Jun 21, 2013
Panel to monitor ban on gutka
A district-level monitoring committee headed by the
Collector has been formed to monitor the implementation of the ban on
gutka, pan masala, and other nicotine-based food products.
Officials
of police, revenue, education, social welfare, local bodies, commercial
tax, transport, and health departments form part of the committee which
will have the designated officer of food safety as coordinator and
executive officer. The first consultative meeting of the meeting was
held on Thursday. Speaking at the meeting, Collector Jayashree
Muralidharan said the deadline for shopkeepers to remove all stocks of
the banned items will expire on June 22 after which food safety
officials will inspect shops. If the banned products were found at the
shops they will be seized and destroyed. S. Rajeswari, Superintendent of
Police, Abhinav Kumar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (law and order),
T. Thiyagarajan, District Revenue Officer, V.P. Thandapani, Corporation
Commissioner, and A. Ramakrishnan, Designated Officer (Food Safety),
attended the meeting, a release said.
Rally against use of tobacco
To create awareness among the people about the ill-affects of tobacco and to disseminate information about its ban in the district, more than 300 school students took out a rally here on Thursday.
It was organised by the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department. District Collector K. Maharabushanam flagged off the rally at Collectorate.
Students held placards that explained the benefits of quitting tobacco and the ill-effects of passive smoking.
The district administration has recently banned the manufacturing, storing, and selling of gutkha, panmasala, and other food products containing tobacco or nicotine as ingredient. A District Level Monitoring Committee under the chairmanship of the District Collector was formed for implementing the ban.
Mr. Maharabushanam told reporters here that traders were already instructed not to sell the banned items. “They were given time till June 22 to comply with the law. Thereafter action will be taken,” he added.
District Designated Officer T. Anuradha; Chief Educational Officer R. Eswaran; members from NGOs and students participated. If people came across shops selling the banned items, they can contact 94435-20332 or 0427-2450332.
Dinathanthi News
Tobacco products seized
The police on Thursday seized banned tobacco products
from a godown in Indira Nagar on Thursday. The godown owner, G. Yogesh
(29), has been picked up for inquiry.
குட்கா, பான்மசாலா வைத்து இருந்தால் சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை கலெக்டர் எச்சரிக்கை
திருச்சி,
குட்கா, பான்மசாலா வைத்து இருந்தால் சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்
என்று கலெக்டர் ஜெயஸ்ரீ முரளிதரன் எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்து உள்ளார்.
குட்கா, பான்மசாலா
குட்கா, பான்மசாலா, புகையிலை மற்றும் நிக்கோடின் ஆகியவற்றை
மூலப்பொருட்களாகக் கொண்ட உணவுப்பொருட்கள் தயாரிக்கவோ, இருப்பு வைக்கவோ,
விநியோகிக்கவோ, விற்பனை செய்யவோ கூடாது என தமிழக அரசு கடந்த மே மாதம் தடை
விதித்து அரசாணை பிறப்பித்து உள்ளது.
கண்காணிப்பு குழு
இந்த ஆணையின்படி திருச்சி மாவட்ட கலெக்டர் தலைமையில் மாவட்ட அளவில்
புகையிலை பொருட்கள், குட்கா, பான்மசாலா, புகையிலை மற்றும் நிக்கோடின்
ஆகியவற்றை மூலப்பொருட்களாகக் கொண்ட உணவுப் பொருட்களை தயாரித்தல், இருப்பு
வைத்தல், விற்பனைக்காக வைத்திருத்தல், விற்பனை செய்தல் ஆகியவற்றை
கண்காணிக்க மாவட்ட அளவில் கண்காணிப்புக்குழு அமைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது.
இக்குழுவில் காவல்துறை, வருவாய்த்துறை, கல்வித்துறை, சமூக நலத்துறை,
உள்ளாட்சி துறை, (மாநகராட்சி மற்றும் நகராட்சி) வணிகவரித்துறை,
போக்குவரத்துத்துறை மற்றும் சுகாதாரத்துறை ஆகியவற்றின் மாவட்ட அளவிலான
அலுவலர்கள் உறுப்பினர்களாகவும், மாவட்ட நியமன அலுவலர்கள் (உணவு பாதுகாப்பு)
அவர்கள் ஒருங்கிணைப்பு மற்றும் செயலாக்க அலுவலராக செயல்படுவார்கள்.
சட்டப்படி நடவடிக்கை
இந்த குழுவின் முதல் ஆலோசனைக்கூட்டம் திருச்சி மாவட்ட கலெக்டர்
அலுவலகத்தில் நடைபெற்றது. கூட்டத்துக்கு கலெக்டர் ஜெயஸ்ரீ முரளிதரன் தலைமை
தாங்கி பேசினார். அப்போது அவர் பேசியதாவது:–
குட்கா, பான்மசாலா, புகையிலை மற்றும் நிக்கோடின் பயன்படுத்துபவர்களுக்கு
குறிப்பாக பசியின்மை, மயக்கம், நரம்புத்தளர்ச்சி, மாரடைப்பு ஏற்படுவதோடு
புற்றுநோய் அதிகஅளவில் வருவதற்கு வாய்ப்பாக இருக்கின்றது. எனவே.
இப்பொருட்களை முற்றிலும் தடைசெய்ய தமிழக அரசு கடந்த மே மாதம் 23ம் தேதி
அன்று தடைவிதித்து ஆணை பிறப்பித்துள்ளது. மேலும், இப்பொருட்களை
அப்புறப்படுத்துவதற்கு ஒரு மாதகாலம் அவகாசம் கொடுத்துள்ளது. அந்த காலக்கெடு
22.06.2013 (நாளையுடன்) முடிவடைகிறது.
தமிழக அரசால் தடைசெய்யப்பட்ட இப்பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்தல், தயாரித்தல்,
இருப்பு வைத்தல், விநியோகம் செய்தல் போன்ற செயல்களை கண்காணிப்புகுழு
அலுவலர்கள் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டு இப்பொருட்களை பறிமுதல் செய்து உணவு
பாதுகாப்புத்துறை மூலம் அழிக்கப்படுவதோடு, சம்மந்தப்பட்ட நபர் மீது
கடுமையான நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்.
இவ்வாறு அவர் பேசினார்.
போலீஸ் சூப்பிரண்டு
மாவட்ட போலீஸ் சூப்பிரண்டு ராஜேஸ்வரி, துணை கமிஷனர் அபிநவ்குமார்,
மாவட்ட வருவாய் அதிகாரி தியாகராஜன், மாநகராட்சி ஆணையர் தண்டபாணி, மாவட்ட
நியமன அலுவலர்(உணவு பாதுகாப்பு) ராமகிருஷ்ணன், உதவி ஆணையர்(கலால்) மீரா
பரமேஸ்வரி மற்றும் அதிகாரிகள் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.
Food safety Act goes for a toss
Ludhiana, June 20
Roadside vendors in the city are violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with impunity.
Most of the vendors selling golgappas do not wear gloves. They do don't maintain hygiene and cleanliness.
Flies and mosquitoes are seen hovering around the food. Rakesh Kumar, a street food vendor at Model Town, said officials of the health department visited the area at whims.
"All this is happening right under the nose of the health department and the district administration," said Sadhna, a Dugri resident.
"The government should take a serious note of the hygiene at such vends as it poses a threat to the health of the residents," he said.
