Fortified rice to curb malnutrition: 5 states yet to give consent to Centre’s scheme

Under the scheme, states will distribute fortified rice under PDS. The rice will be fortified in the milling stage and kernels with iron, vitamin D12 and folic acid, mixed with it in a 1:100 ratio.

The scheme, supposed to be a centrally-sponsored one, was to be implemented through the PDS system by the states. While the Centre agreed to a 75:25 ratio of financial responsibility, and 90:10 in the case of Northeastern states, ministry officials said that states spoke of many roadblocks. (AP)

Six months after the Centre approved a pilot to distribute fortified rice to curb malnutrition in 15 districts, a third of the 15 states that had initially agreed to implement are is yet to convey their consent, according to officials aware of the developments. Some of these states have now set certain preconditions that will delay the project’s implementation, the officials added.

The pilot, a part of the women and child development ministry’s flagship Poshan Abhiyaan programme, was approved in February. Under the scheme, states will distribute fortified rice under the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS). The rice will be fortified in the milling stage and kernels with iron, vitamin D12 and folic acid, mixed with it in a 1:100 ratio.

Of 15 states which had initially agreed to implement the scheme, five are yet to give their consent. States which are on board currently include Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana.

The matter also come up in the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Poshan Abhiyaan in July. As per minutes of the meeting, accessed by HT, a representative of the food and public distribution department said that only 9 states had conveyed their consent, with some putting forth preconditions which “will delay implementation of the pilot project”. Since then, Telangana has come on board. An updated report on the implementation of the pilot is due.

The scheme, supposed to be a centrally-sponsored one, was to be implemented through the PDS system by the states. While the Centre agreed to a 75:25 ratio of financial responsibility, and 90:10 in the case of Northeastern states, ministry officials said that states spoke of many roadblocks.

Procurement of the kernels was one of the key problems cited by the states. “States are wary of capital expenditure, too. The blender used to mix kernels with rice costs anywhere between Rs 15-20 lakh,” said a ministry official.

In response to a demand from the consumer affairs ministry, the ministry had agreed to shell out an additional cost of 60 paise per kg for the blending of the fortified rice. This extra cost was to be met from the funds provided by the ministry under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme.

“We are very much on board and have signed up for providing technical support for rice fortification to the states under the PDS. However, our role comes much later; there are many processes to be accomplished before we step in,” said Pawan Aggarwal, CEO, Food Safety Standards Authority of India.

FSSAI strives to prevent surplus food waste

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has steered a second round of meeting with 20 surplus food distribution agencies from various parts of the country to discuss the steps taken by government to ensure safe distribution of surplus food.

FSSAI has started an initiative called ‘Save Food Share Food Share Joy’ to create a food recovery ecosystem

FSSAI has gazette notified Food Safety and Standards (Recovery of Surplus Food) Regulations, 2018 on 4 August 2019 to establish a uniform national regulation to protect organisations and individuals when they donate food in good faith. “This regulation will further encourage big food businesses to come forward and donate food to these surplus food distribution agencies. These regulations will be enforced with effect from 1st July 2020,” said a FSSAI official.

The meeting was targeted to apprise the surplus food agencies about their roles and responsibilities in ensuring safe food collection and distribution as well as prevention of food waste. “They were also trained on hygiene practices during food collection and distribution under Food Safety Training and Certification (FoSTaC). It will be mandatory for surplus food distribution agencies to register with FSSAI on food licensing portal. FSSAI provided on the spot registration to the agencies attending. At present, 20 such agencies have been registered on FSSAI licensing portal,” the official added. 

The first meeting on the same topic was organised on 30 July 2019. The meet was attended by 13 Surplus Food Distribution Agencies. 

FSSAI has started an initiative called ‘Save Food Share Food Share Joy’ to create a food recovery ecosystem. This initiative aims to bridge the gap between food companies, surplus food distribution agencies and beneficiaries. 

It has also created Indian Food Sharing Alliance (IFSA) - A network of food collection/recovery agencies in India, to create a pan India network of these agencies. The network serves as a common platform where all the agencies will be equally benefitted with regulatory support, food safety training and capacity building efforts. 

At the meet, Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, announced free FSSAI registrations for the participating agencies. The forum also provided an opportunity to the surplus food distribution organisations to share their concerns and suggestions to help the network grow. 

Representatives from Elan Professional Appliances attended the meeting to present their ideas for ensuring solutions to ensure safe food handling during food recovery and distribution. They have committed to extend CSR support to select agencies in developing their systems for safe food handling. 

Integrated efforts from government, food businesses and surplus food distribution organisations are necessary to create an ecosystem for prevention of surplus food waste and the initiative is a beginning in this direction.

Keeping an eye on Dasara food mela in Mysuru

This year, the Dasara Food Mela will be held at the Bharat Scouts and Guides Grounds and at the MUDA plot at Siddharatha Nagar in Mysuru.

Food safety officers attached to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will keep an eye on the quality of food provided at the Dasara Food Mela, a popular attraction of the festivities that draws a large number of foodies and tourists.

This year, the food mela at two venues — the Bharat Scouts and Guides Grounds and the MUDA plot at Siddharatha Nagar — will not be restricted to the period of Dasara celebrations and will continue beyond in order to cater to tourists who continue to flock to the city post-Dasara.

With the understaffed FSSAI office in Mysuru having the task of looking after the protocol duties, with frequent visits of VVIPs to the city during the festivities, the responsibilities will double for the department, which has just five officers.

Therefore, the FSSAI office has written to the State health authorities in Bengaluru seeking deputation of food safety officers from neighbouring districts to Mysuru to support the local staff. The office is awaiting a reply.

Before the food mela begins, the stall owners will be briefed on the food safety guidelines and their responsibilities in ensuring the safety of foods.

Chidambar, designated officer, FSSAI office, Mysuru, told The Hindu that all stall owners would be first registered under the FSSAI Act before they get into action since it is mandatory for a government-sponsored programme. If they flout the norms, they will either be penalised along with a warning or their stall licence will be revoked. He added that two stalls lost their licence last year for flouting safety rules.

“Our officers will keep a watch on the foods cooked. If necessary, the raw materials used such as cooking oils can be sent for lab analysis. Last year, we slapped fines for using artificial colouring agents,” he said.

Dr. Chidambar said two officers at the scouts grounds and two others at Siddhartha Nagar have been planned for supervision during the mela. “As the mela attracts large crowds, we may need more officers for keeping track of the situation, as we did during Kumbh Mela in T. Narsipur. Therefore, we have requested the Health Department to depute officers to Mysuru until the festivities conclude,” he said. He added that four or five officers would be required to handle Dasara duties in the city.

DINAKARAN NEWS

MDH 'sambhar masala' recalled in US on salmonella contamination

BENGALURU: Some batches of a spice mix sold by the MDH brand were taken off the shelves in the United States for salmonella contamination, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said.

