White lie: Check the Milk you drink

Jammu, November 19
In the absence of quality checks, more than 10 lakh residents of the city are being supplied adulterated milk. The Jammu Municipal Corporation or other agencies do not have the requisite manpower or equipment at their disposal to monitor the quality of the milk being supplied in city.

Though the officials claim to conduct routine checks, but it is proving very difficult to monitor quality of the milk because of small private dairies mushrooming in residential colonies.

Residents accuse vendors of selling sub-standard milk despite increasing the price. Health is a major concern with them.

The MC had recently announced introduction of computerised mobile-testing laboratories to check samples at major road junctions on a daily basis. Checks will be conducted on the road junctions from which bulk supply of milk enters the temple city.

The move is pending approval of the government. The government has to release funds for purchase of equipment to conduct the checks.

“Residents are unhappy with the quality of milk and milk products. Milk producers and distributors are openly playing with the health of the residents,” said Rajni Sharma, a housewife.

Unable to cope up with increasing demand of milk, Jammu annually imports nearly six lakh MT from other parts of the country and most of it is supplied to the distributors directly, without any tests for quality.

Health Officer, JMC, Dr Vinod Sharma, said regular tests are being conducted in the city, but as tones of milk is consumed daily, it becomes difficult to monitor quality.

“A proposal has been sent to the government and we are waiting for funds to be released for purchase of small electronic labs.”

Last year, the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) have claimed that 83 per cent of the milk sold to consumers in the state was adulterated. Though these findings were challenged by the Drug and Food Control Organisation (D&FCO), but it still raises doubts as the FSSAI is a reputed organisation when it comes to food standards.

The study had found that most common adulteration in the state is of glucose and skimmed milk products, mixed with the intention to earn profit at the expense of the heath of the common man.

MILKING PROFIT

The Jammu Municipal Corporation does not have the requisite manpower or equipment at their disposal to monitor the quality of the milk being supplied in city
The MC is finding it difficult to monitor the quality of milk because of small private dairies in residential colonies
The MC had recently announced introduction of computerised mobile-testing laboratories to check milk samples at major road junctions on a daily basis
The move is pending approval of the government

Tea sector gears up for food act

A legislation that came into force last year has forced the tea industry to conform to international norms, while keeping its focus on product quality intact.
The law — Food Safety and Standards Act — that came into force from August 5, 2011, dictates that all food establishments and manufacturing units have to either procure licence or get these registered with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) before August 4 in accordance with their turnover.
To prepare organisations associated with the tea industry to face the upcoming challenges of the act, Tea Board, in association with CII Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence, organised awareness programmes at Jorhat on June 27 and at Golaghat on June 28. The idea behind the events was to ensure that all the stakeholders understood FSSAI regulations while maintaining quality and food safety standards in their products. About 75 tea estates and bought leaf factories participated in the events.
The event provided an insight was also provided into the critical steps to food safety — a set of guidelines issued by the ministry of health and family welfare through the act for all organisations managing food and beverage operations to ensure implement good hygiene and good manufacturing practices.
The guidelines state that no tea shall contain any additive or processing aid unless it is in accordance with the provisions of the act and regulations made there under, and no tea shall contain any contaminant, naturally occurring toxic substances or toxins or heavy metals in excess of quantities as may be specified by regulations.
On pesticides, it says that no tea shall contain insecticides or pesticide residues, solvent residues, pharmacologically active substances and microbiological counts in excess of limits specified by regulations. No insecticide shall be used directly on tea leaves except fumigants registered and approved under the Insecticides Act, 1968.
On the presence of chemicals, it says that pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, weedicides, microbials should be used in the gardens in accordance with the approved list and be sprayed in accordance with the recommended dosage recommended by Tea Research Association and United Planters’ Association of Southern India.
One of the provisions says flavoured tea shall be sold or offered for sale only by those manufacturers who are registered with Tea Board. Registration number should also be mentioned on the label. It shall be sold only in packed conditions with label declaration as provided in the Regulation 2.4.5 (23) of Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) regulations, 2011.
“Domestic consumers have the right to get tea which is safe and hygienic as consumers demand globally,” Indrani Ghose, principal counsellor, CII Food and Agriculture Centre of Excellence, told The Telegraph.
The Tea Board is taking a scientific approach to sort out the problems of different regulatory issues.
Colour adulteration is strictly prohibited from the consumer health point of view and colouring of tea has gradually become a matter of serious concern these days.
Sources said the treatment of teas with various colouring chemicals comes under the head of adulterants.
There are occasional reports that sub-standard tea leaves are coloured with Bismark brown, potassium blue, turmeric and indigo, to impart colour or gloss to the product.
Tea industry officials say the Tea Board has strongly advised the industry to follow the FSSAI guidelines for not using any colour in tea as violation of the guidelines may attract legal action.
The penal provisions are tough, with penalties ranging between Rs 25,000 and Rs 10 lakh. Moreover, unlicensed food business has been strictly prohibited. A licence can be valid for a period of one to five years.
Bidyananda Barkakoty, chairman, North Eastern Tea Association, said the intention of the FSSA — to bring food safety of our country to international standard — was a welcome step. “There is a possibility that by following the norms laid down in the FSSA, tea may be able to get a better price in the domestic and international markets,” he toldThe Telegraph.
He, however, said it would add to the cost of production.
Dhiraj Kakati, secretary, Assam branch, Indian Tea Association, said the regulations had beneficial aspects and should work well, provided there was no red tape.

RED BULL INDIA UNDER SCANNER

It seems that deaths and illnesses taking place due to energy drinks in the USA have also been impacting India. It was revealed that State Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) Minister Manohar Naik has written a letter to Union Health Minister Gulam Nabi Azad saying special amendments introduced in the Food Safety and Standards Act for energy drink Red Bull were inappropriate.
The amendments have allowed the drink, which contains 320ppm of caffeine to be available in the country at the time when 145 ppm is the limit. Naik has alleged that the Central Government was biased in its decision.
"The adverse effect of caffeine, if injected [consumed] in quantities is very well known. Accordingly, this brand was being confiscated (by FDA) and legal action taken", said Nail.
However, on the other hand, Red Bull India has affirmed that they do not agree with the claims of Naik. They clarified their part by saying that their drink contains as much caffeine as is present in one cup of coffee. They also affirmed that their caffeine levels are not risky, as they have been approved by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. On the other hand, Naik said the drink will affect the health of young children.

Thattukadas in Kochi go hi-tech

Kochi City Corporation has lined up 50 modern hi-tech mobile wayside eateries that are hygienic and comply with all food safety standards and are a first in South India. The specially designed modernised handcarts made of stainless steel have all the necessary facilities for cooking and storing food, cleaning utensils, wash basins and proper lighting.
The selected beneficiaries were given training at the Food Craft Institute, Kalamassery and uniforms, health cards, registration cards and identity cards were also provided to them. The eateries have been launched using Kerala Sustainable Urban Development Project (KSUDP) funds as part of the corporation's campaign 'Street Food, Safe Food'.
At a function held on Friday at Eranakulath-appan Ground, mayor Tony Chammany handed over the keys of the mobile food courts to 10 selected vendors.
The mayor said the corporation in association with the Kudumbasree mission plans to open 74 roadside eateries in all divisions in the corporation area. The shops will be run by Kudumbasree workers. "Measures will be taken to streamline the roadside eateries and only the licensed ones complying with food safety norms will be allowed to function.If needed, more such shops will be permitted," he said.
The Syndicate Bank has provided a loan of Rs 1 crore. Each shop costs Rs 69,980. A loan of Rs 1.40 lakh has been made available of which Rs 50,000 is subsidy.
"A lot of commuters and travellers visit the city on a regular basis. For them, quality street food is important. The Corporation will take all necessary steps to ensure the quality of street food," the mayor added.

