Ingredient-based approval for proprietary foods likely

In a bid to clear the confusion over definition of proprietary food items, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has come up with a new description on Monday. According to it, proprietary food items, prepared using standardised ingredients, are permitted for consumption. The new regulation is a step towards the global practice of ingredient-based product approval, which is in place in countries such as USA, UK and Singapore among others.

"Proprietary food shall contain only those ingredients other than additives which are either standardised in these regulations or permitted for use in the preparation of other standardised food under these regulations," FSSAI said in the notification. It, however, has retained the existing list of food additives to be used in proprietary foods.
According to Ashish Prasad, partner, Economy Law Practice, the definition of non-standardised foods in the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 had much scope for clarification. "The recent definition is a balanced one which got rid of ambiguity. While, it clarifies the ingredients and additives to be used in proprietary foods, it also excludes novel and functional foods, nutraceutical and health supplements from its purview," he said.
Experts say the lack of a list of approved ingredients has led to confusion.
According to Gowree Gokhale, partner, Nishith Desai Associates, the global practice is to have two lists of approved ingredients, indicating permissible limits and labelling guidelines, and banned items. This would help cover all segments of the sector, she says. But in India, the product approval regime till recently pertained to final food products, not food ingredients and additives.
FSSAI is currently preparing a separate guideline for nutraceutical and novel food items which has now been separated from proprietary foods.

Implement new relaxed regulations, FSSAI tells state regulators

FSSAI says products for which standards have not been framed but have ingredients already approved by it, may not require any approval
New Delhi: In a bid to ease product approval system, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked all state food regulators to implement the new relaxed norms for those items wherein standards have not been laid down so far.
FSSAI had earlier this month said that products for which standards have not been framed but have ingredients and additives that are approved by the regulator, may not require any approval.
The FSSAI has laid down quality standards for 370 products. Its approval is a must for all other products, which are also known as proprietary food.
The notification, dated 12 January, was issued to amend the Food Safety and Standards Regulations. The central food safety regulator has issued a circular, dated 14 January, directing all the state food regulators to implement the new relaxed norms for product approval process.
In the notification, the regulator said, “Proprietary food shall contain only those ingredients other than additives which are either standardised in these regulations or permitted for use in the preparation of other standardized food under these regulations.”
The notification also adds that the proprietary food shall use only such additives as specified for the category to which the food belongs and it shall be clearly mentioned on the label. However, it has also been clarified that the food business operator shall be fully responsible for the safety of the proprietary food.
These new norms will not apply to novel food, food for special dietary use, functional food, nutraceutical and health supplement articles of food.

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY!!!

Implement new relaxed regulations: FSSAI to state regulators

New Delhi, Jan 25 (PTI) In a bid to ease product approval system, food safety watchdog FSSAI has asked all state food regulators to implement the new relaxed norms for those items wherein standards have not been laid down so far.
FSSAI had earlier this month said that products for which standards have not been framed but have ingredients and additives that are approved by the regulator, may not require any approval.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has laid down quality standards for 370 products. Its approval is a must for all other products, which are also known as Proprietary food.
The notification, dated January 12, was issued to amend the Food Safety and Standards Regulations.
The central food safety regulator has issued a circular, dated January 14, directing all the state food regulators to implement the new relaxed norms for product approval process.
In the notification, the regulator said: "Proprietary food shall contain only those ingredients other than additives which are either standardised in these Regulations or permitted for use in the preparation of other standardised food under these regulations."
The notification also adds that the proprietary food shall use only such additives as specified for the category to which the food belongs and it shall be clearly mentioned on the label.
However it has also been clarified that the food business operator shall be fully responsible for the safety of the proprietary food. These new norms will not apply to novel food, food for special dietary use, functional food, nutraceutical and health supplement articles of food.

For taking action against spice brand

Food Safety chief faced threat: Chief Secretary
Chief Secretary Jiji Thomson on Saturday said that there was tremendous pressure on Food Safety Commissioner T.V. Anupama after she had taken action against a certain spices brand on food adulteration charges. “She received direct threat after she took the bold step of testing and later banning some products of the brand. Her action provoked high-level intervention and even I came under pressure,” he said at the annual convention of the Kerala Management Association in response to a query from the audience as to why the government was not taking adequate steps to curb dangerous levels of pesticide residue in vegetables and provisions. Ms. Anupama told The Hindu that she had received eight threatening letters, some from a national forum in which most leading pesticide manufactures are members. “While some letters originated from anonymous sources, some were from this association. It wasn’t a big trouble, but there sure were attempts to put me under pressure… They had also filed a case in the High Court in which I was made to respond in my personal capacity. The case is still on,” she said.

New FSSAI rules bring welcome change

Approval yoke on proprietary foods goes, but ensuring safety is now food industry’s burden
Last year, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) hit the headlines for being at loggerheads with the food industry. The ‘product approval’ system of the FSSAI attracted the maximum criticism, till it was struck down by the Courts. As per the system, food business operators (FBOs) had to obtain prior approval for all non-standardised food products (only 377 food items were standardised) before dealing in them. FSSAI had also not spared those ‘proprietary foods’ which had a history of being consumed for a long time.
Although the Supreme Court struck down the FSSAI product approval system, the industry’s doubt that it could return persisted because it had been struck down primarily for not following the correct procedural route before promulgation. The provisions under the system had not been tested in the courts. So, industry feared that FSSAI might bring it back after following due procedural formalities. However, to the great relief of the food industry, FSSAI has now taken a more pragmatic approach. Two recent developments show that the food regulator has decided to adopt a more sensible and practical manner.
First, FSSAI notified the operationalisation of standards for food additives for use in various food categories. Earlier, under the Food Products (Standards and Additives) Regulation, 2011, a very limited number of additives were allowed to be used against certain categories of food items. This posed significant problems to the food industry as they were required to obtain product approval for almost all kinds of processed food items. Now, FSSAI has come up with a detailed list of additives allowed for different categories of food items. This automatically reduces the need for obtaining any product approval for a vast majority of food items.
Second, departing from its earlier stand, FSSAI has now specifically allowed the manufacture and sale of ‘proprietary food’. Section 22 of the FSS Act defines proprietary food to mean an article of food which is non-standardised, but safe. Section 22 prohibits the manufacture, distribution, sale or import of proprietary foods unless it is specifically provided for under the Act and the Regulations made thereunder. Till now , such foods were being manufactured and sold by virtue of Regulation 2.12 of the Food Products (Standards and Food Additives), which described proprietary food as non-standardised food which needed to conform to certain requirements. However, FSSAI had taken a view in the past that such foods were not to be allowed without product approval. Even after the product approval system was struck down, industry remained doubtful.
Now, Regulation 2.12 has been changed so as to allow the manufacture, sale, distribution or import of proprietary foods without product approval. As per the changed description of proprietary foods, it will be permissible to use all standardised ingredients as well as ingredients allowed to be used in standardised food items. Through this change, FSSAI has now allowed manufacturing and sale of a vast majority of proprietary foods without the requirement of any approval.
However, while doing so, FSSAI has also introduced two very important changes which a FBO has to bear in mind. First, FSSAI has shifted the burden of ensuring safety of proprietary foods on the FBOs. Until now, the approach of FSSAI was to first check the safety of the proprietary food item and allow its usage after it passed all tests. From now onwards, though the FBO is allowed to use different kinds of ingredients and additives, it will be responsible for checking and ensuring that the final food item is safe for consumption and does not have any adverse effect on the consumer. The second change is that the scope of proprietary food has been restricted by specifically excluding certain categories of food products like neutraceuticals, health supplements, food for special dietary uses, functional food and novel food. Therefore, a food item falling under any of these categories cannot be manufactured, sold, distributed or imported because of the bar imposed under Section 22. Therefore, the food industry units need to cross-check whether their products fall under any of the excluded categories.
There is no doubt that the changes brought by FSSAI, i.e., putting a detailed list of food additives allowed to be used and allowing usage of different kinds of ingredients for proprietary foods without product approval, are welcome steps and the industry would cheer for it. At the same time, the exclusion of certain food products from the category of proprietary foods must have been disappointing for certain sections of the food industry. However, a draft regulation dealing with these categories of food items was put in public domain a few months back for public consultation and it is expected that the concerns of the industry would be definitely taken care of when the final regulation is brought into force. Nevertheless, the food industry now needs to be very careful while dealing with proprietary food items, and must check whether the additional conditions put under the changed description are met or not.
The author is joint partner, Lakshmikumaran & Sridharan. Views are personal

State ranks 2nd in food adulteration

Grim scenario

• Most food samplestaken from the state were found adulterated
• Adulteration is rampantas the Health Department doesn’t conductfrequent checks

Food adulteration the state is the second highest in the country. As per the Food Safety and Standards Authority in India, 1,458 food samples were found to be adulterated, unsafe and misbranded in the state. Uttar Pradesh with 4,119 failed food samples has the poorest record.
Health Department officials said except certain fruits, most food items in the state were found adulterated. Milk products, cheese, ghee, tea, bottled water, chillies, garlic, turmeric and black pepper are some of the food items that are usually found adulterated in the state.
Harmful chemicals are reportedly found in numerous food items and adulteration is rampant as the Health Department doesn’t conduct frequent checks.
“Shopkeepers too promote such products in a bid to make a killing,” said a Health Department official. He further said the highest percentage of milk samples fail in the state with the rate having doubled from 22 per cent to 44.3 per cent last year.
On Friday, the Bathinda police raided a factory that mixed fake ghee with desi ghee. Similar incidents have also been reported in other parts of the state. There are also reports of pulses and apples being coloured with harmful chemicals.
Commissioner of Food Safety, Hussan Lal, said the government had devised a mechanism wherein a person with a particular quantity of milk would be given a licence to sell. “Similarly, 50 designated food safety officers have been deployed across the state.
Soon, their number will be raised to 60,” he said. Lal further said they would focus on active surveillance to stop the sale and manufacture of adulterated food.

