DINAMALAR NEWS

DINATHANTHI NEWS

ARTIFICIALLY RIPENED MANGOES SEIZED

DINAMANI NEWS

திருச்சியில் கார்பைட்டில் பழுக்க வைத்த 1 டன் மாம்பழம் பறிமுதல்

திருச்சி, ஏப். 21:

திருச்சி காந்தி மார்க் கெட்டில் கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து செயற் கை யாக பழுக் க வைக் கப் பட்ட 1 டன் மாம் ப ழங் கள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட்டன.

தமி ழ கத் தில் மாம் பழ சீசன் தற் போது களை கட்டத் துவங் கி யுள் ளது. திருச் சி யி லும் மாம் ப ழங் களின் விற் பனை படு ஜோ ராய் நடந்து வரு கி றது.

இதை பயன் ப டுத் திக் கொள் ளும் வியா பா ரி கள் பழுக் காத மாம் ப ழங் களை செயற்கை முறை யில் கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து பழுக்க வைத்து விற் பனை செய்து வரு கின் ற னர்.

இந்த மாம் ப ழங் களை வாங்கி சாப் பி டு ப வர் கள் வயிற்று வலி, அஜீ ரண கோளாறு உள் ளிட்ட பல் வேறு தொல் லை களுக்கு ஆளா கின் ற னர்.

உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் எச் ச ரித் தும் வியா பா ரி கள் சிலர் தொடர்ந்து கார் பைட் பழங் களை விற் கின் ற னர். திருச்சி காந்தி மார்க் கெட் பகு தி யில் உள்ள மாம் ப ழக் கடை களில் உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை நிய மன அலு வ லர் ராம கி ருஷ் ணன் தலை மை யில் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை அதி காரி செல் வ ராஜ் மற் றும் ஊழி யர் கள் நேற்று அதி ர டி யாக ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர்.

இதில், 2 கடை களில் கார் பைடு கல் வைத்து மாம் ப ழங் கள் செயற் கை யாக பழுக் க வைக் க ப டு வது தெரிய வந் தது.

இதை ய டுத்து ரூ.50 ஆயி ரம் மதிப் புள்ள 1 டன் மாம் ப ழங் கள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட்டன. இவை வாக னம் மூலம் எடுத் துச் செல் லப் பட்டு அரி ய மங் க லம் குப் பைக் கி டக் கில் நக ராட்சி பணி யா ளர் க ளால் கொட்டப் பட்டு ஜேசிபி இயந் தி ரம் மூலம் அழிக் கப் பட்டன.

Officials raid godowns, seize ripened mangoes

A worker loading the mangoes seized by food safety officials at Gandhi market in a truck on Monday.

Officials of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department raided fruit godowns in Gandhi Market area here on Monday and seized one tonne of mangoes which were being artificially ripened using carbide stones.

Acting on a complaint, a team led by Designated Officer A. Ramakrishnan and Food Safety Officers raided 12 godowns and seized 1.5 kg of carbide stones kept in one of the godowns.

The carbide stones were kept in the godown ahead of stocking mangoes which were expected to arrive on Monday night, Dr. Ramakrishnan said. The team raided another godown and seized one tonne of mangoes which were ripened using carbide stones kept in several packets. The seized mangoes were destroyed later in the Ariyamangalam compost yard. Dr. Ramakrishnan said a Food Safety Officer had been asked to regularly monitor the godowns in view of the heavy arrival of mangoes in the next few days to check artificial ripening of the fruit.

Carbide stones are used to induce ripening and for better appearance, he said and added that consumption of artificially-ripened mangoes would pose health-related problems.

Fruits merchants cry foul

The campaign against the use of toxic substances to artificially ripen fruits, including mangoes, is part of a conspiracy to stunt the growth of fruits sale by creating a fear psychosis in consumers, the All Kerala Fruit Merchants Association has alleged.

Speaking at a press meet here on Monday, the association office-bearers, who maintained that the people’s fear was completely misplaced, said their members were selling fruits to customers only in complete adherence to all the food safety laws existing in the State.

Loss

State president of the association P. Hamza, who spoke on the occasion, said that the ‘smear’ campaign had cost them around 25 per cent of their annual sale compared to that of last year.

The association members also said that consumers were welcome to take the issue to the Food Safety Commissioner if any such cases were reported from any part of the State.

Hoteliers to move court seeking return of fine

Forum says food safety inspectors collected Rs.18 lakh ‘arbitrarily’

The Kerala Hotel and Restaurant Association on Monday said that it would move the High Court to realise the estimated Rs.18 lakh collected “arbitrarily” by the office of the Food Safety Commissioner from hoteliers in the State last year.

In a statement here, association general secretary Moideen Kutty Haji claimed that the High Court had upheld his organisation’s contention that food safety officers had no right to impose fines.

The court had deemed illegal the practice of slapping “improvement notices” and fines on hoteliers at the same time, he said.

He said that the court upheld the association’s argument that as per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, only the “adjudication officer” could impose fines.

The law bestowed no such authority on food safety inspectors.

Mr. Moideen said the ‘capricious action’ by food safety inspectors had caused huge losses to the hospitality industry and bankrupted hoteliers.

Many establishments burdened by huge fines were forced to shut shop. He said the State was morally bound to pay back the fines it had collected in such a fashion.

DFCO realises Rs. 2.19 lakh as fine from erring traders

SRINAGAR: An amount of Rs. 2.19 lakh was imposed as fine on 21 food business operators under Food Safety and Standards Act for manufacturing/selling sub-standard/misbranded food articles of spices, milk, beverages and sweets. The erring traders were warned not to indulge in such kind of malpractice in future or else their licenses will be cancelled.

Meanwhile, food analyst of Public Health Laboratory Kashmir had declared two samples of Biryani and Chicken Tika unsafe, as synthetic colour was detected in them. The Food Safety Wing of Drugs and Food Control Organization Srinagar warned such hoteliers, restaurant owners and Dhabawalas, who use synthetic colours in the preparation of food to desist from such malpractice otherwise action as warranted under Food Safety and Standards Act will be taken against them which may include closure of their business.

‘Beef ban contravenes Central laws’

Petitioners challenging Maharashtra’s controversial beef ban law told the Bombay High Court that the provision criminalising consumption of beef obtained by the legal slaughter of animals in other States was in contravention of Central laws.

Appearing for the petitioners, senior advocate Aspi Chinoy told the court that Section 5 (d) of Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, which prohibits possession and consumption of meat of cow, bulls and bullocks even if the animals have been slaughtered outside Maharashtra, was in conflict with Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Livestock Importation (Amendment) Act, 2001.

He said whereas the Food Safety Act allowed the consumption of canned meat, the Livestock Importation Act had a category for “live-stock products’ including meat from bovine animals.

