More than 90 pc mangoes in market infested with harmful chemicals

The Delhi High Court rapped the government for not pursuing regular inspections to check the food safety standards and directed them to file a report after checking whether any pesticides or chemicals are being sprayed in the Mangoes and other fruits or vegetables in the Capital.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath directed the Agricultural ministry to carry on surprise checks in the Azadpur Market as well as other wholesale vegetable and fruit markets and file their report in the court by May 29.
The Court directed the government to find out whether any pesticides, chemicals are being sprayed added on fruits, especially mangoes.
The court directed the government to take immediate action against those found guilty of spraying colour or chemicals on fruits and veggies.
The Court asked the ministry why they are not doing any regular checks in this regard.
'It is a continuing process. You don't have to be told every time. There are a whole set of guidelines. You have to implement them on regular basis,' the court remarked.
This is a serious issue which needs to be addressed immediately, the court said.
The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO Consumer Voice through lawyer Sugriv Dubey who alleged that 90 per cent of mango being sold in the market this year has chemicals or artificial colours.
The sellers inject colours in the fruits and there is no check on such activity, the petitioner alleged.
The NGO alleged that more than more than 35 varieties of vegetables and fruits picked from Delhi markets were found to have pesticides and toxins beyond permissible limits.
The NGO contended that the vegetables and fruits being sold in Delhi contained poison, which can cause cancer and harm liver and nervous system, the NGO said.

Food safety department seized 55,000 gutkha pouches

INDORE: Around 55,000 of gutkha pouches worth Rs 1 lakh was seized in Indore on Wednesday by food safety department in a raid of four shops at different parts of the city. The gutkha pouches were sold at three times higher than the MRP.
Raids were conducted at Sindhi Colony, Juni Indore and Sarvate Bus stand. "Samples of Rajshri and Vimla gutkha have been collected during the raid," said food safety officer Manish Swami.
Swami said that the team reached Disha Traders in Sindhi Colony and collected 15 packets of Rajshri gutkha. One sample was collected from here. Thereafter, a team raided the godown of Kushaldas Khobani in Gali number 4 of Sindhi Colony and Jain Traders in Juni Indore and seized gutkha pouches.
Sale of gutkha is ban in the city so it is being sold in black and consumers has to pay at least three time of the printed price. Swami said the restricted material is smuggled into the city from adjoining states through different modes of transport. He said Kushaldas Khobani is a regular defaulter and gutkha was seized from his godown earlier also. The department will file a case against them and special court will decided the punishment.

China steps up inspection of meat trade after fake lamb scandal

(Reuters) - China has begun a crackdown on the sales of fake, diseased and tainted meat products after a series of scandals that have further dented public confidence in the food industry, the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.
It said the State Council, China's cabinet, recently ordered local government departments to step up checks on meat and processed meat products, and carry out detailed inspections of rural factories, workshops and warehouses as well as private slaughterhouses.
"The current water-injected meat, fake beef and mutton, dead livestock and other types of toxic and hazardous meat has aroused widespread concern," said the report.
"Local governments at all levels should strengthen their organization and leadership, to severely crack down on fake beef and mutton and other illegal and criminal activities."
Pork and poultry prices have suffered this year as a result of a series of food safety scandals, a bird flu outbreak and crackdown on expensive government banquets.
China has long been plagued by poor food safety standards, but many of the recent scares have involved its meat trade.
Earlier this month, the police said it had uncovered a crime ring that passed off more than $1 million in rat and small mammal meat as mutton.
It came after pictures of thousands of dead pigs dumped in rivers supplying Shanghai caused widespread outrage.
A media report last year uncovered excessive levels of hormones and antiviral drugs in chicken meat supplied to KFC, whose parent company is Yum Brands, and McDonald's.
Beijing has repeatedly called for greater inspection of food processing facilities to tackle food safety problems, but such actions appear to have done little to improve standards.
The latest clampdown will encourages local governments to offer rewards to people who inform on illegal activities.
The government also called for implementation of measures for the proper disposal of livestock that had died from disease.

Delhi awaits new facilitation centre: Licensing & registration of FBOs

THE licensing and registration of food business operators (FBOs), an exercise which is in progress in other parts of the country for the last one-and-a-half years, has still not started in New Delhi. The reason for this is said to be that the department of food is awaiting the completion of furnishing of the new facilitation centre coming up at Mayur Bhawan in Connaught Place.

It is pertinent to mention here that the deadline for licensing and registration expired, a couple of months ago, but was extended by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) till February 2014. Thus while three months of the extended deadline have already passed, the furnishing is yet to begin. Nevertheless, it has been learnt that the department has taken some steps for the giant task and appointed designated officers for the purpose of keeping an eye on the progress, once the work starts. 

K J R Burman, food safety commissioner, Delhi, "The centre at Mayur Bhawan would act as a facilitation centre for the purpose of licensing and registration for the districts where our officials would help and guide the applicants in filing of the papers." He felt that the delay was due to logistical difficulties.

Meanwhile, the biggest hurdle in the process of licensing and registration was the manpower, so the office of the Delhi food safety commissioner decided to make the whole process online. For this as well, the nod by the Food Safety and Standards authority of India (FSSAI) was still awaited by the authorities, though the State Bank of India had agreed to help the department in deposition of fees and so on.

While there were reports of the beginning of the process, Burman clarified that full-fledged operations would only start when the facilitation centre would get furnished with all the necessities. He informed that only those FBOs who operate within and outside Delhi  needed Central licences. Therefore they applied for the same and their matter was considered while the FBOs operating in Delhi needed to wait further.

He suggested that the focus of the department would remain the big players of food business having turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh, for which the licensing fee ranges from Rs 2,000 to Rs 7,500, depending upon criteria like the annual turnover in terms of money and in terms of volume or import or export of food items.

Burman said, "For those categories, FBOs need various kind of licences like regional licensing or Central licensing." At Mayur Bhawan, facilitation would be provided to FBOs for all 11 districts of New Delhi. 

Though it was still not clear as to how many FBOs would be operating in the national capital, Burman said that he expected the numbers on the lines of Mumbai, where some 1.5 lakh licensing and registrations were done so far. 

Burman said that his department had done a lot of homework and hoped that efforts put in by the department would bear fruit.

DINAMALAR & DINAKARAN NEWS

Soon, raids in fruit markets to check pesticide content

The Centre will carry out raids at fruits and vegetables market across the city to ascertain whether pesticides and chemicals were being used to ripen them. Worried over the presence of pesticide residues in fruits especially in mangoes, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday asked the Government to find out if they contained such chemicals by carrying out surprise inspections in fruits and vegetables markets.
A bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice Jayant Nath asked the Agriculture Ministry to carry out inspections to find the presence of any chemical in fruits, especially in mangoes, and take action against the persons responsible for that.
“This matter is concerned with public health and must be taken seriously. Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) must hurry up with policies regarding the use of pesticides in agriculture,” the court said. While submitting before the court about presence of harmful pesticides in fruits and vegetables, advocate and petitioner Sugriva Dubey told the court on Wednesday, “Ninety nine per cent of the mangoes that we eat today are artificially grown. A chemical is applied on the fruit which triggers its growth in 12 hours. It is hazardous to health.”
The bench slammed the Government saying that the fact that this matter has been going on from last three years clearly shows sloppiness on the part of the Government. “The city Government must carry out raids or inspections in the markets and file a report within 15 days regarding the presence of pesticides,” the bench said.
Ministry of Agriculture told the court that they will submit their report within 15 days on the use of pesticides in farming. “The Governments have been asked to respond many times. We can’t wait for their reports as by the time they will file a response, the season for mangoes will be over. We need an immediate solution,” pleaded Dubey.
The petitioner alleged that mangoes brought from markets like Azadpur, Vishwas Nagar, Gazipur Mandi and IP extension had enormous amount of harmful pesticides. The petition also said that mangoes were laced with oxytocin and other chemicals like calcium carbide. The chemicals lead to various health hazards like headaches, depression, mental disorder and other diseases.
The objections on the presence of pesticide residue in fruits and vegetables being sold in the markets across the city have been raised time and again. In 2010, the high court had taken cognizance of the matter after a petition was filed. Since then, the court has been asking concerned government authorities to inquire and file a report on how to tackle this health hazard.

