Aug 23, 2017
அப்பள நிறுவனத்தில் சோதனை: 215 மூட்டை காலாவதி மைதா பறிமுதல்
சேலம்: சேலத்தில், 215 காலாவதி மைதா மூட்டைகளை, அதிகாரிகள் பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.
சேலம், சிவதாபுரத்தில், குழல் அப்பளம் தயாரிக்கும் இரு நிறுவனங்களில், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு நியமன அலுவலர் மாரியப்பன் தலைமையில் அலுவலர்கள், நேற்று காலை, 11:00 மணிக்கு சோதனை மேற்கொண்டனர். அதில், ருத்ரா டிரேடர்ஸ் நிறுவனத்தில், காலாவதி மைதா இருப்பு வைத்தது கண்டுபிடித்து, 50 கிலோ எடை கொண்ட, 215 மூட்டைகள் என, 10 ஆயிரத்து, 750 கிலோ மைதா பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது. பெயர், முகவரி இல்லாத தரமற்ற உப்பு, 50 கிலோ எடை கொண்ட, 85 மூட்டை பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது. மற்றொரு நிறுவனத்தில், கலர் கலந்த போலி அப்பளம், 600 கிலோ பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது. அவை, மாதிரி எடுத்து, சோதனைக்கு அனுப்பப்பட்டுள்ளது. மாரியப்பன் கூறுகையில், ''பறிமுதல் மைதாவின் மதிப்பு, 2.23 லட்சத்து, 400 ரூபாய். போலி அப்பள மதிப்பு, 18 ஆயிரம் ரூபாய். பரிசோதனை முடிவுக்கு பின், சட்ட நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்,'' என்றார்.
ரெய்டை காரணம் காட்டி கூடுதல் தொகைக்கு விற்பனை: தடை செய்யப்பட்ட குட்கா, ஹான்ஸ் விலை 3 மடங்கு அதிகரிப்பு
போலீஸ் உயரதிகாரிகள், குட்கா வியாபாரிகளுடன் கை கோர்த்ததாக எழுந்த புகாரையடுத்து, தமிழகம் முழுவதும் போலீசார், உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் அதிரடி ரெய்டு நடத்தினர். ஒரு பக்கம் ரெய்டு, வழக்குப்பதிவு, கைது நடவடிக்கை தொடர்ந்த நிலையில், மறு பக்கம் அதிகாரிகளுக்கு மாமூல் கொடுத்து விட்டு, வழக்கமான விற்பனை நடந்து வருகிறது. தமிழகத்தின் முக்கிய நகரங்களுக்கு, குட்கா, ஹான்ஸ் உள்ளிட்ட பொருட்கள் சேலத்தில் இருந்து அனுப்பப்படுகிறது. போலீஸ் ரெய்டை காரணம் காட்டி, குட்காவின் அதிக பட்ச விற்பனை விலையை தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனம், மூன்று ரூபாய் என நிர்ணயித்து, மொத்த வியாபாரிகளுக்கு, 2.10 ரூபாய்க்கு வழங்குகின்றது. தற்போது அதன் விலையை மொத்த வியாபாரிகள், ஐந்து ரூபாயாகவும், சில்லரை வியாபாரிகள், ஏழு ரூபாயாகவும் உயர்த்தி உள்ளனர். ஹான்ஸ் அதிகபட்ச விலை, 10 ரூபாய் என நிர்ணயம் செய்யப்பட்டுள்ள நிலையில், 7.90 ரூபாய்க்கு வாங்கும் மொத்த வியாபாரிகள், 20 ரூபாய்க்கு விற்கின்றனர். சில்லரை வியாபாரிகள், 30 ரூபாய்க்கு விற்கின்றனர். இதேபோல், பான்பராக்கின் அளவை பொறுத்து விலை, ஐந்து ரூபாய் முதல், 10 ரூபாயாக உள்ள நிலையில், 30 ரூபாய்க்கு விற்பனை செய்கின்றனர். டிரைவிங் பணியில் ஈடுபடுபவர்கள் மற்றும் இரவு நேர பணியில் ஈடுபடுபவர்கள், அதில் கிடைக்கும் போதை, தூக்கம் வராமல் இருப்பதற்காக, அதிக விலை கொடுத்து வாங்கி பயன்படுத்துவது தொடர்வதால், தமிழகத்தில் திருட்டு விற்பனை கனஜோராக நடக்கிறது.
இது குறித்து வியாபாரிகள் கூறியதாவது: தமிழகத்தில் குட்கா, ஹான்ஸ் பொருட்களை உண்மையிலேயே போலீஸ் தடை செய்ய நினைத்தால், குடோன்களில் ஸ்டாக் வைத்துள்ள, பெரிய வியாபாரிகள் மீது நடவடிக்கை எடுத்தால் மட்டுமே, முழுமையாக தடை செய்ய முடியும். ஆனால், பெரிய வியாபாரிகள் பெரும்பாலும், வடமாநிலத்தை சேர்ந்தவர்களாக உள்ளதால், போலீஸ் உயரதிகாரிகளை வளைத்து போட்டு, தங்கு தடையின்றி விற்பனை செய்கின்றனர். கணக்கு காட்டுவதற்காக, சிறிய வியாபாரிகள் மீது, போலீசார் கைது நடவடிக்கை மேற்கொள்கின்றனர். இவ்வாறு அவர்கள் கூறினர்.
FSSAI plans food safety index to measure performance of States
Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI
Regulator proposes to deploy 62 mobile food lab units across the country
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22:
In a bid to encourage States to have a robust food safety ecosystem, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will soon launch a food safety index to measure their performance on various parameters.
In addition, the food regulator has asked the Indian Railways, which had been earlier slammed by the Comptroller and Auditor General for serving poor quality food, to conduct an internal audit. This will be followed by a third party audit.
Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, said here on Tuesday: “We are developing an index that will measure the performance of States on various parameters of food safety to promote positive competition among them. All the States are in agreement on this and we hope to launch this soon.” The various parameters will include status of food safety infrastructure, manpower, enforcement, training capacity and steps to address consumer grievances, among others.
Replying to a query on food safety issues concerning the Railways, he said: “We have asked them to conduct an internal audit first and then we will conduct a third party audit of food safety system in the Railways.”
