Bombay High Court to decide on Maggi ban tomorrow

Thursday's order will put an end the long-drawn legal tussle between Nestle India and food authorities of both Maharashtra state and centre.

After hearing arguments for over a fortnight and examining several bundles of documents, the Bombay is set to pronounce whether or not India’s food regulator was right in banning Maggi noodles manufactured by food giant Nestle India.

On June 5, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ordered Nestle India to withdraw all nine variants of Maggi instant noodles from the market terming them “unsafe and hazardous” for human consumption. The company had earlier argued that CEO of FSSAI, while passing the order had acted in an “emergent, drastic and arbitrary” fashion while raising doubts over his jurisdiction. Nestle also argued that the food regulator had not served any notice before passing the order of ban. A similar order was passed the Maharashtra Food and Drug Authority.

According to the FSSAI, the bone of contention is Maggi noodles having excessive lead content, which Nestle India has vehemently denied.

The company has also been accused of misleading the customers by mentioning “no added msg” on its packets.

On the contrary, Nestle India has argued in HC that before asking them to ban the product, there ought to have been a mention of injury or risk to health by the company.

Therefore, it was argued in court, that the merely by claiming there was a quality issue, the order could not have been passed.

The company claimed it has been operating in India for 30 years, in additional to having a worldwide reach. Children are being told that they are consuming poison, which is worrisome for its credibility and reputation, it was argued.

Tomorrow’s order will put an end the long-drawn legal tussle between Nestle India and food authorities of both Maharashtra state and centre.

Maggi Noodles Correctly Banned? Court Expected to Decide Tomorrow

NEW DELHI: A claim for 640 crores or 99 million dollars in damages from food group Nestle after a food scare involving Maggi noodles will be heard on Friday by the country's top consumer forum. Tomorrow, the Bombay High Court is expected to rule on whether the government correctly enforced a country-wide ban on the popular snack.

The claim for damages, made on behalf of Indian consumers by the government, was filed with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), which has semi-judicial powers.

Nestle has been accused of unfair trade practices in the first case in India that is being seen as a class-action suit against a multinational.

"We are disappointed with the unprecedented step of filing of a complaint before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) against Nestle India. Based on newspaper reports it appears that the complaint makes similar allegations which were made to ban the product on 5th June 2015," said a statement from the company.

In June, the country's food safety regulator banned Maggi as "unsafe and hazardous for human consumption" after excessive amounts of lead were reported in samples tested in Uttar Pradesh. Nestle was also accused of violating labelling rules and misleading customers by declaring the noodles have do not contain added MSG or added mono-sodium glutamate (MSG), a taste enhancer.

Nestle has recalled Maggi from shops across the country while asserting its snack is safe and challenging the ban in the Bombay High Court.

Disappointed with govt's unprecedented step: Nestle India

A day after the government filed a Rs 640-crore class action suit against Nestle India before consumer redressal forum NCDRC, the company today said it is disappointed with the 'unprecedented step'. 

"We are disappointed with the unprecedented step of filing of a complaint before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) against Nestle India," the company said in a statement. 

Based on newspaper reports it appears that the complaint makes similar allegations which were made to ban the product on June 5, 2015. These issues are awaiting judgment by the Hon'ble Bombay High Court, it added. 

Yesterday, the Consumer Affairs Ministry had flied a case before the consumer forum NCDRC seeking Rs 284.45 crore in basic damages and another Rs 355.50 crore in punitive damages totalling Rs 639.95 crore from the Swiss giant. 

In the petition, the ministry said it is in the process of "tabulating further damages" and will seek additional damages when further facts and data emerges. 

The company, however, insisted that it maintained "the highest standards of food quality and safety in the manufacture of all its products" and "have a stringent programme to test the ingredients that go to make Maggi noodles". 

Nestle India further said in recent months, it had tested over 2,700 samples of Maggi noodles by several accredited laboratories both in India and abroad and each one of the tests showed lead to be far below the permissible limits. 

"In addition Maggi noodles made in India have been tested and found to be safe for consumption by the authorities of several countries across the world," the company claimed.

Nestle chairman says lab tests show Indian noodles safe-paper

Aug 12 Indian authorities have forced Nestle to burn 29,000 tonnes worth of food in a noodle health scare, Chairman Peter Brabeck told a newspaper, dismissing the allegations as unfounded.

"Laboratories in the United States, Britain, Australia and Singapore did not find anything harmful in the noodles. Our products are safe for consumers," he was quoted as saying by Swiss paper Handelszeitung in an advance summary of a story. He said the Indian case was "not harmless and not to be underestimated."

First onus on food recall lies with business operator

The first responsibility for recall of food has been cast upon the food business operator, parliament was told on Tuesday.

"Lack of food recall policy is not accountable for non-conformity on food safety standards. As a matter of fact, the first responsibility for recall of food has been cast upon the food business operator," Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

"As per the international practices, a food recall is an action taken to remove the food which is unsafe from the entire food supply chain from the manufacturer to the consumer. However, the food recall procedures may vary from country to country," she added.

The minister's comment came at a time when an international company had to recall its noodle brand in India as laboratory tests showed excess level of lead in their products.

According to Section 28 (1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006: "If a food business operator considers or has reasons to believe that a food which he has processed, manufactured or distributed is not in compliance with this Act, or the rules or regulations, made there under, he shall immediately initiate procedures to withdraw the food in question from the market and consumers indicating reasons for its withdrawal and inform the competent authorities thereof."

'If processes food is not in compliance with the Food Safety Act, it should be immediately withdrawn'

New Delhi, Aug 12 (KNN) As per information provided by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Section 28 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provides for the Food Recall Procedure.

As per the international practices, a food recall is an action taken to remove the food which is unsafe from the entire food supply chain from the manufacturer to the consumer. However, the food recall procedures may vary from country to country, Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said in a written reply in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Lack of food recall policy is not accountable for non-conformity on food safety standards. As a matter of fact, the first responsibility for recall of food has been cast upon the Food Business Operator.

Section 28 (1) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 stipulates that “If a food business operator considers or has reasons to believe that a food which he has processed, manufactured or distributed is not in compliance with this Act, or the rules or regulations, made thereunder, he shall immediately initiate procedures to withdraw the food in question from the market and consumers indicating reasons for its withdrawal and inform the competent authorities thereof.”

As envisaged under Section 28 (4) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 the Food Authority has notified the Draft Food Safety and Standards (Food Recall Procedure) Regulations, 2015 in the Gazette of India on 22/04/2015 and made the same available to the public on 29/05/2015 for inviting comments/ suggestions from the stakeholders before final notification she said.

FSSAI Seizes 200 Quintals of Maggi from Lucknow Warehouse

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has seized 200 quintals of instant Maggi

noodles from a warehouse on the outskirts of Lucknow, a senior Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Authority said.

The central drug officer seized 200 quintals from a company owned gowdown in Banthara area, Additional Food Commissioner (Administration) Ram Araj Maurya said. He, however, said that further details could be revealed only by central authorities.

Shares of Nestle India plunged last week after the FSSAI said it has not given any clean chit to the company's banned Maggi noodles, while rubbishing all-clear reports from two of its empanelled labs citing lapses in tests.

According to a senior UP FDA official, in Lucknow, one more sample of instant Maggi noodles had failed laboratory test last week.

Plea to check adulteration of milk

Indian Consumer Rights Foundation here has sought the intervention of food safety officers to check any adulteration of milk.

President of the foundation A. Sankar here on Tuesday urged the officials to collect samples and check adulteration, if any.

Some vendors alleged that harmful additives were mixed into the milk of private dairy companies to keep it fresh even for two days with clear indication of shelf life. Hence, authorities should keep a constant vigil.

District Designated Officer of Food Safety and Standards Act M. Jegadis Chandrabose said the authorities had no role on shelf life of packaged milk, for which the producers of brands had their own discretion. But, samples of milk could be collected and forwarded to food analysing laboratory in Palayamkottai to check any adulteration.

Forty-eights samples had been lifted over the last three months in various parts of the district, he toldThe Hindu .

Except one or two samples, which showed ingredients in milk were unfit for consumption, results of analyses on other samples from the lab confirmed to standards.Fine was imposed on two dairy companies.