“Even though the Maharashtra Bill has got presidential assent now, the Bill was passed in 1995. Whereas these are Central Laws passed by Parliament and came into being much later,” he submitted.

On how Section 5 (D) caused a conflict, counsel said the Act criminalises consumption or possession of meat obtained legally. Also, the clause was not in consonance with the other provisions of a law whose purpose was ensuring the safety of agricultural assets in Maharashtra.

“Meat brought from other States would have no impact on the livestock here but this, in effect, is saying people not to consume beef at all. This, in effect, violates one’s freedom to eat what he or she likes and hence the right to privacy,” he said, responding to an affidavit filed by the government justifying the ban.

Beef ban law is 'reasonable restriction', does not violate fundamental rights: Maharashtra govt to HC

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Monday justified its new beef ban law before the Bombay high court claiming it was a ''reasonable restriction''.

An affidavit of the state animal husbandry department, submitted to the court by advocate general Sunil Manohar, denied that the law, which criminalizes even possession of beef, violates any fundamental rights. ''It cannot be said that simply because the possession of meat of cow progeny is banned so as to give complete effect to the directive principles of the Constitution, the right of citizen under Article 21 (right to life) to have his own choice of food stands violated or stultified,'' the affidavit said.

The state said that the cow, and its progeny were the backbone of Maharashtra's agrarian economy and to protect it and also to prevent cruelty to animals the law was brought into effect. The government also clarified that the ban was only on the slaughter of cows, bulls and bullocks and the possession of flesh of these animals. ''There is no total ban on import of meat or livestock. The only ban is for the possession of meat/flesh of cow progeny within the state of Maharashtra and there cannot be trade or commerce of meat/flesh of cow progeny. All other kind of meat including that of buffalo is permitted to be possessed,'' added the affidavit. ''Though the provision may result in affecting the import of cow progeny flesh, the same is only incidental to the real nature and character of the enactment and hence cannot affect the competence of the legislature to enact (the law),'' the state said.

The government opposed any stay and pointed out that the law had received the President's assent and was ''in public interest''.

The petitioners, who have challenged the beef ban law questioned section 5D of the Act that criminalizes possession of beef and in turn its consumption. Senior advocate Aspi Chinoy, contended that the beef ban law was contrary to central laws like the Food Safety and Security Act and the Livestock Import Act that treats beef as a ''wholesome, and permissible food''.

READ ALSO: Beef ban just the beginning, Maharashtra government tells Bombay high court

The division bench of justice VM Kanade and justice MS Sonak has scheduled the case for further hearing on Tuesday April 21, 2015.

READ ALSO: PIL challenges provision under new beef ban law

In 1976, the Maharashtra government enacted a law banning the slaughter of cows. In 1995, the government makes changes to the law by the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Act, which banned the slaughter of bulls and bullocks as well. Twenty years later in February 2015, the President of India grants sanction to the law. The Maharashtra government notifies the law in March 2015 and it comes into force across the state.

Food safety is a must for sustainable development

Food safety is a theme having high priority and relevance among governments, civil society, the private sector and intergovernmental agencies across the globe. Changing consumer preferences, changes in production and distribution methods, evolving trade and travel, shifts in climatic and environmental factors, and growing anti-microbial resistance are some of the factors that increase the probability of occurrence of food hazards and food safety incidents. Unsafe food is a major public health issue and restoring food trust with the consumer is now becoming an important area of concern among governments, regulators and enforcement agencies, and large multinational companies.

In India, increasing agricultural exports have long been an integral part of the government's sector-development strategy. However, there have been serious challenges faced by exporters in order to streamline exports with the ever-changing food quality and safety norms of major importing countries. There have been incidences in which Indian export products have not complied with international food quality and safety norms leading to restrictions in market access to the importing countries.

There have been concerns over pesticide residues in horticultural produce (EU's ban on India's mango exports in 2014, Saudi Arabia's ban on India's chillies' export in 2014, the Indian Grape Export Crisis in 2003), aflatoxin contamination and the use of prohibited food colorants in spices' export (Indian dry chili exports faced rejection in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK due to the presence of aflatoxin in 2004-05, EU banned fish and fish exports from India in 1997 due to salmonella detection). 

Sudden changes in the import norms, stringent food safety and quality norms followed by major importing countries have increased challenges for food exporters in gaining access to these markets. Even for large multinational companies disruption in food supply is a major concern for loss of brand value among its consumers.

Apart from dealing with the challenges in getting access to the international market, the food industry has to deal with various intrinsic issues impacting food quality and safety across the supply chain. The existing extension system does not focus on food quality and safety domain as a result of which there is limited awareness among farmers towards these areas. Further, limited training avenues and support infrastructure, coupled with high cost of certification, creates a disincentive for adoption of standard practices by small holders and marginal farmers. This poses serious challenges to product quality standardisation for food companies engaged in cross border procurement and trade.

Further, quality and safety management systems, product certification and standardisation regarding food safety and quality are still in their infancy and need immediate attention. The government should provide an integrated legal framework and platform to facilitate implementation of food quality and safety management systems. To further harness the potential of the agriculture and food industry, robust policy strategies on food quality and safety are absolutely imperative, with emphasis given on a holistic farm-to-fork approach, as an effective means of reducing probable food hazards. In addition, focused approach towards improving areas such as tax incentives, skill development and education programmes, stakeholder awareness campaigns, international cooperation and related policies can improve the level of food safety and quality in India and gain the much-needed Food Trust among consumers.

Concerted efforts are required both by the government and the private sector at policy and implementation levels, respectively. There is a need to go beyond compliance to improve standards and secure greater market access of our food products in the developed markets. Enabling transparent integration of knowledge, technology and information across the food supply chain, coupled with effective risk monitoring, could lead to improved traceability and increased supply chain resilience, ensuring food safety and security at the national level.

PwC considers food safety an important precursor to ensuring food security. Food safety is a vital constituent to achieve sustainable development - it must be systematically assimilated into all policies and interventions to improve nutrition and food security. It is also quintessential for the food value chain stakeholders to assess and mitigate food safety risks throughout the supply chain to maintain trade competitiveness and to ensure sustainability in the long run.

Food Safety Standards Act of India, Training on Statutory & Regulatory Requirements, Food Safety & Quality – Best Practices

Event Description

The Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, notified in the Gazette of India dated 1st Aug 2011 have come in force since 5th Aug 2011 which subsequently got amended as Food Safety and Standards (Amendment) Act, 2014. It is thus important for all concerned stakeholders to get sensitized on the requirements & challenges they will face, with the enforcement of new Rules and Regulations.

Food processors, Food Service industry, Regulators, Exporters need to immediately start training their workforce for working towards implementation of Basic Hygiene Practices in their processing units and Supply Chain and simultaneously build in-house capability for conducting audits to identify the gaps for improvement.

