HAPPAY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

ரூ.30 ஆயிரம் புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல்

ஈரோடு, ஆக. 14:
ஈரோடு மாநகரில் தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக், குட்கா, புகையிலை பொருட்கள் விற்பனை செய்வதாக மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் கருணாநிதிக்கு பல்வேறு புகார்கள் வந்தன. இதையடுத்து ஈரோடு பஸ் ஸ்டாண்ட், கொங்காலம்மன் கோவில் வீதி, மணிக்கூண்டு போன்ற பகுதிகளில் 100க்கும் மேற்பட்ட கடைகளில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் கருணாநிதி, பாதுகாப்பு ஆய்வாளர்கள் பூபாலன், முத்துகிருஷ்ணன் ஆகியோர் சோதனை நடத்தினர்.
அப்போது தடை செய்யப்பட்ட பான்பராக், பான்மசாலா, குட்கா போன்ற புகையிலை பொருட்கள் விற்பனை செய்து வந்தது கண்டறியப்பட்டது. மொத்தம் ரூ.30 ஆயிரம் மதிப்புள்ள புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது.

Chiefs of Food Cos Lobby for Faster Approvals

NEW DELHI

Call on regulator to settle issues that delay product approvals and lead to differences of opinion

The heads of a bunch of food companies met the food safety regulator last week, in what seemed like a high-level lobbying aimed at settling issues that delay product approvals and lead to skirmishes between the firms and authorities.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare managing director Zubair Ahmed, Coca-Cola India president Venkatesh Kini, Kellogg MD Sangeeta Pendurkar, Cargill India MD Siraj Chaudhry , Mother Dairy MD S Nagarajan, Ferrero Group India head Luigi Oddone and McCain Foods MD Vikas Mittal were a part of the delegation that met Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Chairman K Chandramouli and other officials.

The meeting that saw so many heads of companies coming together indicates the importance of product approvals for these companies at a time when they are seeing signs of a turnaround in the market after a two-year slump.

The meeting was kept under wraps until now, with the companies unwilling to discuss the topic on record because of the sensitivity of matters over food regulations and product approvals. Chandramouli confirmed the meeting.

“It was an exchange of ideas and information ... everyone had suggestions and points of view. I had not met many of the CEOs earlier, so they came to meet me. Product approval was one of the issues discussed,“ he told ET.

Usually, the corporate affairs representatives of these firms meet FSSAI officials to settle issues.

“We are implementing the food safety standards on a huge scale for the first time in the country. It is a big challenge and there are also litigations, but ultimately, it is for the benefit of the consumer,“ he said, explaining the reasons for delayed approvals.

One of the officials with direct knowledge of the discussions said while various aspects were discussed, emphasis was on allowing the companies to quickly take their new products to the market.

“The India heads also wanted to assure FSSAI that they are aligned with the food regulator in addressing food safety and quality,“ this person said. “There's an urgent need for quick approvals at a time when product innovation gives a huge competitive edge,“ another official said. “A lot of investment goes in research and development, which companies want to fast track, but are stuck at the regulator because clearances are taking too long.“

The relationship between food and drug firms and FSSAI hasn't always been smooth, with frequent conflicts over new product approval as well as imports and new labelling rules.

In April this year, FSSAI blocked a consignment of syrups meant for Tata Starbucks, which led the coffee chain to approach the Bombay High Court for relief.

Last year, on the eve of Diwali, consignments of leading gourmet chocolate importers such as Mars, Godiva, Guylian and Lindt were stopped by the regulator.

FSSAI had said the imported products didn't contain India-specific labeling, and that the importers had merely pasted local stickers on products that were supposed to sell in overseas markets.

Maharashtra-based Vital Nutraceuticals and the Indian Drug Manufacturers Association had filed a petition saying that FSSAI didn't have the power or authority to issue advisories as it amounted to amending regulations framed under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

The Bombay High Court called FSSAI's advisory unlawful and gave a verdict in favour of the drug firm, which the regulator has challenged in the Supreme Court.

A couple of months ago, FSSAI told importers of canola oil not to import the edible oil under the brand name, stating that every container must be labelled “imported rapeseed-low erucic acid oil“.

Food Safety Commissioner appoints Designated Officer for Food Safety Act

Port Blair, Aug 13: Following the Calcutta High Court Judgement on the proper and efficient implementation of Food Safety Act, the Commissioner Food Safety/DHS A&N Administration yesterday appointed Whole-Time Designated Officer / Licensing Authority under the Act. The Designated officer will be placed under the Deputy Commissioner of each District as per the provision of the Act.

The public interest litigation WP 640/2012 was filed by Island Protection Forum and the Judgement came on 5th June 2014. For proper implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the Act stipulates whole-time-regular machinery both at the State level and District level, for which Whole-Time Commissioner Food Safety, Whole-Time Designated Officers/Dist Food Safety Officers, Whole-Time Food Safety Officers, Adjudicating Officer and Food Analyst needs to appointed, but the present setup is adhoc and proper structuring have not been done.

For the past 4 years the Administration simply sat on the files to create and finalizing the RRs of various required posts of Commissioner to Food Analysts, which is resulting in lack of officers for monitoring and sampling to ensure food free from adulteration. Now food samples are sent to some pvt recognized laboratories for testing samples, but it takes 2 days to reach the samples as a result certain parameters that have to be checked within 24 hours of sampling cannot be done.

Advocate K.Sabir appeared for Island Protection Forum in the PIL, the Food Safety Authority of India supported the WP and in the case the Administration didn’t file reply. The judgement gave strict directions to both state and Central govt to comply with the provisions of the Act and appoint required statutory post immediately.

For the post of Food Safety Officer a master in Chemistry or a degree in Food sector eg Agriculture, Veterinary etc are required. For Food Analyst post any one with masters in Chemistry needs to pass Food Analysts examination conducted by FSSAI. The PIL opened up scope for job for Islanders having above qualifications, but it all depends how many more years it will take to create post and finalize RRs.

Now it is the responsibility of the respective Deputy Commissioner to proper monitoring to ensure Food Safety.

Have not shut down testing lab in Ghaziabad: FSSAI to HC

The Delhi High Court was today informed by the Centre and Food and Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) that it has not closed down its Central Food Laboratory (CFL) inGhaziabad as alleged by an NGO. 

The submission was made before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul which had on July 9 sought an affidavit from FSSAI indicating whether it has closed down its lab. 

Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, appearing for the Union Health Ministry and advocate Mehmood Pracha, appearing for FSSAI, told the bench that the lab has not been shut down as contended by the NGO, Lok Jagriti. 

"We have not closed down the testing lab in Ghaziabad," they said. 

Pracha also submitted that the reason for less number of cases being referred to the lab for testing is due to the fact that it deals only with appeals of cases where a food sample has already been tested by a primary testing facility.

He denied the allegation, of the NGO, that the less number of referrals to the Ghaziabad lab is because the authority is outsourcing the testing work to private labs. 

He also said that he had already filed his affidavit on the issue as per the court's direction on July 9 but the same was not on record due to some objections raised by the registry. 

The court, however, listed the matter for further hearing on August 27 after advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the NGO, sought time to go through the report. 

The NGO had dragged the ministry and FSSAI to court alleging they had closed down the lab and are outsourcing testing work to private entities. 

It had also challenged the appointment of the then Chairman of FSSAI, K Chandramouli. However, this issue has become infructuous with the appointment of a new chairman on August 5, 2013.

Indian food exporters complying with EU norms: Minister

Indian food processing exporters are adhering to the safety standards set up by European Union countries, said Minister for Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal on Tuesday.

"Food safety standards set up by EU countries, are based on risk assessment and all exporters are mandatorily complying with these standards for export of products which are administered through APEDA," Badal said in a written reply to the lower house of the Parliament.

"Testing of such products is done in APEDA approved laboratories," she said.