Centre set to seek Rs 426 cr in damages from Nestle

To move NCDRC on behalf of consumers over alleged unfair trade practices by the firm

The Centre looks set to seek a compensation of around Rs 426 crore from Swiss food major Nestle over the alleged damages caused by Maggi noodles to Indian consumers.

At a time when Nestle India is awaiting a verdict from the Bombay High Court in its case against the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), it might now have to fight another legal battle.

The consumer affairs ministry is ready to file a complaint with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) in the next few days. The complaint, to be filed on behalf of Indian consumers, is against "unfair trade practices" and "misleading consumers" in the Maggi case. A senior ministry official confirmed to Business Standard: "The file has been formally cleared."

The development comes within days of Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan telling the media that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked his Cabinet colleagues to "maintain decorum" on the Maggi issue. Also, some ministers in the government have been critical of FSSAI's Maggi recall order. While some have cited international investors' nervousness in the matter - without wanting to be named - Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has been more open. She had earlier said the Maggi incident had led to an environment of fear.

FSSAI Chief Executive Yudhvir Singh Malik had, however, told this newspaper last week that he was more concerned that children should not be consuming contaminated products than anything else. Industry, according to him, should be more proactive and sensitive in these matters.

Nestle India estimates indicate that the company destroyed products worth Rs 360 crore after FSSAI's recall order, based on testing of Maggi samples by Food and Drugs Administrations (FDAs) of around half a dozen states. The regulator, on June 5, also stopped the company from manufacturing the noodles in India. Subsequently, Nestle India moved court against the FSSAI order; a verdict is pending.

Though the consumer affairs ministry had started the process of filing a complaint with NCDRC two months ago - around the time FSSAI ordered a countrywide recall of Maggi noodles from retail shelves - it had to go through layers of legal opinion to make it a water-tight case, an official pointed out.

The compensation that the government is seeking from Nestle India has been calculated on the basis of Maggi sales' share in Nestle India's total revenue in the country in 2014-15. The company's Maggi noodles revenue was pegged at around Rs 2,500 crore - this was 25 per cent of the company's total India revenue.

"In the interest of millions of consumers, the department of consumer affairs took suo motu action against the company," the official explained.

When contacted, a Nestle India spokesperson said the company had not received any intimation on this from the government.

Usually, NCDRC comes into the picture when a consumer files a complaint. But a section of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, also empowers the Centre and state governments to register complaints on behalf of consumers. The consumer affairs ministry is expected to file the complaint under this provision of law.

The recall of Maggi noodles followed sample tests which showed presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and an excessive level of lead in the sample tested. In its order of June 5, FSSAI had said the product was "hazardous" for human consumption. According to Nestle India, its own tests showed compliance with the norms, though the company announced withdrawal of Maggi noodles from the Indian market minutes before the FSSAI order on June 5.

Regulatory emergency

Why India must act to improve its regulators

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, or FSSAI, which is India’s apex food safety regulator, has not covered itself with glory of late. Its order to withdraw Nestle’s Maggi noodles from India’s grocery shelves has come under a cloud for several reasons. There is little doubt that Nestle deserves to be criticised for the manner in which it chose to handle the situation. But it now appears that the company had already decided to recall Maggi, and this spurred the FSSAI to action before additional reports had come in. The regulator has thus given the impression of acting in a bid to send out a message about its strictness rather than due consideration.

Worse, Maggi noodles have now been cleared not just by laboratories in Singapore and Britain but also by FSSAI- approved domestic laboratories. This imbroglio is the climax of a period in which the FSSAI has gone after various puzzling but headline- grabbing targets — such as the world- famous Australian wine brand, Jacob’s Creek, for supposedly including tartaric acid, which gained the regulator an acid reproof from the Bombay High Court for an “ adversarial” attitude. “ Statutory authorities”, added the Court while overruling the FSSAI in this case, must “ act in a manner that is fair, transparent and with a proper application of mind”. Certainly, these strictures appear deserved in the case of the FSSAI.

But the Court’s opinion sadly extends to many other regulators. India’s pharmaceutical regulator is a case in point. Following several controversial reports about lax standards in Indian companies – several of which wound up being banned from developed- country markets – the drug controller simply said, in effect, that American standards could not be applied to Indian pharma, because no drug would then get passed. The automobile sector is no better; Europe’s regulators tested five new Indian small cars in 2014 and found none met safety standards. But that doesn’t matter for regulation back home. Then there’s aviation; India may be one of the world’s largest and fastest- growing airline markets, but the US Federal Aviation Authority in 2014 downgraded safety standards to its equivalent of junk status — because, the FAA said, the Indian aviation regulator didn’t have enough people to inspect all the planes they were supposed to. This is an emergency — a public health, public safety, and economic emergency.

India is the third- largest economy in the world ( measured by its gross domestic product in terms of purchasing power parity), but it has one of the most tattered regulatory structures globally. It has laws that are so strict on paper that they become unmanageable. Then there is the problem of unconscionably lax application of these laws, which leads to Maggi- style discretion and controversy. Worse, fixing this does not appear to be on the government or business agenda. Instead, both the Centre and India Inc defend India’s lax regulation. Acting on pressure from domestic companies, India did not even participate in negotiations for the second- generation Information Technology Agreement, or ITA- II, for fear that freer trade would hurt. It insists on data- secure status in Europe for Indian companies without legislating basic privacy rights at home. This reveals a short- sighted lack of ambition in the Indian private sector; unless they push for updated regulation, they will never grow and become global giants. And the government must think of consumers — who have the right to global standards, to Maggi and to safer cars.

US FDA clears Maggi in a breather for Nestle

The United States FDA cleared Nestle’s two-minute Maggi noodles samples late Monday night.

NEW DELHI: The United States FDA cleared Nestle's two-minute Maggi noodles samples late Monday night, the seventh country to do so, even as national food regulator Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has refused to give a clean chit to the noodles brand. 

"We have learnt from our official importer in the United States, House of Spices, that the US Food and Drug Administration has tested several shipments of Maggi noodles from India for lead content. Finding no unsafe lead levels, FDA released the noodles for sale in the United States," a Nestle spokesperson said. Food regulators in the UK, Singapore, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Vietnam have already stated that they have found India-made Maggi to be safe for consumption. 

Maggi noodles was banned by FSSAI on June 5, based on allegations that it had excessive lead levels, mislabelling on packs which declared 'no added MSG', and was selling Maggi oats masala noodles without product approval. Nestle, however, has insisted that neither its Maggi noodles nor pasta contain added MSG, adding that many packaged foods contain hydrolysed groundnut protein, onion powder and wheat flour, all of which contain glutamate. Nestle has claimed that if lab tests show MSG, it is probably due to natural glutamate. However, according to FSSAI, packaged foods with ingredients that naturally contain MSG cannot declare 'no added MSG' on their packs, since this could be misleading. 

Maggi noodles, Nestle's flagship brand, was doing sales of over Rs 2,000 crore before the ban. The recall exercise of Maggi noodles has cost Nestle Rs 320 crore and another Rs 1,270 crore in brand loss according to global valuation consultancy Brand Finance.

Fried chicken, snack brand under food safety scanner in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: Food safety officers have begun collecting samples from KFC outlets and Pepsico's Kurkure following a high court directive ordering the food safety authority to check for the presence of bacteria in their foods. However, authorities say that so far they have not found anything incriminating in the samples. 

Food safety officers collected samples of food products from Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) outlets on Monday. They also plan to collect samples from Marry Brown and other fried chicken outlets during this week. They will also be picking up samples of Kurkure from retail shops across the city. "We recently received an order to collect samples of all 'YUM' products such as Kurkure, KFC, Heavens Chicken and Marry Brown," said designated food safety officer Dr R Kathiravan. "We do not have Heavens Chicken here, but we will be collecting samples of other brand this week," he added. 

Officials said that this order is based on a high court directive asking the department to check if the food products were "safe". 

"A petitioner named R Devarishi has filed a petition in the Madras High Court bench in Madurai, seeking a direction to the Centre and state government to either cancel or withdraw licenses given to the above products," said an official from the Madurai court. "The petition had also cited reports about bacteria in samples sold by KFC," he said. The petition asked for a preliminary inquiry into the ingredients of the eatables and the outlets to be shut down if the eatables are found to contain bacteria. 

Food safety officers said the KFC samples collected from the city looked clear so far. "They did not contain e-coli or salmonella bacteria," said an officer. Sources said that a couple of these brands used to use colouring for the rice dish they served along with the chicken, but had stopped doing so after being sensitized. "In the recently collected samples, they have been found to be following the food safety act's rules and directives," said the officer. 

