NO CHECK ON FOOD STALLS IN MONSOON

As FDA and PMC play game of pass-the-buck, no action since 3 months on roadside stalls violating safety norms

 

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are pointing at each other when it comes to who should inspect roadside food stalls and take appropriate action. The end result is little action against roadside food stalls that violate safety standards in the crucial monsoon months, when consumers are at maximum risk of disease because of unhygienic food.
Amendment in law
The question of who should be out on the streets inspecting food and taking action against offenders arose because of an amendment in the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006, and the PMC claims after the change in the law it is solely the responsibility of the FDA to take action.

Eat at your own risk: A string of open food stalls beside accumulated water, which is an invitation to food contamination and disease. Pic/Krunal Gosavi

While the PMC did not take any action on such food stalls in the past three months, the FDA admits very little was done by it — some FDA officials, who requested anonymity, even said the agency was taking no action at all against food stalls.
The finger-pointing between the PMC and the FDA means there is just no check on the quality of food served at thousands of food stalls in the city.
Shabana Yasmin, who lives in a hostel, said the lack of action against food stalls was noticeable as vendors no longer bothered about hygiene.
“As a hostelite, I have to eat street food a lot of times and I used to think that it is safe to have it,” Yasmin said. “But if you observe these roadside stalls now in the monsoon, all you can see is the use of dirty water and food served in an unhealthy environment.”
PMC officials claim that according to the amended Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, only the FDA is authorised to take action against food stall owners.
On the other hand, FDA officials claim that while they have the authority to grant licences and permissions to food stalls, the onus of taking action against these is not only on them but also on the PMC.
According to information received under the Right To Information Act using the open inspection facility, the PMC took action against roadside food stalls only till May. After that, there was no action taken by the PMC.
PMC Health Officer Dr S T Pardeshi said the civic body pitched in till May in the interests of safety of food consumers even though the rights to inspect and take action were given solely to the FDA last year.
“According to the Food Safety Act, the rights to take action on streetside food vendors are vested with the FDA from August 2011, but despite that we kept taking action on roadside food vendors till May 2012 to control the nuisance,” Pardeshi said. “From June 2012 we haven’t taken any action as it should be done by the FDA.”
Others in the PMC did not agree with Pardeshi and an official, who requested anonymity, said the civic body was still supposed to monitor roadside food under the provisions of the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations (BPMC) Act.
Earlier, the PMC was taking action under Section 337/338 of the BPMC Act, according to which all the food kept in the open on stalls was seized and destroyed.
According to a source, the PMC action stopped gradually. The PMC used to take action with a central team earlier, but from June officials ordered action be taken with the help of teams from the ward offices, but this lasted only a few days.
Much on FDA plate
The FDA claims that since it was entrusted with the task of granting of food licences to all eateries and food stalls, the additional responsibility was proving to be a burden on the food safety officers (FSOs).
FDA Assistant Commissioner (Food) Shivaji Desai said he had only 33 FSOs and they were unable to cope with both licensing and inspection.
“Our food safety officers are taking action on the roadside food stalls, but licensing according to the new Food Safety Act has to be done by the FDA and the FDA is focusing more on it,” Desai said. “We have a total of 33 FSOs and they are engaged in licensing activity as well as inspecting street food and taking action against offenders.”
After the amendment in the FSSA of 2006 became operational in August 2011, it became mandatory for all food manufacturers, including small eateries, to register or renew their license from the FDA.
The 12 food inspectors with the PMC later on got the rank of gazetted officers and came to be called food safety officers. This team of 12 was the one taking action against food stalls along with sanitary inspectors of the respective ward officers, but now they are now working with the FDA.

Doctorspeak
On the ill effects on the health of a person consuming unregulated street food, Dr Vikas Pai, a senior physician at Pai Clinic, said: “Most times the food gets contaminated because of flies and mosquitoes, and this results in various stomach-related diseases. Unhygienic conditions also cause malaria, dengue and typhoid. Food kept by vendors near garbage bins and toilets gets contaminated early and this can cause various diseases.

Delhi decides to ban gutka - THE HINDU

Notification banning manufacture, sale, transportation & storage to be issued today

The Delhi Government has decided to impose a complete ban on manufacture, sale, display, transportation and storage of gutka and other related products in the city.

Health Minister A. K. Walia said on Monday that the decision was taken at a high-level meeting at Delhi Secretariat and a notification to this effect will be issued on Tuesday. “Gutka and other products contain paan masala, nicotine and tobacco particles, hence are harmful. After the notification, manufacture and sale of gutka and other products will be banned. Violation will attract strict action. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Department has been authorised to collect samples and register cases against traders and manufacturers violating the ban.”

The ban is being imposed based on the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) regulation to prohibit addition of tobacco or nicotine to food (and thereby ban gutka), which was issued on August 1, 2011.

With this latest decision, Delhi has become the country’s 13th State to use the FSSAI regulation to ban sale and manufacture of gutka. Twelve States, including Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Jharkhand, Punjab, Chandigarh and Gujarat, have banned gutka and paan masala recently.

Non-government organisation Voluntary Health Association of India executive director Bhavna B. Mukhopadhyay said: “By banning gutka, the Delhi Government has demonstrated a tremendous commitment towards safeguarding the health of the people, especially youth, from the growing menace of tobacco addiction. All States should now implement the FSSAI law in the larger interest of the younger generation which is falling prey to this tobacco menace.”

She said the prevalence of tobacco use in Delhi currently is 24.3 per cent among adults (40.9 per cent of males and 3.7 per cent of females). Also 10.5 per cent adults (16.7 per cent males and 2.8 per cent females) consume smokeless tobacco like gutka, khaini, zarda and other chewing tobacco products.

According to Global Adult Tobacco Survey India, the estimated number of tobacco users in India is 274.9 million, of which 25.9 per cent are users of smokeless tobacco while 5.7 per cent are cigarette smokers and 9.2 per cent smoke bidi.

This reveals that more Indians (almost 75 per cent) consume smokeless forms of tobacco that includes paan, gutka, paan masala, khaini and mawa.

PIL to prohibit tobacco sale

A public interest litigation has been filed in the Madras high court seeking a direction to the state government to prohibit the manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of tobacco and nicotine products, including pan masala and gutkha, that are used for human consumption in the state.
When the PIL filed by advocate P.T. Geotom “in the interest of public health” came up for hearing before Chief Justice M.Y. Eqbal and Justice T.S. Sivagnanam on Monday, advocate general A. Navaneethakrishnan sought time to file a counter and was granted six weeks to do so.
The petitioner said that in India there were almost 275 million tobacco users and each year about one million people die as a result of the use of tobacco products and according to the data available with the World Health Organization, if this present trend continues, tobacco will account for 13 per cent of all deaths in India by 2020.
A survey by the Adyar Cancer Institute stated that 40 per cent of Chennai children were affected by passive smoking.
States such as Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala and Rajasthan have already banned all consumable products containing tobacco and nicotine as an ingredient and many other states, including Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, are also intending to ban such products, Geotom said.
The petitioner contended that a welfare state had to protect the health of its citizens. Keeping in mind that public interest and health is a priority, a duty was enshrined under Articles 21, 39 (e) and 47 of the Constitution on the governments at the state and the Centre to implement the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and various other related enactments, he said.

DINAMALAR NEWS

State eyes Dubai model to ensure food safety - THE HINDU

Initiatives to be made more scientific, standardised

The State Food Safety wing is looking to the Dubai Municipality Food Control Department to help it develop food safety manuals and food inspection checklists so that the food safety initiatives here can be made more scientific and standardised.

The Dubai Municipality Food Control Department is already in talks with the Food Safety wing here on developing safety guidelines which are totally science-based and in drawing up a programme for the surveillance of food-borne illnesses.

A formal collaboration with the Dubai municipality for initiatives in improving food safety is also being contemplated, said Biju Prabhakar, Commissioner of Food Safety.