The minister added that the sector has been growing at a rate of around 8.6 percent during the last 5 years ending 2012-13.

"During the last 5 years ending 2012-13, FPI sector has been growing at an Average Annual Growth Rate (AAGR) of around 8.6 per cent as compared to 3.8 per cent in Agriculture and 6.6 per cent in Manufacturing," she said. 

The food processing sector forms an important segment of the Indian economy in terms of its contribution to GDP, employment and investment and it contributes, she added. 

In a developing economy like India, where growth with equity is a primary policy thrust, the optimum development of the food processing sector will contribute significantly in tackling several developmental concerns such as rural poverty, food security, food inflation, improved nutrition, prevention of wastage of food, etc, she said.

"By serving as a bridge between Agriculture and Manufacturing and by dealing with the basic needs of all Indian citizens-the assured supply of healthy and affordable food at all locations in the country, this sector has the potential to be a major driver in India’s growth in the coming years," the minister added.

A network of food testing labs is required to ensure compliance with food standards, she said, adding that there are 151 Food Testing Laboratories under the purview of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for testing food products as per standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Rules/Regulation, 2011.

The standards for imported food products are prescribed in Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulation, 2011 & Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants Toxins and Residues) Regulation, 2011.

Further, FSSAI is in the process of harmonizing the existing Indian Standards with Codex Alimentarius(International Food Standards), the minister said.

Minister reviews arrangements for Sabarimala pilgrim season

Exclusive queues will be ensured for women, senior citizens and the differently-abled at the Sabarimala hill shrine from this festival season.

The virtual queue facility of the police will be strengthened, too, according to VS Sivakumar, Minister for Devaswoms, who briefed newsmen about the decisions of a meeting held here to review preparations.Medicated water

Special Astha lights will be installed at the wild meadows of Pullumedu which witnessed a tragedy some years back. The Forest Department will set up a 24-hour control room there.

Barricades will be set up along the Swamy Ayyappan Road and urinals provided. The sewerage treatment plant at Sannidhanam will be commissioned in November.

Medicated water will be provided to the pilgrims. Bottled water will not be permitted as part of a decision to enforce a plastic ban in the precincts.

More oxygen parlours will be set up. Special arrangements will be made for distributing ‘prasadam’ coupons to prevent heavy rush.Hotels under scanner

Hotels in and around the shrine will be put under the constant scrutiny of the Food Safety Department.

The Motor Vehicles Department will execute its ‘safe zone project’ this year too. A control room will be set up at downhill Nilakkal and a coordination room at Pamba.

The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation will put into operation a fleet of 200 new buses for operating services to Sabarimala.

The Kerala State Electricity Board will set up a 33 kv sub-station at Nilakkal-Thriveni. A special fund has been sanctioned to the local bodies near Sabarimala for providing basic amenities to the pilgrims.

‘Animal’ Tag for Rabbits Dismays Farmers

PALAKKAD: The Animal Husbandry Department will urge the Central Government to make necessary changes to the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and registration of food Businesses) Regulation, 2011, in which ‘rabbit’ has been inadvertently classified under the ‘animal’ category, said Animal Husbandry Department Director Dr N N Sasi.

Dr Sasi told ‘Express’ that since the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, was framed at the national-level, the regional tastes and preferences were largely not incorporated.

The government would write to the Centre to make the necessary changes at the earliest. Food Safety Commissioner T V Anupama said that their office will also seek necessary amendments in the Act it had serious ramification on the rabbit-rearing sector.Scores of rabbit farmers in the state were dismayed after the Food Safety andStandards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a circular banning the culling of rabbits, dogs, camels and cats for meat purposes.A number of schemes has been mooted by the Agriculture Department and the Animal Husbandry Department to promote rabbit rearing in the state. Financial assistance has also been routed through agencies like NABARD.Kudumbashree state programme manager Dr Saleem said that in districts like Idukki and Thrissur, there were many farmers who had taken up rabbit farming. Kudumbashree has also evinced keen interest in devising special schemes to promote rabbit farming to produce and sell value-added products like burgers and cutlets through its food outlets.

Former Animal Husbandry Department deputy director Dr N Shudhodhanan said that broiler rabbits reared in Kerala were different from the wild hare. He said that broiler rabbits were usually reared in Kerala and Haryana.

A similar issue had affected the quail farming in the state when the Forest Department had banned the rearing or culling of quails by classifying these birds under the Wild life Act.Subsequently, the state government had taken up the matter with the Centre, contending that Japanese quails were being reared by the farmers, which was exempted from the purview of the Act. He said that ‘Soviet Chinchilla’ breeds were reared in Kerala, and it was promoted to counter protein deficiency among the people. Rabbit rearing was also promoted as self-employment ventures.

There are livestock management training centres of the Animal Husbandry Department in every district, he said.

General points that a food business operator must know about the FSSAI guidelines on equipment, containers & utensils

Utensils in a Commercial Kitchen

Every Food Business Operator is required to follow the guidelines defined under Schedule 4 as per Foods Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) regulations, 2011, to serve the safe, clean & wholesome food to the consumers. FBOs should use the best designed food grade & safe utensils, equipment & materials; all those should be properly cleaned, dried & sanitized. It has to be ensured that no bacteria can breed because of residue remains to cause food borne diseases.

All equipment and containers that come in contact with food or are used for preparation, processing, packaging, serving and storage of food should be made of good quality such as stainless steel / non-corrosive materials. Remember that the disposable items such as straws, paper towels, disposable cups, cleaning cloths and plates must never be reused as they are only single use items.

We are sharing here the general guidelines however there are industry specific requirements as have been mentioned under FSSAI regulations, which we will discuss later.

Requirements & Precautions for equipment and containers 

Only use non-absorbent, food grade quality containers made of corrosive free materials so food does not become toxic

All equipment/containers should be of the design that will allow easy to cleaning

There should be a proper arrangement for cleaning of containers, equipment & machinery parts

Equipment should be placed away from the walls for inspection purposes

Provide well fitted covers for utensils and containers being used for raw materials & finished food products like for storing, cooking & selling items to protect from dust, dirt, flies & insects etc

Keep equipment, containers & machinery in good order in a clean and sanitary condition and in good repair

No container/equipment should be employed for the preparation, packing or storage of food which may cause metallic contamination

Equipment & containers being used for food purposes shall not be used for any other purpose like storing/keeping non-food materials.

Use separate equipment and utensils for raw food and for prepared food and clean/sanitize before each use

Colour code containers and utensils like red for non vegetarian and green for vegetarian foods so foods are never mixed

Only use those stainless steel / aluminum / glass containers, mugs, jugs, trays etc. which are suitable for cooking and storing

Properly mark and store the cleaning & dangerous substances away from food containers to prevent accidental contamination

Requirements & Precautions for food serving utensils etc 

Keep crockery, cutlery and serving utensils clean, hygienic, dry and away from toxic and hazardous elements.

Use potable water and recommended cleaning agents for washing utensils, cutlery

Air dry serving utensils or use sanitized cloth for wiping dry

Instruct serving staff to hold knives, spoons and forks and serving spoons by the handles only

Discard all chipped, cracked serving dishes, glasses and crockery

Do not use chipped enameled containers

25% of fruit, veggies in Coimbatore unfit to eat

Coimbatore:

Close to 25% of the samples of fruits and vegetable taken by the food safety department in the city since January were found unfit for consumption. They contained organisms that could cause severe health problems like diarrhoea and cholera.

The food safety department collected 44 samples of fruits and vegetables this year--four between January and March and 41 between April and June. “Of this, 21 were found to be unsatisfactory for consumption, and of the 21, 12 were found unfit for consumption,“ said designated food safety officer Dr R Kathiravan.

