivani. “We decided to bypass the shop and raid the godown instead,” she said.
In Coimbatore, the food safety department raided around 55 Aavin booths across the district. They found 14 of the booths selling adulterated tea and many shops serving their bhajji and bonda in newspapers. “Food handlers were not using gloves,” said designated food safety officer Dr Vijayalalithambigai. “They were also using reused oil,” she added. “We have issued notices to the shops and given them food safety instructions,” she said.
Raid finds nearly 100 roadside shops use adulterated tea dust
Trichy: Having a cup of tea from any of the several roadside stalls in Trichy will not be a healthy option as the district food safety officials have found that the use of adulterated tea powder is rampant among them. They claimed that dust tea powder adulterated with aniline dye tartrazine — which is used as a colouring agent – were being supplied to about 100 tea shops in the city.
Health experts have warned that long-term consumption of food products in which tartrazine is added can possibly increase the risk of cancer. This isn’t the first time that adulterated tea powder has been confiscated in the district. A few years ago, the food safety wing had cracked down on its use in shops, but it was only in the rural areas of the district.
It was by chance that the designated officer (DO) of Trichy food safety department, Dr R Chitra, and other food safety officers came across adulterated tea powder on Monday as they were conducting raids to crack down on the sale of gutka. During the raid, they intercepted a small-time retailer who was carrying dust tea powder packets with him. On testing the tea powder he carried, the food safety department came to know that it was adulterated. When they questioned him further, they found that it was being supplied by a person from Mannarpuram. Without losing time, the officials conducted a raid at the wholesale dealer’s house where they found 200 kg of dust tea – estimated at Rs 1.2 lakh – and seized it. The confiscated tea has been sent to Chennai for further testing and legal action would be taken based on the report, officials said .
DO Chitra expressed shock at the prevalence of adulterated tea powder in the city. “Two of them – with the labels of Leeder’s Tea and Lion – were found to be adulterated. Drinking adulterated tea is extremely harmful to health and the colouring agent added is also carcinogenic. With such rampant supply of adulterated tea across Trichy it’s highly unsafe for people to drink tea from roadside food stalls,” she said. Chitra added that further raids would be conducted to ensure that the supply of adulterated tea was curbed.
Dean of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital, Dr G Anitha, said that if a person consumed adulterated tea for a prolonged time, it could lead to several other health effects too. “Right from damage to blood vessels to formation of kidney stones and indigestion, there can be are severe health effects. For that matter, any food product with preservatives or colouring agents is harmful,” she stated. Sources in the food safety department said that the adulterated tea powder was transported from Coimbatore and directly supplied to wholesale dealers, which in turn was sold to tea shops. “The products are not available anywhere in the market in Trichy and are only sold to tea shops at a lesser rate,” the source said.
A food safety officer said that the manufacturers had been taking advantage of people demanding “strong tea” at stalls. “Many expect tea to have a strong taste. By adulterating tea with colouring agents, even by adding less powder, a cup of tea is made to look the way the customers demand,” the food safety officer added.
Meanwhile, Trichy City Tea Shop Owners Welfare Association organising secretary Ravuther Shah admitted that certain owners were purchasing adulterated tea since they were available at lesser rate. “Currently, a good brand of tea costs Rs 400 a kg while adulterated tea is sold at Rs 150 to Rs 200. In our association meetings, we've been warning the tea shop owners to stop procuring adulterated tea and we’re even issuing pamphlets to them regarding this,” he said.
Rotten wheat found to be used in making flour at mill in Ludhiana
The Punjab Food and Drug Administration on Monday seized more than 2,000 quintals of rotten wheat, which was allegedly being used for making flour, in Ludhiana district.
In a raid at a mill in Alamgir village, the team, assisted by dairy development officers, found that the damaged wheat, which had turned black and had been emitting foul smell, was being used for making wheat flour, an official said.
The team took samples of wheat, flour, 'maida' and 'suji' for further investigation. The mill was allegedly being run without a mandatory Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licence, the spokesperson added.
Officials focus on safety, food quality in cinema theatres
Known as the paradise for movie buffs, the East Godavari district accounts for 135 screens located in 107 building complexes.