Agarwal was speaking at an FSSAI event to launch key initiatives, including “Food Safety on Wheels”, to strengthen the country’s food testing infrastructure.Mobile food labs
Under the Food Safety on Wheels initiative, 62 mobile food lab units will be deployed across the country for food testing, public education and awareness and for conducting training and certification programmes. The mobile labs will help officials of various States and Union Territories to enhance their surveillance activities and outreach even in far-flung areas.
The multi-purpose vehicles will have a fully functional laboratory equipped with basic infrastructure for quick testing for detection of common adulterants in various food commodities, FSSAI said in a statement. Nine mobile units were flagged off on Tuesday. The regulator has also launched a digital solution to connect all the government and private food labs to a centralised lab management system called InFolNet (Indian Food Laboratory Network).High-end testing
The regulator is also working on further strengthening 45 State food labs by providing them high-end testing equipment. Other initiatives include conducting Junior Analyst Examination to attract young talent and plans to set up an international training centre in Mumbai in collaboration with the Export Inspection Council.
“We are making a holistic effort by using digital solutions, strengthening food safety infrastructure, enhancing testing and training capacities as well as growing the pool of trained food analysts to give a big push to country’s food testing system,” Agarwal added.
FSSAI flags off 9 mobile food testing labs, to offer 53 more
Delhi, Aug 22 (PTI) Regulator FSSAI today offered nine mobile testing labs to eight states and 53 more units are lined up for other states and UTs with an overall cost of Rs 19 crore to strengthen food testing infrastructure.
FSSAIs CEO Pawan Agarwal announced plans to launch a food safety index to judge all states and Union Territories on parameters like testing infrastructure, enforcement, surveillance and consumer grievance cell, among others.
The authoritys Chairperson, Ashish Bahuguna, today flagged off the mobile labs called Food Safety on Wheels here. These labs are multi-purpose vehicles for food testing, public education and awareness.
"FSSAI has completed 11 years of its operations. On this occasion, we are flagging off nine mobile food testing labs equipped with basic infrastructure for quick testing to detect common adulterants in various food commodities," Agarwal told reporters here.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will provide 62 such mobile units, each costing over Rs 30 lakh, to all the states and Union Territories, he said, adding that the next lot will be launched in November.
"We will provide at least one unit to each state and UT and more in respect of bigger states," Agarwal said.
The regulator is providing guidelines and operational manuals to the states on how to run these mobile units.
"Through these units, 24 tests can be conducted on milk, 9 on edible oil, 17 on spices and 11 on other foods," Agarwal said.
Asked about the FSSAIs programme to strengthen the existing labs, he said the regulator will modernise 45 labs across the country with a cost of about Rs 12 crore each.
"We have provided amount to 23 states. We have signed MoUs with 11 states. The process for tendering of equipment has started," Agarwal said.
On the food safety index, he said: "We will show states mirror on where they stand on food safety aspects. This will have positive competition among states."
The regulator, Agarwal further said, is launching Indian food laboratory network to connect all food labs in the country to a centralised lab management system.
This system will provide an end-to-end solution where samples collected by field units will be coded and tested in FSSAI-notified labs and the results will be available in a central database. This data will be available for enforcement and food import controls in a seamless manner.
Food safety: 17 establishments served closure notice
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a raid conducted by department of food safety as part of Bakrid-Onam festival season, 17 establishments were served closure notices with had serious violation of food safety norms.
Food safety commissionrate has started raids in food business establishment in the state from Sunday. In the raids conducted in the past two days, the food safety department has slapped a total fine of Rs 17.82 lakhs and served notices on 510 establishments. It has conducted inspections in 1019 establishments.
In Thiruvananthapuram, a fine of Rs 1.7 lakh was slapped and notices were served to 21 establishments. In Kollam, Rs 1.5 lakh fine was slapped on various establishments. Notices were served to 46 establishments.
In Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha, 30 and 29 establishments were served improvement notices. Thirty five establishments were served notices in Kottayam. Closure notice was served to one establishment each in Idukki, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts. Operations of five establishments were stopped in Kollam.
The raids will continue in the coming days. For the first time, food safety department has started 40 squads for raids.
MIRROR IMPACT: BBMP SCURRIES FOR FOOD LICENCE
Food safety and BBMP officials were on their toes on Tuesday after the Bangalore Mirror reported that the civic body was yet to apply and obtain mandatory food safety clearance for its 101 Indira canteens launched amid much fanfare last week. Food safety officials hurriedly convened a meeting with BBMP special commissioner Manoj Rajan to discuss the issue and the BBMP was asked to immediately apply for the mandatory registration and licence for its food outlets providing breakfast, lunch and dinner at affordable rates.
“We have already had a discussion with BBMP commissioner who is in New Delhi and instructions have been given to our four designated officers in-charge of Bengaluru to identify Indira canteens that fall under their limits and follow up and assist the civic body officials to complete the process,” said K Sreenivasa Gowda, Joint Commissioner, Food Safety.
Bangalore Mirror reported on Monday that the Indira Canteens had started operating in the city last week without obtaining Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) license mandatory for food business operators. The clearance from FSSAI was essential as it would empower the agency to inspect the quality of the food served at the canteens and also ensure minimum standards of hygiene was maintained on the premises. The state government has decided to open 198 Indira canteens, in all BBMP wards across Bengaluru.
“It is mandatory for all food operators to get themselves registered and also obtain license before they start serving food,”said a food safety department official.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the two private caterers supplying food at canteens. According to officials, the civic agency is expected to start applying for the license in the coming days. Joint Director, food safety department Shivappa said that the BBMP officials have given assurance that the process will be completed at the earliest.
Organic exports face testing times from redundant norms
Daniel AckerJumping through hoops: The organic products are tested in multiple laboratories, which involves time and cost s,and is an example of why India has a low rank in the ease of doing business
Repeat testing by various bodies is driving up costs:ICRIER report
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 22:
Exporters of organic products face a tough time getting their products tested in the country as the presence of multiple export control bodies has narrowed the choice of laboratories for them and also increased costs due to multiple-testing requirements, according to a recent study by a Delhi-based think tank.
While there are 112 laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) that are also approved by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), less than one-fifth are approved by export control bodies such as the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority(APEDA), Export Inspection Council, BIS and Tea Board, a report by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) on organic farming in India pointed out. The report will be released on Wednesday.Hassles all the way
“Since all export control bodies want the testing laboratories to register with them, it is a hassle for the laboratories, which have to spend a lot of time and money getting multiple registrations done,” said Arpita Mukherjee from ICRIER.