“The samples declared unfit for consumption contained aspergillus (a form of mold) growth and enterobacter, which is a kind of bacteria,“ he said. “These can cause severe health problems and infections from sore throat to dysentery .“

The coating used for fruit and vegetables is also being watched. “The wax coating to increase shelf life and give the fruit a shiny look is allowed, but most producers use a mineral coating that does not wash off. That is hazardous to health,“ said Dr Kathiravan.

The department will soon began mass inspection of cultivators, storage godowns, repacking units, markets and retailers of fruit and vegetables in the district.

Fruit and vegetables are among the 14 items the state food safety department has decided to focus on for the next few months. Other products include milk, tea, sweets, aerated drinks, beverages, oil and certain items served in small hotels and restaurants.

“These were the products that had the most number of consumer complaints,“ said Kathiravan.

Milk and oil are a cause of concern for the department. “According to our standards, a minimum fat content of 3.5% is required in milk though the golden standard is 4.5%. We get complaints that the fat content is as low as 2% and 2.5%,“ said a food safety officer.

“While consumers accuse producers of adulterating it with water, producers insist that there are cycles during which the cow produces milk with less fat,“ said the official. They are also trying to identify people involved in filtering used oil and selling it to smaller players like roadside eateries.

Though traders have got a six-month extension, till February 4, 2015, inspections and filing of cases will continue, said officials.

Expired food products, banned goods seized

In a surprise raid conducted simultaneously on all the four major streets in the town, Food Safety and Drug Administration unit officials in coordination with other department officials, seized expired food articles, banned ghutkas and tobacco mixed goods on Tuesday.

Divided into four teams -- each team comprising 15 officials from the Food Safety and Drug Administration unit, Labour Department and municipality — the officials seized the food products, most of them stocked beyond expiry date.

“The value of the goods was about Rs. 65,850 and were destroyed immediately,” said V. Varalakshmi, Designated Officer, Food Safety and Drug Adminisration who led the raid.

The officials conducted the inspection at 183 shops located on the East, North, South and West Main streets.

“Under the directive of the district administration, notices have been issued to the shop keepers warning them against the sale of the banned goods or expired eateries,” the official said.

Details

All the details of the traders would be recorded in the official registers and in case of recurring offences, legal action would be initiated against them,” she said. Such raids would also be conducted in other parts of the district, according to official sources.

Food safety officials press for prosecution of trader held for adulterating edible oil

IMPHAL, The case against M/S Ajay Traders for adulteration of edible oil has been placed before the Imphal East ADM Adjudication Office for prosecution on July 21.

It may be recalled, a raid by the police on June 9 at around 11:45 am in a godown at Khabam Lamkhai, sensationally revealed the organised crime of this trading firm.

According to an official source, the concerned food safety office has pressed for prosecution after the Commissioner Food Safety verified the adulteration report of the seized edible oil from the State Food Testing Laboratory at Lamphel. The Commissioner Food Safety has given the go ahead for launching a case against Ajay Traders on July 14.

The seized oil samples collected from the spot were sent to the State Food Testing Laboratory for examination on June 9.

The Food Safety Officers of the State had earlier cancelled the license of Ajay Traders and sealed the shop of Moolchand Paean at Thangal bazaar.

The report from the laboratory was received on June 30 and sent to the Imphal West Medical Director. The report revealed the presence of unhygienic husky grains and earthy materials in the oil sample.

According to the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2011, the accused proprietor can be awarded penalty through prosecution. The errant shopkeeper has to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh under section 56 for engaging in unhygienic and unsanitary process with food products. He may have to pay Rs 2 lakhs under section 57 for engaging in food adulteration not causing injury to health. Under Section 63, selling food products without an official licence can land one into prison for six months or a fine of Rs 5 lakhs.

The sources said that the case has been placed before the ADM adjudicating officer for food safety and his verdict is awaited.

Meanwhile, the Central government has directed the State government to conduct sustained and extensive drives at districts, municipal areas, panchayati areas to monitor the compliance of food safety standards, but as yet the State government has not been able to follow the directives due to lack of manpower.

Though the State Cabinet has approved the development of infrastructure and the addition of manpower by recruiting more food safety officials, the food safety officials are still facing a lot of problems.

Recently, the Assembly has also allocated funds for food safety but on account of financial constraints the staffs can’t perform drives to check the registration of licence for standard food in our State

Consignments of stale fish, meat seized

Officials from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and the Railway police combined to seize several consignments of fish, meat and vegetables on Monday and destroyed them after it was found that they were past their use by date.

The consignments of food articles arrived at the South Railway Station by the Chennai-Alleppey Express and FSSA officials were tipped off about the condition of these items by the Intelligence wing.

Two of the 24 boxes, comprising fish, meat and vegetables, were found unfit for human consumption, said the official. He said that these boxes were taken away and destroyed in the presence of their owner.

The official said that though they were informed by the owners of the food items that these consignments were meant for supply to a ship’s canteen there were no papers to prove the claim.

Banned tobacco worth Rs2.18 lakh seized

NAGPUR: A banned consignment of flavoured tobacco, worth Rs 2.18 lakh, was intercepted by a squad of Lakadganj police following an input on Monday at Satranjipura. One person has been arrested.

Police had information that some suspicious consignments were being smuggled into the city after eight plastic-made sacks were offloaded near a garage at Satranjipura by a vehicle. When the cops reached, the vehicle had already left the place but the consignments were still on the road. Police team under assistant PI DD Niley found the packs of flavoured tobacco in the sacks despite its ban under relevant provisions of the Food safety and standards Act, 2006.

There were 14 cartons, having around 560 sealed containers of the flavoured tobacco, in the sacks. Police also took the person accompanying the sack, identified as Sajid Samad Pathan, into custody. It's learnt that Pathan had placed order for the tobacco with a dealer in Gujarat who had sent the consignment.

Food and drug administration officials too later joined the raid along with Lakadganj police. The seized consignment was handed over to the FDA officials.

No check on eateries serving unhygienic food outside hospitals

Amritsar, 

The sale of unhygienic food outside government health institutions continues unabated. Heavy rush of patients at government hospitals, especially at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital and the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital, has resulted in the mushrooming of various illegal eateries.

Most of the eateries are cooking food in unhygienic conditions. A number of these eateries are running from makeshift shacks.

A large number of the eateries can be seen outside the Jallianwala Bagh Martyrs Memorial Civil Hospital. Visitors to the government hospitals said attendants of the patients often eat at these eateries as the canteens in the hospitals failed to serve good food.

A visitor to the Civil Hospital said, “The government should rope in contractors to run the canteens so that quality food could be provided to the attendants of the patients.”

The people also demanded that the Health Department should collect food samples from the eateries so that the quality of food could be improved.

District Health Officer Dr Shivkaran Singh Kahlon said to ensure the sale of better quality food was a priority. He said food samples from the eateries outside all government hospitals would be collected and action would be taken against the eateries selling unhygienic food.

FOOD SAFETY ACT Deadline for registration extended again

Amritsar, 

The deadline for registration under the Food Safety and Standards Act has been extended to February 4, 2015. The deadline for the registration had ended on August 4.

Though a large number of food establishments has registered under the Act, many failed to comply with the directions. The deadline for the registration has already been extended four times.

The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, had become operational on August 8, 2011. The government had instructed all food establishments to register by March 31, 2012. However, due to the poor response, the deadline was extended.

Then, again, on various occasions, the deadline was extended. As per the instructions, all food establishments with an annual turnover of less than Rs 12 lakh are required to get registered. The firm with a turnover of over Rs 12 lakh will have to obtain a mandatory licence from the Food Safety and Standards Authority.

The online registration was introduced recently to make the process easier. A health department official said, “All those who fear law have already got registered. Some people always postpone their decision until the authorities deal with them sternly.”

Indian tea is totally safe; industry follows high standards: Government

The government today rejected the findings of a global NGO Greenpeace, saying that Indian tea is totally safe and the industry follows high standards.