Joint Collector asks managements to improve amenities by October 5
Even as filmgoers in East Godavari district have been complaining of absence of safety measures and skyrocketing prices of foods and beverages in the canteens for quite a long time, the officials, at last have cracked the whip on the erring managements. Besides making it mandatory conducting safety checks periodically, the focus has also been shifted towards the quality and quantity of the foodstuff being sold in the eateries attached to the cinema halls.
Known as the paradise for movie buffs, the district accounts for 135 screens located in 107 building complexes. Even as some of the cinema halls of bygone era turned into function halls and shopping complexes in premier locations, the advent of multiplex complex culture has ensured that there was no sudden drop in the screens. Every now and then, the moviegoers express their dissatisfaction over the infrastructure and facilities in the theatres or the frequent hike in the entry fares.
For the fist time, a video-conference has been conducted with the managements of all the cinema halls in the district last week, in which Joint Collector A. Mallikarjuna interacted with the proprietors. Complaints from the filmgoers have come for wider discussion and standing instructions have been issued to the managements on the spot. “Except four cinema halls in Kakinada, none of the other theatres is following the norms prescribed by the Safety and Standards Authority of India with regard to the quality of food stuff being served in the theatre canteens,” points out Dr. Mallikarjuna, while expressing concern over the public health.
Similarly, only 90 theatre complexes are equipped with the fire-fighting devices and obtained permissions from the departments concerned. “From installing the equipment to the setting up of closed circuit cameras, a lot has to be done on the safety front. We have asked the managements to complete the procedure by October 5,” he says.
Cow milk standard changed; lesser fat and solids now acceptable
Minimum fat content in milk is now set at 3.2 per cent by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
The Food Safety and Standards authority of India (FSSAI) has changed the regulatory standards of cow milk, making it uniform for the entire country as opposed to the state-wise standards earlier.
The new standards that came into effect on August 2, have reduced the earlier set standards of “milk fat” and “milk solids not fat.” While earlier the minimum fat content of cow’s milk was different for different regions. The highest standard for milk fat was set for Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh at 4 per cent and the lowest in Mizoram and Orissa at 3 per cent.
This figure has now been made the same for the entire country set at 3.2 per cent. On the other hand the standard for milk solids which was set at 8.5 per cent all over the country has been brought down to 8.3 per cent.
The director of FSSAI, Pawan Agarwal said that the changes are part of the continuously evolving system of standards and added, "Today we don't require the variation across states. That's why the new standards are uniform for the country now." He said that the new standards will make sale of milk easier for cow milk sellers.
Veena Shatrugna, former deputy director of National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, says that the new standard eases the selling process for cooperatives. Cow milk has 4.48 per cent fat content, so the change may be to accommodate desi cow’s milk, which has lesser fat content as compared to the Jersey cow, Shatrugna says. "There must be a demand from the owners of desi cows to recognise this as the ideal composition for cow's milk," she adds.
Cooperatives found it difficult to meet the older standards as the cows have to be fed special fodder to increase milk fat content. While Agarwal says that the new standard will not impact the nutritional value of milk, Shatrugna believes it can make a difference when milk is diluted to give to babies.
Ban on formalin-treated fish to continue
Dimapur, Sep. 17: In a huge setback for fish suppliers from south India, Nagaland will continue with its ban on fish and fish products treated with the chemical formalin.
Nagaland’s Food Safety Commissioner Himato Zhimomi has announced that the ban on the sale of fish treated with formalin will continue in the state.
Sale of fresh fish and fish products including crustaceans treated with formalin, which is a highly toxic chemical and injurious to health, was banned in Nagaland on June 22 this year for a period of three months. The period of ban will expire in a few days but Himato Zhimomi has announced in a tweet that it would continue.
“Ban on fresh fish laced with formalin will continue,” Himato tweeted along with a snapshot of the department of Health and Family Welfare’s notification stating the reason for the decision.
“In exercise of the power conferred under clause (a) of Sub-Section (2) of Section 30 of the Food safety and Standards Act 2006, the undersigned hereby prohibits storage, distribution or sale of fresh fish products including crustaceans treated with formalin or other forms of preservatives in the state of Nagaland for another further period of 3 (three) months, with effect from September 23, 2018 or till corrective measures are taken,” the notification read.