KFC had faced some bad publicity last year, when a customer claimed that he found a worm inside his piece of chicken. A case too had been filed against them by the district food safety department. The food regulatory authority has been keeping a close watch on multinationals after the recent ban on Maggi.

20 tonne Maggi found in Banthara

LUCKNOW: In a surprise raid, nearly 20,000 kg of Maggi noodles was discovered at a godown of Nestle India in Banthara area on the outskirt of the city on Monday. The raid was conducted on a tip-off received by the officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA). Senior officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) were also part of the team that raided the Nestle godown.

Confirming the development, designated officer of FSDA Lucknow, JP Singh, said, "At the godown of the Nestle India, we have found almost 20,000 kg of Maggi, the popular 2-minute snacks, which was put in as many as 3,200 cases/boxes." He further stated that the officials have been asked to take the noodle packets into their custody for further investigation, till further orders.

Senior officials of FSDA also told TOI that Nestle India had already submitted an undertaking that it would not bring back the popular two-minute noodles in the market. "However, the presence of Maggi in the store depot certainly raised eyebrows," the FSDA official said, and added that further investigations in the case were going on. Citing the stockist, Singh said, "The stockist told us that he has destroyed 200-250 trucks of Maggi, and is still destroying the popular snack. However, we are investigating this entire issue."

Kerala Border Checkposts to Have Labs to Test Milk Products, Edible Oil

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state government would introduce lab facilities at the border checkposts for testing milk, milk products and edible oils that would be brought to the state during the Onam season, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said on Monday.

Food products would be allowed into the state only after inspection. The services of the field officers of the health department would be made available to the food safety wing during the season, Sivakumar said, after a meeting held here to review the steps taken to prevent the in-flow of pesticide-ridden and adulterated food materials during Onam.

The food safety wing, Tamil Nadu, had begun issuing food safety certificates to traders who despatched vegetables and fruits to Kerala, the minister said. Recently, Kerala had conveyed its concerns to the Tamil Nadu government regarding the dangerous levels of pesticides in fruit and vegetable consignments coming from that state. Sivakumar said that the food safety wing would intensify raids and inspections in the markets during the Onam season. Food Safety Commissioner T V Anupama, Joint Commissioner D Ashrafudeen, Health director Dr S Jayasankar and Additional Director S Ramesh attended the meet.

‘State Ahead in Registration’

More than half of the food business operators in the state had obtained either the food safety licence or registration, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said on Monday. Compared to other states, Kerala was far ahead in registering food businesses, he said. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had made licences compulsory for food businesses that had an annual turnover of `12 lakh and above, and registration for smaller businesses.

70 fall ill after eating laddoo at wedding, CMO orders free treatment

25 kgs of the sweet had been purchased from Haji Laddoo, a local sweet shop, for a marriage function in Nakkhas

Around 70 persons fell ill in the city’s Nakkhas area after consuming spurious laddoos from a local shop, police said on Monday. 

“25 kgs of the sweet had been purchased from Haji Laddoo, a local sweet shop, for a marriage function in Nakkhas. After its consumption, at least 70 persons who had attended the wedding fell ill,” said Thakurganj Station Officer, Samar Bahadur. He added that the FIR has not been registered so far as no complaint has been lodged. “A team of Food Safety Officers have collected the samples, though,” he said. 

Chowk Circle Officer Sarvesh Mishra said that the laddoos were purchased on Sunday for the marriage of one Mohammad Younus’ son. 

Lucknow’s chief medical officer Dr S N S Yadav said that a total of 58 cases of food poisoning due to the spurious laddoos’ intake were brought to his notice. He, however, added that “most of them are now out of danger”. 

“At least 50 persons were admitted to Balrampur hospital and 8 to KGMU. Seven patients from KGMU have been discharged so far,” he said. Yadav added that the patients were being given free treatment and that the ambulances will drop them home after they have been treated. He informed that eight doctors, ten nurses and sufficient support staff have been deployed to take care of the patients.

Iodine supplements during pregnancy may boost kids' IQ

Giving women iodine supplements during pregnancy could boost their children's IQ and also result in cost savings worth millions for the society and health care systems, a new UK study has found. 

The new estimates suggest that introducing iodine supplementation in pregnancy in the UK could save the National Health Service (NHS) around 200 pounds per expectant mother and provide monetary benefits to society of around 4500 pounds per child from increased lifetime earnings and lower public sector costs. 

With around 1.9 billion people and 241 million school-age children (aged 6-12 years) living in the 32 countries that have iodine deficiency, researchers concluded that universal iodine supplementation during pregnancy could be beneficial. 

"Iodine deficiency in pregnancy remains the leading cause of preventable retardation worldwide. Even mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy is associated with children with lower IQs," said co-author Kate Jolly, professor of Public Health at the University of Birmingham in the UK. 

"It's time for all women living in iodine deficient countries without universal supplementation of iodine, who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning a pregnancy to be advised to take a daily supplement containing iodine," Jolly said. 

Iodine is not made naturally in the body and must be consumed by eating foods like dairy and seafood. 

Severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy can cause substantial mental impairment and delayed development in children, resulting in a lower IQ and consequently lower educational attainment and earning potential, researchers said. 

International health organisations like World Health Organisation and the European Food Safety Authority recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women take daily iodine supplements. 

A team of researchers from the University of Birmingham did a modelling study to examine the cost-effectiveness of iodine supplementation versus no supplementation for pregnant women in the UK. 

Using data from a systematic review of published studies, they modelled both the direct health service savings and monetary benefits to society (lifetime earnings) in terms of gains from an additional IQ point in the children. 

By converting the effects of iodine supplementation in pregnancy on developing brains into IQ points, the authors estimate that the benefits equate to 1.22 IQ points per child, with monetary benefits of around 199 pounds per expectant mother for the NHS, and 4,476 pounds per pregnancy for society. 

"As food fortification alone may not be enough to achieve iodine sufficiency for pregnant women, our results strengthen the case for universal iodine supplementation of all women before and during pregnancy and whilst breastfeeding in mild-to-moderate iodine deficient countries," researchers said. 

The study was published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal.

Did Nestle India have the option to stop total Maggi recall?

Business Standard pieces together the events - all quite dramatic - that might have led to the country's first mega regulatory clampdown

Could a public statement by Nestle regretting "misleading label" related to monosodium glutamate (MSG) on Maggi noodle packets have prevented a pan-Indian recall of the product? Sources at the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) suggest the Swiss food major was given the option of expressing regret in a public statement, for "wrongly" mentioning on the packets that the instant noodle had no added MSG. The issue on excessive lead, another defect found in Maggi samples, could have been tackled with recall of certain batches and corrective measures, they indicated.

Even as Nestle admitted to the regulator that the line on MSG could have been avoided on the noodle packets, it refused to regret the mistake in a public statement. it is learnt. That, perhaps, was the turning point in the Maggi saga.

To a question on whether it was asked by the regulator to issue a public statement on MSG labelling, a Nestle India spokesperson said: "As the matter is sub juice, we would refrain from giving a response at this stage and request your understanding."

Two months after FSSAI ordered a recall of Maggi noodles from store shelves across India, Business Standard pieces together the events - all quite dramatic - that might have led to the country's first mega regulatory clampdown.

In fact, what happened between June 4 and 5 this year in New Delhi - more than a year after MSG and excessive lead were detected in Maggi samples at Uttar Pradesh's Barabanki district in March 2014 - is intriguing.

On June 4, FSSAI Chief Executive Yudhvir Singh Malik, a 1983-batch Haryana-cadre IAS officer, had a busy day meeting food commissioners from across India, to discuss many things, including a crackdown on companies. The same afternoon, at the capital's FDA Bhavan (FSSAI headquarters), Malik had an important visitor - Nestle's global CEO Paul Bulcke, who had flown from Switzerland to stop the Maggi mess from growing bigger in a market that held promise.

At Rs 2,500 crore, Nestle India's revenue from Maggi noodles stands at 25 per cent of total. Bulcke was accompanied by Etienne Benet, then managing director of Nestle India.