In Schedule 4 of the Regulations “General Hygienic and Sanitary Practices need to be followed by All Food Business Operators”, the requirements have been detailed in Part II. While the entire document is important for all the Food Businesses Operators, it is this part which provides requirements significantly different from the earlier PFA & where Food Business Operators are most likely to falter if they do not gear up now.

To quote this part of the regulation “The establishment in which food is being handled, processed, manufactured, packed, stored, and distributed by the food business operator and the persons handling them should conform to the sanitary and hygienic requirement, food safety measures and other standards as specified below……………”

With this background, CII is organizing a one day Workshop for the Ready to Eat Sector on Food Safety and Standards: Preparing for the New Regulatory Regime on 22 April, 2015 at Park Hotel, Kolkata.

Date and Venue

Start Date:Apr 22, 2015 

Venue: Park Hotel, 17 Park Street, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறையினர் சாலையோர கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு தரமற்ற உணவுகளை அழித்தனர் சுற்றுலா பயணிகளுக்கு தரமான உணவு, குடிநீா் வழங்க அறிவுறுத்தல்

Here are FIVE BEST Tips to Cook meat safely

1. Meat Safety:

Storing and Handling Meat, Poultry, and Fish

Various sorts of microbes can develop on creature items. It’s critical to securely handle and store a wide range of meat. Then again, numerous individuals think that it befuddling that distinctive sorts of meat have diverse taking care of standards. It might be consummately protected to eat one sort of meat a week after it was arranged or solidify it to eat later. Be that as it may, different sorts ought to be discarded after just a couple of days or kept unfrozen.

2. Handling Meat:

Make a point to wash your hands every now and again when setting up any sort of meat, fish, or poultry.Set up the meat on a different surface from other cooking materials. Germs spread effortlessly. It’s especially essential to keep vegetables and different fixings far from meat, particularly on the off chance that you are not cooking them together in the same dish. Utilization separate cutting sheets. You ought to additionally clean every cooking utensil after they come into contact with crude meat. Diverse utensils ought to be utilized to serve sustenance than set it up.

3. Meat Storage:

As a general rule, uncured raw meat lasts safely for around three days in the refrigerator. If you are planning to keep uncooked meat longer, then freezing is your best bet. Meat should be sealed in an airtight package before freezing. Then it can usually be frozen for at least several months.

Safe freezing and refrigeration time also depends on the storage temperature. Freezers should be kept as close to 0 degrees Fahrenheit as possible. This helps keep food fresh and retain nutrients. Refrigerators should be kept at around 34 F to effectively prolong the shelf life of foods. This temperature is just above freezing.

4. Cooking Temperature and Food Safety:

Cooking temperature affects both the taste and safety of food. From a safety perspective, hotter temperatures at the center of the meat are safer. However, safe cooking temperatures vary for different types of meat.

Poultry should never be eaten rare. It should always be cooked thoroughly. Undercooked poultry can spread salmonella and other diseases.

Pork should always be cooked to at least the high end of medium. Pork can carry several potentially dangerous types of worms and parasites.

Beef has a wider safety range. However, rare meat lovers are safer sticking to steaks, roasts, and chops. Ground meat needs to be cooked to a higher temperature. This is because whole cuts of meat typically have the most bacteria on their surfaces. Bacteria found in ground meats may be mixed throughout.

5. Cooking Fish:

Fish has a wide spectrum of safe cooking methods. They change depending on the type and quality of fish you are cooking. The method used to cook the fish is also extremely important.

Check cooking instructions for different types of fish. In general, fish should be cooked all the way through. However, medium-rare may be acceptable for certain types of fish. Raw fish, like sushi, should only be eaten with caution. It must be prepared carefully to reduce the risk of contamination.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Five eateries closed after raids

Safe Kerala initiative to check infectious diseases

In raids conducted by Health Department officials in the capital district on Saturday, five eateries, including the canteen at the Neyyattinkara Government General Hospital, were closed after they were found supplying unhygienic food.

The other eateries closed were a canteen functioning at the comfort station at Neyyattinkara; two hotels at Poovar; a bakery at Puthenthope; and a hotel at Kilimanoor, a senior Health Department official toldThe Hindu .

The raids conducted as part of the Safe Kerala, an initiative to check infectious diseases and promote public health, found 93 teams drawn from various wings of the Health Department inspecting as many as 1,404 eateries in the district.

Food Safety Act

• Of these, improvement notices have been issued to 441 eateries and fine to the tune of Rs.19,000 was collected from various outlets.
• The fines were imposed under Section 69 of the Food Safety Act which has a provision for compounding offences. The team carried out checks in the eateries to ascertain the hygiene, including personal hygiene of cooks; quality of water; facility for dumping waste; and drainage facility, the official said.
• Raids in eateries were conducted across the State, the official said, adding that surprise inspections would be carried out in the coming months.

93 teams inspect 1,404 eateries

Rs.19,000 collected as fine, notice to 441 outlets

School celebrates World Health Day

Around 800 students of S.J.T. Surana Jain Vidyalaya took out a rally to mark World Health Day. They carried placards with slogans to spread awareness of food safety — this year’s WHO theme.

Sunil Singhvi of Singhvi Hospital and Pavan Bohra, an alumnus of the school, a dentist and assistant professor at Ramachandra Medical College were the chief guests. They flagged off the rally.

Dr. Singhvi stressed on the importance of eating the right food with good nutritional value, while Dr. Pavan said eating junk food would lead to tooth decay.

Academic director Jayanthi Balachandran and principal Uma Murthy addressed the students on the significance of healthy food.

Big Bazaar bakery under scanner

NAGPUR: Retail giant Big Baazar was found to be running a bakery on its Ramdaspeth premises without proper permissions in place. While the company has a license for running a restaurant in the building, it didn't have the necessary permissions required under the Food Safety and Standards Act of India (FSSAI). The perishable goods in the bakery were also found without appropriate information about their shelf life.

NGO Anti Adulteration Consumer Society found the violations when its members took up a routine check of the bakery on Friday. They found that products like white bread, bar chocolate cake and chilli coriander bread didn't have the essential best before date imprinted on their packages. They immediately informed officials from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) who conducted an enquiry into the complaints on the same day.

"We found that some of the bakery items had a best before date in an improper format. We have taken samples and sent them for analysis. The bigger problem was that they had the licenses in place for running a restaurant and were running the bakery as part of the restaurant. The rules require separate permissions for them both," said food safety officer Praveen Umap who along with fellow officer Abhay Deshpande conducted the raid.

"Bakery items are perishable even if kept in fridge, which makes the best before and manufacturing dates necessary as per FSSAI norms. Their absence can create several health problems for consumers," said Anti Adulteration Consumer Society chairman Shahid Shareef.

When contacted, officials of Big Bazaar acknowledged that the raid had taken place and said that certain queries were raised about their operations. "Certain things have been brought to our notice in terms of the way things were operating in the bakery. We are working on those issues and care will be taken that we abide by all the rules and regulations," said the official.