“We thought of seeking the assistance of Dubai Municipality Food Control Department because even though their food safety initiative is fairly nascent, it is fully backed by science, is well-streamlined and has found considerable acceptance in the food industry too,” Mr. Prabhakar said.

Bobby Krishna, Senior Food Studies Officer in the Food Control Department of Dubai Municipality, told The Hindu here on Saturday that food safety was a global concern and had to be approached in a larger perspective, as a crucial component of public health, and a vital element of economy, especially with Kerala exploring its tourism potential in a big way.

“Just as it happened in Kerala, in Dubai too, the food safety drive gained momentum in 2009 following the death of two young children, reportedly due to food poisoning. It gave us the impetus to drive hard — the licensing process, grading of food businesses, hygiene and safety standards, classification of food items, and the shelf life of each… everything was fully backed by evidence. We also invested quite a lot on educating those in the business about the basics of food safety, like hygienic food handling and preventing cross-contamination etc,” Mr. Krishna said.

First step

The first step in having a streamlined food safety management system is in getting everyone in the food business to take licences/registrations. There has to be a grading system for hotels/ eateries so that each works within its scope.

“You need to develop a good food safety team, which includes food safety experts, risk assessors, including bio chemistry and microbiology experts, epidemiologists, all backed with international food safety resources. Food inspectors have to undergo rigorous training and follow standard procedure,” he said.

As for street vendors, he suggested that the government create ‘safe zones’ in various parts of the city where all safe processes and infrastructure for producing safe food could be provided by the government. Vendors could be given subsidy for utilising these resources.

The approach had to be top-down and gradual.

The recent initiative of the Dubai municipality, called the Person-in-Charge (PIC) programme — an initiative that Kerala could emulate — was expected to make Dubai attain world-class standards in food safety.

“PIC programme means that in every food business there should be a responsible person who will undergo a training programme in food safety, equivalent to UK’s Ofqual –accredited food safety standards. The PICs will be responsible for ensuring that food safety norms and hygienic practices were followed by food handlers in the outlet. This is a U.S. concept, but Dubai municipality will be the first to introduce the concept, with the condition that PIC certification awarding bodies too should have ISO 17024 certification, Mr. Krishna says.

India to focus on food, drug regulation in 12th plan, says minister

The central government has been focusing on strengthening regulatory policies for food and drug sectors and the task would be taken care of in the 12th Five Year Plan, Minister of State for Health Sudip Bandyopadhyay said here Monday.
"Our current focus is to strengthen the regulatory framework... We propose to augment regulatory capacities both in drug and food sectors in the 12th Five Year Plan," Bandyopadhyay said while addressing a workshop on patient safety and drug detection technology.

Love your street food? It can kill you

KOLKATA: How safe is that mouth-watering biryani sold in Dalhousie or the delicious cutlets at the roadside eateries? A sample test done by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) reveals an alarming result. It says most street food contains hazardous chemical ingredients.
KMC's food and adulteration department officials said 255 food samples have been tested in the last one year. Poisonous chemical ingredients were found in 51 of them, which is more than 20% of all samples tested. These chemical substances are being used by vendors to give a colour coat on vegetables and other street food to make them look more attractive to the customers.
For example, tests on cutlets sold in places like Dalhousie and Esplanade revealed that they contain high quantity of metanil yellow, a dangerous chemical substance. This chemical can even cause cancer if consumed for a long period of time, say experts.
Samples of biryani were found with a chemical substance known as Tartrazine, which can cause liver cirrhosis and cancer if consumed excessively.
In sweets like bonde, danadar and laddu, metanil yellow has been found in very high quantity. The sauce used in rolls or chowmein contains rhodamine that can also cause liver cirrhosis.
It has also been found that the fat on cottage cheese should have being stored sucked up to be used later in other sweets. A case was lodged against a reputable confectionary shop for resorting to this method.
It was also found that pepper is poured in a bucket full of kerosene to keep it fresh for a longer time.
The findings also show that the vegetables that we buy from the markets are not safe either. Vegetables like 'potol' contains copper sulphate and diamond green, which if consumed in excess can hit the nervous system and liver. The colour used to mix these chemical substances can't be removed even after a wash. In haldi too, lead chromade is used. Red potatoes were found containing congored rhodamine, which can even lead to blindness if had in excess. Auramine and tartrazine are being used in adhar dal.
Vegetables and street food apart, even fish we eat is not free from dangerous chemicals. Congored rhodamine is used to ensure ears of fish remain bright red, which means the fish is fresh. In late eighties, over 125 people were paralyzed after taking adulterated oil in Behala. Buyers normally look out for this redness to see if the fish is fresh. But little are they aware that the redness is actually engineered to fool them.
Officials of KMC's food and adulteration department said that in most cases, nothing much could be done against offenders even if cases are being registered against them.
Member, mayor-in-council (food and adulteration), Partha Pratim Hazari, said: "We cannot do much on this with the existing rules. From August, a new Food Standard and Safety Act has been introduced on Tuesday. We can now take some action as it will have some provisions, which are not there in the existing act," he said.
Mayor Sovan Chatterjee said that a new food inspector will be appointed to revamp the entire food and adulteration department and a decision has been taken to modernize the laboratory. "Officers have been told to increase vigil," he said.

Dead rat found in school midday meal

FAZILKA: A dead rat found in the midday meal served to students of S D Senior Secondary School's elementary wing on Friday has exposed the blatant carelessness of the authorities in keeping up with the primary objective of the scheme - to provide a healthy diet. The rodent was spotted by a staffer at the time the students began to eat and the food was being distributed, thus aggravating any possible risk of an ailment.
The matter was brought to the notice of the school management though the distribution of food was instantly put to an end. The vendor was summoned and the food returned. Vipin Kumar, who is the vendor at an NGO 'Istri Shakti' and given the task of supplying food to schools in the district claimed that freshly-prepared "kadi chawal" had been sent to the institution in the morning and the management had accepted the material after inspection.
When questioned about the presence of a dead rodent, Vipin said tersely: "This could have happened in the school wherever they store the midday meal till its served. We thoroughly check the meals beforehand and carefully package the dishes. The entire stock was called back after the complaint." Fazilka district education officer Sandip Dhria had sought a detailed report from the school principal.
On coming to know of the happening, a number of parents gathered outside the school protesting and demanding a stern action. "Seems they want to kill our kids. What do talk of standards, they do not even ensure the minimum hygiene," rued a parent.
This has not been an isolated case of adulteration in midday meals. Earlier, reports came in of the presence of worms in food.

'Gutka' ban: What will happen to tobacco farmers, street vendors?

