Dinner in a glass: Why is there a growing interest in Soylent?

Soylent is a powder-based product that packs in the necessary nutrients required by an average human being in a day.

On a night out with friends, when 32-year-old entrepreneur Harsh Batra claims he’s on a liquid diet, he’s not implying alcohol. He is talking about a thick, beige-coloured shake with hints of vanilla and a whey-like texture that keeps him going through a night of partying and a morning session of cricket. A bottle of this shake accompanies him everywhere. For over a year now, Batra, a fitness enthusiast, has been replacing his breakfast and lunch with SupermealX, his version of the American food substitute, Soylent. 

Created by Rob Rhinehart, a Silicon Valley techie, Soylent is a powder-based product that packs in the necessary nutrients required by an average human being in a day. Simply add water, and lunch is served.
Calling it his “longest running experiment to date”, Batra recently received a go-ahead from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, and will start shipping the product soon.
The new techie diet While health shakes and meal replacements have always attracted athletes, a widely circulated piece in the New York Times recently brought to attention a trend in Silicon Valley. Coders, engineers and venture capitalists are actually turning to liquid meals. With products such as Soylent, Schmoylent, Schmilk and People Chow available in the market, techies are fast adopting Rhinehart’s lifestyle. But can it replace solid food altogether?
“Yes,” claims Batra, who has been sustaining himself using his recipe since 2013. “Food in the future will be limited to social gatherings and eating out,” he says. Like him, busy and health-conscious urbanites find it cumbersome to shop for food and cook at home on a daily basis. While eating out is an option, it is not necessarily healthy. Some may enjoy the occasional weekend cooking, but they find it tiring if they have to make food every day.
And then there are some like 29-year-old entrepreneur Shirsendu Karmakar from Delhi, who suffers from a series of food allergies. He, too, created a vegan Soylent recipe, through trial and error. “Not having to cook also means no washing or cleaning up. On a serious note, this shake gave me the required energy and mental ability that an average meal could not,” says Karmakar. Similarly, Pune-based software professional Ayan Mullick dislikes having to cook for himself and has been getting Soylent shipped from the US for the past seven-eight months. “It’s simple, easy and eliminates the need to cook, clean and buy groceries,” Mullick says.

Soylent is a powder-based product that packs in the necessary nutrients required by an average human being in a day
Rhinehart’s journey with Soylent
Humans have always consumed solid food — whether it was by hunting or farming. So, are these healthy mixes the next stage of evolution?
When 26-year-old Rhinehart started trying to simplify meals, he met with more criticism than wonderment. Like other inventions born out of need, in his case, food bills became a burden, and he wanted a permanent solution. “As an engineer, I reasoned that we could rebuild food in the image of what we needed rather than trying to extract our requirements from a mess of naturally occurring crops,” Rhinehart tells us via email.
In 2012, after months of research on nutritional biochemistry, he managed to compile a list of 35 nutrients required for survival. These nutrients, in the form of pills and powders, became the initial recipe for Soylent. Instead of consuming them one by one, he added water and put them in a blender. After being on it for a month — which means successfully replacing all three meals — Rhinehart went public with his product.

Harsh Batra, a fitness enthusiast, has been replacing his breakfast and lunch with SupermealX.
The food of the future? Batra followed Rhinehart’s journey and conducted similar experiments based on his recipe shared through open source forums. He admits to being satisfied with the results. “I get a lot of requests from people suffering from diabetes and food allergies, those looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle or stay fit,” he says.
But will this liquid diet have mainstream appeal? It is a resounding “No” from noted food columnist Vir Sanghvi: “I am sceptical about this fad. It may work for people who are very busy, but not for the rest of us. We don’t function on the notion that food is for sustenance alone,” he adds.
Healthwise, too, it’s a thumbs down for this one-size-fits-all diet, feels Indrayani Pawar, team leader dietician at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical. “Such diet fads are not ideal as every person has a different requirement of nutrients. Besides, every body part performs a function. For instance, we have teeth to chew and saliva to break down food,” Pawar says.
Earlier this year, Steve Case, the CEO of Revolution, a company that invests in ideas, argued that powdered food supplements is not the future. “The future of food, with all due respect to my visionary colleagues in Silicon Valley, is not Soylent,” writes Case, in an op-ed for Re/Code, an independent tech news, reviews and analysis site. Food is an important social connector and products like Soylent negate that, he observes, adding that the future of food lies with companies and start-ups that make healthy food more accessible. “Put another way: the future of food is food,” writes Case.

Up to central government to revoke Maggi ban: Goa CM

He added that the state government has no role in resumption of the sales of the popular instant noodle
Sale of Nestle's Maggi noodles will resume only after the central government lifts the ban on the product, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said on Thursday, adding that the state government has no role in resumption of the sales of the popular instant noodle.
"Maggi noodles have been banned by the central government. It is up to them to revoke the ban," Parsekar told IANS in state capital Panaji.
Parsekar's remarks came after Nestle on Wednesday announced that samples from its manufacturing plants in Goa, Karnataka and Punjab have been cleared by the National Accreditation Board for Testing Calibration Laboratories (NABL) as directed by the Bombay High Court.
While Maggi noodles was banned across the country since June due to excessive traces of lead and mono-sodium glutamate (MDG) in the samples, Goa was one of the few states where the product initially tested negative for the two substances in two separate tests conducted here.
Maggi was subsequently taken off the shelves following directions from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, which ordered a re-test of the noodles' samples.

Junk food stalls, bakeries thrive near schools violating FSSAI rules

CHENNAI: One of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s main recommendations for safety guidelines in school canteens is restriction of food high on oil, fat, sugar and salt. 

While this recommendation is being followed to an extent in schools across the city, another FSSAI rule that categorically states that no junk food stalls, bakeries or eateries should be present within 50 meters of the school is nowhere close to being implemented.
When Nisha T studying in a school near Valasaravakkam was asked if her school sold any junk food in canteens, she vehemently nodded and said no, while reaching into her pocket to pay a vendor for the potato chips and cakes that she had just purchased from a shop next to her school.
Following a Delhi high court order, FSSAI drafted a set of guidelines recently to regulate food in and near schools since obesity, hypertension and diabetes has been on a steady high in younger population. However, a majority of schools around the city have bakeries, junk food shops, within a few feet of the schools.
During closing time, many ice cream, chat and other street food vendors park right at the gates of schools.
Shreedhar, who runs a bakery, juice and snacks shop a building away from a popular girls school at T. Nagar said he had regular customers from the school. Chips, samosas and puffs were the items most preferred by students.
While schools conduct regular supervision of canteens and send out circulars to warn students of bad eating habits, ironically many parents who come to pick up their children end up buying from the ice cream vendors, or making a quick visit to the bakery before heading home.
Schools take steps to provide healthy food
When DC interacted with schools students to find out what food is made available at their schools, most students claimed that junk food like chips or other crisps was not sold in their canteens.
Seema Sharma, who has been in canteen business for 16 years, presently runs canteens at four schools in the city, She said the school has strict policies with regard to junk food being sold. “We only provide food that the children would eat at home. However, FSSAI guidelines also recommend that foods like samosas, pizzas, cutlets and burgers be restricted as they are high in fat and salt. However, Sharma said while school authorities do allow these snacks to be sold, they say that only less oil should be used. Dalda is strictly prohibited.
Centre to appoint authoritiesWhile the Centre is yet to implement FSSAI recommendations, DC contacted State officials. However, they seemed to be unaware of the recommended guidelines. Authorities from the Social Welfare and Nutritious Meal Programme were unavailable for comment while school education secretary D. Sabitha said their department was not in charge of regulating school canteens.

FDSA raids sauce factory, sample sent for testing

BAREILLY: Food Safety and Drug Administration Department during a raid at a local sauce manufacturing factory found everything except tomato and chilli, the basic raw materials for the preparations.

The raiding team found various chemicals and artificial flavors stored in used beer bottles at the factory premises that resembled a "garbage dump". The factory has been sealed and the products sent for testing.
As per reports, the team raided the premises of a sauce manufacturing company in Hajiyapur locality on Tuesday evening. Seeing the team, workers engaged in preparing and filling the sauce fled from the spot.
"Raw materials like tomatoes and chilli were missing but there were filled bottles of what looked like sauce, kept carelessly in unhygienic condition. The workers were also filling used bottles with acetic acid and labeling it as a local vinegar brand," district food safety officer Ajay Jaiswal told TOI.
"The condition at the factory was very disturbing and absence of raw materials is enough indication that spurious sauce was prepared, which amounts to playing with the lives of people. Moreover, acetic acid, otherwise is used as a preservative, was filled in bottles instead of vinegar, which is shocking. We have collected samples of all the above items and seized products worth several lakhs from the factory. The samples would be sent for testing and case lodged against the factory owner if the test reports state that the samples were unfit for human consumption. The factory has been sealed."
"The team found a white chemical powder in large quantity which they presume was used in preparation of spurious sauce after mixing other chemicals and essence to develop a flavor. The conditions around the factory were very unhygienic with workers engaged in filling the product in bottles which were not even cleaned properly.
Locals told the raiding party that everyday rag pickers arrive at the factory and hand over hundreds of used beer bottles, which are neither cleaned properly and are used to fill sauce and vinegar.
Meanwhile, the raiding team on Wednesday also seized fryums and vermicelli from a factory in Parsakhera area functioning with a proper licence. The team seized items worth Rs 3.80 lakh from the spot and sealed the factory, said Jaiswal.