Bulcke's visit was a secret closely kept until the company sent out invites to the media at midnight, saying the global CEO would make an announcement at noon the next day. From the time Nestle top boss' meeting with Malik ended in the evening of June 4, to the midnight, when press invites were sent out, the company is believed to have weighed the options available to it. Having declined the offer to publicly state its position on MSG labelling, it chose to voluntarily recall the product, knowing that FSSAI was in no mood to relent.

Why then did FSSAI order a pan-Indian recall of Maggi noodles on June 5, when Bulcke was already withdrawing it from the market, at a widely attended press conference? Sources indicate the food regulator, with full backing from the government, had decided to send out a signal to industry, especially multinational companies, that rules could not be played around with.

But by the morning of June 5, things had changed. So, even as Nestle was preparing its answers to the many questions that might be asked at Bulcke's presser, FSSAI, now aware of Nestle's mind, was ready to advance its order to stop manufacturing Maggi noodles in India, and recall the product from the market.

The FSSAI order followed high-level meetings in the government. But when asked, Malik said: "I have not received any instructions from the government on the issue. The regulator has been allowed to work independently."

Now, with industry representatives suggesting the action against Maggi had been a case of overreach by the regulator, the government is playing cautious to ensure investor sentiment is not hurt. Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal recently said the Maggi crisis had resulted in an environment of fear for industry. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told his Cabinet colleagues to "maintain decorum" in the Maggi case, consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan said last week.

A combination of things might have contributed to a change in thinking within the government. For one, some international regulators, including those in the UK and Singapore, gave a clean chit to Maggi noodles exported from India. That might have put a question mark on the credibility of FSSAI and its accredited labs that tested Maggi samples and showed contamination.

An FSSAI official said the UK regulator had been approached repeatedly to share its findings, but it did not reply. FSSAI sought the details of the report from Nestle as well, but a company spokesperson told this newspaper, "food regulators of the UK and Singapore had conducted their own tests on Maggi noodles from India, in view of the concerns being raised. These are independent authorities and Nestle is not privy to the testing details".

Also, Goa Food and Drug Administration, whose Maggi samples were considered "ineligible" because of wrong readings in its report, had sent the same samples for further analysis to Mysuru's premiere referral lab, Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI). In its report, made public last week, CFTRI said Maggi noodles complied with FSSAI rules and standards.

In such a scenario, the regulator, now pushed to a corner, is trying to explain that the action by FSSAI was not a knee-jerk one, and that there is no reason to call it a case of over-reach. "Six states had already banned Maggi noodles before the FSSAI order... It is not based on an isolated sample," Malik reiterated last week. Pointing out that a provision for enforcement will always lead to annoyance of some and happiness of others, Malik said he was more concerned about the health of children consuming the noodles than anything else.

And, in a sign of things to come, Nestle India has got a managing director, Suresh Narayanan, who was earlier with the Philippines operations, to replace Etienne Benet. Soon after, the government appointed Ashish Bahuguna, former agriculture secretary, as the FSSAI chairman, a post that had been vacant for several months.

It's a different matter, though, that the timing of the FSSAI order was perhaps prompted by the Nestle decision on voluntary recall. FSSAI officials had told reporters on the evening of June 4 that any action would be taken after receiving more sample test results from states, which were awaited. But by the morning of June 5, things had changed. So, even as Nestle was preparing its answers to the many questions that might be asked at Bulcke's presser, FSSAI, now aware of Nestle's mind, was ready to advance its order to stop manufacturing Maggi noodles in India, and recall the product from the market.

The FSSAI order followed high-level meetings in the government. But when asked, Malik said: "I have not received any instructions from the government on the issue. The regulator has been allowed to work independently."

Now, with industry representatives suggesting the action against Maggi had been a case of overreach by the regulator, the government is playing cautious to ensure investor sentiment is not hurt. Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal recently said the Maggi crisis had resulted in an environment of fear for industry. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had told his Cabinet colleagues to "maintain decorum" in the Maggi case, consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan said last week.

A combination of things might have contributed to a change in thinking within the government. For one, some international regulators, including those in the UK and Singapore, gave a clean chit to Maggi noodles exported from India. That might have put a question mark on the credibility of FSSAI and its accredited labs that tested Maggi samples and showed contamination.

An FSSAI official said the UK regulator had been approached repeatedly to share its findings, but it did not reply. FSSAI sought the details of the report from Nestle as well, but a company spokesperson told this newspaper, "food regulators of the UK and Singapore had conducted their own tests on Maggi noodles from India, in view of the concerns being raised. These are independent authorities and Nestle is not privy to the testing details".

Also, Goa Food and Drug Administration, whose Maggi samples were considered "ineligible" because of wrong readings in its report, had sent the same samples for further analysis to Mysuru's premiere referral lab, Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI). In its report, made public last week, CFTRI said Maggi noodles complied with FSSAI rules and standards.

In such a scenario, the regulator, now pushed to a corner, is trying to explain that the action by FSSAI was not a knee-jerk one, and that there is no reason to call it a case of over-reach. "Six states had already banned Maggi noodles before the FSSAI order... It is not based on an isolated sample," Malik reiterated last week. Pointing out that a provision for enforcement will always lead to annoyance of some and happiness of others, Malik said he was more concerned about the health of children consuming the noodles than anything else.

And, in a sign of things to come, Nestle India has got a managing director, Suresh Narayanan, who was earlier with the Philippines operations, to replace Etienne Benet. Soon after, the government appointed Ashish Bahuguna, former agriculture secretary, as the FSSAI chairman, a post that had been vacant for several months.

HOW THE CONTROVERSY COOKED UP2014

Mar 10: UP FDA officer collects Maggi noodles sample from a retail shop in Barabanki, UP

Mar 26: Govt-owned lab in Gorakhpur finds monosodium glutamate in Maggi. UP FDA serves notice on Nestle

2015

Apr 30: UP FDA sends "order of recall" for the sample batch

May 30: UP FDA files case against Nestle India

Jun 1-4: States like Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, UP and J&K ban the noodles

Jun 5: Nestle withdraws the noodles from markets

Jun 9: Singapore declares Maggi noodles to be safe for consumption

Jun 11: Nestle moves Bombay HC. Initiates incineration of 30,000 tonnes of the noodles

Jun 18: UP, eight other states fail to find excess lead in Maggi

Jun 30: Bombay HC allows Nestle India to export the noodles

Jul 8: Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal blames FSSAI for inducing fear in the industry

Jul 25: Suresh Narayanan appointed new Nestle India managing director

Aug 8: Health Minister J P Nadda accuses Nestle of not being forthcoming on questions raised by FSSAI

Exclusive- Heinz Glucon-D under FSSAI radar

New Delhi: Heinz Glucon- D may be the next on the radar of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 

Continuing its hawkish stance, FSSAI is looking at all non-standardized products in the market including glucose syrups. Emailed queries sent to Heinz did not elicit any reply.

Sources told Bloomberg TV India that FSSAI is now looking to curb sales of Heinz Glucon-D as it flouts the rule. FSSAI claims Heinz Glucon-D had taken product approval under the patent rights for glucose syrup as per the Food safety and Standard Regulation 2011. However, all three flavors of Heinz Glucon- D do not comply with the food approval norms set by FSSAI.

While FSSAI’s Safety and Standards Regulation 2011 states that glucose syrup should contain 99.06 per cent glucose in its ingredients and the rest can be constituted with sucrose and other carbohydrates, the glucose content in Heinz Glucon-D orange flavor was just 40 per cent, Nimbu Pani 53 per cent and Aam Panna 50 per cent.

Heinz Glucon-D label does not specify the quantity of sucrose whereas it contains nearly 50 per cent of the sweetener.

Considering the violation of the norms as crucial and non-standardized, FSSAI is considering banning the Glucon-D product of Heinz very soon, sources said.

Recently, FSSAI sent a warning to Heinz disapproving its baked beans and Complan (pista and badam flavours) for non- compliance of the food safety and standards.

Heinz’s competitor Dabur India has passed muster for its Glucon-D product as it complied with the standards of the patent product they sought for approval.

Starting with Nestle’s Maggi, FSSAI has cracked the whip on a wide range packaged food products which have violated food standards. 

The list of products that have been pulled out of the stalls following FSSAI’s clamp down is getting longer every day. This has sent out an alarming message to the food processing industry that have to now be doubly sure about the product contents and the health risks before launching any product.