Failing to comply with the ban is an offence and will attract penalty up to INR 10 lakh with imprisonment under section 59 of the FSSA, 2006, the notification added. The designated officers and food safety officers of the districts have been directed to strengthen surveillance in their jurisdictions.
Sep 17, 2018
Rising issue of food adulteration highlighted
Medical department, District Administration, Police department with business establishment of Wokha during the awareness programme on food safety.
WOKHA, September 16 (MExN): The Food Safety Wing of the Chief Medical Officer Office organized a one day awareness programme on food safety. The programme was chaired by Dr. Robin Lotha, Chief Medical Officer Wokha and graced by the presence of EAC Tumben P. Tsanglao, representatives from the Police Department and attended by the food business operators. EAC Wokha, Tumben advised the shopkeepers to sell only those food products which are registered under FSSAI and ISI.
Dr. Zuben Kikon, Deputy CMO spoke on the rising issue of food adulteration and its ill effects on health. He spoke on the health issues related to consumption of fish laced with formalin, food wrapped in newspaper, fruits ripened with calcium carbide and ajinomoto/monosodium glutamate (MSG).
Session on good hygiene practices of FBOs was conducted by Pelerieno Kehie, FSO Wokha. The need to operate with proper licenses and maintaining a clean workplace to ensure public health and hygiene was stressed upon during the presentation mainly for those employed in bakeries, restaurants and hotels. She also highlighted on the different offences and penalties under various Sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Dr. Robin CMO cautioned the FBOs against the sale of expired and banned food items in the market. He further reminded them to come and get their establishment registered.
This was stated in a press release issued by Dr. Robin Lotha, Chief Medical Officer, Wokha.
Sep 16, 2018
Now, check quality of packaged water online
FSSAI uploads details of registered suppliers with quality parameters, lab reports
Consumers can now check the quality of the packaged drinking water supplied to them in a matter of minutes.
The website, hosted by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), provides details on most of the licensed manufacturing units across the State. There are 1,375 packaged drinking water units across Tamil Nadu. Of these, nearly 1,032 units have so far registered their details on www.safewater.fssai.gov.in.
With just an FSSAI licence number or BIS licence number found on bubble tops, consumers can now check complete information about the water quality. Details, including lab reports, about when the unit was started and various parameters tested for water quality, have been uploaded online.
Voluntary registration
Officials of the FSSAI said that at present the registration of packaged drinking water units was voluntary and that they needed to have licences both from FSSAI and the Bureau of Indian Standards to operate their units. “We are approaching the remaining units in the State through field officers. Results of the samples taken by FSSAI teams are available online,” said an official.
In Chennai, 22 of the 24 operating units, have registered. “We are creating awareness among people about the facilities available to check water quality and register complaints about the poor quality of packaged drinking water,” the official said.
On an average, nearly 40 crore litres of packaged water is sold daily in the State and Chennai and its suburbs consume one-third of the supply.
FSSAI had launched a complaint number — 9444042322 — a year ago, to facilitate registration of complaints by the consumers. Of the 4,368 complaints received in the past one year till August, 133 were related to packaged drinking water.
In a bid to increase awareness about access to safe drinking water and the significance of registering complaints, the FSSAI has been putting up stickers in commercial places and food joints, displaying the helpline number.
There are plans to put up about 6,000 posters in public places to seek consumers’ attention towards the issue. FSSAI teams would take action on the complaint and resolve them within 24 to 48 hours, officials said. If the complaint recurs, FSSAI has the power to close down the unit, they added.
Though it was a welcome initiative to regulate the licensed industry, V. Murali, founder, Greater Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Manufacturers Association, said the FSSAI must focus on shutting down unlicensed manufacturing units that supply a sizeable volume of water. Awareness must be created among consumers about such units that do not conform to norms, he added.
Rotten chicken tumbles out in V&E raid on hotels
Food Safety and Standards Authority officials conducting raids at a hotel in Vijayawada on Saturday
VIJAYAWADA: You need to be careful about the restaurant you decide to go to when you feel like eating out because there are high chances that it flouts the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) rules as most of the famous restaurants in city were caught serving frozen, rotten, or stale meat in the joint raids carried out by FSSAI and Vigilance Enforcement (V&E) officials on Saturday.