District health officer Dr Avinash Kumar said the department was doing its best. "Efforts are on to maintain the quality. The department collects food samples on a regular basis," he said.
Roadside vendors in the city are violating the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, with impunity.
Most of the vendors selling golgappas do not wear gloves. They do don't maintain hygiene and cleanliness.
Flies and mosquitoes are seen hovering around the food. Rakesh Kumar, a street food vendor at Model Town, said officials of the health department visited the area at whims.
"All this is happening right under the nose of the health department and the district administration," said Sadhna, a Dugri resident.
"The government should take a serious note of the hygiene at such vends as it poses a threat to the health of the residents," he said.
District health officer Dr Avinash Kumar said the department was doing its best. "Efforts are on to maintain the quality. The department collects food samples on a regular basis," he said.
Health officials destroy substandard food items
Jagraon, June 20
With the aim of preventing water borne diseases during the rainy season, a team of Health Department officials conducted a surprise checks at several shops located in the various parts of the town today. The team members led by Jagraon Civil Hospital senior doctor Harinder Sharma also destroyed the eatables being soled in unhygienic conditions.
The team visited a cold drinks factory in Fili Gate area of the town, where the team members found the cold drinks were kept in highly unhygienic conditions. The team members destroyed the drinks from the factory. Though no action was taken against the owner of the factory and he was let go with the warning. The Health Department officials warned the factory owner to maintain proper hygiene while filling the bottles in the future otherwise an action would be taken against him.
Later on, the team visited Old Sabzi Mandi Road where they found a large number of vendors selling fruits and vegetables in highly unhygienic conditions. The team members destroyed the vegetables and fruits kept in open by the vendors and instructed them not to keep vegetables, fruits and other eatables in open.
Apart from Old Sabzi Mandi Road, the Health Department team also examined shops at Tehsil Road, Raikot Road, Kamal Chowk, Sadan Market and some other areas of the town. The team members primarily focused on shops that were selling sweets, fruits, vegetables and other eatables and wherever the team found eatables kept in unhygienic conditions, it destroyed these eatables.
Civil Hospital Jagraon Senior Medical Officer Dr Balwinder Singh said that raid was conducted for creating awareness to prevent an outbreak of water borne diseases during the ongoing rainy season.
"This drive would continue and regular inspections would be conducted in the area. We would not allow anyone to play with the health of the people. Though this time the team only issued warnings to the shopkeepers who were found selling eatables in unhygienic conditions, next time if any shopkeeper is found selling eatables in unhygienic conditions, a strict action would be taken against him", said Dr Balwinder Singh.
He also appealed the common people to keep their surroundings clean and prepare vegetables and other eatables in hygienic conditions to stay away from various water borne diseases.
With the aim of preventing water borne diseases during the rainy season, a team of Health Department officials conducted a surprise checks at several shops located in the various parts of the town today. The team members led by Jagraon Civil Hospital senior doctor Harinder Sharma also destroyed the eatables being soled in unhygienic conditions.
The team visited a cold drinks factory in Fili Gate area of the town, where the team members found the cold drinks were kept in highly unhygienic conditions. The team members destroyed the drinks from the factory. Though no action was taken against the owner of the factory and he was let go with the warning. The Health Department officials warned the factory owner to maintain proper hygiene while filling the bottles in the future otherwise an action would be taken against him.
Later on, the team visited Old Sabzi Mandi Road where they found a large number of vendors selling fruits and vegetables in highly unhygienic conditions. The team members destroyed the vegetables and fruits kept in open by the vendors and instructed them not to keep vegetables, fruits and other eatables in open.
Apart from Old Sabzi Mandi Road, the Health Department team also examined shops at Tehsil Road, Raikot Road, Kamal Chowk, Sadan Market and some other areas of the town. The team members primarily focused on shops that were selling sweets, fruits, vegetables and other eatables and wherever the team found eatables kept in unhygienic conditions, it destroyed these eatables.
Civil Hospital Jagraon Senior Medical Officer Dr Balwinder Singh said that raid was conducted for creating awareness to prevent an outbreak of water borne diseases during the ongoing rainy season.
"This drive would continue and regular inspections would be conducted in the area. We would not allow anyone to play with the health of the people. Though this time the team only issued warnings to the shopkeepers who were found selling eatables in unhygienic conditions, next time if any shopkeeper is found selling eatables in unhygienic conditions, a strict action would be taken against him", said Dr Balwinder Singh.
He also appealed the common people to keep their surroundings clean and prepare vegetables and other eatables in hygienic conditions to stay away from various water borne diseases.
Jun 20, 2013
Strict quality check to ensure export tag for Indian tea
KOLKATA: Foreign buyers can now rest assured about the quality of Indian tea. Tea Board of India
has put in place a system of random testing of teas meant for exports
to ensure that only the varieties that comply with the standards set by
Food Safety & Standard Authority of India enter global markets.
The measure comes at a time when Indian tea is facing competition in the world market from Kenyan tea.
Talking to ET, MGVK Bhanu, chairman, Tea Board of India, said: "Tea Board has taken firm steps to protect and enhance the image of Indian tea globally, and to ensure that the tea worthy of the tagline 'Indian tea' is exported. This comes on the backdrop of various quality issues that have cropped up in recent years."
In 2012-13, India exported 220.46 million kg of tea at a total consideration of Rs 3,962.92 crore. The country imported 17.88 million kg of tea in FY13.
Tea Board of India has established two councils -- one for north India and the other for the south that will monitor the online tracking system of all exports and imports and ensure that quality norms are enforced. The mechanism has been developed by by NSE.IT, which has also developed the e-auction platform for tea.
Industry officials said foreign buyers sometimes raise concerns about quality. Generally, Tea Board receives complaints from countries like Libya and Iran. Tea Board chairman said that Indian exporters need to be more focussed on quality because foreign buyers are increasingly pushing hard on this issue.
According to the scheme, a permanent exporter or importer will have to log on to a web address designed by NSE.IT two days ahead of the shipment date. In the case of a temporary exporter or importer, the person will have to log in 10 days ahead of the shipment. The system will randomly select the application and an inspection agency will inspect the samples. The inspection agency, which in this case is the Tea Research Association, will take a call on the quality.
"If the tea does not conform to the food safety standards, the exporter or importer will be tagged as 'exporters/importers under warning'. And that sort of a tag is not desirable," said an official of Calcutta Tea Traders Association.
Anshuman Kanoria, chairman, Indian Merchant Tea Exporters, said the new mechanism will help bolster the image of Indian tea in the world market. "However, this year exporters will face difficulty as the Kenyan production is almost up by 50 million kg and the African country is offering tea to the world market at a cheaper price," he said.
The measure comes at a time when Indian tea is facing competition in the world market from Kenyan tea.
Talking to ET, MGVK Bhanu, chairman, Tea Board of India, said: "Tea Board has taken firm steps to protect and enhance the image of Indian tea globally, and to ensure that the tea worthy of the tagline 'Indian tea' is exported. This comes on the backdrop of various quality issues that have cropped up in recent years."
In 2012-13, India exported 220.46 million kg of tea at a total consideration of Rs 3,962.92 crore. The country imported 17.88 million kg of tea in FY13.
Tea Board of India has established two councils -- one for north India and the other for the south that will monitor the online tracking system of all exports and imports and ensure that quality norms are enforced. The mechanism has been developed by by NSE.IT, which has also developed the e-auction platform for tea.