Gujarat sets up Food Safety Appellate Tribunal

The move is expected to fast-track the process of litigation in cases like misbranding of food articles among others

The Food Safety Appellate Tribunal became functional in Gujarat recently, which is now going to look at cases related to food safety matters. In the wake of the recent controversy surrounding multinational noodles brands in the country, the move is expected to fast-track the process of litigation in cases like misbranding of food articles among others.

Confirming the development, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) of Gujarat said that the tribunal became operational a few days back at Gandhinagar. "We are one of the few states that would have this tribunal in place. A retired sessions judge has been put in charge of the tribunal that would function out of the Jivraj Mehta Bhavan in Gandhinagar," he said.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been in the process of constituting Appellate Tribunals in a number of states for the last couple of years. However, the responsibility of setting up the tribunals rested with the state governments, while FSSAI would provide the required assistance to complete the process.

According to officials in the know, appellate tribunals have already been set up in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Chattisgarh, apart from the union territories of Andaman & Nicoban and Chandigarh.

Gujarat has been pro-active when it came to taking steps in relation to the lead content issue in Maggi noodles. It had banned the noodles brand in June, and extended it twice for one month each.

With another deadline, hotels go lax on hygiene

COIMBATORE: The recent nationwide controversy over "excess" levels of MSG (monosodium glutamate) in Maggi instant noodles has not managed to stop the food safety regulator from again extending the deadline for food operators to obtain a license to run their business.

The biggest flipside of these continuous deadline extensions is the fact that food safety officers now do not have the right to ask restaurants to improve their kitchens. Thus people are always at the risk of consuming unhygienic food.

A food safety officer based in the headquarters in Coimbatore says they now do not have enough legal standing to take action against unhygienic practices in eateries. "When any of them apply for a license or registration, we thoroughly inspect their kitchen, vessels and raw material cleaning facilities, garbage disposal methods, fumigation practices, presence of insects and pests, the water source and filtration facilities available," he said.

"We also tell them how to improve hygiene. Only if all the above factors are compliant with our rules and regulations, and their food is found to be hygienic, do we enrol them," said an R S Puram-based food safety officer. "During the extension period we can't randomly check restaurants and pull them up for not applying or renewing their licenses or registrations," he added. "Thus we can't prevent the issue before it happens."

Statistics with the food safety department in Coimbatore shows that hardly one-fourth of the city's restaurants and eateries are compliant with the norms and rules mentioned in the Food Safety and Standards Act of India, 2006. Hardly 5,400 of the estimated 20,000 restaurant, bakeries and eateries in the city have enrolled with the food safety department. "Around 3,252 of them have license and 2,132 have registered themselves after paying a fee," said designated food safety officer, Dr R Kathiravan.

"We do not even have an exact count of the food operators in the city, because now anyone can bring a pushcart or kiosk on the road and sell food. We can't pull him up, unless his prepared food sample has tested unsafe or we have written complaint against him," he said.

In fact even during the three days between the previous deadline's expiry and new deadline announcement, not a single restaurant or eatery owners approached the food safety department for a license, said Kathiravan.

Food safety officers blame the laidback attitude of food operators on the number of deadline extensions given to traders since the Food Safety and Standards Act of India came into force in 2006. "The deadline has already been extended five times, so restaurateurs do not take this seriously," he said. "This is the sixth time the deadline has been extended," he said. Section 31 (1) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provides that no person shall commence or carry on any food business except under a license.

While bigger restaurants, bakeries and food chains apply for licenses, small road side eateries, coffee and tea shops apply for registrations.

Maggi samples fail test in Lucknow laboratory: Official

The lead content in these samples, picked from neighbouring Barabanki, were found to be 2.7 parts per million more than the permissible limit

Five more samples of instant snack Maggi have failed tests at a laboratory here as they contained lead content beyond the permissible limit, an official said on Saturday.

The lead content in these samples, picked from neighbouring Barabanki, were found to be 2.7 parts per million more than the permissible limit at the Food Safety and Drug Administration laboratory, an official said.

Additional Commissioner (Food) R S Maurya said the test reports would now be sent to the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

After initial reports of much higher lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) content in Maggi, over 500 samples were gathered from across the state. The five samples that have been found "unfit" are from this collection.

A ban was imposed on Maggi in June, a move which was challenged by its makers Nestle.

Nestle had ordered a nationwide recall of the popular snack after food inspectors in Uttar Pradesh and later in some other states found that the MSG and lead content was very high.

Nestle has maintained that Maggi is safe for consumption and that it complies with the food standards in India. The matter is sub judice at the Bombay High Court.

DINAMALAR NEWS

உணவுப்பாதுகாப்பு தர நிர்ணயச் சட்டம் கடைகள் உரிமம் பெற கால அவகாசம் நீடிப்பு வணிகர் சங்கத்தலைவர் தகவல்

தர் ம புரி, ஆக.9:

உண வுப் பாது காப்பு தர நிர் ண யச் சட்டத் தின் கீழ் கடை கள் லைசென்ஸ் பெற பிப் ர வரி 4ம் தேதி வரை கால அவ கா சம் நீடிக் கப் பட்டுள் ளது என தர் ம புரி அனைத்து வணி கர் சங் கத் த லை வர் வைத் தி லிங் கம் தெரி வித் துள் ளார்.

தர் ம பு ரி யில், அனைத்து வணி கர் சங்க ஆலோ சனை கூட்டம், தலை வர் வைத் தி லிங் கம் தலை மை யில் நடந் தது. இதில், நிர் வா கி கள் பார்த் தீ பன், ரவிச் சந் தி ரன், கிரி த ரன், ஸ்ரீதர் மற் றும் வணி கர் கள் கலந்து கொண் ட னர். கூட்டத் தில் தலை வர் வைத் தி லிங் கம் பேசி ய தா வது:

இந் தி யா வில் 1954ம் ஆண்டு கலப் பட தடை சட்டம் இருந் தது. இந்த சட்டத் தின் கீழ் இருந்த 8க்கும் மேற் பட்ட விதி களை ஒருங் கி ணைத்து உண வுப் பாது காப்பு மற் றும் தர நிர் ண யச் சட்டம் - 2006 என்ற சட்டத்தை 2011ம் ஆண்டு மத் திய அரசு அமல் ப டுத் தி யது. இந்த சட்டத் துக் குள் 32 வித மான விதி கள் உள் ளன. தமி ழ கத் தில் மட்டும் உணவு பாது காப்பு மற் றும் தர அதி கா ரி கள் 542 பேர் பணி யாற்றி வரு கின் ற னர். மற்ற மாநி லத்தை விட தமி ழ கத் தில் தான் அதி கா ரி கள் அதி கம் நிய மிக் கப் பட்டுள் ள னர்.

உணவு தொழில் களில் ஈடு ப டும் தயா ரிப் பா ளர், விற் ப னை யா ளர், சில் லரை மற் றும் மொத்த மளிகை வணி கர், பேக் கரி, ஸ்வீட், தேனீர், டிபன் கடை கள், ஓட்டல் கள் உள் ளிட்டோர் உரி மம் பெற்று வரு கின் ற னர். தள் ளு வண் டி யில் கடை வைத் தி ருந் தா லும் ரூ.100 செலுத்தி உரி மம் பெற வேண் டும். ரூ.12 லட் சத் திற்கு மேல் வர்த் த கம் செய் யும் கடைக் கா ரர் ரூ.2 ஆயி ரம் செலுத்தி லைசென்ஸ் பெற வேண் டும் என கூறி யுள் ள னர்.

இந்த உரி மத்தை பெற கடு மை யான நிபந் த னை கள் விதிக் கப் பட்டுள் ளன. அந்த சட்டம் கூறும் விதி மு றை களை கடைப் பி டிக் கா விட்டால் ஒரு லட் சம் ரூபாய் முதல் ரூ.10 லட் சம் வரை அப ரா தம் மற் றும் 6 மாதம் முதல் ஆயுள் தண் டனை வரை விதிக் க வும், இடம் உள் ளது. இந்த சட்டத் தின் படி, அறி வி யல் அடிப் ப டை யில் உணவை தயா ரிக்க வேண் டும்.