After drugs, zarda worth Rs 1.5cr seized at Pallel

IMPHAL: In the wake of a string of drug hauls at Pallel market in Thoubal district, which were to be sent to Myanmar via the border town of Moreh, two truckloads of zarda, also to be smuggled to the neighbouring country, was confiscated here.

Thoubal district police seized the mammoth consignment of different brands of zarda loaded in two trucks from six persons during a frisking near the gate of Pallel police station around 11.30pm on Monday.

A statement issued by Thoubal police said the value of the zarda kept in 345 cartons will be around Rs 1.5 crore in the open market. The arrested persons, along with the seized tobacco items, have been handed over to the food safety officer (Thoubal) for taking necessary action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

The smuggling of tobacco to Myanmar alerted security agencies manning the Imphal-Moreh section of NH-2 as Manipur has banned sale, transportation, manufacture and consumption of smokeless tobacco products.

In February this year, the state government banned manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, display, sale and purchase of gutka, khaini, zarda, paan masala and other chewable and smokeless tobacco products.

The statement added that Thoubal district police would continue to conduct raids in order to implement the government order in the interest of public health. It also sought cooperation and support from the public. A senior police officer said there were frequent instances of shipping tobacco products to Myanmar before the ban was imposed.

Dangerous practice

 

HEALTH HAZARD:

 

Packing hot tea in polythene packets that are not meant for packing food items is dangerous. But, this is common practice in Coimbatore tea stalls. R. Kathiravan, Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (Food Safety Wing), says polythene reacts to high temperature by emitting styrene and bisphenol-A that are suspected to be carcinogenic and neurotoxic. 

 

They can cause cardiac and kidney problems, cancer and infertility. Packing of hot rice and other food materials like sambar and rasam will also have the same effect. This comes under the ‘hazardous packing of food material' as defined under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

Traditional food good for health: Collector

Traditional food, particularly those made of small grains, will not only improve the health of the people but also lessen the chances of attack of non-communicable diseases, and control malnutrition to a larger extent, according to Collector K.S.Palanisamy.

Inaugurating a seminar on ‘Propagation of traditional food and improving use of small grains’ at Cumbum near on Tuesday, he said traditional food like coconut, small grains, and other traditional agri-produces like cotton and soap nuts were useful to the people. But many people did not know their value, he added.

Earlier, traditional food items had played an integral role in people’s lives, providing nutrition to them and ensuring strong connection between the community and the land.

For example, tender coconut that had low density lipoprotein cholesterol and 569 mg of potassium, was good for heart, liver functioning and balancing dehydration, and it was the best medicine for anxiety and depression, he said.

Small grains like ‘varagu,’ ‘samai,’ ‘pani varagu,’ and ‘kudiraivali,’ that had high medicinal value would cure intestinal disorders, prevent asthma and they were the best food for diabetic patients.

You could Be Buying Adulterated Ranbaxy Drugs

 

The "jiyo jee bhar ke" drug maker Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd, agreed to pay $500 million [in civil and criminal fines under the settlement agreement with the US Department of Justice (DOJ)], approximately Rs 2,743 crore, to resolve the fraud allegations made in account their selling adulterated drugs.
Bollywood Connection with Ranbaxy
Ranbaxy has some of the leading products under its name. Some famous brands under the Ranbaxy umbrella like Revital, Volini and Chericol are endorsed by our very own famous bollywood starlets like Salman Khan, Yuvraj Singh and Sonali Bendre.
Why Ranbaxy is under the scanner
This scandal has sparked many questions in the minds of the consumers, with regards to the efficacy and credibility of these drugs in the wake of Ranbaxy pleading guilty for ‘three felony’ counts under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act.  Besides, it has also been charged for four felony counts for knowingly making false material statements to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
How Ranbaxy is paying for its mistakes
The huge settlement of $500 million dollar is one of the largest agreements over drug safety. It includes $150 million in payments for a criminal fine and forfeiture and $350 million in payments for civil claims.
In the civil settlement, Ranbaxy has agreed to pay $350 million to resolve allegations that drugs from the two Indian plants that did not meet specifications and those false claims were submitted to US government healthcare programs between April 1, 2003 and Sept 16, 2010.
The signs of fraud and scam started right from 2005, when Ranbaxy has been accountable for pattern of violations like incomplete pattern of Paonta Sahib drug and inadequate programmes to assess the stability characteristics of drugs.
What you really need to know about Ranbaxy drugs?
In 2008, the FDA banned the company from selling about 30 drugs in the United States after it found manufacturing deficiencies at facilities in India. But after this latest development, the Indian FDA has not given intimation if they will ban these drugs or will recall them from the Indian market. The drugs were manufactured at Paonta Sahib and Dewas in India and the drugs that are banned are acne drug Sotret, epilepsy and nerve pain drug gabapentin and antibiotic ciprofloxacin.
The Timeline of the Ranbaxy case:
• 2006: US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors note allegations about Ranbaxy’s practices
• 2007: Whistle-blower’s lawsuit alleges the company defrauded Federal programmes
• 2008: Ranbaxy’s three facilities — at Paonta Sahib and Batamandi (Himachal Pradesh) and Dewas (in Madhya Pradesh) — come under FDA’s scrutiny.
• December 2011: Ranbaxy sets aside $500 million to resolve potential criminal and civil liabilities.
• December 2011: Ranbaxy signs a consent decree with the American authorities, putting an end to the regulatory tussle; but Ranbaxy still cannot make drugs at the Paonta Sahib, Batamandi, Dewas and Gloversville, NY, facilities for the US market.
• January 2012: Company reaches a settlement agreement with FDA; agrees to stop making drugs for the US market at two plants until these are brought up to US standards.
• May 2012: Ranbaxy hires two US-based consultants to advise it on remedial work to be done at its manufacturing units in India.
• May 13, 2013: Criminal charges filed

Dinamalar

Welcome ban

Although long overdue, the Tamil Nadu government’s move to ban the manufacture, storage and sale of gutka and pan masala in the State is a welcome step (“Reducing the harm,” May 14). But one wonders why the grim reality — that one in 20 young men die of cancer by the age of 70 — and messages on cigarette packets do not deter tobacco users. Despite being a punishable offence, one wonders why not many are booked for smoking in public. For any law to have the intended result, it should be enforced strictly.

Prabhu Raj, Chennai

There is no denying the fact that gutka and pan masala containing tobacco have been banned in 24 States and UTs. But there is no ban on selling chewing tobacco separately, at least in Delhi. The manufacturers, in fact, charge the consumers more. The ban on selling gutka has become remunerative for them.

The only change is that the user mixes tobacco with the pan masala while earlier he got it readymade in the shape of gutka. One wonders whether the government is really serious about reducing the number of tobacco users.

S.K. Narula, New Delhi

The Centre and the States should work together to reduce the use of tobacco. Cancer is only one of the numerous adverse effects of tobacco use. Even those who know that tobacco kills smoke and chew it. The ban on the sale of gutka in a few States will not be of much use if the other States continue to sell it. Nor will advertisements against the use of tobacco yield the desired effect if companies keep manufacturing and selling gutka. Efforts should be made to ensure that all the States ban it.

Mridani Pandey, Allahabad

The need of the hour is to check the illegal supply chain and prevent the sale of tobacco products. The endeavour should be to ban all forms of tobacco products, including bidis, to achieve a tobacco free nation.