The contaminated lot of MDH's sambhar powder was distributed in some northern Californian stores, the drug regulator said in a statement late on Wednesday.

MDH, ubiquitous in Indian kitchens, is known for selling various spice mixes that are key to Indian cooking. The family-run company did not immediately respond to phone calls and emails seeking more details.

"The recall was initiated after it was discovered by the FDA that the salmonella contaminated products were distributed," the statement said. It was not immediately clear if the recall was voluntary, or what the source of the contamination was.

No illnesses had yet been reported in connection with this problem, the regulator said.

The salmonella bacteria can cause serious and severe infections, especially in children or elderly people and others with weak immune system. Illnesses usually last 4 to 7 days and most people recover without treatment, according to the FDA.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India did not immediately respond to a query about possible local checks.

FSSAI ropes in Virat Kohli to eliminate the usage of single-use plastic

NEW DELHI: Aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for action to eliminate single-use plastic in coming years, develop environmental friendly substitutes and also an efficient plastic collection and disposal system in the food and beverages (F&B) sector, the apex food regulatory authority Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is developing a concrete action plan in partnership with stakeholders. 

Apart from developing this incremental and agile plan, FSSAI has recently initiated some regulatory measures to enable F&B industry to reduce its plastic footprint. These include:

* Hotels can use paper-sealed glass bottles for captive use without BIS certification in place of plastic bottles. An order has been recently issued on this.

* Use of bamboo as an alternative to plastics such as straws, plates, bowls, cutlery etc.

* Removing the restriction on use of returnable bottles for packaging of artificially sweetened beverages.

* Permitting the use of liquid nitrogen dosing in PET bottles during the packaging of drinking water.

The food authority has started a consumer awareness campaign “Eat Right India for Sustainable Living” as a call to action for plastic waste management and reduction of plastic footprint in the F&B industry. 

To kick-start the movement, the Indian Cricket Captain, Shri Virat Kohli had reached out to millions of fans through his social media accounts (Twitter, Instagram and Facebook) and invited them to a collection drive organised on Thursday. He asked them to bring empty F&B plastic packaging, plastic bottles, aluminium cans and tetra pack cartons for recycling in a move towards sustainable living. Thousands of people joined hands during the activation at MGF mall, Gurgaon where Shri Kohli himself segregated F&B plastic packaging waste and motivated people to follow his foot-steps.

This campaign comes a day after, the Prime Minister launched ‘Swachhata Hi Seva (SHS) 2019’, which has a special focus on ‘plastic waste awareness and management.'

FSSAI is further asking state/UT food safety departments to conduct similar awareness and collection drives at public places and malls at their State capitals and major cities in accordance with the timelines of SHS 2019. It has also urged the State Level Advisory Committees to organise state level discussions around the same and devise activities for sustaining the agenda.

At the event, Virat Kohli, captain of Indian cricket team urged his fans to not just talk about the problem but to also start acting on it. He said, “Don’t get inspired by (my) hairstyle or clothes, get inspired to do good for the society. Join hands to achieve a plastic waste free India by participating in this campaign.”

Speaking on the occasion, FSSAI CEO, Pawan Agarwal said, “Shri Virat Kohli is not only India’s ace cricketer but a wonderful human being with a sensitive heart, who cares for the society. He thanked him for his support to the cause of ‘healthy India’ through safe food, healthy and sustainable diets. He hoped that endorsement of celebrities like Virat Kohli will help to make India completely free of plastic soon and FSSAI is committed to work with various stakeholders from the food and beverages sector to bring about this change.”

Food safety staff plan to turn used oil into biodiesel

Food safety officials from Dindigul district have initiated the process of identifying food business operators who use more than 50 litres of edible oil a day, in order to collect waste oil for safe disposal. The intention is to make sure that used oil does not enter the system in any manner as it can cause greater health problems, say officials.

The collected oil will be covered into biodiesel, which can be used to operate machines and motor vehicles. According to the officials, food business operators who use more than 50 litres have to maintain a separate record to show daily usage and waste oil generated. Hotels, restaurants, snack factories and bakeries will come under the radar, designated officer for food safety, Dindigul district, Dr K Natarajan said. While some sell the used oil to roadside eateries, others flush the waste oil into drainage and water bodies, which can create environmental issues, he said.

“We have communicated to all food business operators that oil should not be used multiple times. The process of identifying those who use oil in bulk quantity is under way. Once the process is over it will be made sure that waste oil goes straight to public sector undertaking oil companies, which will convert it into biodiesel,” Dr K Natarajan said.

According to the notification of food safety and standards (licensing and registration) first amendment regulation, total polar compounds should not exceed 25% in cooking oil as they can cause serious health problems if consumed over a long time. TPC is a widely accepted parameter to check the quality of oil.

PCI urges media to be careful in reporting on food safety

New Delhi, Sep 12 The Press Council of India (PCI) has urged media houses to verify all facts before publishing any news related to food safety after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India expressed concern over several false and factually incorrect news pertaining to the issue.

The PCI has taken note of the concern expressed by the FSSAI regarding several false and factually incorrect news pertaining to food safety which are being published in the press, a statement issued by the media watchdog said.

Such news creates fear among the people at large and erodes their confidence in the food control systems of the country, the statement said.

Dissemination of any unverified or false information creates panic among consumers, public at large, international media and investors etc, the PCI said.

"All the media houses are hereby advised to verify all facts before publishing any news related to food safety," it said.

Registration of shops to be made compulsory: Hek

SHILLONG: Health and Family Welfare Minister A L Hek said the registration of all shops would be made compulsory in view of health issues.

He was replying to the Call Attention Motion of Congress MLA Mayralborn Syiem in Meghalaya Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

Admitting to the shortage in manpower, Hek said the Food and Safety Department was being run with skeletal staff and would rectify the problem not only in Shillong but in other places of the state as well.

Hek said that a complaint was received from Lansius Syienmlieh, Quinine, Ri-Bhoi District with the sample of a Jalebi on July 1, 2019. The Food Safety officer was instructed to visit the restaurant of Shiv Prakash Joshi (owner of M/S Amit Restaurant, Nongpoh).

He said that the Food Safety Officer inspected the premises and sent the sample jalebi brought by the complainant to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Center in North Eastern Region, Umiam for confirmation of the presence of insect.

During inspection of the premises of M/S Amit Restaurant, Nongpoh by the Food Safety Officer, many anomalies were detected which may be the reason for which such incident might have happened.

On receipt of the inspection report from the Food Safety officer and confirmation of the presence of body parts of insect embedded in the Jalebi, the Designated Officer, Ri-Bhoi district issued Improvement Notice under Section 32 of the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006 including the measures to be taken by Shiv Prasad Joshi within given time.

The designated officer directed the immediate closure of the shop for 14 days with effect from July 4, 2019.

The owner of the restaurant appealed for extension of the days for compliance by another 60 days more to renovate whole of kitchen, store- room and eating area.