FDA minister alleges Centre favoured energy drink maker

State Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) minister Manohar Naik wants the Centre to withdraw an amendment to the regulation in the Food Safety and Standards Act, which, he alleged, was made to favour the international brand of energy drink ‘Red Bull’, allowing it to have unsafe caffeine levels.

Naik shot off a letter to Union health minister Gulam Nabi Azad last Friday alleging that the Central agency was biased in its approach.
“Recently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India amended the regulation only for this particular product (Red Bull) and not the class of product, and allowed it to contain 320ppm (parts per million) of caffeine instead of 145ppm.” 
The minister’s letter stated, “The adverse effect of caffeine, if injected [consumed] in quantities is very well known. Accordingly, this brand was being confiscated (by FDA) and legal action taken.”
Red Bull India dismissed the minister’s claim. It said in a statement to HT that one 250ml can of Red Bull energy drink contained about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee (80 mg) – a caffeine level approved by the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India).
Naik, who belongs to the Nationalist Congress Party, said that under the law any energy drink also classified as non-alcoholic carbonated beverages was not allowed to have caffeine content more than the permissible 145ppm, yet Red Bull was allowed to increase its caffeine quantity to a very unsafe level.
He said the drink would affect the health of young people in particular because they tended to consume such energy drinks in large quantities.
Naik said that though the Food Safety and Standards Act would go a long way in improving the health status of the Indian population, the (Centre) administration would have to make efforts to analyse the ill-effects of new food products being aggressively marketed in the country.
He wants Azad to direct authorities to reconsider and withdraw permission.

SMC suspends FSO on ‘apprehensions of wrongdoing’

Srinagar: Authorities of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) have suspended a Food Safety Officer FSO) merely on ‘apprehensions’ of conducting a raid on a food unit. The documents, however, establish that the officer hadn’t conducted any raid in the area mentioned by the SMC but other branch of the unit located in industrial area Zainakote.
On September 3, FSO Reyaz Ahmad Chowdary conducted a raid on the manufacturing unit of Shakti Sweets at Zainakote, which falls under his jurisdiction. The unit was subsequently sealed after it was established that the unit holder was using expired raw material.
But on September 7, SMC’s Joint Commissioner (admin) in his order (No. PS/Com/SMC/JCA/1180-81) asked Reyaz to file his response as SMC had received complaints from editor of a local newspaper of “wrongdoing during his raid on Shakti Sweets, Residency Road, Srinagar.”
“A complaint has been received that the raid has not been conducted as per norms and there are allegations of wrongdoing,” reads the order.
Reyaz in his response to the Joint Commissioner mentioned that FSO had not raided the unit in Residency Road as it didn’t fall under jurisdiction but at Zainakote unit which was sealed as per proper norms. The Health Officer had endorsed Reyaz’s statement.
“The undersigned (Health Officer) visited the unit (Zainakote) and found the unit properly sealed as per Food Safety and Standard Act (FSSA), 2006. The FSO has acted as per Section 38 of FSSA and case under 52 and 56 is being launched against the offender before the adjudicating officer,” the Health Officer said in his report.
Documents also show that the owner of the unit in his undertaking has agreed that his unit situated at Zainakote was raided by FSO on September 3 in his presence and subsequently closed after FSO found expired food material in the unit and found it in unhygienic condition.
But the Joint Commissioner, SMC, without considering these reports, on September 28 issued suspension order of the FSO stating that “there are apprehensions of wrongdoings.”
“Apprehensions that the unit holder has been harassed by the FSO for entering into underhand deals have developed in common public,” said the suspension order.
It also says that the statements of FSO and proprietor of the unit “are different and inconsistent of facts giving rise to the apprehensions and undue coverage material to print media.”
“Therefore, pending detailed enquiry into the matter, FSO is hereby placed under suspension with immediate effect and attached with Law Officer,” the order reads.
When the Joint Commissioner (admin), Fayaz Ahmad Bala was contacted, he said the FSO wasn’t suspended for “some other issue”. “There are other issues as well on which the FSO has been suspended,” Bala told Kashmir Reader.
Bala, however, refused to reveal the “other issues”.

Milk adulteration rampant in Guwahati, toned milk quality fine

GUWAHATI: Rampant adulteration of milk has been a cause of worry in Guwahati. Sources in the state public health laboratory (SPHL) said adulteration by vendors is rampant in the city, though quality of toned milk has been found up to the mark.
"The quality of toned milk available in city markets is fine. But during an analysis in our laboratory, it was found that the quality of milk sold in the open market by vendors is quite poor. The most common adulterant was found to be the addition of water. But we have also found that the fat content of milk is removed by milk vendors at various places in the city to make a variety of other products," said an official of SPHL.
He added that though adulteration of milk is not done by the dairy farmers at the source of production, the retail milk sellers are mostly involved in this act. "Enforcement officials should pay frequent visits and the municipal corporation should give license to milk vendors. In Guwahati, many unscrupulous traders have been selling milk without any permit from the civic body which is a cause of milk adulteration" the official added.
According to the official, milk and edible oil are the two commodities where adulteration is most common in Guwahati.
"We were surprised to find that even the branded companies of the country, which have a reputation for ensuring quality, are involved in mixing sesame oil in edible oil. The edible oil manufacturing companies are indulging in such kind of adulteration as a cost-cutting measure," the official said.
The authorities slapped a penalty on edible oil manufacturing companies that was found mixing sesame oil in edible oil in the city recently. An official of the food and civil supplies department said poor quality of edible oil used to prepare food in budget eateries has been a cause of concern.
"The edible oil manufacturing companies of the state are adulterating edible oil not in all of their factories. For instance, they will keep the quality of edible oil produced from one unit safe, but will mix it up for cost-cutting in other two industrial units to hoodwink the authorities concerned," the official said.

Food Safety and Standards Authority appoints Intertek for quality audits

Mumbai, Nov. 15:  Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has appointed Intertek for inspection and audit of Food Business Operators (FBOs).
Intertek is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. The Intertek Food laboratory in Gurgaon has been accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing Laboratories.
The work will enable FBOs not only demonstrate compliance to requirements under the FSS Act and regulations, but also lead to issue of FSSAI licence and its renewal thereafter.
Intertek will help FBOs get a test done for their food samples at defined intervals every year. Intertek will also be training new food business operators towards Food Safety Management and Systems, along with verifying complaints filed with the FSSAI.

FSO NOTIFICATION

Slaughter at the altar of violation, ill-health

Check out this scene at a tiny mutton stall on Palace Guttahalli Main Road. The stall is attached with a “room” that is not more than 16 sq feet in area. Four alive goats are kept in the “room”. The butcher walks in and slaughters three, one after the other (halal style), in full sight of the surviving ones. The scene, if not just cruel, is also in gross violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughterhouses) Rules, 2001, and the Karnataka Municipal Corporation (KMC) Act, 1976.

