FOOD SAFETY LATEST

Jul 27, 2013

தாராபுரம் பஸ் நிலைய கடைகளில் அதிகாரிகள் அதிரடி ஆய்வு காலவாதியான குளிர்பானங்கள், பிஸ்கட்டுகள் பறிமுதல்

தாராபுரம் பஸ் நிலையத்தில் உள்ள பெட்டிக்கடை, டீக்கடைகளில் அதிகாரிகள் அதிரடி சோதனை மேற்கொண்டனர். சோதனையில் காலாவதியான குளிர்பானங்கள், தண்ணீர் பாட்டில்கள், பிஸ்கட்டுகளை பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.
காலவாதியான பொருட்கள்
தாராபுரம் பஸ் நிலையத்திற்கு தினமும் 500–க்கும் மேற்பட்ட பஸ்கள் வந்து செல்கின்றன. இதனால் பஸ் நிலையத்தில் பயணிகள் கூட்டம் அலைமோதும். பயணிகள் கூட்டத்தை கணக்கில் கொண்டு தாராபுரம் பஸ் நிலையத்தில் உள்ள கடைகளை போட்டிபோட்டு ஏலம் எடுத்து கடை நடத்தி வருகிறார்கள்.
இந்த பஸ் நிலையத்திற்கு வெளியூர் பயணிகள் அதிக எண்ணிக்கையில் வந்து செல்வதால் பஸ் நிலைய கடைகளில் விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் தண்ணீர் பாட்டில்கள், குளிர்பானங்கள், பிஸ்கட்டுகள், மற்றும் இதர பலகாரங்கள் தரமற்றதாகவும், தேதி காலவதியானதாக இருப்பதாகவும் நகராட்சி ஆணையாளர் சரவணக்குமாருக்கு புகார் வந்தது.
அதிரடி ஆய்வு
இதையடுத்து ஆணையாளர் சரவணக்குமார் தலைமையில் நகராட்சி நகரமைப்பு ஆய்வாளர் அறிவுடைநம்பி, சுகாதார ஆய்வாளர் பழனிச்சாமி மற்றும் வெங்கடேஷ் ஆகியோர் நேற்று மாலை 5 மணிக்கு தாராபுரம் பஸ் நிலையத்திற்கு சென்றனர்.
பின்னர் ஒவ்வொரு கடைக்கும் சென்று அங்கு விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் குளிர்பானங்கள், பிஸ்கட்டுகளை ஆய்வு செய்தனர். அப்போது பெரும்பாலான கடைகளில் விற்பனைக்கு வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த குடிநீர் பாட்டில்களில் தேதி காலவதியாகி இருப்பதும், குடிநீரின் நிறம் மாறி இருப்பதும் அவற்றை பயணிகளிடம் ஏமாற்றி விற்பனை செய்து வந்ததும் தெரியவந்தது. இதையடுத்து அவற்றை நகராட்சி அலுவலர்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.
பிஸ்கட்டுகள் பறிமுதல்
மேலும் விற்பனைக்கு வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த ரஸ்க், பிஸ்கட்டுகளில் கடந்த ஜனவரி மாதமே தேதி காலவதியாகி இருந்தது. சிலவற்றில் தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட தேதி எதுவும் இல்லை. இதையடுத்து அவற்றை நகராட்சி அலுவலர்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.
சிலகடைகளில் வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த குளிர்பானங்கள் மற்றும் தயிர் பாக்கெட்டுகளில் துர்நாற்றம் வீசியது. அவற்றையும் விற்பனைக்கு வைத்திருப்பது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது. இதையடுத்து கடைக்காரர்களை எச்சரிக்கை செய்த ஆணையாளர் அவற்றை பறிமுதல் செய்தார். பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்ட பொருட்கள் நகராட்சி குப்பை கிடங்கிற்கு கொண்டு செல்லப்பட்டு கொட்டப்பட்டு அழிக்கப்பட்டது.
இது குறித்து நகராட்சி ஆணையாளர் கூறும் போது:–
பஸ் நிலைய கடைகளில் விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் பிஸ்கட்டுகள், குளிர்பானங்கள், குடிநீர் பாட்டில்கள் மற்றும் அனைத்து பொருட்களிலும் தயாரிக்கப்பட்ட தேதி, காலவதியாகும் தேதி கட்டாயம் குறித்து இருக்க வேண்டும். லேபிள் இல்லாத பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்படுவதுடன் கடைக்காரர்களுக்கு அபராதம் விதித்து குற்றவியல் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும் என்றார்.

Noon meal staff told to adhere to new norms

The government has now made it mandatory for noon meal centre organisers, cooks and their assistants to taste the food before serving it to the students, said V. Sampath, District Collector.

In the wake of recent incidents in Bihar and Neyveli, Mr. Sampath convened a meeting of the noon meal centre organisers and gave them elaborate guidelines for effective functioning of the centres.

For fulfilling the objectives of the noon-meal scheme which included nurturing the physical and mental health of the students, they ought to adhere to the well stipulated norms, he said.

Report promptly

It has been made compulsory for the organisers to report for duty at 9am and stay put at the centres till 2pm. They should leave the centres only after all the students took their meals and after getting the permission of the respective headmaster/headmistress.

Rice and sambhar should be served one after another and each student should be given a full boiled egg.

The eggs ought to be boiled at 70 degree Centigrade for 15-minute duration and only after removing the shell, it should be handed over to the students.

The rotten or spoiled eggs should be sorted out and duly disposed of.

The Collector put the onus on the staff on checking the quality of ingredients such as rice, pulses and vegetables. On no account cooking should be done under a tree or served to students under a tree.

Water stagnation in the vicinity of the centres should not be allowed. Indent for the month’s requirements of the essential commodities should be accurately prepared 45 days in advance and submitted to the respective Panchayat Union offices. Above all, the staff should keep the samples of the food prepared for the day in glass containers and it should be disposed of only on the next day.

Asking the staff to follow these guidelines scrupulously, he warned that any minor lapses on their part would attract disciplinary action.

Your bhel poori is set to get a brand

Street food vendors' association to form company to market their product themselves.