APEDA, which regulates fruits and vegetables and has been implementing product traceability for products such as peanuts since last December, has just 14 laboratories listed as being competent to carry out sampling and testing of organic products against 112 laboratories accredited by NABL and FSSAI.
Of these, the Export Inspection Council (EIC) of India, the nodal agency for export control of food products such as pepper, milk and basmati rice, recognises just eight laboratories, while 13 laboratories are recognised by the BIS and seven laboratories are recognised by the Tea Board.
“If food items are accredited by both the NABL and the FSSAI, all aspects of testing and food safety are covered and there should be no need for further tests. Allowing export control bodies to insist on separate registrations is what is making life difficult for exporters and should be done away with,” Mukherjee said.No export testing
The report pointed out that it was ironic that while 98 laboratories approved by NABL and FSSAI were eligible to test for organic product imports or items sold in the domestic market, they cannot test products for export.Redundant testing
For exporters of certain items, including spices such as turmeric, the consignments have to be tested not just in an APEDA approved laboratory but also in a Spices Board of India-approved quality evaluation laboratory, despite the fact that organic is free from chemicals and/or additives, which should have come up in the APEDA approved laboratory test report itself.
“The product is being tested in multiple laboratories, which involves time, effort and cost and is an example demonstrating why India has a low rank in the ease of doing business,” the report stated.
In 2016-17, export of organic products from India was valued at $370 million, which was about 17.5 per cent higher than the previous year. In 2015-16, some of India’s top markets were the EU, the US, Canada, Korea and Australia.
Aug 22, 2017
THERE’S A SMALL CHANGE IN YOUR STAPLE CUPPA
For a city that has diversified from coffee-drinking to sipping tea and its many variants, here’s a small development – the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of stapler pins in tea bags. Although manufacturers have been given time till year-end to phase out the stapled tea bags (including those being exported), corporate companies have already stepped up to meet the food safety regulation. In communications to their food court vendors, many tech companies have asked them to discontinue the use of stapled tea bags immediately.
Last month, FSSAI issued this order based on several cases of complaints and possible health hazards.
The order had said: “Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is mandated to ensure availability of sale and wholesome food for human consumption and for matters connected therewith. The Tea (Marketing) Control Order 2003 defines “tea bag” as packet containing tea in bags made of filter paper, nylon net or any other acceptable material conforming to international norms and standards, for brewing of tea liquor by direct immersion of such bag in hot or cold water, commercially known as tea bags. At present, there are two types of tea bags available -- stapled tea bags and knotted tea bags. Use of staple pins in tea bags poses potential hazard to consumers since any loose staple pin consumed inadvertently with tea may cause serious health hazard. Taking congnisance of the risk to public safety in using staple pin in tea bags by some companies, the Food Authority, hereby directs the concerned organisations to discontinue the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of stapled tea bags by January 1, 2018.”
This order has been circulated to all the commissioners of Food Safety departments of respective states, Indian Tea Association, Tea Board of India and major operators in tea industry.
The industrial houses in Bengaluru which boasts of good number of tea drinking employees with well-laid canteens/food courts have already started acting on the order.
Infosys has communicated to its food vendors, against usage of stapled tea bags. “We got the communication, with this order attached, asking us to discontinue using stapled tea bags on the campus. The company does not want to wait till December end and those vendors who are supplying vending machines for coffee and tea will have to find alternatives,” said a hotelier who is a part of Infosys food court.
However, gourmet tea manufacturers have always been using knotted tea bags, packed in organic tea pouches. But almost all major tea manufacturing brands have their tea bags closed with staplers.
FSSAI disposes massive quantity of food products and tobacco items
In a move to raise the safety and food quality bar, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has disposed of a massive quantity of food products and tobacco items. According to the report, these items were imported from Myanmar and were seized from various parts of Manipur.
Officials of Food Safety Administration, Thoubal disposed the items worth Rs 51,441 at the garbage area of Thoubal Municipal Council, Thoubal Khunou . Speaking to the media, Chairperson of Thoubal Municipal Council Th Shyamo stated that several items were seized between May 25- June 24 by a team of Thoubal Municipal Council members and district police and was later handed to Food Safety, Thoubal.
The disposed of items also included expired eatables and tobacco items which were seized by different organisations and police including DESAM Thoubal District Committee, Yairipok police, Khongjom police and Thoubal police along with Food Safety, Thoubal.
He lauded the police teams and organisations for assisting in making the drive successful and sought cooperation and support from the people while conducting the food and tobacco drive.
Designated officer of Food Safety Administration, Thoubal N Debendro, Food Safety officers, Thoubal namely S Surendra, Md Altaff Hussain and A Brojendro, SDC, Thoubal Subinson Sapam, OC of Thoubal, Khongjom and Yairipok witnessed the disposal.
Health Department seals water-bottling plant
Amritsar, August 21 The Health Department sealed a water-bottling plant being run from a home in the Chehharta area here today. The plant selling bottled water under the brand name of G-Aqua did not have requite licences from the Food Safety and Standards Authority and the Bureau of Indian Standards, said the District Health Officer, Dr Lakhbir Singh Baghowalia.
The DHO said that the plant was using the water supplied by the Municipal Corporation and did not even had any equipment to check the quality of water. The Health Department team also raided another plant, namely Silver Healthy Sip and collected samples.
“The owners of the plant gave us in writing that they were shutting down the plant. But we have collected samples of water and if the quality is not proper, action will be taken against them,” said the DHO. The water samples from various other water bottling plants were also collected.
The DHO said that they also inspected two plants which are selling cold water in water coolers to shopkeepers and other commercial establishments. These two units, namely Bharti Enterprises and Silver Bubbles also could not produce any licences.
However, as the water was not sold in packings, the Health Department has asked the MC to take action. “Unpacked water does not come under our purview and so the MC has been asked to check the quality and take action,” said Dr Baghowalia.
FDA continues its food safety drive
10 food outlets in Calangute issued closure notices
MAPUSA: Food & Drug Administration continued its food safety drive where in the team along with Calangute Panchayat conducted joint inspection at Calangute Market area on Monday.
During this inspection, 16 food outlets were inspected of which around 10 joints were issued closure notices till the next FDA order. These 10 outlets were found operating in extremely unhygienic conditions with dirty utensils. FDA team also collected food samples for further testing.