In case the owner of the restaurant does not comply within the given time a case under section 59 (i) of the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006 will be filed for non-compliance. The 60 days’ time extended ends on September 23, 2019.

Speaking at the Call Attention Motion, Congress MLA Mayralborn Syiem said there should be regular checking of restaurants/dhabas and those eateries that do not fulfill the food safety norms should be cancelled.

He said that the manpower of the Food and Safety Department should be strengthened and said there was only one Food and Safety Officer in Ri-Bhoi and there is no other staff. He also said that there should be field staff to monitor day- -to-day activities.

How SaaS technology is ensuring food safety and security in IndiaSaaS models made the enterprise-class software accessible to the smallest players in the agriculture ecosystem

“Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food” is how the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations defines food security. In the case of India, while we have seen impressive economic growth in recent years, there is still a struggle with widespread poverty and hunger. India’s poor population amounts to more than 300 million people, with almost 30 percent of India’s rural population living in poverty. But there’s good news too: poverty in India has declined from 37.2 percent in 2004-05 to 28.9% in 2009-10. The time has come for the use of digital technologies to improve the food security situation in India. These digital technologies provide data-driven decision-making support to precision farming and climate-smart agriculture, as well as for supply chain management and traceability. Broadly, these technologies fall under the SaaS (software as a service) model that is already in use and is witnessing widespread implementation in several parts of India. But first, a peek into what SaaS is all about.

What is SaaS?

Traditionally, enterprise software such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) was licensed to customers and these software applications were internally hosted and managed by the customers themselves by having a large internal Information Technology teams. These models were prohibitively expensive for smaller organizations for two reasons; initial acquisition of software and the need to maintain and support the software with large internal IT teams.

As the high-speed internet has evolved and became ubiquitous and affordable, there was no need for software to be installed within the walls of the customers and supported by internal teams. The software vendors are hosting the applications in their own data centers and providing it as a service to their customers based on the usage or subscription, which has come to be known as SoftwareAsAService or SaaS models in the industry which has drastically reduced the overall cost of using the software and hence making it accessible for smaller organizations.

SaaS models have come as a boon in digitizing the agriculture value chain. Agriculture value chains are very fragmented and there are no big margins to invest in technologies. However, SaaS models made the enterprise-class software accessible to the smallest players in the agriculture ecosystem.

How SaaS enables food security?

Food security ultimately boils down to the availability of food, access to food and climate-smart farming. For all of these, SaaS-based solutions come handy. Food security can be improved by design. Some of the methods include the prevention of wastage of resources during the crop cycle – resources such as water, fertilizer, and pesticide so that the environment that supports food production is not depleted. At the core of SaaS technology is the use of data-driven decision making. This helps in precison farming, supply chain management, climate-smart agriculture, and warehouse management, all of which help increase food security by curtailing losses during production and post-harvest stages.

SaaS-enabled smart farming is a precise and resource-efficient method, so it has real potential to deliver higher productivity and sustainability in agricultural production. This is achieved through a combination of satellite data and ground truth data processed through advanced AI/Machine Learning Algorithms which can provide precise actionable advice to help farmers make informed decisions. For example, the use of soil moisture sensors helps farmers make decisions on how, where and when to irrigate thus reducing the costs. Trends indicate that the continued implementation of smart farming in agriculture will help mitigate some of the food security problems that many parts of the world are experiencing. Precision in the use of pesticides and fertilisers can help reduce leaching problems and release of harmful greenhouse gases to the environment. Overall, smart farming encourages the use of technology in site-specific weather forecasts, probability mapping of diseases and disasters, and yield projections. Smart farming comes with all of these opportunities, and the added benefit of reducing the ecological footprint.

The connection between food security and food safety

Food security is closely related to the concept of food safety, both of which have a profound impact on the quality of human life. For that matter, there is no food security without food safety. Food safety has to do with the quality of food, not the quantity. If a person cannot eat the food they have, there is no food security.

Food Safety Issues in India

Some of the challenges with regard to food safety in India include compromised quality, increasing adulteration cases and instances of product integrity issues. Such issues can cause irreplaceable damage not just to individual health, but also to the reputation of brands that manufacture and market these products. With the advent of social media, companies have become prone to scrutiny from both government and consumers. One key element of keeping product integrity intact is to have a full view of the product and throughout the various processes. Digitisation is helping manufacturers manage their risks more effectively with a range of tools aimed at communications between employees and support teams, and improving access to data and analytics. This is another SaaS-based application that supports food safety. This means that if food safety issues arise, they can be resolved quickly and effectively without impacting production performance.

How SaaS enables food safety through traceability

Meeting food safety challenges brought about in the new global context requires a “whole value chain” approach that identifies and addresses risks right from production through consumption. This solution is called traceability. Traceability is getting increasing attention because, in all the unforeseen food safety lapses, the response action needs to be immediate. When we understand food safety beyond recalls, the important thing is to keep track of the origin of products, ingredients and their attributes, from the farm through food processing to retail, foodservice and consumers. The food safety chain is more complicated in our globalised world because it can span international borders and encounter domestic and global regulations. Without technology, managing this complex network is next to impossible. SaaS technology enables the capture of relevant data related to the food supply chain from remote and multiple locations, which is stored in a central repository, enabling near real-time and complete visibility so that any anomalies that spotted can be corrected easily, minimizing risk and saving costs.

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Drive against single-use plastic to be intensified: Collector

District Collector A.Shanmuga Sundram issuing pamplets to raise awarness against single-use plastics at Nethaji market in Vellore on Wednesday.

Awareness campaign for vendors held at Nethaji market

The district administration of Vellore would intensify its drive against usage of single-use plastic items such as bags and cups, said Collector A. Shanmuga Sundram

While launching an awareness campaign on the ban on usage of such articles among the traders in Nethaji Flower, Vegetable and Fruit market in Vellore on Wednesday, the Collector announced that violators would be booked and maximum punishment would be meted out to them. He interacted with the fruit and flower vendors in the market, asking them to discourage the use of plastic bags, as they were dangerous to the environment.

He added that though action is being taken on the usage of banned plastic items, they were being smuggled into the State from neighbouring States where there is no ban on manufacturing or trading.

“We have instructed food safety officers and municipal officials to intensify their drive against the usage of plastics and reports of action taken are regularly sought from them ,” Mr. Shanmuga Sundram said.

He distributed cloth bags and pamphlets reading with messages on the ill-effects of using plastic items and urged them to use alternative materials as suggested in the manual. Vellore City Municipal Corporation Commissioner, S. Sivasubramanian,

DRDA Project Director P. Periasamy, Municipal Health Officer T. Manivannan and Sanitary Inspector Sivakumar participated in the campaign.

Throwaway plastics

Officials of Vellore City Municipal Corporation and Food Safety department have intensified the drive against 14 throwaway plastic items banned by the state government.