P. Venkatesu, Hyderabad

Gutka sale continues across Tamil Nadu as ban yet to take effect

CHENNAI: Tobacco products such as gutka and pan masala continue to be sold across the state nearly a week after chief minister J Jayalalithaa on May 8 announced the decision to ban the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of such products.
Food safety department officials said they were clueless about the day on which ban would come into effect. "We have not action against those selling tobacco products as the government order in this regard has not been issued," said one. The ban on tobacco products was announced in 2001 but couldn't be enforced due to a staff shortage. A staff continues to plague the food safety department.
On Tuesday, this correspondent found such products being sold in shops in several areas, particularly Broadway, Sowcarpet, Alandur, Perambur, Velachery, Tondiarpet and Manali. While many traders and consumers claimed they were unaware of the decision to ban the products, some traders were selling 'tobacco products' in black.
Ashok Modi, a resident of Sowcarpet, said there was no decrease in the sale of tobacco products. "Unfortunately, most consumers are children and mainly from poor backgrounds. This 'ban' may encourage black marketing," he said.
Health experts say migrant labourers constitute the major chunk of pan masala users in Chennai and that such products were among the major causes behind the increasing incidence of mouth cancer.
Others said it would be difficult for the food safety department alone to take action against the sale of tobacco products. "The government should involve youth organizations, NGOs to create awareness. Stern action should be taken against manufacturing units and steps initated to prvent the products from being smuggled in from neighbouring states," said Dr S Elango, former director of Public health.
Many traders urged the government to fix a date on which the ban would come into effect. "We can be prepared and clear our stocks to avoid financial loss," said Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peravai president T Vellaiyan.
Customers said some retailers were charging more than the MRP for gutka and pan masala. "When questioned, they say it is banned. If it is banned, then how they can sell it here," said a customer in Broadway.
Sources said tobacco products continued to be sold in the black market in many states that had banned them.

FSSAI row trips Health Ministry

The Union Health Ministry has been forced to withdraw its controversial decision of handing over additional charge of Food Safety & Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) chief executive officer (CEO) to its chairperson, after the move sparked a row. 

Intriguingly, the Law Ministry had washed its hands of the matter when its opinion was sought, saying the issue had no relevance since the Health Minister had already given charge.

However, on Monday, the Ministry took away the additional charge from FSSAI chairperson K Chandramouli and handed it over to the Additional Secretary & DG (CGHS) RK Jain.

The move follows objections by Rajya Sabha member Brajesh Pathak, who heads the Parliamentary panel on health and family welfare. In his letter of April 30 to the Health Ministry, he also took exception to the fact that the post of the CEO of the top food body had been lying vacant for over 120 days, “resulting in misgovernance by the officiating incumbent”. 

The post has been lying vacant since January this year, when incumbent SN Mohanty stepped down. Mohanty too had warned that the “additional charge of the CEO cannot be given to the chairperson of the authority as he/she cannot hold any other office as spelt out in the Act”.

Pathak pointed out that the move to hand over charge of CEO to the chairperson had resulted in many “unforeseen actions,” like extending date of licensing and registration without following the parliamentary process laid down. “States have not only suffered loss of large revenues but administration of the new law has become redundant till February 4, next year, which may seriously jeopardise public health, at many places,” he added.

The Law Ministry’s role in the issue also raises eyebrows. Instead  of giving its opinion whether such a move was legally allowed, when approached by the Health Ministry for clarification, the Law Ministry simply chose to side with the Health Minister (Ghulam Nabi Azad).

Internal politics too had its share of play. Sources say that Mohanty and Chandramouli were not in cordial relations with each other on various issues and the latest bone of contention was the former’s move to tighten the noose against the food manufacturers for their misleading advertisements.

They said Chandramouli in the recent past had been taking some executive decisions too such as transfer and appointment of officers in violation of the mandate of the FSSAI Act. 

Moreover, in the absence of a full time CEO, many decisions including those on financial matters are lying pending.

Huge quantity of banned Zarda seized

IMPHAL, May 14: Huge amount of banned Zarda worth lakhs of rupees were found from two vehicles by Thoubal District police while conducting a check near the gate of Pallel PS yesterday around 11.30pm.

According to a statement issued by Thoubal Police, six individuals along with two vehicles in which they were travelling in were detained and thorough checking was conducted.

During the search, a huge amount of banned Zarda were found from the two vehicles.

The particulars of the individuals and the vehicles as well as the quantity of Zardas found in each vehicle as stated by the Thoubal police are Tata Model no 1109 (MN 02A/5102) and Tata Model No. 909 EX (MN07-T/0036)

The occupants of the first vehicles were identified as Lathangliana Mizo (35) s/o Ramliana Mizo of Churachandpur Hmuia Veng, driver of the vehicle; Thangboi Paite (23) s/o Paokhanlian Paite of Gouchinkhup Veng, New Lamka; Lhingboi Lupheng (35) w/o Thongmang Lupheng of Moreh Ward No 7, Canan Veng.

200 cartoons of Parizat Zarda (30 pkts each in one cartoon, 10 pcs in one pkt, total 60,000 pcs. Printed price Rs. 48 per pcs= Rs 28,80,000) were found in the joint possession of the three individuals.

The occupants of the second vehicles were identified as Sapam Somorjit Singh (25) s/o (L) S Borsingh of Khongjom Sapam Leikai, driver of the vehicle; Chonsei Lupheng (33) s/o Paothang Lupheng, Moreh Ward no 7, Canan Veng and Jamkhoson Touthang (28) s/o Tongmang Touthang, Moreh Ward No 7, Canan Veng.

80 cartoons of Parizat Zarda (30 pkts each in one cartoon, 10 pcs in one pkt, tota 24,000 pcs. Printed price Rs. 48 per pcs totalling Rs 11,52,000), 15 cartoons of BABA Zarda (24 pkts each in one cartoon, 10 pcs in one pkt, total 3,600 pcs. Printed price Rs. 65 per pcs =Rs 234,000), 44 cartoons of 350 SIGNAL (small) Zarda (120 pkts each in one cartoon, 10 pcs in one pkt, total 52,800 pcs. Printed price Rs. 55 per pcs =Rs 29,04,000) and 6 cartoons of 350 SIGNAL(Big) Zarda (i.e. 30 pkts each in one cartoon, 10 pcs in one pkt, total 1800 pcs, printed price Rs 250 per pcs = Rs 450,000) were seized from the joint possession of the three individuals, who were the occupants of the vehicle.

The total quantity of zarda seized from the two vehicles is 345 cartoons (8220 packets ie 82200 pieces of different brands of Zarda.

The printed price of the seized items is Rs 76,20,000 ( Rupees seventy-six lakhs twenty-thousand). It will be more than double ie Rs 1.5 crore in the open Market.

The detained persons along with the seized articles have been handed over to the Food Safety Officer, Thoubal for taking further necessary action under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the statement said.

It may be noted that the Government of Manipur, Secretariat Health Department vide Notification No. 15/52/88-M(FSSA)Pt. dated February 26, 2013 has banned on the manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution, display, sale and purchase of Gutkha, Khaini, Zarda, Pan Masala and other chewable, smokeless tobacco products containing tobacco or nicotine food ingredients as unsafe food injurious to health, by whatsoever name it is available in the market, in the state of Manipur in the interest of Public health.

Thoubal district Police will conduct raid, search and checking continuously in order to implement the order of the Government in the interest of public health. It seeks cooperation and support from the general public in this regard, it said.

Pop goes your heart

Intertek further consolidates its leadership position in quality solutions

Report by India Education bureau, Delhi: Intertek, the leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide, consolidated its leadership position in India with the recent recognition from the BIS(Bureau of Indian Standards) and empanelment by the Tea Board of India.
As per its recent notification, the Bureau of Indian Standards (www.bis.org.in), formerly known as the Indian Standards Institute has recognized Intertek to carry out the safety testing for audio, video and IT. The Tea Board of India has also empanelled Intertek to provide a Codex HACCP based Food Safety Management System Standards Certification.
As the Indian industrial sector looks to grow both domestically as well as in the global market, it will be seeking to partner with global leaders, with infrastructure, technology and domain knowledge, all qualities that Intertek is known worldwide for.
Mr. Rajesh Saigal, Managing Director, Indian Sub-continent, Intertek said, “Intertek is known for its delivery of quality solutions that increase the value of our customers’ products, processes and assets. With these recent recognitions, we will now be able to grow trusted partnerships with our customers in these two growth segments. These recognitions will help us deliver quality led by our global quality experts, in-depth industry knowledge with local understanding and insight.”
It is also to be noted that Intertek was recognized recently by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) to undertake testing, inspection and auditing of Food Business Operators (FBOs). This will enable FBOs to demonstrate compliance to requirements under FSS ACT, a key requirement for FSSAI license and its renewals.
Intertek has a state of the art food safety laboratory in Gurgaon. This equips the company to provide world class testing facilities to its clients and help them maintain quality not just to Indian standards but also to global standards.
Intertek’s electrical and electronic equipment testing laboratory is located in Mohan Co-operative Industrial Estate in New Delhi. This lab conducts electrical safety testing to ANSI/UL, CSA, NFPA, IEC, EN and other standards, EMC testing to local or global requirements, benchmarking and performance testing for R&D or competitive differentiation, environmental compliance to ENERGY STAR®, RoHS, or ErP Directive (formerly EuP) requirements, and provides turnkey certification management.
Commenting further on the quality solutions requirements in India, Mr. Rajesh Saigal, said, “Indian industrial sector across various industry domains is going through a paradigm shift. Our ability to build trusted partnerships with each of our clients is helping them meet all requirements whether for local authorities or global customers. We believe this sector will witness huge growth and Intertek will be leading this growth from the front.”