The illegal practice of serving food that is unfit for consumption came to light once again when officials found that Tamarind Multicuisine Restaurant, situated near new government hospital, was serving to its customers stale rice and smelly biryani prepared using frozen and rotten chicken.
“During our raids, we found that the restaurant was serving food which was not fit for consumption. The cooking staff was using frozen chicken and stale rice and biryani. The manner in which they were cooking was also unhygienic. They don’t even have a FSSAI license,” FSSAI regional officer N Purnachandra Rao said. Officials collected samples of chicken biryani and chicken wings from the restaurant for testing, and gave an improvement notice to it.
The FSSAI officials also inspected Sri Krupa Mess and Caterers, adjacent to the Tamarind Restaurant. “We found them using poor quality tea powder and corn flour. Samples were collected and action will be initiated against them if the reports deem the food items unfit for consumption,” he said. Two other restaurants raided in Kamayyathopu and Poranki near Vijayawada were indulging in similar practices.
The Tamarind Restaurant case is not an isolated one. On July 17, 2018, FSSAI officials found that Alfa Hotel in Tikkle Road was serving frozen chicken to its customers. Following complaints, officials inspected the hotel and sealed it. In another incident, two friends on July 22 got the shock of their lives when hotel Silver Spoon, Teachers’ Colony, served a cooked lizard along with chicken in the biryani they ordered.
According to sources, there are around 400 identified hotels and restaurants in city, out of which more than 80 per cent flout rules or are running without a valid FSSAI license. “Right from salt to meat, they (errant hotel managements) are using substandard material. Even the food served to patients at the government hospital is better,” said the V&E DSP Vijay Paul, who was one of the officials who conducted the raids.
Denizens also asked officials concerned to take action against the errant food joints.
Food safety staff raid restaurant
Officials of the Vigilance and Enforcement (V&E) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted a raid on Tamarind Restaurant, located on Mahanadu Road, opposite New Government General Hospital (GGH), on Saturday.
The team led by V&E DSP R. Vijay Paul and Assistant Food Controller K. Purnachander Rao collected food samples of alleged stale food and meat, and sealed the restaurant.
Inspector Venkateshwarlu said the restaurant management was not maintaining hygiene and was reportedly using leftover food.
The ingredients being used in the dishes were also of poor quality, the officials said.
FSSAI Assam Raids Sweets Factory
Food safety department in collaboration with police and SDRF has conducted an operation at a sweets factory of Kumarpara in Rupnagar on Saturday.
During the operation, many anomalies have come to light.
As per reports, the inspection team has found illegal power supply to the factory. The factory has been using domestic gas cylinders instead of commercial gas cylinders. Food safety department had seized three domestic gas cylinders and 45 liters blue kerosene from the factory.
It may be mentioned that, Food safety department has been running operations in the state against errant food traders. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI) has made it mandatory for all the participants of the food related activities to ensure a safe food in compliance to Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Sep 15, 2018
Sep 14, 2018
Sep 13, 2018
Mustard oil adulteration under scanner in Mohali
MOHALI: Following directions from food safety commissioner K S Pannu, the Mohali administration is all set to crack the whip on the sale of adulterated mustard oil in the city.
Mohali deputy commissioner Gurpeet Kaur Sapra said that directions have been given to the food safety teams of the health department to be strict in this regard.
"Commissioner of food and drug administration has warned of strong legal action against people who indulge in adulteration. Many unscrupulous dealers, bottlers and manufacturers mix cheap palm oil, crude rice bran oil and crude soybean oil with mustard oil.
They even add colours and other chemicals. We have given these people a chance to mend ways. Now it is time for them to face action," Sapra said and added that sensitization activities against adulteration had already been conducted.
Meanwhile, commissioner of food and drug administration Kahan Singh Pannu said that that cheaper adulterated mustard oil was harmful for health and impacting sales of genuine mustard oil.
"Mustard is sown in around one lakh acres of land during winter in the state. This gives produce equivalent to 4.8 lakh quintals. It is vital to note that farmers growing mustard get robbed of their genuine profits due to markets being flooded with adulterated mustard oil," Pannu said.
Warning adulterators, Pannu said that committees have been constituted to raid and seize substandard adulterated mustard oil from the units that are involved in such activities. "We will also take legal action against people involved in production of spurious and sub-standard mustard oil.