“Officials have been visiting shops and seizing banned plastic on a regular basis. The election work came in the way. But it was once again started vigorously. We are regularly sending reports on the plastic seizure,” said an official.

The ‘Swachhata Hi Seva’ campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi aims at accelerating the momentum of Swachh Bharat in the run-up to its 4th anniversary.

It also aims at laying down the foundation of sustainability, reinforcing the concept of “sanitation as everyone’s business”, and commencing Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth year celebrations with a nationwide campaign.

Kids at govt schools to enjoy nutritious milk from today

The nutritious powder will be mixed with milk given to kids twice a week under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme. 

Over 42,000 children from government and aided schools will get to savour a flavoured and multivitamin ‘health drink’ from Thursday onwards, thanks 

to two private trust introducing it.

Adamya Chetana Trust, in association with Sri Satya Sai Annapoorna Trust, based in Muddenahalli in Chikkaballapura district, is introducing a ‘Sai sure multivitamin micronutrition powder’, which will be mixed with the milk provided to the kids twice a week under Ksheera Bhagya scheme.

The scheme has already been introduced in few districts, including Chikkaballapura, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kalaburugi, Tumakuru and Bengaluru Rural.

In Bengaluru, the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education S Suresh Kumar will launch the scheme on Thursday.

“Following the positive result of the powder on children’s health, we submitted the post-health analysis report to the state department of primary and secondary education, which decided to extend the scheme further,” said Anand Kumar, general secretary of Sri Satya Sai Annapoorna Trust.

Choco, almond flavours

The scheme was first introduced in Chikkaballapura district on a pilot basis. After a year, the haemoglobin level in the kids saw an improvement. Encouraged by the development, the trust sought the education department’s permission to extend the scheme to other districts.

The powder comes in chocolate and almond flavours.

“It is just a powder, unlike any other health drink mix the kids consume at home. Here our partners will mix the powder with hot milk and supply it to schools directly,” said Kumar.

This nutritious powder has got the clearance from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). A group of 20 nutritionists and paediatricians also recommended some improvement to the powder. “Based on the suggestions, we prepared a formula,” Kumar added.

Meanwhile, Sri Satya Sai Annapoorna Trust has already implemented the scheme at schools in some parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

FSSAI allows hotels to replace plastic drinking water bottles with glass bottles

The experts dealing with plastic-related issues in FSSAI examined the feasibility of the move, and gave the nod.

The food and consumer affairs ministry has also asked the packaged-water industry to come up with suggestions for alternatives to plastic bottles.

In a move aimed at reducing plastic waste, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), has said hotels can replace plastic bottles with paper-sealed glass bottles for in-house guests as long as water safety standards are met and the bottles are not sold, according to a circular issued by the food regulator.

The circular dated September 9, a copy of which has been seen by HT, was issued following a representation made by the hotels to the FSSAI a few weeks ago seeking permission to serve water in glass bottles to in-house guests.

“The Taj group of hotels approached us asking if they could serve their guests glass bottled water from their own plants instead of packaged plastic drinking water bottles. We accepted the request for consideration and asked our committee that already deals with issues related to plastics to look into it. The committee gave the go-ahead,” said Pawan Agarwal, chief executive officer, FSSAI.

The experts dealing with plastic-related issues in FSSAI examined the feasibility of the move, and gave the nod.

“…At present hotels across the country serve packaged drinking water in plastic bottles. The overall consumption of plastic bottles used in hotels results in considerable plastic wastage. Taking cognisance of this, it has been decided to allow to serve drinking water in paper sealed reusable glass bottles for captive use within the hotel premises…,” the FSSAI circular reads.

Agarwal says, “In the larger interest of the safety of our environment, we have allowed it not just for the Taj group of hotels [but also] other five or four-star hotels also who are willing, and prepared, to start making the transition. It’s just the beginning; gradually the practice would need to be followed by the entire industry including the caterers,” he added.

A Taj spokesperson confirmed they had approached FSSAI.

“The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) in its endeavour to address the growing plastic menace, pledged on the occasion of Earth Hour 2018 to phase out single-use plastics from all its hotels so as to play a significant role towards protecting the environment…,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

“Sometime early this year we undertook to phasing out single use plastic in our rooms across the group. First phase of which included some of our hotels participating in a plastic elimination challenge — to give up plastic usage through innovative solutions. Many of our hotels have reduced usage of plastic by replacing wrapped dry amities in rooms, such as toothbrush, shaving kit etc. with eco-friendly substitutes.”

According to the circular, the hotels will need to set-up in-house drinking water bottling systems on their premises, and follow the sanitation and hygiene practices; the water served shall conform to BIS specifications for drinking water, and the bottles must not be for sale and served free to guests.

“Our inspectors will keep checking the bottling system to see if the water being served is safe to drink,” said Agarwal.

The food and consumer affairs ministry has also asked the packaged-water industry to come up with suggestions for alternatives to plastic bottles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday reiterated India’s resolve to tackle the problem of plastic waste at the 14th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) at Greater Noida.

Chennai’s Murugan Idli Shop: Unhygienic kitchen lands popular restaurant chain in trouble

Officials from the Department of Food Safety and Drugs Administration have temporarily suspended the license of Murugan Idli Shop's central kitchen and issued a notice to the restaurant's Parrys Corner outlet.

Restaurant’s central kitchen had its license suspended on Tuesday for failing to comply with sanitation and hygiene standards.

The Murugan Idli Shop, a popular chain of vegetarian restaurants in Chennai found itself in a soup on Tuesday after the license of the restaurant’s central kitchen in Ambattur Industrial Estate was suspended over lax hygiene and sanitation.

Officials from the Tiruvallur division of the Department of Food Safety and Drugs Administration suspended the license of Murugan Idli’s central kitchen on September 10 after the restaurant had neglected to address several issues which had been raised under the Food Safety Act in the recent past.

“We had visited the kitchen around 40 days ago and raised red flags on the kitchen’s hygiene standards to the manager. We gave him time to rectify the same but he has not complied with the rules. We then issued a show-cause notice to the manager but he has not submitted any reports or taken any action. Based on this, we have suspended operations,” an official from the department’s Tiruvallur division told indianexpress.com.

The official elaborated that certain norms pertaining to hygiene and sanitation, such as periodical medical check-ups of the staff, distribution of caps and gloves to kitchen staff, pest control, white-washing of walls, repairing broken flooring, proper handling of items in storage and maintenance of dish-washer had not been followed at the kitchen.

While the license has been suspended temporarily, the official could not comment on the time period within which the suspension will be revoked.

Likewise, a Murugan Idli Shop outlet at Parry’s Corner was issued a notice by officials from the Chennai division of the Department of Food Safety and Drugs Administration based on a complaint filed by a customer after worms were discovered in the meal.

“We have issued a notice to the restaurant under Section 55 (failure to comply with directions of the food safety officer) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006,” said an officer from the Chennai division. “The main issue with the outlet is that pest control is not periodical and hygiene and sanitation is not up to the mark,” he added.