"The Tea Board of India having reviewed the findings of the Greenpeace study can confirm that all the samples tested comply with the Indian laws and regulations, designed to protect consumers. Indian teas are well regarded the world over and are totally safe following stringent standards," an official statement said.

According to reports, Greenpeace India in its report 'Trouble Brewing' has revealed the presence of pesticides in Indian tea. The samples have tested positive for a hazardous pesticide - Monocrotophos.

Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her tweet said that Indian teas meet the highest standards of safety.

The statement said that the Tea Board would like to dispel any misconceptions about Indian tea in the eyes of consumers at large.

"The Indian tea industry led by the Tea Board of India has been constantly taking steps to make tea cultivation even more sustainable and reduce reliance on synthetic plant protection products to ensure that Indian tea continues to meet the high standards consumers expect," it said.

The steps include launch of trustea, an initiative which will have certified at least 50 million kilograms of tea by December 2014.

The Board is open to collaborating with all stakeholders to help make tea production in India more sustainable in the long run, it said adding it was in this vein that Tea Board organized a seminar for Greenpeace to interact with the small growers in the tea sector recently.

India is the world's second largest tea producer after China. India's tea production in 2013-14 increased by about 8 per cent to 1,224.48 million kg on account of higher output in Assam and West Bengal.

Assam and West Bengal are the major tea-producing states, accounting for 80 per cent of India's total output. Tea production in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka was up 13 per cent at 244.47 million kg.

Ek Cup Chai – Sans Pesticides Please!

 

It’s a wet, lazy Saturday afternoon. I stretch under the covers before I pull myself up, and get the newspaper. And make myself a cup of tea. Piping hot with a sprig of mint, just the way I like it. The thought of the weekend ahead, while I enjoy the refreshing aroma, and the warmth between my hands makes me smile like a Cheshire Cat. Nothing could ruin this day for me, or could it? 

I get a call from someone in the laboratory telling me that the results of the tea samples we had sent for testing about a fortnight back were out, and that I could find them in my inbox. As part of the Food and Agriculture team at Greenpeace India, we were aware of the gravity of the pesticides issue, and despite the growing number of stories, we wanted to test it for ourselves. We wanted to comb out all the possible pesticides that could be found in a range of products we were scoping. And this one tested for 358 pesticides in tea. These results this morning, was the best chance for us to rule out the possibilities of pesticides in tea, or confirm them. 

What We Found In The Top Indian Tea Brands 

Barring a sample here or there, nothing looked good. This didn’t feel right. There were a handful of pesticides in some cases, and in a number of cases over a dozen. This was in June of 2013. Following this, we did two more rounds of testing samples across 4 Indian cities, totalling up to 49 pesticides. This is sort of a summary of what the results threw up: 

46 of the 49 samples of branded tea or 94% of the samples contained residues of at least one pesticide. 

There were 34 pesticides found across the different brands. 

29 of the samples contained ‘cocktails’ of more than 10 different pesticides. 

The chaotic and conflicting state of regulations in India regarding authorisation of pesticides makes it extremely difficult to draw clear conclusions. However, 68% of the 34 pesticides found in the various samples appear not to be registered for use in the cultivation of tea in India. 

Monocrotophos, a suspected mutagen and neurotoxicant, found in 27 samples across tea brand. 

Another unapproved toxic pesticide, Triazophos, was found in five samples. 

DDT, which is banned for use in agriculture in India since 1989, Cypermethrin, a respiratory irritant, and Imidacloprid has shown the potential to cause reproductive or developmental impacts in animals were found in at least 60% or more of the samples. 

Neonicotinoid insecticides were present in a large proportion of samples (for example, Thiacloprid at 67.3% and Thiamethoxam at 78%). 

Read the Trouble Brewing - report, Greenpeace India released today, which talks about the situation with the tea industry in India. 

Moving Away From The Pesticides Treadmill

Sure, things look grim. But there’s a way out of this. And for this, the entire industry needs to clean up. Unilever, the biggest in the tea industry has taken decisive and forward looking action by investing in alternatives to chemical pesticides. While TGBL has taken tiny steps, the approach is the same old, which has failed time and again. In order to move away from pesticides, a holistic approach needs to be adopted. Non Pesticidal Management has worked in other crops in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, and with some research the industry, it if has the will can certainly find a way out the pesticides treadmill, which the tea Industry seems to be stuck on. 

This entails moving away from the substitution approach, that removes one pesticide and replaces it with another. Instead, it involves, rejuvenating the soil, ensuring soil health, understanding plant physiology, and understanding entomology or the lifecycles of the insects, which predate on the tea bushes. It’s akin to ensuring a healthy human who does not need medication on a regular basis. So one improves the immunity of the tea bushes, and ensures regular and proper nutrition is made available through healthy soil. That makes it a rock solid foundation, which is unshakeable under changing weather conditions, diseases and the like. This has also been observed in the case of tea. It’s possible, and real. 

What Can Companies Do? 

Greenpeace believes that as buyers of tea, they have an immense influence over the plantation owners, and can influence what kind of tea they are willing to buy. 

Bigger companies can invest in research projects to find ways to move away from the pesticides treadmill. 

Smaller companies could come together, and with their collective purchasing power influence the plantation owners in terms of the tea cultivated. 

No doubt, the Tea Board and the Small Tea Growers given their hold on the market, should take steps in the right direction, thereby assisting the industry to move away from pesticides. 

Together, I haven’t an iota of doubt, that we can move away from this pesticides addiction, and place the Indian tea industry on the global map as pioneers of a clean drink. 

We are not asking companies to pay an arm and a leg, but as a starting point pledge to their consumers that they are resolved to work with producers/plantation owners to work ways to ensure Clean Chai Now. 

I don’t want to give up my cup of tea, and I am sure, you don’t either. But as consumers and citizens of this planet, we want companies to promise us Clean Chai. Are companies willing to place people and the environment before profits? Let’s ask them. http://act.greenpeace.org/ea-action/action?ea.client.id=1862&ea.campaign.id=30386

To read the report, click here. 

Shivani Shah is a campaigner with Greenpeace India.

Dairy owners use hair bleach chemical to prolong life of milk: officials

Officials have discovered that to prolong life of milk and milk products, many dairy owners had been using a cocktail of chemicals whose consumption can damage kidney and liver.

Food and drug officials detected Hydrogen peroxide (a common paper and hair bleaching agent), potassium hydroxide (used in soap preparation) and hypo (a bleaching agent) in milk at some dairies during raids in Madhya Pradesh recently.

This is the first time when the department noticed use of these chemicals whose short term consumption can cause gastroenteritis but damage liver and kidneys if ingested for a longer period.

Of these, hydrogen peroxide in particular is almost impossible to detect in laboratory tests, leading the officials to suspect the dairies could have been using these in plenty.

Usually, food security officer Bhopal BS Dhakad said, dairy owners mixed argemone oil, a poisonous substance, and starch in milk during preparations of products like paneer and mawa.

In fact, food security officer Avinash Gupta said, it was the presence of a tin containing huge quantity of hydrogen peroxide at a dairy in Morena which alerted them about the misuse of these chemicals.

An official, wishing anonymity, sarcastically remarked that unscrupulous dairy owners "have their own research and development wings".

While dairy manufacturers are experimenting with chemicals to prolong life of milk products, risking people's health in the process, old methods of adulteration continue to flourish, especially in Chambal region.

According to an official, who wished anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, 10 litres of 'synthetic' milk contain only 200 mililitres of genuine milk.

The 'synthetic' milk, a proven health hazard, is a mixture of washing powder used for woolens, vegetable oil, water, glucose powder and a chemical substance called RM.

"Like illegal mining, the adulteration business is growing by the day in most regions of the state. Government should take stringent steps to curb adulteration as raids are not the only way to stop them," the official said.

He said the government must not only increase the staff for checking adulteration but also provide them security because they face threats during raids.