Milk adulteration: FSSAI proposes new norms

Kalyan Ray, New Delhi, Nov 5, 2015,
Standards set for cream, curd, paneer, cheese and desserts

 
With milk adulteration becoming a routine affair, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has come out with the first detailed standards for milk and milk products to ensure availability of safe products in the market.
Besides milk, the FSSAI also brought out standards for cream; malai; sahi or curd; chhana or paneer; cheese; dairy-based desserts or confection; evaporated or condensed milk and milk products; butter, ghee and milk fats; chakka and shrikhand; fermented milk products; whey and edible casein products.
There are several categories of milk depending on the source state and animal. For instance, the standards of buffalo milk in Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Punjab, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal are different from the rest of the country. The percentage of minimum milk fat is higher in these 14 states.
In addition to buffalo milk, standards have also been set for milk of cow, goat, camel and sheep besides the standard full cream, toned, doubled-toned and skimmed milk.
An improvement than existing regulatory norms, the draft standards prepared by a FSSAI technical committee is up for public comments within the next 60 days. Once the comments are received, they would be analysed and incorporated before the final milk standards are notified.
“The organised sector—food industry and big dairies—must comply with the new standards. But the implementation would be difficult in the unorganised sector, including local dairies. Do we have enough food inspectors or food laboratories for the job,” Kamala Krishnaswamy, former director of National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, asked Deccan Herald.
The draft standards for milk and milk products from the food regulator comes three years after the FSSAI found that the menace has spread far and wide across the country.
In a nationwide survey on almost 1,800 milk samples, the FSSAI found each one was adulterated in Bihar, Chhattishgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa, Mizoram and Daman and Diu. The adulteration agents are skimmed milk powder, glucose, fat, solid-not-fats and water.
Majority of milk samples analysed in 19 states and UTs do not conform to the existing food safety standards. While the southern states—Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu—along with Madhya Pradesh and Chandigarh fared better, the rest of the country projected a dismal picture.
The FSAAI survey also led to a Supreme Court litigation, which is still continuing. The apex court asked the government to ensure supply of safe and healthy milk to the citizens.

Anti-tobacco Law Fails to Curb Trade

BHUBANESWAR: While cigarettes and chewable tobacco trade is on the rise in the State with 46 per cent of population addicted to it, implementation of Control of Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) could do little to check the sale and consumption of tobacco in the Capital City.
Under the Act, Police have to check sale of tobacco within 100 metres of educational institutions, public smoking and advertisement of tobacco products.
Even when it comes to nabbing traders of illegally manufactured gutkha and cigarettes, police intervention is limited to temporary detention while the offenders are booked by the Health Inspectors under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA).
These issues and clarifications on COTPA and FSSA were discussed at a training-cum-awareness programme organised by the Commissionerate of Police here on Wednesday.
While COTPA was implemented in the City in 2010, Commissionerate of Police had extended it to Cuttack on January 1 this year. Every year, around 6,000 to 10,000 violators are detected by the police and penalised. Most of the offenders under COTPA are booked for public smoking, Police Commissioner Dr RP Sharma said.
“Raids will be intensified outside the campus of educational institutions for illegal sale of tobacco products and public places to check public smoking,” Dr Sharma said.
Experts from the Health Directorate and State Tobacco Control Cell apprised senior police officials of the scope of both the Acts during the one-day training programme.

Bakers’ association accuses govt of supplying unhygienic food products

SRINAGAR: The Kashmir Bakers and Confectioners Association on Saturday accused the government of supplying unhygienic food items to firms and people.
“It is government that supplies unhygienic food material to people and outlets and is careless towards tackling the problem that directly concerns our health,” President KBCA Bashir Ahmad Sufi told Kashmir Reader on the sidelines of an awareness program for bakers organised by the association in a local hotel here.
The association had invited Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr Farooq Ahmad Lone, Deputy Commissioner, Food Safety, Irfana Ahmad and Assistant Commissioner,Food Safety, Hilal Ahmad Mir to the event.
“From water to ration, everything the government supplies is unhygienic and not up to the standards set up by the food regulatory bodies,” Sufi alleged.
The KBCA president said that they were compelled to organise a food safety awareness program for its members after witnessing the government’s “carelessness” over the issue.
“We are doing a program whichwas supposed to be organised by government. This shows the administration’s sorry state of affairs with regard to development of a hygienic society,” Sufi said.
The Deputy Commissioner Srinagar, Dr Farooq Ahmad Lone, who was the chief guest on the occasion, said that they have to take the issue (of food safety) “very seriously”.
“Though we have food safety agencies, it’s everyone’s responsibility to ensure that the products we consume are up to the standards,” he said, adding that everyone in the society has to play a role in this regard.
“Generally, during festivals, we start preparing food products much before they are consumed. We must be careful enough to consume fresh products,” he said.
The Deputy Commissioner, Food Safety, Irfana Ahmad said their “teams are, round the clock, conducting inspections to ensure the markets are following the regulations laid down by the Food Safety Act (FSA)”.
“Our officers are fully committed to their job. Apart from taking notice of the complaints, they are keeping a close vigil over markets and proper action is taken against those found violating the food safety norms,” she said.
The Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety, Hilal Ahmad Mir told Kashmir Reader that such awareness programs are not only meant for bakers and food outlets but are organised “in the larger interest of the general public”.
When asked whether there is any training imparted to bakers with related to food safety measures, Mir said they conduct workshops for those working in food outlets “to make them updated at par with the latest techniques”.
“Just like everything, this also is a gradual process and it will take some more time to make society fully aware of the process,” he said.

Rs 14,000 fine imposed on adulterators

KATHUA: Continuing its drive against the menace of adulteration in view of forthcoming Diwali festival, Food Safety Officers under the supervision of Tehsildar Kathua Avtar Singh, Santosh Kotwal CEO MC Kathua, DSP Headquarters Ajay Sharma and officials of MC Kathua conducted extensive market checking here on Wednesday.
The team inspected various sweet shops in Mukherji Chowk , near Asha Purni Mandir Kathua , old areas of the city, etc. and imposed fine to the tune of Rs. 14,000 to erring traders.
Officials warned the shopkeepers and directed them to ensure supply of quality food to the general public, especially milk and milk products adhering to Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

FDA intensifies surveillance to curb adulteration of sweets

PUNE: Be it excessive use of edible colours or pistachio substituted with coloured groundnut flakes, adulteration in sweets is always rampant in the market ahead of the festive season.

Officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have intensified their surveillance to curb such malpractices in and around Pune ahead of Diwali.
"The lure of quick money is the main motive to indulge in adulteration. Such malpractices become rampant during the festive season. We have started holding meetings with owners of sweet shops and have warned them against getting involved in any kind of adulteration. We have also put up flyers about basic precautions shop owners need to take in preparation, handling and sale of sweets," said Shashikant Kekare, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
The administration has also started drawing samples of ingredients that are used in sweets, such as maida, rava, besan, ghee and khoya, said Dilip Sangat, assistant commissioner (food), FDA, Pune.
"Besides, there are a lot of homemade chocolates on sale in the market this time. We are also taking samples from these chocolates. We will fine those responsible for substandard food items and file criminal cases against people selling unsafe food items," he said.
The administration has also intensified vigilance at the city's entry points.
"Lot of substandard and adulterated khoya is transported into the city from neighbouring states, mainly Gujarat, during Diwali. Hence, we have started conducting surprise inspections at railway stations, state transport bus stands and private luxury bus stops in and around Pune," Sangat said.
Officials are also keeping an eye on the use edible colour in sweets. "
Those using more than 100ppm edible colour in food will attract punishment. Last Diwali, a sample of 'bundi ladoo' was found to contain edible colour exceeding the permissible limit prescribed in the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. A 'sev' sample from a shop in Pune was found containing excessive edible colour," Sangat added.
The administration is also watching out for 'varakh' (silver foil) used to decorate sweets. "Varakh is not always silver foil, but can also be aluminum, consuming which can create serious health problems," said food safety official Yogesh Dhane.
Officials said adulteration can cause serious health problems.
Use of harmful starch, milk mixed with urea, caustic soda, artificial sweetening chemicals, non-approved food colour (such as heavy-metal incorporated malachite green) and unhygienic conditions in the kitchen can cause acute gastritis, serious diarrhoea, dysentery, dehydration and kidney inflammation.
BOX: What the law says
The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, makes adulteration punishable by a fine and imprisonment. In Maharashtra, food safety officials collect samples of various food items from time to time. These are analysed in government laboratories. If the samples are found to be adulterated, legal action is taken against the vendors
Dial to complain
Consumers who suspect that a food article is adulterated can inform the FDA assistant commissioner for their area. For assistance, call the FDA office on 020-24470276 and toll free number 1800222365

Punjab govt intensifies drive against sale of adulterated sweets

Punjab government has intensified the on-going drive against the sale of adulterated sweets in the state, with Health Department officials raiding the shops and godowns suspected to be selling, storing and manufacturing such products.
Punjab Health and Family Welfare minister Surjit Kumar Jiyani directed the District Health Officers to act tough against thoses selling, adulterated and contaminated food items.
He said the government has already issued notice to take strict action against sale of such items.
The health department has launched a campaign against the sale of impure food items including sweets, khoya (condensed milk) and other milk especially during the ongoing festival season.
"With a view to ensuring purity in the sweets and other eatables, traders have been inspected by the Department of Food and Supplies across the state, he said.
Staggering traders will be prosecuted for selling commodities in violation of health and safety norms, he added.
He said that in order to keep strict vigil on the milk products and khoya coming from other states, the Minister said that all the entry points including the railway stations, bus stands have been guarded against adulterated food items.
"The adulterated food items would be destroyed then and there by the special task force deputed at various sensitive points," Jayani said.
He said that according to the Food Safety and Standards Act, the punishment for selling adulterated food is seven years imprisonment and a Rs 10 lakh fine.
For selling sub-standard food one could face a maximum fine of Rs 10 lakh, he said, adding that for death caused by adulterated food, the offender could face life time jail term.

Officials check on food quality

Close scrutiny:I. Danaraju, Food Safety Officer, inspects a sweet stall on J.N. Street in Puducherry on Wednesday.