Five eateries closed after raids

In raids conducted by Health Department officials in the capital district on Saturday, five eateries, including the canteen at the Neyyattinkara Government General Hospital, were closed after they were found supplying unhygienic food.

The other eateries closed were a canteen functioning at the comfort station at Neyyattinkara; two hotels at Poovar; a bakery at Puthenthope; and a hotel at Kilimanoor, a senior Health Department official told The Hindu .

The raids conducted as part of the Safe Kerala, an initiative to check infectious diseases and promote public health, found 93 teams drawn from various wings of the Health Department inspecting as many as 1,404 eateries in the district.

Food Safety Act

Of these, improvement notices have been issued to 441 eateries and fine to the tune of Rs.19,000 was collected from various outlets.

The fines were imposed under Section 69 of the Food Safety Act which has a provision for compounding offences. The team carried out checks in the eateries to ascertain the hygiene, including personal hygiene of cooks; quality of water; facility for dumping waste; and drainage facility, the official said.

Raids in eateries were conducted across the State, the official said, adding that surprise inspections would be carried out in the coming months.

HC seeks Delhi govt’s reply on plea against ban on chewable tobacco

The Delhi High Court on Friday sought response of the city government on a plea of manufacturers against ban on sale of chewable tobacco in the national capital from March 30.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to Food Safety Commissioner of the Delhigovernment while restraining it from taking any action against sellers till the next date of hearing on May 20.

“Issue notice. The respondent should not take any coercive action against the sellers and the manufacturers till the next date of hearing,” the judge said.

The court’s notice was issued on a plea by a manufacturer S K Tobacco Industries, which has sought quashing of the notification by the Arvind Kejriwal government, banning sale, purchase and storage of all forms of chewable tobacco including “gutkha, khaini and zarda” in the national capital.

Delhi govt to respond on plea against ban on chewable tobacco

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday sought response of the city government on a plea of manufacturers against ban on sale of chewable tobacco in the national capital from March 30.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to Food Safety Commissioner of the Delhi government while restraining it from taking any action against sellers till the next date of hearing on May 20.

"Issue notice. The respondent should not take any coercive action against the sellers and the manufacturers till the next date of hearing," the judge said.

The court's notice was issued on a plea by a manufacturer S K Tobacco Industries, which has sought quashing of the notification by the Arvind Kejriwal government, banning sale, purchase and storage of all forms of chewable tobacco including "gutkha, khaini and zarda" in the national capital. 

The plea, filed through advocate Prarthana Sampath, contended that the state government has no power to issue such a notification under the Food Safety and Standards Act and deserved to be quashed.

The company claimed that it was manufacturing pure tobacco product governed by Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003, hence the power to regulate the sale or ban tobacco products rests with Centre and not the state.

The plea, also filed by advocate Kewal Singh Ahuja, further stated that the government has "erroneously" ignored that the petitioner company has "goods worth several lakhs stored in its godown for being dispatched for sale and further several lakhs already there with the retailers."

"Without giving an opportunity to at least clear the existing stock, the government's action is vitiated in law and gravely effected by revengeful attitude and thus, arbitrary and liable to be struck down," it said.

It contended that the government arbitrarily discriminated between smokeless and smoking forms of tobacco products, which is "unreasonable and has no rational nexus with the object sought to be achieved."

"Prohibition of one kind of tobacco, smokeless tobacco and leaving out the other kind i.E. Smoking tobacco, does not envisage any public interest sought to be achieved by Article 19 (6) of the Constitution of India," the plea said.

The high court is hearing a similar plea by another manufacturer Sugandhi Snuff King Pvt Ltd seeking quashing of the Delhi government's notification banning sale, purchase and storage of chewable tobacco in the city.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain had banned the sale, purchase and storage of chewable tobacco from March 30, saying enforcement teams of Delhi Police as well as Health Department have been asked to conduct surprise inspections across the city to ensure that the ban is implemented.

However, no such ban was enforced on cigarettes.

Health Department officials have said there was a Delhi government notification of September 2012, which was in pursuance of a series of directions from the Supreme Court to ban gutkha in the city.

But since the ban mentioned the term "gutkha", the tobacco retailers started selling the components of gutkha (betel nut and raw tobacco) in separate pouches. So, the purpose of banning the item was not served.

Therefore, the health department had last year started with a new proposal to ban all the raw chewable tobacco products in Delhi, a government official had said.

Artificially ripening of fruits akin to poisoning – now a criminal offence

The usage of calcium carbide to artificially ripen fruits is already banned, although without stringent action against defaulters.

The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has now decided to strictly enforce Section 328 of the IPC that will be applicable against all those who are found using calcium carbide to ripen their fruits faster so they can be sold on the markets, reported Pune Mirror.

Traders are likely to indulge in this practice as the demand for the fruits continues to be on the rise. This decision was made taking into account the different weather conditions over the last few months. There will be no bail applicable to offenders.

The usage of calcium carbide to artificially ripen fruits is already banned, traders found guilty of it in the past have been likely to get bail and hence escape legal proceedings. According to Indian law, using calcium carbide to artificially ripen any fruit is banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards Regulations Act of 2011 (FSSR). So in a stringent move, such attempts have been denoted as an offence under Section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison etc., with intent to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Fresh orders were issued on Monday to all state FDA units in order to bring this into force immediately. A diktat has also been issued by the state to implement this new addition in the concerned law at the earliest possible date or immediately.

When this law comes into force, the use of calcium carbide or similar chemicals to artificially ripen fruits will be viewed as a crime- an attempt to destroy the life of or impair the health of others by use of poison. When this IPC section is applied practically, offenders will be unable to get bail from the court after arrest and if their guilt is proven by process of prosecution in a special court, the accused may face rigorous imprisonment for a period of up to ten years.

Many traders have been found using this chemical to ripen fast moving fruits such as mangoes, bananas and papayas so that they are available in the market before the season for these fruits starts.

According to the report, a FDA official who chose to remain anonymous said that consuming such ripened fruits may cause headaches and dizziness and might even lead to cancer and heart diseases.

No stay by High Court on ban of tobacco products in Delhi: Government

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Thursday said that the High Court has not put an stay on the notification banning manufacturing, storage, distribution or sale of tobacco products in the national capital.

According to Delhi government's Food and Safety Department, the High Court has only restrained the department not to take any coercive action against a petitioner, who had filed a case against the ban.

Department claimed that some of the tobacco traders were under the impression that the notification has been stayed by the court following media reports in this regard.

According to Delhi government's Food and Safety Department, the High Court has only restrained the department not to take any coercive action against a petitioner, who had filed a case against the ban.

"The notification of ban on tobacco products has not been stayed. All the food safety officers of the department have been directed to keep a vigil in the market and set up their enforcement activity to check and lift sample of such tobacco products as have banned under the notification," a senior government official said.