File returns by May 31, food business operators told

PUNE: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has directed all licenced food business operators having an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above to submit their annual returns by May 31, failing which, a fine of Rs 100 per day will be levied.
"For the first time food business operators have been asked to submit annual returns of their transactions made till March-end since the new Food Safety and Standards Act came into force in August 2011. This will help us understand the financial potential of the food industry and also help rein in hidden transactions made in food businesses," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
There are over 9,000 licensed food business operators in the city with an annual turnover of Rs 12 lakh and above. They include food manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, retailers, recyclers, processors, transporters, restaurants, hotels and catering business operators.
"As per the Food Safety and Standards Act and Regulations 2011 (licensing and registration), the business operators have to submit the returns in the particular format (form D-1). Only owners of milk businesses have been asked to submit the returns in half yearly format as given in form D-2," said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
"FDA has decided to impose a fine of Rs 100 per day for delay in submitting the annual returns," Sangat said. The forms are available for free at the FDA office in the city. People can also log into www.fssai.gov.in and download forms.
What defines a food business
Any public or private undertaking, profit or non-profit, carrying out any of the activities related to any stage of manufacturing, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution, import and sale of food or food ingredients
Who is a food business operator?
A person by whom the business is carried on or owned and is responsible for ensuring the compliance of this Act, rules and regulations made there under
(Source: Training manual for food safety regulators)

TNFS Dept. News - Cuddalore Dist.

Tiruchirappalli civic body to impart training on food safety & hygiene

The Tiruchirapalli Municipal Corporation will start training members of the city's community groups on food safety and hygiene. V P Thandapani, the corporation's commissioner, said this at a valediction of the state-level training programme on detection of food adulteration, co-organised by the Concert Trust (a voluntary organisation) and the Union ministry of consumer affairs.

“It is essential that people are sensitised on the need to prevent adulteration in food products and ensure hygiene. The corporation has formed community groups to take up the maintenance of public toilets and other assets. Training on food safety will be imparted to the members of these groups in association with the Concert Trust,” he added.

It was noted that although the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) has been in existence since 2006, the expected impact of the law has not been felt, owing as much to oppositions from certain sections of the society as to the lack of awareness about the safety of food products. It is widely believed that the World Health Organisation (WHO) laid too much emphasis on food safety.

R Santhanam, former secretary, consumer protection, opined, “In India, which has a low per capita income, people tend to look only at the price and not the quality. Even the affluent are done in by attractive packaging and pricing, and do not enquire about the quality of products. There are several ways to check the adulteration of food, but people are not aware of them.”

The speakers at the function concurred that although the country has always had laws in place to curb adulteration in food, their enforcement has not been strict. However, laws alone would be insufficient to keep the malpractice in check. It is imperative to raise awareness among the people. The absence of information, and not technology, is a constraint in checking adulteration.

The best trainees were felicitated at the valediction, and an exhibition of photographs on food safety was held. R Desikan and G Santhanarajan, the Concert Trust's chairman and director (foods) respectively, addressed the gathering. Consumers were informed that they could lodge complaints with the trust by dialling its helpline number (044-66334346).

Incidentally, the Concert Trust had earlier conducted the training in three phases. In 2011-12, it was held at about thirty-nine places in thirteen districts. It is estimated that over 1,192 women benefited from the programme – they were exposed to various aspects of checking food adulteration.

During the aforementioned training programme, the participants detected adulteration in about 151 food products, and identified about 152 labels as being defective as per the Food Safety and Standards Rules (FSSR), 2011. The matter was subsequently taken up by the food safety commissioners and the controller of legal metrology, who are said to have initiated action.

பான்மசாலா, குட்கா கிடைக்கக்கூடாது

நோயற்ற வாழ்வே, குறைவற்ற செல்வம் என்பது தமிழ்நாட்டில் காலம்காலமாக கடைப்பிடிக்கப்பட்டு வரும் நடைமுறையாகும். இதற்காகத்தான் தமிழக அரசு, மக்கள் நல்வாழ்வுத்துறைக்கென ஆண்டுதோறும் பட்ஜெட்டில் கணிசமான தொகையை ஒதுக்கி வருகிறது. இப்போதும் கிராமங்களில் சிலர் அந்தகாலங்களில் எல்லாம் இப்படி புதிது புதிதாக நோய் வரவா செய்தது? இப்போதுதானே கேள்விப்படாத பெயர்களில் எல்லாம் நோய்கள் வருகிறது என்கிறார்கள். ஆனால், இப்போது இருக்கும் எல்லா நோய்களும் அப்போதும் இருந்தது. நவீன மருத்துவ உலகில்தான் இந்த நோய்கள் கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டு, அதற்கான மருந்துகள் கொடுக்கப்படுவதாலும், தரமான சிகிச்சை அளிக்கப்படுவதாலும், மரணத்தை தழுவாமல் ஆயுசு நாட்களை கூட்டிக்கொள்ள முடிகிறது. பொதுவாக மக்களின் வாழ்க்கை முறையும், அவர்களது பழக்கவழக்கங்களும், உணவு முறைகளுமே பல நோய்களுக்கு காரணமாக அமைந்துவிடுகிறது. குறிப்பாக, புகையிலையை எந்த ரூபத்தில் பயன்படுத்தினாலும், அது நிச்சயமாக புற்றுநோயை வரவைத்துவிடுகிறது என்பது உலகம் முழுவதிலும் உள்ள மருத்துவ நிபுணர்களால் நிரூபிக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு அசைக்கமுடியாத ஆதாரமாகும். சிகரெட், சுருட்டு, பீடியாக குடித்தாலும் புற்றுநோய்தான். புகையிலையை அப்படியே சவைத்தாலும், பான்மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற பொருளாக பயன்படுத்தினாலும், அது புற்றுநோய் வருவதற்கான வாசலை திறந்துவிடுகிறது.
சென்னை அடையாறு புற்றுநோய் மருத்துவமனையின் இணை பேராசிரியர் டாக்டர் ஆர்.சுவாமிநாதன், தமிழ்நாட்டில் ஏற்கனவே புற்றுநோயால் பாதிக்கப்பட்டவர்களின் கணக்கோடு, இப்போது புதிதாக 2,825 பேருக்கு வாயில் புற்றுநோயும், 1,771 பேர்களுக்கு நாக்கில் புற்றுநோயும் வந்திருப்பது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளதாக கூறியுள்ளார். இதற்கு முக்கிய காரணம் பான்மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற வஸ்துக்களை வாயில் போட்டு மெல்லுவதும், புகையிலையை சவைப்பதுமே ஆகும். பெண்களை பொருத்தமட்டில், வயதான பெண்கள்தான் வாயில் புற்றுநோயோடு வருகிறார்களே தவிர, இளம் பெண்கள் மிகவும் அபூர்வமாகத்தான் இருக்கிறார்கள். ஆனால், ஆண்களை பொருத்தமட்டில், இந்த பழக்கத்தினால் இளைஞர்களும், அதுபோல வயதானவர்களும் வாயில் புற்றுநோயோடு அவதிப்படுகிறார்கள். தமிழ்நாட்டில் 16.2 சதவீத மக்கள் புகையிலையை ஏதாவது ஒரு வகையில் பயன்படுத்துகிறார்கள்.
இத்தகைய புற்றுநோய்களை தடை செய்யவேண்டும் என்று 2001-ம் ஆண்டே முதல்-அமைச்சர் ஜெயலலிதா புகையிலை பொருட்களை தடை செய்து, அறிவிப்பு வெளியிட்டார். ஆனால், இதுபோன்ற  அறிவிக்கைகளை வெளியிட மத்திய அரசாங்கத்துக்குத்தான் அதிகாரம் உண்டு என்று உச்சநீதிமன்றம், தமிழக அரசு வெளியிட்ட அந்த அறிவிக்கையை ரத்து செய்துவிட்டது. இப்போது மீண்டும் உச்சநீதிமன்றம் இதுதொடர்பாக மாநில அரசுகள் என்ன நடவடிக்கை எடுத்துள்ளது? என்று கோரியது, தமிழக அரசுக்கு தன்னுடைய எண்ணத்தை நிறைவேற்ற சாதகமாக போய்விட்டது. சட்டசபையில் புகையினால் ஏற்படும் பல்வேறு வகையான புற்றுநோய்களை தடுக்கும் வண்ணம் குட்கா, பான்மசாலா போன்ற சுவைக்கும் புகையிலை பொருட்களை தயாரிக்கவும், சேமித்து வைக்கவும், விநியோகம் செய்யவும், விற்கவும் தடை விதித்து சட்டசபையில் அறிவிப்பு வெளியிட்டுவிட்டார். புற்று நோயற்ற ஒரு சமுதாயத்தை உருவாக்க முதல்-அமைச்சர் வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிவிப்பை, நிறைவேற்றவேண்டிய பொறுப்பு இனி காவல்துறை, உள்ளாட்சி அமைப்புகள், உணவு மற்றும் மருந்து பாதுகாப்புத்துறை, மாநில புகையிலை தடுப்பு பிரிவு, ஏன் சிறு கடைக்காரர்களுக்கும் கூட இருக்கிறது.
வெறும் தடையால் மட்டும் இத்தகைய பொருட்களை ஒழித்துவிட முடியாது. ஏனெனில், பான்மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற பொருட்களை மிக சிறிய பாக்கெட்டுகளில்தான் அடைத்து விற்கிறார்கள். இதை வெளியே தெரியாமல் ஒளித்து வைத்து விற்பதற்கு மிக எளிதான வாய்ப்புகள் உண்டு. ஆகவே, சம்பந்தப்பட்ட அதிகாரிகள், ஊழியர்கள், இதை ஒரு சமுதாய கடமையாக மேற்கொண்டு, இதில் லஞ்சத்துக்கோ, லாபத்துக்கோ இடமில்லாமல், தமிழ்நாட்டை பான்மசாலா, குட்கா இல்லாத மாநிலமாக ஆக்கி, மக்களின் நல்வாழ்வுக்கு துணை நிற்கவேண்டும்.