Seminar for entrepreneurs in food industry on Jan.30

CONCERT (Centre for Consumer Education, Research, Teaching, Training & Testing) and Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation will be organising a seminar on “Resource Efficiency” for small and medium enterprises on January 30. Time: 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. Venue: Hotel Raj Park, Alwarpet.
According to a press release, the programme is meant for entrepreneurs in food processing and beverages industries.
There will be sessions on understanding the basic principles of sustainable consumption and production; resource efficiency methodology specific to the industry; food safety regulations, licensing and registration, added the press note.
Officials from Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will be handling the sessions.
For registration and other details, call 98412 26768 / 94442 53739.

Meat stalls to be monitored

The City Corporation and the district unit of Food Safety and Drug Administration have evolved a mechanism to constantly monitor hygiene in mutton, chicken and fish stalls, as instructed by the district administration.
Awareness programs are being conducted at zonal levels involving top-level officials of the Food Safety and Drug Administration department, and sanitary inspectors to sensitise sellers to identifying apt locations for retail sale of meat, the ways to safeguard meat from contamination, hygienic disposal of wastes, keeping surroundings clean, self-hygiene, and other safety practices.
Mutton sellers have been told that the goats must be culled only at the Corporation Slaughter house, and advised to utilise utensils without rust for carrying the meat to the selling points. They were told about the ways to obtain licence for meat sale.
Safeguarding meat from contamination, hygienic disposal of wastes in focus

UT health department to launch mobile food testing laboratory in Feb

with the UT health department all set to launch a mobile food testing laboratory in February, the city residents will be able to get food samples tested in their sectors only. The laboratory will roam across the city, collecting samples and spreading awareness about common food adulterants.
The main aim of launching the mobile food testing lab is to check adulteration in milk and related products, ghee, spices, etc. Besides, experts will also make people aware about how to differentiate original food items from adulterants.
The lab will be equipped with automatic machines which will give instant results.
Sukhwinder Singh of the food safety cell said, “The mobile lab van will have an automatic machine for checking adulteration in milk and related products. After picking up a sample, the machine will tell within three-four minutes whether it’s adulterated or not. It will also find out the kinds of adulterant — like water, urea, detergent, etc.”
The adulteration in several other food items like curd, sugar, khoya, spices, pulses, etc can also be detected with the machine.
Citing a few common adulteration practices, Singh said, “Pulses can be polished with lead chromate, spices are adulterated with artificial colouring, starch is added in khoya, chalk powder in sugar and mineral oil in edible oil.”
The food safety officers will also educate public about common adulterants. “People will be taught to differentiate original from artificial like mixing dried payapa seeds with black pepper.”
Dr VK Gagneja, director health services, said, “The food testing lab service will be launched in February. It will move across the city to collect samples for testing. The van will be stationed in different sectors on selected days.”

3 teams to check samples of food to be served to VVIPs

According to the UT health department, teams from the food wing will check samples of the food items to be served to the VVIPs.
THE UT health department has deputed three food safety teams in view of French President Francois Hollande’s visit to the city on Sunday.
According to the UT health department, teams from the food wing will check samples of the food items to be served to the VVIPs.
A senior officer from the UT health department on Friday said that the food safety teams visited several places where Hollande and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would visit on Sunday afternoon.
“Our teams are already on the job and they are carrying out inspections,” said Dr Rajender Sharma, from Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16, who is involved in the food safety arrangements.
Dr Sharma said that the food department office situated at GMSH would remain open on Sunday due to the visit. “For the entire day, all the staff will be available at the office to meet any exigency,” he added.
A food official said that once the department received the final schedule about the visit on Saturday, the teams would be deputed to those particular places. “Sampling would be done before the food is served to them,” he said. “It is all part of the protocol which is being followed.”

JD(U) asks Nadda to stop lifting of ban on Khesari dal

JD(U) today opposed any decision to lift the 55-year-old ban on Khesari dal and sought Health Minister J P Nadda's intervention, alleging "vested interests" in central government and research organizations were behind the move.
Party general secretary K C Tyagi targeted Consumer Affairs Ministry headed by Ram Vilas Paswan for favouring lifting of ban on the pulse and claiming that it will help reduce pressure on pulses imports.
He also hit out at Agriculture Ministry headed by senior BJP leader from Bihar Radha Mohan Singh, accusing the government of resorting to this move due to "agriculture failure".
Paswan had on Thursday said,"I read in newspapers that three new varieties of Khesari dal have been developed. If these varieties prove to be fit for human consumption, I think its cultivation should be allowed. This will help reduce stress on pulses production and imports."
The Food Minister had also said he himself has eaten Khesari dal for 15 years and never had any health problems.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to come out with a draft notification to allow three variants of Khesari dal following a green signal from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Agriculture Ministry said on Thursday that the government was promoting cultivation of three drought-resistant new varieties of khesari dal, with low neurotoxin ODAP content, in traditional areas.
Tyagi, however, alleged the recent proposal has nothing to do with the extra pulse production and arranging protein for the poor but "there seems to be the vested interests of the Consumers Ministry and other so-called research organisations".
Holding that the lifting of the ban could be "injurious" to health, he also wanted that the matter should be discussed in the coming Parliamentary session.
"This is to bring to your notice that the Indian Council of Medical Research has proposed to lift ban on the Khesari dal, which was banned in the year 1961 by Jawaharlal Nehru government as its consumption was linked to a neurological disorder called latheism.
"This issue is much important as it is related to the health of the citizens. The lifting of the ban could again be injurious to health and will lead to paralysis of the lower parts of body and numbness in the limbs and spine," he said in the communication.
The JD(U) leader alleged that as the government has not succeeded in bringing up the production of pulses, the lifting of ban and introducing Khesari for public consumption is being used as "political tool to escape its agriculture failure".
"Such proposal, which affects public health directly, should never be taken into consideration by Government," he said alleging the government after "failing" to control prices of food commodities, now propose to allow cultivation of banned toxic Khesari dal in order to give cheap pulses to the poor.
He held that the proposal of the government will create a class differentiation. "Rich will consume Tur, arhar, moong and urad and the poor will restrict to Khesari only."
Tyagi told Nadda that being Health Minister, he should acknowledge "ill-effects" of Kheari dal and intervene into the matter. Tyagi urged him "not to give consent" to the draft notification for public consultations on the issue.
"This issue should not be dealt in a hurry and should be discussed in coming Parliament session," he said.

Now, areca tea hits the market

Dharmastala Dharmadhikari Veerendra Heggade, on Friday, launched areca tea in the City. The beverage is developed by Nivedan Nempe, a postgraduate student in pharmacy.
The product, initially available in the State, will be launched nationwide in a span of two months. Speaking on the occasion, Nempe said the tea helps improve digestion and act against depression. The product has been certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and has also received the Make in India Excellence Award-2015.
Speaking on the occasion, Heggade said that farmers were becoming victims of fluctuations in the price of farm produce and the government should therefore ensure stable prices for agricultural produce.
Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Kimmane Ratnakar, opined that a suitable market should be provided for the product, which would otherwise vanish from the market.

DINAKARAN NEWS

No justification for lifting ban on khesari dal

The desperation is clearly visible. Unable to rein the prices of common man’s dal, the mere idea of allowing the cultivation of toxic khesari dal shows policy makers at a loss.
In a grim famine-like situation I would have still accepted it. But to use the high prevailing prices of pulses as a justification for lifting the ban of the harmful khesari dal hardly makes any sense, both scientifically as well as economically.
Khesari dal was banned in 1961. The ban was imposed after reports of spread of a disease lathyrism, a neurological disorder from eating khesari dal (botanical name: Lathyrus sativus) that leads to limping, was widely reported and diagnosed. According to New Scientist (Aug 23, 1984) — “the disease has two forms: latent and established. The latent form is characterised by mild back pain, an alteration in gait and difficulty in running. In just over half the cases, the disease goes no further. But in its established form, lathyrism leads to spastic paraplegia of the lower limbs; the fortunate sufferers can hobble on crutches; for others leg muscles give way completely and patients are reduced to crawling helplessly.”
Despite the ban, khesari dal is still grown in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and eastern Uttar Pradesh. It certainly has some positive traits — it is a drought resistant crop, very hardy, and has a shorter growing period.
Since it is cultivated in Bangladesh, reports of the dal being smuggled by traders have also appeared from time to time. Even local traders are known to mix it with arhar to make a fast buck. So when scientists at the Kanpur-based Indian Institute of Pulses Research claim they have developed three varieties – mahateora, rattan and prateek – which do not carry the water soluble, non-protein amino acid ODOP toxin, I wonder how will they ensure that these three varieties are not adulterated with the traditional legume grains that carry the toxin. Since it is practically impossible to ensure, why then willingly get into a problem we know we have no control over.
There are several studies showing detoxification of ODOP by certain processing techniques like roasting, soaking prior to boiling, treatment with tamarind water etc. Some studies indicate that frying in oil removes 72-100 per cent of ODOP. Still, I don’t think it will be advisable to promote khesari dal in the common man’s menu assuming that he/she would take the necessary precautions. It is therefore very important to know how and on what basis the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has accorded approval to the three varieties. After all, any discerning consumer would like to know the details so as to be convinced. Similarly, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) also need to hold rigorous trials and that too in public domain before any definite conclusion is arrived at.
There seems to be no justification in pushing for the revival of toxic khesari dal’s production in the garb of boosting domestic pulses production. In any case, even if the commercial trials for khesari dal are approved, it will be before several years before its production can make a significant addition to India’s production of pulses. This risk is certainly therefore not worth the effort. Instead of diverting attention to khesari dal, which has historically been found to be toxic for human health, the entire thrust should focus on increasing domestic production of pulses.
Boosting domestic production of pulses needs a two-pronged strategy. First, it is important to raise the import duties so as to stop the cheaper imports coming in. At the same time, I see no reason why India should not refrain from importing yellow peas, which is traditionally used as cattle feed in Canada, and selling it as an alternative to arhar. Putting a stop to imports must be accompanied by announcing a procurement policy that assures farmers that every grain of legume produced will be purchased by the government agencies. A high minimum support price (MSP) along with the promise of an assured procurement is the only mechanism to boost domestic production.
The government’s move to procure only 40,000 tonnes of pulses for the proposed buffer it intends to create is a flawed approach. Building up a buffer on assured procurement and leaving the rest of the farming communities to be exploited by the private trade is no incentive for production growth. Such a policy may enable the government to meet any eventuality arising from rising prices, but is fraught with dangers. Unless the availability of pulses in the market increases, and that it possible only if the total production goes up, the buffer will not be of any help in bringing down the prices.