Department has advised tobacco traders not to violate the provision of the notification.

DAILY THANTHI NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

Healthy drinks to beat the summer heat

Food Safety wing plans to INSPECT TEMPORARY SHOPS

Come summer, and a host of temporary shops come up on the roadsides all over the city offering a variety of drinks.

Ranging from ‘sherbat’ to fruit juices, cool drinks and watermelons, these shops offer a range of drinks. With mercury rising, people buy these drinks and fruits in large quantities, looking for a respite from the searing heat. However, the public must exercise a lot of caution as water-borne diseases spread quickly with unsafe and unhygienic handling, says R. Kathiravan, Designated officer of Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (Food Safety wing)

While the Food Safety Wing has enumerated around 850 roadside eateries, who always put up shop in the same areas, these vendors offerings juices come up only in summer and are highly mobile, making it difficult to regulate.

They mostly operate using pushcarts and do not stay in one place for long. While many eateries have obtained licences from the Food Safety Wing, the push-carts never do so. As a result, the quality of their products is difficult to ascertain.

Those having registered are subject to frequent checks.

The best way to ensure safety, Dr. Kathiravan says, is to ask the fruit vendors to cut the fruits in their presence and avoiding flavoured drinks that appear to have excess colour.

Further, he says, consumers must also, to the extent possible, drink fruits in disposable cups.

Many of these shops were located beneath trees with no water source nearby. Hence, it was highly suspect if they washed properly the utensils and cups in which the food and drinks were served.

“It is also ideal if people went for things like coconut where it is almost impossible to adulterate or tamper.”

He says the food safety wing is gearing up to conduct inspections in fruit juice outlets to crack down on unhygienic handling of fruits.

Tamta asks CMOs to take action against illegal butcher shops

DEHRADUN: Joint commissioner (food) B R Tamta has asked chief medical officers (CMO) of different districts to take action against illegal slaughter houses in the state. A writ warning has been issued to the CMOs for failing to issue strict directives to butcher shops in the past. The action came after a letter was sent to the chief secretary by People for Animals (PFA) authorities alleging operation of illegal slaughter houses across the state. 

Gauri Maulekhi, member secretary, PFA, said, "Not a single slaughter house in the state follow norms which have been laid out under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Meat is sold without checking if it is safe to consume. No veterinary doctors have been deputed at slaughter houses so far to undergo checks. Meat is also sold in the open. Moreover, the food department has issued a large number of unauthorized licenses. We brought these issues up with the chief secretary nearly two months back." 

S P Aggarwal, CMO, Dehradun, expressed ignorance over reports that licenses were issued in large numbers saying that the food safety wing is responsible for it. 

Maulekhi further said how basic facilities such as water supply, drainage systems, stun guns or incinerators remain absent in the shops. Checks on livestock are also not done to ensure if they are sick or pregnant before being butchered. Former chief secretary had directed the commissioner of Garhwal and Kumaon Mandal, district magistrates and the food safety commissioner to undergo inspection of slaughter houses at various parts of the state but little has been done so far. Similarly, directives to appoint veterinary doctors issued in all the municipal corporations have fallen on deaf ears.

Sensor that can detect spoiled food

New York, April 16 (IANS) Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have devised an inexpensive sensor that can tell consumers if the food in their grocery store or refrigerator is safe to eat.

The portable sensor, which consists of chemically modified carbon nanotubes, works by detecting the gases emitted by rotting meat.

"The device could be deployed in 'smart packaging' that would offer much more accurate safety information than the expiration date on the package," said senior study author professor Timothy Swager from MIT.

It could also cut down on food waste. "People are constantly throwing things out that probably aren't bad," Swager added.

In this study, the researchers tested the sensor on four types of meat: pork, chicken, cod and salmon. They found that when refrigerated, all four types stayed fresh over four days and when left unrefrigerated, the samples all decayed, but at varying rates.

There are other sensors that can detect the signs of decaying meat but they are usually large and expensive instruments that require expertise to operate.

"The advantage we have is these are the cheapest, smallest, easiest-to-manufacture sensors," Swager said.

The new device also requires very little power and could be incorporated into a wireless platform that Swager's lab recently developed that allows a regular smartphone to read output from carbon nanotube sensors such as this one.

The paper describing the invention was published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

Pesticides more harmful than thought

Not just on the honeybees, chemicals in pesticides have severe effect on other pollinators and natural pest controllers such as parasitic wasps, ladybugs, earthworms and many more

Dead bees displayed during a demonstration of Bulgarian beekeepers against the usage of neonicotinoid pesticides.

An European scientific body said Wednesday that a group of pesticides believed to contribute to mass deaths of honeybees is probably more damaging to ecosystems than previously thought and questioned whether the substances had a place in sustainable agriculture.
The European Commission in 2013 banned the use of three neonicotinoids clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam on flowering plants after a separate body, the European Food Safety Authority, found that exposure to the chemicals created high acute risks to bees.
But the chemicals continue to be employed on an industrial scale. A growing body of evidence shows that the widespread use of the pesticides has severe effects on a range of organisms that provide ecosystem services like pollination and natural pest control, as well as on biodiversity, the reports authors said.
Predatory insects like parasitic wasps and ladybugs provide billions of dollars worth of insect control, they noted, and organisms like earthworms contribute billions more through improved soil productivity. All are harmed by the pesticides.
Irreversible impact
Pollination typically by wind, bug or bird is essential to the global food supply. An estimated 75 percent of all traded crops, including apples, soybeans and corn, depend on pollination.
Neonicotinoids are absorbed by a plant so that the neurotoxic poison spreads throughout its tissues, including the sap, nectar and pollen. Far more deadly to insects than to mammals, they do not discriminate between harmful pests and beneficial pollinators.
But the pesticides are also among the most effective insecticides available to farmers. Proponents argue that they are essential to food security, and note that many of the chemicals they replaced were worse in important respects.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Artifical ripening now a criminal offence

Calcium carbide generally ripens fruit within 2.5 days, gives it appealing hue

FDA makes strict IPC Section 328 with a poisoning charge applicable against traders using calcium carbide to get fruits market ready; no bail for offenders.

Taking into consideration the slew of unpredictable weather situations over the last few months, the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) is stealing a march on traders likely to artificially ripen fruits using calcium carbide to keep up with market demand. While this practice is already banned, the authority has observed instances of culprits wriggling out of legal proceedings by obtaining bail, and in a stringent move, has henceforth denoted any such attempt as an offence under Section 328 (causing hurt by means of poison, etc., with intent to commit an offence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Orders were issued in this regard on Monday to all state FDA units, to follow with immediate effect. A diktat was also issued by the state to implement this new addition in the concerned law immediately.