The National Association of Street Food Vendors of India demonstrated the global appeal of Indian street food when it sent four street vendors to the World Street Food Congress in Singapore recently.

Harassed by police personnel and food safety inspectors and denied of support from the government, street food vendors have decided to take matters in their hands and form a company in which they will be shareholders, and through which they will create street-food brands and market the food themselves.

“FabIndia will be the model for the company,” said Sangita Singh, programme manager of the National Association of Street Food Vendors of India (NASVI), an organisation of 461,000 street vendors from all over India which is promoting the company. “The weavers have a stake in FabIndia and this has helped to increase their livelihood and their business. We want to replicate this model for street-food vendors,” she explained.

At a consultation on professionalising street food held in New Delhi on Thursday, several speakers spoke of the universal appeal of street food — of how people from every class and age patronise street food despite fears of poor hygiene. As proof they pointed to five star hotels, which have begun to organise street food festivals, and to food courts in malls, which have begun to sell jhaal moori and gol-gappas, once sold only by street vendors. Recently, NASVI also demonstrated the global appeal of Indian street food when it sent four street vendors to the World Street Food Congress in Singapore.

The street food vendors’ company, which will be registered in end-August, said Singh, will have a 49% stake by the vendors, each of whom will put up a start-up capital of Rs one lakh. Already, 151 vendors have expressed an interest in becoming a part of the company. Besides, NASVI will also invite those who support the street food vendors to buy shares for as little as Rs 100. This will be the holding company which at a later stage, said Singh, will have separate subsidiary companies set up by vendors in different regions, or of a particular kind of food.

Question raised on fitness of local made ice-creams No equipments available for testing its hygienic aspects

Imphal, July 26 2013 : With the ice-creams being sold by non-locals in the State reportedly found to be made in unhygienic conditions and no equipments available to test its hygienic aspects, it is feared that these products may be hazardous to human consumption.
Addressing media persons in this regard at the office of DESAM here today, M Angamba, Convener of Student's Wing of Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS), informed that the volunteers of the Students Wing went to inspect some of the places in Imphal like BT Road, Rupmahal Tank and Masjid Road where ice -creams are made by non-locals.
During the course of the inspection, it was found that the places where the ice-creams are being made are unclean and unhygienic.
The utensils used in making the ice-creams are also found to be rusted and unfit to be used.
He further stated that when the samples of the ice-creams which were sold by non-Manipuris were collected from different parts of Imphal area and taken to the State Food Testing Laboratory, the officials of the laboratory refused to take the samples saying that there are no equipments to test ice-creams.
There were also only two staffs in the Medical Directorate, Lamphelpat, when the volunteers of the Students Wing approached.
The guidelines of the Food Safety and Standard Act are never being followed in the State and it is because of this that a number of non-Manipuris have rushed into the State and are producing and selling various food products at their own discretion.
Giving such opportunities them is also one of the main reasons for the increasing number of non-Manipuris in the State, Angamba asserted.
He further maintained that those non-Manipuris producing and selling ice-creams in the heart of Imphal city do not possess the valid license issued by the concerned authority.
As such, it is not known what ingredients are being used while making ice-cream and whether the ingredients used are fit for human consumption.
So, it is feared that these ice-creams may not be fit for human consumption at all.
Members of AMSU, DESAM, KSO, SUK, etc, were also present during the press conference.

Check the quality of bread before supplying to schools, SHGs told

School authorities have been urged to taste the meals before serving them to students

At the end of inspection of premises of 15 more self-help groups (SHGs) engaged in the supply of mid-day meals on Friday, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), Goa, has issued an advisory to all SHG's to inspect the bakeries from where they procure the bread and check the quality of bread before it is supplied to the children under the mid-day meal scheme.

Giving the details of Friday's inspection report, FDA Director Salim Veljee, told The Hindu in the evening that timely intervention of the FDA inspection team in Salcete had averted a possible mishap wherein sub-standard bread would have been supplied to at least eight schools.

In continuation of its drive of surprise inspection of the various SHG's engaged in the supply of mid-day meals to the schools in State, the FDA on Friday inspected premises situated at Peernem, Horgaon, Harmal, Parsem, Aldona, Sattari, Margao, Aquem, Navelim, Davorlim, Cuncolim, and Chandor.

Simultaneously, the Directorate of Education on Friday stated that it had taken all the necessary precautions and instructions were issued to SHGs and Mahila Mandals (MMs),women’s groups to supply safe and hygienic mid-day meals.

An official of the Education Department said that FDA had now been requested to inspect the kitchens of the SHGs and MMs regularly and the taluk ADEI’s had been directed to ensure that the school authorities test and taste the meal before serving it to students.

The Directorate of Education had also cautioned the public and parents not to panic by the rumours concerning mid-day meals following FDA's report that no adulteration was found in the samples of food in mid-day meal supplies to St. Joseph High School, Usgao, recently contrary to a complaint lodged in this regard by school with the police.

Speaking to The Hindu about the inspections carried out on the premises of SHGs cooking food, across the State on Friday, Mr. Veljee said that only minor lapses were observed in the overall cleanliness in raw material storage, non-availability of sanitary health cards of food handlers, exhaust fan availability in kitchen, insectocutors to ensure that the area was free of flies and insects, etc., and these SHG's had been directed under improvement notices to rectify the defects within a week and submit their compliance report to the Directorate.

With Friday’s inspection drive, the FDA had inspected 76 SHG premises in the State and the balance SHG's located in Bardez, Porvorim, Nerul, shall be completed on Saturday, said Mr. Veljee.

He disclosed that all these surprise inspections had been carried out early morning 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. to witness and verify the actual cooking activities as well as practices adopted by such SHG's in cooking of the midday food.

One SHG of Gram Darshan Prathisthan of Suresh Zarekar at Suregali, Sattari in north Goa was getting his order of mid-day meals being prepared at an alternative premises 8 km away from his regular authorised licensed premises (Suregali) at another premises at Savashe, Sattari.

As the alternative premises had no FDA licence under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the SHG was directed to immediately stop the cooking activity at that un-licensed premises and revert back to his licensed premises or face suspension of his activity.