Industry officials said foreign buyers sometimes raise concerns about quality. Generally, Tea Board receives complaints from countries like Libya and Iran. Tea Board chairman said that Indian exporters need to be more focussed on quality because foreign buyers are increasingly pushing hard on this issue.
According to the scheme, a permanent exporter or importer will have to log on to a web address designed by NSE.IT two days ahead of the shipment date. In the case of a temporary exporter or importer, the person will have to log in 10 days ahead of the shipment. The system will randomly select the application and an inspection agency will inspect the samples. The inspection agency, which in this case is the Tea Research Association, will take a call on the quality.
"If the tea does not conform to the food safety standards, the exporter or importer will be tagged as 'exporters/importers under warning'. And that sort of a tag is not desirable," said an official of Calcutta Tea Traders Association.
Anshuman Kanoria, chairman, Indian Merchant Tea Exporters, said the new mechanism will help bolster the image of Indian tea in the world market. "However, this year exporters will face difficulty as the Kenyan production is almost up by 50 million kg and the African country is offering tea to the world market at a cheaper price," he said.
Food department destroys eatables in unhygienic condition
RAIPUR: The food and drug administration department collected samples of Amul ghee and gathia from a sweet shop and destroyed over 25kg of mixtures and savouries including samosas that were kept in unhygienic conditions.
A team led by food safety officer Dr Ashwani Dewangan conducted checks on various sweet shops including Khodiyar sweets, Fafadih, Santa sweets, Bilaspur road and Amul outlet, Gokul Super bazar, Pandari.
According to officials, the team collected four packs of 200ml each (Amul ghee) and destroyed some food articles that were exposed to dust and flies. The action was initiated under the Epidemic Diseases Act.
The team directed the shop owners to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in accordance with the norms of the Food Act.
A team led by food safety officer Dr Ashwani Dewangan conducted checks on various sweet shops including Khodiyar sweets, Fafadih, Santa sweets, Bilaspur road and Amul outlet, Gokul Super bazar, Pandari.
According to officials, the team collected four packs of 200ml each (Amul ghee) and destroyed some food articles that were exposed to dust and flies. The action was initiated under the Epidemic Diseases Act.
The team directed the shop owners to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in accordance with the norms of the Food Act.
Dirty hostel mess, bad food blamed
As many as 127 students of Kerala University, two wardens and two
cooks were taken to hospital following food poisoning late on Tuesday
night, shortly after they had dinner at the mess of the Ladies’ Hostel
on Kariavattom campus.
According to students, after having food at
the mess, many started complaining of stomach ache, nausea and
giddiness. They were rushed to the hospital in as many as 30 ambulances
by the police, university staff and students. However, after primary
medication, all the students are now in a stable condition, except
seven, police officials said.
Some students were admitted to the
hospital around 10 pm, while others were rushed in later. Most of them
have recovered. The affected students, from the University Hostel,
blamed improperly cooked food for the problem. The students said that
they had complained to the in-charge of the mess about the poor quality
of food while having dinner itself, around 7.30 pm. Within minutes, many
developed stomach problems and started vomiting.
Usage of
contaminated water for preparation of food or the entry of some foreign
bodies is suspected to have caused the food poisoning.
The hostel
was shifted to a new building only two weeks ago. According to the
students, the mess was not being run in hygienic conditions.
Sreekariyam
sub-inspector of police V Rajesh Kumar said Food Safety Authority
officials have collected the samples of food and water. “As the students
reported abdominal pain, the reason might be the entry of some foreign
body,” he said.
Meanwhile, the District Medical Officer (DMO),
along with other medical officers and food inspectors, inspected the
Ladies’ Hostel mess and collected samples of rice, curries, tamarind,
cooking oil, cud and drinking water and sent them for analysis to the
Food Laboratory. They also said that the unhygienic condition of the
kitchen and the low quality of the items used for cooking were the
reasons for the food poisoning.
The police officials said a
notice will be sent to the Kerala University regarding the issue and
that a detailed inquiry would be conducted into the issue.
The hostel kitchen, meanwhile, has been sealed by officials
JMC organises hygiene awareness camp
Jammu, June 19: To generate awareness about new Food
Safety and Standards Act 2006 and to improve the standards of hygiene,
quality of food, ahead of Amar Nath pilgrimage, Jammu Municipal
Corporation (JMC) Wednesday organized camps here at various places.
The camp was organised at Shiv Market, Railway Station Jammu for Food
Business operators like Dhaba- Walas, restaurants, shopkeepers, juice
shops, meat shops, Rehri and Phari walas dealing with sale of food
items.
Under the leadership of Dr. Vinod Sharma and Food Safety Officer of the concerned area shopkeepers were made aware about the hygienic conditions they have to maintain in their premises.
The eating point owners or rehri walas were directed to get their licenses or registrations from the office of the Health Officer JMC Jammu.
The cook of the eatable points or rehri walas must wear mask, apron, cap, gloves etc. They have to use only portable filter water to the customers.
The JMC officials also impressed the use of two types of covered dustbins i.e. green and blue colour to separate bio-degradable and non bio-degradable garbage.
After the awareness camp the team also visited the market and checked the eating points.
The Food Business operators assured the authorities that the irregularities will be removed within a short span of time.
Under the leadership of Dr. Vinod Sharma and Food Safety Officer of the concerned area shopkeepers were made aware about the hygienic conditions they have to maintain in their premises.
The eating point owners or rehri walas were directed to get their licenses or registrations from the office of the Health Officer JMC Jammu.
The cook of the eatable points or rehri walas must wear mask, apron, cap, gloves etc. They have to use only portable filter water to the customers.
The JMC officials also impressed the use of two types of covered dustbins i.e. green and blue colour to separate bio-degradable and non bio-degradable garbage.
After the awareness camp the team also visited the market and checked the eating points.
The Food Business operators assured the authorities that the irregularities will be removed within a short span of time.
Eating out: insist on hot food, boiled water
Hoteliers told to follow food safety hygiene standards
The Food Safety officials have issued a public health warning that those eating from restaurants, wayside eateries and canteens should insist on consuming only hot food and boiled drinking water as there could be an increase in water-borne diseases during the monsoon season.
Mandatory standards
All hoteliers and food business operators should ensure that the 30-point mandatory hygiene standards drawn up by the Food Safety wing earlier are being followed without fail. Suspension of licence, issue of closure notice and other criminal prosecution measures will be adopted by the Food Safety wing if food outlets are found to be functioning in violation of the hygiene standards or other specific directives of the Food Safety Officers.
Any complaints of the public regarding the poor hygiene standards of eateries, hostels, canteens or food stalls may be conveyed to the designated Food Safety Officers in districts or the toll-free number of the Office of the Commissioner of Food Safety.
Dial to complain
The phone numbers of District Food Safety Officers are: Thiruvananthapuram (89433 46181); Kollam (89433 46182); Pathanamthitta (89433 46183); Alappuzha (89433 46184); Kottayam (89433 46185); Idukki (89433 46186); Ernakulam (89433 46187); Thrissur (89433 46188); Palakkad (89433 46189); Malappuram (89433 46190); Kozhikode (89433 46191); Wayanad (89433 46192); Kannur (89433 46193), and Kasaragod (89433 46194).The phone numbers of mobile vigilance squads are: Thiruvananthapuram (89433 46195); Ernakulam (89433 46196); Kozhikode (89433 46197).