"No exceptions will be made. Adulteration is not an activity ushered by ignorance, it comes under a well-planned criminal activity," the official added.
Punjab crackdown on adulterated edible oil
Raids conducted across the State
After its recent drive against spurious milk and dairy products, the Punjab Food and Drug Administration has launched a crackdown on those involved in adulteration of edible oils.
Food safety teams are conducting raids across the State against those involved in adulteration of oil, especially mustard oil, which is consumed by a large section of the population in Punjab.
Punjab Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Kahan Singh Pannu said the food safety team in Fazilka conducted a raid at NG Oil Mill, Abohar, and found 725 litres of impure mustard oil and 352 litres of edible oil.
Samples were taken for further investigation and the stock was seized.
“The manufacturer was selling adulterated edible oil as mustard oil. The packaging part of the factory and an oil tanker were sealed. The team also seized 46 litres of Royal Taj cooking medium being sold as desi ghee from Abhey Trading Company being run from a domestic premises,” he said.
Earlier, the team sealed an oil manufacturing unit near Ahmedgarh in Ludhiana. “Though the manufacturing unit was located in Ludhiana district, the packaging address was given of Sangrur district. The entire packaged material, nearly 168 litres of mustard oil, was seized and the unit sealed. Misbranded mustard oil was also found at a factory in Khanna,” said Mr. Pannu.
Mr. Pannu said an inspection at Krishna Traders, Hoshiarpur, unearthed 180 kg of adulterated desi ghee made from vanaspati. “The stock was seized and samples of desi ghee and vanaspati were taken for investigation,” he added.
Sep 12, 2018
FSSAI to audit meat units, slaughter houses in 40 cities in next 3 months
New Delhi, Sep 11 () The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said Tuesday it will conduct audit of meat units and municipal slaughter houses in 40 cities in the next three months via third-party auditing agencies.
A mandatory food safety audit of the supply chain for e-commerce retail entities involved in retail of meat or meat products will also be conducted, it said.
The decisions were taken in a meeting with stakeholders that discussed all aspects that affect the quality and safety of meat and meat products either in direct or indirect way.
Food safety regulator FSSAI said in a statement that there is unprecedented increase in the demand for animal proteins, not only in India but globally as well.
"The majority of consumers now in India are eating fish, mutton, goat, pig and poultry. The challenge for this nutritional transition to animal protein based diets is linked with the use of anti-microbials in the feed and compromised hygiene practices at slaughter houses and retail markets. The result is the lack of trust in consumers on the quality and safety of meat and meat products available to them," it said.
In this backdrop, the FSSAI decided in the meeting there is a need to conduct food safety audit of meat units/ municipal slaughter houses in coming three months in 40 cities expanded by third party auditing agency.
Among other decisions taken, the regulator said a steering group for "clean and safe meat" will be formed that will have an overall responsibility for carrying out the activities in this campaign, including the preparation of guidance note for consumers on fish/meat and feed.
This campaign will be a part of 'Lauh Yatra movement' to clean the slaughter houses and meat markets. The stakeholders will be participating in the Lauh Yatra covering 2,000 locations in 40 cities across the country.
The regulator also proposed that the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in collaboration with the feed manufacturing associations and other stakeholders, will review and amend their feed standards for livestock and poultry, if required.
Besides, the FSSAI has decided to train and build capacity of food business operators involved in this sector under the FoSTaC Programme from this month with a target of completing at least 50 trainings by the end of December 2018.The FSSAI will also plan a study on the overall ecosystem in sectors of meat, fish, poultry and feed to identify the gaps/foods safety concerns and the ways to address them.
Adulterated mustered oil manufacturing unit sealed in Ludhiana
Chandigarh: Continuing with its drive against adulterated mustard oil, a food safety team sealed a unit in Ludhiana for indulging in malpractice.
The team inspected and sealed an oil manufacturing unit near Ahmedgarh. While the manufacturing unit was located in Ludhiana district, a wrong packaging address of Sangrur district was printed on the packaging. Entire packed material, which was nearly 168 litres of mustard oil, was seized and the unit was sealed.
Food commissioner K S Pannu said the Fazilka food safety team in a raid at NG Oil Mill, Abohar found impure mustard oil to the tune of 725 litres. Samples were taken for further investigation and the stock was seized. The manufacturer was selling adulterated edible oil as mustard oil. The teams sealed the packaging part of the factory and an oil tanker was also sealed.