New Delhi: Ten states have banned a popular form of chewing tobacco in a major policy shift that may save millions of lives and strike a blow at the global tobacco industry, already reeling from new anti-smoking laws around the world.
But an estimated 65 million Indians use "gutka" - a heady form of chewing tobacco made of crushed betel nut, nicotine and laced with thousands of chemicals - and furious manufacturers are fighting to have the bans overturned.
Companies such as Delhi-based DS Group are dragging states to courts, complaining that the billion-dollar industry should be regulated as tobacco and not as food and that the bans threaten the livelihoods of millions of farmers and street vendors scattered from Bangalore to New Delhi.
"Nobody understands the bigger picture. What will happen to those poor farmers? No one thinks of them," said a company official on condition of anonymity.
Last week, Punjab became the tenth of 28 states to ban the sale of gutka after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India reclassified it as a foodstuff, prohibiting the use of tobacco and nicotine as "ingredients in any food product".
Gutka making is controlled by family-run Indian firms, with no international tobacco companies in the business. Several other forms of chewing tobacco considered less harmful have not been reclassified as foodstuffs and are not banned.
Some 482 million people live in the 10 states which have enforced the bans. Delhi, Gujarat and Chandigarh, with a combined population of 77 million, are due to follow suit - Delhi this week.
More Indians, including children, chew gutka than smoke, making the trend of outlawing the cheap, colourful packets a more effective health policy in the world's second most populous nation than anti-smoking laws like Australia's ban on cigarette pack logos.
"We're using all kinds of means to persuade the rest (of the states) to enforce the ban. It's a central legislation. States have no option but to abide now," said Amal Pushp, director of the health ministry's National Tobacco Control Programme.
Gutka is popular with the young and old alike, many of whom are blase about the nation's leading cause of oral cancer. Some of the chemicals in some brands of gutka are also used in tile cleaners and battery acids.
"PATH TO DEATH"
"If I knew it would land me here, in this condition, I wouldn't have laid my eyes on it," said Abdul Kayum, 62, sitting on a hospital bed, his face bandaged after doctors cut out part of his jaw, gums and teeth to stop the cancer spreading.
"This is a path to death," said Abdul, who sold his land in Bihar to pay for the $9,000 treatment.
Asia's third-largest economy battles almost 80,000 new cases of oral cancer yearly. The treatment of tobacco-related diseases cost more than $5 billion in 2002-2003, according to the most recent data available cited in a health ministry and WHO report.
That compares to about $1.4 billion that the government earns in excise revenue from tobacco.
Tobacco has been chewed in India for centuries, dating back to the Mughal era when nawabs had a concoction known as "paan" - a betel leaf wrapped around a mixture of areca nut, pastes, spices and tobacco - to refresh their palates and aid digestion.
Gutka and paan masala are products of recent decades, available as dry, portable and readymade variants of the traditional paan, to cater for a fast-paced, modern life.
"Eating chocolate is an addiction, eating burgers is an addiction. They are also 'food'. Will the government ban those too?" asked Sanjay Bechan, executive director of the Smokeless Tobacco Federation, adding that the gutka industry was already reporting losses.
"Are we being ruled by Hitler? This is supposed to be a democracy. People make their own choices - gutka or no gutka."
Madhya Pradesh was the first to ban the product, and Kerala, Bihar and seven others hopped on the bandwagon.
"We received several complaints from the police that schoolboys are taking these products and that hit me," Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy told Reuters.
"We had to do this for the welfare of the state, no other reason."
Maharashtra, Punjab and Kerala went a step further by banning all smokeless forms of tobacco, including "paan masala", usually sold as a mouth freshener.
But it remains to be seen how well the bans are enforced. It will be an uphill battle to keep gutka away from children like 16-year-old Arun Bhati, who has been using it since ninth grade.
"If it gets banned here, I'll still manage to get my fix," said Arun confidently, tearing open a pouch of gutka with his teeth. "You can get it on the sly."

Adulteration drops with gutka ban

The ban on gutka and pan masala in Maharashtra is having another positive fallout. Officials say, thanks to the embargo, the food adulteration problem here is diminishing.

Tests carried out by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on 11,000 gutka and pan masala samples over the last few years had found 98% of them adulterated with calcium or magnesium carbonate. The substances gave extra texture and flow to gutka and pan masala while adding considerably their harmful effects. Gutka and pan masala were banned in the state in July.

FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade confirmed that food adulteration cases have come down of late in the city but, at the same time, cautioned against buyers dropping their guard or officials easing vigilance. "Buyers must know what ingredients are present in the food they purchase ," said Zagade. "This is possible only if they make an effort to test the food items to check for the presence of adulterants."

Cancer surgeon Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital explained how gutka is adulterated. "Gutka is a combination of areca nut (90%) and tobacco (10%). A popular adulterant, gambier , is routinely used in place of catechu (kattha) since the latter is expensive. Gambier is unfit for human consumption ." Dr Chaturvedi added that excessive amount of magnesium carbonate is toxic to cheek lining, kidney and heart.

For years, gutka, pan masala and milk have been adulterators' favourites products to contaminate, followed by edible oils and spices. Such has been the rampancy of the menace that carcinogenic (cancer-causing ) contaminants have been discovered in condiments as common as chilli powder and turmeric.

Experts underlined that food adulteration should not be viewed only through the prism of getting poor quality food at higher prices. It should be seen for the deleterious impact it has. A ubiquitous example of the insidious threat, they say, is milk, which is frequently found tarred with starch, detergents and other chemicals.

In July, FDA had busted a milk adulteration racket in Malad (W). The racketeers were buying milk packets from company outlets and slitting their sides to remove a third of the contents. The packets were then refilled with water and distributed to houses and hotels in Malad (W).

Vasundhara Deodhar, a consumer member of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, said citizens can verify if a milk packet has been tampered with "by pressing it in the centre between their fingers" . "If any seam on the side does not contract uniformly with the other sides, then the packet was interfered with," she said.

Water at your doorstep, but not safe to drink

• 
  The Hindu - Tankers have become the main source of water in many localities in the absence 
  of piped water supply. Photo : M. Vedhan
• 
  The Hindu - Food safety and Corporation officials pour chlorine into a private water tanker 
  at Padi junction on Saturday. Photo: K. Pichumani

Over the past few days, nearly 90 private water tankers have been caught transporting water without even a trace of chlorine

Does a private water tanker supply water to your locality? If that is the case, it is time that you checked how safe it is for drinking. A recent water quality test conducted by the Chennai Corporation and the Food Safety department showed that water transported in 90 private tankers across the city did not have even a trace of chlorine.
As many as 90 private tankers that cater largely to apartment complexes, hotels, hospitals and commercial establishments were checked over the past few days. The water samples transported by private vehicles were checked in various areas such as Koyambedu, Retteri and Padi. The exercise follows the recent death of two construction workers from West Bengal, allegedly due to acute diarrheal disease after drinking water procured from a private tanker supplier at their workplace in Pallikaranai.
These tankers are becoming indispensable as the demand for water is on the rise. While Metrowater’s supply is primarily through pipes, some localities rely on tankers for their daily needs. Chennai Metrowater operates nearly 670 tanker trips every day and charges a nominal amount for them. The remaining gap between demand and supply, especially for the suburbs and large establishments, is mainly bridged by private water lorries. While over 2,000 private tankers are said to be in the business in and around Chennai, there is no regulation or monitoring of the quality of water supplied or the number of trips operated by these private suppliers.
According to sources in the Food Safety department, the Chennai Corporation is the authority to enforce quality norms on private water lorries in the city while the Public Health department fulfils that function in the city’s fringes. None of the water samples checked had the minimum chlorine level of 0.2 parts per million (ppm), as per prevalent specifications. The water in these tankers had been extracted from borewells or open wells in agricultural areas.
“We are creating awareness of the importance of chlorination and we also add chlorine in water in some lorries. The drivers are advised to keep the tankers clean and also taught easy methods of adding chlorine,” said an official. Details of the tanker operators are recorded and officials said they would soon be served with notices to improve water quality.
Private water suppliers must be brought under the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Act so that they can be regularised and provided licences to operate trips, the officials added. The random checks will continue in southern parts of the city, including Velachery. On Saturday, packaged drinking water transported in nearly 30 bubbletop containers was seized on account of being unsafe for consumption.
Meanwhile, some of the private tanker suppliers in Selaiyur said that while demand and competition has increased, sourcing water had become increasingly difficult. The owners of borewells sell water to those who pay the highest and the indiscriminate drawing of water has led to the wells drying quickly. To ensure water quality, stringent rules must be enforced on the volume to be extracted and borewell owners must also be held accountable, they said.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Kumudam Article on GHEE

Rs 12 lakh ceiling not applicable to small-scale FBOs: Madras High Court

In response to the Writ Petition Number 4791/12 filed by Madurai Managar Anaitthu Vanigargal Nala Sangam (represented by its president L Thangavel and co-petitioner P Arivarasu, who owns a small-scale food and beverage industry) and 16 other writ petitions (which were filed later), the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court (comprising Justice K Chandru and Justice V Ramasubramanian) passed an interim order, ruling that the ceiling of Rs 12 lakh imposed on food business operators (FBOs) by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) may not apply to small-scale industries related to the food and beverage business.