FDA report revealed that Ganesh SHG at Davorlim, Salcete in south Goa, was supplying bread along with the midday meal food. Bread was procured from a local bakery of Anthony Dias (Ashok bakery) at Vasudev Nagar, Zariwaddo, Margao and the said bakery upon inspection was found to be in an unhygienic condition and thus the activity of the said bakery was immediately shut down for further operation by the FDA officials.

Stale bread

As the bread that was procured from that bakery by Ganesh SHG to be supplied to eight schools in Salcete taluk was found to be infested with fungus and not fit for consumption and immediately the FDA officials directed the Ganesh SHG to stop the supply of the bread with his midday food.

The FDA team informed the Education Department Salcete in-charge, ADEI to direct the SHG to make an alternative arrangement of good quality bread for school children and accordingly the said SHG provided sliced bread with the food to the schools.

The FDA shall in the next few days complete the inspection and verification of the remaining premises of the SHG’s, said Mr. Veljee.

FDA has been requested to inspect the kitchens of the SHGs and MMs regularly

‘Only minor lapses were observed in the overall cleanliness of kitchens’

Indo-US trade can be mutually beneficial, say dairy exporters

At a time when India is struggling to consistently meet its growing domestic dairy demand, Indo-US bilateral trade can be mutually beneficial, American dairy exporters today said while applauding US Vice President Joe Biden for taking up their cause during his just-concluded trip to New Delhi and Mumbai.
"US dairy exporters believe that trade between the United States and India can be mutually beneficial, particularly as India struggles to consistently meet its growing domestic dairy demand," said Tom Suber, president of US Dairy Exporter Council.
"As the US and India reengage in talks aimed at improving bilateral trade, we must ensure that a focus on the importance of safe and accurately labelled food remains at the core of discussions on agricultural trade," he said.
In a joint statement, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the US Dairy Export Council (USDEC) applauded Biden's remarks calling for expanded trade between India and the US, during a speech in Mumbai.
He also pointed to the need to negotiate and work through barriers to market access, among other trade priorities.
"For far too long, a wide range of US dairy products have been effectively locked out of the Indian market without sound scientific justification," Suber said.
"US dairy products are sold in over 100 markets around the world and are well known for their high level of food safety. We look forward to renewed discussions with India on how to remove inappropriate barriers to market access for safe products," he said.
"As we focus on tearing down unwarranted trade barriers so that our industry can continue to grow, it is equally important to ensure that we also maintain a strong focus on food safety and product integrity," said Jim Mulhern, chief operating officer of NMPF.
"US dairy products have an excellent track record in this area while India's own government has found serious problems with a majority of its own dairy products," he added.
In early 2012, NMPF called the US Food and Drug Administration's attention to a study conducted by the Indian Food Safety and Standards Authority that found that 68 per cent of milk samples analysed did not meet Indian standards.
"Given these alarming findings, we believed it was important for FDA to determine if adulterated dairy products in India were entering the US market," Mulhern stated.
"We are gratified that FDA agreed that concern is warranted and this summer put in place an import alert on certain dairy products from India," he said.
The FDA import alert calls for the detention of specified dairy products from certain Indian exporters and requires further documentation to ensure that the products are complying with US regulations designed to protect food safety.

Five Fazilka firms flunk tests for quality, penalised

Fazilka, July 26
Five firms of Fazilka district have been penalised by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC)-cum-Food Safety Officer Charandev Singh Maan for violating Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006.
Food inspector Kanwaljit Singh said the department had taken samples of food items from different firms of the district. Out of which, eatables of five firms failed to qualify the standard test.
The outcome of the samples was produced before the ADC. He imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 each on Dalip Dairy, Abohar, Golden Dragon Restaurant, Jalalabad, and Vinod Kumar of Bhagu village of Abohar sub-division.
Besides, he also imposed a fine of Rs 4,000 each on Tarntarni Dhaba, Abohar, and Ravindra Dairy, Fazilka, as the samples taken from their business establishments could not qualify the standard test.
The ADC warned these firms to sell quality items by adhering to the Food Safety and Standard Act failing which they would be dealt with sternly.
The food inspector said that the department also took samples of mid-day meal from schools and suppliers. Two samples of mid-day meal each from Government Primary School, Rampura village, Government High School, Banwala Hanuwanta village, and Stri Shakti, the supplier of mid-day meal in the Jalalabad area, have been taken.
“District education officer, Fazilka, have been asked to personally check mid-day meal regularly,” Maan added.

Jul 26, 2013

DINAKARAN NEWS

10 mineral water brands fail quality test

Lab analysis reveals sub-standard water being supplied in Madurai

Mineral water cans are routinely delivered on doorsteps with a mere phone call. But if you are under an impression that the water that you buy matches the parameters to be classified as packaged drinking water or mineral water, then you are in for a shock. Water analysis tests done at the Government Food Analysis Laboratory in Chennai of drinking water samples collected in Madurai have revealed that sub-standard water is being sold to households and offices.

The results, which were despatched to the Food Safety and Drug Administration office here this week, point to deficiencies in the drinking water being supplied by seven manufacturers in the district. A team of Food Safety Officers collected water samples earlier this month and sent them for analysis. “We sent 32 water samples collected from various places in the district to our Chennai lab and received the results for 29 samples on Tuesday. The report clearly says that seven of them were sub-standard and three misbranded,” J. Suguna, Designated Officer for Food Safety, Madurai district, told The Hindu on Thursday.

The samples were collected from shops, manufacturing units, reverse osmosis plants and storage points during the surprise checks.

A wide range of local water brands were covered at places such as Kalavasal, Vadipatti, Pudupatti, Tirumangalam, Peraiyur, Othakadai, Chinthamani, Oomachikulam, Chettikulam, Chellampatti, Poikaraipatti, Kochadai, Melur, Thanakkankulam, Bypass Road and Anuppanadi.

The samples fell into four categories — genuine, unsafe, sub-standard and complied to standards.

It was found that the pH level in seven water samples was far lower than the prescribed 6.5-8.5 pH level meant for packaged and mineral water. This sub-standard water is supplied in cans and bottles.