Juice from push-cart may wet & wound your throat

• Though people are advised to increase the intake of fluids to keep themselves hydrated in the hot months, roadside juice vendors use poor quality of water, ice, and colouring agents and all this in unhygienic conditions.

Every summer there is a spurt in the number of vendors and roadside shops that aim at cashing in on the soaring temperature by selling juices and cut fruits. But little does the public realise that instead of being healthy options to beat the heat, these shops are sources of infections.

Roadside juice vendors sell everything from local favourites like sharabath and lemon soda to cut fruit and rose milk. And, any spot is convenient for them to set up shop, be it under a tree or along main roads and at places that see a high number of footfalls like bus stands and bus stops. Some roadside shops are even setup over drainage lines, raising concerns of hygiene.

Though people are advised to increase the intake of fluids to keep themselves hydrated in the hot months, these vendors use poor quality of water, ice, and colouring agents and all this in unhygienic conditions. This raises the risk of people catching infections.

While many are unaware of the health hazards, they are willing to buy anything that will quench their thirst.  “I know they get water from public water taps which is not clean. But the quality of the product depends on the cost; most cannot afford to pay `30 or `40 for a glass that prepared hygienically,” said a bullock cart driver in Vellore. He said, the quality of water used in slightly more upmarket juice shops also cannot be relied upon.

Most of the vendors, who are seasonal traders, are there to make a quick buck and cut corners to make a little extra money. A glass of fruit juice costs about `10 or `15, while lemon soda is cheaper. Push cart vendors carry two tubs of water -- one to wash glasses in and the other to prepare the juice. Used glasses are dipped into the water and merely rinsed, raising the risk of germs being passed. Even ice used in the juice is made from water that is not clean. The other cause for concern is the colouring agents used in several juices.

“The colour of the fruit juices is what attracts me,” said Mahendhran, a salesmen of Katpadi, who stopped for a drink because he wanted to have something cool. Even the cut-fruits kept in the open, attracts flies and dust, he pointed out.

Karthikeyan, a papaya juice seller said, “Despite a water shortage, I carry two pots of water for my business every day.”

Designated Officer of Food Safety and Drug Administration, Vellore, Dr Sampathkumar said, “Unhygienic fruit juices will cause diarrhoea, typhoid, and cholera.” He said they had seized water bottles, cans and packets worth around `10,000, that did not have the expiry date, in a raid on Gandhi Road. The officials would  conduct surprise raids and checks soon, Sampathkumar said.

Street vendors: Hygiene, food safety standards go for a toss

VARANASI: Right next to garbage dumped carelessly on the main road and overflowing sewage in Cantonment area, a vendor sells 'purisabji' to passersby. Other vendors nearby sell cut fruits, fruit juices, summer drinks, fast food and other edibles which are left open for hours, providing a feast for flies and microbes. And as if this was not enough, the edibles are constantly exposed to the deadly fumes emanating from vehicles plying on the road.

The situation is more or less the same across the city. The dysfunctional solid waste management plant has resulted in the haphazard dumping of garbage along the roadside even in crowded areas. The ongoing digging work for the laying of pipelines has further deteriorated the situation and contaminated water supply in several areas. Recently, the health department declared around 46 localities sensitive for the spread of epidemic. The district health department and government hospitals are continuously issuing warning about the sporadic cases of gastroenteritis, which are increasing in the city. Despite this, thousands of vendors are selling fruit juices, cut fruits, fast food and other edibles in insanitary conditions at Cantonment Railway Station, Roadways bus stand, Kutchehri area, Pandeypur, Chowkaghat, Andhrapul, Godowlia, Lanka, Nariya, Sigra and Vidyapeeth road, among other areas.

Even though the city is already struggling with dust, garbage and sewage overflow and there is an onslaught of diarrhea and stomach infections in the city, there is no way out to check the hygiene maintained in the preparation and marketing of edibles selling in open air.

"There is no facility to check the micro-bacterial elements in the food, which means if the food is stale and contaminated, we cannot identify it as such. The laboratories under the Food Safety and Standard Act are still to be upgraded. Our work is confined to testing of adulteration in the suspected samples which are further sent to Lucknow for testing," informed designated officer, Food and Drug Administration department, Ashok Kumar Sharma. What is even more shocking is that the department also does not have any chemicals or equipment to check the quality of the food on sale.

As per records of the FDA department, there are only around 5,000 registered vendors and license holders who are selling edibles in the city. In reality, there are an estimated 40,000 vendors who are into the business of selling edibles. We have the target of increasing the registration to 10,000 in this financial year," informed an officer of FDA department.

On other hand, Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) apparently has no responsibility to probe the situation. "Our work is to check the cleanliness in the city. The freshness and safety of the food is checked by FDA department. However, if a person is found spreading clutter in an area, action is taken against him or her," informed nagar health officer Dr SP Verma.