Hotel Ashoka’s licence suspended for 3 days

Nagpur: Food and Drug administration has suspended licence of Hotel Ashoka for three days starting from February 6 to 8 on charges of uncleanliness found in various parts of the establishment during inspection and violation of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
During suspension period, licence holder of restaurant cannot produce, store, sale and distribute any food items. Further action under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 will be taken if violations are found in further period, the assistant commissioner (food) of Food and Drug administration department N R Wakode has stated in notice issued to the restaurant.
Food and Drug administration department took this action following complaint lodged by president of Anti-Adulteration Consumer Society Mohammad Shahed Shareef.
Following complaint of uncleanliness, food safety officer A D Raut had inspected restaurant on September 18, 2015. Shortcomings in 15 to 16 cases like filth in water tank, storage of raw material, vegetarian and non-vegetarian items together in deep freezer and others.
The rectification notice was sent to restaurant on September 21.
Review inspection was done on December 1, 2015. During this inspection, shortcoming found in earlier inspection were again found. Show cause notice was issued to the restaurant on December 3, 2015. In view of public health, the department took decision to suspend licence of the restaurant for three days.

Expiry dates on food items must

The government’s move to ensure that packaged food items display information about their expiry dates, and not labels like “Best Before’’, “Best if Used by’’, “Use by’’ or ‘’Sell by’’ is welcome, because it will remove a lot of confusion or misunderstanding about their use from the consumers’ minds. A large number of food items are sold with these labels and their meaning is not clear. Minister for Consumer Affairs Ram Vilas Paswan has said that the label “Best Before’’ would be replaced by expiry dates. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission had pointed out that these labels are confusing and demanded that the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) should examine the issues connected with labelling. Most manufacturers of food items do not give an expiry date but give a date before which they claim the items are best used. This is misleading.
These labels may at best be indicative of the qualities of a food item, like freshness, taste, consistency or nutritive value, but they do not indicate safety. They may give the impression that they can be used after the “Best by’’ date. But they do not say for how long they can be used after the given date. The manufacturer may actually be avoiding the responsibility for safety by not giving a clear date of expiry. It is also not known how these “Best by’’ dates are decided. It seems the manufacturers decide these dates themselves on the basis of criteria which others are not privy to. Manufacturers of the same items with the same date of manufacture may give different “Best by’’ dates. The prescription may be valid only if the food item is kept unopened or in climatic, temperature or other conditions assumed by the manufacturer. Many people get the impression that it is not bad to use an item after the date, though they may not get the best quality. On the other hand, if the item does not become unsafe or does not lose much value, throwing it away may amount to wastage.
It is best to avoid this confusion and prescribe an expiry date on the packets. But how would the expiry dates be decided for different kinds of food items manufactured in different ways? Can the decision be left to the
manufacturers, and what will be the role of the FSSAI, which is unable to discharge even its present responsibilities. A clear statement of the expiry date is needed to ensure safety and to give confidence to the consumer.

Rice, wheat to be fortified with iron, vitamins

FSAAI has approved norms for fortification for wheat flour, while it is in the process of doing so for rice
The government on Thursday announced that rice and wheat supplied from the central pool stocks might be fortified with iron and vitamins to reduce malnutrition.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSAAI) has already approved norms for fortification for wheat flour, while it is in the process of doing so for rice, food minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here on Thursday.
However, the proposed fortification plan is still a concept, which is being discussed at a committee of secretaries, sources said. There is plan to distribute fortified wheat in place of wheat if there was consumer demand, the sources said.
While the government plans to get the atta fortified by the millers, the fortification of rice will be done by FCI when paddy is milled, they said.
The government is yet to analyse the cost for fortification of 61 million tonnes of rice and wheat, which is the estimated annual requirement.

Avoid packaging of food items in newspapers

SRINAGAR, : Additional Commissioner, food safety Srinagar in a communiqué has advised people to avoid the packaging of food articles particularly hot fried items in newspapers because newspaper ink may contaminate food articles resulting into serious health complications. As in Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, the use of synthetic Food Colours is restricted to certain beverages and bakery items. Strict action under relevant provisions of Food Safety & Standards Act 2006 shall be initiated against violators.

வேலூர் மாநகராட்சியில்தான் இந்த அவலம் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் தின்பண்டங்கள் கண்டுகொள்ளாத அதிகாரிகள்

வேலூர், ஜன.22:
வேலூர் மாந க ராட்சி பகு த தி க ளில் சுகா தா ர மற்ற முறை யில் விற் ப னை யா கும் தின் பண் டங் கள் குறித்து அதி கா ரி கள் கண் டு கொள் வ தில்லை என்ற குற் றச் சாட்டு எழுந் துள் ளது.
வேலூர் மாந க ராட் சி யில் வேலூர் புதிய பஸ் நி லை யம், பழைய பஸ் நி லை யம் மற் றும் சாலை யோர பகு தி க ளில் சிக் கன் பக் கோடா, முட்டை சேமியா, போண்டா, பானி பூரி, பேரீச் சம், பப் பாளி, தர் பூ சணி, அன் னா சி ப ழம் போன்ற உணவு பண் டங் கள் சாலை யோ ரங் க ளில் விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. இந்த பொருட் கள் அனைத் தும் சுகா தா ர மற்ற முறை யில் திறந் த நி லை யில் விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. இதில் சிக் கன் பக் கோடா கடை க ளில் தர மற்ற எண் ணெய் களை பயன் ப டுத் து வ தா க வும், முந் தை ய நாள் விற் ப னை யா காத இறைச் சியை குளிர் சா தன பெட் டி யில் வைத்து அடுத்த நாள் பொரித்து விற் பனை செய் வ தா க வும் புகார் எழுந் துள் ளது.
இப் படி விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டும் பொருட் க ளால் ஏற் ப டும் விளை வு களை அறி யாத பாமர மக் கள் அதனை வாங்கி உண்டு பல் வேறு நோய் க ளுக்கு ஆளா கின் ற னர்.
இதனை ஆய்வு செய் ய வேண் டிய சுகா தா ரத் துறை அதி கா ரி க ளும் கண் டு கொள் வதே இல்ைல என்ற குற் றச் சாட்டு எழுந் துள் ளது.
எனவே சாலை யோ ரக் க டை க ளில் சுகா தா ர மற்ற முறை யில் உணவு பொருட் கள் விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு வதை தடுத்து பெரிய கடை க ளில் விலை அதி க மாக விற் கும் கடை கள் மீது அதி கா ரி கள் உட னடி நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும் என் பதே பொது மக் க ளின் கோரிக் கை யாக உள் ளது.

Ram Vilas Paswan favours lifting ban on Khesari dal if found safe

NEW DELHI: Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan today favoured lifting the ban on Khesari dal if found fit for human consumption, saying that allowing its cultivation will help reduce pressure on pulses imports.
The Khesari dal was banned in 1961 due to health reasons. Food safety regulator FSSAI has sought Health Ministry's approval to hold public consultation on approval of three varieties of Khesari dal -- Ratan, Prateek and Mahateara.
"I read in newspapers that three new varieties of Khesari dal have been developed. If these varieties prove to be fit for human consumption, I think its cultivation should be allowed. This will help reduce stress on pulses production and imports," Paswan told reporters here.
The Minister said he himself has eaten Khesari dal for 15 years and never had any health problems.
"Khesari dal tastes good and it can be grown easily with less expense. It is grown mainly in north India,"
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) plans to come out with a draft notification to allow three variants of Khesari dal following a green signal from Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
"Based on scientific evidence and details that are available from experts, we reached the conclusion that lathyrism occurs only when it is taken in very large quantity. There is no evidence of lathyrism occurring due to consumption of the dal in last 20 years, " FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar had said yesterday.
"So, we have asked the Health Ministry to approve a draft notification for public consultation on the matter," he had said.
India's pulses production has stagnated at around 17-18 million tonnes and the country has to import 4-5 million tonnes to meet the gap.

Australian honey is most contaminated in the world, research reveals

 

All but five Australian honeys that were tested had more contaminants than the European Food Safety Authority would consider safe.
Australian honey is the most contaminated in the world and contains cancer-causing toxins as a result of lenient food-safety standards, according to new research.
All but five Australian honey brands tested had more contaminants which would not be considered safe or tolerable in Europe.
Research published in the Food Additives and Contaminants scientific journal reveals the majority of honey sold by leading brands in Australian supermarkets have the highest level of this poisonous toxin.The research reveals the cancer-causing toxin is found naturally in plants and used to ward of insects.
This poison is known as pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PA), which has liver damaging toxins that have serious health consequences for animals and humans when consumed in high quantities.
Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) have sent out a warning to anyone, including pregnant or breast feeding women, not to consume more than two tablespoons of honey a day and to avoid that made from the plant Paterson’s Curse.
FSANZ told Yahoo7 there is no way to remove the poison from honey, so the action they take is to lower it's count in honey by blending and diluting it.
"Currently there are no methods for removing PAs from honey and removing source plants is not feasible for many areas where apiaries are kept," a spokesperson said. 