இயற்கை வேளாண் பொருட் களுக் கும் தர நிர் ண யம் செய் துள் ள னர். உண வுப் பொருள் பொட்ட லங் கள் இரண் டாம் தரத் தில் இருந் தா லும், அச் ச டிப் ப தில் தவ று கள் இருந் தா லும் வணி கர் கள் கடு மை யான தண் ட னைக்கு ஆளாக் கப் ப டும் நிலை உள் ளது. பொருள் தயா ரிக் கும் இடத் தில் குறை பாடு இருந் தால், விற் பனை செய் யும் வியா பாரி எப் படி தண் டனை பெற முடி யும்?.

இது தொடர் பாக மத் திய அர சி டம் எடுத் துக் கூறி இந்த சட்டத் தில் திருத் தம் செய்ய வேண் டும் என அமைச் சர், பிர த மரை நேரில் சந் தித்து வலி யு றுத் தி யுள் ளோம். வரும் 2016ம் ஆண்டு பிப் ர வரி 4ம் தேதி வரை கடை களுக்கு லைசென்ஸ் பெற கால அவ கா சம் நீட்டிப்பு செய் யப் பட்டுள் ளது. இந்த சட்டத் தால் அதி கா ரி களுக்கு தான் வரு மா னம். அர சுக்கோ, வணி கர் களுக் காக எவ் வித பல னும் இல்லை. மேலும், அதி கா ரி கள் மிரட்டி பணம் வசூல் செய் தால் கலெக் ட ரி டம் புகார் தெரி விக் க லாம் என் றார்.

DINAMALAR NEWS

மேகி விவகாரம்: நெஸ்லே இன்னும் பதிலளிக்கவில்லை

மேகி விவகாரத்தில் அரசு எழுப்பிய கேள்விகளுக்கு நெஸ்லே இன்னமும் பதில் அளிக்கவில்லை என்று மத்திய அமைச்சர் நட்டா தெரிவித்தார். 

மேகி நூடுல்ஸில் காரீயமும், மோனோசோடியம் குளூட்டமேட்டும் அதிகம் இருந்தது நிரூபிக்கப்பட்ட நிலையில் நெஸ்லே நிறுவனத்தின் நூடுல்ஸ் பாக்கெட்டுகள் கடைகளிலிருந்து திரும்பப் பெறப்பட்டுள்ளன.

மேகியில் காரீயம் மற்றும் மோனோசோடியம் குளூட்டமேட் அதிகம் இருந்ததற்கான காரணங்களை அரசு கேட்டதாகவும் அதற்கு நெஸ்லே நிறுவனம் இன்னமும் பதிலளிக்கவில்லை என்றும் மத்திய சுகாதாரத்துறை அமைச்சர் நட்டா நாடாளுமன்றத்தில் தெரிவித்தார்.

மேகி நூடுல்ஸ் ஒரேபடித்தான வழிமுறைகளில் சோதனை செய்யப்பட்டது என்றும், நெஸ்லே நிறுவனம் கூட அந்த சோதனை வழிமுறைகளை ஏற்றுக் கொண்டதாகவும் அமைச்சர் தெரிவித்தார்.

"கேரளா, கோவா ஆகிய மாநிலங்களில் செய்யப்பட்ட சோதனைகள் தோல்வியடையவில்லை. நெஸ்லேயின் கோவா கிளையிலிருந்து மேகி ஏற்றுமதி செய்யப்பட்டு வருகிறது. எனவே, நெஸ்லேயின் சில உற்பத்திக் கிளைகளில் உயர்ந்த உற்பத்தித் தரம் கடைபிடிக்கப்பட்டு வருகிறது. சில கிளைகளில் தரம் இல்லை. இன்னும் கடுமையான கண்காணிப்பை நாங்கள் வலியுறுத்தியுள்ளோம். 

உணவுப்பாதுகாப்பு விஷயத்தில் சமரசம் இல்லை, ஆனாலும் தொழிற்துறையும் பாதிக்கப்பட்டு விடக்கூடாது. பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்ட நடைமுறைகளில் சோதனைகள் மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டன, பிரிட்டனிலும் மேகி சோதனை செய்யப்பட்டது, ஆனால் எந்த முறையில் அங்கு சோதனை செய்யப்பட்டது என்பதை நெஸ்லே பகிர்ந்துகொள்ளவில்லை. 

நாட்டில் தற்போது 78 அரசு சோதனை மையங்களும் 88 தனியார் சோதனை மையங்களும் உள்ளன. மேலும் சிறந்த சோதனை மையங்களை உருவாக்குவதில் அரசு திட்டவட்டமாக உள்ளது.

உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு தரநிலைகளைக் கடைபிடிக்கும் எந்த ஒரு புதிய பிராண்டுக்கும் எந்த வித தடையும் இல்லை” என்றார் சுகாதார அமைச்சர் நட்டா.

No overreach in Maggi row: FSSAI CEO

My biggest worry would be whether a child is consuming excessive lead or not. That's my concern: Yudhvir Malik

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India(FSSAI), which had ordered recall of Nestle’s Magginoodles from store shelves across the country on June 5, has said its worry and concern is whether there’s lead or any other contamination in what a child is consuming, much more than if the industry is living in fear of action from regulator.

When asked whether he agreed with a perception in certain quarters that there was an overreach by the regulator in ordering the recall, FSSAI CEO Yudhvir Malikasked, “Do you think there’s been an overreach?’’ Then, breaking his silence ever since Nestlé India had moved the Bombay High Court against the FSSAI order in June, Malik said, “It would have been an overreach if my order to recall was a knee-jerk action based only on an isolated sample or on the test results from only the Kolkata lab…. Six states had already banned Maggi noodles before the FSSAI order.’’ Uttar Pradesh, which was the first state to find contamination in the Maggi noodles samples, had got the same tested at the Kolkata referral lab.

Replying to a question on whether there was an environment of fear and worry, Malik said, “My biggest worry would be whether a child is consuming excessive lead or not. That’s my concern. If as a parent, I am concerned about my child, I should be concerned about others’ children too.”

Earlier, Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur had said there was an environment of fear as a prominent multinational had to pull back its products from the market and destroy packets worth Rs 360 crore.

On Thursday, Consumer Affairs Minister Ramvilas Paswan told the media Prime MinisterNarendra Modi has asked for maintaining decorum on the Maggi issue.

A government official tracking the Maggi issue, said whenever there are provisions of enforcement, ‘’it will always result in annoyance of some and happiness of others”. He pointed out that it should not be seen as a fear psychosis because it is not the first time that a multinational is facing a recall. ‘’It happens in other parts of the world too.’’ 

Meanwhile, Goa Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), which was at the centre of controversy, for sending its samples to the Mysuru appellate referral facility, opted to play down any clash between the Centre and the states. Goa FDA Director Salim Veljee stated, “We (central food regulator and state bodies) are all in the same family. Nobody’s rubbishing anybody else.’’ Ultimately, the consumer should benefit, he said. 

A day after Goa FDA released the Mysuru sample results of Maggi noodles that it complied with food safety rules of the country, FSSAI in a statement said there was no mention of a test for monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the CFTRI report, and that the regulator had not given the instant noodles a clean chit. Maggi noodles was recalled in June because some states had found presence of MSG and excessive lead content in the samples.

Veljee said the Mysuru lab complied with the advisory issued by FSSAI to food commissioners on June 8, on testing of noodles, pasta and macaroni. The parameters — for general, quality, metal and toxic substance tests — contained in that advisory do not mention MSG. 

An FSSAI official reiterated that the regulator’s recall order was not based on the Goa FDA findings.

As FSSAI had detected deficiencies in the Goa report earlier, the state opted for a second analysis at the pollution control board and a third one at Mysuru’s CFTRI which gave its findings earlier this week. ‘’All we said about the Mysuru lab result was that MSG was not mentioned. We did not imply anything else.’’

Even as there are suggestions that the level of quality checks is more rigorous at the Goa manufacturing plant of Nestle as it is used mostly for exporting noodles to eight countries, FSSAI officials refused to comment on that. They, however, pointed out that the UK regulator had not shared the details of its findings with FSSAI even after several requests.

The UK and Singapore are among the countries that gave a clean chit to Maggi noodles manufactured in India after the product was recalled from Indian stores. FSSAI said it sought details of the UK and Singapore tests from Nestle, but has not received yet from the company.

Chhattisgarh Food department seals two Raipur factories for adulteration

RAIPUR: With a view to tighten the noose around those involved in the production and sale of adulterated spices and oil, officials of Chhattisgarh food and drug administration raided two factories in Raipur on Thursday and sealed them, as they were found mixing unnatural colours and hazardous materials in oil. 