Dept. of Food Safety inspect sweet, confectionary shops in Puducherry
Ahead of the Deepavali festival, officials from the Department of Food Safety on Wednesday inspected sweet and confectionary shops to ensure that was no adulteration in food items.
The team, led by I. Danaraju, Food Safety Officer, took over 50 samples of sweets from various outlets across the city and its suburbs to check the quality of raw materials.
Owners were instructed to maintain hygiene and quality as per the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Officials inspected raw materials that are used in making sweets as well as the final products.
The inspection is aimed at detecting the quality of sweets and whether non-permitted colours are used since there is a spurt in sales during the festive season.
Mr. Danaraju said that some outlets made use of used palm oil with refined oil and used non-permitted colours which are not allowed under the Food Safety and Standards Act. Sweets are also prepared in advance and sold in bulk which could lead to deteriorating in quality. The samples would be tested at the Food and Drugs Testing Laboratory here.
If any adulteration was found, stringent action would be taken under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Food Safety Officials would continue with the surprise raids on Thursday.
Public can send messages to 94435 36146 about adulteration in sweets, he added.

DINAMALAR NEWS

உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் அறிவுறுத்தல் தீபாவளி பண்டிகைக்கு தற்காலிக பலகார கடைக்கு உரிமம், பதிவு எண்

வேலூர், நவ.5:
தீபா வளி பண் டி கைக்கு தற் கா லிக பல கார கடை வைக்க உரி மம் மற் றும் பதிவு எண் பெற வேண் டும் என உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் அறி வு றுத் தி யுள் ளார்.
இது கு றித்து வேலூர் மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை அலு வ லர் மற் றும் மருந்து கட் டுப் பாட்டு அலு வ ல ரு மான செந் தில் கு மார் கூறி ய தா வது: வேலூர் மாவட் டத் தில் தீபா வளி பண் டி கை யை யொட்டி பேக் கரி, திரு மண மண் ட பங் கள் மற் றும் இதர பகு தி க ளில் தயார் செய் யப் ப டும் இனிப்பு மற் றும் கார வகை கள் தர மான முறை யில் தயா ரிக் கப் ப டு கி றதா என் பது உண வுப் பா து காப்பு அதி கா ரி க ளால் ஆய்வு செய் யப் ப டும். இனிப்பு மற் றும் கார வகை களை சுத் த மான, சுகா தா ர மான இடங் க ளில் மட் டுமே தயா ரிக்க வேண் டும்.
தர மான மூலப் பொ ருட் கள் மட் டுமே உப யோ கிக்க வேண் டும். பாக் கெட் மற் றும் டின் க ளில் அடைக் கப் பட்ட லேபிள் கொண்ட தர மான எண் ணெய், வனஸ் பதி, நெய் வகை களை பயன் ப டுத்த வேண் டும். உப யோ கித்த எண் ணெய் வகை களை மீண் டும் பயன் ப டுத் தக் கூ டாது. பாது காப் பான குடி நீரை மட் டுமே தயா ரிப் புக்கு பயன் ப டுத்த வேண் டும். பல கா ரங் களை சுகா தா ர மான முறை யில் மூடி வைத்து, சேமித்து விற் பனை செய்ய வேண் டும்.
பால் சேர்க் கப் பட்ட மற் றும் சேர்க் கப் ப டாத இனிப்பு வகை கள் தனித் தனி பாக் கெட் க ளில் விற் பனை செய்ய வேண் டும். அனு ம திக் கப் பட் டதை விட கூடு த லாக வண் ணங் கள் சேர்க் கக் கூ டாது. தற் கா லிக பல கார சீட்டு போட்டு பல கா ரங் கள் தயா ரிக் கும் தயா ரிப் பா ளர் கள் கட் டா யம் தற் கா லிக உரி மம் மற் றும் பதி வுச் சான்று பெற வேண் டும். சான்று பெறா த வர் கள், சுகா தா ர மற்ற முறை யில் இனிப்பு, கார வகை கள் தயார் செய் வது கண் ட றி யப் பட் டால், உண வுப் பா து காப்பு சட் டப் படி நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும்.இவ் வாறு அவர் கூறி னார்.

தரமற்ற உணவு பண்டம் தயாரிக்கப்படுகிறதா? புதுவை சுவீட்ஸ் கடைகளில் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை ஆய்வு

புதுச் சேரி, நவ. 5:
புதுவை சுவீட்ஸ் கடை க ளில் தீபா வளி பல கா ரங் கள் தர மற்ற நிலை யில் தயா ரிக் கப் ப டு கி ற தா? என் பது குறித்து உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை யி னர் அதி ர டி யாக ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர்.
புது வை யில் தீபா வ ளி யை யொட்டி சுவீட்ஸ் கடை க ளில் முன் ப திவு விறு வி றுப்பு அடைந் துள் ளது. இனிப்பு, கார வகை க ளுக்கு ஒவ் வொரு கடை யும் தாங் களே விலை நிர் ண யித்து விற் ப னையை தீவி ரப் ப டுத்தி உள் ள னர். பல கா ரங் கள் தயா ரிப்பு பணி க ளும் ஆங் காங்கே மும் மு ர மாக நடை பெற்று வரு கின் றன.
இத னி டையே தீபா வளி பல கா ரங் கள் சுவீட்ஸ் கடை க ளில் தர மற்ற நிலை யில் தயா ரிக் கப் ப டு வ தா க வும், உரி மம் பெறா மல் பல் வேறு கடை கள் இயங் கு வ தா க வும் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறைக்கு புகார் கள் வந் தன.
இதை ய டுத்து உணவு பாது காப்பு அதி காரி தன் ராஜ் தலை மை யி லான குழு வி னர் நேற்று புதுவை முழு வ தும் சுவீட்ஸ் கடை க ளில் அதி ரடி ஆய்வு பணி யில் ஈடு பட் ட னர். நேரு வீதி, காமாட் சி யம் மன் கோயில் வீதி, மிஷன் வீதி, பாரதி வீதி உள் ளிட்ட கடை வீ தி க ளில் உள்ள சுவீட்ஸ் கடை க ளுக்கு சென்ற அதி கா ரி கள், அங்கு தயா ரிக் கப் ப டும் பல கா ரங் களை ஆய்வு செய் த னர். கடை நிர் வா கம் உரி மம் பெற்று இயங் கு கி றதா, தர மான எண் ணெய் பயன் ப டுத் து கி றார் களா, தடை செய் யப் பட்ட கலர் பயன் ப டுத் தப் ப டு கி றதா, கலப் ப டம் உள் ள தா? போன் ற வற்றை சோத னை யிட் ட னர். அங் கி ருந்த உரி மை யா ளர், பணி யா ளர் க ளி டம் பொருட் க ளின் தரம் கு றித்து கேட் ட றிந்து அவற் றின் அவ சி யத்தை எடுத் துக் கூறி னர். இதை தவ றும் பட் சத் தில் சட் ட ரீ தி யான நட வ டிக்கை மட் டு மின்றி அப ரா த மும் துறை யால் விதிக் கப் ப டும் என்று எச் ச ரித் த னர். தொடர்ந்து முத லி யார் பேட்டை, ரெட் டி யார் பா ளை யம், வில் லி ய னூர் உள் ளிட்ட அனைத்து பகு தி க ளி லும் சோதனை நடத் தப் ப டும் என்று உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை யி னர் தெரி வித் த னர். இத னால் சுவீட்ஸ் கடை உரி மை யா ளர் கள், ஊழி யர் கள் கலக் கம் அடைந் துள் ள னர்.

DINAMALAR NEWS

கடலூர் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள குடிநீர் தொழிற்சாலைகளில் அதிகாரிகள் திடீர் ஆய்வு

கட லூர், நவ. 5:
கட லூர் மாவட் டத் தில் உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் மேற் கொண்ட ஆய் வில் விதி மு றை களை பின் பற் றாத 19 தொழிற் சா லை க ளுக்கு எச் ச ரிக்கை விடுத் துள் ள னர்.
தமி ழ கத் தில் வட கி ழக்கு பருவ மழை தீவி ர ம டைந் துள்ள நிலை யில் நோயற்ற வாழ் விற்கு சுகா தா ர மான குடி நீர் விநி யோ கம் முதன்மை இடத்தை பிடித் துள் ளது. இந் நி லை யில் சுத் தி க ரிக் கப் பட்ட குடி நீர் தொடர் பாக மாவட் டம் முழு வ தும் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை யி னர் அதி ரடி சோதனை மேற் கொண் டுள் ள னர். மாவட் டத் தில் கட லூர், பண் ருட்டி, நெல் லிக் குப் பம், விருத் தா ச லம், சிதம் ப ரம் உள் ளிட்ட இடங் க ளில் 34 சுத் தி க ரிக் கப் பட்ட குடி நீர் உற் பத்தி தொழிற் சா லை கள் இயங்கி வரு கி றது. நாள் தோ றும் 300 மில்லி லிட் டர், 500 மில்லி லிட் டர், 1 லிட் டர், 20 லிட் டர் அள வு க ளில் பாட் டில் கள், கேன் கள் உற் பத்தி செய் யப் பட்டு தொழிற் சா லை கள் மூலம் கட லூர், விழுப் பு ரம், புதுச் சேரி பகு தி க ளுக்கு விற் ப னைக்கு அனுப் பப் ப டு கி றது. இதில் 20 லிட் டர் கேன் கள் பெரும் பான் மை யான இல் லங் க ளில் குடி நீர் உப யோ கத் திற்கு பயன் ப டுத் தப் பட்டு வரு கி றது. இந் நி லை யில் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை அலு வ லர் கள் மேற் கொண்ட ஆய் வில் சம் மந் தப் பட்ட தொழிற் சா லை கள் சுத் தி க ரிப்பு தன் மைக் கான முழு மை யான நிபந் த னை களை பின் பற் று கின் ற னரா என் பது குறித்து ஆய்வு செய் த னர். இதில் 19 தொழிற் சா லை க ளில் மேற் கொள் ளப் பட்ட ஆய் வில் சில வற் றில் உற் பத்தி தொடர் பான நிபந் த னை கள் முழு மை பெ றாத நிலை யில் சம் பந் தப் பட்ட தொழிற் சா லை க ளுக்கு நோட் டீஸ் வழங்கி விளக் கம் கேட் கப் பட் டுள் ள தாக சம் பந் தப் பட்ட துறை யி னர் தெரி வித் த னர்.
கட லூர் அருகே உள்ள கண் ணா ரப் பேட் டை யில் நேற்று உணவு பாது காப்பு அதி காரி ராஜா தலை மை யில் அலு வ லர் கள் நல் ல தம்பி, நந் த கு மார் உள் ளிட் ட வர் கள் ஆய்வு செய் த னர். முழு மை யான சுத் தி க ரிப்பு தன்மை கண் ட றி யப் பட்ட நிலை யில் ஆய்வு குறித்து அலு வ லர் ராஜா கூறு கை யில், பாட் டில், கேன் க ளில் அடைத்து விற் கப் ப டும் குடி நீர் தன்மை முக் கி யத் து வம் பெறு கி றது. இதில் உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை, பிஐ எஸ், ஐஎஸ்ஐ போன்ற சான் றி தழ் பெற் ற தற் கான அடை யா ளங் கள் விற் கப் ப டும் சுத் தி க ரிக் கப் பட்ட குடி நீர் பாட் டில் க ளில் கண் டிப் பாக இடம் பெற வேண் டும். மற்ற தொழிற் சா லை க ளி லும் ஆய்வு செய் யப் பட்டு நிபந் த னை கள் மீறி யி ருந் தால் சம் மந் தப் பட்ட நிறு வ னம் மீது குற் ற வி யல் நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என் றார்.
சுகா த ார மற்ற குடி நீர் குறைந்த விலைக்கு விற் பனை 