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are reportedly at higher risk of organ damage from such toxins.
"Contaminants should be kept as low as achievable. Therefore, blending is the most practical way of reducing the levels of PAs to the lowest achievable."
According to other food authorities around the world, this blending is deemed as an unrealistic solution.
The European Food Safety Authority consider 0.0007 micrograms of PA per kilogram of body weight, per day a safe intake to be consuming.
Whereas Australia's standards restrict the recommended intake to 1 microgram.
Australian toxicologist, Dr John Edgar, claims eating these poisons “could be a significant cause of cancer”, Fairfax reported.
“Reducing the contamination in foods such as honey, teas, salads, flour, dairy and herbal products could result in a significant reduction in cancer cases worldwide.”
Although, PSANZ sent out a warning to not ingest Paterson’s Curse honey, the government agency told Yahoo7 the levels of PA found in Australian homes is unlikely to pose a health risk.
"For people who eat small amounts of honey, the levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids should not be a cause for concern," the spokesperson said, adding that the toxin in Australia has a lower toxicity than the standard used overseas.
"The predominant PA in Australian and New Zealand honey, echimidene, is of a lower toxicity than the PA used as a standard to set values by some authorities," a FANZ spokesperson said.
Dr Nadine Chapman, from the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney, researches Australian bees and says the industry is aware of the issue and are finding ways to mitigate it.
"To say that Australian honey is the most contaminated in the world is an exaggeration and it depends on the contaminant," she said.
"As Australia does not have the Varroa mite and a number of other pests and diseases, we use less chemicals to manage our bees; we also try to minimise exposure to pesticides.”
In regard to the outcomes of this expert, FSANZ said they will still "reconsider whether the setting of a tolerable daily intake is appropriate for PAs in Australian and New Zealand foods".

No food licences for defence canteens

Following requests from the Ministry of Defence, Union health ministry has exempted unit run canteens (URC) from the purview of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licensing.
Following requests from the Ministry of Defence, Union health ministry has exempted unit run canteens (URC) from the purview of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) licensing.
Ministry of Defence asserted that these URCs in India are attached to the canteen stores department (CSD) depots which are licensed by FSSAI and follow all the requirements stipulated under Food Safety and Standards, 2006 (FSS) Act. URCs are attached to the CSD depots and function as a welfare measure for defence personnel. The miniscule profits earned by the URCs are also ploughed back for the welfare of the forces.
"Following various representations from the Ministry of Defence, we have decided to exempt the URCs from the purview of the FSSAI licensing subject to some conditions," said a senior FSSAI official.
FSSAI, under the health ministry, has exempted the URCs but has made it mandatory for CSD depots to ensure that all URCs under their respective control adhere to all the provisions of FSS Act rules and regulations. Also, all the URCs will display FSSAI license numbers.
"The CSD depots were willing to take responsibility of food safety in respect of the URCs attached to each of them. The CSD depots have already taken FSSAI licenses (34 area depots and one base depot) and all the URCs buy food articles only from these depots. And, stringent protocols are enforced to ensure safety of food articles in all canteen depots run by the defence services," the official said.

FSSAI seeks govts nod for consultation on lifting Khesari Dal

New Delhi, Jan 20 (PTI) Three variants of Khesari Dal, namely Ratan, Prateek and Mahateara, might be available in the market for consumption soon after decades of ban as the food regulator has sought the Health Ministrys approval to hold public consultation on the issue.
The dal was banned in 1961 as its consumption was linked to neurological disorder lathyrism, the paralysis of legs.
"Based on scientific evidence and details that are available from experts, we reached the conclusion that lathyrism occurs only when it is taken in very large quantity. There is no evidence of lathyrism occurring due to consumption of the dal in last 20 years," Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) CEO Pawan Kumar said.
"So, we have asked the Health Ministry to approve a draft notification for public consultation on the matter," he said.
"The consultation will be held for 60 days during which people can give their inputs and suggestions on the matter," he said.
The decision to lift ban on Khesari Dal came after the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) recommended FSSAI that three variants of the dal are safe for use.
However, the Health Ministry officials said all food products contain some kind of toxic elements from the earth and their effect on human health depends on the usage.
They said Khesari Dal is a rich source of protein and contains little amount of toxins like any other food item.
"The toxicity level of the dal depends on its usage. The view held by the ministry is that Khesari dal is a rich source of protein and all foods will have some residues that come from the water and the soil. So that is not a major issue. The only question is whether the residual is more than what is permissible," a Ministry official said.
"It depends on what quantity one is eating. Earlier, people used to have it three times a day because of its affordability. In that case the toxicity level may go up. But now nobody takes it day-in and day-out," the Ministry official said. There is only one variety of the dal produced locally that has not been studied by ICMR. "Rest all that they have researched have been found to be normal and FSSAI has agreed to it," the official said.

55-Year-Old Ban On Cheap Dal Khesari May Be Lifted But Questions Remain

Experts say khesari dal once widely cultivated will be mixed with other dals and sold.Panna, Madhya Pradesh:
In the drought-hit district of Panna in Madhya Pradesh, khesari dal is the main source of nutrition for 20-year-old Jayanti Malik. Ms Malik's family owns five acres of land this year and has not sown anything except khesari Dal on almost a quarter of the land.
This is the only crop, they say, which can survive the harshest climates, ripens quickly and yields up to 500 kilos per acre. Despite these advantages, khesari was banned in 1961 because its consumption was linked to the neurological disorder lathyrism - which causes paralysis of legs.
Ms Malik told NDTV, "We consume khesari because it is a cheap source of protein and we don't have to do much to grow it. We are not aware that it is banned and have been growing it for years. So far, no one in our family has fallen ill after consuming it."
But, now it seems that the ban on the poor man's lentil may soon be lifted. In a reply to an RTI query, the Indian Council of Agriculture Research admitted that a research panel headed by India Council of Medical Research has proposed lifting the ban. In the new varieties of the dal, the toxicity is "negligible." The proposal is now being considered by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
Dr S Swaminathan, Director ICMR says, "When it is cooked, there will be negligible levels of toxins. Three varieties have been released. Research has been going on for at least six-seven years."
Research agencies feel the new varieties of the dal -- mahateora, ratan and prateek -- can reduce nutritional deficiencies in the poor. States like Madhya Pradesh are concerned because khesari is used for food adulteration. Agriculture expert and Activist Rakesh Deewan, who in the 70s even went to the Supreme Court to ensure effective implementation of the Ban on Khesari Dal, too says that lifting the ban will lead to khesari being mixed with more expensive dal varieties.
"The research panel says that the new varieties have negligible toxicity and not zero toxicity... The effect of the toxins cannot be felt immediately after consuming khesari but after some time," says Mr Deewan.

FSSAI directs state food safety commissioners to implement new norms on additives

NEW DELHI: The food regulator has directed all state food safety commissioners to implement the new standards for food additives notified by the regulator in December.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had uploaded a list of 8,000 approved additives, the food categories in which they can be used, and the permissible limit for them on its website on December 13, 2015.
"It is directed that the enforcement official in your state/UT be instructed to implement the said standards for food additives in various food categories," the FSSAI said in an internal communication to state food safety departments on January 14.
The regulator is preparing new rules for product approvals after an earlier advisory, which put it at loggerheads with the industry, was quashed by the Supreme Court for not having legal standing.
The FSSAI's proposed regulation may require product approval only if a new ingredient or additive, apart from the 8,000 specified earlier, is introduced in a food item. This norm, being followed in several developed nations, has been a long-standing demand of the Indian food industry.

DFCO inspects 799 establishments, 21 challaned for operating in unhygienic conditions

JAMMU, Jan 20: Drugs and Food Control Organization (DFCO) conducted inspections of 799 food establishments with an objective to ensure compliance with the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and Rules and Regulations 2011.
The enforcement staff of DFCO also lifted 73 samples of milk and milk products, atta, oil cereals and sweets from the shops falling in the Municipal Limits of Jammu and the same were sent to Food Analyst Jammu for testing and analysis.
During the drive emphasis was laid to ensure proper/ acceptable levels of hygiene by the Food Business Operators. 21 food establishments were challaned for operating in unhygienic conditions.
The Adjudicating Officer (Additional Demo Commis-sioner, Jammu), realised Rs 1,90,000 from the defaulting Firms namely Fortune Inn Rivera, Lambar Da Dhaba, Spice Food Court, Professional Canteen, Amar Singh Club, Madan Lal Bansi Lal and Noorani Muslim Restaurant.
They were also served with improvement notices for upgrading their existing infrastructure/technology to meet the standards mandated under the new Food Law.
The Stake holders were impressed upon through the medium of a notice to adhere to the legal provisions and strive to meet growing public expectations.
The exercise was conducted by the Team of Food Safety Officers namely Hansraj, Jai Inder Singh, Dilip Singh, Ajay Khajuria under the supervision of Designated Officer, Municipal Limit Jammu (Assistant Controller Food) Sanjeev Kumar Gupta.

Seminar on food safety by Siegwerk

Siegwerk India is hosting a half-day seminar in association with Henkel in Delhi and Mumbai. The first seminar will take place in Delhi on 1 February 2015 and topic is ‘The Role of Flexible Packaging in Food Safety’ and in Mumbai on 3 February. The venue for the seminar in Delhi is hotel ITC Maurya.
According to Neelakamal Mohapatra of Siegwerk, “In India, the level of understanding of PS plus R concepts among the customers (printers) and end users are mostly in the developmental stage. While the European and US market are matured enough to handle the various upcoming and existing stringent food packaging regulations; the Asian market is far behind to meet the challenges of this changes. In Asia, depending on our business requirements, China is the most developed one. So the objective of this Seminar is twofold – one to educate the customers in terms of the necessity of these regulations and secondly the requirements derived from these regulations.”
The seminar will start in the evening of 1 February and the first topic will be on ‘Packaging safety compliance requirement for Flexible Packaging on Foods.’ Followed by topics on Food Packaging safety – How we at Siegwerk think about the topic; Understanding Food Safety and Global Regulations; Formulating Food safe inks; Food Safe Adhesives for Flexible Packaging; Food Safety – Flexible Packaging Manufacturers Perspective and panel discussion.
According to Siegwerk printers and converters dealing with flexible packaging business and end-users into NPH (Nutrition, Pharma and Hygiene) business must attend the seminar.
The seminar will be enlightened by speakers from Nestle, Siegwerk, Uflex and Henkel.