Meanwhile, an inspection of Krishna Traders, Hoshiarpur unearthed 180 kg of adulterated desi ghee. The stock was seized and sample of desi ghee and vanaspati were taken for investigation.
How safe is our Indian street food?
Be it the crunchy, mouth-watering gol gappas of Chandni Chowk, or the delicious kachori fromConnaught Place, the life of an average Indian feels incomplete without street food. And why not? It is more delicious than what many fancy restaurants can promise, and it fits right into our pockets! It’s the one food everybody loves, no matter what the class, what the background. But unfortunately, all is not rainbows and sunshines. With no intention of taking your occasional guilty pleasure of eating paav bhaji away, we put in a quick question here. How hygienic do you think our street food really is?
A reality check
A study conducted by the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM) in 2015 revealed some highly shocking results. In the samples collected from famous street food joints, the institute found traces of faecal matter (excrement product) in items like gol gappas. A bacteria called E. Coli was also present in high amounts. The bacteria is known to cause problems like diarrhea, gastroenteritis etc.
Keeping the research data aside, our minds are guaranteed to fall into a dubious state even if we simply consider the areas we get our favorite street food from. Most of the vendors have their stalls in the open, usually on roadsides or in street corners. Some are conveniently placed inches away from public washrooms. How hygienic that is, is not too difficult a question to answer. With the exception being of a few small-scale vendors, and mainstream street food joints, gloves are rarely used for serving or preparing the food. The risk on safety increases further in case of food items like bhelpuri etc since they also use raw vegetables, the sanitation of which is questionable.
Are fruits or fruit juice really a safer alternative?
Do you doubt the safety of street food, and hence, choose to consume fruit juice/ fruits from your local vendor? If yes, you might need to reconsider your choices. It will sound shocking, but your attempts to switch to a healthier lifestyle might actually be doing you more harm than good.
Not only is there a lack of guarantee about the utensils used being clean, the ice that is put in fruit juice often comes from highly unclean water sources. It is therefore highly recommended that you think twice before hopping onto another fruit juice stall.
In summers, you will find rows after rows of vendors offering you ‘fresh’ cut fruits to beat the scorching heat. Tempting, yes. But healthy? Maybe not so much.
It is generally advised to store cut fruits in a cool place, properly covered. However, that is hardly the storage conditions we find on our roadsides. Without the right treatment, cut fruits have high chances of being contaminated with bacteria.
How can you protect yourself?
While there are certain precautions you should keep in mind, the good news is, you don’t have to say “goodbye” to your favorite snacks. Here, we list down a couple of things you should remember the next time you are out for an eating spree:
1) Make sure the utensils are clean- the one that your food is made in, as well as the one you are being served in.
2) Check how hygienic the surroundings are.
3) Confirm that the seller has gloves on.
4) In case you are going for a glass of juice or shake, avoid getting ice put in. Also, make sure the jug, glass etc used are clean.
5) Avoid eating cut fruits from the roadside.
While we may blame the local vendors for the poor quality of street food, that point of view is highly narrow. The International Journal of Community Medicine and Health published a research paper in early 2018, concluding that “the street food vendors were aware of food hygiene and had favourable attitude towards it, but it wasn’t translated in their hygiene practice”. The reason for the same can be found out easily, at least the partial cause. The street vendors usually lack the appropriate resources to implement a cleaner, healthier system of providing food. Hence, even if they might genuinely wish to change the structure, they simply cannot.
Where does the government fit in?
In 2017, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), along with Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship launched a “one of its kind” initiative in the national capital. Approximately 23,000 street vendors were trained on basic health standards and sanitation. On completion, they were given certificates, as well as a kit containing necessities like apron, gloves etc.
With willing vendors and government initiatives, the condition of street food can be improved tremendously. While that wheel of change is set in motion, as an aware consumer, we must put in our personal set of precautions. And while you do that, make sure you enjoy your delicious treats!
CMO Kohima cautions consumers against unlabeled products
Directs distributors, suppliers to immediately stop supply of such goods
Dimapur, September 11 (MExN): The Chief Medical Office Kohima today cautioned consumers against ‘misbranded’ and unlabeled imported food products, particularly from Myanmar, to prevent “eventuality of any food poisoning.”