Most mutton stalls located in the city are conducting slaughter within their premises in gross violation of the stipulated rules.
Dr Pervez Ahmed Piran, joint director, animal husbandry department, BBMP, said: “Slaughter of animals is allowed only in licensed slaughterhouses. If there are people conducting slaughter within their premises that are not fit to be declared as a slaughterhouse, then what they are doing is absolutely illegal.”
Piran said meat stalls are supposed to procure meat for retail sale from licensed slaughterhouses only; they cannot conduct slaughter within their premises.
He said even this can be allowed only after a pre-mortem (before the slaughter) and post-mortem (after slaughter) inspection is conducted by veterinarians attached to the BBMP or by authorised officials.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughterhouse) Rules, 2001, states: “No animal shall be slaughtered in a slaughterhouse in sight of other animals”. While the rules pertain to a slaughterhouse, these two establishments on Palace-Guttahalli Main Road are, by definition and law, not even that. They were just meat stalls that are supposed to merely sell meat, not conduct slaughter.
DNA inquiry revealed that a majority of the meat stalls in the city, located mainly in areas of Chandra Layout, RT Nagar, Palace-Guttahalli Main Road, Mahommedan Block (in Malleswaram) and some congested residential areas in the city’s suburbs, resort to slaughtering goats/sheep within their premises without adhering to the rules specified for slaughter. More significantly, none of these are supposed to conduct slaughter.
The rules clearly state: “No person shall slaughter any animal within a municipal area except in a slaughterhouse recognised or licensed by the concerned authority empowered under the law.”
The KMC Act, 1976, section 367, which pertains to slaughter of animals for sale or food, too, states: “No person shall slaughter within the city except in a corporation or licensed slaughter-house any cattle, horse, sheep, goat or pig for sale or food or skin or cut up any carcass without or otherwise than in conformity with a licence from the Commissioner....”
‘Licence’ to kill
Interestingly, the owners of a number of meat stalls across the city that DNA visited, claimed to have licences to operate as slaughterhouses. Shockingly, some of these even employed boys in their mid-teens although the rules state that no one below the age of 18 can be employed in a slaughterhouse in any capacity.
Also, most meat stalls in the city cannot be allowed to operate as slaughterhouses because they do not conform to the norms set for slaughterhouses to be recognised as licensed ones.
One of the norms states that the slaughter halls in a slaughterhouse should provide separate sections of “adequate dimensions” sufficient for slaughter of individual animals to ensure that the animal to be slaughtered is not within the sight of other animals. None of the stalls that DNA visited conform to this, but still persist with slaughtering animals. According to BBMP, there are about 3,200 licensed meat stalls across the city and another 10% may be operating without any trade licence.
‘Our responsibility’
Suparna Ganguli, president, Compassion Unlimited Plus Action (Cupa), says “This practice should be stopped immediately. It is because the demand for meat is so high that such people exist. People should follow some standards and restrictions while consuming meat.” She feels meat-eaters should feel responsible in allowing such stalls to continue operating. “It is also from the health point of view. You wouldn’t want to eat meat of traumatised animals. There are stress hormones which are released into the bloodstreams of such animals, which can affect health if we consume such meat.”

FDA-NGO tie up for easy licencing

Pune: Now, food and drug store owners may no longer have to do the rounds of the Pune branch of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) department to get licences and registrations. FDA Pune has tied up with an NGO to conduct a survey of city establishments, especially small-time business owners, and spread awareness as well as assist them in obtaining licences and registrations.

Under the new Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006, owners of hotels, restaurants, lounge bars, canteens, street food vendors, ice-cream parlours, tiffin service providers etc., into the business of providing food items and doing annual business of more than Rs12 lakh have to get an annual licence costing Rs2,000, while those with an annual turnover of less than Rs12 lakh need a registration of Rs100.

Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner, FDA Pune, said, “We found that most people are not reluctant to comply with rules. However, they find it uncomfortable to come here for paperwork. When this NGO approached us, we thought it was a good idea and have been getting good response. In Mumbai and Thane, they already have an online process for procuring licences, though it is yet to start in Pune. Until that happens, we think this doorstep service would be a great success.”

He said that the process of licensing and registrations under new FSSA, 2006, began in August 2011.

“Till October 31, 22,860 licences and 31,692 registrations were done in Pune division earning us a total revenue of over Rs13 crore,” said Kekare.

However Kekare estimated at least 80,000 small establishments were due for registrations. “We have covered most of the big businesses, and now our focus is on small vendors. Once they are registered, we would carry out their training on safety measures,” he said.

DINAMALAR

80 pc food samples fail purity test

Dehradun, November 12
Most of the samples of food items collected by the Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Studies ahead of Divali have found to be adulterated.

Secretary, Society of Pollution and Environmental Conservation Studies, Dr Brij Mohan Sharma said 80 per cent (205 out of 255) of the samples of food items ranging from sweets, oils and spices that were collected from various markets of the city had failed purity test.

Of the 25 milk samples, 21 were found to be adulterated with soda, refined oil, urea and dry milk. Twelve out of the 15 samples of mawa were adulterated with dry milk, refined oil and dalda. Seven out of the 10 samples of paneer were also found adulterated. Four out of the five samples of ghee had dalda as its content. In the case of sweets, six out of the 10 samples of laddo and sonpapdi and eight out of the 10 samples of milk barfi were found to be adulterated. The presence of refined oil and wheat flour was found in while milk barfi while laddo and soanpapdi samples had metanil yellow substance.

Thirty samples of mustard oil were found to be adulterated with argemone oil, mobil oil and mentanil yellow found in mustard oil samples.

Sharma said the samples were collected from the busy market areas of Dhamwala, Hathibarkala, Dharampur, Hanuman Chowk, Ajabpur, Karanpur, Panditwari, Doon Vihar, Prem Nagar, Rajpur and Raipur localities of Dehradun.

18 quintal petha seized

Dehradun, November 12
The Food Safety and Standard Authority, Uttarakhand, today seized petha that was found abandoned at the roadways bus workshop on the Haridwar road and took its samples.

On a tip-off that a bus carrying adulterated sweets has entered the ISBT, officials from the district office of the Food Safety and Standards rushed to the ISBT but were unable to find the bus.

“Thereafter, we went to the workshop looking for the bus but found 18 quintal petha abandoned at the gate. The sweet was then seized by the local administration. Later, a person came to claim the sweet and the sample was taken for testing,” said Anuj Thapliyal, desgnated officer (District).

The results of the tests will be available only after 20 days. The sample has been sent to Rudrapur.

Meanwhile, the Food Safety and Standard Authority has already taken around 50-40 samples of milk and sweets to curb adulteration. All results are awaited.

ALL THE READERS - HAPPY DEEPAVALI !!!

HAPPY DEEPVALI !!!

Dinamalar

'Washing chicken before cooking can cause food poisoning'

Stop! Don't wash that chicken.

Washing chicken puts you at a higher risk of getting food poisoning, in addition to spreading bacteria around the kitchen, Australian researchers claim.

"Home cooks are probably following what their parents or grandparents did in the past by washing poultry, not to mention probably patting it dry with a tea towel," Food Safety Information Council Chairman, Dr Michael Eyles, said.

But washing poultry splashes these bacteria around the kitchen cross contaminating sinks, taps, your hands, utensils, chopping boards and foods that aren't going to be cooked like salads or desserts," Eyles said.