There are toxic pesticides in your chai: Study

MUMBAI: A Greenpeace India study, released on Monday, says it has identified the presence of pesticides in leading brands of tea sold in India, both national and international. These include pesticides that the World Heath Organization has classified as both highly and moderately hazardous, says the report and adds that tea cultivation in India is on a "pesticide treadmill".

The NGO studied a sample of 49 branded packages of tea from eight of the 11 companies that dominate the Indian market and which also export tea. The samples were taken from Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bangalore, and sent to a certified laboratory in Europe for testing.

"The pesticides result in both acute and chronic toxicity. Acute toxicity is a result of direct contact with the pesticides, and is seen in farmers and tea cultivators who experience body ache, respiratory and skin problems. Chronic impacts are seen with low doses over a long period of time... Pesticides consumed in this manner can be potentially carcinogenic, affect hormones as well as the reproductive system," says Neha Saigal, senior campaigner, Greenpeace India.

The study says, "A large number of the samples tested positive for a cocktail of toxic pesticides. DDT was present in almost 67% of the tea samples, even though it is no longer registered for use in agriculture."

Worse, the report says several samples tested positive for Monocrotophos—a pesticide responsible for killing 23 students in a Bihar school; it was present in their meal. The Food and Agriculture Organization urged developing countries to phase it out after the incident.

"The study results indicate that the tea sector is caught in a pesticide treadmill," says the NGO, which has shared its results with tea companies, and asked them for a time-bound roadmap to replace pesticides with ecological agriculture methods.

To spotlight the issue, Greenpeace India has placed several billboards at the Bandra-Worli Sea Link urging tea companies to "Clean Chai Now". Volunteers have climbed up on these and won't come down till tea companies give a commitment to phase pesticides.

The Tea Board of India on Monday released a statement saying, "Indian teas are well regarded the world over and are totally safe following stringent standards." It added the industry, led by the Board, has been taking steps to make tea cultivation more sustainable and reduce reliance on synthetic plant protection products. It said the Board is open to collaborating with all stakeholders.

Food adulteration leads to diseases, death’

Adulterated food is the basic reason for threatening increase in the cases of cancers in Kashmir valley, says Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi, Assistant Professor in Center of Excellence, Nanotechnology and Chemistry Department, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals in an exclusive interview with Zeenat Zeeshan Fazil.

Excerpts:

Kashmir Images: We have lots of issues about food products here. People have apprehensions and need to know how safe our food products are?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Food adulteration is not a new phenomenon in the Valley. In fact the occurrence has recently seen a phenomenal rise, leading to a drastic increase in patients with gastric problems. But the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has time and again failed to check the standards of food products in the Valley. Adulterated food is the basic reason for threatening increase in the cases of cancers in Kashmir valley. These people should be put behind bars, and their manufacturing units closed down.

KI: What initiatives, in your view, is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) taking to curb incidence of adulteration in Kashmir Valley?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Though, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) implemented a new Act all over India in 2006 and the Act is a very good one when it comes to checking adulteration at all levels. For instance, adulteration of milk takes place during transportation, distribution and logistics. Earlier there was little punishment for milk adulterators but now strict action is taken against them. If adulterators do not abide by the new Act of FSSAI, they will face the consequences. However, its only in Kashmir that culprits are not being punished but are given safe passage as we have seen cases of Kanwal Agro Food Industries and Khyber Agro farms.

KI: Can you inform us about the food products that have the highest adulteration rate?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Adulteration in food is normally present in its most crude form and prohibited substances are either added or partly or wholly substituted. Normally the contamination/adulteration in food is done either for financial gain or due to carelessness and lack in proper hygienic condition of processing, storing, transportation and marketing. This ultimately results in a situation where consumer is either cheated or often becomes victim of diseases.

Such types of adulteration are quite common in developing countries/states and one such example is of Kashmir where food adulteration is at its highest stage. Food adulteration continues to be a major concern in milk and milk products, banned colours and dyes used in spices, uncontrolled use of growth promoters, and pesticides and other chemicals at the farm level. However, adequate precautions taken by the consumer at the time of purchase of such produce can alert him/her to avoid procurement of such food.

KI: What are the effects of food adulteration on the consumer?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Firstly, people fall sick or even die due to contamination as the toxins released by the microbes in the adulterated food plagues ones health and continued consumption of adulterated food leads to death.

KI: Do you believe that the introduction of food technology has created more scope for food adulteration?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Food technology involves both processing and packaging of food. Sometimes the consumers are given cheaper substitutes packed in good cases. The consumers will be paying higher prices unknowingly for a cheaper as well as dangerous material. This will be known only when they face health problems. Hence, food technology has given scope for food adulteration.

KI: How safe are our food laboratories?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Our laboratory is really in pathetic condition here. We lack both manpower as well as infrastructure. The laboratory is even short on high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) machine, gas liquid chromatography (GLC) machine, spectrophotometer, water testing kit and other basic equipments like projector microscope, binocular microscope and milk testing kit. All these equipments are vital. The HPLC could have been used for detection of residual pesticide in packaged drinking water and carbonated water. Also the Spectrophotometer is vital for detection of coloring agents in juices and spices.

After seeing the graph of adulterated food items here, there is a dire need to set up ‘Analytical Research Laboratory’ here which will help in keeping necessary checks and balance important for gauging and maintain the quality. For example when you send a sample outside the state for testing during this period not only the composition of sample changes but at times results also vary.

If you have a ARL facility here in the city centre then a Health inspector or an officer concerned can collect samples randomly from districts and tests can be done within no time.

KI: Now that we lack the necessary infrastructure, can there be any precautions to be taken by the general public regarding food adulteration?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Since The safest way, in my view, would be to avoid those food products which have high risk of adulteration. There are strong possibilities of adulteration in cold drinks, so it is better to avoid them. Instead of that, we can have any fresh fruit juice. Usually children like sweets, chocolates and milk products. Parents should be concerned about the quality and freshness of such food items and take pains to trying to know the composition as well as quality. But once we know that there are high risks of adulteration in such food products, we must avoid sweets and other eatables with artificial colors. Also people can take the help of food adulteration testing centers, lodge complaints to the concerned authorities and if adulteration is detected, pursue such cases in the court of law.

Also make sure that food packets carry ISI, AGMARK of FPO labels before buying. Lastly, do not buy food articles if expiry date is crossed.

KI: Does adulteration take place at the manufacturing level or at the retail level?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: Both, there is some amount of adulteration at the manufacturing level while it is also seen during transit and storage.

KI: What are the findings of the most recent tests on food and beverages?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: There is increased demand for nutritional labelling since the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 has come into force. Consumers were ignorant about what they were consuming when labelling was not a must. The new Act – which replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA), 1954 – has helped them by mandating the basic information, which essentially promotes consumer rights and awareness. Similarly, more new substances are found to be toxic and their maximum residue limits (MRLs) are being regulated. These MRLs reduce with time and the availability of highly-sensitive instrumental techniques. There have been instances of widespread food safety issues such as the presence of melamine in dairy products and ethoxyquin in apple juice.

KI: What are the latest machines used for testing in India?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: The new Chromatographic and Spectrophotometric techniques like LC-Q-ToF , LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, GC-MS, which are confirmatory techniques with very high sensitivities, are being used in India. These are next-generation techniques, as the earlier techniques like HPLC, GC , ICP-OES were comparative techniques and were not that sensitive.

There are a few Indian manufacturers, but meeting the latest international specifications necessitates the import of high-end testing instruments and machinery.

KI: How frequent should be the food safety audit?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: For high-risk products, it is recommended to carry out the safety audit twice a year while for all other products, one annual food safety audit is good enough. However, when the quality is not consistent or the requirements are critical, the frequency of food safety audit have to be increased.

KI: What are the various recommended for beverages?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: For beverages, the important ingredients are water, sugar, fruit juices and preservatives. Therefore the microbiological safety for the absence of food pathogens, the fruit juice content, the level of residual pesticides, vitamins, sugars, essential minerals and various other tests are required.