The officer said that if the restaurant failed to address the issue, the department will be forced to take action accordingly.

Customers of the food outlet were surprised upon hearing that the restaurant’s license had been suspended over poor hygiene in the central kitchen.

“Murugan Idli Shop has always been hygienic when compared to most places in the city. I am surprised that they were given such a notice”, Subbalakshmi, a regular at the restaurant said.

“As a consumer I feel slightly apprehensive but in the years that I have been there they have always been great. Not necessarily the most hygienic place but it is not going to be a dealbreaker – it is Murugan after all. Also depends on which outlet you go to, right? The T Nagar one is quite clean”, said Rahul Aripaka, another longtime customer of the restaurant.

Awareness campaign of safe food, healthy drives held

A one-day special awareness and IEC campaign on “safe food and healthy diets’ was held today at Tamenglong Bazaar.

The campaign was led by designated officer, Food Safety Administration, Tamenglong, Th. Sunilkumar Singh.

During the awareness campaign which was conducted in the midst of public cries of plastic eggs and rice in the district, spot testing of food were also conducted. And during one such visit to a tea hotel at Tamenglong bazaar run by a non-local, it was found that the hotel was under permissible hygienic standards. In regard to this, the Food safety department has issued a show cause notice that the hotel needs to be repaired as per the guidelines of food safety rules.

The Food safety department also conducted spot testing on eggs and fruit juices amongst others; and a huge number of people turned up for the testing. On visiting the women market at Tamenglong, some women were food selling yellow ginger powders without proper cover. The officials from the Food safety department instructed all women to properly cover or pack their wares properly.

Speaking to the media, Th. Sunilkumar Singh said that the awareness campaign will be conducted or reach out to all the sub- divisions of the district. “People of Tamenglong need to be aware that all shops selling consumable items are liable to maintain standards of hygiene and adulteration is an offence,” he added.

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Kitchen license of Murugan Idli Shop suspended

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Srivilliputtur Palkova granted GI tag

Microplastics harming our drinking water: Study

Biodiesel from used cooking oil soon

Coimbatore: The food safety department has launched a survey to estimate the quantity of used oil generated by food vendors, including restaurants and bakeries, in the district.

The department plans to identify entrepreneurs, who can collect used cooking oil and convert it into biofuel or biodiesel that can be used to run vehicles and machines.

Restaurants and bakeries now sell used oil to street food vendors or dump it in garbage or pour it into water bodies. Street vendors reuse it for frying. However, consumption of such food leads to health hazards like increased cholesterol, acidity and risk of cancer.

The department had called restaurateurs and bakery owners for a meeting early this month and asked them to keep a tab on the amount of cooking oil consumed and disposed daily. “We also asked food safety officers in all zones and blocks to visit restaurants and bakeries and collect the data,” designated food safety officer Tamilselvan said. “We will approach the food business operators, who are using more than 50 litres of oil, to collect the data and prepare a final estimate on the amount of oil used for frying and that disposed a day.”

Once they have the numbers, the officials plan to identify agencies, companies, entrepreneurs and NGOs, who have the technology to convert used oil into biofuel. “The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had launched the concept of repurpose used cooking oil (Ruco). It had shown examples of entrepreneurs in other parts of the country making biofuel. We need to find companies in our vicinity that can do it,” Tamilselvan told TOI.

The FSSAI website highlights the case of a Haryana-based entrepreneur, who is converting 5,000 litres of used oil into biofuel a day. The company uses transesterification process. It can convert vegetable oil and animal fat into biofuel. The product is sold to fuel producers and residential areas to run electric generators.

“While the concept is new to us, we plan to explore options once we have the estimates,” the officer added.

Aavin working to get food safety system certification

Stage I audit has been completed for three city dairies

In keeping with industry standards, Aavin has embarked upon food safety system certification for its dairies at Ambattur, Madhavaram and Sholinganallur that supply mainly to the city.

The dairies already have have ISO 9001:2005, HACCP certification (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point is an internationally accepted technique for preventing microbiological, chemical and physical contamination along the food supply chain) and FSSC 22000 certification.

“Stage I audit has been completed for these dairies. Recently, our Tiruvannamalai dairy that also has the capability to process milk into whole milk powder and butter, got the FSSC 22000 certification — Food Safety System Certification,” explained C. Kamaraj, Managing Director, Aavin.

For safe products

“This is a certification of our food safety management system that provides assurance to consumers that we have implemented systems that consistently provide safe products. The certificate for the Tiruvannamalai plant that also processes ghee is valid till July 30, 2022,” he said.

This certification, the latest version of international standards, provides Aavin a systematic method for analysing food processes, determining possible hazards, and designating the critical control points. The steps are necessary to prevent unsafe food from reaching the consumer, he said. It also helps Aavin to increase its customer base, especially among foreign customers, he said. “The U.S. and other countries have this certification as a requirement for food products. The Global Food Safety Initiative recognises this system too,” he said.

The Tamil Nadu Cooperative Milk Producers Federation, whose brand is Aavin, has been ensuring certification at all its dairies to provide quality food products to consumers. “We began five years ago and all our dairies have some kind of certification and we constantly upgrade them to ensure quality, which is very important in the food industry. The dairy at Tiruvannamalai also has an export licence for milk powder and ghee,” Mr. Kamaraj said.

In the south, only Karnataka’s cooperative dairy federation has FSSC 2200 certification, he added.

Eateries’ thumbs up to hygiene norms

Kolkata: Eating out will be safer and only the best restaurants will survive once the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules are enforced, felt restaurant owners in Kolkata. The rules will make it mandatory for eateries to display their hygiene ratings.

While some of the regulations could be difficult to follow — especially for the smaller operators — they will definitely boost standards. The FSSAI on Thursday announced that hygiene ratings will be given to restaurants based on the extent of their compliance with the recommended safety standards.

“This is a positive move and will help customers choose the right place for a meal. Once you have the ratings, there will be no doubt about the hygienic standard of the food. We believe that a restaurant should also be assessed on its hygiene standards,” said Hotel and Restaurants’ Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) executive committee member Sudesh Poddar.

Even though hygiene norms have never been an issue for prominent restaurants in Kolkata, the display of ratings will prevent even minor slip-ups, said Nitin Kothari, owner of the iconic Mocambo and Peter Cat on Park Street. “This will make every restaurant more conscious of their hygiene and cleanliness standards. Moreover, consumers will now have an idea about the hygiene and safety of the food that they are going to be served. It is their right as they are paying for it. We expect the display of ratings to lead to an overall improvement in safety and quality standards,” said Kothari.

While some of the FSSAI norms could be difficult to implement, they were certainly aimed at raising the bar, felt Chili’s owner Hrishi Bajoria. “It’s a good move and will keep everyone on their toes. I have gone through some of the recommendations and they seem to be logical. My only wish is that the norms should be enforced positively and not with an intent to harass,” Bajoria said. He added that being part of a global chain of eateries, Chili’s adheres to even stricter hygiene norms than the FSSAI recommendations.