“We issued notices to the seven suppliers and within 15 days they have to correct the deficiencies. Even though there is nothing alarming as such, the pH level has to be maintained as per the standards. Samples will be collected once again to check for compliance,” Dr. Suguna said.

The Food Analyst Report available at the Food Safety wing office in Viswanathapuram lays down exact specifications with regard to level of content for colour, odour, aerobic microbial count, fluoride, sulphide, alkalinity, and so on.

Suspect water

As per the report, the suspect drinking water was supplied from seven RO plants and stockists in Anuppanadi, Paravai, Arumbanur, Athalai, Sathiyapuram (Melur), Thanakkankulam and Meyyappanpatti.

The revelation of three ‘misbranded’ mineral water products (wrong label) is another challenge for the authorities.

According to the Food Products Standards, packaged drinking water means water derived from surface water, underground water or sea water which is subjected to specified treatments — filtration, aeration, cartridge filter, de-mineralisation, re-mineralisation, reverse osmosis — and packed after disinfecting the water to a level that should not lead to any harmful contamination.

Those who doubt the genuineness of mineral water can make a complaint to the Designated Officer for Food Safety on mobile number 98423 03625.

Two SHGs found violating midday meal licence norms

Inspection drive by FDA team in Goa did not find any major sanitation lapses

Apart from minor lapses of sanitation and other things on the premises where midday meal food was being cooked by self-help groups , inspection teams of the State Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Thursday found a couple of instances of SHGs in Canacona in south Goa sub-letting their midday meal food preparation to un-authorised persons at unlicensed premises.

Responding to the rising cases of food-poisoning and other complaints over midday meal scheme across the State, Food Safety Officers (FSOs) of FDA continued their inspection drive of the various SHGs involved in the supply of midday meals to various schools.

Three teams of FSOs on Thursday conducted such inspections of the SHGs located in Bicholim, Sanquelim, Assonora, Karaswada, Pirna, Colvale, Tivim, Revora, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona areas and a total of 20 SHGs premises were inspected in the early hours of the day from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. to check their activities during the cooking operation and also verify their sanitation and hygienic conditions while preparation of the midday meal.

FDA Director Salim A. Veljee told The Hindu on Thursday that although the inspection drive did not find any major lapses of sanitation on the part of the various SHGs, minor defects of improper raw materials storage, lack of soak pit, tiles required on the kitchen walls and overall cleanliness required at the raw materials storage area were observed by the officers and the SHGs have been strictly advised to rectify the same and submit their compliance report within a week’s time.

The inspection drives have also been carried out at the request from the Education Department, he said and proposed to forward them the reports of these inspections.

FDA had conducted earlier on July 13 similar surprise visits to 32 SHGs in various pockets of the State. “So far we have completed the drive against 61 SHGs since June and inspection at the remaining 20-odd SHGs shall be completed in the next two days and thereafter in the early next week all reports would be forwarded to the Director of Education for their information and action,” said Mr. Veljee. This would be in addition to notice ordering improvement issued by the FDA, he said.

Giving details of the inspection, he said that it was observed that at Canacona two SHGs, namely, Surabhi SHG and Astha SHG located at Kotegaon, Canacona in south Goa had sublet their tender for the supply of midday meals to Roshan Gaonkar and Ramda Gaonkar, both at Kotegaon, Canacona. They were found preparing the midday meals on their premises which were not licensed under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and as such SHGs have been directed to immediately stop illegalities.

The raid comes in the wake of rising cases of food-poisoning over midday meal scheme

So far we have completed the drive against 61 SHGs since June, says an official

2 self-help groups told to stop midday meal supply for sub-letting

PANAJI: The food and drugs administration (FDA), during its inspection drive on Thursday, found that two self-help groups (SHGs) in Cotigaon, Canacona, had sublet their contract to supply midday meals.
Two SHGs, namely Surabhi and Astha, allowed Roshan Goankar and Ramda Goankar to replace them as suppliers of midday meals. Both these individuals had not obtained a licence under Food and Safety Standards Act, 2006.
FDA director Salim Veljee said both SHGs have been directed to immediately stop unauthorized preparation of midday meals. The education department has been intimated about this incident and asked to take further action.
Three teams of food safety officers attached to the food and drugs administration (FDA) conducted a special inspection drive to check hygienic conditions in premises of 20 self-help groups (SHGs) involved in the supply of midday meals to various schools.
The FDA inspectors inspected SHGs in Bicholim, Sanquelim, Assonora, Karaswada, Pirna, Colvale, Tivim, Revora, Sanguem, Quepem and Canacona.
The inspection was carried out on Thursday between 6am and 1pm to check on sanitary and hygienic conditions whilst preparing the midday meals.
Veljee said that the food inspectors did not find any major lapses with regard to the sanitation. But minor deficiencies were noticed such as improper ways of storing raw material and absence of soak pits.
In cases where raw materials were not stored properly, the SHGs have been asked to make necessary changes and submit compliance reports within a week's time. He said that they conducted the inspection drives on a request of the education department and that reports will be forwarded to the department.
Earlier, FDA had conducted similar surprise visits of 32 SHGs in various parts of the state. Since June, the FDA has inspected premises of 61 SHGs. The remaining SHGs will be inspected in the next two days.