It also directed those distributing or supplying such products in the market to “immediately stop the distribution/supply” and retailers to return their purchased stock.
Failure to comply will lead to the initiation of necessary action under the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006, Rules & Regulations, 2011, informed a press release from the Chief Medical Office & Designated Officer Kohima, Dr.Ritu Thurr.
Illegal entry of food products
The CMO, in the release, noted that Myanmar Food Products are illegally entering the market contravening the aforementioned Act.
The State Commissioner of Food Safety had also issued an order on June 22 stating that “no person shall import into India any article of food in contravention of any other provision of the Act or any rule or regulation made thereunder or any other Act.”
In pursuance of the order, the apple and grape juice products with the brand names such as ‘Soo Te’, ‘Power’ etc are flooding the market “with no date of manufacture, no best before date, and no name of the manufacturer,” it stated.
“The Food Business Operators disclosed that these juices are Myanmar products and it is being distributed in the market through some distributors/suppliers in Kohima,” the release said. “These are all misbranded imported food products, and in the eventuality of any food poisoning, it will not be possible to implicate the manufacturers/producers.”
Since there is no importer name or address on the package, there will be none to blame or take action, it added.
Retailers directed to return products
In this connection, the CMO also directed the retailers “to return the stated food products to the concerned distributor/supplier” else they would be liable “to be penalized as per the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006, Rules & Regulations, 2011” if it is found in their business premises.
Meanwhile, the general public was also informed to be aware and alert on such issue.
Check the product labels before purchasing any food products. In the case of food products imported into India, it should have the name and complete address of the importer in India on the package or on the containers, the CMO said in the release.
If there is any case of food poisoning with a particular imported food, necessary action can be taken through the importer, it added.
Besides imported food products, the CMO also noted that Indian or Local food products “should also have the information such as manufacturing date, best before date and the name, address of the manufacturer.”
Any complaint in regard to food can be reported to the Chief Medical Office, the release informed.
Ban on imported Myanmarese food products
Kohima chief medical officer (CMO) Dr. Ritu Thurr has barred traders from buying and selling food products “imported illegally” from Myanmar in view of blatant violation of Food Safety & Standards Act (FSSA) 2006, Rules& Regulations (RR)2001.
Thurr, who is also designated food safety officer, directed the traders to immediately stop distributing and supplying these food products. Failure to comply would invite action as per relevant sections of the FSSA 2006 and R&R 2001.
Retailers were also asked to return the food products to concerned distributor(s) or supplier(s) as they too would be liable for penalisation as per the FSSA, R&R 2001 if such items are found in their business premises. The explanation for the ban on Myanmarese food items was that first, they were illegally entered into the market in contravention of the FSSA 2006 and R&R 2001.
The CMO next pointed out that, for example, apple juice, grape juice with brand names “Soo Te”, “Power”, etc, were flooding the market but had no ‘date of manufacture’, no ‘best-before’ date and ‘no name of their manufacturers’. As per information from traders, he said these juices were Myanmarese products and were being distributed through some distributors and suppliers in Kohima.
Thurr claimed that all of the products were “misbranded” imported food products and that, in the eventuality of any food poisoning, it would not be possible to implicate the manufacturers or producers. He, therefore, asked consumers to be aware and remain alert about such food products.
Also, besides imported food products, he also said even Indian and local food products should have information like ‘manufacturing date’, ‘best-before’ date and name, address of the manufacturer.
He added that any complaint regarding food could be filed with the CMO office.
The CMO also advised general public to check labels of the imported food products before buying them. He stressed that every such product should have the name and complete address of the importer in India on the package or on the containers. He warned that if any food poisoning occurred with a particular imported food product, necessary action would be taken against its importer.
In pursuance to commissioner of food safety’s order (DHFW/FSSA-21/32/2007-08/3055, dated Kohima, June 22, 2018) and as per Section 25 (1) (iii) of Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006 and Section 2 (2.2) (2.2.2) (6) (iii) of Food Safety & Standards Regulations, 2011 (Packaging and Labelling), Thurr clarified that no person could import any food article into India in contravention of the provisions of the Act or any rule or regulation made under the Act.
Sep 11, 2018
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