Researchers found that that six in ten Aussies are guilty of this "foodie crime", 'News.Com.Au' reported.

The Newspoll survey also found that the washing phenomenon isn't just restricted to chicken. 68 per cent of respondents wash turkey and 74 per cent wash duck before cooking.

Doctors believe this could be one of the reasons why notified cases of illness from Campylobacter and Salmonella - bacterias associated with food poisoning - have almost doubled over the last 20 years in Australia.

"But the zealousness of trying to rid chicken of bacteria isn't entirely unfounded.

According to the survey, 84 per cent of raw chicken carcasses tested positive to Campylobacter, and 22 per cent to Salmonella. This is similar to the findings of other surveys overseas, the report said.

"Cooking poultry right through kills these bacteria, making it safe" Eyles said.

To reduce the risk of getting sick from poultry, doctors advise people not to wash raw poultry before cooking, instead mop up any excess moisture with a paper towel.

People should always wash and dry hands and clean surfaces after contact with raw poultry and be careful not to let raw poultry juices contaminate other foods, especially things like desserts or salads, which won't be cooked again.

One should always use clean plates and utensils and wash and dry thoroughly between using for raw and cooked poultry.

Placing cooked food back on the same plate or cutting board that previously held raw poultry should be avoided, doctors said.

Cooking poultry meat to 75 degree Celsius and using a meat thermometer to check if juices run clear and are no longer pink rather than popping a piece in your mouth is always advised, the paper said.

Doctors said one should make sure frozen poultry is defrosted right through to the centre in the fridge or microwave in a sealed container before cooking.

Shimla civic body launches raid on sweet shops to check adulterated sweets

Many sweet shops raided in Shimla

Shimla: In order to check adulteration in sweets during festive season, Shimla Municipal Corporation authorities on Saturday raided a number of sweet shops located in Chhota Shimla, Kasumpti, Panthaghati, New Shimla and in new bus stand area and dumped about one quintal of sweets.
The SMC authorities have said that they would keep their drive during the entire festival season. During the festive season, adulterated sweets are sold in sweet shops.

When sweet temptations sour...

Dig into Diwali mithai at your own risk. Adulteration monitors have reneged on their promise of safety.

Jharkhand's lone food and drug testing laboratory in Namkum, Ranchi, which was revived only last month after two years, has once again shut its doors for three days in a row and there is little guarantee of it reopening before your festive munch.

So far, 22 random samples of sweets and milk products have been collected from Ranchi, and around a dozen of them from Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Bokaro. Apart from these, health teams in Deogarh, Sahebganj and a few other districts are also expected to return with more samples soon.

However, the problem is that this state of many woes, incidentally, has just one food analyst. The health department had recently retained J.K. Singh from Bihar on contract basis to run the jinxed Namkum laboratory. But, Singh is on leave these days because of a family tragedy.

As a result, the lab has shut its doors and all the samples collected from across Jharkhand to check harmful chemical adulteration are gathering dust with the health department having no back-up plan or proxy analyst to put the same to test.

According to the National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning Prevention in India, chemical colours are one of the culprits.

A lead-based, carcinogenic dye called metanil yellow is used to give sweets like laddu and some other food items like biryani their inviting colour instead of the permitted tartrazine, which is more expensive. Metanil yellow is cancer-causing and is known to affect the brain and kidneys.
Similarly, muric acid and lead nitrate in paneer or chhana and formalin in milk are toxic and affect the central nervous system. On a lesser scale, Sudan III ' a contaminant often used in gulabjamun ' can cause skin irritations.
Now, in the wake of poor planning and absence of specialists, quality control remains a distant dream and revellers can rely on sheer luck not to fall prey to such dangerous adulteration.

Ever since the food and drug testing laboratory debuted in Jharkhand three years ago, it has had more problems than benefits. After running by fits and starts for close to a year, the Rs 2-crore lab went dormant owing to manpower and equipment crunch, besides high electricity bills.

Increasing instances of adulteration, finally, prompted the state health mandarins to revive the lab in October under the Food Safety and Standards Act (2006), which was implemented in January this year. But, no concrete measures were taken to rope in more than one analyst.

State food controller T.P. Burnwal admitted that the lab had remained closed for the better half of a week. "Our food analyst lost his younger brother. He is on leave. It is a problem beyond anyone's control. We have collected samples, but they could not be tested," he conceded.

Exigencies never come announced. Why did the health department never think of a back-up plan?

"There is a dearth of qualified food analysts not only in Jharkhand, but across the country. We hired our analyst from Bihar, but there was a tragedy we can't help. In Odisha too, the food lab is lying closed. The Union government conducts examinations for food analysts every year, but the success rate is very poor. Only those who qualify this exam and have at least three years of working experience can be hired," Burnwal reasoned.

If the food controller himself is washing his hands of the mess, citizens perhaps have every right to vent their ire.

"Why should we pay for wrong policies and planning at any level? It is the job of the government to stop adulteration of food, not ours. Mithai is an integral part of all festivals, especially Diwali, but we may be risking our lives and that of our near and dear ones because the government is callous," rued Sudha Choudhary, a Ranchi homemaker.

Will you buy and gift coloured sweets this Diwali?

Beware; imported fruits may contain carcinogens

Banned Calcium Carbide used rampantly
Govt sitting on report of 20 units using cancerous ripening agent

Srinagar: Five months after a survey by municipal authorities revealed that a banned carcinogenic chemical was being used to artificially ripen imported fruits in Srinagar, no action has been taken to stop the deadly practice.
According to the survey conducted by a designated officer of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and submitted to the Divisional Commissioner - Kashmir in June this year, almost all the traders associated with imported fruit storage and distribution in Srinagar use the harmful and proven carcinogenic Calcium Carbide to ripen the imported fruits including Mango, Banana, Orange, Pineapple and others.
Calcium Carbide is known to have cancer-causing properties and if consumed for long it may cause neurological disorders, memory loss and cerebral edema.
“On the orders of Divisional Commissioner, we conducted the survey and we found that all the twenty fruit storage unit holders in Srinagar use Calcium Carbide to ripen the imported fruits early and the chemical is easily available in the market,” said a Food Safety Officer (FSO) of SMC who declined to be identified. “We submitted the report before Divisional Commissioner in June this year but so far no action has been taken.”
He said that these units existed in the summer capital in areas like Parimpora Fruit Mandi, Magarmal Bagh, Lal Chowk Bund, Hari Singh High Street, Old Bus Stand and others.
He also said that the practice of using Calcium Carbide is banned in India but in Kashmir it was being used freely.
“As per Food Safety and Standards Act which was introduced in Jammu and Kashmir last year the practice is banned and offenders are liable to face both imprisonment and fine. But so far we have only stopped issuing licenses to these traders and we don’t have orders to act against them or close these units down,” said the FSO.
Divisional Commissioner - Kashmir, Asgar Samoon declined to comment on this issue when contacted over phone.
Fruit traders while accepting its usage said that they use about 200 grams of Calcium Carbide to ripen 30 kilograms of fruits which is wrapped in a paper and placed in enclosed box. The chemical produces a gas which enhances early ripening.
“These imported fruits are (fast) perishable fruits and can’t be transported when ripe and the market for these fruits is so high that we can’t wait for their natural ripening. The Carbide can ripen the fruit in almost 24 hours,” said a trader wishing anonymity.
However, he said that there were few private ethylene gas chambers in Kashmir but it is expensive for them to ripen the fruit there.
“We have been using carbide for last several decades, if there are health problems arising out of it we are ready to stop such practice but government needs to provide avenues to traders to use alternatives. Installing ethylene gas chamber is expensive, but we are ready to install them if government provides us loan or give some subsidy,” said trader.
Deputy Director, Department of Horticulture Planning and Marketing, Kashmir division, Qazi Ajaz Ahmad said that usage of Calcium Carbide was not so rampant in Kashmir and if it is in practice somewhere then Food Safety department can take action.
“Our department is ready to provide any help to traders in this regard if they want to install their own ethylene gas chambers they can come to us and we can forward their cases to National Horticulture Board for subsidy loans,” said Qazi.