Revision of scales of pay of certain categories in the Public Heath and Preventive Medicine Department

Online food licensing and regn faces manpower & infrastructure hurdles

Even technology has failed to speed up the snail-paced licensing and registration of FBOs procedure being undertaken across the country under the Food Safety & Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.
That is because, fraught with glitches like lack of tech-savvy users and officials and inadequate infrastructure – software, hardware and manpower - the online version of the procedure, which meant the entire process will be completed in a few minutes at the click of a few buttons, has failed to gather steam in most parts of the country where it has been launched in recent times.
While the above-mentioned glitches are a matter of grave concern for now, they are also likely to impact the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s (FSSAI) goal of completing the licensing and registration procedure in the country before the deadline – February 4, 2014 – be it manual or online. Interestingly, the deadline has been extended by the Authority twice earlier.
To know the current scenario, let us take a look at Goa. The tiny state commenced the process of licensing and registration online on January 31, 2012. Jyoti J Sardessai, deputy director, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the South Goa district, said, “Most food business operators across the state prefer offline application.”
This was confirmed by a source in the district FDA, who added that online licensing and registration constitutes 30 per cent, while offline licensing and registration accounts for the remainder.
He said, “Adequate infrastructure has not been created for citizen-centric centres (for instance, cyber-cafes, which charge exorbitant rates). Another hurdle the online system faces in Goa is that most FBOs are not too tech-savvy.”
“We have recently appointed four data entry operators, who upload the information about applications received – both online and offline – from FBOs in the state's two districts (North Goa and South Goa) onto a database,” the official informed.
“Establishments with larger premises and more staff opt for online licensing and registration,” he added.
Software glitches
The online licensing and registration process first started about two years ago. But the software for the same, though developed with a great deal of fanfare and trials, was not upto the mark. While efforts were made to rectify the weak areas, users still found some glitches.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra was the first to start the online licensing and registration. Till date, 3 lakh FBOs across the western state have either registered or obtained licences. Yet, 90 per cent of the registration and licensing has taken place offline, and the remainder online.
Haryana & Chandigarh
Haryana also started the online registration for FBOs on March 22 2013. Chandigarh, the capital of the state (as well as that of Punjab), became the first Union Territory recently to introduce the online food licensing and registration system (FLRS) to facilitate food business operators (FBOs) to file and track their applications.
Tamil Nadu & Kerala
The total number of licenses issued by and FBOs registered in Tamil Nadu so far is 1,85,000, all of which are offline. The online process recently commenced in Madurai district. The number of FBOs who have either obtained a license or registered – all offline – across Kerala is 55,000.

Gujarat – An exception
However, Gujarat is a state whose Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) has fared better than its counterparts in the other states.
H G Koshia, the state's food commissioner, said, “About 1,20,000 FBOs have either obtained a license or registered offline so far. And I am proud to say that Gujarat has become the first state in the country to start the online registration and licensing process in all 26 districts at one go.”
He added, “We imparted training to all the FBOs and also organised five workshops covering all the districts along with the National Institute for Smart Government (NISG) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).”
Koshia added, “I am sure Gujarat will complete its licensing and registration well before the deadline stipulated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, namely February 4, 2014.”
Puducherry's poor performance
“There are seven months to go before the February 4, 2014 deadline lapses, but the process of licensing and registration is yet to commence in Puducherry,” said Ragesh Chandra, the Union Territory's health and education secretary.
Conclusion
Nevertheless, FSSAI is organising workshops and educating FBOS across the country hoping that all the states concerned come up with solutions for their problems soon.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Over 700 poor quality foreign food shipments rejected since ’11

In a little over two years, nearly 750 consignments of imported food and agricultural products were stopped at Indian ports and international airports after they were found to be of unacceptable quality. Nearly 18 per cent of rejected shipments came from countries of the European Union.

The bulk of the material examined and rejected by Indian regulators consisted of moong dal, garlic powder, white onion powder, fruit drinks, chocolates and dietary supplements such as True-Mass, a protein powder popular with bodybuilders.

Among the other products denied entry are soyabean oil, spices, additives, fruits, peach syrup, jack cheese (an American semi-hard cheese) and Haribo Happy-Cola gummy candy.

According to information provided by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in response to a query filed by The Indian Express under the Right to Information Act, of a total 1,40,534 samples of imported food and agri products examined between March 2011 and June 2013, 746 were stopped — a rejection rate of about 0.5 per cent.

Consignments began to be examined at the international airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, seaports in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, and at the Inland Container Depot in Delhi in March 2011 following the enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, and the establishment of the FSSAI.

European Union member countries have rejected over 800 Indian products over the last five years (The Indian Express, May 15, 2013); however, K Chandramouli, FSSAI chairperson, said the rejection of 134 consignments from EU nations since March 2011 was "not a case of tit for tat".

"Our action is not prompted by their action against Indian products. We are supposed to maintain the quality of imported food products, and we are doing that," Chandramouli said.

According to the FSSAI, the most rejections (448) were at Mumbai, followed by Chennai (198 rejections), Kolkata (64) and Delhi (36).

Experts highlight potentials of street food sector

The country needs to tap the huge potential of street food sector as it can provide employment and help growth of tourism, food experts said today.
At a national consultation organised by National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) here, street food advocates demanded that the government should formulate a national policy for encouraging street food vendors.
They also called for creation of food streets, trainings to street food vendors and support for entrepreneurship development of food vendors.
"FSSAI had notified Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations under which food and beverage firms, manufacturers and vendors, including companies in the unorganised sector, have to be registered and licensed and the regulations had helped street food vendors get legitimacy in several cities," Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) chairperson K Chandramouli said.
"A lot still have to be done...Implementation is a huge challenge and multi-sectoral synergies are needed to professionalise the street vended foods," he said.
Chandramouli also welcomed the recommendation of the parliamentary standing committee to create a 'Retail Regulatory Authority' to monitor the entry of foreign chains through foreign direct investment (FDI) and study the impact of FDI on medium, small and micro enterprises.
Delhi Food Safety Commissioner K J R Burman who extended support to street vendors said, "Professionalising leads to good advocacy. The food safety department is thinking over opening facilitation centres for registering street food vendors."
Senior CII functionaries Deepak Mathur and Anju Bisht announced that the industries' body would engage with NASVI in its new intervention project, which includes street food.

Traders fined Rs 60,000 for selling sub-standard products

JAMMU: The Additional District Magistrate (ADM), R.K Shavan on Thursday imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 each on two traders in case of selling sub-standard and mis-branded food stuff .
The ADM, who is Adjudication Officer under Food Safety and Standard Act 2006,   imposed the penalty on the retailers, Vijay Paul S of Kishtwar and Ghulam Rasool Sheikh of Patimhala for selling miss-branded and substandard biscuits and candies.
As per the charges, Food Safety Officer took the samples of Yougata Bites candy and Burkha Biscuit being sold by the two shopkeepers and sent the samples   to NABL Lab for quality test.
The test report   found both the products sub-standard and mis-branded.
The Additional District Magistrate, after hearing   Tariq Ahmed Butt, Designated Food Safety Officer and Sajjad Hussain Food Safety Officer pronounced the judgment imposing Rs 30,000 fine on each defaulter.