Confirming this, State Food & Drug Administration Controller, Ravi Prakash Gupta, said a spice factory, NR Masala, at Vidhan Sabha Road and a Mustard Oil Factory in Tatibandh had been sealed, after collecting samples. He said the masala factory was running without a license for making wafers and other salted snacks (namkeen). 

He said the oil-manufacturing unit was found mixing hazardous material in edible oil. He said as per Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006- running a factory without license attracts a fine which may extend to Rs 5 lakh and imprisonment for a term which may extend to 6 months imprisonment. The punishment for for mixing unnatural colours in edible products is a serious crime, attracting imprisonment of 5-10 years.

He said the department had received a tip-off, and 5 food inspectors and two sample-collecting officials conducted the raid. The Masala factory is reportedly owned by a Jagdalpur based businessman, Nagraj Jain. 

Officials said at the time of inspection, unnatural colours were allegedly being mixed in spices and 'namkeen' to make them look shinier and fresh. Even the name of the company manufacturing them was mentioned incorrectly on the products. 

At the Oil factory, officials found that toxic chemicals, which are prohibited for use under the Food and Adulteration Prevention Act, were being used. The samples were collected and the factory was sealed. The team also came across several other anomalies. 

Later, the team also raided Sharda juice centre at Jai Stambh chowk where they found unhygienic condition.

CFTRI: tested Maggi noodles samples sent from Goa

However, it clarifies that it did not analyse MSG

The city-based Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) on Thursday said it tested the samples of Maggi noodles sent from Goa and the report had been dispatched to the State’s Food Safety Department.

The parameters and standards for testing noodles, pastas and macaroni with ‘tastemakers’, as prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), had been adopted for conducting the tests, said CFTRI Director Ram Rajashekaran.

‘Not listed’

However, the premier food laboratory clarified that it did not analyse Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) as it was not listed in the FSSAI advisory on testing the samples, the director said in a release here.

The CFTRI, which is the Referral Food Laboratory, analysed the Maggi noodle samples (the appeal samples were received from the designated officers of Goa recently) and forwarded the report to the designated officer concerned, Prof. Rajashekaran said.

However, the details of the results had not been divulged.

‘No clean chit’

Meanwhile, the FSSAI, in a press release (which was circulated to the press here by the CFTRI), clarified that it had not given a clean chit on the safety of Maggi noodles.

The clarification comes in the light of reports in a section of the press that FSSAI or the FSSAI-approved lab found the noodles safe.

However, it clarifies that it did not analyse MSG

PM gags Paswan on Maggi, but he predicts it'll return

New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked consumer affairs ministry not to make unnecessary noise till all facts come to light on the Maggi issue, consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Thursday, indicating that government agencies should not jump to conclusion.

Paswan said, “On Tuesday, the Prime Minister had also said whatever people say, we should maintain decorum on this issue (Maggi).Until we do not get the fact findings done, there's no need to create unnecessary noise.“ He was at an event organized by industry body , Assocham.

The minister also said that he was confident of Maggi making a comeback to the stores soon. “The latest tests conducted by the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) have found Maggi safe. I have a gut feeling it will return to retail shelves soon,“ said Paswan.

The observation came a day after the national food safety and standards regulator, FSSAI, said that Maggimaker Nestle India did not get a clean chit and insisted that its ban on the instant noodles is still effective.

Paswan also said that af ter Maggi ban the perception of people has changed. “Foreign investors will also now think twice before investing in India. Our credibility is at stake,“ he said adding, “But all this can be rectified only after addressing all concerns. The concerns of our consumers are most important.“

மேகி நூடுல்ஸ் விரை வில் வரும் மத் திய அமைச் சர் நம்பிக்கை

புது டெல்லி, ஆக.7:

அனு ம திக் கப் பட்ட அள வுக்கு அதி க மாக மேகி நூடுல்ஸ் களில் காரீ யம் மற் றும் மோனோ சோ டி யம் குளுக் கோ மேட் பயன் ப டுத் தி ய தாக கண் ட றி யப் பட்ட பிறகு, 9 வகை மேகி நூடுல்ஸ் களுக் கும் இந் திய உணவு பாது காப்பு மற் றும் தர நிர் ணய ஆணை யம் கடந்த 5ம் தேதி தடை விதித்து உத் த ர விட்டது. இது தொடர் பான வழக் கில் மும்பை உயர் நீதி மன்ற உத் த ர வுப் படி மாதி ரி களை மறு சோத னைக்கு உட் ப டுத்த நெஸ்லே ஒப் புக் கொண் டது. இதை ய டுத்து உணவு பாது காப்பு ஆணைய அங் கீ கா ரம் பெற்ற ஆய் வுக் கூ டத் தில் மாதி ரி களை ஆய்வு செய் த தில், இந்த மாதி ரி களில் உட லுக்கு கேடு விளை விக் கும் கலவை எது வும் இல்லை என்று தெரி வித் தது.

இந் நி லை யில் இது கு றித்து குறிப் பிட்ட மத் திய நுகர் வோர் விவ கா ரத் துறை அமைச் சர் ராம் வி லாஸ் பஸ் வான், ‘‘மேகி தடை யால், வெளி நாட்டு நிறு வ னங் கள் இந் தி யா வில் முத லீடு செய்ய தயக் கம் காட்ட லாம். ஒரு முறைக்கு இரு முறை அவர் கள் யோசிக்க வேண் டி யி ருக் கும். இது மிக வும் கவலை அளிக் கக் கூ டிய விஷ யம். மேகி தடைக்கு பிறகு இது கு றித்த மக் கள் எண் ணங் களி லும் மாற் றம் ஏற் பட்டுள் ளது. அதே நே ரத் தில், இந்த பிரச் னை யில் அனைத் தை யும் களைந் தால் தான் இந்த தடையை நீக்க முடி யும். ஏனெ னில், நுகர் வோர் பாது காப்பு மிக வும் முக் கி யம். தர விதி களை மேகி முழு மை யாக பூர்த்தி செய் தால் மட்டுமே அனு மதி அளிக்க முடி யும். இருப் பி னும், மேகி நூடுல்ஸ் விரை வில் கடை களில் விற் ப னைக்கு வரும் என்ற நம் பிக்கை உள் ள து ’’ என் றார்.

DINAMALAR NEWS

நோயாளிக்கு வாங்கிய சாம்பாரில் எலி அரசு மருத்துவமனை பகுதியில் பரபரப்பு

கோவை, ஆக.7:

கோவை அரசு மருத் து வ மனை எதி ரில் உள்ள உண வ கத் தில் நோயா ளிக்கு வாங் கிய சாம் பா ரில் எலி இருந் த தால் நேற்று இரவு பர ப ரப்பு ஏற் பட்டது.

கோவை ராம நா த பு ரம் பகு தியை சேர்ந் த வர் மாரி யம் மாள். இவர் கோவை அரசு மருத் து வ ம னை யில் உள்ள பிளாஸ் டிக் சர் ஜன் வார் டில் சிகிச்சை பெற்று வரு கி றார். இவ ருக்கு இரவு நேர உணவு வாங்க மகள் தாம ரை செல்வி. கோவை அரசு மருத் து வ ம னை யின் எதி ரில் உள்ள ஒரு உண வ கத் திற்கு சென் றுள் ளார். ரூ40க்கு 4 ஆப் பம் வாங் கி யுள் ளார். பின் னர், வார் டுக்கு போய் பிளேட்டில் ஆப் பத்தை வைத்து சாம் பாரை ஊற் றி யுள் ளார். சாம் பா ரி னுள் கத் தி ரி காய் உள் ளது என நினைத்து கொட்டி யுள் ளார். அப் போது, பாதி வெந்த நிலை யில் எலி இறந்து கிடந் தது. இதனை பார்த்த தாம ரை செல்வி அதிர்ச்சி அடைந் தார். உட ன டி யாக அந்த உண வ கத் திற்கு சென்று சாம் பா ரில் எலி இருந் தது குறித்து சர மா ரி யாக அங் கி ருந்த ஊழி ய ரி டம் கேள் வி கேட்டார். இதனை தொடர்ந்து உட ன டி யாக கடையை அடைத் து விட்டு கடை கா ரர் கள் தப்பி சென் ற னர். மேலும், அருகே செயல் பட்டு வந்த கடை கா ரர் களும் கடையை அடைத் து விட்டு சென் ற னர். இந்த சம் ப வம் தொடர் பாக தக வ ல றிந்த சுகா தார ஆய் வா ளர் சம் பவ இடத் திற்கு வந்து இறந்த நிலை யில் இருந்த எலியை ஆய்வு செய்து மாதி ரியை எடுத் துள் ள னர்.