KI: Can there be something to ensure safe food to people here in Kashmir?

Dr. Ahsanulhaq Qurashi: A safer food supply is an important priority. Safe food means healthier children, longer lives, less costly healthcare, and a more resilient food industry for which government needs to play an important role. People must also take serious note of food quality and show concern about the quality of food products they consume and offer to their children. 

FSSAI Regulations on Packaging and Labelling

The provisions under which the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) debar/prohibit the food articles having required information printed in the form of stickers on the cover, wrapper or container of the food articles and not printed directly on the cover/wrapper is given below:

(i) Under Section 3 (z) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, “label” means any tag, brand, mark, pictorial or other descriptive matter, written, printed, stencilled, marked, embossed, graphic, perforated, stamped or impressed on or attached to container.

(ii) Under the Regulation 2.2.1 of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, general requirements, inter-alia, are as under:-

a) Every pre-packaged food shall carry a label containing information as required here-under unless otherwise provided, namely-

b) Pre-packaged food shall not be described or presented on any label or in any labelling manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character in any respect.

c) Label in pre-packaged foods shall be applied in such a manner that they will not become separated from the container.

d) Where the container is covered by a wrapper, the wrapper shall carry the necessary information or the label on the container shall be readily legible through the outer wrapper and not obscured by it.

Hon’ble Madras High Court has given an order/direction in the case of M/s. Foodlever India Pvt. Ltd. vs. Senior Inspecting Officer on the matter in the recent past. The details there of along with the reaction of the Government are given below:

(i) On 08.02.2012, an interim direction was given by the Learned Single Judge of the Hon’ble High Court of Madras directing the Senior Inspecting Officer, FSSAI to draw sample of the petitioner’s imported food products. FSSAI filed a Writ Appeal SR: 20389/2012 before the Division Bench, against the order dated 08.02.2012.

(ii) On 16.03.2012, the Single Judge gave the final judgement directing FSSAI to take sample of imported foods of Food Lever India Pvt. Ltd. and send the same for laboratory testing. FSSAI filed a Writ Appeal dated 24.04.2012, against the order dated 16.03.2012. Operation of the single Judge dated 16.03.2012 in W.P. No. 2027 of 2012 was stayed pending hearing of the appeal by the Division Bench on 25.06.2012.

(iii) Meanwhile, the first Bench on the request of Food Lever India Pvt. Ltd. vide M.P2 of 2012, gave permission / direction to the company to re-export the goods subject to the conditions as imposed by the Customs authorities regarding furnishing of security etc.

(iv) The order passed in Writ Petition No. 2027 of 2012 in the matter of Food Lever India Pvt. Ltd. had not become operational in view of the Order of Stay granted during the pendency of the Writ Appeal by the Hon’ble Division Bench. Subsequent to the order of Division Bench, directing / permitting the Food Lever India Pvt. Ltd. to re-export the imported food article and the same having been re-exported on the conditions imposed by the Customs authorities, the very Writ Appeal itself was disposed.

(v) In W.P. No. 19279/2011 of M/s Rajputana Distributers v/s Deputy Commissioner of Customs and Other, the directions/order dated 23.09.2011 of the Madras High is reproduced below: “As far as the issue in question is concerned, the goods imported are food products, that too, chocolates, which are normally consumed by children and the conditions stipulated with regard to labelling, have admittedly, not been complied with by the petitioner. Even as per the stand of the learned counsel for the petitioners, the information furnished is only by way of a sticker. But as per the provisions of the Act, the label must be an inseparable one, as otherwise, to suit the convenience; the importer may fill in any information therein. If the goods imported, especially food products, do not satisfy the specifications mentioned in the act at the time of import then such goods have to be restrained from being brought into the market and in the case on hand, the food products are chocolates, which are normally consumed by children and therefore, safety measures are mandatory. If the conditions imposed with regard to the import of food items are violated, then the question of going to the next stage, i.e. sending them for laboratory testing will not arise at all”.

This view taken by the Hon’ble Madras High Court has become final and no appeal has been filed against such interpretation given about labelling process in the above said judgement.

The Order passed in Writ Petition No. 2027 of 2012 in the matter of Food Lever India Pvt. Ltd. had not become operational in view of the Order of Stay granted during the pendency of the Writ Appeal by the Hon’ble Division Bench. Subsequent to the Order of Division Bench, directing / permitting the Food Lever India Pvt. Ltd. to re-export the imported food article and the same having been re-exported on the conditions imposed by the Customs authorities, the very Writ Appeal itself was disposed of.

As per the guidelines dated 10.01.2014 issued by FSSAI in case of import of food articles, the rectifiable defects for which stickers can be allowed to be pasted even after arrival of consignment under the supervision of Customs Authorities and before drawl of samples will continue to be (a) veg./non. Veg. logo; and, (b) importer’s name and address. In addition, FSSAI license number and the FSSAI logo can also be allowed to be mentioned by the way of sticker before drawl of the samples in the case of imported food articles.

The Health Minister was replying to a question in the Lok Sabha here today.

அப்பள உற்பத்தியாளர்கள் மீதான வழக்குகளை திரும்ப பெற வேண்டும் நலச்சங்க மாநிலச் செயலாளர் வலியுறுத்தல்

மதுரை, ஆக. 11:

அப்பள உற்பத்தியாளர்கள் மீது போட்ட, வழக்குகளை திரும்பப் பெற வேண்டும் என தமிழ்நாடு வடகம், மோர்வத்தல், அப்பளம் தயாரிப்பாளர்கள் மற்றும் விற்பனையாளர்கள் நலசங்கத்தின் மாநில செயலாளர் வலியுறுத்தி உள்ளார்.

மதுரை அனுப்பானடியில், அப்பள தொழில் எதிர்காலம் பற்றிய கலந்தாய்வுக் கூட்டம் நடைபெற்றது. கூட்டத்திற்கு மாநில செயலாளர் திருமுருகன் தலைமை வகித்தார். தமிழ்நாடு உணவு பொருள் வியாபாரிகள் சங்க தலைவர் ஜெயபிரகாசம் வாழ்த்தி பேசினார். இதில் மாநில செயலாளர் திருமுருகன் பேசுகையில், வடகம் மற்றும் அப்பள தொழில், ஜெய்ஹிந்த்புரம், அனுப்பானடி, சிந்தாமணி போன்ற பகுதிகளில் குடிசை தொழிலாக நடந்து வருகிறது. இதில் 2 ஆயிரத்திற்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளனர்.

மாநிலம் முழுவதும் 2 லட்சம் பேர் இதனை நம்பி உள்ளனர். தற்போது அப்பளம் தயாரிப்பாளர்களை பாதிக்கும் வகையில், உணவு பாதுகா ப்பு மற்றும் தர நிர்ணய சட்டத்தில், அப்பளத்தில் சமையல் சோடா, உப்பு கலக்க கூடாது என கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. இதனால், அப்பள தொழில் நலிவடையும் சூழல் உருவாகியுள்ளது.

இந்த சட்டத்தை மறுபரிசீலனை செய்ய மத்திய சுகாதாரத்துறை செயலாளரிடம் வலியுறுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது. அவரும் பரிசீலிப்பதாக உறுதி அளித்தார். மேலும் அப்பளத்தில் சோ டாவிற்கு மாற்று ஏற்பாடு செய்து வருகின்றனர். அதுவரைக்கும் கபெனிகள் மீது வழக்குகள் போடக்கூடாது. போட்ட வழக்குகளையும் உடனடியாக மாநில அரசு வாபஸ் பெற வேண்டும். 150 வருடமாக அப்பளத்தில் சோடா உப்பு பயன்படுத்தி வருகிறோம் எந்த பாதிப்பும் இல்லை. ஆனால் இதில் பாதிப்பு உள்ளது என தவறாக பிரசாரம் செய்கின்றனர். இவ்வாறு அவர் பேசினார்.