மாவட் டம் முழு வ தும் 34 சுத் தி க ரிக் கப் பட்ட குடி நீர் விற் பனை தொழிற் சா லை கள் செயல் ப டும் நிலை யில் அதி க ள வி லான புகார் கள் நெல் லிக் குப் பம், பண் ருட்டி பகுதி தொழிற் சா லை கள் மீது வந் துள் ள தாக உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை யி னர் தெரி வித் த னர். சுத் தி க ரிப்பு தன் மை யில் முழு மை யில் லா மல் போவ தன் மூலம் குறைந்த விலைக்கு முக வர் க ளுக்கு விற்று காசு பார்த்து வரு கின் ற னர். இதன் மூலம் நோய் தாக் கும் அபா யம் அதி க ரிக் கும் என ஆய் வில் கண் ட றி யப் பட் டுள் ளது. இதனை சுகா தார துறை அதி கா ரி கள் போர்க் கால அடிப் ப டை யில் ஆய்வு செய்ய வேண் டும் என சமூக ஆர் வ லர் கள் கோரிக்கை விடுத் துள் ள னர்.

Maggi Untangle itself, gets all-clear from labs

DINAMALAR & DINAKARAN NEWS

Food poisoning is costly, deadly and way too common

The following editorial appears on Bloomberg View:

It's a mistake to make a federal case out of a single outbreak of food poisoning. It's worth pointing out, however, the utter failure of Congress to do more to prevent foodborne illness, which costs Americans some $15 billion in treatment and lost work days every year.
The latest scare comes from Oregon and Washington state, where Chipotle closed 43 restaurants after more than 35 people fell ill with E. coli. Other outbreaks in recent years involved cantaloupes, peanuts and cookie dough. Some 3,000 Americans die every year from food poisoning, and 128,000 are hospitalized.
It's not as if Congress has done nothing. In 2011 it passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, the biggest change in industry monitoring since the 1930s. The law had broad support from both parties as well as consumer groups and Big Agriculture.
The act makes a number of improvements to the food-safety system. The Food and Drug Administration is empowered to order recalls of contaminated food products -- previously, it could only request them -- and put in place tougher rules on processing fruits and vegetables. Companies are required to create written safety plans and keep records of safety issues, which the agency has the right to see. The FDA will also do more frequent inspections -- once every three years instead of every decade for high-risk facilities -- and has greater authority over imported food, which is required to meet many of the same safety standards as domestic food.
The law falls short in some places: Most important, it does too little to address a lax program of domestic self-regulation, especially when it comes to outside safety inspectors, whose independence has been questioned. The agency has proposed a set of rules for improving matters, including a set of model accreditation standards for safety auditors, but they would simply be guidelines.
Yet any discussion of benefits and drawbacks would be premature, since few of the law's core provisions have taken effect. The FDA only last month finalized its preventive-control rules, and Congress has doled out less than half the $580 million that the Congressional Budget Office says has been needed to implement the law. It is unlikely to open its wallet wider. The process has become bogged down by industry objections to compliance costs and a proposed $225 million in other fees.
Congress, agricultural producers and food retailers need to find a compromise out of the fiscal logjam. One potentially helpful suggestion came from President Barack Obama earlier this year, when he proposed placing all food-safety responsibilities in one agency inside the Department of Health and Human Services, combining the efforts of the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (which oversees meat and poultry) and a handful of other government offices. This could well increase efficiency and cut down on regulatory overlap, meaning lower costs to industry.
At any rate, the costs should be balanced against the benefit to public health and the damage to industry -- economic and reputational -- such outbreaks cause. Foodborne illness will never be eradicated, but a modern nation such as the U.S. can and should do much more to prevent it.

நிஜத்தில் ஒரு ‘36 வயதினிலே’ ஜோதிகா.. கேரளாவை அசத்தும் பெண் ஐஏஎஸ்!

தமிழகத்தில் இருந்து கேரளாவுக்குக் கொண்டு செல்லப்படும் காய்கறிகளில் நச்சுப் பொருள் இருக்கிறது என கேரள அரசு குற்றம் சாட்டி வந்தது. நாங்கள் அனுப்பும் காய்கறிகள் தரமானவை என தமிழக அரசும் விளக்கம் கொடுத்தும் இன்னும் சண்டைகள் ஓயவில்லை.
பூச்சிக் கொல்லி இருக்கிறதா இல்லையா? என்பதெல்லாம் அரசியலாக்கப்பட்டாலும், எந்த அரசியலும் செய்யாமல் இயற்கை உணவுகளின் பக்கம் மக்களை ஈர்த்து வருகிறார் கேரள ஐ.ஏ.எஸ். அதிகாரி ஒருவர். தொடர் ரெய்டுகள், அதையொட்டிய வழக்குகள் என நாள்தோறும் படு பிஸியாக இருக்கிறார்.
‘காய்கறிகளுக்காக தமிழ்நாடு, கர்நாடகாவை நம்பியிருக்க வேண்டாம்’ என்று சொல்லும் இவர், ‘36 வயதினிலே’ படத்தில் ஜோதிகா சொல்லியிருப்பது போல வீட்டுக்குள் இயற்கை விவசாயத்தை ஊக்குவிக்கிறார். (அந்தப் படமே மலையாள சினிமாவான ‘ஹவ் ஓல்ட் ஆர் யூ?’ படத்தின் ரீமேக்தான்!)



அவர்... கேரள உணவுப் பாதுகாப்பு ஆணையரான அனுபமா ஐ.ஏ.எஸ்தான்.
குழந்தைகள் முதல் பெரியவர்கள் வரை இப்போது அனுபமாவின் பெயர்தான் ஹாட் ஆஃப் த டவுன். பெட்டிக் கடைகள் முதல் வணிக வளாகம் வரையில் எங்கு இவர் ரெய்டு நடத்துவார் எனத் தெரியாது. இவர் நுழைந்தாலே கடைக்காரர்கள் அச்சத்தில் உறைந்து போவார்கள். பாரபட்சமில்லாமல் இவர் எடுக்கும் நடவடிக்கைகள் அப்படி. தீங்கிழைக்கும் ரசாயன உணவுப் பொருட்களின் தீமைகள் பற்றி மிகப் பெரிய அளவில் விழிப்புணர்வை ஏற்படுத்தி வருகிறார் அனுபமா. இவரது சமீபத்திய சாதனைகளில் முக்கியமான ஒன்றும் இருக்கிறது.



காய்கறிகளுக்காக கேரளா மிகவும் நம்பியிருப்பது அண்டை மாநிலங்களைத்தான். அவர்களுக்குத் தேவைப்படும் காய்கறிகளில் 70 சதவீதம் தமிழ்நாடு மற்றும் கர்நாடகாவில் இருந்து செல்கிறது. இவற்றைக் குறைக்க ஒரே வழி வீடுகளில் இயற்கை பண்ணைத் தோட்டம் அமைக்க வேண்டும் என்பது. 'அவரவர் வீடுகளில் தேவைப்படும் காய்கறிகளை அவரவர் விளைவித்துக் கொண்டால் அண்டை மாநிலங்களை நாடும் அவசியம் இருக்காது. பூச்சிக் கொல்லி பயமும் இருக்காது' என்ற நோக்கில் இத்திட்டத்தை தீவிரமாக செயல்படுத்தி வருகிறார்.



உடல் நலனில் தீவிர அக்கறை காட்டத் தொடங்கியிருக்கும் கேரள மக்கள், அனுபமாவின் வார்த்தைகளில் இருக்கும் அனுபவத்தை உணர்ந்து காய்கறி விளைச்சலில் தீவிரம் காட்டி வருகிறார்கள். கேரள வேளாண் துறை உதவியோடு விதைகள், சொட்டுநீர்ப் பாசன கருவிகள், செடி வளர்ப்பு பைகள் போன்றவற்றை மானிய விலையில் தருவதற்கு ஏற்பாடு செய்திருக்கிறார். இதனால் கேரளாவில் மவுனமாக காய்கறிப் புரட்சி நடந்து வருவதாக அம்மாநில பத்திரிகைகள் வர்ணிக்கின்றன.