"They ruled that the interim order that would make the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), 2011, work, even while permitting the petitioners to carry on their business within the framework of the law, can be passed, and directed the Centre to bring all writ petitions challenging the validity of FSSA and FSSR to the Supreme Court's notice," said Ganesh Jeyaraj, member, Madurai Managar Anaitthu Vanigargal Nala Sangam.

"The scientific panels and scientific committees, which were scrapped upon the apex court's recommendation, have been reconstituted, but the petitioners contend that this hasn't been done in accordance with Section 13 of the Act. They are also challenging FSSAI's decision not to adhere to the Act and FSSR for fixing the standards for each commodity," he informed.

"The judges also said that Tamil Nadu's food safety commissioner will draw samples and proceed with the other requirements subject to the final orders to be passed in the writ petition. He was directed to accept the petitioners as having complied with the labelling requirements in the form of stickers," Jeyaraj said.

He added, "The earlier stay and interim injunctions will be vacated. If the apex court is monitoring the implementation of the Act, no other constitutional court can work at cross purposes. If a person willingly complies with a substantial part of the Regulations, he may be kept out."

Mobile labs to check adulteration of milk - JMC to procure at least six such laboratories

Concerned over the influx of adulterated milk in the city, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has decided to buy computerised mobile testing laboratories to check samples on a daily basis.

Officials said the health wing of the Corporation had sent a proposal to the government to buy half a dozen mobile laboratories to test the daily supply of milk within the municipal limits, which at times has been found of poor quality for human consumption.
So far, the corporation was dependent on the laboratory, which takes days for testing the samples and giving out results. The new mobile laboratories will give results in few minutes, allowing greater ability of the staff to impose a fine on the dairy owners.
A study by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has found that 83 per cent of milk sold in urban areas and districts of the state is not safe for consumption.
The FSSAI had taken 18 samples from both urban and rural areas of the state as part of its nationwide study to identify different types of adulteration in the liquid milk and only three samples confirmed to the standards set by the government.
The study had found that most common adulteration in the state is glucose and skimmed milk products (SMP), mixed with an intention to earn profit at the expenses of heath of common man.
Health Officer of JMC Dr Vinod Sharma said, “We are waiting for the funds to procure half a dozen mobile testing laboratores, which could help us in taking speedy action against defaulting dairy owners”.
Dr Sharma said in the absence of modern gadgets, it was becoming difficult to curb the influx of adulterated milk and its products, which is at times very dangerous for the health of the people.
The study has revealed that water is the most common adulterant. It not only reduces the nutritional value of milk but contaminated water may also pose a health hazard to the consumers.
Unable to cope up with the increasing demand of milk locally, Jammu imports nearly six lakh metric tonnes of milk from other parts of the country annually. Most of it is directly supplied to the distributors, with not much tests done by the authorities.

No lifting gutkha ban, says High Court

The Bombay High Court refused on Friday to stay the notification banning paan masala, saying the state government had taken the decision in public interest.
The interim order was passed in response to a petition by Dhariwal Industries Limited challenging the seizure of its paan masala packets by the state Food and Drugs Administration.
Dhariwal Industries said the state government had imposed a “blanket ban” on gutkha and paan masala.
It argued that the two products were different and paan masala was not harmful.
Advocate General Darius Khambata countered that 98 per cent of samples of paan masala were found to have certain percentage of zinc, magnesium carbonate and other harmful substances.
A group of doctors from Tata Memorial Hospital, who intervened in the case in support of the ban, said the various processes the product was put through to add taste and flavour made it hazardous to health.
A group of companies manufacturing gutkha has also challenged the government man. Their petitions are to be heard on September 12.
The companies have questioned if gutkha can be classified as “food” and said it cannot be governed by Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, under which it has been banned.
The companies claim before the notification, gutkha was governed by Control of Tobacco Products Act, 2003.
Sanjay Kadam, the lawyer who represented the doctors from Tata Memorial Hospital, said, “We welcome the judgment. Our stand was that loss of revenue (to gutkha companies) can never be a larger issue than loss of human life and health.”
FDA awaits nod to destroy seizure
With the Bombay High Court upholding the ban on manufacturing and sale of paan masala in an interim order, the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is now awaiting nod to destroy seized packets.
The state FDA has confiscated gutkha and paan masala worth Rs 6.85 crore since the ban notification was issued in July. Of this, seizure worth Rs 92 lakh was made in Mumbai.
“Most of the gutkha, worth Rs 3 crore, was seized from Thane. We are now waiting for the final hearing to destroy the seizure,” said Kamlesh Sankhe, Joint Commissioner (food), FDA.
Paan masala contains areca nut, a WHO-categorised carcinogen. “This is the first time that paan masala has been included in the perview of tobacco ban.
“There is enough evidence to prove its ill- effects,” said Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi of Tata Memorial Hospital. Anti-tobacco activists welcomed the move.
“It is a commendable risk the government has taken to ban paan masala.
“The challenge now is its implementation. Children, who suffer the most from the sale and consumption of paan masala, will benefit from this move,” said Vincent Nazareth of NGO Crusade against Tobacco.

No court relief for pan masala makers
MUMBAI: The Bombay HC on Friday granted no relief to a petition filed by the makers of a pan masala, Pan Vilas, and after clubbing the case originally filed in Nagpur with the clutch of challenges raised by gutka majors in Mumbai, said it would finally hear the matter on September 12.
Their counsel, Ravi Kadam, argued that the product which was merely pan masala, and not flavoured tobacco like gutka, cannot be banned because it does not contain tobacco, nicotine or magnesium carbonate. ACT India, the Tata hospital-based NGO, intervened in this petition too
and opposed their demand.Advocate general Darius Khambata appearing for the state senior counsel Rajni Iyer for the NGO argued that pan masala was also very
harmful for health and needed to be prohibited. The state ban was on both.
The HC bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice Nitin Jamdar had earlier been assured by the state that it would not destroy any seized packets of gutka. The court has not stayed the ban introduced by the state government in July 2012
on gutka and pan masala. In an detailed
affidavit, the state earlier said the ban under a 2006 law which is a central law and its rules notified in 2011 was in "larger interest of public health". It said the ban was justifed since flavoured tobacco was considered "food" even by the Supreme Court and under the Food Safety and Standards Act which governed adulteration of food to protect public health.

Food ingredients’ list yet to be displayed in hotels - THE HINDU

The High Court had recently emphasised the need for regulating the prices of even hotel foods and thereby preventing fleecing by hoteliers

Even as most of the hoteliers and restaurant owners in the city have started displaying price list of foods, they are yet to comply with the provisions of the Food Safety Regulations for exhibiting ingredients used in their food.

As per the provision of the Act, the seller of the food articles is bound to display the ingredients used in foods being sold.

High Court lawyer Basil Attipetty, who had obtained an order from the consumer court for enforcing the rules relating to display of price lists, said that the regulations had made it mandatory for sellers of any food stuff to display its ingredient list in their shops.

He said that the High Court had recently emphasised the need for regulating the prices of even hotel foods and thereby preventing fleecing by hoteliers.

Mr. Attipetty said that the Ernakulam Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum had also ordered displaying of price lists of food stuff in terms of the Kerala Food Stuffs (Display of Prices by Catering Establishment) Order, 1977.

He said that some of the hotels were yet to exhibit the price list of food stuff in compliance with the forum’s order.

He had contended that as per the order, the police and local bodies and civil supplies department had the power to direct hotels and restaurants to display the price list of food stuffs.

The forum had also directed the Kochi City Police Commissioner and Superintendent of Police, Aluva Rural, to file a report after implementing the order of the forum.

He pointed out that the police officers were yet to file a report on the compliance of the directive.

The High Court had also expressed its concern over the soaring prices of hotel foods and suggested bringing in a law to hold the price line of hotel food.

Only cooking medium

The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association president G. Sudheesh Kumar, however, said that the hotels and restaurant owners need to mention only the medium used for cooking the food stuff as per the food safety regulations.