ASCI to probe celebrity endorsements of pan masala ads

The Delhi government recently asked Bollywood actors not to promote pan masala in ads
New Delhi: Advertising industry body the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) will investigate campaigns by pan masala brands featuring celebrities for violation of its code in the wake of the Delhi government asking stars such as Ajay Devgan and Shah Rukh Khan not to promote such items.
“Complaints against such advertisements have been received by ASCI and are being looked into. ASCI will approach the concerned advertisers to take necessary corrective action post decision by our consumer complaints council,” ASCI secretary general Shweta Purandare said in a statement.
She said while products such as pan masala and supari are not banned for sale or from advertising by law, “the ASCI code does not permit the use of celebrities in advertisements of products which by law require health warning on its pack or cannot be purchased or used by minors”.
On 18 January, the Delhi government had written to Bollywood actors including Ajay Devgan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Govinda, Arbaaz Khan and Sunny Leone, asking them not to endorse pan masala products as they contain areca nuts, a potential cancer causing agent.
ASCI said it would investigate into the pan masala ads and ensure that there is no violations of its code of self-regulation. As per rules and regulation laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, statutory warnings are mandatory to be printed on the pack as well as for the ads, it added.
“It has been observed that large number of pan masala brands are in potential contravention of the advertising codes under ASCI’s chapter III,” it added.
Chapter III is to safeguard against indiscriminate use of advertising in situations or promotion of products which are regarded as hazardous or harmful to society, individuals, particularly minors. Moreover, its clause 2 also specifies that advertisements of products which, by law, either require a health warning in their ads or cannot be purchased by minors “should not feature personalities from the field of sports, music and cinema”. “It is important that the advertisers as well as celebrities are aware of this clause of ASCI code and sensitized to this issue so that they can advertise in a responsible manner,” said ASCI

Cancer-causing toxins found in Australian honey

Lenient food-safety standards are to blame, according to the Food Additives and Contaminants journal.
CANCER-causing toxins have been found in Australian honey as a result of lenient food-safety standards, research has shown.
Honey products readily available on supermarket shelves don’t meet international standards, the research published in the Food Additives and Contaminants journal says.
Products available in Australia can contain ingredients from harmful plants such as Paterson’s curse and fireweed if they are blended with other honey to dilute the toxins.
The European Food Safety Authority considers a safe intake of pyrrolizidine alkaloids to be 0.0007 micrograms per kilogram of body weight, per day.
But Australian standards recommend restricting intake to 1 microgram.
Experts say pregnant and breastfeeding women should be wary of the toxins.

DINAMALAR NEWS

‘கேசியோ’ வாசனை பொருள் இறக்குமதிக்கு தடைவிதிக்க வேண்டும் மனித உரிமை ஆணைய உறுப்பினர் வலியுறுத்தல்

கோவை, ஜன. 20:
கேரள மாநில ஊழல் தடுப்பு மனித உரி மை கள் ஆணைய உறுப் பி னர் லியோ னார்டு ஜான் கோவை யில் நிரு பர் க ளி டம் கூறி ய தா வது:
உண வில் சுவை மற் றும் மணம் அதி க ரிக்க கரு வப் பட்டை சேர்க் கப் ப டு கி றது. இதே போன்று ஆயுர் வேத மருந்து தயா ரிப் பி லும் கரு வப் பட்ை ட யின் பங் க ளிப்பு உள் ளது. கேர ளா வில் 600 ஏக் கர் பரப் ப ள வில் கரு வப் பட்டை உற் பத்தி செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. வாசனை பொரு ளான கரு வப் பட்டை கிலோ ரூ.600க்கு விற் கப் ப டு கி றது.
இந் நி லை யில் சந் தை க ளில் கரு வப் பட்டை என்ற பெய ரில் ‘கேசி யோ’ என்ற வாசனை பொருள் கிலோ ரூ.66க்கு விற் கப் ப டு கி றது. இந்த ரக மா னது சீனா, இந் தோ னே ஷியா, வியட் நாம், பிரே சில் உள் ளிட்ட பல நாடு க ளில் இருந்து இந் தி யா வில் இறக் கு மதி செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. இதில் நச் சுத் தன்மை கலப்பு, உட் கொள் ப வர் க ளுக்கு பல வித பாதிப்பு என்ற குற் றச் சாட்டு கார ண மாக வெளி நா டு க ளில் உள்ள ஆய் வ கங் க ளில் வைத்து பரி சோ திக் கப் பட் டது. அப் போது நச் சுத் தன்மை இருப் பது உறு தி யா னது. பின் னர் அந்த நாடு க ளில் கேசியோ வாசனை பொருள் இறக் கு ம திக்கு தடை விதிக் கப் பட் டது. ஆனால், இந் தி யா வில் இது வரை வெளி நா டு க ளில் மேற் கொள் ளப் பட்ட ஆய் வு கள் கூட நடத் தப் ப ட வில்லை. உணவு பாது காப் புத் து றை யி னர் கேசியோ வாசனை பொருட் களை சேக ரித்து, அதன் தன்மை என் ன? என் பதை ஆய் வ கங் கள் மூல மாக பரி சோ தனை செய்து, அற ய வேண் டும்.
பொது மக் க ளுக்கு பாதிப்பை ஏற் ப டுத் தும் நச் சுத் தன்மை கொண்ட இந்த வாசனை பொருளை இந் தி யா வில் இறக் கு மதி செய் வ தற்கு, மத் திய அரசு தடை விதிக்க வேண் டும். நாடு முழு வ தும் விற் கப் ப டும் இந்த வாசனை பொருளை பறி மு தல் செய்ய வேண் டும். இவ் வாறு லியோ னார்டு ஜான் கூறி னார்.

Loosely packed kebabs banned

SRINAGAR, Jan 19: Jammu and Kashmir Drug and Food Control Department today banned sale of loosely packed kebabs in Srinagar owing to adverse reports against them.
An official told Excelsior that the samples which were collected from different places were found to have contained maximum skin pieces, feathers, charcoal, masoor dal with objectionable order. The sample was declared as unsafe under section 3(22) and section 7 and misbranded, he said.
“We have completely banned the sale of these kababs unless they do not meet the recommended standards and mention clearly the ingredients used,” said Assistant Food Commissioner, Hilal Ahmad, adding: “we have no problems if it would have passed the test.”
Pertinently, the officials acted after Excelsior exclusively reported that these kebabs were being sold without any regulation last week.

USDA Pesticide Data Confirms Food Safety

 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed again in its annual report that American consumers can focus on the nutritional benefits of conventional and organic produce without concern for pesticide residues. More than 99 percent of fresh and processed food available to consumers tested below allowable pesticide residue levels, as detailed in the 24thPesticide Data Program (PDP) Annual Report released on Jan. 11, 2016, by the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). Only 0.36 percent of the products sampled through the PDP had residues above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established tolerances, giving consumers plentiful options to meet their daily nutritional needs.
“Today’s consumers can choose from food produced with a variety of farming methods and necessary crop protection strategies and be confident that it will sustain and enrich their families’ lives,” stated Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CropLife America (CLA). “Across the nation, our growers continue to use the most advanced crop protection technology available to target specific crop threats. From precision agriculture to integrated pest management, farmers in the heartland, the plains, coastal areas and everywhere in between are pushing forward with the best ways to produce food for their communities and for the country.”
PDP researchers tested a total of 10,619 samples of fresh and processed fruit and vegetables (8,582 samples), oats (314 samples), rice (314 samples), infant formula (1,055 samples), and salmon (354 samples). To ensure that the samples were representative of the U.S., researchers collected data in a variety of states throughout different times of the year. The findings support the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020, recently released by USDA and the U.S. Department of Health, which encourage consumers to eat more fruits and vegetables.
“With rapid advancements in computing technology, the space for developing new ways to fight agricultural threats is increasing exponentially,” stated Dr. Janet E. Collins, senior vice president of science and regulatory affairs at CLA. “Consumers have a number of options at the grocery store, thanks in large part to the work of the scientific community involved in research and development, the companies that are manufacturing products, and America’s farmers and ranchers. The 2014 PDP report demonstrates again that, with the sound science-based regulation of pesticides and commitment from the industry, farmers and other stakeholders, we can reach toward making sure that every American, no matter their wallet size or geographic location, can access healthy food.”
A 2012 report from CLA demonstrates that crop protection has made healthy food more financially accessible to the American consumer, providing a 47.92 percent savings in overall grocery bills for a family of four in the U.S. In addition, increased agricultural production, due to advanced pesticides, has created an additional 1,040,661 jobs generating more than $33 billion in wages—all while decreasing the need for tillage operations, thereby reducing fossil fuel use by 558 million gallons per year.
Recent reports from the United Nations also show that an increasing number of people worldwide have gained access to healthy food. Over the past 25 years, the number of people worldwide who are hungry has declined from one billion to about 795 million, or about one person out of nine—which means that 2 billion people have avoided a “likely state of hunger” given the global population increase of 1.9 billion people since 1990-92. Multiple factors have contributed to the decrease in global hunger, including the integration of family farmers and small holders in rural areas into well-functioning markets for food, inputs and labor.
The PDP was established in 1991 for the purpose of collecting data on pesticide residues found in food. Information collected by the PDP is sent to the EPA to help the agency conduct important dietary risk assessments. The USDA also uses this data in the development of integrated pest management objectives. Since the PDP program was initiated, 109 different commodities have undergone testing. A complete version of the 2014 Annual Summary is available at www.ams.usda.gov/pdp.