இவர் பதவிக்கு வந்த 15 மாதங்களில் மார்க்கெட், செக்போஸ்ட்களில் நடந்த சோதனைகளில் 6 ஆயிரம் மாதிரிகளை எடுத்து சோதனை செய்ய கொடுத்திருக்கிறார். இதில் 750 வழக்குகள் பதியப்பட்டன. மக்களுக்கு தீங்கிழைக்கும் உணவுப் பொருட்களைக் கொண்டு வந்தததற்காகத்தான் இந்த வழக்குகள்.
''ஆய்வு முடிவுகளைப் பார்த்து நான் உண்மையிலேயே அதிர்ச்சியடைந்தேன். சில காய்கறி மற்றும் பழங்களில் 300 சதவீதம் அளவுக்கு பூச்சிக் கொல்லி மருந்துகள் இருந்தன'' என்கிறார் அனுபமா. அவர் பதவிக்கு வந்த நாள்களில் இருந்து எடுக்கப்பட்ட நடவடிக்கைகள் மக்கள் மத்தியில் உணவைப் பற்றிய விழிப்பு உணர்வை ஏற்படுத்தியுள்ளது. அதுவே, இயற்கைவழி வேளாண்மையின் பக்கமும் மக்களை திசை திருப்பியுள்ளது.



"நான் என்னுடைய கடமையைத்தான் செய்கிறேன். அரசும், மக்களும் எப்போதும் என் பக்கம் இருக்கின்றனர்" என்கிறார் அனுபமா அமைதியாக.
2010 ஐ.ஏ.எஸ். தேர்வில் அகில இந்திய அளவில் 4வது இடம் பிடித்த இந்த அதிகாரி. இயற்கை வேளாண்மையைக் கொண்டு செல்லும் பணியில் முதலிடத்தில் இருக்கிறார் என்பதே பெருமைதானே...!

Poll: Will Maggi regain its fan following now that it has been declared safe to eat?

Take the Mint poll to share your opinions on issues that matter
Nestle India Ltd plans to commence the sale of popular Maggi noodles within this month, after court-mandated tests at three laboratories cleared all the samples with lead much below permissible levels, the company said on Wednesday.
The company has been grappling with its worst public relations crisis after local regulators reported in May that some packets of the Maggi noodles contained unsafe levels of lead. Read more here .
On Wednesday, Nestle’s India unit said in a statement that the newly manufactured Maggi noodles were cleared for consumption by all three laboratories mandated by the Bombay High Court.
While many loyal customers of Maggi have been missing their favourite snack, and are rejoicing its return, some are sceptical about it. Do you think it will be able to regain its loyal fan following?

Maggi noodles clears final tests, relaunch likely late November

Nestle India is now in negotiations with local authorities to get bans lifted in various states
Five months after it was pulled from store shelves, Nestlé India’s bestselling product Maggi instant noodles is finally ready for a comeback after it cleared a final round of tests at three NABL accredited laboratories.
“We have received results from all three NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited laboratories mandated by the Hon’ble Bombay High Court to test newly manufactured MAGGI Noodles samples. All the samples of the MAGGI Noodles Masala have been cleared with lead much below permissible limits,” Nestlé India said in a statement today.
According to the Bombay High Court order dated August 13, Nestlé India needed to get newly manufactured batches of Maggi noodles retested in the three NABL-accredited laboratories in Jaipur, Mohali and Hyderabad before it could start selling.
Today’s results are, therefore, significant as it practically finally clears the decks for the FMCG major to start selling the product, which had been banned by the country’s apex food safety regulator – Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), over the presence of higher than permissible levels of lead and MSG.
However, since a ban is still in place in states like Punjab and Maharashtra, the company cannot start selling Maggi noodles immediately. It is currently in negotiation with various state authorities across the country for a free access to all markets.
“Now that the orders of the Hon’ble Bombay High Court have been complied with, we will make our best endeavour to commence the sale of MAGGI Noodles Masala within this month as well as continue engaging with States where permissions are needed or specific directions may be necessary. We are presently manufacturing MAGGI Noodles at three of our locations, at Nanjangud (Karnataka), Moga (Punjab) and Bicholim (Goa) and for the other two locations at Tahliwal and Pantnagar, we are engaging with the relevant authorities in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand to obtain directions for commencing manufacture of MAGGI Noodles,” Nestlé India’s statement added.

Maggi declared safe; prepare it in the style of Punjab, Goa, and Karnataka once its back

The instant noodles have been away for a while after a controversial ban, but are expected to return to shelves this month.
After allegations of an unhealthy MSG and lead content, the FSSAI had issued a much talked about ban on Maggi that led the brand to withdraw from the Indian market. As expected, Nestle saw a major decline in profit and suffered significant losses.
However, today, Nestle has announced that the three NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) in Punjab, Goa, and Karnataka, on being mandated by the Bombay High Court, have cleared new Maggi samples and said the batches had a lead content much below the allowed limit.
The brand is expected to resume sales of the instant noodles within this month. While Maggi was away, it pacified those who were against the ban with a "we miss you too" advert. Now, once it's back in the market, we suggest expressing gratitude to the three states that have been responsible for its resurrection, culinary-style.
Punjab
Among other things, Punjabi food owes its reputation to the tandoor. We've all eaten Maggi with cheese, egg, or onion, but if it had to pay tribute to Punjabi cuisine, we recommend stirring in thinly sliced onion, chopped green chillies, and shreds of cooked chicken tikka... easy, and satisfying.
Goa
Think Maggi with bits of chorizo as an ode to Goan food. Goans will be pleased, especially since their cuisine has been neglected for a long time because new--not to mention ignorant--tourism tends to favour international food. For a bolder flavour, add fresh rechad masala, which is made with red chillies and vinegar.
Karnataka
The original bisi bele bath uses rice and dal. Replace these with crushed Maggi. For the masala, dry roast dried red chillies, black pepper, coriander seeds, cloves, cinnamon, curry leaves, cumin, cardamom, desiccated coconut, urad dal, and chana dal in a pan. Grind to a fine powder, and add instead of the Maggi masala when cooking.

BITTER TRUTH ABOUT SWEETS

ஓட்டல்கள், டிபன் சென்டர்களில் டெங்கு விழிப்புணர்வு போஸ்டர்

பெரம் ப லூர், நவ.4:
பெரம் ப லூர் சுற் று வட் டா ரப் பகு தி க ளில் உள்ள ஹோட் டல் கள், டிபன் சென் டர் கள், டிபார்ட் மென் டல் ஷோரூம் க ளில் உண வுப் பாது காப் புத் துறை சார் பாக டெங்கு விழிப் பு ணர் வுப் போஸ் டர் கள் ஒட் டும் பணி தொடங் கி யது.
பெரம் ப லூர் மாவட்ட உண வுப் பாது காப் புத் துறை யின் ஆய் வுக்கு உட் பட்ட பகு தி க ளில் இயங் கி வ ரும் 50க்கும் மேற் பட்ட ஹோட் டல் கள், டிபன் சென் டர் கள், டிபார்ட் மென் டல் ஷோரூம் கள் ஆகி ய வற் றில், தமிழ் நாடு மக் கள் நல் வாழ்வு மற் றும் குடும்ப நலத் துறை சார் பாக அறி விக் கப் பட் டுள்ள டெங்கு விழிப் பு ணர்வு போஸ் டர் கள் ஒட் டும் பணி பெரம் ப லூர் மற் றும் அதன் சுற்று வட் டா ரப் பகு தி க ளில் நேற்று தொடங் கி யது. உண வுப் பாது காப் புத் துறை யின் பெரம் ப லூர் மாவட்ட நிய ம ன அ லு வ லர் டாக் டர் புஷ் ப ராஜ் தலை மை யில், உண வுப் பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் கள் சின் ன முத்து, அன் ப ழ கன், ரவி, அழ கு வேல் ஆகி யோர் கொண்ட குழு வி னர், டெங்கு விழிப் பு ணர் வுப் பிர சார நோட் டீஸ் களை மேற் கண்ட ஹோட் டல், டிபன் சென் டர், டிபார்ட் மென் டல் ஷோரூம் களில் ஒட் டும் பணி க ளில் ஈடு பட் ட னர். பெரம் ப லூர் நக ராட் சிக் குட் பட்ட துறை மங் க லம், புது பஸ் டாண்டு, பாலக் கரை, வெங் க டே ச பு ரம் ஆகிய இடங் க ளி லும், தேசிய நெடுஞ் சா லை யில் உள்ள நார ண மங் க லம், சிறு வாச் சூர், விஜ ய கோ பா ல பு ரம், ஆலத் தூர் கேட் உள் ளிட் டப் பகு தி க ளில் உள்ள ஓட் டல் கள், டிபார் மெண்ட் ஷோரூம், பால் பண்ணை உள் ளிட்ட இடங் க ளில் போஸ் டர் கள் ஒட் டப் பட் டது. இதில் கொசுக் கள் உற் பத் தி யா கா மல் தடுப் போம், சுற் றுப் பு றச் சூ ழலை தூய் மை யோடு காப் போம், டெங் கு காய்ச் சல் பாதிப் பு வ ரா மல் தடுப் போம் என்ற மக் கள் நல் வாழ்வு மற் றும் குடும் ப ந லத் துறை எச் ச ரிக்கை அறி விப் பு கள் இடம் பெற் றுள் ளன.
இப் ப ணி கள் ஆய் வுக்கு உட் பட்ட இதர பகு தி க ளி லும் தொடர்ந்து நடத் தப் ப டும் என உண வுப் பாது காப் புத் துறை சார் பா கத் தெரி விக் கப் பட் டுள் ளது.