All the hoteliers had now only started applying for licences from the district food safety officers under new regulations, he said.

He added that all the hoteliers in the city were displaying the prices lists at their shops.

The cooking medium would be mentioned along with menu cards.

The hoteliers had been allowed sufficient time to comply with the new food safety rules, he said

FDA notice to radio channel for 'misleading' advt.

NAGPUR: The city branch of Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has sent a notice to a radio channel saying that an advertisement aired by them violated the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA). The advertisement for a brand of vegetable oil claimed that the product reduced the cholesterol levels of the consumer which the authorities say is a misleading statement.
The provisions of the Act enable the FDA to act against any manufacturer making tall claims about products. The said notice has asked the advertisers to provide copies of the agreement and communication between the channel and the manufacturer to establish who is at fault. "The advertisement is under Section 24 of the Act that prevents misleading information being relayed through media. This is not the first notice we have sent to a media house. At least six have been sent so far," said Sanjay Naragude, assistant commissioner (food).
Though enacted in 2006, the Act has been implemented since 2011. This Act has been opposed by manufacturers and traders. Under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act 1955 that preceded it, surveillance was not very strong, say the authorities. Officials of the channel said the claims have not been made by them and they only relayed the information provided to them by the manufacturers.

Ban on Tobacco Products

The Directors of 14 Regional Cancer Centres have written letters to Government appealing for ban on sale of Gutkha and other tobacco products in the country. The aforesaid letters are part of the report on the contents of gutkha, tobacco, pan masala and similar articles manufactured in the country and harmful effects of consumption of such articles, prepared by National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), New Delhi in consultation with Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and submitted to Hon’ble Supreme Court in compliance with its directions in the matter of Ankur Gutka Vs Indian Asthma Society (SLP 16308/2007).

The States/UTs of Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Haryana, Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Mizoram have issued orders/notifications for implementation of the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011 issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which prohibits the use of nicotine and tobacco in food products.

The responsibility of enforcement of the above regulations and action against the offenders lies with the Commissioners of Food Safety under the state governments, as per the provisions of Food Safety & Standards Act 2006. The information on illegal marketing and sale of gutkha, tobacco, pan masala and similar articles at higher prices is, therefore, not available with this Ministry. However, this Ministry has written to the Governments of the States/UTs to strictly implement the regulations.

The Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, lays down that tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products. The Hon`ble Supreme Court in Godawat Pan Masala Vs UOI, 2004 (7) SCC 68 has held that “Since pan masala, gutka or supari are eaten for taste and nourishment, they are all food within the meaning of Section 2(v) of the (Prevention of Food Adulteration) Act.” As such, by virtue of the regulation dated 1st August 2011 issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, read with the judgement of the Hon’ble Supreme Court on the issue, Gutkha products are food products containing tobacco and nicotine and their manufacture, sale or storage is not permitted under law. By virtue of the same regulation, Pan Masala, if it contains tobacco and nicotine, cannot be manufactured or sold.

This Ministry has written to the Governments of all the States/UTs to strictly implement the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011.

The above information was given by the Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.

FSSAI take on common food adulterants

Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) prepared a document that would be useful to householders while detecting common adulterants in food. Adulteration is not only an unethical practice, but also a serious risk to our health. The manual provides the testing methodology for adulterants.

FSSAI stated, “Consumers do not have sufficient knowledge about the purity and quality of the food articles they consume. Mere visual inspection does not serve the purpose, especially when adulteration has assumed a high degree of sophistication. With this view, we have developed 'Quick Test for Some Adulterants in Food', so consumers can screen their food articles.”

The manual, whose tagline is 'Eat Pure.....Live Pure....', describes adulteration of food as “a deep-rooted social evil”. It goes on to explain that among man's everyday needs, food plays a key role – sustenance. From a simple dish to the most lavish spread, food preparation is as varied and rich as our tastes.

It added, “The lure of riches and the general apathy (of those who indulge in such unscrupulous practices) towards mankind has led to adulterants being added to food. These range from stones in rice to the toxic brick and boric powder.” Adulteration of food is defined as the addition or subtraction of any substance to or from food, so its natural composition and quality is affected.

Adulteration may either be intentional (by removing substances from food or altering its existing natural properties knowingly) or unintentional (which is usually attributed to the ignorance, carelessness or lack of facilities for maintaining the quality of food). Be it intentional or unintentional, the common man suffers because the food is consumed without thorough checks.

“Milk and milk products, atta, edible oils, cereals, condiments (whole and ground), pulses, coffee, tea, confectionery, baking powder, non-alcoholic beverages, vinegar, besan and curry powder are the most common adulterated foods. Consumer awareness is the remedy for eliminating the evil of adulteration and the sale of sub-standard food articles,” the country's food regulator said.

“Two parts of the instruction manual have been developed, namely Part-I and Part-II. Part-I (which contains all the following instructions) incorporates simple testing procedures which can easily be performed at home and simply helps the consumers screen their day-to-day food articles,” it said.

“Part-II incorporates testing procedures which require specific chemicals, reagents and glassware and cover a wider range of adulterated food group. The scope of this manual is limited to small industries, food vendors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), etc., but for detailed confirmatory tests and quantification, analysis in a laboratory is a must,” the manual stated.

Adulteration simplified
Food is one of the basic necessities of life. Although we work hard and earn to satisfy our hunger, we are usually not aware of what we consume. We may actually be eating a dangerous dye, sawdust, soapstone, industrial starch or aluminium foil! Contaminated food and drink are sources of infection, which can be avoided.

Food adulteration is an act of intentionally debasing the quality of food offered for sale by the admixture or substitution of inferior substances or by the removal of some valuable ingredient. An adulterant is any material which is or could be employed for making the food unsafe or sub-standard or misbranded or containing extraneous matter.

Food adulteration takes into account not only the intentional addition or substitution or abstraction of substances which adversely affect the nature, substance and quality of foods, but also their incidental contamination during the period of growth, harvesting, storage, processing, transport and distribution.

Food is adulterated if its quality is lowered or affected by the addition of substances which are injurious to health or by the removal of substances which are nutritious. Adulterated food is dangerous because it could be toxic and could deprive food of the nutrients essential for proper growth and development.

Food is declared adulterated if:

a substance is added which depreciates or injuriously affects it

cheaper or inferior substances are substituted wholly or in part

any valuable or necessary constituent has been wholly or in part abstracted

it is an imitation

it is coloured or otherwise treated to improve its appearance or if it contains any added substance injurious to health

for whatever reasons its quality is below the standard

More often than not, food is adulterated by merchants and traders who want to make a quick profit. But sometimes, shortages and increasing prices, consumer demands for variety in foods, a lack of awareness, negligence, indifference and lethargy among consumers and inadequate enforcement of food laws and food safety measures also lead to food adulteration.

Types of adulterants
Intentional adulterants: Sand, marble chips, stones, mud, other filth, talc, chalk powder, water, mineral oil and harmful colour

Incidental adulterants: Pesticide residues, droppings of rodents and larvae in foods

Metallic contaminants: Arsenic from pesticides, lead from water, effluents from chemical industries and tin from cans

Poisonous or deleterious substances
If a food contains a poisonous or deleterious substance that may render it injurious to health, it is adulterated. Examples are apple cider contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and Brie cheese contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Mixing a poisonous substance in excess of a tolerance limit, regulatory limit or action level to reduce the level of contamination is not permitted.

Sometimes, adulterated food is deliberately mixed with good food. This renders the finished product adulterated.

Filth and foreign matter
Filth and extraneous material include any objectionable substances in foods, such as foreign matter (such as glass, metal, plastic, wood, stones, sand and cigarette butts), undesirable parts of the raw plant material (such as stems, pits in pitted olives, pieces of shell in canned oysters) and filth (namely mold, rot, insect and rodent parts, excreta and decomposition).