Jul 25, 2013

DINAKARAN NEWS

Grant of one additional increment of 3% of basic pay to employees on award of Selection Grade / Special Grade in the revised scales of pay – Orders – Issued.

Ban on gutka, pan masala, khaini, supari – can we finally say goodbye?

Exactly one year after the landmark decision to ban gutka and pan masala, the Maharashtra government became the first state which will look to prohibit all flavoured chewing tobacco and supari products sold under whatever name or in whatever combination. That means the state government is the first one to wake up to the fact that tobacco and other unpackaged, unbranded products like zarda, khaini, kharra which are being sold on the black market. The government has also decided to make it a crime to sell any of the aforementioned products; vendors and manufacturers are likely to attract 10-year jail terms! One man who is extremely happy with this move is Tata Memorial Hospital’s anti-tobacco campaigner extraordinaire Dr Pankaj Chaturvedi who has been incessantly campaigning against tobacco use for a long time. Here’s his view on the move:

It’s in every sense a historic judgement. We shall see the health benefits in as short a time span as the next five years as cancer rates go down. The simple ban on gutka and pan masala didn’t completely cover all the products that like zarda, khaini, kharra, masher, mawa and flavoured supari all of which pose innumerable health hazards. WHO has classified chewing tobacco as a confirmed carcinogen and there’s enough evidence to suggest a causal link with various other diseases like heart ailments, hypertension, increased risk of stroke and adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Dangers of gutka, khaini and other forms of smokeless tobacco

Sold as mouth fresheners or something similar, these products use menthol, perfume, spices, sugar, etc. to mask the bitter taste of tobacco and other carcinogens and get youngsters hooked. The truth is that tobacco remains the most dangerous consumer product in the world in the 21st century which kills half its patrons (and I see many of them every day, those who’ve been disfigured by the most horrible forms of oral and mouth cancer) and its very existence is a bane to mankind.

In India, tobacco causes 45% of all cancer deaths and 20% of all deaths. People find it impossible to quit because of the addictive nature of the chemical nicotine – so addictive that WHO considers tobacco addiction a disease which sadly afflicts one out of every three Indian. Along with tobacco, gutka and pan masala contains other harmful metal content like – lead, cadmium, chromium, arsenic, copper and nickel. Areca nut or betel nut – one of the main ingredients of all these products is a confirmed carcinogen according to WHO and a cause of severe illnesses. (Read: Have you joined the War on Tobacco)

Adverse effects of areca nut

Highly addictive
Usually taken along with smokeless tobacco
International Agency for research on Cancer, World Health Organization has classified Areca Nut as confirmed cancer causing substances.
It contains several polyphenols and nitrosamines that are confirmed carcinogenic.
It causes impairment of oral and dental health.
Its usage is strongly associated with precancerous lesions and cancer of mouth that is a leading cancer in India.
Studies have shown association between supari chewing and cancers of the Liver, oesophagus, stomach and lung.
Supari use is associated with hypertension and ischemic heart disease.
Usage of Supari adversely affects reproductive health in women and also affects fetus.
Supari chewing is associated with diabetes, obesity and several metabolic disorders.

As a result India has one of the highest oral cancer rates in the world (1 lakh every year) and half of them die within the first 12 months of diagnosis.

A watertight legal move

The Maharashtra government by ensuring gutka and pan masala are classified as food has ensured that it comes under the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 (FSSA) which gives the government a watertight case to for its continued ban. Smokeless tobacco lobbyists had argued that since these products contained tobacco and had no nutritional value they couldn’t be classified as food and would be outside the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and should instead come under the Tobacco Act 2003 but thankfully common sense prevailed and the ban was upheld.

While bans have been tried earlier, this time the law is watertight so that the unscrupulous elements of the tobacco lobby cannot find loopholes to sell their products legally. Under the FSSA any food item containing nicotine and tobacco are banned since they’re injurious to health. (Read: Gutka ban – only on paper) The Commissioner of Food Safety of the State is empowered under Section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to prohibit in the product.

It’s therefore illegal to manufacture, store, sell, and distribute any sort of flavoured tobacco and flavoured supari by whatsoever name it is available in the market in the state of Maharashtra in the interest of public health! Now if only the rest of India could follow suit so we can say goodbye to this evil menace once and for all.

HC gives ten days to junk food at schools

Representational pic

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday gave the Centre a 10-day deadline to formulate guidelines to regulate the sale of junk food and aerated drinks in schools across the country.

The bench comprising of Chief Justice BD Ahmed and Justice Vibhu Bakhru also directed the government, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and other stakeholders in the matter to submit their joint comments on the draft guidelines within a period of two weeks. The court has fixed September 4 for the next hearing.

The court’s decision came after a petition was filed by NGO Uday Foundation in December 2010, seeking a direction to ban sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around schools.

In April, the Centre told the court that private firm AC Nielsen QRG-MARG Pvt Ltd was framing norms to regulate availability of junk foods and carbonated drinks within 500 yards of schools. The court said the final guidelines will be made after the food processing companies are consulted for their opinions on the draft guidelines. Additional solicitor general Rajeeve Mehra assured the court that the draft guidelines will be filed on July 24.

“Unfortunately, the draft guidelines are not ready. Now, the counsel for the Centre says that the draft guidelines would be ready within 10 days,” the court said. It also told all parties that no further extension will be granted to them.

In January, the court had given six month’s time to the centre and FSSAI to frame similar guidelines. The court had also asked FSSAI to consult the All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA) and restaurant associations while framing the guidelines.

Firstpost India Worms on the plate: A close-up look at the Delhi midday meal scheme

New Delhi: For the average middle class Indian, the Midday Meal (MDM) scheme in Delhi government schools may appear to be a ticking bomb. The schools are under-resourced, ingredients poor, safety checks minimal, and neither the NGO which prepares the food nor the teachers who distribute it can vouch for the quality of the food – which often contains worms, and one occasion, a rat. But the school staff claim the MDM in the nation’s capital is one of the better run programmes.