அரியலூரில் ஹோட் டல், கடை கள், பேக் க ரி க ளில் உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை யி னர் ஆய்வு

அரி ய லூர், நவ.4:
தீபா வளி பண் டி கை யொட்டி அரி ய லூ ரில் உணவு தயா ரிப்பு கடை க ளில் அதி கா ரி கள் நேற்று அதி ரடி ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர்.
அரி ய லூர் கலெக் ட ரின் உத் த ர வின் பேரில் தீபா வளி பண் டி கைக் கால முன் னெச் ச ரிக்கை நட டி வ டிக் கை யாக அரி ய லூர் நக ராட்சி பகு தி யி லுள்ள பேருந்து நிலை யம், மார்க் கெட் தெரு, வெள் ளாள தெரு, திருச்சி மெயின் ரோடு, சின் னக் க டைத் தெரு, பள் ளி வா சல் தெரு மற் றும் செந் துறை ரோடு பகு தி யி லுள்ள கடை கள், ஹோட் டல் கள், தேனீர் விடு தி கள், இனிப்பு மற் றும் கார வகை கள், கேக் மற் றும் பேக் கரி பொருட் கள் தயா ரித்து விற் பனை செய் யும் கடை க ளில் அரி ய லூர் மாவட்ட உண வுப் பா து காப் புத் துறை அலு வ லர் செல் வ ராஜ் தலை மை யில் அதி கா ரி கள் நேற்று அதி ரடி ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர். அப் போது வணி கர் க ளி டம் உண வுப் பா து காப் புத் துறை அலு வ லர் செல் வ ராஜ் தெரி வித் த தா வது, உணவு பதார்த் தங் க ளான இனிப்பு மற் றும் கார வகை கள், உணவு பாது காப்பு மற் றும் தரங் கள் சட் டத் தின் படி கீழ் கண் ட வாறு சுகா தா ர மான முறை யில் தயார் செய்து விற் பனை செய் ய வேண் டும் என அறி வு றுத் தப் பட் டது. தீபா வளி பல கா ரங் கள் தயார் செய்ய பயன் ப டுத் தும் மூலப் பொ ருட் கள், எண் ணெய், நெய் மற் றும் வனஸ் பதி போன் றவை தர மா ன தாக இருக்க வேண் டும். பல கா ரம் செய்ய பயன் ப டுத் திய உணவு எண் ணெய்யை எக் கா ர ணத்தை கொண் டும் மீண் டும், மீண் டும் பயன் ப டுத் தக் கூ டாது. இனிப்பு மற் றும் கார வகை கள் உள் ளிட்ட உணவு பொருட் களை தூசி மற் றும் அழுக்கு படி யா ம லும், ஈ மொய்க் கா ம லும், பூச் சி கள் விழுந்து விடா ம லும் இருக்க கண் ணாடி அடைப் பான் க ளில் அடைத்து விற் பனை செய் ய வேண் டும். இனிப்பு மற் றும் கார வகை பண் டங் களை பொட் ட லம் செய்து விற் பனை செய் யும் போது அதன் பெயர் கள், பொட் ட லம் செய் யப் பட்ட நாள், எத் தனை நாட் க ளுக் குள் அப் பண் டங் களை உண் ணத் த குந் தவை என்ற விவ ரம், தயா ரிப் பா ளர் பெயர் மற் றும் முழு முக வரி ஆகி யவை கண் டிப் பாக அச் சிட் டி ருக்க வேண் டும். மேலும் தயார் செய் யப் ப டும் இனிப்பு வகை பண் டங் க ளில் அனு ம திக் கப் பட்ட செயற்கை வண் ணங் கள் (கலர் பொடி) மட் டுமே பயன் ப டுத்த வேண் டும்.
விதி மு றை களை பின் பற் றா மல் இனிப்பு மற் றும் கார வகை பண் டங் கள் தயார் செய் தாலோ அல் லது விற் பனை செய் தாலோ உணவு பாது காப் புச் சட் டப் படி நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டும் என அறி வு றுத் தி னார். இதைத் தொ டர்ந்து நடை பெற்ற ஆய் வில் பல கா ரங் கள் செய் வ தற் கான மூலப் பொ ருட் க ளின் தன்மை மற் றும் காலா வதி தேதி, காலா வ தி யான பொருட் கள், தடை செய் யப் பட்ட பொருட் கள் போன் றவை விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கின் ற னவா என் றும், தேனீர் விடு தி க ளில் கலப் ப டம் செய் யப் பட்ட டீத் தூள் உப யோ கப் ப டுத் தப் ப டு கி றதா என் றும் ஆய்வு செய் த னர். இந்த ஆய் வில் உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் கள் ரத் தி னம், நைனார் முக மது, சிவக் கு மார் ஆகி யோர் குழு வா கச் சென்று ஆய்வு செய் த னர். மாவட் டம் முழு வ தும் இது போன்று தொடர்ந்து ஆய்வு செய் யப் ப டும் என்று தெரி விக் கப் பட் டது.

உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி சிதம்பரத்தில் சோதனை

 

சிதம் ப ரம், நவ. 4:
தீபா வளி பண் டி கையை முன் னிட்டு இனிப் ப கங் க ளில் பொது மக் க ளி டம் இருந்து ஆர் டர் பெற்று இனிப்பு மற் றும் காரங் கள் தயா ரித்து விற் பனை செய்து வரு கின் ற னர். தயா ரிக் கப் ப டும் இனிப் பு கள் மற் றும் காரங் கள் தர மா க வும், சுகா தா ர மா க வும் உள் ள ன வா? என உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை அதி கா ரி கள் ஆய்வு செய்து வரு கின் ற னர். சிதம் ப ரம் மேல வீதி மற் றும் மேல சன் னதி பகு தி க ளில் உள்ள இனிப்பு கடை க ளில் மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு அதி காரி ராஜா திடீர் சோதனை செய் தார். அவ ரு டன் சிதம் ப ரம் உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் பத் ம நா பன், குறிஞ் சிப் பாடி உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் சுப் ர ம ணி யன் ஆகி யோர் வந் தி ருந் த னர். இனிப்பு கடை க ளில் தர மான நெய், எண் ணெய் கொண்டு உணவு பொருட் கள் தயா ரிக் கப் ப டு கிற தா? என ஆய்வு செய் தார்.

DINATHANTHI NEWS

25% food samples fails purity test: be caution this Diwali

The festive season is upon us and this is the time when one hears of cases of adulterated sweets, food and other perishable edible items being sold in the market.
In Patiala too, residents needs to be aware of the problem especially when it has come to light that 25% of all food samples tested over the year (Till September 30) are adulterated.
Of the 494 food samples collected in the district over these nine months in 2015, as many as 129 samples were found adulterated and unsafe for human’s consumptions under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Even as sample failure rate is relatively high, the health department’s record in launching prosecution cases is very poor.
In 2015 so far, the department has taken up only four cases for prosecution of the 129 failed samples. These are for a sample of grapes, sugarcane, a lemon juice bottle and a manufacturer of cold drinks.
Over the past four years, 57 civil and criminal cases have been taken up by the court against defaulters by the office of the additional deputy commissioner-cum-adjudication officer.
The health department had also collected a fine of around Rs 17 lakh over these four years.
Food items that regularly fail test
Officials in the health department claim that samples that routinely fail in the test are sweets, bakery products, grocery items and milk products. However, with the standing instructions to the field officers being to collect at least 100 samples a month, most officials were happy to just collect samples of locally-made cold drinks, snacks, fruit and fast-food products.
There is also a standing direction to the officials to take and test at least 100 samples a month. However, over the past few months the target has never been achieved.
In fact, even in October the month that marked the start of the festival season of Diwali, the department collected only 78 samples. The results of the lab tests are yet to arrive.
Over this year, the department collected 44 samples in January, 64 in February, 57 in March, 47 in April, 47 in May, 60 in June, 69 in July, 52 in August and 54 in September.
Only 55% establishments are registered
Of 20,000 eateries in the district that were supposed to get themselves mandatorily registered under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, only around 10,950 registrations and 1, 000 licences have been issued to stall holders, hotels, restaurants, dhabas, sweet shops, canteens, tea stalls, meat sellers, milk sellers and grocery stores.
The act has the provision of compulsory registration for all food businesses to ensure the availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption.
Patiala district health officer (DHO) Rajpal Singh said, “During the festival season, it is commonly observed that adulteration increases. Sale of poor quality food also increases during this time. We are vigilant and collected 78 samples in October this year. Of this, we had 24 samples of milk and 16 samples of sweets.”