Watch out before you buy milk-based sweets

Think twice before you bite into a milk barfee this Diwali. It could be made of adulterated milk or milk substitutes which may do more harm than good.
"Since milk is in huge demand and in short supply thanks to the festivities, many of the local halwais (sweet shops) use milk powder and mix them with glucose, textile whitener and sulphuric acid to make milk cakes," said an official from the Delhi government requesting anonymity.

"Similarly, fermented and spurious unsold sweets, collected from sweets shops of the city, are mixed with chemicals and other substances and then fried to make sweets such as 'Doda barfi'," he explained.
The Delhi government is also conducting raids in various parts of the city to prevent milk adulteration.
"These raids are a part of our routine exercise to check any kind of adulteration in milk or milk products. This year, there haven't been many instances, but in the past, we have penalised small-time traders for unfair practices in sweet making," said Dr AK Walia, Delhi health minister.
"Last year, I bought two kilograms of ras malai for my family. When we opened it by the evening, the milk had split. It was such a mood spoiler, " said Nupur Satnam, who lives in Green Park.
Lajpat Nagar resident Kalayani Kamra had a similar experience with Khoya Barfi.
"I bought five kilograms for consumption at home from this big sweet shop in my area. I felt so embarrassed when a relative said that she could feel the taste of sugar crystals and milk powder granules in the barfee, and that I had not prepared the sweet well," she said.
"Next day, when I went to complain, the sweetmaker said that maintaining quality during festivities wasn't possible.
He, however, denied the use of powdered milk," she said.
To avoid stomach upsets and nausea, it best to eat home cooked sweets or just satiate your desire with a fistful of dry fruits or fresh fruits, which are nutritious, healthy and safe.

Adulterated sweets factory unearthed in Patna

Food Safety and Standards Authority (Bihar) officials in association with Patna Police unearthed an adulterated sweets factory at Bigrahpur under Jakkanpur police station area in Patna on November 6, 2012. The factory was allegedly recycling rotten sweets to make them new one by mixing industrial chemicals and imported flavours. One person was arrested in this connection.

Diwali spoiler: Beware of spurious sweets this festive season

New Delhi: With just two days to go before Diwali, a crackdown on spurious sweets has begun across the country. But the fear of adulteration hasn't hampered business. Fifteen quintal spurious mawa seized in Moradabad, 20 quintal adulterated sweets recovered in Jaipur and sweets worth Rs 12 lakh found in Thane. With the sale of thousands of kilograms of sweets, adulteration too is on the rise in this particular season every year.
Food Health Inspector Vinod Sharma, Jaipur, said, "The mawa is being prepared without any milk at all. It's made of vegetable oil and semolina. We have to get it destroyed."
In Mumbai, ahead of Diwali, Maharashtra FDA has seized 5274 kilograms of adulterated mawa worth Rs 10 lakhs. The FDA's drive started 20 days ago but it has intensified in the last week. Like every year, max adulterated mawa in Mumbai has come from Gujarat.

There have been instances when milk has been mixed with white paint, rotten wheat, toilet paper crushed and mixed with khoa.

In Delhi, so far only 234 samples of food items have been tested by the PFA (Prevention of Food Adultration department). Out of which seven samples were found unfit to eat. Two were found of substandard quality.
According to the new food safety and standards act the punishment for selling adulterated food is seven years imprisonment and Rs 10 lakh fine, for selling sub-standard food you could face a maximum fine of Rs 10 lakh. And a death by eating adulterated food could land the offender seven years to life imprisonment for offender.
But that has hardly been a deterrent. Adulteration is big business during the festive season. A kilogram of milkcake that one buys for say Rs 250 can be prepared for just Rs 55 using adulterated ingredients. There have been instances when milk has been mixed with white paint, rotten wheat, toilet paper crushed and mixed with khoa and ghee adulterated with animal fat. So this Diwali be careful, you could be taking in a deadly mix.

Enjoy right kind of sweets during Diwali

JAIPUR: With Diwali festivities round the corner, the fragrance of sweets and delicacies are already in air. However, doctors and dieticians are advising against overeating and suggesting healthy alternatives of sweets. They also suggested a strict exercise regime for those who are vulnerable to heart disease or have diabetes.
Craving for sweets could be irresistible but the after-effects of it in form of weight gains and high sugar intake can be disastrous. "The most common problem that happens after Diwali is sudden increase in weight. This happens because of bingeing on sweets and calorie rich food. People also tend to withdraw from their exercise regime during festivities," said Anjali Phatak, a consultant dietician at Fortis Healthcare.
But there are alternatives to enjoy the festivals without the fear of getting heavier or getting diabetic. Dieticians and doctors suggest that the urge for sweets can be assuaged with healthier, low calorie alternatives like fruit yoghurts, dry fruits and dark chocolate. "One can choose healthier alternatives like dates, bitter chocolates or nuts. Mathri, which is widely cooked during Diwali, can be nutritious if cooked in multi-grain," Phatak added.
A little effort to ensure that buying and gifting the right kind of sweets will also be very helpful for people to keep themselves healthy. With an assortment of sweets spread out before them, even the most health conscious people end up gorging on them during Diwali. "Sweets all around during Diwali compel anybody to binge on it. The best thing is not to store any sweet at home. Instead one can distribute it to those who need them more," said Dr Manju Sharma, a private practitioner.
Every year, adulterated sweets flooding Jaipur markets to meet the huge demand are adding to the woes. Doctors advise that it is better to make sweets at home. "Artificial colours, which can be toxic, as well as adulterated milk and other ingredients are widely used. We always suggest that making sweets at home is safer. At least you can pick the ingredients yourself," added Dr Rajendra Sharma of Tongia Hospital.

MAALAI MALAR

Boy held for duping hotelier with 'cockroach trick'

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A teenaged boy landed in trouble after he put fried cockroaches in biriyani at a hotel here in a bid to extract money from the owner, cashing in on the government crackdown on unhygienic eateries.

According to police, the student came to a small hotel and ordered biriyani during the busy lunch hours on Friday.

After eating half the plate, the boy all of a sudden stood up and started shouting that there was a cockroach in his biriyani.

Some other customers also joined the boy as he showed them the 'unsavoury fry' in his plate, which led to heated exchange between customers and the hotel staff.

As the hue-and-cry continued, the boy told the hotel owner that he would not lodge complaint with the food safety authorities if he was given Rs 1,000 as compensation.

The boy's eagerness to 'settle' the issue made the hotelier suspicious and he called up the police.