Sanjay Srivastava (name changed), a principal in one of the 13 schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), in East Delhi’s Trilokpuri area says the midday meals in Delhi are far safer than others in the rural heartland.

“What happened in Bihar should not have happened. It is a huge tragedy. But just because there are a few bad apples in the system doesn’t mean everyone is like that,” Srivastava said.

A meal being served under the scheme in a Delhi school. Arlene Chang/ Firstpost

“Delhi’s MDM scheme is much safer and more stringent that way. It’s not like we never have complaints about the food, but they are minor ones like the food not being hot when it arrives or the rice or pulses not having been cooked well,” he told Firstpost.

However, Parvati, a local resident whose son is in class 1 in Singh’s school complained about the quality of food.

“While my son has never fallen ill because of it, at least twice I have seen small white worms in the food my son got home from school. The worms are tiny and look like rice and many a time it could have been consumed without being noticed,” she said.

Another parent, Hemlata, whose son also studies in class 1 in the school said that he has also had a bad experience with the food served in school.

“Once my son came home with food served in school, which was smelling,” she said.

An NGO that runs kitchens and serving food to the East Delhi area of Trilokpuri, does not refute these allegations, but says the government and teachers are to be blamed for this.

Stri Shakti, one of the NGOs contracted to prepare and distribute midday meals, has five centralized kitchens across Delhi and provides food to 591 schools. Their Loni kitchen, under which the Trilokpura area falls, supplies food for midday meals to 208 schools each day.

According to Jaspreet Singh, Manager, Srti Shakti, the NGO he says follows the strictest norms of hygiene and cleanliness in cooking, but some things cannot be avoided and the government does not cooperate.

“A lot of times in this season there are insects which are usually inside the pulses and even the rice we receive from the Food Corporation of India (FCI). Green leafy veggies also pose a problem in this season, with worms in them,” he said.

“We try our best to do what we can with the conditions we are given and in fact we have requested the government to have menus that are seasonal so that we don’t have these problems, but their menu throughout the year is fixed,” he said.

Stri Shakti claims it serves 3,60,000 students each day across Delhi and that they make sure the food reaches schools within 1.5 hours from the time it leaves from the kitchen. The food is transported in steel containers and in hired tempos. The NGO says it can only do so much given government constraints.

“We get 100 gms of rice and wheat per child + Rs. 3.11/child (for other ingredients, vegetables, oil, transport). While we have a tie up with ingredient companies and wholesale vegetable vendors, enabling us to buy at less than MRP, we spend Rs. 5-6/child in Delhi,” Singh of Stri Shakti told Firstpost.

“We cover the extra costs through personal donations and profits made by our other units,” he said.

If the NGO’s hands are tied, the schools faces the challenge of making the most of too few hands. Principals and teachers in the schools say that severe under-staffing makes the management of the midday meal scheme more difficult.

Far from the prescribed student teacher ratio of 40:1 under the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009, most of the 2,720 government schools in Delhi have a ratio 1.5 times that number or more. Despite the Trilokpuri school having 350 students and conducting classes from standard 1 to 5, with each standard having two sections, it has only six teachers presently.

It amounts to a ratio of 58.3 students to a teacher. In April this year, the school had only four teachers — making the student to teacher ratio 88:1, more than double the prescribed ratio.

Srivastava said his school’s teachers are already overworked, and yet have no choice but to take up additional responsibilities thrust on them by virtue of being government employees. Teachers already playing the role of administrators, clerks and peons in the school. But they are also forced to shoulder additional the responsibilities during elections, census taking and other government surveys. Checking food safety becomes one more task in an already long chore list.

“After already performing more than 5 duties at any given time, the midday meal scheme puts on us an additional responsibility. When will we have time to teach the students?” asks 45-year old Ramesh Garg (name changed), who has taught at the school for the last 17 years.

Students taking a midday meal. Arlene Chang/ Firstpost

Srivastava says while the midday meal scheme is welcome, he says schools first priority is to educate the children.

“Students need teachers more than they need food. It’s more important that they get a good education. Parents who have given birth to them will feed them somehow, but if they don’t learn what they are supposed to in school, parents cannot teach them that,” he told Firstpost.

The over-burdened teachers and principal often become the immediate target for parents’ anger when there are problems with the food.

“We are helpless in conducting quality checks because it’s not like we have our own kitchen. If we did we could first hand monitor it. The most we can do, which we do, is to eat the food before we offer it to the children to make sure it’s safe. We also stir the food to check for any visible signs of it being unsafe. But our hands are tied beyond that,” he said.

Besides, doing more can land an over-enthusiastic educator in trouble.

“A few years ago, a principal in a nearby school found a rat in the midday meal supplied to his school. He sent it to a lab and complained about it to the authorities. He was not only suspended earlier than his retirement, but does not get pension money yet,” said Garg.

A teacher for 22 years, and now the principal of an MCD school in RK Puram, told Firstpost that given the shortage of teachers it was difficult to manage.

“Each teacher teaches their students six subjects. In addition our school also teaches the kids computers. So each of us teach 7 subjects. We also serve the midday meal to students ourselves,” the RK Puram school’s principal said. “What all can we do?”

Milma to remove imprint by October 31

‘Did not violate any law’

Kerala Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd. (Milma) will remove the imprint “fresh and pure” from its milk sachets by October 31, Milma has assured the Kerala High Court.

Milma took the decision to remove the imprint from its packets following a High Court directive.

In an additional affidavit filed in the Kerala High Court, Milma said dairies under it were keeping sufficient quantity of low density polyethylene film (LDPE) for packaging milk.

In fact, it kept the film stock for two to three months with all statutory printing. The present stock of the film would be exhausted only by the end of October. Besides, a new design would have to be developed and new packing material was to be sourced.

Therefore, introduction of new packets after removing the phrase “fresh and pure” would be possible only by October 31. Milma, therefore, sought time till October 31 to keep the stock of the film and change over to the new packets.