The Food Safety officials have issued a public health warning that those eating from restaurants, wayside eateries and canteens should insist on consuming only hot food and boiled drinking water as there could be an increase in water-borne diseases during the monsoon season.
Mandatory standards
All hoteliers and food business operators should ensure that the 30-point mandatory hygiene standards drawn up by the Food Safety wing earlier are being followed without fail. Suspension of licence, issue of closure notice and other criminal prosecution measures will be adopted by the Food Safety wing if food outlets are found to be functioning in violation of the hygiene standards or other specific directives of the Food Safety Officers.
Any complaints of the public regarding the poor hygiene standards of eateries, hostels, canteens or food stalls may be conveyed to the designated Food Safety Officers in districts or the toll-free number of the Office of the Commissioner of Food Safety.
Dial to complain
The phone numbers of District Food Safety Officers are: Thiruvananthapuram (89433 46181); Kollam (89433 46182); Pathanamthitta (89433 46183); Alappuzha (89433 46184); Kottayam (89433 46185); Idukki (89433 46186); Ernakulam (89433 46187); Thrissur (89433 46188); Palakkad (89433 46189); Malappuram (89433 46190); Kozhikode (89433 46191); Wayanad (89433 46192); Kannur (89433 46193), and Kasaragod (89433 46194).The phone numbers of mobile vigilance squads are: Thiruvananthapuram (89433 46195); Ernakulam (89433 46196); Kozhikode (89433 46197).
Coimbatore Corporation to initiate action against eateries encroaching on parking space
Councillors are of the opinion that eateries near Nehru Stadium and
V.O.C. Park should not be allowed to occupy parking space.
The need to regulate roadside eateries in the city came
up for discussion at the Coimbatore Corporation Council meeting on
Tuesday. The issue was not about the quality of food served at the
eateries. But the way they encroached upon the parking space.
The
opening salvo was by the North Zone Chairman P. Rajkumar, who said that
there was near zero parking space around the Nehru Stadium and near
V.O.C. Park because the owners of the eateries spread out stools on
roads, eating away parking space.
With the police
regulating the parking of vehicles on Nanjappa Road, the city’s
residents were left with little choice but to drive to the area around
the Stadium to park.
Most of the vendors had 10 to
15 stools each and when spread over they occupied space that could
otherwise accommodate two or three cars.
The quality
of food they served needed to be verified if it was good, he said and
also sought attention on the leftovers the eatery owners dump there.
When they shut shop, they dumped food waste in the vicinity. The food so
dumped attracted stray dogs.
The area around the
Stadium and Park had seen an increase in the dog population and that
threatened the elderly to went there for walking and sports persons who
used the stadium around dawn.
Mr. Rajkumar wanted the
Corporation to regulate the shops in such a way that they did not
occupy parking space. A few other Councillors also joined him.
In
doing so the Corporation should keep in mind that those who run the
eateries were people from the lower strata of society and that their
livelihood should not be disturbed, said S. Balan (Ward 62). Whether or
not the eateries served quality food was a different issue. But they
encroached upon the parking space and they needed to be regulated, said
J. Sasirekha (Ward 72).
The issue regarding the
roadside eateries comes after the Corporation initiated a few moves to
regulate their activities. One was earmarking locations for them. The
Corporation with help from the IC Centre for Governance began talking to
the eatery owners by conducting a series of meetings to understand
their concerns. But those proved to be half-hearted measures.
Even
as the Corporation began talking to them, the authorities from the Food
Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) also engaged them to
improve the quality of food.
Sources in FSSAI said
that the department officers had educated a number of roadside eatery
owners on safety practices to be adopted, how to ensure quality in food
and what to avoid. The department had given certificates and licences to
a few.
But with the Union Government extending to
February 2014 the deadline for making registration and license
mandatory, the officer were engaged in conducting awareness programmes.
A.L.
Raja, a CITU leader associated with the food vendors’ association, said
that the allegation against the vendors that they encroached upon
parking space was true to an extent because in their bid to attract more
customers, each vendor place more stools than his competitor.
In the process, the entire stretch was occupied by stools.
The
vendors association, affiliated to the CITU, had taken a few
initiatives in the past for self regulation. It would again do so.
IICT to host three-day demonstration on protocol for new CBE detection
The Indian Institute for Chemical Technology (IICT), Hyderabad, will
host a demonstration on the newly-developed protocol for the detection
and quantification of cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) in chocolate
formulation from vegetable sources by IICT and PI.
The demonstration, commencing June 24, 2013, will conclude on June 26, 2013. It will be attended by representatives from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and industry.
Atanu Purkayastha, joint secretary, ministry of agriculture, said, “Indigenous natural vegetable fat sources, such as sal, kokum, mango kernel, cheura, mahua and dhupa, can be used as cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) in chocolate formulation at a maximum concentration of five per cent.”
“However, provisions of the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954 (which preceded the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006) prohibit the use of any vegetable fat other than cocoa butter (CB). European Parliament has permitted the use of five per cent vegetable fats other than CB in chocolate,” he said.
Purkayastha said no protocol was available for the detection and quantification of CBEs in chocolate formulation, hence the Mumbai-based SEA approached the NOVOD Board and FSSAI for the development of such protocol and the amendment of the PFA Act.
“K Chandramouli, chief executive officer, FSSAI, had suggested that a protocol be developed for the detection and quantification of cocoa butter equivalents in chocolate formulation from vegetable sources and its demonstrated to all the directors of central food laboratories for routine analysis by their public analysts,” he said. The task for developing the project was assigned to IICT, Hyderabad.
“Now, R B N Prasad, chief scientist and head, IICT and PI, has informed that they have developed a protocol for detection and quantification of CBEs in chocolate formulation, and would conduct a three-day demonstration of the protocol in their institute,” Purkayastha said, adding that representatives from fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) players like Britannia, ITC, Parle, Cadbury, etc. are likely to attend the demonstration.
The demonstration, commencing June 24, 2013, will conclude on June 26, 2013. It will be attended by representatives from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Solvent Extractors' Association of India (SEA), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and industry.
Atanu Purkayastha, joint secretary, ministry of agriculture, said, “Indigenous natural vegetable fat sources, such as sal, kokum, mango kernel, cheura, mahua and dhupa, can be used as cocoa butter equivalents (CBEs) in chocolate formulation at a maximum concentration of five per cent.”
“However, provisions of the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954 (which preceded the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006) prohibit the use of any vegetable fat other than cocoa butter (CB). European Parliament has permitted the use of five per cent vegetable fats other than CB in chocolate,” he said.
Purkayastha said no protocol was available for the detection and quantification of CBEs in chocolate formulation, hence the Mumbai-based SEA approached the NOVOD Board and FSSAI for the development of such protocol and the amendment of the PFA Act.
“K Chandramouli, chief executive officer, FSSAI, had suggested that a protocol be developed for the detection and quantification of cocoa butter equivalents in chocolate formulation from vegetable sources and its demonstrated to all the directors of central food laboratories for routine analysis by their public analysts,” he said. The task for developing the project was assigned to IICT, Hyderabad.
“Now, R B N Prasad, chief scientist and head, IICT and PI, has informed that they have developed a protocol for detection and quantification of CBEs in chocolate formulation, and would conduct a three-day demonstration of the protocol in their institute,” Purkayastha said, adding that representatives from fast-moving consumer good (FMCG) players like Britannia, ITC, Parle, Cadbury, etc. are likely to attend the demonstration.