DINAKARAN NEWS

Bitter truth about fruits: Artificial ripening rampant in dist

Workers unload bananas for further storage
Jalandhar, October 3: It may be the perfect season to dig into luscious seasonal fruits, but think twice before reaching out for them during the ongoing festive season. Most of these fruits are ripened artificially with calcium carbide and can cause headache, dizziness, sleep disorder and even memory loss.
With absolutely no check by the District Mandi Board officials, most fruit vendor in the district are ripening their fruits with calcium carbide, a banned chemical in godowns that are unlicensed.
However, the lone cold storage facility built in 2011 by the Mandi Board, that is worth crores, was found to have been encroached upon by labourers working inside the fruit market who have made make-shift residences inside the air-conditioned chambers.
To know the reality behind the artificial ripening of fruits, Jalandhar Tribune visited the Maqsudan Wholesale Fruit market and found that calcium carbide was openly on sale at various outlets to give the fruits a robust look, pulpiness and aroma and to subvert its period of ripening. The traders confessed that many of them are using calcium carbide, popularly known as ‘masala’ for the ripening process. Ingestion of this harmful chemical can affect the neurological system in human beings.
The traders also accused the Mandi Board officials of giving the cold storage to two private companies instead of making the facility available to them all. “Though the facility was inadequate, the officials have given it on rent only to two firms,” said a trader.
He also alleged that though the firms have reportedly hired the entire storage house with six chambers and two cold rooms, while keeping most of the area vacated, they too are ripening their fruits with ‘masala’ in various other unlicensed godowns.
Though the use of calcium carbide in fruits is banned, the practice continues unhindered in the district. Asked about the fear of authorities over the use of banning ‘masala’, a trader said smugly: “Nothing happens. Local officials are aware of all this, but we take care of them. This has been going on for years.” He also informed that the department has so far failed to provide adequate storage capacity for fruit ripening, an important process for fruits like mangoes and bananas.”
Taranjit Singh, District Mandi Officer, said he was not aware of the practice and maintained that no fruit vendor has ever approached him so far to get a place for ripening their fruits. “We need to maintain the massive storage house and hence, have to give it on rent to the two companies who showed interest in hiring the premises,” said Singh. When asked, he, however, failed to provide the number of licensed fruit and vegetable commodity godowns in the district.
Dr Kailash Kapoor, Civil Surgeon, also claimed helplessness in checking adulteration of fruits and vegetables in the district. “The District Mandi Board has not provided us the information about licensed godowns where we can go and check the fruit ripening process. Though we did receive a complaint recently pertaining to the artificial ripening of fruits inside the wholesale market and conducted an investigation inside the Mandi premises, we could not find anything,” said Dr Kapoor.
Surprisingly, while the District Mandi Board and the Health Department is refuting the claim over the use of ‘masala’ for fruit ripening, it is being openly used in over a dozen godowns situated adjacent to the boundary wall of the wholesale market.
In India, artificial ripening is banned under the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, and the Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955. According to rules 44AA of the PFA Rules 1955, no fruit can be ripened with the help of calcium carbide.
Those convicted under this Act could face imprisonment for three years and a fine of Rs 1,000. But there are hardly any cases where the traders or retailers have been booked in the district for accelerating the ripening by the use of harmful chemicals.
Several news reports have highlighted the open use of CaC2 in different parts of the country. Recently, the Union Health Ministry has sent a circular to all state food authorities with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, stressing upon the need to take legal action against those found guilty of violation of the PFA rules.

Food Business Operators Briefed on Food Safety Measures

Port Blair, Nov. 2: For the ensuing Diwali festival, a meeting with the representatives of Bakery Association of Andaman’s, was held in the Conference hall of the Directorate of Health Services/ Commissionerate of Food Safety on 30th Oct. 2015 wherein, 15 members of the Association attended.

The meeting was chaired & presided over by Dr. (Mrs.) Shipra Paul, Commissioner of Food safety, A & N Islands and Officials of Food Safety. The Commissioner of Food Safety instructed the stakeholders about the safety measures and precautions to be taken by the manufacturers, during the festive seasons.
The Officers and Officials of Food Safety Department, apprised the Food Safety Norms, to be followed by the Food Business Operators on manufacture of sweets and other bakery products under the Food Safety & Standards Act’ 2006.
Various issues pertaining to the procurement, storage, manufacture and sale of products were discussed with the Operators. The Food Business Operators were briefed about the Personal Hygiene and Sanitary conditions to be followed in the Food Business Premises and also by the employees engaged in Bake Houses/ Sweet Stalls.
The Food Business operators were also warned against malpractices in preparation of Sweet items/ Bakery products and if found involved, action deemed fit shall be initiated against the offenders.
Further, the Commissioner of Food Safety has formed Flying squads of Enforcement Officials, to keep a strict vigil on the manufacturers and sellers, during the festive season.
The Association has assured full cooperation with the Department and the association has thanked the Commissioner of Food Safety for organising such an awareness programme among the Bakery Association, which is 1st of its kind after the establishment of Food Safety Department.

Food samples taken for Examination

Chandigarh, 3rd November, 2015:- As per the action plan prepared by Dr. Rajinder K. Sharma, Designated Officer I/c Food Safety Administration, Chandigarh Health Department, Chandigarh for festival season, a joint team of Food Safety Officers Sh. Bharat Kanojia & Sh. Surinder Pal Singh on 03-11-2015 inspected the area of Manimajra, Chandigarh. The raiding team inspected the manufacturing units of Sweets & Bakery in the said area.
Four samples including two samples of Khoya and one each of Laddoo & Patisa were taken and sent to Food Analysis Laboratories, Chandigarh for analysis & examination. Two improvement notices were issued to shops manufacturing sweets under unsatisfactory conditions.
The Food vendors were also instructed to keep hygiene and quality standards as per Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006.

Mineral oil issue: 600 tonnes of pepper released

Release occurs after a Kolkata-based food testing laboratory okayed 1,500 tonnes of total stock
After a gap of three years, 600 tonnes of black pepper stock, allegedly contained mineral oil, were released in the open market. This is for the first time a major chunk of the 6,400 tonnes of the stock which was sealed in December, 2012, after a complaint of mineral oil coating, is being released.
Sources close to the issue said Business Standard that the releasing was made possible after a Kolkata-based food testing laboratory has okayed 1,500 tonnes of the total stock. 1,000 more tones will be released to the local market, immediately after the civic body elections in Kerala.
Top exporters of the commodity told Business Standard that the part of the stock tested okay by the laboratory will be sold in the Indian market.
They said that the stock is not fit for exports as it has a muddy odour and has the presence of insects. An exporter said that this is because of such a long period of keeping in the warehouses and can be removed through fumigation, warming in day light and using other cleaning process.
Leading dealers from Tamilnadu and Karnataka had bought the stock and this is being sold in retail markets in Mumbai and Delhi at a price tag of Rs 640-660/Kg.
In August, 2014 Kerala High Court directed the Food Safety Commissioner to allow NCDEX to clean the stock of pepper and to sent it to a laboratory notified by FSSAI.
The petitioner, Suresh Nair, vice president, NCDEX submitted that even if the allegation was true, it could be removed by a process of steaming. Mumbai based Kalimirchi Vyapari Association also moved Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking urgent justice as the traders' money of over Rs 300 crore was stuck in the issue.
The laboratory report said that traces of mineral oil was not detected in the 20 samples tested.
Mineral oil used in adulterated black pepper is made of burnt diesel, paraffin oil, white petroleum and other un-digestible and insoluble petroleum products. Black pepper coated with mineral oil is considered carcinogenic and even otherwise harmful for human consumption.
Over a complaint six warehouses in Alappuzha and Kochi, accredited by the National Commodity & Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX), were sealed by the Food Safety Authority of Kerala in December, 2012.
This was according to a direction from the Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSA). It also directed that 93 lots should be destroyed immediately. When the samples were tested in Kerala 60-65 per cent of the lots were found to contain traces of mineral oil.

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAMANI NEWS

Food safety measures in view of ensuing festival

Port Blair:
For the ensuing Diwali festival, a meeting with the representatives of Bakery Association of Andaman’s, was held in the Conference hall of the Directorate of Health Services/ Commissionerate of Food Safety on 30/10/2015, wherein, 15 (Fifteen) members of the Association attended. The meeting was chaired & presided over by Dr. (Mrs.) Shipra Paul, Commissioner of Food safety, A & N Islands and Officials of Food Safety. The Commissioner of Food Safety has instructed the stakeholders about the safety measures and precautions to be taken by the manufacturers, during the festive seasons. The Officers and Officials of Food Safety Department, apprised the Food Safety Norms, to be followed by the Food Business Operators on manufacture of sweets and other bakery products under the Food Safety & Standards Act’ 2006. Various issues pertaining to the procurement, storage, manufacture and sale of products were discussed with the Operators. The Food Business Operators were briefed about the Personal Hygiene and Sanitary conditions to be followed in the Food Business Premises and also by the employees engaged in Bake Houses/ Sweet Stalls.
The Food Business operator were also warned against malpractices in preparation of Sweet items/ Bakery products and if found involved, action deemed fit shall be initiated against the offenders.
Further, the Commissioner of Food Safety has formed Flying squads of Enforcement Officials, to keep a strict vigil on the manufacturers and sellers, during the festive season.
The Association has assured full cooperation with the Department and the association has thanked the Commissioner of Food Safety for organising such an awareness programme among the Bakery Association, which is 1st of its kind after the establishment of Food Safety Department.

Kerala court ruling on Nirapara sparks debate on substandard and unsafe

New Delhi
The Kerala High Court recently, while hearing a petition of KKR Foods, an FBO, observed that the ban imposed under FSS Rules, 2011, on the company’s product Nirapara Spices, was done in excess of the jurisdiction vested with the commissioner of food safety under the rules. The said product was found substandard by some state labs as it was adulterated with starch. But they did not find it unsafe for human consumption.
The court headed by Justice Muhamed Mustaque on October 13, 2015, dwelled upon aspects such as “Whether the commissioner of food safety was justified in issuing the order of prohibition?” and “If the commissioner is not justified in issuing order of prohibition, what is the extent of the power that could be exercised when spices powder or condiments are found as substandard?.”
Substandard, unsafe
Though the order appeared contradictory as presumably both substandard and unsafe seemed to be same. However, anything which was substandard might not necessarily be unsafe, like in this case, wherein it was found that the product was substandard but not unsafe to health.
According to Section 3(zx) of FSS Rules 2011, "substandard" as "An article of food shall be deemed to be substandard if it does not meet the specified standards but not so as to render the article of food unsafe."
The court observed, it is to be noted that FSS regulation prescribes standard for various food products. ”No doubt, for want of such standards, an action can be initiated for imposing penalty either under Section 51 or under Section 54 of the FSS Act. However, that does not extend a power to issue an order in the nature of prohibition.”
Health risk
Further the court observed that the commissioner acted invoking power under Section 34 of the FSS Act. This power can be invoked if there exists any health risk condition. The commissioner of food safety has power under Section 30(2)(a) to prohibit manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of any article of food in the interest of public health. The pre-requisite of exercise of this power is satisfaction, in respect of article of food that it is unsafe for human consumption.
As regard to second question, the court observed that "informed choice' is the right of choice in selecting a food product by a consumer. lf certain standards are to be required to be maintained in terms of the standards prescribed under the Additives Regulation 2011, those standards have to be achieved. 'Deception' of consumers has to be distinguished from 'sale of unsafe food products to the consumers. And the food authority has duty to inform the citizens, as the citizens have a correlated right to know about the standards of food they consume. The court had urged the commissioner to use methods like name shaming or publicity about the offence done by the manufacturer or even revoking the licence than ban.
Meanwhile, according to sources in Kerala food safety department, the order shall be challenged. “The order is quite contradictory. How can court allow the sale of substandard food item. We will challenge the court in a division bench,” says a senior official with the department.
With recent controversies like ban on Maggi noodles of Nestle, the arbitrary powers of food safety officials were under question. The court seems to have tried to clarify on the subject of how ban can be avoided, feels an industry insider.