Message in a bottle - Unscrew the myth of mineral water

THE success of bottled water is a miracle of aggressive marketing that has made us believe in the safety of bottled water. Several studies have been conducted internationally to ascertain their supremacy over tap water under different criteria of purity and safety, yet the riddle continues to perplex. Traditionally, mineral water sold under all sorts of brands is obtained either from the purest of sources like natural springs or spas. For this category of mineral water, bottlers cannot make any changes in its composition, or even chlorinate it. The cheaper variety, sold mostly at dhabas, bus stands etc., is usually obtained from underground reservoirs.
This is where the problem brews. With depleting natural springs and rising demand for bottled drinking water, it is the latter variety that is in wider circulation and where pollutants are found, which also include a high level of chemicals used in the purification process. After receiving complaints, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has written to the food regulators, including the Food Safety and Standards Association, to check the bottling plants supplying such drinking water and also collect water samples from the water collection sites to ascertain not only the quantity but also the source of pollutants.
Yet the news about the suspected contamination of bottled water has failed to surprise consumers, who feel that they are always shortchanged because of poor quality control and an ineffective vigilance authority. In a study conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board in Delhi in 2000-2001, coliform bacteria were found in all the five brands that were tested. An earlier study, conducted by the Ahmedabad-based Consumer Education and Research Society found bacteria in all the 13 brands tested. Manufacturers will always claim that their products comply with the standards laid down, but it is for the regulatory bodies to ensure the standards for a basic need like drinking water are adhered to.

JK does little to ensure food safety - Poor Implementation Of Food Safety And Standards Act-2006

Srinagar, May 13: The J&K government has done little to ensure implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 despite repeated reminders by the central authorities to upgrade the related infrastructure.

 The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has many times asked the state government to upgrade the infrastructure for implementing the Act, but it has miserably failed to do so.

 Three years ago, the Controller Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, VN Gaur had written a letter to then Chief Secretary, SS Kapur seeking upgrading infrastructure in the State for transition from Prevention of Food Adulteration(PFA) Act regime to the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 which integrates all food safety related legislations.

 “In order to ensure a smooth transition, it is necessary that all preparatory action as already mentioned may be taken well in time. Some basic requirements for the implementation of the Act are appointment of Food Safety Commissioner, Designated officer, Adjucating Officer, Food Safety officer, appellate Tribunal, Special Court, Food Analyst and notification of laboratories for food testing which are accredited by the NABL,” the letter vide No DO No. 10/FSSAI/OCI/Study-2008 dated 30 December 2010 reads.

 Gaur had informed the government that Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 cannot be implemented without these statutory functionaries in position and a void will be created following the repeal of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act. If these are not in place, the matter becomes quite important requiring immediate attention,” he said.

 On contrary the state government gave Commissioner/Secretary, Health and Medical Education, M K Diwedi the additional charge of Food Commissioner of J&K. This, according to experts, reflects the non-seriousness of the government in ensuring Food Safety in the State.   

 “Similarly no Special Courts, Appellate Tribunal were not created. Adjucating Officer, Food Safety officer were not trained in new law. At many places they are just for the name and are no way ensuring food safety in state,” the sources said.

 The Central Food Safety Authority had also asked the state government to upgrade its food laboratory to access their preparedness for aggregation by NABL or any other accreditation system by the FSSAI.

 “Action will have to be taken to upgrade them in respect of testing facilities, instrumentation, manpower, training and infrastructure. The importance of this up-gradation can be appreciated from the fact that FSS Act recognizes food testing reports from accredited labs only,” the letter reads.

 The central authority also called on the state government to conduct training for the Food Safety officers with the help of trainers trained by FSSAI.

Reducing the harm

In a country where one in 20 young men could die of cancer by the age of 70, it is essential that the ban on the sale of gutka and pan masala containing tobacco be effectively enforced in every State and Union Territory. A total of 24 States and UTs — Tamil Nadu is the latest to join the list — have introduced a ban based on the August 2011 regulation issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The campaign to stop the manufacture, storage and sale of this injurious product has been greatly aided by the Supreme Court, which has been asking for compliance reports from State governments. The control of tobacco is an integral part of global public health strategies to reduce the incidence of cancer and the growing burden of non-communicable disease. This objective is vital to India and China, which together represent the biggest markets for growth, and need to be at the forefront of the struggle to curb consumption. For India, the significance of a countrywide ban lies in the potential impact it can have: about 52 per cent of oral cancers are attributable to the consumption of smokeless tobacco products. A significant reduction in newly initiated users as well as weaning away of existing consumers will therefore prove immensely rewarding.

State governments must take extraordinary measures to make up for the delay in implementation of a ban on gutka and pan masala caused by legal hurdles. Given that food safety has not enjoyed high priority, there has not been much capacity-building or recruitment of personnel in this area. It is essential that the State food safety authorities and Tobacco Control Cell enter into a partnership with civil society to identify the weak links in the enforcement chain and take remedial action. The approach to any violation must be one of zero tolerance. There is something to be learnt here from the aggressive international efforts to curb the sale of tobacco products, with the help of NGOs. These agencies, such as the Asia Pacific Association for the Control of Tobacco, have forged alliances that cover entire countries and regions, and they meet regularly to discuss experiences and strategies. Evidently, the ban on gutka and pan masala containing tobacco could be enforced because there is a law against the addition of harmful substances to food. The bigger and unmet challenge, though, is to bring smoked tobacco, including bidis, under similar control. Industry has been exaggerating the impact of eliminating tobacco from an economic viewpoint, while good smoking cessation programmes for consumers are absent. Until all forms of consumption are choked off through regulation, the leaves of Nicotiana tabacum will continue to take a heavy toll.

“FSSAI is responsible body & will comply with mandate”

FSSAI has the uphill task of implementing the food safety law – the Food Safety & Standards Regulations, 2011 - in its true letter and spirit. However, in view of the tepid response to implementation of the regulations’ part pertaining to licensing & registration of food business operators (FBOs), the authority has been facing various challenges, externally and internally. Topping the internal issues faced by the authority is the one relating to its senior officials such as chief executive officer and enforcement director quitting to take up plum assignments.

FSSAI chairman K Chandramouli comes clear on the issue and more to Ashwani Maindola on the sidelines of a conference held in New Delhi recently

Officials of FSSAI are either seeking transfer or stepping down, and some posts are still vacant. Would it affect FSSAI’s work?
FSSAI is able to manage its work. It is a responsible organisation and will comply with the mandate assigned to it. People come and go, and it is our duty that our responsibilities are not affected.

Do you think licensing and registration of FBOs will be completed by end of the newly-extended deadline?
We are optimistic about completing the task within the deadline. And it is the responsibility of everyone to help FSSAI in achieving the goal of food safety. However, enforcement is going to be a mixed bag.

What challenges will FSSAI face while implementing the regulations?
FSSAI is a regulatory body, and licensing and registrations is just a way to streamline the identification of food business operators. It is a way for identifying the FBOs so that food safety norms would be implemented.

It does not restrict any FBO from experimenting with his or her product or suggest how they should prepare, but only states that they should keep in mind the aspects of adulteration, hygiene and sanitation.

And we have been trying to bring together all the stakeholders on the same platform. The governments of all the states have a huge role to play, and the role of civil society will also become larger.

Are Codex norms applicable to Indian needs?
The harmonisation of Codex Alimentarius norms with respect to Indian food habits is required because the ethnic food or cultural food has no standard formula. For instance, the samosa in north India may be different from that in south India.

However the basic requirements of checking additives, pesticide residues, sanitation and hygiene, should be taken care of. Wherever Codex norms could be implemented in their original form, they would be.

And, street food?
Street food improvement is something we are looking at, as it is important to each city and has the potential to grow. So firstly, street food vendors must take care of such aspects as cleanliness and sanitation. This would not only help the local economy, but also add to food diversity.

What are FSSAI's future plans?
We would be taking the issue of food safety to schools. We would consult the education ministry to include the subjects of food safety in the curriculum. Children are most affected and ill-informed about choices regarding food habits.

Moreover, lifestyle diseases like obesity are on the increase, which is a huge problem. Secondly, FSSAI would be undertaking awareness campaigns, training, and building capacity, amongst others.

Who cares even if it is unhygienic?