Licence of Indian Coffee House outlet in Thiruvananthapuram, suspended
Action came on the heels of a complaint lodged by the parents of a seven-year-old girl, who had a glass of rose milk from the popular outlet and started vomiting soon after.
Food Safety officials suspended the licence of the
Indian Coffee House outlet at Spencer Junction here on Tuesday, asking
the outlet to down shutters from Wednesday till further notice,
following a complaint that stale beverages were being sold there.
According
to District Food Safety Officer D. Sivakumar, the action came on the
heels of a complaint lodged by the parents of a seven-year-old girl, who
had a glass of rose milk from the popular outlet and started vomiting
soon after. She had to be taken to a hospital.
An
inspection of the outlet revealed that beverages, including rose milk,
cold coffee, and juices, were made and preserved in unhygienic
conditions, with the kitchen stated to be in an ‘appalling’ condition.
Officials have sent a sample of the rose milk for laboratory analysis,
and have served a notice on the outlet for temporary suspension of the
licence under Section 36 (3A) of the Food Safety and Standards Act,
asking the outlet to shut down from Wednesday and to make necessary
rectifications. Further operations would be allowed only after another
round of inspections.
The officials said the outlet
was allowed to remain open on Tuesday after the inspections in order to
avoid cooked food from being wasted. They said the issue appeared to be
only with the beverages and the manner in which they were made and
stored. However, the standard of hygiene in the kitchen was ‘pathetic,’
with the deep freezer in which the beverages were stored being rusted
and corroded, the dish-washing corner being dirty, with flies all over.
There were no fly-traps, nor was the floor clean.
This
is the second outlet of the Indian Coffee House in the city to face
such action after the outlet at Thampanoor was closed for nearly two
months last year. The situation in that outlet at that time too was
‘appalling,’ according to officials, who pointed out that the proximity
of the kitchen to a drainage outside had given ‘unrestricted access’ to
rats, flies, and even crows to the kitchen and the food there. The
outlet’s licence was cancelled and was allowed to function after it took
about 45 days to rectify the shortcomings.
Cyanide traces in bottled drinking water
Sangrur, June 19
Cyanide was detected in a sample of bottled drinking water collected from a manufacturer in Sangrur district.
In light of this, Commissioner, Food Safety, Punjab, has directed designated officer (Food Safety) of Sangrur district to initiate proceeding against the manufacturer in court. The sample of Naina Packaged Drinking Water has been declared unsafe and misbranded under Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA)-2006 by Referral Food Laboratory, Government of India, Ghaziabad. The sample was collected by the Health Department in December 2012 from the premises of Shri Sai Mineral Corporation, Sunam.
The report states there is cyanide in the sample and iron is above the maximum prescribed limits. When contacted, Dr Surinder Singla, District Health Officer (DHO)-cum-Designated Officer (Food Safety), Sangrur, said they would take action against the manufacturer as soon as they received sanction from Commissioner, Food Safety, Punjab.
Cyanide was detected in a sample of bottled drinking water collected from a manufacturer in Sangrur district.
In light of this, Commissioner, Food Safety, Punjab, has directed designated officer (Food Safety) of Sangrur district to initiate proceeding against the manufacturer in court. The sample of Naina Packaged Drinking Water has been declared unsafe and misbranded under Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA)-2006 by Referral Food Laboratory, Government of India, Ghaziabad. The sample was collected by the Health Department in December 2012 from the premises of Shri Sai Mineral Corporation, Sunam.
The report states there is cyanide in the sample and iron is above the maximum prescribed limits. When contacted, Dr Surinder Singla, District Health Officer (DHO)-cum-Designated Officer (Food Safety), Sangrur, said they would take action against the manufacturer as soon as they received sanction from Commissioner, Food Safety, Punjab.
Over 8,000 held in China for food adulteration
Beijing, Jun 19 (PTI) More than 8,200 suspects have been held in China
since a campaign to crack down on food safety crime was launched in
January this year amid public uproar over recurring cases of food
adulteration.
Police uncovered more than 4,500 cases involving food safety offences and held more than 8,200 suspects on food safety crime since January.
They closed about 6,300 workshops and markets that produced or sold illegal food products, Ministry of Public security said in a statement.
Police confiscated more than 1.50 lakh illegal products, including fake cooking oil, meat, spices and seasonings, health care products, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and illegal additives, the ministry said in a report.
The Ministry said fight against food safety crime remains onerous, as offences in some areas are prone to reoccur.
A series of scandals over baby food adulteration and marketing gutter oil to restaurants have eroded public confidence with majority of Chinese preferring to buy foreign food products for their children.
In 2008, at least six children died and 300,000 others fell ill after consuming milk powder contaminated with melamine.
Recent scandals involving adulterated mutton, lime-preserved eggs processed with copper sulphate and ginger grown with highly toxic pesticide have aggravated public concerns over food safety.
Police uncovered more than 4,500 cases involving food safety offences and held more than 8,200 suspects on food safety crime since January.
They closed about 6,300 workshops and markets that produced or sold illegal food products, Ministry of Public security said in a statement.
Police confiscated more than 1.50 lakh illegal products, including fake cooking oil, meat, spices and seasonings, health care products, alcoholic beverages, soft drinks and illegal additives, the ministry said in a report.
The Ministry said fight against food safety crime remains onerous, as offences in some areas are prone to reoccur.
A series of scandals over baby food adulteration and marketing gutter oil to restaurants have eroded public confidence with majority of Chinese preferring to buy foreign food products for their children.
In 2008, at least six children died and 300,000 others fell ill after consuming milk powder contaminated with melamine.
Recent scandals involving adulterated mutton, lime-preserved eggs processed with copper sulphate and ginger grown with highly toxic pesticide have aggravated public concerns over food safety.
குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்களுக்கு முறையான அனுமதி? தமிழகம் முழுவதும் கணக்கெடுப்பு துவக்கம்
தமிழகம் முழுவதும், குடிநீர் தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனங்கள், முறையான அனுமதி
பெற்றுள்ளதா என்பதை கணக்கெடுக்கும் பணியை, மாசு கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரியம்
துவங்கியுள்ளது.
சென்னையில், குடிநீர் தயாரிப்பு
நிறுவனங்களில் இருந்து, விற்பனைக்கு அனுப்பப்படும் குடிநீர்,
பாதுகாப்பற்றது என, தெரிய வந்ததால், தென்மண்டல தேசிய பசுமைத் தீர்ப்பாயம்,
தாமாக முன் வந்து, வழக்கு பதிந்து விசாரித்து வருகிறது. சென்னை,
காஞ்சிபுரம், திருவள்ளூர் மாவட்டங்களில், அனுமதியின்றி செயல்பட்ட, 92
குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள் மூடப்பட்டு உள்ளன. இதில், 85 நிறுவனங்களின் மாதிரிகள்
பரிசோதிக்கப்பட்டு, அறிக்கை பசுமைத் தீர்ப்பாயத்தில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்பட்டு
உள்ளது. இதை ஆய்வு செய்த பசுமைத் தீர்ப்பாயம், 51 நிறுவனங்களைத்
திறக்கவும், மீதமுள்ள, 41 நிறுவனங்களில், குடிநீர் மாதிரிகளை மீண்டும்
பரிசோதிக்கவும் உத்தரவிட்டு உள்ளது. தமிழகம் முழுவதும் உள்ள, குடிநீர்
தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனங்கள், முறையான அனுமதி பெற்றுள்ளதா என, ஆய்வு செய்து
நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கவும், தீர்ப்பாயம் உத்தரவிட்டது. இதன்படி, பரிசோதனையில்
தேறிய, 51 நிறுவனங்களை மாசு கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரியம் திறந்துவிட்டது. 41
நிறுவனங்களிலும், மாதிரிகள் எடுத்து, பரிசோதனை நடந்து வருகிறது. அடுத்த
கட்டமாக, தமிழகம் முழுவதும் உள்ள, குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள் குறித்த
கணக்கெடுப்பு துவங்கப்பட்டு உள்ளது.