A Park Street restaurant owner said small roadside eateries that have mushroomed over the last few years and depend on food delivery apps for business could find it difficult to stick to the norms. “Many of them don’t even have a proper kitchen. So, following the FSSAI guidelines may be impossible for them. But that can’t be an excuse to compromise on hygiene,” he said.

Several countries have made it mandatory to display hygiene ratings, pointed out Kothari. “Even street food vendors are made to follow safety norms abroad. This could be a huge step towards raising awareness about the need to serve healthy food,” Kothari added.

Zarine Tangree, owner of Olypub on Park Street, too, lauded the move saying it will help restaurants add to their credibility. “Those who follow good hygiene standards will gain from this. The rest will now be identified and forced to improve,” Tangree said.

FDA crackdown reaches mall, lens on non-veg items

Bhopal: Continuing its crackdown against adulteration, a team of food and drug administration (FDA) on Monday, inspected the fruits and edibles being sold at a city mall and collected samples.

While inspecting a store at the mall, the team found that apples with wax coating are being sold, without any disclaimer or label indicating the same.

Senior food safety officer from Bhopal, DK Verma, said that the Food Safety Act makes it mandatory for a seller to declare to the customers that the fruits being sold are wax-coated. 

Only three types of wax are permitted on fruits — bees wax, carnauba wax and shellac wax. Use of paraffin wax is banned, he said.

The store selling the wax-coated apples admitted to the mistake and immediately put up a display board after the inspection. Samples were collected to check the purity of ghee and besan ladoos being sold at the store, said an official. FDA has also started inspecting shops selling non-vegetarian food products. Verma said, sale of a few species of fish is banned during monsoon. 

Information on sshops selling those species would be sent to the fisheries department, he said. A second FDA team, meanwhile, was collecting samples of paneer and ghee from Kolar.

Officials said, Rajeev Gupta, owner of a chilling plant at Lahar in Bhind district, who was absconding ever since his plant was raided by the Special Task Force (STF) on July 19, surrendered before a civil court on Monday. The court ordered his arrest and handed him over to STF on remand till September 12.

Food supplied to anganwadis found unfit for consumption

Harmful items found in stuff cleared as 'satisfactory' by safety agency
A fine of Rs 20,000 was imposed on those officials responsible for supplying unfit food items to anganwadi centres. 

At a time when the state and central governments have come under fire over malnutrition of children, a recent report by food safety authorities has found glaring violations at a food production centre with staples like wheat flour containing live insects.

For years, food being supplied to anganwadis would pass rigorous testing by the FSSAI.

That changed this month when state authorities found food items so poor in quality that some were even deemed “unsafe.”

Testing of samples collected at Banavara, outside Bengaluru, by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) found that usually, containers of sambar powder, rice, rice flour, ragi, moong dal and sugar passed with the usual notations of “satisfactory.” 

But then, inspectors began to find living insects in stocks of tur dal, groundnut seeds and cleaned wheat, coupled with the presence of a dangerous chemical in stocks of mustard, plus excess fat in soya flour.

Staff members of the Mahila Supplementary Nutrition Production and Training Centres (MSPTCs), who had supplied the items, were booked under Section 56 of the Food Standards and Safety Act, 2006.

Rs 20k fine imposed

A fine of Rs 20,000 was also imposed on those officials responsible for supplying food items to anganwadis.

“This is the first negative report we have recieved in the last two years. Food materials from the 137 centres are checked every month. Following the report, we have increased vigilance,” an official said.

Family health survey

The discovery comes at a time when there has been renewed focus on the problem of malnutrition in the state.The 2015-16 National Family Health Survey determined that Karnataka is among the worst-affected states when it comes to malnutrition in south India, with 36.2% of children under the age of 5 being stunted and 26.1% of children under 5 being weak. A further 10.5% of children 5 were classified as severely weak.

State malnutrition figures released by the Department of Women and Children in April, which includes statistics from 15 districts, showed varying levels of malnutrition among children in the age group of 0-6 years, belonging to economically weaker sections of the society. Koppal district tops the list with a malnutrition rate of 29.9% in January 2019.

Kerala's action plan to fight trans fat with World Bank, WHO

As part of the study, dietary details, status of noncommunicable diseases and lifestyle profile of persons will be collected.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Fast-tracking its efforts to eliminate industrially produced trans fat from the food items sold in the state, the Commissionerate of Food Safety is giving final touches to an action plan. As per sources, it will be finalised within a week and handed over to the World Bank (WB), and World Health Organisation (WHO) for feedback. Meanwhile, to coordinate various activities being planned and for enforcement, the Commissionerate has also appointed an officer at the state level.

“At the national level, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of reducing the industrially produced trans-fatty acids to less than two per cent by 2022. The state is working towards achieving this target a year before,” said Rathan U Kelkar, Commissioner of Food Safety. According to him, the state has adopted a three-pronged strategy to combat the scourge of trans fat and that includes a random sampling of food items, creating awareness among stakeholders and enforcement.

“We had some meetings with the stakeholders like bakers, hotels and restaurant association and manufacturers of pickles. While they have assured us that they will reduce the trans fat, sugar and salt content in food items in a time-bound manner, they are yet to give us a timeline. We had asked them to come out with a timeline on when they could achieve it,” added Rathan.

At the same time, of the 134 samples collected by the Food Safety Department from Ernakulam and Kozhikode districts, it has been found that more than 75 per cent had trans fat which is beyond the permissible limit. In India, the current permitted level of trans fat is 5 per cent.

The other major study about trans fat is currently under way at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram. Here, the Department of Community Medicine is engaged in a sample collection drive, as part of a nation-wide study mooted by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), for finding the content of trans fatty acids, salt and sugar in snack foods, baked foods and fried foods and the rate of morbidity due to the same.

“The study – Consumption Pattern of Food and Food Products High in Fat, Salt and Sugar – is part of ICMR’s plan to come out with new dietary guidelines for India. As part of the study, dietary details, status of noncommunicable diseases and lifestyle profile of persons will be collected. We got intimation it has been extended to December,” said Dr P S Indu, head of the Department of Community Medicine and principal investigator of the study.

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Eateries’ thumbs up to hygiene norms

Kolkata: Eating out will be safer and only the best restaurants will survive once the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules are enforced, felt restaurant owners in Kolkata. The rules will make it mandatory for eateries to display their hygiene ratings.

While some of the regulations could be difficult to follow — especially for the smaller operators — they will definitely boost standards. The FSSAI on Thursday announced that hygiene ratings will be given to restaurants based on the extent of their compliance with the recommended safety standards.

“This is a positive move and will help customers choose the right place for a meal. Once you have the ratings, there will be no doubt about the hygienic standard of the food. We believe that a restaurant should also be assessed on its hygiene standards,” said Hotel and Restaurants’ Association of Eastern India (HRAEI) executive committee member Sudesh Poddar.