It is peak of summer season and varieties of drinks are in huge demand especially those made by roadside vendors in the State capital. Unfortunately, it seems neither the officials nor the street cool drink vendors are interested in ensuring hygiene in this natural drinks.
Explaining Food department’s hurdles, Director-in-Chief of Food TP Barnwal told The Pioneer, “There are norms to check these street fruit drink vendors but as of now we have not planned anything. We are facing manpower crunch as food safety officers. Keeping this in mind though we have deployed some staffs but their training is not yet completed.
The training for Ranchi and Hazaribagh blocks has been done. On May 15, it is scheduled in Deoghar and thereafter in Jamshedpur. On May 20 it will be held at Palamau. Once this block level training concludes, we will hold a large level meeting in the state capital and decide about this inspection. The registration of all such stall owners is mandatory. This is to be ascertained by our food safety officers.”
On the other side, Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) Public Relations Officer Naresh Kumar Sinha said, “We have not yet begun the licencing of street side juice stalls but we will start it within one month. Registering such stalls is our responsibility but analysing the quality of water and other food products is not our responsibility.”
Shockingly when The Pioneer interacted with few of the fruit juice vendors, none were aware about roadside stall licensing despite indulged in this business since a long time. “I have heard about street vendor licence in Kolkata but is it applicable in our city?”, asked panipuri seller Ramesh Gupta of Kutchery road.
Adding more to the shock, when asked that whether these officials wash the juice glasses after every customer has his sip of drink they said, “Iss mehngai ke zamane mei kaise har baar detergent powder se dhoyenge! Humlog toh bas subah aur sham dho lete hain ye gilas (In this sky high price era, we are unable to wash the glasses frequently.
We just wash the glasses twice, once in the morning and in evening).”
Be it a mango or gram flour (sattu) or wood apple (bel) or lemon juice or panipuri vendor, none use clean waters. “We use water of our locality’s supply tap water or well,” said Horin Mohanty of Radium road, Prince Kumar near Civil Court, Babulal of Sarjana Chowk. All
three are selling fruit juice for more than five years with this supply water. Babulal
confidently said, “This water is undoubtedly clean.
None of my customers have complained of any sickness yet.”

Expired food items on sale, health staff yet to take note

Moga, May 12
There have been persistent complaints by the local residents that expired food items, particularly juices and soft drinks, are openly being sold by the shopkeepers and vendors in the city but the officials of the municipal corporation and the health department have failed to take note of it.
Ramesh Kuku, a local leader of the wholesale food products dealers association, while admitting that perishable food products are being sold by the shopkeepers beyond their shelf life, revealed that he himself was cheated by a shopkeeper in the old grain market.
Kuku said he bought packets of juice for his grandson from a local shopkeeper but after returning home, he noticed that the products were past their expiry date and the date of manufacturing and expiry had been erased from the labels.
"Most regular customers go by the trust they have in the shopkeepers earned over a period of time. But if they start cheating them, I think the law enforcing agencies should take action against them," he said.
General Secretary of the District Bar Association, Sukhwinder Singh Ramuwalia, said it amounts to violation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011. "It is the duty of the district administration and the health department to routinely check the shops and hotels to protect the lives of the people," he said.
Investigations made by The Tribune revealed that there were many agents in Ludhiana who pick up expired products at a nominal price from the wholesale dealers and sell them to the shopkeepers in the small cities and towns to earn a profit. The labels are either erased or even changed to befool the consumers.
A shopkeeper, Rajinder Singh, admitted that sometimes they fail to looking at expiry dates during the rush hours. Another shopkeeper said that on some occasions the staff working on shops misses to see the expiry dates while handing over the products to customers. While some said that they always checked the expiry dates.

CURRIES in a jiffy

Food scienceLeft, Nitin Singh and Hisham Kabir 

at the food processing plant

 

FOOD The first product from CIFT’s business incubation initiative has rolled into the market. SHILPA NAIR ANAND has a taste of ‘Freedom Kitchen,’ the ready-to-cook curries

There is nothing that even remotely spells food at Central Institute of Fisheries Technology’s (CIFT) food processing plants in Willingdon Island. Huge iron and steel machines sit quietly in various corners of the plant as Nitin Singh of CIFT shows us around the processing plants. This looks like an unlikely place for experiments with food. But it is a place which helps budding entrepreneurs develop their products and give wings to their dreams.

No more hassles

Hisham Kabir of Ideal Caterers is the first entrepreneur to complete business incubation, courtesy the Business Incubation Initiative of CIFT, Matsyapuri. ‘Freedom Kitchen’ is what Hisham calls his brain-child. His product, he says, is about freedom from chopping, cutting, cleaning and stewing in front of the kitchen ‘fires’ and about cooking easy.

Three ready-to-cook gravies – Kumarakom fish curry, Nadan chicken curry and Kerala chicken curry were the first to roll out. It is as simple as cutting open a vacuum-packed pouch, adding the contents to fish or chicken (half kg), water and cooking for 10 minutes. The gravies are available in supermarkets around the city and are priced at Rs. 69 per packet but are currently available at Rs. 49 as an introductory offer.

“We, Malayalis, have a problem with consuming anything ready-to-eat. Some degree of cooking has to be involved for that sense of safety while eating something out of a packet,” says Hisham. He says his product is perfect for these rushed times when none has the time for anything let alone cooking. “Don’t we all do it, cook chicken curry and freeze half of it for use the next day? This is where I got the idea which ignited the spark.”

With the seed of an idea firmly planted in his mind he set about looking for the know-how. Extensive research yielded no results until somebody suggested CIFT. He found, online, that CIFT had been doing work in the field of food processing. CIFT provided him the solutions he was looking for. This came with years of experience in food processing, machinery and with experts ready to provide any help, and game for any adventure.

“We had not done anything so far with chicken as our area of expertise was more to do with seafood. But when Hisham came up to us with his business proposal we decided to work with him and we are proud that he has ‘graduated’,” says Dr. T. K. Srinivas Gopal, Director, CIFT. Hisham joined CIFT’s business incubation initiative in 2011 and his products hit the market this year.

The plan was, initially, to ‘get into’ frozen foods and he worked extensively on developing frozen food, with the CIFT team’s assistance, but he quickly realised that besides attitudes to ready-to-eat food, there were practical and logistical constraints.

Storage, at his end and at the stores, would be a problem and improper storage would impact the product. Hence, ready-to-eat Amritsari fish curry and Spaghetti Bolognese, besides other products, gave way to ready-to-cook curries. While talking about trials Hisham says he gave biriyanis a shot, but gave up because “it wasn’t viable!”

These lessons in reality, as he calls them, helped him immensely. After repeated rounds of experimentation with various quantities and combination of masalas and cooking Hisham and his team struck upon the perfect recipe.

This experimentation also involved conducting consumer surveys based on samples and tasting, and the feedback was incorporated into the recipes. These preservative-free gravies have a shelf life of 18 months. Packaging using Retort Technology ensures that there is no bacterial contamination.

The packaged gravy, which is cooked 75 per cent, is put into the Retort machine where it is cooked at extremely high temperatures and cooled immediately. The initial cooking of the ingredients involves manual labour but after that it is all mechanised. Once the product development at CIFT was done, Hisham started production at a factory in Kothamangalam.

Hisham’s background in catering and the restaurant business made conceiving the recipes easy. This gave him the confidence to venture into a not-so virgin territory. “We know about cooking huge quantities, about masalas and recipes and that is our USP. Ours is not a by-product of a masala business.”

The going has been tough, at times, he says, he was tempted to give up but did not entertain the thought for “too long.”

Experience has taught him many lessons which, he jokes, he will put in a book, ‘What They Don’t Teach at IIM’. But the best advice he has got and will offer is “get started and just do it.”

Ban comes as a boon to put oral cancer at bay

• ESCHEW THE HABIT:Chewable tobacco products that were seized by Corporation health officials during a raid at Aarapalayam bus stand in Madurai on Saturday.

The psycho-active substances badly affect key enzymes and hormones in the body

Next time when you feel like chewing tobacco, say ‘gutka’ or ‘pan masala’, just think for a while.

The habit will not only eat away your vital parts of your body but will also make you an offender as the State Government has banned chewable tobacco production, possession, distribution and its sale in Assembly on May 8.

While doctors and public health experts have welcomed the ban in view of rising number of oral cancer cases, the official machinery will launch a crackdown after a G.O. is issued anytime from now.

Chewable tobacco, being an edible product, the imposition of ban will be exercised under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

The Indian Public Health Association (IPHA) feels that the ban is better late than never because of the intensity of the damage in users.