இதுகுறித்து, மாசு
கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரிய அதிகாரி ஒருவர் கூறியதாவது: தமிழகத்தில் செயல்பட்டு
வரும் குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள் குறித்தும், ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ., அனுமதி, மாசு
கட்டுப்பாட்டு வாரிய அனுமதி பெறாமல் இயங்கும் நிறுவனங்கள் குறித்தும்
கணக்கெடுப்பு நடந்து வருகிறது. மாவட்ட பொறியாளர்கள், இரண்டு நாட்களாக
ஆய்வில் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளனர். 10 நாட்களில் ஆய்வு முடியும். இதுப்பற்றிய
அறிக்கை, ஜூலை, 2ம் தேதி தீர்ப்பாயத்தில் சமர்ப்பிக்கப்படும். இவ்வாறு,
அவர் கூறினார். தமிழக குடிநீர் தயாரிப்பாளர் சங்கத்தில், 869 நிறுவனங்கள்
பதிவு செய்து உள்ளன. இதுதவிர, குடிசைத் தொழில்போல், எந்த அனுமதியுமின்றி,
ஏராளமான நிறுவனங்கள் செயல்பட்டு வருகின்றன. மொத்த குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்களின்
எண்ணிக்கை, ஆயிரத்தைத் தாண்டும் என, கூறப்படுகிறது.
Jun 19, 2013
Shopping for fish, meat set to be better
A ROYAL MESS:Shopping at fish and meat section at Gandhi Market has been an unpleasant experience
Old slaughterhouse in Gandhi Market will be razed;new shops will come up there
Consumers visiting the fish and meat sections of the
Gandhi Market in the city could look forward to better amenities soon as
the Tiruchirapalli City Corporation has decided to build new shops to
accommodate the traders.
Built as part of the Gandhi
Market, established in 1940, the shops behind the main Gandhi Market
complex are in a dilapidated condition with decrepit walls and damaged
roofs.
The fish and meat sections of the market have
about 105 shops and the complex is situated amidst unhygienic
surroundings being located right in front of the garbage dumping area.
People had long been complaining over the lack of amenities and poor
sanitary conditions at the market. Traders had been demanding
construction of new shops to replace the existing ones.
The
corporation has decided to build a new fish-cum-meat market section at
the site where the old slaughterhouse had been functioning. A modern
slaughterhouse is coming up at the adjacent site. The old slaughterhouse
building would be demolished once the new facility is ready, paving the
way for the construction of new shops for fish/meat markets. This way,
the functioning of the fish and meat shops would continue unhindered
until the new building was ready.
Corporation sources
said the new market section would have better amenities. The civic body
would soon draw up a design and project report for construction of the
new shops. The corporation, a few months ago, had decided to renovate
the Gandhi Market in phases.
TURIP
Giving
a fillip to the corporation, attempts to improve the roads and drain
network in the city, the State government has sanctioned Rs. 20 crore
under the Tamil Nadu Urban Roads Infrastructure Project in 2013-14. The
civic body had forwarded proposals worth Rs. 23.12 crore to the
government and as per a government order, the corporation had been asked
to bear the remaining Rs. 3.12 crore from its general fund.
About 105 shops located amidst filth are dilapidated
There is proposal to provide modern facilities in new shops
Food poisoning suspected
At least 50 students staying at the university hostel on
the Karyavattom campus were rushed to the Government Medical College
Hospital on Tuesday night after some of them swooned and some others
complained of nausea and vomiting, due to alleged food poisoning. The
students developed uneasiness a few minutes after they ate dinner.
Medical
college authorities said the condition of none of the students was
serious and a majority of them recovered after they took medicines.
Kazhakuttom
police said around 120 students took dinner from the hostel mess and
around 50 students complained of uneasiness. Adequate arrangements had
been made to take all the 120 students to the hospital for check-up.
Food Safety Joint Commissioner Anil Kumar K. told
The Hindu
that he had directed the District Food Safety Officer to inspect the
food items served at the hostel to find whether the sudden illness was
caused by food poisoning.
Sugandha Garway of Anacon Labs on panel drafting food safety standards
Sugandha Garway, director, Anacon Laboratories Pvt Ltd, Nagpur, has
been appointed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
(FSSAI) – the country's apex food regulator – as one of the members of
the food standards harmonisation and development panel. Her role
includes drafting food safety standards and submitting it to FSSAI by
July 31, 2013.
She has been working in the field of food standards for ten years. She said, “It is good to be selected and be a part of the national panel for food safety standards, which is awaiting the assessment and approval of the higher authorities (which are mandatory for it to be implemented as an Act). This is matter of pride for me."
Garway, who holds a doctorate in chemical engineering, has a number of years of experience in the field of food safety. She would focus on drafting food safety standards for the non-alcoholic beverage segment, which includes water-based beverages (such as milk, flavoured milk, juices, sports drinks, carbonated drinks, etc.) and powder-based drinks (such as milk powder, juice, energy powder, etc.) The points drafted would mainly concentrate on three basic aspects of safety standards – hygiene, contamination and adulteration of products. The safety draft made are for each step of the process, from farm to fork (i.e. from raw material to finished product). According to Garway, efforts have been made for the formulation of standards that would match the international standard set by CODEX.
She said, “The most important thing is the implementation of these acts, in which consumers play an important role. It is consumers who should be aware of this malpractices and should be able to detect any flaws in the product.” Giving an example, she added that the half-litre milk pouch consumed in most households offers a great deal of scope for adulteration and contamination.
Usually, the person opens the disposal pouch by diagonally cutting one of its ends. This pack is recycled and resold in the market. Thus, the consumer should also be aware of such malpractices happening. Commenting on the current safety regulations, Garway said India has standards which are not concise in form and are scattered.
There are laws, but it is not necessarily implemented, because consumers and manufacturers still give money a higher priority. So, she believes that the implementation of the revised Act, which is based on safety standards for contamination, microbial activity and adulteration, will make major change to beverage industry.
She has been working in the field of food standards for ten years. She said, “It is good to be selected and be a part of the national panel for food safety standards, which is awaiting the assessment and approval of the higher authorities (which are mandatory for it to be implemented as an Act). This is matter of pride for me."
Garway, who holds a doctorate in chemical engineering, has a number of years of experience in the field of food safety. She would focus on drafting food safety standards for the non-alcoholic beverage segment, which includes water-based beverages (such as milk, flavoured milk, juices, sports drinks, carbonated drinks, etc.) and powder-based drinks (such as milk powder, juice, energy powder, etc.) The points drafted would mainly concentrate on three basic aspects of safety standards – hygiene, contamination and adulteration of products. The safety draft made are for each step of the process, from farm to fork (i.e. from raw material to finished product). According to Garway, efforts have been made for the formulation of standards that would match the international standard set by CODEX.