When the police grilled the boy, he admitted that he had purposefully put the cockroach in the food to dupe the eatery owner and garner some money from him.

Police also recovered a handful of fried cockroaches from his bag. Police took him to police station and called his parents before letting him off after a stern warning.

The Food Safety Authority and Health officials in the state had recently cracked down on scores of hotels and eateries across the state following a spurt in food poisoning cases.

About two months back, a 25-year-old youth died after eating stale 'shavarma', an Arabic food, bought from a city hotel.

The incident caused public concern about the hygiene of hotels foods, prompting the authorities to closely monitor the situation.

DINAKARAN

Coloured sweets to be inspected in Ranchi

RANCHI: Sweets of various designs, shapes and colours are seen arranged in the sweet shops of the city tempting passersby to buy them. The demand for sweets is usually high during Diwali as it is not just required to offer prayers to idols but also as gifts. As a result, many sweet shops have sprung up on the roadside to display the variety of sweets.

As demand increases, some shopkeepers tend to use adulterated ingredients or colours for more profit which often leads to various ailments.

Dr N N Aggarwal, director of Gurunanak Hospital, said, "During Diwali most of the sweets are made of 'khowa' (thickened milk in lump form) and hence its adulteration is optimum. The confectioners often add maida (refined flour) and blotting paper to add volume to the sweets."

Various kinds of colours are also added to the sweets to lure customers. Dr Aggarwal said, "Some of the colours have carcinogenic properties which mean that they may lead to cancer. In case someone spots any kind of adulteration in sweets he should immediately contact the assistant chief medical officer."

The district administration has also been working on samples from various sweet shops.

ACMO, Dr Sengupta said, "We have already started collecting samples from sweet shops and covered more than 110 sweet shops under a special drive for Diwali. Out of these, some were adulterated and the most common adulteration was found in laddoos."

Dr Sengupta said, "We found that metaline yellow colour has been added to laddoos to give them a better colour. This colour is used only for industrial purpose and is not edible. When eaten in high quantity it may lead to brain and liver damage."

Food analyst of food sample testing centre at Namkom, Dr Jitendra Singh, said, "We are accepting and examining all samples under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Many samples have been already tested and the reports of many others would be submitted by November 15."

Complaints against sweet shops where sweets were found to be adulterated would be submitted to the deputy commissioner. Deputy Commissioner, Vinay Choubey said, "Once we get all the reports appropriate action will be taken against the shop owners under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006."

BIS certification mandatory for packaged water: court

Holding that packaged drinking water comes within the purview of Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, the Karnataka High Court on Friday said that certification from the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for packaged drinking water.

The court also directed the State government to take action to prohibit and prevent the manufacture and sale of packaged drinking water without BIS certification.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Aravind Kumar passed the order while disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition by Lochamesh B. Hugar of Hubli complaining inaction by the authorities against manufacturers of packaged drinking water operating without BIS certification, and a batch of petitions filed by the manufacturers claiming that certification from BIS was not necessary.

The Bench also directed the authorities to take action against the manufacturers if they found them operating without certification from BIS.

However, noticing that there are 564 packaged drinking water manufacturing units without BIS certification as against 224 with BIS certification across the State, the court has given an opportunity for those operating without BIS certification to apply for certification.

The Bench said that all manufacturers will have to submit applications for BIS certification in the prescribed format within 15 days. It directed the authorities concerned, including the BIS, to process the application within three months and notify the deficiencies, if any, in these units. The Bench said that entire exercise will have to be completed within four months.

Meanwhile, the court has given liberty to the authorities to initiate action against those manufacturers who fail to adhere to the directions and comply with conditions for manufacturing packaged drinking water.

Adulterated sweets keep food inspectors on toes

Unchecked supply of adulterated sweets during the Diwali festival has put Food and Civil Supply Department on its toes. To curb supply of adulterated sweet stuffs the department has asked districts officials to start a drive and collect samples from shops.
Confectioners of city have already started stocking dry sweets with preservatives giving an excuse that it is the only way to store special sweets brought from Kolkata and Delhi.
Jharkhand Director-in-Chief (Food) TP Burnawal said, “Inspection is going on and food safety officers are collecting samples every day. These samples will be tested in the Food Testing Laboratory. Strict actions will be taken those who will be found guilty.”
The Food and Drugs Testing Laboratory which was virtually defunct for more than two years is also functional now. In Ranchi there are only three food inspectors to check the food quality of more than 3000 registered hotels and restaurants here. Officials of Health Department are also keeping an eye on shopkeepers and agents dealing in adulterated food stuffs.
According to the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, a person selling or producing adulterated food can be fined up to Rs 10 lakh. The punishment ranges between imprisonments of three months to life.
Nitin Churuwala, owner of Churuwala Inn, “To elevate profits confectioners do deliberately mix adulterants and spurious maawa. Buyers can themselves recognise artificial sweets. There are some easy ways to identify adulterated sweets like the silver coating done on ladoos and barfis will not stick to fingers if they are silver and if it sticks the coating is of aluminum.”
“The trend of gifting sweets is now changing. People prefer dry fruits and chocolates over sweets,” added Churuwala.
Not only dry fruits and chocolates, the malpractice has brought traditional sweets like baalushahi, chandrakala and besan ladoo in bad taste.
Darshana Gulati, a homemaker said, “Milk is being sold at Rs 35 per liter, how can a shopkeeper sell cheese at the rate of Rs 100 per kg? I prefer making shakkar para and gujiya at home rather than buying sweets from market.”

Raids, whistle-blowers programme launched to curb adulteration

FDAs and FDCAs (Food & Drug Administration and Food & Drugs Control Administration) that are busy ensuring complete compliance with the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, have come up with a two-pronged strategy to crack down on adulteration, a rampant malpractice that increases during the festive season.

In this regard, the authorities concerned have not only vested in food safety officers (FSOs) of all states to raid errant food business operators' (FBOs) establishments, but also put in place a whistle-blower system across the country to be vigilant and inform FSOs of any cases of adulteration.

Meanwhile, the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has announced that information providers will be duly rewarded. In fact, raids have already been conducted on FBOs' premises in various parts of the country, and adulterated food, estimated to be worth several crores of rupees, has been seized by the authorities. The food safety commissioners of a few states confirmed.

Maharashtra
K B Sankhe, joint commissioner (food), Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said, “Before the festive season, we selected about 109 samples of mithai and mawa from all over the state and sent these to the laboratory for tests. We are awaiting the results of the same. Adulterated mawa is sourced from Gujarat and used to make sweets for the festive season.”

“Before the festive season commenced, we seized mawa and mithai worth more than Rs 3 lakh, and will prosecute the culprits or impose a fine of upto Rs 1 lakh if they are found indulging in adulteration. Adulteration not only reduces the quality of food, but it also weakens the person who consumes them, thereby resulting in an increase in the cost of healthcare,” he said.

Sankhe said the regular intake of adulterated food could lead to a number of heath problems, which include both curable and incurable diseases and disorders. “The use of toxic colouring agents as adulterants in fruit, vegetables and sweets is very dangerous when it comes to the health of a person. It can lead to serious health issues such as cancer, cardiac problems, insomnia, paralysis and other neurological problems, and could even lead to death,” he said.