“It is time smokers realised the dangers of tobacco, especially in the chewing form. Thirty per cent of tobacco-related deaths is because of direct consumption of gutka and pan masala,” says S. Elango, IPHA State President and former Director of Public Health.

Oncologists are hopeful that the ban will bring down number of cancer cases in future. They call for a greater vigilance in urban and rural areas by agencies, including police, health and food safety departments.

S.S. Sundaram, Head of Department of Surgical Oncology, Government Rajaji Hospital, said the ban would ensure positive results.

“Many people do not know chewable tobacco leads to oral cancer. This is more dangerous than the cancer caused by cigarette smoking,” he cautioned. This view is echoed by a few other leading oncologists who are worried about the growing number of cancer cases.

According to K.S. Kirushna Kumar, Head, Department of Radiation Oncology, Meenakshi Mission Hospital and Research Centre, young people in the age group of 30 to 40 years are falling prey to gutka and pan masala as they are not aware of the long-term implications.

“My observation is that this habit is more prevalent among lower middle class and poor people. There have been cases where tongue had to be fully removed due to the severity of oral cancer. Imagine if you end up losing tongue and can’t speak,” he cautions.

G. Amarnath, Senior Consultant, Clinical and Radiation Oncology, Apollo Speciality Hospitals, urges youngsters to understand that gutka and pan masala are psycho-active substances which badly affects key enzymes and hormones in the body.

“They cause throat cancer, will damage oesophagus, gastro-intestinal track, stomach, pancreas and being addictive products they will affect the mind too. Nearly 20 per cent of my patients is suffering oral cancer. As chewable tobacco comes in attractive packets, youngsters are getting tempted,” he laments.

Apart from strict implementation of ban, Dr. Elango says, the State Government should levy surcharge, education cess and taxes on tobacco products so that people may hesitate to buy.

Campaign

“It is time to have a sustained campaign to educate people that chewing of tobacco will disfigure palate, mouth, tongue, gums and lips. During a survey done by IPHA in 2011, we found that people of Tamil Nadu are acquiring chewable tobacco habit from workers of the northern states coming here. Anyway, now we are very hopeful that oral cancer cases will come down in next five years due to the ban,” he expresses confidence.

Dr. Elango cites the examples of France, Thailand and Indonesia where cigarette sales had come down drastically because of higher taxes.

Treatment cost

Dr. Kirushna Kumar says that the cost of treatment is another important factor to be borne in mind as people have to shell away at least Rs.3.5 lakh for oral cancer treatment. Dr.Sundaram says prevention is better than cure since oral cancer figures in the top five forms of cancer and young adults becoming patients at their prime age.

The Madurai Corporation too is on its part ready to implement the ban by extending support to the Food Safety Wing.“We will swing into action once the G.O is issued. Inspections will be done at places in Madurai to seize gutkha and pan masala,” assures Yasodha Mani, City Health Officer.

Aurangabad FDA seizes 900kg 'special barfi' from unlicensed luxury bus

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra officials in Aurangabad seized 30 bags of sweets, each weighing 30kg, from a private luxury bus that arrived in the city's Cidco area from Ahmedabad.
The sweets, locally marketed as special barfi, were estimated to be worth over Rs 1 lakh, and were brought to the city in unhygienic conditions. The company that owned the bus was fined Rs 15,000 for not having procured licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006.
Chandrashekhar Salunkhe, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Aurangabad, said, “About 900kg of special barfi was seized following a tip-off, and samples of the same were sent to the laboratory for analysis. We are awaiting the results of the test, based on which further action will be taken.”
“The sweets, which had travelled for about 10 hours in humid temperatures alongside tubes, tyres and other rusted material, were to be delivered at Parbhani. While transporting food, it should be stored in clean and dry conditions with other food items only,” he added.
Workshop
Meanwhile, Salunkhe and other senior FDA, Aurangabad, officials attended a workshop on the disadvantages of using calcium carbide for fruit ripening, organised in the city by the state food regulator recently.
Speaking at the workshop, agricultural equipment supplier Ganesh Kulkarni said, “More than 95 per cent of the fruit sold in the local markets are artificially ripened. Consuming these may take a toll on the health of the consumers.”
“Although the government has banned the use of the chemical to accelerate the ripening of the fruit, many traders and fruit growers continue to use calcium carbide for the purpose to make a bigger profit,” he said.
Kulkarni said that those who consume the fruit become susceptible to a host of ailments, including mouth ulcers, gastric problems and skin rashes. “In the long run, it could also cause asthma and cancer,” he added.
“In artificially-ripened fruit, only the outer layer becomes yellowish and the inner part remains raw. Calcium carbide is used to ripen huge quantities of mangoes, bananas and other fruit,” Kulkarni said.
“Unscrupulous traders want to make a quick buck by bringing in artificially-ripened mangoes before those which go through the natural process of ripening (which takes longer) to enter the market,” he added.
Kulkarni propagated the scientific method of ripening, stating that it could be done using ethylene and under controlled conditions of temperature and relative humidity. He said, “The growers can get a uniform appearance and quality of ripe fruit under these conditions.”
He explained that fruit are exposed to ethylene under controlled conditions, a uniform rate of ripening could be achieved. “When growers use calcium carbide, it reacts with moisture in the air and releases acetylene, which stimulates the ripening process. It changes the colour of fruit very fast, but the inner part does not get sweet. But when natural ethylene is used under controlled conditions, the fruits ripen as a whole,” he added.
Milind Sewalikar, a fruit grower who adopted safe methods for ripening, also shared his experiences with the participants. He said growers could use simple and cost-effective techniques in place of calcium carbide, adding that there are other methods available for growers.
“We can control the temperature and humidity to achieve the desired results,” Sewalikar added.

Citizens call Food and Drug Administration about mangoes with carbide

PUNE: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials' appeal to the citizens for information on artificial ripening of mangoes with calcium carbide has led to a steady stream of calls.

"We receive around 20 to 25 calls every day from vigilant citizens to report artificial mango ripening activity in their neighbourhood. Our food safety officials visit the place for inspection. In one such case, a trader was found artificially ripening of mangoes using calcium carbide in a temple," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.

In the last few days, FDA officials have seized a huge stock of mangoes artificially ripened with calcium carbide which is hazardous to health. After the seizure, the FDA officials made an appeal to the public to inform them about any suspicious activity related to mangoes following which officials started receiving phone calls from citizens.

Unscrupulous traders continue to use calcium carbide to ripen fruits like mangoes and apples, even though the carcinogenic chemical was banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and Regulations (FSSR), 2011, Kekare said.

The excessive use of calcium carbide to ripen fruit can lead to cancer in the long run.

"Mangoes normally ripen at the end of April. But mangoes which are available in the market before Gudi Padwa are ripened by using acetylene gas produced from calcium carbide, said a mango trader.

Mangoes cannot be ripened in 12 hours. It is the skin of the fruit that turns yellow, when acetylene gas is used as a catalyst to ripen it.

Industrial-grade calcium carbide contains traces of arsenic and phosphorous, which are harmful to the body. It damages the skin, kidneys, heart, liver and causes ulcer and gastric problems.

Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA said, "Raw mangoes are packed in cartons and one sachet of calcium carbide is kept between each layer. Some traders put packets of calcium carbide to give maximum amount of artificial heat to quickly ripen the fruits. Carbide is used for welding purpose and even a small quantity consumed may lead to serious health issues."

Check for carbide

*If a lit match stick is held slightly closer to the surface of a carbide ripened mango, it will give out sparks or catch fire, due to the acetylene gas released in good amount. Calcium carbide produces acetylene gas when it comes into contact with moisture. This gas is inflammable.

* Fruits that have a uniform colour, for example, a bunch of bananas with uniform colour, are more likely to have been artificially ripened. Wash the fruits thoroughly before consuming. Keep them under running water for a few minutes and cut them into pieces instead of eating them directly. Do not buy fruits when these arrive in the market before the due period. There are high chances that they are artificially ripened.

* The use of calcium carbide turns the outer skin of the fruit yellow and even saffron. But, the inner portion of the fruit remains unripe. The fruit looks ideal for consumption but the sweetness is missing. Carbide kills the sugar content and every other nutrient in the fruit.