The issue of unhygienic food joints in Calangute was raised during last gram sabha by Calangute Panchayat where the locals had complained about poor quality of food.
The FDA headed by Richard Noronha comprised of Abel Rodrigues, Amit Mandrekar, Madhav Kavlekar, Shruti Pilarnekar, Rohidas Gawas and Sainath Mandrekar.
Clay-based packaging to keep food fresh for longer
LONDON, AUGUST 21:
Scientists have developed a new packaging film with clay nanotubes and antibacterial essential oils that can prevent microbial growth and over-ripening of fruits, keeping them fresh for longer.
People around the world have been trying to preserve fruits, vegetables and meats since ancient times. From the traditional methods of salting or fermenting to the more modern methods of canning, freezing or wrapping in plastic films, food preservation has always been important.
“Food packaging that is capable of interacting with food can contribute to safety and prevent economic losses from spoilage,” said Hayriye Unal, from Sabanci University in Turkey.
“Specialised films that can preserve a wide array of foods are highly sought after,” said Unal.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, about 30-40 per cent of the food that farmers produce in the country goes to waste, researchers said.
Over the past two decades, scientists have been developing alternative ways to preserve food, with an extensive focus on packaging.
Bacterial contamination and permeability to both oxygen and water vapour are major issues that scientists are addressing. Another challenge is to prevent too much ethylene from building up around foods.
Ethylene is a compound naturally released by fruits and vegetables that aids in the ripening process.
2 more spice units raided, 15,000kg of raw material seized
JAIPUR: On the third day of crackdown on spice units, health authorities on Sunday raided two more units and seized another 15,000 kg of raw material belonging to the Chandpole trader, who is accused of selling adulterated spices.
Officials recovered 54 bags containing 50kg of spices from one unit, and 250 bags from another unit situated in VKI area.
The officials have collected samples of spices from the two units and sent them for testing.
On Friday, health officials had sealed a factory producing spices using inedible colours. The unit was allegedly preparing adulterated spice powders— chilli, turmeric and coriander, by using wheat husk, rice, dried coriander stalks and inedible colours.
A team headed by chief medical health officer (Jaipur-I) Dr Narottam Sharmacomprising food safety officers Virendra Singh, Sushil Chotwani and Shashi Kumarare investigating the matter.
They have so far seized more than 62,000 kg of dried chilli, turmeric, rice, husk, coriander stalks and other material, which was allegedly used for preparing adulterated spices.
One Jai Prakash is the key accused involved in the trade, officials said.
On Saturday, officials had seized 40,000 kg of spices belonging to him, which were kept in three cold storages.
Officials said that Sunday's raids were in connection with the raids conducted on Friday and Saturday.
Aug 21, 2017
Adulterated oil seized
The officials of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department conducted a surprise check in shops and stalls at the weekly shandy in Karumanthurai on Saturday and seized 1,021 litres of adulterated oil .
The team, led by S. Mariappan, district designated officer of the department, also seized and destroyed outdated eatables and other products worth about Rs. 10,000 on the occasion.
Meanwhile, the Food Safety Department registered cases against five concerns last month on the charges of marketing adulterated goods. The officials conducted surprise checks in shops and manufacturing concerns in Salem city and in the towns of Attur, Sankagiri, Mettur, Edappadi and found adulterated sago, oil, pepper in the market.
The department booked five firms for marketing adulterated products and legal action was initiated against them.
Food testing lab likely in Vijayawada
Collector says investigation into food adulteration cases will be speeded up
A food sample testing laboratory is likely to be established in Vijayawada to maintain better food standards as prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
“We are now relying on the laboratory in Hyderabad for testing the food samples collected during the raids. We have recently proposed to the State government to set up the laboratory in Vijayawada,” District Collector B. Lakshmikantam told The Hindu . “The investigation into the food adulteration cases will be speeded up if the results are released early,” Mr. Lakshmikantam added.
PM Orders Crackdown On Egg Farms Ignoring Food Safety Rules Amid Pesticide Scare
South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon on Saturday said local authorities should deal strictly with egg producers who are not complying with the government’s food safety standards as he conducted on-site inspections to handle an insecticide-contaminated egg crisis in the country.
“I strongly think those who poorly manage food that is consumed by the majority of people should not be forgiven,” Lee said at the agriculture ministry’s office in Sejong. “There could be elements threatening food safety at every stage of production, so we must get rid of those problems this time.”
For his on-site inspections, Lee first headed to Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety’s briefing on the distribution of the tainted eggs and its countermeasures. He then moved to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ office building in Sejong to check its reports. He also visited a large discount store to listen to people’s opinions.
As of Saturday, the agriculture ministry’s inspection results showed 49 farms had used illegal insecticides, and some 624.51 million eggs are produced and distributed annually from these farms, which accounted for 4.6 percent of the total eggs produced and distributed last year.
Lee ordered the ministries to learn from the current crisis. There has been a confusion over boundaries of work between the agriculture ministry and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, while the National Agriculture Products Quality Management Service was accused of poor handling of stamping environmentally friendly certifications for poultry producers.
“If people’s trust in the government’s administrative work, such as environmentally friendly certifications and the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP), is damaged, this could be more painful than the current egg crisis,” he said. “It’s really sad that the government agencies related with food safety didn’t do a good job to earn people’s trust. We need to reorganize perfectly and fix the problems.”
President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday ordered Lee to comprehensively oversee the egg issue and thoroughly inform the public about the inspection results. Lee said he will give clear guidelines to each ministry’s job to solve the egg crisis.
“The president will talk at the Cabinet meeting Monday, but it’s going to be clear what each ministry should do,” he said. “I want to establish a system that can ensure food safety by creating a task force and other effective measures necessary.”
Lee said that ministries should apologize for their wrongdoings even if such actions were accepted in the previous administrations.
“We have to cut bad habits from the past, and it’s not right to think that this is the fault of the previous government,” he said. “Even if it was done in the past, we’re not free from it unless we apologize and fix the problems.”
Lee said follow-up measures for poultry producers should be executed to prevent further troubles even if all tainted eggs are removed from the market.
“Probably early next week, we will see (egg) consumption getting normalized,” he said.
Meanwhile, the agriculture ministry later in the day decided to conduct an additional probe into 420 farms for their possible use of illegal insecticides in producing eggs.