IAS officer triggers organic food drive in Kerala

Anupama took on the powerful pesticide lobby and food adulterators.

When a young IAS officer in Kerala took the powerful pesticide lobby and food adulterators head on, little did she knew that she was triggering a healthy food campaign across the state. 

Kerala’s food safety commissioner TV Anupama opened a Pandora’s box when she conducted raids across the state and banned products of an established food brand citing that it contained alarming levels of non-permissible substances.
Thanks to the startling facts that the raids threw up, jolting Keralites into realising the need to have home-grown vegetables, the state that used to buy 70% of vegetables for consumption from neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka now produces 70% on its own.
The state government pitched in by providing grow bags, seeds and saplings home-delivered free of cost. It also provided subsidy to install drip-irrigation facility and bio-gas plants in homes, paving way to a silent organic revolution of sorts.
“She is a bold and committed officer. Her continuous pursuit for safe food items has started yielding results,” said legislator VT Balram.
After taking over 15 months ago, Anupama conducted random checks in markets and checks posts and seized adulterated products. At least 6,000 samples were collected from various farms in a year and 750 cases were registered against defaulters. This awakened the conscience of people, who started growing vegetables without pesticides.
“We were shocked to hear that some fruits and vegetables carried 300% pesticide residues than the permissible limit. She opened our eyes,” said Vijayalakshmi Nair, a retired teacher, who now has an organic garden on her terrace.
“We realised the importance of the chief election commissioner when TN Seshan took over. Similarly, we realised such a post existed after Anupama,” said another homemaker.
“I did my duty. The government and people stood with me in my endeavour,” is all the 2010-batch IAS officer (she was the fourth-rank holder) had to say.

Government clips food safety wings Deccan Chronicle

T.V. Anupama
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The government is understood to have ordered the Commissionerate of Food Safety to stop collecting vegetable samples from markets and checkposts.

This is set to upset the ongoing fight of the Commissionerate against toxic and dangerous fruits and vegetables coming from other states.
Sources say that the inter-state relations between Tamil Nadu and Kerala may turn murky if the food safety authorities pursue their campaign to prevent the flow of polluted vegetables. The collection of statutory samples at checkposts has come down drastically recently.
The Crop Care Federation of India had come out strongly against the move of the Kerala government and has filed a case against four food safety officials, including the Commissioner of Food Safety.
“There was tension on Tamil Nadu border since we took the decision to block vegetable-laden trucks for sample collection. The pesticide lobby is too strong and it may instigate this tension and the situation might blow out of proportion. We have no plans to stop our drive and for the time being we have slowed down a bit so that the situation doesn’t worsen further,” said the source.
However, Commissioner of Food Safety T.V. Anupama claimed that they haven’t stopped sample collection.
“Last month we collected statutory samples from Palakkad and Idukki checkposts. The residue lab at Kerala Agricultural University has handed over the results of the statutory samples collected by us. The presence of pesticide residue is still there but most of them are new generation pesticides. But unfortunately we won’t be able to initiate action as the permissible limits of new generation pesticides are yet to be fixed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI),” said Ms Anupama. The results have been forwarded to the analytical laboratories under the Commissionerate for further scrutiny, she said.

FSDA to keep an eye on adulterated sweets during festive season

Meerut: With Diwali being a few days away, the Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) is already on its toes to make sure that the city residents don't fall prey to adulterated sweets and other food items consumed during the festive season. A team of five officials will conduct surprise inspections at shops in rural and urban areas to check adulteration and the sale of expired products.

The anti-adulteration drive is set to continue till November 15. "A five-member team of the food department is conducting regular checks by sending suspicious food items to the laboratory for testing. If any sub-standard or unsafe food item is found, the person will be dealt with as per rules," said JP Singh, chief food safety officer.
Though samples of the suspicious food items will be sent to Lucknow's food testing lab to avert any possibility of manipulation at the city-based lab, if the samples look too suspicious they will be sent to the latter and an immediate report will be sought. The reports from the city-based lab can be obtained in 48 hours and action can be taken soon after, said Singh.
The FSDA officials are keeping a close eye on milk, ghee, paneer and milk-based sweets, which they say are the main food items that are found adulterated. "The food items are preserved and sent to Lucknow by means of courier. The result will reach us within 20 days," said Singh.
Customers can file complaints related to food adulteration with the department anonymously as well. It should be noted that if any city resident is apprehensive about a certain food item that he or she has already purchased, then they can send it for testing to the food department personally and, if found adulterated, a complaint can be filed anonymously. The sample may be submitted by depositing Rs 1,000 and if found adulterated, a complaint can be filed with FSDA officials. One can even test the food items at their homes as directed in the manual available at the FSDA office.
"We are focusing mainly on sweets, milk products and cooking oils to keep adulteration under control. Almost every year, people fall ill after consuming food items so we are making sure that no such incident happens this time," said Singh.

Around 10% food samples in Chandigarh fail quality test

According to the RTI information obtained by city based RTI activist RK Garg, since 2010, in five years, a total 851 samples of different 20 items, including sweets, bakery products, grocery items, were collected.
One in every 10 food items you consume in Chandigarh is adulterated, the data compiled by UT’s food safety and standards authority has found.
In the last five years, around 10% samples of different food items and sweets items collected by UT’s food safety administration failed the quality test. These samples were either adulterated or misbranded by the food safety administration.
Before 2012, department food safety and standards authority was called as Prevention of Food Adulteration Cell.
According to the RTI information obtained by city based RTI activist RK Garg, since 2010, in five years, a total 851 samples of different 20 items, including sweets, bakery products, grocery items, were collected.
Out of 851 samples collected in the last five years, 89 failed the quality test either due to misbranding or adulteration.
Once these samples failed quality, the food safety administration takes the cases to court. Depending on the nature of adulteration, they file civil or criminal cases in the court. According to the information provided by food safety administration, in the last three years, the cell pursued 32 criminal and civil cases in local courts against the defaulters.
In some cases, it also imposed penalties against the defaulters on the spotfor lack of hygiene. Last year the cell collected Rs 1.5 lakh as fine from the defaulters.
It is quite common that campaign against food adulteration picks up during the festival season. IN October, about 16 samples of food items have been collected for testing and the reports from the laboratory are awaited, informed Sukhwinder Singh, designated officer of UT’s department food safety and standards authority.
Three vendors have been barred from selling some particular products by the department.
“Instead of getting hyper active in the festival season, the food safety and standards authority should have a plan for the entire year. The officials must find out that why the conviction is so low in food adulteration cases,” RK Garg, RTI actvist, said.
Advisory
Don’t buy sweets with fleshy colours
Avoid sweets covered with silver foil as in most cases it is actually aluminium

Police protection sought for food safety officer

Farmers representatives cutting across association affiliations demanded police protection to T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department.
Farmers representatives one after the other who spoke at the farmers grievances day meeting on Friday commended the initiative taken by the Food
Safety Department headed by Dr. Anuradha raided units indulging in adulteration for the preparation of jaggery, sago etc in the district.
The official’s action has been widely welcomed by all sections of the society, they said and demanded adequate protection to her.
The government should provide police protection to her and her team and also post adequate staff to her department.
N. Elango, Joint Director of Agriculture, urged the farmers representatives to submit a petition in this regard.
When a farmer said that food safety officials should initiate action against the major sago and jaggery manufacturing units too, R. P. Rajendran, personal assistant to the Collector (Agriculture) said that Dr. Anuradha had raided a major sago manufacturing unit in Attur on Thursday.
Some of the farmers urged the district administration to order police protection to the officer on its own, taking into consideration the risk involved in her job.
Dr. Anuradha thanked the farmers for their gesture.

Farmers’ representatives want check in adulteration of jaggery

Farmers representatives made a forceful plea to the government authorities to take effective steps to check adulteration in the preparation of jaggery.

The jaggery manufacturing units have brought down the usage of sugarcane to a big extent, due to which the price of sugarcane has come down drastically badly hitting the cane farmers, they said.
R. Murugesan, president of the District Coconut Producers Association, raised this issue at the farmers grievances day meeting held here on Friday. He said the jaggery manufacturing units have been using sugar instead of sugarcane. Due to this, the price of sugarcane has crashed from Rs. 3,000 per tonne to a meagre Rs. 1,200 per tonne.
He sought action against the jaggery manufacturing units under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.
C. Vaiyapuri, president, United Farmers Association – Tamil Nadu, and other farmers representatives supported the views of Mr. Murugesan. Mr. Vaiyapuri said adulteration in the preparation of jaggery was a serious crime and sought severe punishment including imprisonment to those indulging in this act.
T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, said that her department officials conducted series of raids in the jaggery units five months ago, due to which adulteration in the preparation of jaggery was brought down to a big extent.
She assured formation of special squads to check usage of sugar in the preparation of jaggery.
Adulteration in the preparation of jaggery is a serious crime. Those indulging in the act should be punished severely