Even though hygiene norms have never been an issue for prominent restaurants in Kolkata, the display of ratings will prevent even minor slip-ups, said Nitin Kothari, owner of the iconic Mocambo and Peter Cat on Park Street. “This will make every restaurant more conscious of their hygiene and cleanliness standards. Moreover, consumers will now have an idea about the hygiene and safety of the food that they are going to be served. It is their right as they are paying for it. We expect the display of ratings to lead to an overall improvement in safety and quality standards,” said Kothari.

While some of the FSSAI norms could be difficult to implement, they were certainly aimed at raising the bar, felt Chili’s owner Hrishi Bajoria. “It’s a good move and will keep everyone on their toes. I have gone through some of the recommendations and they seem to be logical. My only wish is that the norms should be enforced positively and not with an intent to harass,” Bajoria said. He added that being part of a global chain of eateries, Chili’s adheres to even stricter hygiene norms than the FSSAI recommendations.

A Park Street restaurant owner said small roadside eateries that have mushroomed over the last few years and depend on food delivery apps for business could find it difficult to stick to the norms. “Many of them don’t even have a proper kitchen. So, following the FSSAI guidelines may be impossible for them. But that can’t be an excuse to compromise on hygiene,” he said.

Several countries have made it mandatory to display hygiene ratings, pointed out Kothari. “Even street food vendors are made to follow safety norms abroad. This could be a huge step towards raising awareness about the need to serve healthy food,” Kothari added.

Zarine Tangree, owner of Olypub on Park Street, too, lauded the move saying it will help restaurants add to their credibility. “Those who follow good hygiene standards will gain from this. The rest will now be identified and forced to improve,” Tangree said.

Say no to hunger

Volunteers of No Food Waste distributing food to destitute people at Tiruchi 

The world sits up and takes notice when surplus food feeds the hungry, instead of ending up in the bin, say volunteers of No Food Waste

How often do we think of surplus food that has gone untouched at a wedding banquet, restaurant or office canteen. What happens to the leftovers?

Coimbatore resident G Padmanabhan and his friends Sudhakar Mohan and N Balaji began No Food Waste (NFW) in 2014 with the aim of redistributing this surplus food to the needy. Ever since, their effort — supported by a network of 12,000 volunteers in Tamil Nadu, Telengana and Kerala — has been gaining momentum.

Info you can use

No Food Waste has chapters in Coimbatore, Chennai, Erode, Dharmapuri, Salem, Tiruchi, Tiruneveli and Tirupur (in Tamil Nadu); Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala); Tadepalligudem (Telegana). There are plans to begin chapters in Thanjavur and Pudukottai district

To contact them, call 9087790877 or visit their website nofoodwaste.in or their FB page www.facebook.com/nofoodwaste.in/

“Like my NFW colleagues, I too have had a very personal experience of hunger. While we cannot eradicate it completely, we can at least try to save some of the perfectly edible food from being sent to the landfill,” says Padmanabhan, who won the Commonwealth Youth Award for the Asia region in March this year.

NFW targets three sectors where food wastage is common: banquets at social functions, corporate canteens and hotels. “People have become accustomed to inviting people in large numbers. And when guests fail to turn up, a lot of food goes unserved. A small marriage gathering in Coimbatore, for example, can see 30% of the meal untouched. In Chennai, we collect up to 800 plates per day in staff canteens,” he says.

Volunteers of No Food Waste collecting eatables during Aadi Perukku 

A phone call to a centralised query desk in Coimbatore alerts NFW to a possible food pick-up. The city-specific NFW coordinator is asked to get his or her team of volunteers together, collect food from the donors, check it for quality, and then redistribute it in designated ‘hunger spots’ there. The actual coordination can be a logistical challenge, especially on muhurtham or auspicious days when the social functions are at a peak. In such cases, NFW directs donors to the place where they may bring their leftovers.

“It’s not just cooked food, but also pre-cut vegetables, dough and batter that get left over,” says AP Ramakrishnan, the NFW coordinator in Tiruchi. “At a recent event, we were notified of about 500 plates of cooked food but, when we went there, we also found 50 kilos of chapati dough that was going to be thrown into the trash. Luckily we were able to stop that in time.”

A GPS-enabled mobile app allows the public to get through to NFW faster. Besides this, some NFW chapters have got F&B ATMs where eateries can leave their excess food for donation in a street refrigerator. Diners can donate the F&B coupons given by the restaurant to needy people on the street.

Keeping an eye out for rancid food is another challenge. “Food items, especially vegetarian dishes that contain fresh coconut, have a tendency to go bad in the heat. So we try and distribute them within an hour of preparation because we cannot risk food poisoning. Our volunteers don’t accept anything that may endanger the health of the recipients,” says Ramakrishnan.

With the ban on single-use disposable vessels, NFW has shifted to serving food on plantain leaves. People are also allowed to bring their own containers to take food home.

A gift of food can move people to tears, he says. “Very often, in Gandhi Market, poor people who weren’t expecting a meal that day become very emotional when we give them food. Some even break into songs of praise for us.”

While a city like Tiruchi has around 150 marriage halls, the NFW team here can access only around 10-15 establishments in a day. Despite this, some 7,000-10,000 needy people in the city are able to get food through NFW per month.

Padmanabhan says that NFW is testing a new idea of zone-level food recovery based on road access and traffic. “We have divided Chennai into 15 zones, of which six are functioning perfectly. Similarly in Coimbatore, we have five zones, of which three are operational. In each zone, a team of local volunteers is put in charge of collecting and redistributing the food. NFW will roll out the same plan in the other centres soon,” he adds.

NFW has also been working closely with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). “A new regulation has made it mandatory for hotels and caterers to register with a food recovery organisation in their city, which will make it easier for us to control wastage,” says Padmanabhan. “A lot of effort goes into producing food. At the same time, you have to work hard to make it reach the right hands.”

Padmanaban Gopalan (right), founder of No Food Waste, receiving the National Youth Award from Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports 

NFW’s work has been gaining recognition abroad as well. In 2018, Padmanabhan was invited to give a presentation at the World Food Prize organisation in Des Moine, Iowa (United States). He participated in the Hunger Summit held in London this year. The food recovery start-up has also been approached by The Global Food Banking Network based in Chicago for a possible membership.

“Hunger is a universal impulse. There are many hurdles that we have to overcome before we bring food to a needy person. But, at the end of the day, when we see the WhatsApp group of every city, which tells us how many people have been fed, it makes it worth the while,” says Padmanabhan.

52 restaurants closed down after food safety raids

The food safety department has closed down 52 hotels and restaurants for norms violations and substandard hygienic conditions in addition to imposing a fine of around Rs 18 lakh.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The food safety department has closed down 52 hotels and restaurants for norms violations and substandard hygienic conditions in addition to imposing a fine of around Rs 18 lakh. As part of the ongoing food safety raids in view of Onam season, inspections were carried out at 4,625 establishments. Of which, notices were served to 1,722 establishments. A fine of Rs 17.99 lakh was collected from 252 establishments.