The decision, made at an emergency meeting attended by senior officials of major cities and provinces, came after it was found that the previous inspection into those farms didn’t check if they had used some of illegal insecticides specified by the health authorities.
Aug 20, 2017
40,000 kg adulterated spices seized from 3 cold storages
The spices belonged to a trader situated at Chandpole, who had fled from his shop when he came to know that health authorities are coming to take action against him. The accused trader allegedly sold adulterated spices which were produced in VKI-based factory, which was raided by the health authorities on Friday and found that the manufacturing unit was using inedible red colour to give redness to chilli powder produced by using inferior quality of chilli and wheat husk.
Now, investigating more into the case, food officers—Virendra Singh, Sushil Chotwani and Shashi Kumar—found that the Chandpole-based trader Jai Prakash stored his spices in three cold storages in VKI and Jhotwara area.
"We have issued notice to all the three cold storages not to give the spices belonged to Jai Prakash. We have already seized his Chandpole situated shop as he has not given samples of spices which he has kept in his shop," Virendra Singh, a food safety officer said.
They alleged that they have found dried coriander stocks, which the trader was using to prepare coriander powder. "He was not selling coriander powder but he was selling powder of coriander stalk," Singh said.
Officials said that they have found 352 bags, 326 bags and 218 bags of chilli, coriander and other items from three cold storages. Each bag contains 50kgs of spices.
Now, as the health authorities' unearthed an adulterated spices manufacturing unit, they have become more cautious now. "We will conduct more such inspections in the city to uproot such factories," chief medical health officer (Jaipur I) Dr Narottam Sharma said.
Besides, the health authorities have also collected samples from Deenanathji Ki Gali in the Walled City area on suspicion that it is adulterated. The officials have sent it to laboratory for testing its quality.
Close 18 chilli powder mills: Panel
Adulterated chilli powder is damaging the image Guntur has globally. It is for this reason, the food department began checking the quality of the chilli powder in the mills
GUNTUR: The chilli yard committee sought the government’s intervention to initiate measures for the closure of 18 chilli powder mills on the basis of laboratory reports.
Committee chairman M. Subba Rao, on Saturday, stated that 18 chilli mills, manufacturing powder, were found to be adulterating it and so the committee wrote a letter to the government for closure of the mills.
Addressing the media in Guntur, Mr Subba Rao said that on October 23, 2016, food and safety, vigilance and other government departments conducted raids on chilli mills and cold storages and seized 20,000 bags of adulterated chilli powder.
He said that samples were collected from chilli powder mills and sent to laboratory for test. The tests revealed that chilli powder from 56 mills was sub-standard and that from 18 mills was not safe to public health.
Mr Subba Rao said they lodged a complaint with the food safety state commissioner Ms Sujatha Sarma demanding sealing the 18 chilli powder mills.
Mr Rao said the adulterated chilli powder was damaging the global image of Guntur red chillies and so the food and safety department began checking the quality of chilli powder from the mills.
He sait that the officials conducted raids on Lakshmi Ganapathi chilli powder industry and collected samples from it.
The surprise checks would continue to maintain standards and also for the safety of public health, he said.
Surprise raids on Guntur chilli units
GUNTUR: Food safety sleuths carried out surprise inspections in chilli powdermanufacturing units in Guntur on Saturday.
Around 20 food inspectors formed nine teams to raid 30 chilli powder manufacturing units. They collected over 36 samples for testing and the officials found substandard chilli powder at Lakshmi Ganapatiindustries near market yard.
After receiving several complaints over adulteration of chilli powder, the food safety commissioner Sujatha Sharma took up the issue seriously and ordered the officials to raid the chilli powder making units under the supervision of the joint food controller K M Swarup.
The assistant food controller of Guntur district Sheik Gouse Moinuddin said that the collected samples will be sent for lab analysis and they will take legal action against the manufacturers if the lab report indicates any discrepancy. He added that the officials seized the stock at Lakshmi Ganapati industries that used cheap chillies in production.
Full milk fortification in organised sector soon: Tata Trusts
New Delhi, Aug 20 (PTI) Tata Trusts, which has been partnering with the government in milk fortification programme, expects to cover the entire organised sector within the next 6-9 months, much ahead of schedule.
The philanthropic bodies set up by Tata group founders had earlier set a target of fortifying 50 per cent of organised sector milk by 2019.
The trusts have joined hands with central food safety regulator FSSAI, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and other co-operatives in many states to add micro-nutrients, specially Vitamin A and D in milk to address deficiency problems as part of its food fortification programme.
"I have a feeling that at least in the organised sector, which is through the dairy-cooperatives, it is very likely to happen in the next six to nine months," Tata Trusts Senior Advisor, Nutrition Rajan Sankar told PTI.
He was responding to a query on the timeframe by when Tata Trusts expects to achieve 100 per cent fortification of milk in the organised sector.
At present, the level of milk fortification in organised sector is around 25 per cent. In 2015-16, Indias total milk production stood at 155.5 million tonnes with 18-20 per cent coming from the organised sector and the rest from small and marginal farmers.
Sankar attributed the acceleration in organised sector milk fortification to major diary co-operatives of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh coming on board.
"All the three will start in the next two months. It will pick up momentum...Once it crosses a critical mass of 30 -40 per cent of the market, there will be so much of pressure on others to follow it," he added.
Besides, Sankar said with the government now driving the programme through FSSAI with active participation of NDDB, milk fortification has achieved success in organised sector.
"We started it but now it is completely being pushed by the government. We are only a playing role to assist," he added.
Tata Trusts initiative of milk fortification is currently being carried out in Maharashtra, Assam, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Jharkhand.
Sankar said the challenge going ahead would be how to address deficiency of vitamin A and D in rural areas as the organised sector milk currently caters only to urban and semi-urban areas.
"To address micro-nutrients deficiency problems in rural areas, we would need a different strategy, either through tablets or capsules for high risk population," he said.
Tata Trusts has started working in few states in partnership with Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) promoting use of fortified edible oil and flour in mid-day meal for children, Sankar added.
The philanthropic bodies set up by Tata group founders had earlier set a target of fortifying 50 per cent of organised sector milk by 2019.
The trusts have joined hands with central food safety regulator FSSAI, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and other co-operatives in many states to add micro-nutrients, specially Vitamin A and D in milk to address deficiency problems as part of its food fortification programme.