Milma contended that it had not violated provisions of any law while using the words “fresh and pure’ on its sachets. The affidavit added that even if milk was procured from farmers, the SNF (solid non fat) contents would not attain the required standard prescribed by the Food Safety Standards Act and Rules as its average SNF content was lower than the standards prescribed by the Act.

‘Used by many’

Therefore, it was mandatory that milk procured even from the farmers should be standardised by adding SNF; either in the form of skimmed milk powder or skimmed milk. Most of the other milk producers in the State were also using the same process for preparing pasteurised milk.

The court issued the directive on an appeal filed by Martin Paiva of Kochi against a single judge’s verdict allowing Milma to hike the prices of milk. It was brought to the notice of the court that Milma was announcing on its packets that its milk was fresh and pure despite the fact that it was adding skimmed milk powder.

Meanwhile, the petitioner in reply to the affidavit said Milma could very well cover the words “fresh and pure” by pasting blank label over it.

When Milma hiked the prices of its milk, it would soon print revised price over the old prices on the sachets. This practice could be adopted for removing the “fresh and pure” imprint from its packets.

Frame norms for junk food sale near schools in 10 days: HC

The Centre was on Wednesday given a 10-day deadline by the Delhi High Court to come out with detailed guidelines for regulating sale of junk food and aerated drinks on and around school premises in the country.

"No further extension will be given," a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmad firmly told the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Terming the non-filing of draft guidelines by the Centre as "unfortunate", the court asked the FSSAI to submit it within 10 days.

Earlier, Additional Solicitor General Rajeeve Mehra had assured the court that the draft guidelines would be filed by July this year.

"Earlier, this court had recorded that draft guidelines would be filed on July 24. Unfortunately, the draft guidelines are not ready. Now, the counsel for the Centre states that the draft guidelines would be ready within 10 days. Let it be filed within 10 days," the bench, also comprising Justice Vibhu Bakhru, said during the hearing and scheduled the next hearing for September 4.

"It is expected that parties shall adhere to this timeline and no extension would be given by this court," it said, adding that the Centre would share the report with other stakeholders who will also give their suggestions or comments on the issue.

Earlier, the Centre had said that private firm AC Nielsen QRG-MARG Pvt Ltd was in the process of framing norms to regulate availability of junk food and carbonated drinks within 500 metres of schools.

It had also said that after the draft guidelines were prepared, the food processing companies would be consulted for their opinions and then the final guidelines would be made.

The court was hearing a PIL filed by Rakesh Prabhakar, a lawyer for NGO 'Uday Foundation', seeking a direction banning sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around schools.

பதுக்கி வைத்திருந்தபான்பராக் பறிமுதல்

சேலம்: சேலம்- திருச்சி மெயின் ரோட்டில் உள்ள மொத்த விற்பனை கடைகளில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் மற்றும் மாநகராட்சி சுகாதார ஆய்வாளர்கள் அதிரடி சோதனை மேற்கொண்டனர். அங்கு பதுக்கி வைக்கப்பட்டிருந்த, பான்பராக், பாக்கெட்டுக்குள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.தமிழகத்தில், பான்பராக், புகையிலை உள்ளிட்ட போதை வஸ்துகளை விற்பனை செய்வதற்கு தடை விதிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. சேலம் மாநகராட்சிக்குட்பட்ட திருச்சி மெயின்ரோட்டில் உள்ள விநாயகா ஸ்டோர்ஸ், முகமது முகா ஆகிய மொத்த விற்பனை கடைகளில், உணவுப்பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி திருமூர்த்தி, சேலம் மாநகராட்சி சுகாதார ஆய்வாளர்கள், சரவணன், சங்கர், சேகர் ஆகியோர் அதிரடியாக ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர்.இரண்டு கடைகளிலும், பான்பராக், ஹான்ஸ் உள்ளிட்ட பொருட்களும், பிளாஸ்டிக் கப்புகளும் விற்பனைக்கு வைத்திருந்ததை கண்டுப்பிடித்து, அவற்றை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.

Jul 24, 2013

DINAKARAN NEWS

HC sets 10-day deadline for guidelines on regulating junk food

HC sets 10-day deadline

Centre was today given a 10-day deadline by the Delhi High Court to come out with detailed guidelines for regulating sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around school premises in the country.
"No further extension will be given," a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice B D Ahmed firmly told the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Terming the non-filing of draft guidelines by the Centre as "unfortunate", the court asked the FSSAI to submit it within 10 days.
Earlier, Additional Solicitor General Rajeeve Mehra had assured the court that the draft guidelines would be filed by July this year. "Earlier, this court had recorded that draft guidelines would be filed on July 24. Unfortunately, the draft guidelines are not ready. Now, the counsel for the Centre states that the draft guidelines would be ready within 10 days. Let it be filed within 10 days," the bench, also comprising Justice Vibhu Bakhru, said during the hearing and fixed the case for September 4.
"It is expected that parties shall adhere to this time line and no extension would be given by this court," it said, adding that the Centre would share the report with other stakeholders who will also give their suggestions or comments on the issue.
Earlier, the Centre had said that private firm AC Nielsen QRG-MARG Pvt Ltd was in the process of framing norms to regulate availability of junk foods and carbonated drinks within 500 yards of schools. It had also said that after the draft guidelines were prepared, the food processing companies would be consulted for their opinions and then the final guidelines will be made.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by Rakesh Prabhakar, a lawyer for NGO 'Uday Foundation', seeking a direction banning sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around schools.
The Delhi government had also told the court that the Lt Governor has the power to issue directions to city schools on the issue but the same can be done only after the Centre frames guidelines on it.
In January last year, the court had given six-month time to the FSSAI for framing guidelines on banning sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around educational institutions.
The court had also asked the FSSAI to consult the All India Food Processors' Association (AIFPA) and restaurant associations for framing the guidelines. AIFPA, in its application, had said that it deals with processing of fruits and vegetables, meat and fish, milk and milk products and also the manufacturers of biscuits and confectionery products.
It also said that it may give some advice to the FSSAI.