The official explained, “As far as the adulteration of honey is concerned, it appeared to be safer than using toxic chemicals as adulterants. Moreover, this will merely have an adverse economic impact and is unlikely to result in any health issues. Even milk can be adulterated with artificial chemicals, and this may not have any tangible impact on the milk itself.”

Gujarat
H G Koshia, food safety commissioner, Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA), said, “Recently we raided three big factories in Gujarat which indulged in the act of adulteration. These factories used artificial colours and Rajasthan marble dust powder to adulterate cumin (jeera) seeds and thereby increase their quantity and reduce their quality, with the sole objective of increasing their profit margin.”

He added, “We seized about 20,000 kg of cumin seeds – estimated to be worth more than Rs 7 lakh – and have sent the samples for analysis. We have also registered a case against the company involved in the act of adulteration. Acting on our complaint, the offenders have been arrested by the local police. Water in milk is the most common example of adulteration. Argemone oil is a harmful substance of a low grade which is mixed with mustard oil.”

“Other common adulterants include other kinds of leaves and sawdust, which are mixed with tea leaves. Toxic chemicals may be used to colour sweets. Methanol is an adulterant in alcohol. Ghee may be mixed with vanaspati, and honey is mixed with other kinds of sugars. Pulses are adulterated with artificial colours in order to make them appear fresh. Likewise, fruit and vegetables may be adulterated with toxic colours to increase the profit margin,” said Koshia.

A food official from Gujarat FDCA,  on the condition of anonymity, said, “Turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander and other essential ingredients of food cooked in our homes may actually be fake. Red chilli powder is in fact sold at a price far lower than actual chillies. Despite being a processed food, how is this possible? The answer is red chilli powder often contains only 30 per cent of good chilli.”

“The remaining 70 per cent of chillies are those that are either rotten or have been rejected by shops. These are first dried and then red food colour is added to them before they are powdered and sold. This is what ensures the reddish colour the moment it is added to our food. Cumin seeds are sold at Rs 70-80 per kg and their twigs are sold at Rs 5 per kg. Since the twigs smell and look the same, the powder is likely to fool most customers,” he added.

The official added, “After the powder is packaged, the profit margin is huge. Turmeric powder may not actually be turmeric. The powders of maize grain and damaged rice are mixed with yellow edible colour and artificial flavour and the result is fake turmeric, which is sold cheap. Ghee has the maximum scope for adulteration. Pure ghee might not even contain a drop of pure ghee.”

Kerala
V S Sivakumar, health minister, Government of Kerala, said, “It is clear that be it salt, meat, fish, vegetables or fruit, adulteration has been common. It is not only the retailers who are involved in malpractices, but also the wholesalers and others who bring the commodities from outside the state. But there are limitations for the food safety commissioner and other officials to trace it.”

“It is against the backdrop that a mechanism to engage the civil society also for better results is being probed. Whistle-blowers should be rewarded by the state government for providing information about adulteration to FSOs. Adulteration is a big issue in India and it is affecting the health of the people. The Act needs to be implemented so that those who are involved in food adulteration should fear before indulging in the malpractice,” he said.

Bureau of Indian Standards tag must for packaged water: HC

BANGALORE: Holding that packaged drinking water falls within the domain of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the Karnataka high court on Friday said that certification by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for packaged drinking water.
Disposing of a batch of petitions, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice Aravind Kumar directed the state government to take all necessary steps to prohibit/prevent the manufacture and sale of packaged drinking water without the certification of BIS.
The bench further directed the authorities to take action against those manufacturers of packaged drinking water if they were found to be running their units without BIS certification.
Noting that as against 224 units with BIS certification, 564 without certification are operating in Karnataka, the bench decided to give them an opportunity to apply for certification. All these manufacturers have been granted 15 days time for submitting the prescribed application to the authorities concerned under the FSS Act, BIS Act and also regulations for issue of BIS certificate.
The authorities have been asked to process the same within three months and notify the deficiencies if any. The entire exercise has to be completed in an outer limit of four months, in case of exigencies.
The petitioners had complained that even though there was a bar on selling packaged drinking water without the ISI mark, the authorities have not taken steps to prevent it. Some of the manufacturers contended that they were not covered under the FSS Act.

The question of food safety

- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: November 10 2012 -

Though already late, it is good to know that the Government of Manipur has finally woken up to giving due importance to the cause of general health and hygiene of the people, and decided to act tough against shops selling eatable items and other food manufacturing units being operated in the State without possessing the required registration certificates and license.

After being passed by the Indian Parliament on August 23, 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 has been implemented as a law with effect from August 5, 2011 throughout the country including Manipur.

Under this Act, owners of shops and other business establishments selling eatable items as well as companies manufacturing food items need to register themselves and possess the required registration certificates and licenses from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which has been mandated under the provisions of the Act to ensure availability of wholesome safe food for human consumption.

At the State level, the Commissioner of Food Safety is the highest regulatory and implementing authority of the Act. It is unfortunate to learn that people of the State in general and the owners of shops and other business establishments dealing in food items in particular do not understand the significance of the Act.

As some of the Food Safety Officers in the State have themselves admitted, lack of awareness has been at the root cause of total neglect of the Act and its provisions in Manipur, and consequently, the failure of the shop-keepers and proprietors of food manufacturing units to register and possess the required registration certificates and licenses from FSSAI.

So, the authorities concerned need to find out ways and means to generate awareness among the people. Here, we should understand the simple fact that for successful implementation of any legislation or developmental scheme/project, mass publicity campaign out in the field is imperative.

Organising a couple of workshops or seminars within the confined of an air-conditioned conference hall of some classy hotels and then claiming that publicity campaigns have been carried out to convey the message to owners of shops and other business establishments dealing in food items or extending deadline for registration wouldn't simply work.

One needs to be more sincere and dedicated towards ensuring availability of wholesome safe food for human consumption.

Let's be clear that unsafe food not only causes many acute and life-long diseases, but also pose a growing threat to public health.

So, when it comes to the question of life and death, do we need time to wait for an answer?

Festive Season’s Bitter ‘Sweet’ Truth

CHANDIGARH: By the time you get to know if the sweets you savoured were adulterated, the festive season might be over. Instead of confiscating stocks that appear to be stale, the UT administration is treading with caution this time -- limiting its surprise raids on sweet shops to taking samples alone, reports of which are out after seven to 10 days.

This is in sharp contrast to the drive in 2010 when the administration had played to the gallery by confiscating and destroying tonnes of raw material and ready-to-serve sweets in an extended drive.

Justifying the move, ADC Mahavir Kaushik said samples were being taken from different areas of the city, but destroying the sweets on the spot would be considered only if a manufacturing unit did not conform to the hygiene standards.

Welcoming it, N K Singhania, general secretary of Chandigarh Sweet Shop Owners' Association, said most of the sweet manufacturing units in the city have drastically improved their hygiene standards over the past two years and there was no question of contamination. "Checking adulteration levels by taking samples is the process as per the book. The sweet shop owners were against the practice of largescale destruction of sweets without even waiting for the lab reports," he added.

Though the administration had come up with a set of new guidelines for sweet manufacturing units like installation of six feet high tiles and proper ventilation in the kitchen, no drive was conducted to check compliance last year.

Most of the old sweet factories located in periphery have kucha floors, with poor drainage and no tiles in cooking areas. The administration has got more teeth with the recently-notified Food Safety and Standard Act that authorizes it to take strict action against sweet shop and restaurant owners.