"I have a feeling that at least in the organised sector, which is through the dairy-cooperatives, it is very likely to happen in the next six to nine months," Tata Trusts Senior Advisor, Nutrition Rajan Sankar told PTI.
He was responding to a query on the timeframe by when Tata Trusts expects to achieve 100 per cent fortification of milk in the organised sector.
At present, the level of milk fortification in organised sector is around 25 per cent. In 2015-16, Indias total milk production stood at 155.5 million tonnes with 18-20 per cent coming from the organised sector and the rest from small and marginal farmers.
Sankar attributed the acceleration in organised sector milk fortification to major diary co-operatives of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh coming on board.
"All the three will start in the next two months. It will pick up momentum...Once it crosses a critical mass of 30 -40 per cent of the market, there will be so much of pressure on others to follow it," he added.
Besides, Sankar said with the government now driving the programme through FSSAI with active participation of NDDB, milk fortification has achieved success in organised sector.
"We started it but now it is completely being pushed by the government. We are only a playing role to assist," he added.
Tata Trusts initiative of milk fortification is currently being carried out in Maharashtra, Assam, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Jharkhand.
Sankar said the challenge going ahead would be how to address deficiency of vitamin A and D in rural areas as the organised sector milk currently caters only to urban and semi-urban areas.
"To address micro-nutrients deficiency problems in rural areas, we would need a different strategy, either through tablets or capsules for high risk population," he said.
Tata Trusts has started working in few states in partnership with Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) promoting use of fortified edible oil and flour in mid-day meal for children, Sankar added.
FSDA uncovers major synthetic milk racket; urea detergent used for production
AGRA: The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) department has uncovered a major synthetic milk racket in which the accused were working in connivance with officials from the department and were using adulterants like hydrogen peroxide, detergent and urea for production.
FSDA, district administration and police had conducted a raid at three houses in Kukhreliyavillage under Barhan police station on May 25. The team had seized adulterants in large quantities and had caught a woman manufacturing synthetic milk. She was arrested and an FIR was registered against five people.
Soon after, four samples of milk were sent to the food testing laboratory in Lucknow, but the authorities there had stated that the samples were substandard and were hence unfit for testing. FSDA assistant commissioner Vineet Kumar, who headed the raid, had raised an objection to the Lucknow laboratory's report and had sought permission from the higher authorities to get the remaining samples tested at a laboratory in Kolkata.
The samples were found to be unfit for human consumption as they contained hydrogen peroxide, detergent and urea among other adulterants. On this basis of the Kolkata laboratory's report, Kumar had sought action against not only the accused, but also against the departmental officials involved in the matter. "At the time of the raid, we had destroyed more than 2000 litres of synthetic milk. Besides, around 67 litres of refined soyabean oil, 22 kg of vanaspati, two litres of liquid detergent, 72 kg of glucose powder, 34 kg of skimmed milk powder, 325 litres of an unidentified chemical, 35 kg of viscous paste and 56 litres of refined palm oil were also seized," Kumar said.
He added, "As the racket involved some well-connected people, I had kept senior officials in the loop. After the samples were found to be substandard, several fraudulent complaints were also made against me at the headquarters. The Kolkata report proves that there is a nexus and some of our officials are involved in corruption."
Kumar said that he has formed a special squad to deal with such cases. "The team first gathers enough evidence before conducting a raid," he said.
Sources said that remote areas like Dauki, Kheragarh and Barhan are huge markets for adulterated milk and are also a stronghold of the milk mafia.
As per an official estimate, the daily requirement of milk in Agra district is around 12 lakh litres and around 25% of it is fulfilled by adulterated products. In terms of supply, the share of packaged milk in 40% and that of open milk is 60%. According to sources, adulterators add synthetic milk to open milk after which its cost goes down by at least Rs 20 per litre.
Aug 19, 2017
Worried about impact of pesticides on your health? Here's how you can get rid of it the organic way
The agriculture sector uses most of India's pesticides with the products applied most liberally to crops like rice, wheat, maize, chillies, cotton and soya bean.
An average of about 200,000 people die from the toxic exposure to pesticides every year across the world, according to a UN report issued early this year. With lax regulations and safeguards in the developing world, it is obvious they contribute most to the tally.
The pesticide industry in India is worth over Rs 5000 crores and produces over 90,000 metric tonnes. The agriculture sector uses most of this with the products applied most liberally to crops like rice, wheat, maize, chillies, cotton and soya bean.
Given that the country uses generic pesticides from long discovered molecules, many of which are banned globally and even in developing nations like Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia and Syria, one doesn't need the UN report to realise the "catastrophic impacts" on human health and the environment.
Most studies in India have noted that more than 20 pc of food tested showed pesticide levels above the maximum residual level allowed for each. (This is against a similar 1.4 pc in EU.) Many fruits, vegetables and milk have been found to be most contaminated with WHO Class I pesticides, classified as most hazardous. DDT residues have been found in 82 pc of milk samples tested.
And still, both governments and academia (agricultural research) refuse to let go of pesticides, resorting instead to "safe" pesticides and regulation. The issue of food safety, farmer health and sustainability continues to be ignored.
With such neglect of a major health hazard (pesticides have been linked to a host of illnesses from cancer, Alzheimer's, birth defects, sterility and so on) consumers have only one resort. To opt for food grown without pesticides. That is where organic food comes in. Using natural ecosystem services to cycle nutrients in the soil and control pests, it does away with chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
In India, one of the largest organic companies is Sresta Natural Bioproducts with its leading food brand, 24 Mantra Organic. Under its wing, the company guides more than 25,000 farmers to cultivate 1,50,000 acres across 15 States of India. Besides providing safe and nutritious food, the company has a vision of sustainability which it plans to take forward to reach 500,000 acres under organic farming by 2020.
It began in 1992, when the founder Rajsekar Seelam Reddy was working in an agricultural products company and observed the alarming use and spread of chemical usage on farms and the resulting rural indebtedness. He was disturbed by the way traditional farming was pushing the farmer into poverty as also the land. Working on a way out, he founded the company in 2004.
With strict guidelines and stricter monitoring of adherence to organic principles, Sresta ensures that its products ranging from grains, cereals to processed food are safe and pesticide free. Using state of art grain cleaning, chemical free fumigation to prevent infestation, certified aseptic processing Sresta claims to ensure organic food purety.
All its farming projects are under Organic Certification for Euro 2092/91 standards, US NOP and Indian NPOP organic standards. The company is registered with FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) and US FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). It exports its products to the US and Europe.