She said, “The most important thing is the implementation of these acts, in which consumers play an important role. It is consumers who should be aware of this malpractices and should be able to detect any flaws in the product.” Giving an example, she added that the half-litre milk pouch consumed in most households offers a great deal of scope for adulteration and contamination.
Usually, the person opens the disposal pouch by diagonally cutting one of its ends. This pack is recycled and resold in the market. Thus, the consumer should also be aware of such malpractices happening. Commenting on the current safety regulations, Garway said India has standards which are not concise in form and are scattered.
There are laws, but it is not necessarily implemented, because consumers and manufacturers still give money a higher priority. So, she believes that the implementation of the revised Act, which is based on safety standards for contamination, microbial activity and adulteration, will make major change to beverage industry.
Jun 18, 2013
‘Speed up pepper adulteration probe’
Mumbai, June 18:
The Madhya Pradesh-based Kalimirch Vyaapari Association has urged the
Commissioner of Food Safety, Kerala to expedite its investigation into
adulteration of pepper at warehouses of the National Commodity and
Derivatives Exchange in Kerala and submit its report soon.
In a letter addressed to Biju Prabhakar, Commissioner of Food Safety,
Kerala, the Association highlighted the delay of over five months in
testing black pepper sealed at NCDEX-authorised warehouses for traces of
mineral oil. The 6,800 tonnes of pepper locked up at the warehouse is
valued at Rs 300 crore.
In December, the Food Safety Authority sealed the spic after there were
complaints of mineral oil in pepper delivered at the warehouse. The
Authority appointed the Spices Board to conduct the test on entire stock
of 6,800 tonnes, rather than taking random sample. It is reliably
learnt that the Board has already submitted a report to the authority
after testing 1,000 tonnes of pepper lying at the warehouse.
“We would like to draw your attention… in the whole issue which is grave
and has crucial impact on the financial health of the members of KVA.
The members are undergoing grave mental harassment and anxiety in view
of the delay (in investigation),” said Pradeep Acharya, Vice-President
of the association.
Through this communication, the association members request for
submission of the report (of Spice Board) which is required to be
submitted statutorily to initiate appropriate action by the KVA member,
he said.
Earlier, the Association has filed a writ petition in the Madhya Pradesh
High Court against the NCDEX, National Securities Depository, Central
Depository Service and Ministry of Consumer Affairs for defaulting on
pepper delivery for contracts which expired on January 5.
Ban on milk items imports from China may extend for 1 more yr
India had imposed ban on Chinese milk and its products in September 2008 due to presence of melamine
An inter-ministerial panel has recommended extending ban on imports of milk and its products from China for one more year as the neighbouring country has not provided any data addressing the safety concerns.
India had imposed ban on Chinese milk and its products in September 2008 due to presence of melamine, used for making plastics and fertiliser. The ban has been extended every year and will expire on June 23, this year.
"Ban on import of milk and milk products from China may be extended for a period of one year from June 23, 2013 unless there are dependable reports available about a significant improvement in the situation," said an advisory issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) after the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) meeting.
The committee, headed by FSSAI chief, met early this month to review the ban on Chinese milk products like chocolates and chocolate products, candies, confectionary, and food preparations made with milk or milk solids.
"The IMC recommended extension of ban because China has not been able to provide required data showing improvement in the situation with regard to milamine content," a senior FSSAI official said.
However, the final call on this issue will be taken by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Commerce Ministry, he added.
More than a dozen countries in Asia and Africa have banned milk and dairy product imports from China due to melamine content, the dangerous chemical that can cause kidney stones as well as failure of the organ.
India, the world's largest milk producer, does not import milk products from China, but the ban is being imposed as a preventive measure.
The country's milk production is estimated to be 133 million tonne in 2012-13.
An inter-ministerial panel has recommended extending ban on imports of milk and its products from China for one more year as the neighbouring country has not provided any data addressing the safety concerns.
India had imposed ban on Chinese milk and its products in September 2008 due to presence of melamine, used for making plastics and fertiliser. The ban has been extended every year and will expire on June 23, this year.
"Ban on import of milk and milk products from China may be extended for a period of one year from June 23, 2013 unless there are dependable reports available about a significant improvement in the situation," said an advisory issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) after the inter-ministerial committee (IMC) meeting.
The committee, headed by FSSAI chief, met early this month to review the ban on Chinese milk products like chocolates and chocolate products, candies, confectionary, and food preparations made with milk or milk solids.
"The IMC recommended extension of ban because China has not been able to provide required data showing improvement in the situation with regard to milamine content," a senior FSSAI official said.
However, the final call on this issue will be taken by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Commerce Ministry, he added.
More than a dozen countries in Asia and Africa have banned milk and dairy product imports from China due to melamine content, the dangerous chemical that can cause kidney stones as well as failure of the organ.
India, the world's largest milk producer, does not import milk products from China, but the ban is being imposed as a preventive measure.
The country's milk production is estimated to be 133 million tonne in 2012-13.
Punjab govt constitutes Punjab FDA by unifying food & drug departments
In a major step towards bringing the food and drug departments under a common regulatory body on the lines of Gujarat and Maharashtra, the Punjab government recently constituted the Punjab food and drug administration (FDA) by bringing both the Punjab state drug controlling authority and food authority under one roof.
With a view to streamline the work of this unified regulatory body in accordance with the respective laws, the state government last week appointed Husan Lal who earlier served as the secretary, social security, and managing director of Punjab Health Systems Corporation, as the first commissioner of the state FDA. With this strategic re-organisation, Punjab state joins the group of select few states in the country like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir to streamline and unify the two important departments under the same umbrella.
Earlier, a high level delegation headed by Rupanjali Karthik, additional secretary, department of health and family welfare, government of Punjab had visited Gujarat FDCA in October last year to understand and gauge the effective ways of running the administration, prior to undergoing this change. Ajay Singla, state drug controller of the Punjab drug department, who was also a part of this delegation informed that this move signals the changing regulatory dynamics in the state, which will further help in strengthening the regulatory and administrative apparatus to meet new challenges.
With this reshuffling in the regulatory set up, the Punjab FDA will now be the central authority in the state overlooking the smooth functioning and monitoring of the various rules and regulations pertaining to the concerned Acts. “By unifying the two important departments under the same authority we will be able to implement the rules and regulations under the D&C Act and FSSAI Act more effectively throughout the state. Especially since the regulatory requirements and mechanisation for the implementation of both the Acts are almost in the same lines, helping us to effectively scrape the bottlenecks and other complications arising out of dual regulatory body,” Singla added.
According to Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Gujarat Food & Drugs Control Administration, as a regulator it is more effective to regulate and monitor the food and the drugs departments under a common regulatory body. Further he pointed out that ever since the successful establishment of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, more states across the country are strongly considering to unify their food and drug departments under the same body for better administrative purpose.
It is reported that the state of Karnataka is seriously looking into the possibility of unifying the two important departments under the state health ministry under a uniform authority on the lines of Gujarat FDCA.
With a view to streamline the work of this unified regulatory body in accordance with the respective laws, the state government last week appointed Husan Lal who earlier served as the secretary, social security, and managing director of Punjab Health Systems Corporation, as the first commissioner of the state FDA. With this strategic re-organisation, Punjab state joins the group of select few states in the country like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir to streamline and unify the two important departments under the same umbrella.