Now, the use of calcium carbide or any such chemical to artificially ripen fruit will be considered a crime — an attempt to destroy the life or impair the health of others by using poison. With this IPC section applied, offenders will be unable to obtain bail from the court after arrest. If guilt is proved by the prosecution in a special court, the accused may face rigorous imprisonment for up to 10 years.

Several traders were found to be using the chemical to ripen fruit like mangoes, bananas and papayas in a neat 2.5 days, so that they can be made available in the market before season starts, to avail of additional profit. The chemical also lends fruits an appealing hue for better marketability.

As per the law, using calcium carbide to artificially ripen any fruit is banned under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, and the Regulations (FSSR), 2011.

Joint commissioner (food) of the FDA's Pune division, Shashikant Kekre, told Mirror, "This year, despite the lack of yield, no cases have been discovered yet, perhaps out of fear of punishment. However, we have decided to make the law more stringent. Many cases are expected to arise with the arrival of the new stock of mangoes in the market."

He added, "Last year, we filed over 100 such cases. Now, it will be a nonbailable offence with IPC Section 328 to be applied in each case. The same section is also applied when other hazardous chemicals are used, like magnesium carbide in banned food items like gutkha, mava or scented tobacco. We have also started imposing a fine of up to Rs 3.5 lakh, which has proved to be a good disincentive."

According to an FDA official, who chose to remain anonymous, consuming such chemically ripened fruits may lead to headaches, dizziness, cancer and heart diseases. "We have suggested to traders that they use ethylene gas centres for this ripening for several kinds of fruits," he said. Another officer from the Mumbai FDA said, "The use of the new section started after a meeting between senior FDA officers, police and traders in February this year. A toll-free number, 1800222365, has also been activated in this matter, to connect all FDA units of the state."

A wholesale mango trader from Gultekdi, Hiraman Raoji Kale, told Mirror, "This is a welcome move aimed at controlling illegal activities. Chemical ripeners are used to earn extra profit with no regard for the lives of those who will consume the fruit. Use of this stringent IPC section is bound to reduce use of chemicals."

Ban on artificially ripened mangoes

The Commissioner of Food Safety has issued orders prohibiting the sale of mangoes which have been artificially ripened using calcium carbide across the State.

The ban is applicable to the sale, stocking, and exhibition of mangoes ripened using calcium carbide as well as the importing of such mangoes from neighbouring States.

The ban orders were issued invoking Food Safety and Standards Regulation 2.3.5 and FSSA Section 30.

The State police, Sales Tax, and Motor Vehicles departments have been given strict instructions to examine vehicles bringing mangoes from across the border to ensure that these are not being ripened using calcium carbide.

The public may call the toll-free number 1800 425 1125 if they find artificially ripened mangoes in the market.

Guidelines on FSSAI Restrictions on Labels of Food Products

Guidelines on FSSAI Restrictions on Labels of Food Products

According to food regulations, labels on all pre-packaged foods are mandatory and no food product can be sold without proper labelling as specified in the Food Safety and Standards(Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011. Labels on food products are important for two major reasons

For the consumer they are important because the label information is used by the consumer to evaluate the food, the ingredients, nutritional value, weight, price etc. before buying the product.

For the manufacturer it is a way of communicating with the customer and informing them about the quality and the important aspects of the food product

The information on the label is important because it allows consumers to make an informed choice. While it may be easy to understand what has to be mentioned on the label it is also equally important to know what is not permitted on labels. Food Business Operators need to understand that any statement, design or claim on labels that turns out to be false could lead to penalization so they must be sure that the information on labels is correct. Accordingly FSSAI in the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011has also laid down the restrictions on product labels that are to be followed by all food business operators dealing with packaged foods.

Restrictions on product labels

• Labels on the products shall carry no reference to the FSS Act or FSSAI regulations that seek to qualify, modify or contradict it in any manner and which could be misunderstood whether it is directly or by implication or explanation.
• Labels cannot mention that the product has been recommended, prescribed or approved by any person in the medical profession or that the product can be used for medical purposes cannot be suggested on the label.
• Unauthorised use of words like the following are not permitted to be mentioned on the label like.
• Words that show that the food product is an “imitation” or a “substitute” for another product cannot be mentioned on the labels or in any statement attached to the product. Such words are permitted for use only for those foods that are mentioned in the regulations and the words have been permitted for using.
• Any fruit syrup, fruit juice, fruit squash, fruit beverages, cordial, crush or any other fruit products cannot be described according to these names unless these products contain the permitted levels that standardizes them according to regulations.
• The label on food products cannot contain words or pictures that imply or give the wrong impression to the consumer that the product contains the specified amount of fruit. If the fruit is not used in the product then it has to be clearly mentioned on the label ADDED (NAME OF THE FRUIT) FLAVOUR or it will be seen as deceiving or misleading the consumer.
• If a product does not contain the fruit it cannot be described as a fruit product on the label if it contains only fruit flavours even if they are natural or they are natural flavouring substances or nature identical flavouring substances, artificial flavouring substances as single fruit flavour or a combination of fruit flavours. The label in this case also shall mention the product as ADDED (NAME OF FRUIT) FLAVOUR.
• Carbonated water that does not contain fruit juice or fruit pulp cannot have a label that misleads the consumer into believing that this is a fruit product.
• If a fruit or vegetable product is fortified with Vitamin C than it has to contain 40mgms of ascorbic acid per 100 gm. of the product or it cannot be mentioned that it is fortified with Vitamin C.
• The word “PURE” or any other words that imply purity cannot be mentioned on the label if it is an imitation of the product.

Drinking water label prohibitions for packaged and mineral water

• The labels cannot claim that the water has medicinal, preventive, curative or alleviative effects or that it has any other beneficial effects on the health of the consumer.
• The name of any locality, place or village may not be part of the trade name unless the packaged water has physically been collected in the place mentioned.
• No picture, graph or statement can be used on water that can confuse the public or mislead them about the nature, origin, composition or properties of the water in the package.

Restriction on advertisement

• No food can be advertised in a manner that contradicts the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 or the rules and regulations written there under or which can mislead the public about the benefits or contents of the food.
• Food Business Operators must ensure that all packaged food products are labelled in accordance with regulations and that they provide full information so that consumers can make informed choices. They must also keep in mind that any food product that has labels that promote sales by misleading or making tall claims can be termed as misbranding and misbranding invites heavy penalties.

Only 17 food safety officers for Bihar's 11 crore population

With only 17 staffers to administer the food safety of 11 crore people, the situation of food safety in Bihar lies in doldrums.

According to Food safety act, every state is supposed to have one state health officer (SHO) per one lakh population but even though the population of Patna has crossed 27 lakhs, the city still has only one SHO.

With a population of more than 27 lakhs and more than 50,000 small and big hotels, shops, restaurants and stalls, the job of giving license, checking of safety norms and inception becomes a tedious job for one SHO.

The SHO is the one to keep track of law-breakers and see that they are punished and changes are brought in as per the norms. In this situation, the food safety law has become a joke.