Recently, in a bid to promote organic food and create awareness among consumers about dangers of pesticide, the company launched a 'freedom of pesticide' week in Bangalore. As part of the campaign, it offered up to 30 percent saving on many of its produce. Rajashekar Reddy Seelam, founder and MD, Sresta noted on the occasion that it was "a step towards enhancing the quality of lives of farmers, consumers and environment through a unique model where we are actively involved at each stage."
Speaking to IBTimes, he shared a few thoughts on organic farming, the need for it and Sresta's model. "It is of concern that in India we do not have a defined permissible daily intake (of pesticide) in India. Even the maximum residue limits are way higher than in other nations and even these limits are not enforced. In fact, hardly 100 out of 200 pesticides used have a MRL value fixed."
"Children are four times more susceptible to pesticides," he added.
Reddy spoke of the challenges in convincing the agricultural community that yields of organic farming are comparable or even more than traditional farming. The possibility of farming without fertilisers and pesticides is still something many do not accept, he said.
Many experts have pointed to some of the reasons for pesticide contaminations as owing to indiscriminate use, no waiting for prescribed period, use of sub standard pesticides and banned ones like DDT, dealers pushing their products on farmers, etc.
Quoting various studies like done by CSE and All India Coordinated Research on Pesticide Residue, Reddy said that most of our cereals and vegetables are pesticide contaminated. It is in this context his company has, he said, come up with a model that addresses "sustainability, ethics and ensures commercial growth".
With more than 40 projects and each spread around in 15-20 kms, covering few 100 to few 1000 acres, Sresta makes sure that for every 150–200 farmers there is a trained field associate. Procurement is done directly from farmers without any middlemen. All this is part of the company's Farm to fork Approach to maintain the organic integrity.
"We only procure from our farmers and we ensure that there is farm to kitchen traceability. Based on batch number on a pack we can tell which farmers have grown the contents of the pack."
Here are few questions he answered for us.
How do you make sure the products are free of pesticides and chemicals?
24 Mantra uses a five step process to ensure organic integrity. This includes:
Social pressure by forming informal groups of farmers.
Our field staff visit the fields regularly. We do more than a million field visits every year. We train the farmers in organic cultivation and also suggest timely solutions to any problems they face.
Internal inspections are done every year by our teams in every season to ensure that the farmer is practising organic methods and also to ensure there is no contamination from neighboring fields.
Inspections by internationally recognized certification agencies are conducted every season.
After harvest and before we purchase the produce is tested for 182 pesticide residues, heavy metals and microbial contaminants.
We conduct a total of over a lakh inspections every year.
How exactly do you define organic food?
Organic food is grown sustainably without using chemical pesticides, Fertilizers and ensuring that the farmer gets a fair price. The products are also made using without any preservatives, artificial colours, flavours or any other chemical additives.
Are there no pests in organic fields? How are pests managed?
Pests will be there but they can be managed using some methods. These include Proper crop rotation, integrated pest management, Using preparations made of locally available herbs like tulsi, ginger, neem, marigold, custard apple etc. In case of severe pest attack we use biological interventions by releasing natural enemies of pests. No chemical pesticides are used in organic agriculture. We find the incidence of pests and diseases is much lower in organic fields due to the practices.
Coming to the big problem with organic food, what are reasons for higher costs of organic food?
There are few valid reasons. These include the premium paid to farmers; higher storage costs -- we use cold storages to prevent infestation and this is about five times more expensive than normal storage; higher treatment costs to prevent storage pests -- we use non chemical modified atmospheric methods to treat the grains unlike conventional chemical treatment; better packaging to ensure good shelf life, and finally we have to give higher margins to retailers compared to conventional products.
Finally, given the present context of drought in many states, how would organic farming fare?
Organic farms withstand drought better due to healthier soils and better water retention capacity of the farms. The humus retains water and prevents evaporation. In fact, organic farms require almost 10 percent lesser water than traditional farming. Our focus in drought hit areas is on drought tolerant and locally suitable open pollinated varieties of crops.
We have also been able to achieve same kind of yield in our farms as obtained with traditional farming. This is proof that organic farming is the sustainable and healthy way ahead.
FDA finds unhygienic conditions at Curlies restaurant, shuts it
Mapusa/Panaji: The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) on Thursday ordered the closure of the restaurant at Curlies Beach Shack at Anjuna after its inspecting team found that it operated under extremely unhygienic conditions.
The FDA noted 30 deficiencies, including food cooked in the open, kitchen having direct access to washrooms and use of food colour in cooking, among others.
FDA director Salim Veljee told TOI that the food handlers were not following basic hygiene. "The storage of food items as well as intermediate items was not hygienic, and while cooking was done in an open area, the kitchen had direct access to toilets," said Veljee.
The restaurant manager also failed to produce the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) license, Veljee said.
A source said the FDA officials noted that the refrigerators were not only rusted, but were unclean, too. Besides, the right refrigeration temperature was not maintained.
As to the use of food colours, senior food safety officer Rajiv Korde said, "As per the Food Safety Act, use of food colours is not allowed in any food preparation as the food become unsafe. We found food colours used in cooked items and ordered that the food be destroyed."
The restaurant will remain shut till the compliance report is filed by its operator and deficiencies are not rectified.
FDA SHUTS DOWN THE CURLIES IN ANJUNA FOLLOWING THE KITCHEN OF THE SHACK FOUND IN HIGHLY UNHYGIENIC CONDITION
IT LOOKS LIKE THE BAD DAYS OF CURLIES ARE NOT YET OVER, FOLLOWING THE RECENT RAIDS ON THE MOST POPULAR SHACK SITUATED IN ANJUNA THE PANDORA OF ILLEGALITIES WAS EXPOSED. AFTER THE DRUGS RELATED INCIDENT AT THE BEACH SHACK NOW FDA HAVE FOUND ITS KITCHEN IN HIGHLY UNHYGIENIC CONDITION. ACCORDING TO THE FDA AUTHORITIES, CURLIES KITCHEN WAS IN SUCH A BAD SHAPE THAT IT WAS EVEN OVERLOOKING THE BASIC LAWS OF HYGIENE…
Just when the Curlies owner, Edwin Nunes had breathed a sigh of relief, after being bailed out of an alleged drug case, he was put through another trial when his beach shack was raided by Food and Drugs Administration on Thursday. The FDA found out that the shack was operating under extremely unhygienic condition. They then ordered for immediate shut down of the shack.