Hyderabad: Milk adulterators arrested, oil, grinders, phones seized

The milk is adulterated with vegetable oils and milk powder. This can cause severe vomiting, kidney infections and heart complications.
Hyderabad: The Cyberabad SOT busted a milk adulteration racket on Monday. The gang used to adulterate milk by mixing vegetable oils and milk powder.
The three-member gang from Keesara, used to buy milk from nearby villages and sold them to companies like Heritage Dairy, after adulterating it.
Cyberabad SOT additional DCP E. Ramchandra Reddy said the gang was operating in the Cherial village. The accused T. Narsimham, K. Sudhakar and M. Ganesh Reddy are residents of Cherial village and are milk traders.
The trio were running the racket successfully for nearly three months. They procured milk from traders in nearby villages at `35 a litre. Every day they collected nearly 180 litres of milk from the villagers.
“For each litre of milk they mix a litre of vegetable oil and half kg milk powder and mix it thoroughly. Due to this the milk becomes thick and fat content increases,” said Mr Ramch-andra Reddy.
Later, they sell the same to dairy firms like Heritage for `40 a litre.
Consuming this milk is dangerous. Adults can vomit and will have irritation in the stomach, fatty liver, kidney infection and heart complications, while kids will suffer infections in the throat and in the digestive system.
Police seized 300 litres of milk from the gang, along with five kg milk powder, two tins of oil, two grinders and two mobile phones.
The arrested men were remanded to custody.

Chicken-fed fish can give you salmonella

Salmonella accumulates in fish fed with chicken waste.
Hyderabad: Salmonella infection is one of the biggest risks facing those who eat fish fed with chicken waste, doctors said. Symptoms like diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps are the first signs of infection.
The Task Force (west zone) of the Hyderabad police seized 8,000 kg of chicken waste from Langer Houz on January 14 which was being transported to fisheries in Bhimavaram.
Thirty-five year old Syed Abbas and 26-year-old Syed Imran were transporting the chicken waste in a van and were caught at the National Weigh Bridge by the police.
DCP B. Limba Reddy said, “They collect chicken waste from small shops and supply it to private fisheries in Bhimavaram. They have been handed over to the GHMC veterinary department for action.”
Police said the two supplied the waste regularly to fish farms in Andhra Pradesh. “The two have been in this business since the last five years and they supply it to cattle and pig farms too on the city's outskirts.”
A dairy farm owner in the Old City said, "Chicken waste is a good source of protein for animals. Instead of spending a lot of money on expensive feed this waste comes in handy for farm owners who are struggling to control costs.
They mix water in the chicken waste and give it to animals which makes it easy for them to eat.”
Dr Venu Gopal Pareekh, senior surgeon said, “Salmonella is found in most chicken products including eggs, meat and chicken droppings. It accumulates in the fish. When humans consume it the bacteria enters the digestive system and causes diarrhoea, fever and abdominal cramps. These symptoms develop 12 to 72 hours after infection and the illness can last four to seven days. The diarrhoea causes dehydration and treatment has to be aggressive or it can cause complications.”

Organic food: Absence of enforcement aides fakes

Visakhapatnam: Beware, all health aficionados. Next time you go to a local supermarket to buy ‘organic food’, chances are that you may end up buying a fake product. It needs to be certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and carry a label from the certifying agencies under the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP).
There have been no checks or raids by the FSSAI to regulate the organic products market. Recently, representatives from the Crop Care Federation of India (CCFI) collected 25 samples of organic products from various parts of the country, particularly, New Delhi and, found, that most of them were not complying with the certification norms. The packets carried the FSSAI symbol, but not the license number, and many did not have the certification number of an authorised laboratory.
The CCFI also found that for the past eight years, the FSSAI had not booked a single violator for wrongly labelling organic products. With the increasing awareness among the public about the ill effects of chemical additives in food products and vegetables, consumers are willing to pay more for organic products. Many stores have cropped up across the state, selling exclusive organic products.
“There are instances where certain products are being loosely sold as organic farm produce. Buyers need to check whether the product, has the certification label by the FSSAI and its license number,” said Bandaru Naresh of Sumaja Ecowellness that markets organic products from farmers’ cooperatives.
With a flood of products claiming to be organic’, those with the genuine article are finding it difficult to get their products tested and certified. The National Project on Organic Farming committee, in its report to Parliament, pointed out that there were only 25 third party laboratories for testing and certifying organic products across the country. In AP, at present there is not even single laboratory that tests the organic products.

OPERATIONALIZATION OF STANDARDS OF FOOD ADDITIVES

FSSAI brings clarity on proprietary food by issuing notice on standards

New Delhi
Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the apex food regulator, seems to have reviewed its position and keen to shed its anti-food industry image. That is because, after hectic representation and negotiations among the industry, MoFPI (ministry of food processing industries) and health ministry, during the past one-and-a-half years, the FSS Regulations, 2011,seem to be now moving in the direction to accommodate concerns of the industry, particularly with respect to proprietary food.
FSSAI in December issued notification of operationalisation of more than 8,000 additives. This is now followed for standards of proprietary food. Recently the FSSAI has issued a clarification with respect to proprietary food, which explains such food and the regulations governing these products.
Industry experts said that this was a right move and operationality would be improved but concerns remained with regard to licensing as the erstwhile system of product approval (PA) was linked to the licensing and registration process. “Still the online system demands for PA for licensing. The FSSAI should therefore correct the anomaly in the online licensing and registration system,” says one industry representative while adding that the current notification clarifies on proprietary food in a more elaborate manner than Section 22 of the FSS Act.
Section 22 deals with the following categories of foods: (i) genetically-modified articles of food, (ii) irradiated food, (iii) organic foods, (iv) foods for special dietary uses, (v) functional foods, (vi) nutraceuticals, (vii) health supplements, (viii) proprietary food and novel food. According to the earlier point of view of FSSAI, Section 22 stipulates, “Save as otherwise provided under this Act and Regulations made thereunder, no person shall manufacture, distribute, sell or import any novel food, genetically-modified articles of food, irradiated food, organic foods, foods for special dietary uses, functional foods, nutraceuticals, health supplements, proprietary foods and such other articles of food which the Central government may notify in this behalf.”
According to the new notice, proprietary food means an article of food that has not been standardised under these regulations, but does not include any novel food, food for special dietary use, functional food, nutraceuticals, health supplement and such other articles of food which the Central government may notify in this behalf.
Further, proprietary food shall contain only those ingredients other than additives which are either standardised in these regulations or permitted for use in the preparation of other standardised food under these regulations. Also, proprietary food shall use only such additives as specified for the category to which the food belongs and such category shall be clearly mentioned on the label along with its name, nature and composition.
The notice also mentions that proprietary food product shall comply with the prescribed food additives provisions and the microbiological specifications and all other regulations made under the Act. And that the food business operator shall be fully responsible for the safety of the proprietary food.
Meanwhile, the MoFPI, which represents the parent organisation for the food industry, feels elated with the much contended issue of approval now being a thing of the past. According to the ministry officials this will lead to a much-needed impetus to the industry and the slowness that was visible due to PA delays would be no more. And with streamlining of the regulations, the FDI into the sector will also see growth. This will further help in innovation and new product categories that will eventually help the sector to grow.

DINAMALAR NEWS

44.9% food samples fail FSDA test

MEERUT: As many as 130 samples out of the total 289 collected by the Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) over the past nine months have failed tests at a laboratory in Lucknow. The samples were collected from April to December last year.
The results imply that as many as 44.9% samples had failed tests in the past nine months. However, the FSDA authorities got richer as they collected Rs 13.90 lakh as fine from 33 defaulters.
JP Singh, chief food safety officer, said, "The FSDA maintains a record of samples of every financial year. From April to December last year, we conducted as many as 1,019 inspections during which our team collected 289 samples. Once the samples are found to be substandard or unfit for consumption, a period of one month is given to the defaulters - in case anyone asks for a re-analysis. After a period of one month, the file is sent to Lucknow to seek permission to file a case. We found that 130 samples had failed the test."
Of the total 130 defaulters from whom samples were collected, cases have been registered against 118 and one has been punished.
"Out of the 130 failed edible items, 91 were found to be substandard, 13 were unsafe and 26 violated the norms of preparation of food items," said Singh.
While the maximum samples that failed the test were that of milk - with collected samples being 69 and failed samples being 18, the least number of samples that failed the test were that of sweets (other than milk-made sweets) - with collected samples being 13 and only one failed sample.
When Singh was asked whether the huge number of failed samples pointed out at the incompetency of bringing wrong-doers under the scanner, he added, "The huge number of failed samples is an indication that the defaulters concerned will now think twice before selling adulterated food. This does not mark incompetency; rather it points out the fact that we have been able to bring these defaulters to public notice."
The FSDA department conducts anti-adulteration drives on a monthly basis and on festive occasions to ensure that edible items being sold by shops are for consumption and not substandard.

Parties urged to include pesticide pledges in poll manifestos

Thiruvananthapuram:The Council for Ban on Pesticides, a joint platform of around 20 various organizations, has called on all political parties to vouch for an effective ban on use of dangerous pesticides in their election manifestos ahead of the assembly polls.
The demand was raised during a day-long protest by the activists in front of the residence of CM Oommen Chandy , alleging the government has succumbed to threats from pesticide companies and has stopped the food and safety commissioner from conducting inspections to check excessive use of pesticides in vegetables and other food items.
The council has also decided to launch a state-wide rally from Kasargod on February 1, to spread awareness against the use of pesticides and to gather public support on the need for political parties to make clear in their manifestos their commitment to reduce use of chemicals on crops. The rally will conclude at Thiruvananthapuram Gandhi Park on February 14.