Earlier, a high level delegation headed by Rupanjali Karthik, additional secretary, department of health and family welfare, government of Punjab had visited Gujarat FDCA in October last year to understand and gauge the effective ways of running the administration, prior to undergoing this change. Ajay Singla, state drug controller of the Punjab drug department, who was also a part of this delegation informed that this move signals the changing regulatory dynamics in the state, which will further help in strengthening the regulatory and administrative apparatus to meet new challenges.
With this reshuffling in the regulatory set up, the Punjab FDA will now be the central authority in the state overlooking the smooth functioning and monitoring of the various rules and regulations pertaining to the concerned Acts. “By unifying the two important departments under the same authority we will be able to implement the rules and regulations under the D&C Act and FSSAI Act more effectively throughout the state. Especially since the regulatory requirements and mechanisation for the implementation of both the Acts are almost in the same lines, helping us to effectively scrape the bottlenecks and other complications arising out of dual regulatory body,” Singla added.
According to Dr H G Koshia, commissioner, Gujarat Food & Drugs Control Administration, as a regulator it is more effective to regulate and monitor the food and the drugs departments under a common regulatory body. Further he pointed out that ever since the successful establishment of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, more states across the country are strongly considering to unify their food and drug departments under the same body for better administrative purpose.
It is reported that the state of Karnataka is seriously looking into the possibility of unifying the two important departments under the state health ministry under a uniform authority on the lines of Gujarat FDCA.
CAIT urges Azad to evolve scheme to compound small, unharmful offenses
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) urged health minister
Ghulam Nabi Azad to evolve a scheme to compound offenses, under which
food business operators facing court cases for acts that are small in
nature or unharmful under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act,
1954 can compound the offenses by paying a token amount and get
themselves acquitted of the offense registered against them.
The Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, was the predecessor of the Food Safety and Standards Authority Act, 2006, which came into effect on August 4, 2011. A copy of CAIT's communication to the minister has also been sent to K Chandramouli, chairman, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country's apex food regulator.
B C Bhartia, CAIT's national president, and Praveen Khandelwal, the secretary general of the traders' body, stated, “Food businesses in different states of the country are administered by the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). A huge number of cases are pending in courts of law across the country. These are of petty offenses and are neither very grave nor have not caused grievous injury to the health of the consumers.”
“Many such cases are about twenty years old and are yet to progress beyond the initial stage. With the scrapping of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, there is prime-facie no merit in continuing to fight cases registered under the said Act. Therefore, all such cases must be compounded,” the duo added in its written communication to Azad.
The trade leaders also suggested that if compounding of cases is not feasible, either a fast-track court or arbitration or reconciliation proceedings may be initiated to clear all the pending cases registered under PFA. “If this suggestion is implemented, it will help in clearing the waiting list of cases in the trial stage across the country,” added Bhartia and Khandelwal
The Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, was the predecessor of the Food Safety and Standards Authority Act, 2006, which came into effect on August 4, 2011. A copy of CAIT's communication to the minister has also been sent to K Chandramouli, chairman, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country's apex food regulator.
B C Bhartia, CAIT's national president, and Praveen Khandelwal, the secretary general of the traders' body, stated, “Food businesses in different states of the country are administered by the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). A huge number of cases are pending in courts of law across the country. These are of petty offenses and are neither very grave nor have not caused grievous injury to the health of the consumers.”
“Many such cases are about twenty years old and are yet to progress beyond the initial stage. With the scrapping of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, there is prime-facie no merit in continuing to fight cases registered under the said Act. Therefore, all such cases must be compounded,” the duo added in its written communication to Azad.
The trade leaders also suggested that if compounding of cases is not feasible, either a fast-track court or arbitration or reconciliation proceedings may be initiated to clear all the pending cases registered under PFA. “If this suggestion is implemented, it will help in clearing the waiting list of cases in the trial stage across the country,” added Bhartia and Khandelwal
Banned pesticide residues found in vegetable samples
In public interest: The findings are being made public not to make the
people panic but to look to safer alternatives.
The Kerala Agricultural University has found “dangerous
levels” of pesticide residue in key vegetables like cabbage,
cauliflower, vegetable cowpea (achinga), amaranthus red, small red onions, tomatoes, green chillies and curry leaves, among others.
The
residue includes that of the banned Profenofos, which falls into the
yellow category (second level of pesticides in the toxicity
classification) and which has translaminar action (the toxin entering
the plant system primarily by roots, and transported to locations
throughout the plant, where it can affect those who consume the
vegetables).
It has been banned in Kerala for nearly
three years now. The pesticide is allowed in India only in cotton and
tea and in other parts of the world, it is used only in cotton.
The
results came from tests carried out by the Pesticide Residue Research
and Analytical Laboratory, Vellayani near Thiruvananthapuram. The
findings have been put up on the Kerala Agricultural University’s
website http://www.kerala agriculture.gov.in
The banned pesticide residue was found mostly in gooseberries, green chilli, okra (bhindi), curry leaves, mint leaves and coriander leaves, said Thomas Biju Mathew, principal investigator for the project.
“Production and Marketing of Safe-to-Eat Vegetables for Sale through Government Outlets”.
He
said that the results were being made public not to make the people
panic but to look to safer alternatives. One of the highlights of the
findings was that most of the pesticides belonged to the surface contact
category and were not systemic.
The results are for
40 types of vegetables, samples of which were drawn from the
Thiruvananthapuram markets between January 1 and March 1, 2013.
The
KAU website also suggests methods to get rid of the residue. For
example, one suggestion is to separate cauliflower leaves and keep the
separated flowers dipped in salt or vinegar solution for 10 minutes and
to pass them through repeated washing. The vinegar solution can be made
of 20 ml of vinegar in a litre of water or 20 grams of salt in a litre
of water.
Vegetables have been placed in three
categories according to the level of pesticide residue in them. The most
dangerous category has been detected in vegetables like bhindi,
drumsticks, little gourd, red and yellow capsicum, gooseberries and
coriander leaves.
The less dangerous category of pesticides has been found in beetroot, brinjal, carrot and garlic.
The
farm produce that has been found not to carry pesticide residue
comprises tapioca, mangoes, cucumber, colocasia, beans, ginger, big
onion, capsicum (green), nendran bananas, ash gourd, pumpkins,
pineapples, and green peas.
The website does not
specify the level of pesticide residue in the individual items but the
director of the laboratory, which is under KAU, S. Nazeema Beevi, said
that the samples had been drawn over the first quarter of the year and
the situation may not remain the same for the next quarter.
She
said that the vegetables had been categorised as having dangerous
levels of pesticide because they exceeded the maximum residue limit
fixed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
Case against Hrithik Roshan and Priyanka Chopra for misleading advertisements
The two Bollywood superstars, along with eight cricketers including Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, face the ire of the Department of Food Safety
Bollywood stars and cricketers do tons of advertisements every year.
At times, it turns out that the number of movies that a star does, or
the number of matches a cricketer plays is
far less than the number of ad films they do! At this pace, it seems
like they are becoming careless about the kind of products they endorse.
The Department of Food Safety, Uttarakhand has lodged a complaint against a number of celebrities including Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra and
eight other cricketers for promoting adulterated products. The
cricketers who were mentioned are Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, Yuvraj
Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Virendra Sehwag and Zaheer Khan. The government
has also filed a case against Sahara honcho Subrata Roy since the
contaminated products were found at his shop, Sahara-Q.
Wethinks these folks better follow Aamir Khan’s example and beware of the stuff they advertisement the next time!
Jun 17, 2013
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