Economic adulteration
A food is said to be adulterated if it omits a valuable constituent or substitutes another substance, in whole or part, for a valuable constituent (for example, if olive oil is diluted with tea tree oil); conceals damage or inferiority in any manner (such as fresh fruit with food colouring on the surface to conceal defects); or any substance has been added to it or packed with it to increase its bulk or weight, reduce its quality or strength, or make it appear bigger or of greater value than it is (for example, adding water to scallops to make them heavier).

Microbiological contamination and adulteration
The fact that a food is contaminated with pathogens (harmful micro-organisms such as bacteria, viruses or protozoa) may or may not render it adulterated. Generally in a ready-to-eat food, the presence of pathogens will render the food adulterated. Salmonella in fresh fruit and vegetables or ready-to-eat meat or poultry products such as luncheon meats is an example.

For meat and poultry products, which are regulated by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the rules are more complicated. Ready-to-eat meat and poultry products contaminated with pathogens, such as salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes, are adulterated (because raw meat and poultry products are intended to be cooked and only proper cooking will kill the pathogens). Raw poultry contaminated with salmonella is not adulterated.

Methods for detection of common adulterants in food

[Note: These include items mentioned in both Part-I and Part-II of the instruction manual.]

Water in milk

This is the most common example of adulteration. To detect the presence of water in milk, place a drop of milk on a polished slanting surface. A drop of pure milk will flow slowly, leaving a white trail in its wake, whereas milk that's been adulterated with water will flow immediately without leaving a mark.

Other adulterants in milk

Starch
A few drops of iodine tincture or solution are added to the milk. If its turns blue, starch is present in it.

Urea
A teaspoon of milk is put in a test tube, and half-a-teaspoon of soybean or arhar powder is added to it. The contents are mixed by shaking the test tube well. After about five minutes, a red litmus paper is dipped in it, and removed about 30 seconds later. If the litmus paper turns blue, urea is present in the milk.

Vanaspati
About 3ml of milk is taken in a test tube and about ten drops of hydrochloric acid are added to it. A teaspoonful of sugar is added to the mixture. After about five minutes, the mixture is examined. The red colouration indicates the presence of vanaspati in the milk.

Formalin
Formalin enhances the life of milk and is thus added for the purpose of preservation. About 10ml of milk in a test tube and about 5ml of concentrated sulphuric acid is added from the sides of the wall without shaking it. If a violet or blue ring appears at the intersection of two layers then it shows the presence of formalin.

Detergent
About 5-10ml of the milk sample is mixed with an equal amount of water lather. When shaken, it indicates the presence of detergent.

Synthetic milk
Synthetic milk has a bitter after-taste, gives a soapy feeling when rubbed between the fingers and turns yellowish on heating.

Synthetic milk – test for protein
The milk can be tested by using Urease strips. Synthetic milk is devoid of protein.

Test for glucose/inverted sugar
If a test for glucose with a Urease strip has a positive result, the milk does not contain glucose or inverted sugar. If it is made synthetically by adding by adding white coloured water paint, oils, alkali, urea, detergent, etc. Glucose or inverted sugar syrup is added in milk to increase the consistency and taste.

Ghee, cottage cheese, condensed milk, khoa, milk powder, etc.
About 5ml of diluted H2SO4 or concentrated HCl is added to one teaspoon full of the melted milk sample in a test tube and shaken well. If it turns pink (in case of H2SO4) or crimson (in case of HCl) it indicates the presence of coal tar dyes. If HCl does not give a colour, it can be obtained by diluting it with water.

Dairy products
Sweet curd
A tablespoonful of curd is taken in a test tube and about ten drops of hydrochloric acid are added to it. The contents are mixed by shaking the test tube gently. After about five minutes, if upon examination, it is observed that the mixture has turned red, the curd contains vanaspati.

Rabri
A teaspoon of rabri is taken in a test tube and about 3ml of hydrochloric acid and 3ml of distilled water are added to it. The contents are stirred with a glass rod, which is then removed. If, upon examination, the rod is found to have fine fibres, it shows the presence of blotting paper in rabri.

Khoa and its products
A small quantity of a khoa sample (or the sample of a product containing khoa) is boiled in water and cooled. A few drops of iodine solution are added it. If it turns blue, it indicates the presence of starch.

Chhana/paneer
A small quantity of a chhana or paneer sample is boiled in water and cooled. A few drops of iodine solution are added it. If it turns blue, it indicates the presence of starch.

Oils and Fats
Ghee/butter
About a teaspoonful each of melted ghee and concentrated hydrochloric acid are taken in a stoppered test tube and a pinch of sugar is added to it. It is shaken for about a minutes and left for about five minutes. If the acid turns crimson, it indicates the presence of vanaspati or margarine.

The test is specific to sesame oil, which is added to vanaspati and margarine, Some coal tar colours also give a positive test. If the test is positive (i.e. if the acid turns red) only by adding strong hydrochloric acid (without adding crystals of sugar) then the sample is adulterated with coal tar dye. If the red colour appears after the sugar is added and the mixture is shaken, then only vanaspati or margarine is present.

Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and other starches
A few drops of iodine are added to a ghee sample. Iodine, which is brownish in colour, turns blue if the sample contains mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes or other kinds of starches.

Edible oil
About 5ml of edible oil is taken in a test tube and about 5ml of hydrochloric acid is added to it. It is shaken gently and then let to stand for about five minutes. The adulterant (prohibited colour) and the oil will separate, and the former will form the upper layer.

Coconut oil
A small bottle of oil is placed in the refrigerator. Upon solidifying, the adulterant (any other oil) forms a separate layer.

Sweetening agents
Sugar
Chalk
About 10gm of sugar is dissolved in a glass of water and allowed to settle. Chalk will settle at the bottom.

Urea
Upon dissolution in water containing sugar, urea gives the smell of ammonia.

Non-permitted yellow colour
About 5ml of water containing sugar is taken in a test tube, and a few drops of concentrated HCl is added to it. If the lower layers of the acid turn pink, it indicates the presence of non-permitted colour.

Honey
A cotton wick is dipped in pure honey. Upon lighting it with a matchstick, it will burn and show the purity of honey. The presence of water (one of the two ingredients in a sugar solution) will not allow the honey to burn. If it does, it will produce a cracking sound. This test is only for added water.

Jaggery

Washing soda
A few drops of solution HCl is added to jaggery. Effervescence indicates the presence of washing soda.

Chalk powder
Jaggery is dissolved in water. If it settles down, it indicates the presence of chalk powder.

Alternately, a few drops of concentrated HCl are added to the jaggery. Effervescence indicates the presence of the adulterant.

Metanil yellow colour
A quarter of a teaspoon of jaggery is taken in a test tube. About 3ml of alcohol is added to it and the test tube is shaken vigorously to mix the content. About ten drops of hydrochloric acid are added to it. A pink colour indicates the presence of metanil yellow (a non-permitted coal tar colour) in jaggery.

Sugar solution
A drop of honey is added to a glass of water. If it does not disperse in the water, the honey is pure; but if it does, it indicates the presence of added sugar.

Bura sugar
About 1ml of HCl is added to little bura sugar. If washing soda is present, effervescence will occur. About 2gm of sugar is dissolved in water, and red litmus paper in the solution. If washing soda is present, it will turn blue.

Sweetmeats, ice cream and beverages
Colour is extracted from food articles using lukewarm water. A few drops of concentrated hydrochloric acid is added to it. A magenta colour indicates the presence of metanil yellow.

Saccharin
A small quantity of a sweetmeat, ice cream or a beverage is tasted. Saccharin leaves a sweet taste in the mouth for a long time, but it eventually tastes bitter.

Foodgrains

Wheat/rice/maize/jawar/bajra/chana/barley, etc.
These may be examined visually to see foreign matter, damaged grains, discoloured grains, insects, rodent contamination, etc.

Common adulterants in foodgrains include dust, pebbles, stones, straw, weeds, seeds, weevilled grain, insects, rodent hair and excreta.