The nation celebrated world food safety day on April.7, but the situation of food safety in Bihar lies in doldrums. Food safety officer and his team of 16 members (14 SHOs and two Designated officers) heads the responsibility of the state which has a population of around 11 crore.

63 raids in three years:

The food safety and standards act was brought in action in Oct 2011 and since then only 63 cases of food safety issues have come up in Bihar. During this period, 14 cases were brought up from the other five districts, Bhojpur, Buxar, Rohtas, Kamur and Nalanda. In most of the cases, a mere formability was done and the matter is forgotten over time or remains pending in the courts.

Only 2520 shop and hotel owners from these six districts have taken license from food safety office, till date.

According to an official from food safety department, collection of food sample becomes a tedious task for the officials due to lack of security system.

“The wrong doers do not allow us in their shops, some even start arguing and fighting. In these situations it becomes difficult to collect sample and we have to return without sample. We do have the right to use police force if necessary but the long process of requisition form, application for number of employees needed, then telling them the exact time of raid, and then excuses like higher official is not here, creates unnecessary delay,” said the official.

It would be better if we have police deployed in our department itself, added the official.

Only 17 staffs to administer the food safety of 11 crore people

According to Dr. Mukeshjee Kashyap, food safety officer cum registering authority for Hajipur, Mothihari, Bettiah, Sitamarhi and Seohar, the state had its last recruitment for food safety department in 2004.

The department started functioning with 30 members initially, but with time, the members started retiring and now have only 17 members.

“The department has only 30 sanctioned posts. At the time of Bihar Jharkhand division, the officials were also shifted to Jharkhand,” said Kashyap.

The department has also raised the qualification criteria for the recruitment. M.SC in chemistry plus food safety training has become the minimum qualification, hence it has also become difficult to find people with high qualification, added Kashyap.

According to Kashyap, they have filed an application for recruitment of 625 SHOs (1 SHO per block, and also 1 SHO per 1 lakh population), 39 DOs (one officer each for the 38 district in the state and one for the headquarters), 101 assistant DOs, and four special DOs for raid team, 9 deputy food commissioners, (one for each division in the state) and one food safety officer for the whole state.

“The file has been cleared by the health department and is now in the finance department, and we hope that all the appointments will be made in the coming two-three month,” confirmed Kashyap.

Norms of food safety:

The food safety law has divided the owners into four categories:

• Owners with yearly turnover of less than 12 lakhs do not need to take license, they only need to get themselves registered every year by paying a minimal charge of Rs100.
• Owners with turnover of more than 12 lakh need to get license every year by paying Rs 2000 as charge.
• Manufacturing units with less than 1 ton of manufacturing need to pay Rs 3000 per year for license.
• One can get the license or registration for only 5 years at one time.

The laboratory also lies dysfunctional due to absence of analyst:

United manure and drug laboratory (Sanyukt Khad avam aushadi prayogshala) of Patna is lying dysfunctional due to lack of food analyst. The samples are sent to other states for testing and it takes at least 40 days for the results to come, leading to unnecessary delay in the work.

Ramdhani Singh, health minister, Bihar has said that attempts are being made to resolve all the problems and the cabinets will work towards it.

“We are trying our best, due to lack of man power it’s difficult to carry the work and follow the act,” said Singh.

‘No traces of paraffin in coconut oil’

The government has informed the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) that as per the checks conducted across the State, the presence of liquid paraffin or mineral oil has not been detected in any samples of coconut oil.

Of the 105 samples of coconut oil examined, 26 have been found to be of low quality. The government has banned nine brands of coconut oil, as these have not adhered to quality norms and have been adulterated.

SHRC directive

The government has given orders to check coconut oil samples following a directive of the SHRC after the latter received a petition that much of the coconut oil available in the market is adulterated.

The government informed SHRC that it has checked samples of all brands of coconut oil being sold in the State. Tests have been conducted around the inter-State check-posts too.

The oil samples collected by the Food Safety officers have also been tested at the lab of the Coconut Development Board in Ernakulam. The manufacturers of adulterated brands of coconut oil have been served notices, the government informed the commission.

Don’t take action against tobacco sellers: HC

Justice Rajiv Shakdher issued notice to Food Safety Commissioner of the Delhi government while restraining it from taking any action against sellers till the next date of hearing on May 20.

“Issue notice. The respondent should not take any coercive action the sellers and the manufacturers till the next date of hearing,” the judge said. The court’s notice was issued on a plea by a manufacturer Sugandhi Snuff King Pvt Ltd, which has sought quashing of the notification by the Arvind Kejriwal government, banning sale, purchase and storage of all forms of chewable tobacco including “gutkha, khaini and zarda” in Delhi.

Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, assisted by Vivek Kohli, appearing for the manufacturer, contended that the state government has no power to issue such a notification under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

The counsel further stated that Sugandhi Snuff King Pvt Ltd was manufacturing a pure tobacco product governed by Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.

The manufacturer also said only the Centre has the power to regulate sale or ban and not the state government. The manufacturer moved the high court after the Delhi government had on March 27 announced the ban on sale, purchase and storage of chewable tobacco in the city.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMALAR NEWS

Manpower shortage cripples functioning of food safety dept

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Manpower shortage is seriously affecting the functioning of food safety department. The number of food safety officers will shrink to 43 from the current 55 with the retirement of 12 officers in May. The department, which is already crippled by manpower shortage, is to face severe crisis in the coming days.

As per norms, each constituency must have a food safety officer. According to sources in the department of food safety, a single food safety officer has to look after more than three constituencies, which is impractical. "We get a call from Aruvikkara while handling an issue in Thiruvananthapuram. In such cases, it would be difficult to reach places on time. Activities such as collection of samples are affected because of the shortage," said a food safety official.

The toll free number of food safety department 1800 425 1125 FREE gets around 40 calls a day. However, the department is not able to respond to even five calls a day. "We don't have the required number of vehicles to reach places for inquiry. The department only has 12 vehicles," the official said.

As many as 156 posts are lying vacant in the department. This was reported to PSC almost a year ago. However, there was no positive response on the issue.

The food safety department was formed in 2008 to implement Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. The prevention of food adulteration wing and analytical laboratories under the control of the director of health services were transferred to the control of the commissioner of food safety then.

Initially, the department was active with frequent inspection of hotels and food business establishments. Now, in addition to manpower shortage, fund crunch too has affected the operations of the department.

"The budget allocation for enforcement activities has been cut short to Rs 2.50 crore in this budget. This is going to affect the functioning of the department," the official said.

Drive to check water quality in eateries

KOZHIKODE: The food safety officials are set to carry out week-long inspections across the state to check the use of impure drinking water for preparing food and juices. The move is to put an end to the use of unhygienic water in eateries. 

A special food safety squad from one district will carry out inspection in a neighbouring district to avoid allegations of corruption. 