கூட்டத்தில் நிர்வாகிகள் பிச்சை, சண்முகவேல், கமல்குமார் உள்ளிட்ட 500க்கும் மேற்பட்டோர் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.

தேனி நகரில் தரமற்ற உணவுகளால் உடல் நலம் பாதிக்கும் அபாயம் உணவுத்துறை நடவடிக்கை எடுக்குமா?

தேனி, ஆக.11:

தேனி நகரில் தரமற்ற எண்ணெயைக் கொண்டு தயாரிக்கப்படும் வடை, பஜ்ஜிகளால் உடல் நலக்கேடு ஏற்படுவதை தடுக்க உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறை நடவடிக்கை எடுக்குமா என பொதுமக்கள் எதிர்பார்க்கின்றனர்.

தேனிக்கு நாள்தோறும் மாவட்டத்தின் பல்வேறு பகுதியில் இருந்து, பல்லாயி ரக்கணக்கான பொதுமக்கள் வந்து செல்கின்றனர். ரோட் டோரங்களில் தள்ளுவண் டிகளில் வடை, பஜ்ஜி, சிக்கன் போன்றவைகள் கடைகள் வைத்து விற்கப்ப டுகின்றன. பசி நேரத்தில் பொதுமக்கள் இதை வாங்கி உண்கின்றனர்.

இத்தகைய கடைகளில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் பலகாரங் களுக்கு பயன்படுத்தப்படும் எண்ணை தரமானதா என்பதை யாரும் பார்ப்ப தில்லை. தரம் குறைந்த பாமாயில், பலமுறை பயன் படுத்திய எண்ணையை கொண்டு பலகாரங்கள் தயாரிக்கப்படுவதால், இத்தகைய பலகாரங்களை உண்ணக்கூடிய பொதுமக் களுக்கு வயிற்று உபாதை ஏற்பட்டு வருகிறது. இத னால், ஒவ்வாமை நோய் ஏற்பட்டு பல ஆயிரங்களை மருத்துவமனைகளுக்கு செலவளிக்கும் நிலை உள்ளது. உடலுக்கு கேடு ஏற்படுத்தும் இதுபோன்ற உணவு பண்டங்கள் குறித்து உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறை கவனத்தில் கொண்டு நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும் என பொதுமக்கள் விரும்புகின்றனர்.

Sunita Narain: The chicken crisis

It is a fact that our food is getting to be unhealthy - not because of deliberate adulteration, but because we are choosing to produce it in unsafe ways. The fact also is that in India we still have a choice

What should I eat now? Is there nothing that is safe?" This is what I am asked every time we at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) do a study on toxins in food. It is a fact that our food is getting to be unhealthy - not because of deliberate adulteration, but because we are choosing to produce it in unsafe ways. The question is, what should we do? The fact also is that in India we still have a choice. We are only beginning this journey of industrial food production, which is focused on efficiency and profits and not on consumer safety and health. So why do we not want to get it right? Why should we not exercise our right to food that secures livelihoods and nutrition?

This time we have looked at antibiotics in chicken. The CSE laboratory bought 70 samples of chicken from different markets spread across the National Capital Region. It analysed each animal for six antibiotics: oxytetracycline, chlortetracycline and doxycycline (class tetracyclines); enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin (class fluoroquinolones); and neomycin, an aminoglycoside. All these antibiotics are critical for humans. These are the same medicines we are prescribed when we are taken ill - they are life-saving drugs.

We know today that antibiotic resistance is a near health pandemic - it is said that humans are headed towards a post-antibiotic era, where these miracle medicines will simply not work. It is also a fact that no new class of antibiotics has been discovered for the past 20-odd years. So what we have is what we should keep for critical treatment. It is also well know that resistance is growing because of our over-exposure to antibiotics - microbes become resistant to the drug, which is then no longer effective for treatment.

But what we do not realise is that our over-exposure to antibiotics is growing also because of the food we eat - this food has been grown by serving it antibiotics. This is what we found in the chicken samples. Of the 70 samples, 40 per cent - about every second chicken we tested - had antibiotic residues and 17 per cent of the samples had more than one antibiotic present in the muscles, kidneys or livers.

There is a link between the antibiotics we found in chicken and the problem of antibiotic resistance in humans. In India, 13 studies done in various hospitals across the country have found evidence of resistance to the same antibiotics we found in chicken. This is not a coincidence. It is a deadly fact.

The question then is, what do we do? Should we stop eating chicken? Or should we insist that poultry is produced without antibiotics? Can it be done?

The fact is that the poultry industry uses antibiotics not to treat diseased chickens. It uses antibiotics because it is worried that chickens will get diseased. They are bred in over-crowded and, often, highly unsanitary conditions. So chicken farmers pump antibiotics in drinking water to prevent any outbreaks. Their need to use antibiotics is driven by the method they have chosen to produce our food.

This is not all. The poultry industry uses antibiotics also for profit. When chickens are given antibiotic laced-feed, they put on weight. So farmers buy antibiotics in bulk and mix it in the feed. Or they simply buy the pre-mix feed manufactured by the big poultry, which includes antibiotics and whose labels claim that it will promote growth in broiler chicken.

And why not? There is no regulation against the use of antibiotics in chickens. At best, all that the government has done till date is to issue some weak and inconsequential guidelines for "judicious" use of antibiotics in animals. The Bureau of Indian Standards specification for poultry feed - which says that antibiotics should not be used as growth promoters - is not mandatory. So the use of antibiotics continues and grows - all at the cost of our health.

What should be done? This is where we need to choose the direction of future policy - the way we will produce and regulate safety in our food. There are three options before us. One, that we follow the way of the United States, which has not yet regulated the use of antibiotics as growth promoters in its industry. Instead, it has set limits for antibiotic residues that can be present at different levels in different parts of chickens - kidneys, livers or muscles. Or we can follow Denmark, Sweden and some others who restrict and even ban the use of certain antibiotics in animals. Or if we can find another approach, even better for health and livelihoods. This is our only choice. Let's discuss this.

Farmers in HP sceptical over licence for selling milk, fruit

As the central government has extended the date to obtain licence to sell small food items, milk and fruits till February 5, the department of health safety is now to educate rural small food business operators (FBOs) and farmers in the wake of growing confusion about registration and the Food Safety Act.

The government's order making licence mandatory for selling milk, fruits and vegetables, even for door-to-door sale on daily basis, has created panic among the rural population engaged in selling of milk and vegetables. Farmers are skeptical about obtaining licence and also apprehensive about the testing procedure of their products.

So far, around 70,000 of small food business operators have registered themselves across himachal Pradesh while the directorate of health safety has estimated nearly 1.10 lakh small FBOs in the state. Now, the directorate is considering to launch an awareness campaign, especially in rural areas, so that more people involved in food business, including sale of milk and vegetables, could be mobilised for getting themselves registered under the central act of food safety.

Director health safety Rameshwar Sharma said that earlier the last date to obtain the licence was August 4 and just over 68,000 small FBOs have been registered. “We have an estimated number of 1.10 lakh FBOs. Those who have not applied for licence can apply till February 5 next,” said Sharma. 

He said the department would also make people aware about this act and the government would remove all apprehensions of the traders in rural areas in particular.

As per section 31 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, no person could get involved into any food business without a licence issued by the state authority. 

Sharma said that the government has designated some medical officers as the licence issuing authority and applicants could apply to them.

Sher Singh, a resident of Mashobra who sells milk in Sanjauli area of Shimla town, said he has heard about the new rule of obtaining licence. “I will apply for a licence soon, but I don't know how they will check the quality of our product,” he said. “I have heard that one licence will be issued to one person but every member of my family is involved in the business,” he added.