Damaged or discoloured grain should be as low as possible since they may be affected by fungal toxins, argemone seeds, dhatura seeds, etc. A moderately excessive amount can result in risks to health. The damaged, undesirable grains should be discarded before use.

Maida
When dough is prepared from the resultant or left-out atta, more water has to be used. The normal taste of chapatis prepared out of wheat is slightly sweet, whereas those prepared from adulterated wheat will taste insipid.

Maida/rice
A small amount of maida or rice is taken in a test tube, some water is added to it and it is shaken. A few drops of HCl are added to it. A turmeric paper strip is dipped in it. If it turns red, boric acid is present.

Wheat/bajra and other grains

Ergot

(i) Purple black longer-sized grains in bajra show the presence of ergots (fungi that contain poisonous substances)

(ii) Some grains are put in a glass tumbler containing 20 per cent salt solution (20gm common salt to 100ml water). Purple black longer-sized grains of ergots floats over the surface, while the sound grains settle down

Dhatura
Dhatura seeds are flat with blackish-brown edges that can be separated upon close examination.

Burnt kernel
The affected wheat kernel has a dull appearance, is blackish in colour and smells like rotten fish.

Sella rice (parboiled rice)

Metanil yellow
When a few grains of sella rice are rubbed in the palms of both hands, the yellow colour is reduced or disappears. When a few drops of diluted hydrochloric acid are added to a few rice grains mixed with a little water, the presence of the pink colour indicates the presence of metanil yellow.

Turmeric (a colour used for the golden appearance)

(i) A small amount of sella rice is taken in a test tube, some water is added and it is shaken. If, upon dipping boric acid paper (filter paper dipped in boric acid solution), it turns pink, turmeric is present

(ii) Some rice is taken and a small amount of soaked lime is sprinkled on it for a while. If turmeric is present, the grains will turn red

DINAMALAR NEWS

Bill in LS to protect rights of street vendors

(Image for representative purpose) Bill in LS to protect rights of street vendors - Agencies

A bill to protect the rights of street vendors and regulate street vending activities was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid opposition uproar over coal block allocation.
The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja.
As per the provisions of the Bill, anyone over 14 years can register with the Town Vending Committee. The Committee will issue identity cards to vendors to carry out business in alloted vending zones.
The bill will also help the authorities to regulate hawking activities in public areas such as pavements and roads.
The Bill, pushed by Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC), is aimed at protecting livelihood rights and social security of street vendors and regulation of urban street vending in the country and ensuring uniformity in legal framework for street vending across states and UTs.
The measure also provides for setting up of vending zones for hawkers to sell their products with minimal restrictions and without fear of being fined by municipal authorities for vending in unauthorised areas.
The Bill seeks to empower local authorities to relocate street vendors if they cause nuisance or obstruct movement of general public after issuing a seven-day notice.
Every street vendor who fails to relocate or vacate the site alloted to him after the expiry of the notice period shall be liable to pay a daily penalty of up to Rs 500 as may be determined by the local authority.

Bill in Lok Sabha to protect rights of street vendors

NEW DELHI: A bill to protect the rights of street vendors and regulate street vending activities was introduced in the Lok Sabha today amid opposition uproar over coal block allocation.

The Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja.

As per the provisions of the Bill, anyone over 14 years can register with the Town Vending Committee. The Committee will issue identity cards to vendors to carry out business in alloted vending zones.

The bill will also help the authorities to regulate hawking activities in public areas such as pavements and roads.

The Bill, pushed by Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC), is aimed at protecting livelihood rights and social security of street vendors and regulation of urban street vending in the country and ensuring uniformity in legal framework for street vending across states and UTs.

The measure also provides for setting up of vending zones for hawkers to sell their products with minimal restrictions and without fear of being fined by municipal authorities for vending in unauthorised areas.

The Bill seeks to empower local authorities to relocate street vendors if they cause nuisance or obstruct movement of general public after issuing a seven-day notice.

Every street vendor who fails to relocate or vacate the site alloted to him after the expiry of the notice period shall be liable to pay a daily penalty of up to Rs 500 as may be determined by the local authority.

State Government contemplating ban on gutka, pan masala

This is the State’s second attempt to ban the carcinogenic substance

Tamil Nadu is considering a proposal to ban gutka and pan masala throughout the State. This is the State’s second attempt to ban the carcinogenic substance.
The State Tobacco Control Cell has submitted the proposal, and it is being processed at the highest level, official sources said.
It was as early as in 2001 that the first attempt was made to ban these products. It was notified that no person shall, by himself or using any person on his behalf, manufacture for sale, store, sell or distribute chewing tobacco, pan masala and gutka containing tobacco in any form under whatever name or description it is being sold in the State.
At that stage, its implementation was stymied by litigation, explains P. Vadivelan, State Tobacco Control Officer.
However, since the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards of India Act and notification of its rules and regulations end last year, it is now possible to implement such a ban within the provisions of the Act. Under Section 2.3.4 of the Regulations under the Act, “a product [is] not to contain any substance which may be injurious to health: Tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products.”
The law is now very clear that tobacco or nicotine cannot be added to anything consumed, explains Prasanna Kannan, WHO consultant, State Tobacco Control Cell. “With this notification, we are armed with the power to implement a total ban on sale and manufacture of chewable tobacco products.”
In fact, the State Food Safety Authority can give notice to the company thus selling or manufacturing products containing tobacco and revoke its licence besides rejecting new applications for licences, according to a routable report on implementation of tobacco control provisions under FSSA organised by the International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease.
Madhya Pradesh was the first to implement the ban since the new notification and subsequently other states including Kerala, Mizoram and Gujarat have also banned gutka and pan masala.
Implementation, if the ban were to come through, will jointly be done by both the State Food Safety Wing and the State Tobacco Control Cell. With a sum of Rs. 67 lakh in the kitty, Tamil Nadu heads the country in collecting fines for offences under the Cigarettes and Other tobacco products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, Dr. Vadivelan says.

India "gutka" chewing tobacco habit a tough nut to crack

Ten Indian states have banned a popular form of chewing tobacco in a major policy shift that may save millions of lives and strike a blow at the global tobacco industry, already reeling from new anti-smoking laws around the world. But an estimated 65 million Indians use "gutka" - a heady form of chewing tobacco made of crushed betel nut, nicotine and laced with thousands of chemicals - and furious manufacturers are fighting to have the bans overturned.