The number of establishments inspected, fine imposed and closed down, in each district are given as follows: Thiruvananthapuram (Rs 1.68 lakh from 375 establishments. Notice to 220 and 11 closed down), Kollam (Notice to 156 and 9 closed down), Pathanamthitta (Notice to 84 and 1 closed down), Alappuzha (Notice to 129 and 8 closed down), Kottayam (1 closed down), Idukki (Notice to 48), Ernakulam (Notice to 218 and 12 closed down), Thrissur (Notice to 34), Palakkad (Notice to 106 and 2 closed down), Malappuram (Notice to 194 and 5 closed down), Kozhikode (Notice to 146 and 3 closed down), Wayanad (Notice to 52), Kannur (Notice to 136) and Kasaragod (Notice to 78). Statewide raids would continue in coming days as well, said the food safety commissioner.

A major step towards food safety in India

An outdoor eatery in Pushkar. The Food Safety and Standards of India will now make it mandatory for food vendors to display food hygiene ratings.

The country’s apex food regulator is taking a major step towards improving food safety and hygiene standards in India. 

As the Centre launches a large-scale campaign to promote healthy eating in India, it has been announced that 1.7 lakh inspectors have been trained by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over a two-year period. The goal is to ensure uniformity of standards among India’s food retailers, including hotels and restaurants. These vendors will now be required by law to display food hygiene ratings based on supervisors’ rankings. 

“The FSSAI has trained about 1.7 lakh food safety supervisors for capacity building under the Food Safety Training and Certification initiative. They will ask people and food vendors to comply with the food safety norms, including the hygiene aspect,” explained Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan. He added that “the new food systems approach judiciously combines the regulatory and capacity building measures with consumer empowerment initiatives.” 

Vardhan has advocated for stringent enforcement of food hygiene ratings. “We not only have to provide [the] right food, but also ensure that there is strict implementation of laws and the compliance of standards to assure that citizens have safe and wholesome food,” he said at the inauguration of the FSSAI’s National Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh earlier this year. The impetus behind such efforts is clear. Food poisoning is the second most common cause of infectious disease outbreaks in India. Such incidents have proven lethal in numerous cases. 

The Eat Right India campaign is a broad national effort to promote higher standards of nutrition among Indians, with such movements embraced by high-profile government figures including Vardhan and the Prime Minister. Incorporation of the FSSAI, according to Vardhan, will “facilitate informed consumer choices” via the imposition of “regulations on advertising and claims, and mandatory menu labelling…in addition, labelling provisions have been made for appropriate use of sweeteners for children and pregnant women.” The Centre is also moving towards the elimination of trans-fats in the next few years.

These efforts are necessary to promote food hygiene and to combat lifestyle diseases linked to poor dietary habits and other lifestyle factors such as physical inactivity, Vardhan asserts. “Our country is in need of a ‘Jan Andolan’ [People’s Movement] on preventive and promotive health for all in the backdrop of the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases,” he said. “The Eat Right India movement with the collaboration of FSSAI will play a crucial role in preventive healthcare.”

Food safety officials check snack making units

Vadodara: With the sale of sweets and savouries peaking during the Ganpati festivities and manufacturers preparing these items in huge quantities, food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) conducted a drive to check such units. 

The civic body has also started a drive to promote healthy food habits among children.

Food safety officers checked 12 units making sweets and savouries in Gorwa industrial estate and collected eight samples of food items from there. 

They also checked seven such units in the Mahavir Estate and the Karelibaug Industrial Estate during the drive and collected four samples from there.

According to officials, of the 19 units that were checked, 12 have been notified to maintain hygienic standards at the units. The officials also disposed of a 18kg cake that was found unfit for consumption.

The civic body has also started a drive to promote healthy food habits among school children. Going by the directives of the Food Safety Authority, Delhi, mascots are also being used for the purpose. 

The mascots visited five municipal schools in the city to promote consumption of nutritious food instead of junk food.

The mascots will visit 15 other municipal schools in the coming days.

Food items seized from 3 stores, restaurant

Ludhiana: The food safety team of the health department on Saturday carried out raids on the premises of several departmental stores and hotels, and seized different packets of curd and milk items in Samrala village. They also issued strict guidelines to different vendors and food stall owners to follow food safety norms effectively while serving food items to commuters.

The team issued notices to some food stalls after watching the unhygienic conditions in their premises. The district food safety officer Yogesh Goyal said under the supervision of district health officer Andesh Kang, three departmental stores, and a restaurant based on Samrala Road were inspected on Saturday morning. As many as 7 to 10 food items were collected by health officials, including curd, ghee, and other milk products.

Goyal said: “After collecting all the samples from different departmental stores, we delivered them to the state food inspection laboratory for testing. The district health team will charge heavy penalties to all culprits. We have also issued proper guidelines to all city-based vendors that they should avoid using the newspaper to wrap food items, and not use their hands to collect cash while serving food items to customers, as it could contain different bacterial infections, leading to serious health problems for customers. We have told them to instead use masks, gloves, and gown caps while preparing and serving food items.”

Canteens of 6 reputed schools among 19 food establishments challanged

JAMMU, Sept 7: A Food Safety team of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), J&K challanged 19 food establishments including canteens of six reputed schools in Jammu for violations of Food Safety rules.

To make sure that safe and nutritious food is served in educational institutions, a Food Safety team conducted a surprised inspection of canteens in reputed educational institutions within municipal limits of Jammu under the supervision of Commissioner, FDA, J&K, Vinod Sharma.

The inspection team was headed by Dr Parvesh Kumar, Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety, Jammu. During the drive, canteens of six reputed private schools including Kendriya Vidayalaya Bantalab, were challaned for violation of provisions under FSSA-2006.

Besides, school canteens, 13 more food establishments were challaned for violation of norms of Food Safety & Standards Act 2006. Among those challaned were New Billu Di Hatti, Janipur, Honey Chicken Shop, DL Heer, Vaishno Bhojanalaya, Mohan Fish Corner, Kaka Chicken Point, Bombay Pav Bhaji at main chowk Janipur, Hotel Char Chinar Lodge, Hotel Savoy at Shahidi Chowk, Pargal Cheese Corner at Rehari Colony, Sham Sweet Shop, Manoj Fish Shop and Kashmiri Bakery at Subhash Nagar.

They were asked to maintain sanitary and hygienic conditions as per Schedule-4 of FSSA 2006. In order to minimize the cross contamination and food borne diseases, they were asked to maintain infrastructure and storage, processing and washing areas and also use good quality of raw material for cooking.

The team was comprised of Food Safety officers, Daleep Singh, Hans Raj, Hans Raj Andotra and Parvez Ahmed.