Himachal Pradesh Kisan Sabha has also question the registration process in this regard. Kisan Sabha president Kuldeep Singh Tanwar said that it is not easy to maintain the same quality of milk throughout the year for every farmer. “Different types of animals, feed and atmosphere will change the quality of milk,” he said.

PENALTY 

If any small business operator is found selling his products without licence, he could be jailed for six months and fined `5 lakh. The business operator will have to submit his yearly record of turnover, besides a medical certificate and personal photograph with the authorities.

Strict ban on rabbit slaughtering in Kerala

Commissioner of Food Safety T.V. Anupama told DC that rabbit slaughtering was rampant in the state

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The hoteliers serving popular rabbit meat dishes as their speciality will face strong action with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issuing strict ban orders on rabbit slaughtering in the state. 

In the order issued last week, the FSSAI has urged the government to strengthen the vigil and ensure the compliance of the order which restricts slaughtering of dog, cat, rabbit and camel anywhere in the state. 

In the wake of the order, the Commissionerate of Food Safety has given strict direction to district food safety officers to launch extensive drives in the state to prevent rabbit slaughtering and initiate legal proceedings against the offenders. 

Commissioner of Food Safety T.V. Anupama told DC that rabbit slaughtering was rampant in the state. 

“Rabbit meat is very popular and we have given strict direction to the squads to keep a tab on this. No restaurants will be allowed to serve rabbit meat dishes. Rabbit farms in the state will be under our surveillance and strict measures will be taken to prevent slaughtering of rabbits,” said Anupama. 

Meanwhile, the decision has come as a major setback to the animal husbandry department – which owns rabbit farms and is extensively promoting rabbit farming in the state. 

“We will be taking up the matter with the animal husbandry department. They are promoting rabbit farming with the help of local bodies. A meeting will be held with the authorities this week,” added Anupama.

புகையிலையை தடை செய்ய முதல்வருக்கு மத்திய அமைச்சர் கடிதம்

பெங்களூரு :புகையிலையை பல வடிவங்களில் பயன்படுத்துவதை, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரக்கட்டுப்பாடு விதிமுறைகளின் கீழ், முழுமையாக தடை செய்யும்படி, முதல்வர் சித்தராமையாவுக்கு, மத்திய சுகாதாரம் மற்றும் குடும்ப நலத்துறை அமைச்சர் ஹர்ஷ்வர்த்தன் கடிதம் எழுதியுள்ளார்.கடிதத்தில் அவர் கூறியிருப்பதாவது:

கர்நாடகாவில், குட்காவை தடை செய்ததில் அரசு சிறப்பாக செயல்பட்டுள்ளது. அதேநேரத்தில், வாடிக்கையாளர்களை கவரும் வகையில் வாசனை, இனிப்புடன் புகையிலை பொருட்கள் விற்கப்படுவது அதிகரித்துள்ளது. இவை, ஏழைகளை மிகவும் கவர்ந்துள்ளது.

புகையற்ற புகையிலை பொருட்களை பயன்படுத்துவதால், 90 சதவீதம் உடலுக்குள் புற்றுநோயை உண்டாக்குகிறது. புற்றுநோய் அதிகரிப்புக்கு புகையிலை பொருட்களே காரணமாக உள்ளது. உலகளவில், புகையிலை பொருட்களை பயன்படுத்தும் ஆண்கள் குறித்து நடத்திய ஆய்வில், 2010ல், இந்தியாவில் புகையில்லா புகையிலை பொருட்கள், சுவைக்கும் புகையிலை பொருட்கள் போன்றவைகள், 

இந்தியர்கள் பயன்படுத்துவதாக தெரிய வந்துள்ளது.

இதிலிருந்து, இந்தியாவில் புகையிலையை பல வகையில் பயன்படுத்துவோர் அதிகரித்துள்ளனர் என்பது நிரூபிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரக்கட்டுப்பாடு விதிமுறைகளின் கீழ், குட்கா, ஜர்தா மற்றும் பல வகை புகையிலை பொருட்களை மகாராஷ்டிர, மிசோரம், மணிப்பூர், தாதர் மற்றும் நகர் ஹாவேலி, ஆந்திரா ஆகிய மாநிலங்கள் முழுமையாக தடை செய்துள்ளன.

புற்றுநோய் தடுப்பு திட்ட இயக்குனர், டாக்டர் விஷால் ராவ் என்னை சந்தித்தபோது, மற்ற மாநிலங்களை விட, கர்நாடகாவில், 28 சதவீதத்தினர் புகையிலையை பயன்படுத்துவதாகவும், 20 சதவீதத்தினர் பல வகையில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் புகையிலை பொருட்களை பயன்படுத்துவதாகவும், 8 சதவீதத்தினர், சிகரெட், பீடி போன்ற பொருட்களை பயன்படுத்துவதாகவும் குறிப்பிட்டார்.

இது, உடல் நலனுக்கு மிகவும் தீங்கு விளைவிக்க கூடியவை என்பதால், இந்த புகையிலை பொருட்களை முழுமையாக தடை செய்ய நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கும்படி கேட்டு கொள்கிறேன்.

இவ்வாறு, மத்திய அமைச்சர் ஷர்ஷ் வர்த்தன் கூறியுள்ளார்.

No antibiotics in poultry: IMA

In wake of shocking findings by CSE on antibiotic-fed chicken,Indian Medical Association demanded a ban on the misuse of antibiotics in the poultry sector 

CSE findings led to drop in chicken sales by 50 percent in three days 

The shocking revelation made by the Center for Science and Environment's (CSE) Pollution Monitoring Lab, India, highlighting rampant use of antibiotics in chicken, has plummeted chicken sales in the country. The staple Indian delicacy is no longer attracting people, mainly in the southern districts. 

Kerala-based chicken dealer Mr S K Naseer, who is also the state general secretary of All Kerala Poultry Federation, India, said, "During the past three days, demand for chicken has come down by 50 percent, from 6-8 lakh kg per day to 3-4 lakh kg. " 

Following release of CSE results, that made headlines, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) demanded an immediate ban on antibiotic use in the poultry industry. 

The Central Advisory Committee of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), assured that individual states will start surveillance on the issue and would review the regulatory gaps. 

CSE deputy general director, Mr Chandra Bhushan said that this is first step in the right direction that would help in addressing the concern. He added that the regulatory vacuum was the primary reason why the poultry industry is misusing antibiotics. 

Mr Bhushan further said that CSE has started writing to various central and state government functionaries highlighting the concerns and the action that needs to be taken to address this major public health issue.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Food dept. tackling adulteration during Rakhi season

DEHARADUN: The state Food Safety department is tackling adulteration this festive season. Food Security Officers (FSOs) are conducting inspections and collecting samples on a regular basis to keep a tab on the quality of raw material used. 

The department is giving special instructions to owners of major sweet-shops to maintain the quality of food. "We have asked sweet-sellers not to compromise on the quality of products just to meet high demand", said Rajendra Rawat, Head of Food Safety Department. 

According to officials, adulteration in milk and milk products is reported during this period. Dehradun, Haridwar and areas close to the Uttar Pradesh Border are being carefully monitored by the department.

"Most milk products are ferried into the state from neighboring districts in western UP. Chances of adulteration are high in such cases. We have sent special teams to find defaulters and make sure that proper measures are being taken to maintain quality", Rawat said. 

"We have been collecting samples from food-business owners under suspicion. These samples are sent to Rudrapur food lab", said Anoj Thapliyal, FSO Dehradun. 

TOI had earlier reported that Rudrapur Food Lab is the only food and drug testing lab in the state which gets flooded with food samples sent by FSOs of all 13 districts during festive seasons. 

Throughout the day in Dehradun, a team of six will be taking rounds. "We will be carrying out surprise inspections on kitchens of all big and small sweet shops and take samples in case anything suspicious is found", said Thapliyal. These inspections were started on August 1, in anticipation of the festive season.