Companies such as Delhi-based DS Group are dragging states to courts, complaining that the billion-dollar industry should be regulated as tobacco and not as food and that the bans threaten the livelihoods of millions of farmers and street vendors scattered from Bangalore to New Delhi.
"Nobody understands the bigger picture. What will happen to those poor farmers? No one thinks of them," said a company official on condition of anonymity. No company Reuters consulted would speak on record.
Last week, Punjab became the tenth of 28 states to ban the sale of gutka after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India reclassified it as a foodstuff, prohibiting the use of tobacco and nicotine as "ingredients in any food product".
Gutka making is controlled by family-run Indian firms, with no international tobacco companies in the business. Several other forms of chewing tobacco considered less harmful have not been reclassified as foodstuffs and are not banned.
Some 482 million people live in the 10 states which have enforced the bans. Delhi, Gujarat and Chandigarh, with a combined population of 77 million, are due to follow suit - Delhi this week.
More Indians, including children, chew gutka than smoke, making the trend of outlawing the cheap, colourful packets a more effective health policy in the world's second most populous nation than anti-smoking laws like Australia's ban on cigarette pack logos.
"We're using all kinds of means to persuade the rest (of the states) to enforce the ban. It's a central legislation. States have no option but to abide now," said Amal Pushp, director of the health ministry's National Tobacco Control Programme.
Gutka is popular with the young and old alike, many of whom are blase about the nation's leading cause of oral cancer. Some of the chemicals in some brands of gutka are also used in tile cleaners and battery acids.
Path to death
"If I knew it would land me here, in this condition, I wouldn't have laid my eyes on it," said Abdul Kayum, 62, sitting on a hospital bed, his face bandaged after doctors cut out part of his jaw, gums and teeth to stop the cancer spreading.
"This is a path to death," said Abdul, who sold his land in Bihar to pay for the $9,000 treatment.
Asia's third-largest economy battles almost 80,000 new cases of oral cancer yearly. The treatment of tobacco-related diseases cost more than $5 billion in 2002-2003, according to the most recent data available cited in a health ministry and WHO report.
That compares to about $1.4 billion that the government earns in excise revenue from tobacco.
Tobacco has been chewed in India for centuries, dating back to the Mughal era when nawabs had a concoction known as "paan" - a betel leaf wrapped around a mixture of areca nut, pastes, spices and tobacco - to refresh their palates and aid digestion.
Gutka and paan masala are products of recent decades, available as dry, portable and readymade variants of the traditional paan, to cater for a fast-paced, modern life.
"Eating chocolate is an addiction, eating burgers is an addiction. They are also 'food'. Will the government ban those too?" asked Sanjay Bechan, executive director of the Smokeless Tobacco Federation, adding that the gutka industry was already reporting losses.
"Are we being ruled by Hitler? This is supposed to be a democracy. People make their own choices - gutka or no gutka."
The poor state of Madhya Pradesh was the first to ban the product, and Kerala, Bihar and eight others hopped on the bandwagon.
"We received several complaints from the police that schoolboys are taking these products and that hit me," Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy told Reuters.
"We had to do this for the welfare of the state, no other reason."
Maharashtra, Punjab and Kerala went a step further by banning all smokeless forms of tobacco, including "paan masala", usually sold as a mouth freshener.
But it remains to be seen how well the bans are enforced. It will be an uphill battle to keep gutka away from children like 16-year-old Arun Bhati, who has been using it since ninth grade.
"If it gets banned here, I'll still manage to get my fix," said Arun confidently, tearing open a pouch of gutka with his teeth. "You can get it on the sly."

NAKEERAN ARTICLE

2 eateries fined for using poor quality milk

The Ropar Additional Deputy Commissioner has imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, each on two eating joints in the district for allegedly using substandard milk.
These eating joints are Kikar Lodge, a resort at Kangar village in Nurpur Bedi Area, and Sartaj Tourist Dhaba at Malakpur village.
Earlier, samples of cow milk were collected from Kikar Lodge on November 10 last year. Under the provisions of the Act, cow milk should have 4 per cent fat and 8.5 per cent solid not fats (SNF). The laboratory analysis revealed that the samples of milk from Kikar lodge had 3.6 per cent fat and 8.3 per cent SNF.
Similarly the samples of mixed milk collected from Sartaj Tourist Dhaba had 1.5 per cent fat and 7.5 per cent SNF. Interestingly, the samples of milk from the canteen of the local mini secretariat had also failed the quality test last month. The case, however, is under process.

Shawarma case: bail plea to be heard tomorrow

The Kerala High Court, on Tuesday, posted for Thursday the bail petition filed by Abdul Khader, proprietor of Salwa Cafe in Thiruvananthapuram, and three others who were arrested in connection with the death of a youth who reportedly consumed shawarma from the shop.

Death

The prosecution case was that one Sachin Roy died after eating shawarma bought from the shop on July 10.

The accused had been charged with the offence for administering poison with the intention to cause hurt under Section 328 of the Indian Penal Code and under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The prosecution said the investigation was on, and the chemical analysis report from the Forensic Science Laboratory, Bangalore, and the report of the Food Safety Commissioner were awaited.

Bail

The court had earlier granted bail to the fifth accused, Abdul Salam, who had supplied the chicken used for making the shawarma.

Gutka valued at over 6cr seized

Mumbai: Ever since the state government promulgated the stringent notification on July 20, the food and drug administration sleuths have so far seized Gutkha and Paan masala worth Rs 6.3 crore from 469 premises across the state.
The FDA's action assumes significant importance in view of the fact that more than a dozen leading Gutkha and Paan masala manufacturers have filed writ petitions before the Bombay high court against the decision of the government. It's a fact that several writ petitions have been filed before the High Court. Since the court has not stayed the notification, we are seizing the banned production. However, court has asked us not to destroy the seized product, as such, the seized quantity of Gutkha and Paan masala has been kept in our divisional offices or local go-downs,'' a senior FDA official told ToI on Wednesday.
After a prolonged delay and marathon debate in the state cabinet, the state government on July 11 decided to invoke the provisions of the food safety and standards act, 2006 to imposed a complete ban on sale, stocking and consumption of Gutkha and Paan masala across the state. Under the act, the food and drug administration commissioner is empowered to issue a notification for the purpose. Accordingly, FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagde on July 20 issued a notification. Even as a notification was issues, there were apprehensions over effective implementation of the ban, however, the results of the decision were visible, after Zagde involved all the district collectors, superintendents of police, municipal commissioners and law enforcing agencies at all levels. Our contention is that consumption of Gutkha or Paan masala is the main source of oral cancer. Under such circumstances it was felt that even if we lost a revenue of Rs 100 crore by way of tax on Gutkha and Paan masala, we were saving a huge amount on treatment of cancer,'' he said.
On the contention of the Gutkha manufacturers, the FDA officials said, they have challenged the powers of the state government to issue such a notification and have contested the ill-effects of consumption of Gutkha and Paan masala.
Significantly, the official said though initially most of the leading politicians, including a section of cabinet members, were in favour of a complete ban, now they were dithering on the decision. Our information is that efforts are on in certain quarters to dilute the July 20 notification for the benefit of the Gutkha manufacturers. But we will not succumb to pressure and we are sure, our notification will stand scrutiny of law,'' the FDA official said.
Region..................premises raided............cost of seized Gutkha
Mumbai..................30...........................Rs 92.39 lakh
Thane.....................17............................Rs 35.43 lakh
Pune........................54...........................Rs 50.85 lakh
Nashik.....................23............................Rs 49.58 lakh
Aurangabad...............72............................Rs 30.7 lakh
Amravati...................29............................Rs 19.69 lakh
Nagpur......................28............................Rs 33.04 lakh
Total........................469............................Rs6.3 crore

Hoteliers’ dharna today

Restaurateurs under the banner of the Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association will organise a dharna in front of the Secretariat on Tuesday to protest against what the association terms the ‘harassment’ suffered by hotel owners at the hands of the officials of the Food Safety Commissioner’s office.

Association general secretary Jose Mohan told a press conference here on Monday that they were not against lawful safety inspections. The Food Safety Commissioner had ordered closure of many hotels on the ground that they did not meet the relevant norms of the food safety act, though he did not have the authority to order the closure of a hotel, he said.

Association treasurer Moideenkutty Haji said that the present mode of operations of the Food Safety Commissioner would result in the throttling of the hotel and restaurant industry in Kerala.

MAALAI MALAR NEWS

McDonalds to open first pure-vegetarian outlet at Vaishno Devi next year

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McDonalds will open its first vegetarian-only restaurant at the foothills of the Vaishno Devi shrine at Katra, Jammu & Kashmir, next year. Further, the restaurant chain plans to open another pure vegetarian outlet near the Golden Temple, Amritsar, according to a report by Writankar Mukherjee and Rasul Bailay in The Economic Times. McDonalds has 33,000 outlets across 119 countries, serving 69 million customers everyday.

Worldwide, the beef-based Big Mac is McDonald's signature dish, but in India, vegetable products account for half of the restaurant’s menu and sales. The popular McAloo Tikki burger accounts for 25 per cent of the company's total sales, and there are plans for more vegetarian items. Vikram Bakshi, who manages McDonalds restaurants in East and North India as a joint venture partner of the US giant, said that there is no organised restaurant at Vaishno Devi to serve the one million pilgrims visiting the shrine every year. "Every time I go there, my resolve to open a restaurant there becomes stronger," he said. McDonalds has signed up a property at Katra. It opened its first outlet in Jammu last month, thus creating the necessary supply chain in the region.