மேலும், சாம் பா ரில் எலி இருந் தது தொடர் பாக உணவு துறை யி டம் புகார் அளிக் கப் ப ட வுள் ளது. இந்த சம் ப வம் கார ண மாக இரவு முழு வ தும் கோவை அரசு மருத் து வ மனை பகு தி யில் பெரும் பர ப ரப்பு ஏற் பட்டது.

தண் ணீர் பாக் கெட்டில் பூச்சி வாலி பர் மயங் கி ய தால் பர ப ரப்பு

கரூர், ஆக. 7:

தண் ணீர் பாக் கெட்டில் பூச்சி இருந் த தால் வாலி பர் வாந்தி எடுத்து மயங் கி னார்.

கரூர் செங் குந் த பு ரம் பகு தியை சேர்ந் த வர் ஈஸ் வ ர மூர்த்தி(34). கார் பென் டர். இவர் ரியல் எஸ் டேட் சம் பந் த மாக இடம் பார்ப் ப தற் காக பசு ப தி பா ளை யம் பகு திக்கு நேற்று சென் றார். அப் போது மெயின் ரோட்டில் ஒரு கடை யில் தண் ணீர் பாக் கெட் வாங் கி னார். தண் ணீரை குடித் த போது வாந்தி எடுத் தால். சிறிது நேரத் தில் மயங்கி விழுந் தார். அக் கம் பக் கம் உள் ள வர் கள் 108 ஆம் பு லன்ஸ் சுக்கு போன் செய் த னர். கரூர் அரசு மருத் து வ மனை அவ சர சிகிச்சை பிரி வில் அவ ருக்கு சிகிச்சை அளிக் கப் பட்டது.

பூச்சி விழுந்த தண் ணீர் பாக் கெட்டை சோதனை செய்து அதன் அடிப் ப டை யில் சம் பந் தப் பட்ட வாட்டர் கம் பெனி மீது நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என போலீ சார் தெரி வித் த னர்.

கோவை அரசு மருத் து வ மனை எதிரே உள்ள ஓட்ட லில் நோயா ளிக்கு வாங் கிய உண வின் சாம் பா ரில் எலி உயி ரி ழந்த நிலை யில் கிடந் ததை காண் பிக் கின் ற னர்.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMANI NEWS

Food safety certificates for TN vendors

Fruit and vegetable vendors from Tamil Nadu who take their produce to Kerala are now being given food safety certificates by the Health Department in the wake of complaints of high pesticide residue from that State.

Thirty vendors have been issued the certificate from the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration and 250 others have applied for it, department sources said.

The department will carry out physical verification of shops and quality of produce before issuing certificates to ensure there were no more complaints from end users, they said. The Kerala government had expressed concern over reported high levels of pesticide coming into the State and stated that vehicles carrying vegetables from other States would be monitored at check-posts. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had written to his counterparts in TN, Karnataka, and Andhra regarding the issue.

FSSAI extends deadline for hotels to obtain licences till Feb 4

CHENNAI: In a major relief to hotels, hostels, bakeries, restaurants and other eateries, fruits and vegetable shops, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Thursday extended the deadline for them to obtain licences till February 4, 2016. 

This is the sixth extension that FSSAI has granted food businesses to comply with the norms of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, pushing the deadline back by four years. 

FSSAI director (enforcement) Rakesh Chandra Sharma said the authority had extended the deadline based on the representations from various stakeholders including individuals, food business operators and various associations. 

According to the Food Safety and Standards Act, a licence is compulsory for any food business with an annual turnover in excess of Rs 12 lakh. Those with a lower turnover must register with the state food safety department. 

While consumer activists say numerous extension of deadline will dilute the Act, several food operators say the Act is too stringent and impractical.

Restaurants, eateries get another six months to get a license

NEW DELHI: The food safety regulator has extended the deadline by another six months for food companies to get licenses to run their businesses. Now, food companies can secure a license by February 4, 2016. 

This is the sixth time that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has extended the deadline. The last date to get the licence lapsed on August 4. 

"...the Central Government has directed the FSSAI...to extend the time-line mentioned in...Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, for a further period of six months up to February 4, 2016..," FSSAI said in its order. 

The decision has been taken after the Union health ministry considered representations from various stakeholders including food companies and industry associations. Industry was demanding for an extension of one year. 

Section 31 (1) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provides that no person shall commence or carry on any food business except under a license, the order added. 

As per the Food Safety and Standards regulations of 2011, no person or food business operator can commence any food business unless if he or the operator possess a valid license. 

There are about 5.5 crore food business operators in the country.

FSSAI extends deadline for licences till 4 February next year

This is the sixth time that the FSSAI has extended the deadline

The govt has extended for a further period of six months. 

New Delhi: Food safety regulator FSSAI on Thursday extended the deadline for food companies to get licence to run their businesses by another six months to 4 February, 2016.

This is the sixth time that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has extended the deadline. The last date to get the licence lapsed on 4 August.

“The Central Government has directed the FSSAI to extend the time-line mentioned in Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, for a further period of six months up to February 4 2016,” FSSAI said in its order.

The decision has been taken after the Union Health Ministry considered representations from various stakeholders including food companies and industry associations. Industry was demanding for an extension of one year. Section 31 (1) of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provides that no person shall commence or carry on any food business except under a licence, the order added.

As per the Food Safety and Standards regulations of 2011, no person or food business operator can commence any food business unless if he or the operator possess a valid license. There are about 5.5 crore food business operators in the country.

Welcoming the move, All India Food Processors Association Executive Secretary D V Malhan said, “It is a good move as it will give more time to the companies to register themselves with the food safety regulator.”

Licensing, registration of FBOs deadline extended; new date - Feb 4, 2016

New Delhi

The Union ministry of health has extended the deadline for obtaining licence and securing registration by food business operators (FBOs) under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Regulations, 2011, by six months. The new deadline is February 4, 2016.

In this regard, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued a notification on Thursday stating that the extension has been effected following numerous representations by FBOs to the food regulator. 

The latest extension is the sixth since the implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, in the country on August 5, 2011. The first extension was given on August 4, 2012, for six months till Feb 4, 2013. It was followed by another extension for one year till Feb 4, 2014, the next extension was till August 4, 2014, then Feb 4, 2015 and lastly till August 4, 2015. 

Interestingly, most industry associations such as CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) and Karaikudi Bakery Owners Association, Tamil Nadu, were confident of getting an extension looking at the rate of licensing and registration completed so far in the country, which had witnessed just five per cent increase in last six months.

CAIT, apex body of the trading community, and other trade organisations of the country have hailed the decision. According to CAIT, more than three crore traders engaged in food business across the country shall be benefited by the extension of the date. It is noteworthy that CAIT has been strongly lobbying for deferment of the Act for the last four years on account of many impracticable provisions of the FSS Act. Earlier, CAIT had alleged that the Act was brought to facilitate MNCs to control and dominate the food business in India. 

Further, CAIT has urged the health minister to constitute a joint committee of senior government officials and CAIT representatives to make an indepth study of the Act and its Rules and Regulations and to recommend to the government necessary amendments to make the Act universally acceptable by all sections of society.

While the industry seems to be happy with the news, same cannot be said about the officials. Speaking to FnB News, a senior official with the UP FDA expressed his displeasure over the repeated extensions given to the FBOs. He stated, “The timeline was given for the conversion of previous PFA licences into newer ones, according to the FSS Act. And the work is completed almost in the state while the new licences can be obtained any time.” 

Meanwhile, industry experts are apprehensive that given the slow pace of licensing and registration, even this extension will not be sufficient to complete the process of licensing and registration.

The Act was passed by Parliament in the year 2006 and the Rules and Regulations were made operative from 2011 and since then the food trade and industry are up in arms against the Act & Regulations since they encourage packed food habits in the country, which are in clash with the traditional food habits in the country.