உணவால் பரவும் நோய்கள் உஷார்! பழங்கள்... காய்கறிகள்... ஜூஸ்... சாட்... சாலட்

சென்னையில் சாஃப்ட்வேர் நிறுவனத்தில் வேலை பார்க்கும் இளம் பெண் நிஷா. ஹெல்த் விஷயத்தில் மிகவும் அக்கறை கொண்டவர். ஃப்ரெஷ் ஜூஸ், பழ- காய்கறி சாலட், முளைவிட்ட தானியங்கள் இவைதான் அவர் உணவில் பிரதானமாக இருக்கும். என்னதான் ஆரோக்கியத்தின் மீது கவனம் செலுத்தினாலும், அடிக்கடி அவருக்குத் தலைவலி வந்தது. நாளடைவில், வாந்தி, மனக்குழப்பம், அவ்வப்போது மயங்கிவிழுவது, மயங்கியநிலையில் உளறுவது போன்ற பிரச்னைகள் இருந்தன. டாக்டரைப் பார்த்து மருந்துகள் பல எடுத்தும், பிரச்னை சரியாகவில்லை. திடீரென ஒருநாள் அலுவலகத்தில் வலிப்பு வந்து மயங்கினார். உடனடியாக அவரை அருகில் உள்ள சூப்பர் ஸ்பெஷாலிட்டி மருத்துவமனைக்குக் கொண்டு சென்றனர். அங்கு, அவருக்கு ஸ்கேன் செய்யப்பட்டது. மூளை மற்றும் சில முக்கிய உறுப்புகளில் புழுக்கள் நெளிவது கண்டறியப்பட்டது. உடனடியாக அவருக்கு சிகிச்சை அளித்துக் காப்பாற்றினர்.
பின்னர், எதனால் அவருக்கு இதுபோன்ற புழுக்கள் வந்தன எனக் கண்டறிய, அவரிடம் டாக்டர் பேசினார். அவருடைய பழக்க வழக்கங்கள் அனைத்துமே ஹெல்த்தியாகவும், ஹைஜீனிக்காகவும் இருந்தன. உணவு பற்றி சொல்லும்போதுதான் சந்தேகம் வந்தது. நிறையப் பச்சைக் காய்கறிகள் சாப்பிடுவது நல்லது என்பதற்காக, சரியாகச் சுத்தம் செய்யாமல் சாப்பிட்டது தான் பிரச்னைக்குக் காரணம் என்று டாக்டர்கள் கண்டறிந்தனர். டாக்டர்கள் இதைச் சொல்லம்போது நிஷா அதிர்ச்சியில் உறைந்துபோனார்.



ஹெல்த்தி என்ற வார்த்தை இன்று அனைவரின் ஒரே விருப்பமாகிவிட்டது. ஹோட்டல்களில்கூட ஹெல்த்தி கிச்சன் என்ற தங்கள் பிராண்டைப் பிரபலப்படுத்துகின்றனர். எது உண்மையான ஆரோக்கியம்? காய்கறிகளில் உள்ள ஊட்டச்சத்துக்கள் அழிந்துவிடக் கூடாது என்று செய்யப்படும் சாலட், சாண்ட்விச், ஃப்ரெஷ் ஜூஸ், பாதி வேகவைக்கப்பட்ட உணவுகள் என எத்தனையோ உணவு வகைகள் `ஆரோக்கியமானது’ என்ற பெயரில் பரிமாறப்படுகின்றன. உண்மையில், இந்த உணவுகள் ஊட்டச்சத்து நிறைந்தவைதான் என்றாலும், சுகாதாரமானவையா என்ற கேள்வி முக்கியமானது. ஆரோக்கியத்துக்குத் தேடித்தேடிச் சாப்பிடலாம், அது ஹைஜீன்தானா என்பதை எப்படித் தெரிந்துகொள்வது என்ற சந்தேகம் எழலாம்.
டேனியா சோலியம் (Taenia solium) என்ற நாடாப் புழு. இதை, `போர்க் டேப்வார்ம்’ (Pork tapeworm) என்று சொல்வர். இது, மனிதனின் குடலில் இருக்கும். மலம் வழியாக இதன் முட்டைகள் வெளிவரும், இந்தப் புழுக்களின் முட்டைகள் உள்ள உணவை உட்கொள்ளும்போது, வயிற்றில் இந்தப் புழுக்கள் வளர ஆரம்பிக்கும். இரண்டு மூன்று மீட்டர் அளவுக்குக்கூட ரிப்பன்போல வளரும். இதன் தலையின் பெயர் கொலெக்ஸ். அதாவது, தலை ‘சக்கர்’ மாதிரி தசையில் இறுக்கமாகப் பிடித்துக்கொண்டு அப்படியே மிதந்துகொண்டே இருக்கும். இதன் ஆண்-பெண் என்ற இருபாலினமும் ஒரே உருவில் இருக்கக்கூடியவை.
இதன் முட்டைகள் மனித மலத்தின் வழியாக வெளியேறுவதால், மண், தரை, செடி, கொடி எனப் பரவ வாய்ப்புகள் உள்ளன. நீர்நிலைகளில் கலப்பது, வயல்வெளிகளில் பரவுவது மட்டும் அல்ல... செருப்பு இல்லாமல் நடக்கும்போது கால்களில் ஒட்டிக்கொள்ளும். இந்தப் புழுக்களின் முட்டை முதலில் பன்றி உள்ளிட்ட கால்நடைகளின் உடலில் சென்று வளர ஆரம்பிக்கும். பன்றியின் ரத்தத்துக்குச் சென்றுவிட்டால், அது உடலில் எங்கு வேண்டுமானாலும் செல்ல முடியும். லார்வா நிலையில் பல ஆண்டுகள்கூட பன்றியின் உடலில் இவை வாழும். இந்தத் தொற்று நிறைந்த இறைச்சியை சாப்பிடுவதால் நமக்கும் பாதிப்பு ஏற்படுகிறது.



என்ன பிரச்னைகள் வரும்?
சரியாக வேகவைக்கப்படாத தொற்று இறைச்சியைச் சாப்பிடும்போது, இவை மனிதனின் வயிற்றுக்குள் சென்று, முட்டையிட்டு வளரும். குறிப்பாக, சமைத்துக்கொண்டிருக்கும்போதே வெந்துவிட்டதா எனச் சுவைத்துப் பார்க்கும்போது, இந்த லார்வா வயிற்றுக்குள் சென்றுவிட வாய்ப்பு அதிகம். எனவேதான், `இறைச்சியை நன்கு வேகவைத்து உட்கொள்ள வேண்டும்’ எனப் பரிந்துரைக்கிறார்கள்.
கால்நடை மூலமாக மட்டும் அல்ல, நேரடியாகவும் இந்த முட்டைகள் நம் வயிற்றுக்குள் செல்ல வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. இதை, சிஸ்டிசர்கோசிஸ் (Cysticercosis) என்று சொல்வர். அதாவது, பன்றியின் உடலில் என்ன நடக்கிறதோ, அதேபோல் நம் குடலிலும் அவை வளரத் தொடங்கும். இது, எந்த உறுப்புக்கு வேண்டுமானாலும் நகர்ந்து செல்ல முடியும். சிறுநீரகம், கல்லீரல், குடல், சில சமயம் சுவாசப் பகுதி, உணவுக்குழாய்க்குகூடச் செல்லலாம். இதுவே, முதுகுத்தண்டு, மூளை எனப் பரவினால், நரம்பு தொடர்பான பிரச்னைகள் வரும். மூளைக்கு இந்த புழுக்கள் சென்றால், நியூரோ சிஸ்டிசர்கோசிஸ் எனும் வலிப்பு நோய் வரும். பெரும்பாலானோருக்கு, ஏதாவது ஒரு காரணத்தோடு வலிப்புநோய் வருமானால், அவருக்கு இந்த மாதிரியான புழுக்கள் அல்லது அதன் முட்டைகள் மூளையில் பரவியிருக்கக்கூடும்.
யாருக்காவது வலிப்புப் பிரச்னை இருந்தால், ஸ்கேன் செய்வதற்கான முதல் காரணம் இந்த மாதிரியான புழுக்கள் அதன் முட்டைகள் இருக்கின்றனவா என்று தெரிந்துகொள்வதற்காகதான்.
இது மூளை, மூளையைச் சுற்றிய பகுதி, முதுகுத் தண்டுவடம், கண்கள் என எங்கு வேண்டுமானாலும் இருக்கலாம். இவை, எந்த இடத்தில் இருக்கின்றன என்பதைப் பொறுத்து, பிரச்னைகள் வெவ்வேறுவிதமாக ஏற்படும். கண்களில் இருந்தால், பார்வைக் கோளாறுகள் வரும். மூளையின் சில முக்கியப் பகுதிகளில் இருந்தால், பக்கவாதமும் ஏற்படலாம். தலைவலி, மூளை வீக்கம், மூளைத் தொற்று, தொடர் வாந்தி, சோர்வு, எரிச்சல், குழப்பமான மனநிலை போன்ற பிரச்னைகளும் வரலாம். இதில், பொதுவான அறிகுறி வலிப்புப் பிரச்னை. அவரவர் உடல்நிலையைப் பொறுத்து, அறிகுறிகள் மாறுபடும்.