FDA raids shops, collects khoya samples in Katra

ALLAHABAD: As part of the ongoing drive against adulteration in food products during the festive period, officials of Food and Drug Authority (FDA) led by additional city magistrate (ACM) I and chief food inspector (CFI) conducted raids in Katra locality on Wednesday and took khoya samples from two reputed sweet shops and chhena (cottage cheese) sample from another shop on Kutchery Road. The samples would be sent to the state laboratory for examination after which necessary action would be taken.

CFI, Harimohan Srivastava said the team also raided shops in Phaphamau area and inspected khoya mandi where several dealers fled from the spot leaving behind their stock. The team seized around 1.5 quintal of khoya from the spot which would be sent for examination.

At a shop in Phaphamau area the team took samples of curd and gazak while a dairy operating without a license was challaned. In Soraon area the team served notice to a cold storage functioning without license.

At Karchana in trans-Yamuna area, the team was led by SDM, Karchana and 50 kg besan (gram flour) was seized from a shop and sample sent for examination.

Srivastava said the drive would continue till Deepawali and warned shopkeepers to refrain from selling adulterated food items or else face the music.

Beware of spiked edibles this Diwali: FDA

ALLAHABAD: Diwali is just a fortnight away. It is the festival of lights and sweets. So, being an active an aware citizen, people of Sangam city are approaching officials of the FDA (Food & Drug Administration) in a large number to learn simple methods useful in detecting adulteration. Most of the inquires pouring in are to ascertain purity of food and milk products as also asking about availability of instant kits that have already gained popularity in metropolitan cities.
FDA officials feel it's a good beginning and citizens are taking initiative to acquaint themselves with simple methods. Dr Sarita Pandey says "If we know simple methods to detect adulteration, we can save our family from impure and stale products". She added "Awareness must be spread among consumers". If you want to check if the khoya you are buying or have bought is adulterated, a few drops of tincture of iodine will make it turn bluish if adulterated. Another method is using sulphuric acid.
Adulteration is an unethical practice, as it poses serious risk to human health. Presence of harmful starch, urea-mixed milk, caustic soda, ararot, artificial sweetening chemicals, non-approved colored sweets (like heavy metals incorporated malachite green, etc) and unhygienic conditions may lead to acute gastritis, diarrhoea, dysentery, dehydration, kidney inflammation, etc.
Housewife Aditi says "Keeping an eye on the forthcoming festival, consumers must be aware of simple methods to detect adulteration".
Chief food safety officer H K Srivastava told TOI "We are promoting awareness about easy methods to detect adulteration in food products, without the need to send them to a laboratory.

Ahead of Diwali, adulteration fears keep FDA on toes

MUMBAI: The state government has instructed the food and drug administration (FDA) to collect random samples from sweet manufacturing units and shops to check adulteration and use of banned substances. The department has also warned of initiating action against those officials who fail to implement the food safety act effectively in the state.
With less then 15 days left for Diwali festive season, minister of state for FDA Satej Patil held a meeting with officials at his Vidhan Bhavan office on Thursday to review measures taken by the department to clamp down on supply of adulterated sweets and food items in the market, especially during the festive season.
"Instead of waiting for complaints from citizens and then initiating actions, I have asked officials to collect random samples of sweets and other eatables from manufacturing units and retails shops. These samples will be sent to the laboratory for testing. If any kind of adulteration is found or the sample is found to be of substandard quality, then action will be initiated against the erring person," Patil said.
FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade said that besides initiating action against erring manufacturers, the responsibility of implementing rules and regulation will be fixed on department officials. "It is the duty of the officials to find out whether food manufacturers are complying with the norms laid down in the food safety act. Punitive action will be initiated against the officials who fail to perform their duty," Zagade said, adding, "Action against manufacturers indulging in malpractices and errant officials will help in effective implementation of rules."
Patil urged citizens to buy sweets and other food products from shops that have proper registration and necessary licences. Cautioning people against purchasing uncovered sweets, the minister said, "FDA's action along with public awareness will help in curbing malpractices in the sector."

Drive fails to yield results

JAIPUR: It seems that the much-hyped campaign of 'Shudh Ke Liye Yudh' by the medical and health department is not giving the desired results. Though the officials of the medical and health department have begun collecting samples from various sweet shops, ration shops and ghee manufacturing units, the problem with the campaign is that it will take a fortnight to get the sample results and the festival of Diwali will be over by then.

On Monday the team found adulterated mawa and later destroyed it, but the campaign so far has proved to be a futile exercise.

"We cannot do much about it before the reports come. Only the reports will confirm if there is an adulteration and if so then up to what extent. We can only take necessary action till then. But the good news is that we have been able to expose several factories involved in making adulterated ghee," said a senior officer of the medical and health department.

O P Thankan, chief medical and health officer Jaipur 1 said, "In this procedure our job is to collect samples and send them to the lab. Since January 2012 we have sent at least 400 samples to the lab out of which in many cases we received negative reports while many reports are still awaited."

Officials added that they will present challans against the defaulters in court even after Diwali once they get the reports confirming adulteration in the products.

Saras mawa out in the market now

Rajasthan Cooperative Dairy Federation (RCDF) on Monday added mawa to its bouquet of products under the brand name of Saras. RCDF had to enter the mawa market after adulterated mawa was found in the market.

The products will be available in 500 gram, 1 kg and 5 kg. The price has been fixed at Rs. 200 per kg. Apart from main Saras parlour at JLN Marg, 50 other outlets have been selected where mawa will be available. Along with the launch of Saras mawa, RCDF has also removed the cap of 5 kg limit for free home delivery.

Now the facility will be available on placing an order of even 1 kg.

It’s ‘sweet’ switchover this Diwali

ALLAHABAD: This Diwali the city is switching over to dry fruits and chocolates instead of sweets. In a drift from the tradition of offering and exchanging sweets to friends and guests, people are showing preference for dry fruits and chocolates despite the soaring prices of dry fruits. The sale of dry-fruits has, in fact, gone up by 30% compared to previous years.

The companies too are making most the changing trend and have come up with attractive gift hampers of chocolates and dry fruits. One of the reasons behind this new trend is growing cases of adulteration in sweets and milk, especially during festivals.

Traders, however, claim that some customers are opting for packed sweets like 'kaju katri' and 'rasgulla' from branded companies.

Nitin Mehrotra, a shopkeeper, said: "Youngsters are preferring dry fruits and chocolates over sweet boxes". "I used to distribute sweets made out of maawa among families and friends till two years back. But after growing incidents of adulterated sweets, I have started giving dry fruits and chocolates" said Rohit Shukla, an entrepreneur.

Dhananjay Singh, an entrepreneur, said, "Dry fruits and chocolates are best options available in markets. We cannot risk anyone's health on such a happy occasion." He added that the trend is now shifting from sweets to dry fruits as it is more convenient and also good for health. Even cooperates and businessmen too gift their employees dry fruits and cookies. On other hand, there is a section of people which believes in sticking to the tradition of distributing sweets. Many sweet-meat shops in the city are also offering homemade sweets.

A trader in Civil Lines said, "Undoubtedly, people have started gifting dry fruits more but the famous sweets shops too are doing brisk business. Scared of adulteration people now buy sweets from only famous and trusted shops."