"Quality of water used for preparing food, the water resources used by hotels and juice parlours and roadside eateries will be inspected," said an official with food safety department who did not want to be identified. The attempt is to prevent jaundice and other diseases during summer, he said adding that the date of the drive could not be divulged as it would affect the result of the inspections. 

The use of unhygienic drinking water for preparing ice and juice is common in summer, owing to the shortage of pure drinking water. 

Many organizations and consumer groups have also come up with the demand for regular inspections at juice parlours, hotels and roadside vendors to ensure the quality of drinking water they use. Besides, videos and photographs on the use of chemical for ripening, sweetening and adding texture to fruits is also a cause of concern to consumers. The seizure of 1,000kg artificially ripened mangoes and 150kg calcium carbonate from Kannur had caused much panic. 

In the backdrop of the incident in Kannur and taking into account the general trend of using chemicals for artificially ripening fruits, especially mangos, we have appointed persons to keep regular tab on warehouses were these fruits are stored in the district, said an official. The support of traders and residents near these warehouses are also sought to detect the use of chemicals. 

"As it is not easily possible to detect the presence of chemical by testing ripe fruits, measures are taken to prevent its use," said the official. Guarding the warehouses, frequent inspections and checking whenever a new load of fruit reaches the district has created awareness among the traders, the official said adding that they had not detected the use of chemical for ripening in Kozhikode so far . 

Inspections to check adulteration of grains and milk will also be carried out ahead of Vishu.

Artificial Ripening of Mangoes Banned

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Food Safety Commissioner has issued a notification prohibiting the artificial ripening of mangoes using Calcium Carbide or other chemicals across the state.

The prohibition of selling, stocking, displaying or transporting artificially ripened mangoes from other states is as per Food Safety Standard Regulation 2.3.5 and Food Safety Standard Act Section 30.

Police, Excise and Motor Vehicles Departments have been instructed to do thorough checking of vehicles carrying mangoes from other states to ensure that chemicals like Calcium carbide have not been used.

The office of the Food Safety Commission has asked the public to be alert about the artificial ripening of fruits.

Apart from mangoes, Calcium carbide is used on several other fruits, including pineapple, apple, orange and lemon.

The public can contact the toll-free number 1800-425-1125 or call any of the following numbers (see table) to inform the authorities of any violation they come across.

Contact Numbers

T’Puram : 8943346181

Kollam : 8943346182

P’Thitta : 8943346183

Alappuzha : 8943346184

Kottayam : 8943346185

Idukki : 8943346186

Ernakulam : 8943346187

Thrissur : 8943346188

Palakkad : 8943346189

Malappuram : 8943346190

Kozhikode : 8943346191

Wayanad : 8943346192

Kannur : 8943346193

WATCH YOUR PLATE!

Due to lack of food safety, water or food-borne diseases are becoming new-age epidemics across the globe

Widespread prevalence of hunger and starvation in many parts of the world made the discourse on food security focussed to provisioning of minimum calorie intake for survival, without adequate consideration of the issues of either nutritional value or safety of food. The UN Millennium Development Goal targeted ‘to halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger’. According to the MDG report card of 2014 the proportion of underfed people has decreased from 24 per cent in 1990-92 to 14 per cent in 2011-13 and therefore, the target should almost be achieved before the world leaders gather this September in New York to adopt the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Fourteen per cent of the 7.2 billion global population is still a formidable number, mostly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, where basic food security remains an unfinished agenda. The fact that the agenda is high on priority is reflected in the enactment of laws making food an entitlement such as India’s National Food Security Act of 2013, and in the continuing efforts of international humanitarian agencies, spearheaded by the World Food Programme. These endeavours may ensure that the saga of starvation of human beings on planet earth may well be overcome during the course of next decade or less. It may resurface unless food production keeps pace with growth of population, which would be another challenge, considering the slowing down of agricultural growth in many countries and the spectre of climate change haunting agriculture in tropical areas.

Food security that has been achieved for almost 90 per cent of people cannot be sustained unless it is ensured that the foods they consume are sufficient, nutritious and safe. Increasing intensification and industrialisation of agricultural and animal production, globalisation of food processing and supply chains, and changing food habits of people — particularly in growing urban areas — are creating new challenges in production, supply and consumption of food that may have serious impacts on food safety.

Bottlenecks

First, on the production side increasing use of genetically modified seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, animal and poultry feeds are causing concerns on which opinions are sharply divided, but there are no differences of opinion on unsafe food processing, storage, packaging, transportation et al which raise serious issues of food safety that remain unaddressed in many parts of the world. According to World Health Organisation, unsafe food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites, prions or chemical substances like toxins, organic pollutants and heavy metals may cause more than 200 different types of diseases — ranging from diarrhoea to cancers. Preliminary estimates of currently ongoing global burden of food-borne diseases indicate there are well over five billion episodes of diarrhoea morbidity alone every year, of which over two million people do not survive, which include many children.

On the supply side, food is one of the fastest growing global supply chains that link producers from the remotest corners to markets around the world. While this offers enormous opportunities for the growth of food processing industries and higher returns for the primary growers, inadequate infrastructure for storage, handling, packaging and transportation and absence of well-developed regulatory regimes come with inherent dangers of creating layers of risks and of transmitting the risks far beyond the farmland or factory gates. There are many examples when local incidents quickly evolved into international emergencies due to the speed and range of product distribution. Some of these recent examples include the contamination of infant formula with melamine in China that affected 3,00,000 infants in 2008 and the 2011 Escherichia coli outbreak in Germany linked to contaminated fenugreek sprouts in Europe and North America, which caused US $1.3 billion in losses, for farmers and industries, and US $236 million in emergency aid payments to 22 European Union member states.

Safe food production and supply may not necessarily ensure food safety unless the foods that are finally consumed in homes, community feasts, eateries or on the streets are safe. It is estimated that nearly 30 per cent of food-borne diseases originate on the consumption side that can be easily prevented with better education, awareness and enforcement but these apparently simple tasks become difficult in countries afflicted with poverty, illiteracy and poor governance.

Law and disorder

Food safety in India has not engaged the kind of attention it should have. The integration of multiplicity of laws and regulations like Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954, Fruit Products Order 1955, Meat Food Products Order 1973, Vegetable Oil Products (Control) Order 1947, Milk and Milk Products Order 1992 et al into Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and establishment of a single reference point in the Food Safety and Standards Authorities at national and state levels held the promises of food safety, but the promises are far from being translated into actions on the ground. Food adulteration and widespread contamination are creating continuing risks of food-borne diseases that pose one of the gravest risks to public health.

Surely, food safety is a critical issue of public health, but the issues are much larger than just health — it involves multiple sectors like agriculture, animal husbandry, food processing and marketing, consumer affairs et al. This calls for an integrated approach involving multiple stakeholders that are concerned with all these sectors, which is woefully lacking.