முதுகுத்தண்டுவடத்தில் இருந்தால், இரண்டு கால்களும் வராமல் பக்கவாதம் வரலாம். நடக்கக் கஷ்டப்படலாம். மூளையிலும் முதுகுத்தண்டுவடத்திலும் இந்தப் புழுக்கள் சென்றுவிட்டால், பிரச்னைகள் தீவிரமாகும்.
சருமத்தின் கீழே முடிச்சு முடிச்சாக, உருண்டை உருண்டையாக இவை இருக்கலாம். சிலருக்குச் சதைவலி, வீக்கம் இருக்கும். அவர்களை ஸ்கேன் எடுத்துப்பார்த்தால், இந்தப் புழுக்கள் தசைகளில் ஒட்டியிருக்கக்கூடும்.
மலத்தின் மூலமாக இவை பரவுவதால், தண்ணீரின் மூலமாகக் காய்கறிகள், பழங்கள் போன்றவற்றிலும் பரவ முடியும். இந்தப் பிரச்னை அசைவம், சைவம் சாப்பிடுவோர் என யாருக்கும் வரலாம்.
தனிப்பட்ட சுகாதாரம் என்பது மிகவும் முக்கியம். மலம் கழித்துவிட்டு கைகளைச் சரியாக கழுவாமல் இருந்தாலும் பிரச்னைதான். சுகாதாரமற்ற நீரால் சமைக்கப்படும், கழுவப்படும் உணவுகள் மூலமாகவும் பிரச்னை ஏற்படும். இதற்கு பெயர் ஆட்டோ இன்ஃபெக்‌ஷன்.



என்ன தீர்வு?
பெரும்பாலும் அறுவைசிகிச்சை இன்றி, மருந்து மாத்திரைகள் மூலமே சரிசெய்ய முடியும். பிரச்னையைக் கவனிக்காமல்விட்டால், தீவிரமாகும். மருத்துவர் ஆலோசனையின்படி குழந்தைகளுக்குக் கொடுக்கும் அல்பென்டாசோல் (Albendazole) எனும் மருந்தை, காலை, மாலை என இரண்டு மூன்று வாரங்களுக்குச் சாப்பிடுகையில், இந்தப் பிரச்னை சரியாகிவிடும்.
வயிற்றினுள் மட்டும் பூச்சி இருப்பவர்களுக்கு வேறு மருந்து அளிக்கப்படும். இப்படி, ஒவ்வொருவரின் பிரச்னையைப் பொறுத்து, மருந்துகள் பரிந்துரைக்கப்படும். இந்த மருந்துகளை உட்கொண்ட பின்னரும், தனக்கென பெர்சனல் ஹைஜீனை உருவாக்கிக்கொள்ளவில்லை என்றால், நிச்சயம் மீண்டும் புழுக்கள், முட்டைகள் உடலில் பரவத் தொடங்கிவிடும். மருத்துவர் ஆலோசனைப்படி அனைவரும் பொதுவாக மூன்று மாதங்களுக்கு ஒருமுறை வயிற்றைச் சுத்தப்படுத்தும் மருந்துகளை உட்கொள்வது பாதுகாப்பைத் தரும்.
- ப்ரீத்தி, படம்: எம்.உசேன், மாடல்: லுய்னா
தொடர்ந்து சாலையோர உணவை உட்கொள்பவர்களுக்கு, பெரும்பாலும் இதன், முட்டைகள் உடலில் கலந்து பிரச்னைகளை ஏற்படுத்தும். எந்த வகையிலும் முட்டைகள் உடலில் செல்ல வாய்ப்புகள் அதிகம் என்பதால், தனக்கென்ற ஒரு சுகாதார முயற்சியும், கட்டுப்பாடும் இருந்தால் மட்டுமே இந்தப் பிரச்னைகள் வராமல் தவிர்க்க முடியும்.
ஹோட்டல், வீடு, அலுவலகம் என எங்கு பார்த்தாலும் சாண்ட்விச், சாலட் மோகம் அதிகரித்துள்ளன. `உடலுக்கு நல்லது, உடல் எடையைக் குறைக்கும், ஆரோக்கிய நொறுக்குத்தீனி’ எனப் பல நன்மைகள் அடங்கியிருந்தாலும் அவை எந்த அளவுக்கு சுகாதாரமானவை என்பதைப் பொறுத்தே ஆரோக்கியம் முழுமைபெறும்.



கடைகளில் சாண்ட்விச் வாங்கிச் சாப்பிடுவதைத் தவிர்த்து, வீட்டிலேயே செய்து சாப்பிடலாம். வீட்டில் சாலட், சாண்ட்விச் தயாரிக்கும் முன்னர், தேவையான காய்கறி, பழங்களை உப்பு கலந்த நீரில் 20 நிமிடங்கள் ஊறவைக்க வேண்டும். பின்னர், மஞ்சள் கலந்த நீர், புளி கலந்த நீர் ஆகியவற்றில் கழுவிவிட வேண்டும். பாத்திரத்தில் வெந்நீரை வைத்துக்கொண்டு, அதில் நறுக்கிய காய்கறிகளைப் போட்டு எடுத்த பின் சாலட் தயாரிக்கலாம்.
சூப், குழம்பு, கிரேவி ஆகிய கொதிக்க வைக்கப்பட்ட உணவுகளில்கூட முட்டைகள் சாகாமல் இருக்கலாம் என்பதால், பன்றி, மாடு, ஆடு போன்ற இறைச்சியை ஒரு முறை தனியாக வேகவைத்த பின்னர், மீண்டும் சமையலில் சேர்த்து வேகவைக்க வேண்டும்.
தடுக்கும் வழிகள்!
சுகாதாரமற்ற இடங்களில் உட்கொள்வதைத் தவிர்க்க வேண்டும்.
ஜூஸ், சட்னி போன்ற கொதிக்கவைக்கப்படாத, தண்ணீர் சேர்க்கப்படும் உணவுகளை உட்கொள்வதற்கு முன்னர், அந்தப் பகுதியின் சுகாதாரநிலையைச் சரிபார்த்துக்கொள்வது முக்கியம்.
காய்கறிகளை வெட்டும்போதும், உணவு பரிமாறும்போதும் கைகளை நன்கு சுத்தம் செய்துகொள்ள வேண்டும்.
சாப்பிடுவதற்கு முன்பும் பிறகும் நன்றாக சோப் போட்டு கை கழுவ வேண்டும்.
மலம் கழித்த பிறகு கைகளை நன்கு சோப் அல்லது கிருமிநாசினி போட்டு சுத்தம் செய்ய வேண்டும்.
பொது இடங்களில் கழிப்பறை பயன்படுத்துகையில் குழாய், டவல், கைப்பிடி, பேசின் போன்றவற்றைக் கையாள்வதில் கவனம் தேவை. தொட்டுவிட்டாலும் கைகளைச் சுத்தப்படுத்திக்கொள்ள வேண்டும்.
இறைச்சியை நன்றாக வேகவைக்க வேண்டும். மஞ்சள் தூளை உணவில் சேர்ப்பது முக்கியம்.
சாலட் சாப்பிடுபவர்கள், காய்கறிகளை நன்றாகக் கழுவினாலும், மூன்று நிமிடங்களுக்கு வெந்நீரில் போட்டு எடுப்பது அவசியம்.
கடைகளில் விற்கும் பழங்கள், காய்கறிகளை, கழுவாமல் சாப்பிடுவது தவறு.
சாட் உணவு உட்பட பலவற்றில் கொத்தமல்லி இலையைச் சுவைக்காகச் சேர்ப்பார்கள். இதன் வழியாகப் புழுத்தொற்று ஏற்பட வாய்ப்பு உள்ளது. எனவே, புதினா, கொத்தமல்லி, கறிவேப்பிலையை வெந்நீரில் சில நிமிடங்கள் நனைத்துப் பயன்படுத்தலாம்.
புழுக்கள் பலவிதம்
கொக்கிப்புழுவும் (Hookworm) பரவக்கூடியதே. சுகாதாரமற்ற இடங்களில் நடக்கும்போது, கொக்கிப்புழுக்களின் முட்டைகள் காலில் ஒட்டிக்கொள்ளும். சருமத்தின் வழியாக ரத்தத்தில் கலந்து, குடலுக்குச் சென்றடைந்து வளரும். அங்கு, இனப்பெருக்கத்தில் ஈடுபடும். ஒரு நாளைக்கு ஒரு பெண் கொக்கிப்புழு கிட்டத்தட்ட 35 ஆயிரம் முட்டைகள் வரை இடும். இவை, சிறுகுடலில் கொக்கிபோல ஒட்டிக்கொண்டு, ஊட்டச்சத்துக்களை உறிஞ்சிக்கொண்டிருக்கும். இதனால், ரத்தசோகை உள்ளிட்ட பிரச்னைகள் ஏற்படும். எனவே, வயல்வெளி, மைதானம் போன்ற இடங்களில் வெறும் காலில் நடப்பதைத் தவிர்க்க வேண்டும்.



ஊசிப்புழு (Pinworm) என்ற சின்னச்சின்னப் புழுக்கள் மலத்தில் காணப்படும். இவை, பெரும்பாலும் குழந்தைகள் இருக்கும் வீட்டில் பரவியிருக்கும். காற்றின் மூலமாகவும், தொடுதலின் மூலமாகவும் மற்றவர்களுக்குப் பரவ வாய்ப்பு உள்ள புழு இது. குழந்தைகளின் வயிற்றில் இந்தப் புழுக்கள் இருந்தால், அந்த வீட்டுப் பெரியவர்களுக்கும் இவை பரவும். குடும்பத்தில் அனைவரும் மருந்துகளை உட்கொண்டால் மட்டுமே, இவற்றைக் கட்டுப்படுத்த முடியும்.
ஆஸ்காரிஸ் (Ascaris) புழு, உணவுகளிலிருந்து நம் உடலுக்கு வருகின்றன. சுகாதாரமற்ற நீர் மற்றும் உணவுகளின் மூலம் பரவும் இந்தப் புழுக்கள் வயிற்றுப்போக்கு, வாந்தி போன்றவற்றை ஏற்படுத்தும்.