FDA noted 30 violations, that included food cooked in the open, kitchen has direct access to washrooms and use of excessive food colour in cooking, among others.
The Director of FDA Salim Veljee said that the food handlers were not following basic hygiene. “The storage of food items as well as intermediate items was not hygienic, cooking of the food items was done in an open area, and the kitchen had direct access to toilets,” said Veljee.
The restaurant manager also failed to produce the valid license of FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), Veljee said. A source said the FDA officials also noted that the refrigerators were not only rusted but were unclean, too. Besides, the right refrigeration temperature was not maintained.
As to the use of food colours, senior food safety officer Rajiv Korde said, “As per the Food Safety Act, use of food colours are not allowed in any food preparation as the food become unsafe. We found food colours used in cooked items and ordered that the food is destroyed.”
According to the reports, the restaurant will remain shut till the compliance report is filed by its operator, and deficiencies are rectified. What is your opinion on the number of controversies surrounded to the Curlies? Please share your views on this serious issue.
Officials plan crackdown on street food joints
VIJAYAWADA: Food safety officials are bracing up to inspect street food centres in the city as complaints against food carts have been increasing day by day. Officials say that cooking oil and water used at food carts are highly dangerous. Food adulteration or use of unsafe ingredients in food items is quite common in street food joints and push carts.The majority of food carts in the city are unlicensed and they are preparing food using adulterated ingredients at unhygienic places.
Consuming food from these places may bring serious health problems.
Food safety officials admit that they are getting many complains against push carts in the city. They claim that at the time of inspections, the push carts will remain shut or or they change their places.Speaking to Express, N Poornachandar Rao, Assistant food controller, said, “In a short span, we are going to raid all the food carts in the city -- both licensed and unlicensed. We have received many complaints from the public regarding unhygienic conditions of street food centres. In fact, many of these carts are unlicensed. Many of them are on encroached spaces or on the drains. In many cases, we found that these joints are using adulterated ingredients like used oil, unsafe water and rotten vegetables.”
He warned that people must be careful in choosing a food cart especially when it is not located in a clean environment.
“Fast food joints like noodles and fried rice stalls generally use adulterated oil and spices. In some cases, noodles and rice are cooked in wastewater. In food carts where they sell bhajji’s, usually the batter and chutneys would have a mix of leftovers, which is highly dangerous.” complained second year student P Sowmya, who was badly affected with food poisoning after eating from a roadside shop.
“Usually I like to have golgappas and have them at my regular place. But one day, I had with my friend at another place in Satyanarayanapuram, where the cart is just adjacent to an overflowing drain and the food is not that great. Ignoring all this, I started eating. Later, I was admitted to a hospital.”
“It is the worst experience for me, which made me to avoid all roadside foods,” she says.
Aug 18, 2017
Food Adulteration: The Muck in Milk
Even as the apex court had directed the government to amend the Food Safety and Standards Act and IPC to award life imprisonment for milk adulterators, studies have found the presence of coliform bacteria in it~By Ramesh Menon
Some things do not change in India. Like the adulteration of milk. First it was done with plain water, then it was chemicals that included detergent. And now a study done by the Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) at Ahmedabad has found that 70 percent of loose milk sold is unfit for human consumption. Out of 55 loose milk samples tested, 38 were found to contain coliform bacteria indicating faecal contamination. This could be due to milch cattle not being washed properly, leading to dung falling into the milk vessel. It could also be due to contaminated water being used to adulterate the milk.
DAMAGING EFFECTS
Coliform bacteria can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, urinary tract infections and typhoid. Unless boiled or pasteurised, milk in the raw form can be dangerous. Thirty-one of the 55 samples tested were graded fair to poor in tests that measured contamination by bacteria which can cause gastroenteritis, food poisoning and intestinal irritation.
Milk adulteration has been going on for a long time. In 2014, the UP government in a startling admission told the Supreme Court that adulteration of milk was rampant in the state. Vijay Bahadur, assistant commissioner (food safety), Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Authority, said the menace was most rampant during festival seasons when the demand for milk rises.
In an affidavit, the UP government admitted that it had actually failed to take effective steps to curb it. It pointed out that out of the 4,503 samples collected between January 2012 and May 2013, 1,280 were found to be adulterated with detergent, starch, carbohydrate and whitener. Another sample size of 613 found that 207 samples were adulterated. The worst cases of adulteration were from Faizabad, Moradabad, Agra and Saharanpur.
Last year, the Bombay High Court took note of milk adulteration and directed the Maharashtra government and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs Administration to spell out how it planned to deal with this as the health of the public and children was at risk.
UNHYGIENIC HANDLING
Incidentally, due to its high nutritive value and moisture content, milk is an excellent medium for the growth of microorganisms. Microbial content in it depends on the living conditions and hygiene in sheds of milch cattle and the cleanliness of those milking them, the animals and vessels. Once micro-organisms enter milk, they multiply due to the warm ambient temperature, resulting in rapid deterioration. As there are no regulations on hygiene in barns, cleanliness is given the go-by.
Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Radha Mohan Singh, visits Mother Dairy Milk outlets in Delhi.
Pritee Shah, chief general manager, CERC, Ahmedabad, told India Legal: “Milch cattle eat garbage and plastic instead of nutritious fodder. There is lack of hygiene while milking, collection, storage and distribution of milk. You can’t trust local doodhwallas to adhere to safety standards. Today, it is vital to buy only packed and pasteurised milk.”
India is not only the largest producer but also the largest consumer of milk in the world. The organised dairy sector pasteurises and packs only 25-30 percent of milk. The remaining is either locally consumed or handled by the unorganised sector in an unhygienic manner.
HAZARDOUS ADULTERANTS
A 2016 study in Mirzapur, UP, of milk adulteration done by Pooja Jaiswal of Benaras Hindu University and SK Goyal, assistant professor, KVK Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Mirzapur, showed that 20 percent of milk samples contained urea, 44 percent had salt and 36 percent, soap. As many as 42 percent of the samples were found to contain skimmed milk powder to increase the weight or relative mass of natural milk, while ten percent were found to contain glucose to prolong the keeping quality of milk. Formalin was also found in 36 percent for the same reason.
Another study done by Maitreyi College in Delhi that tested 75 milk samples from Delhi, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Noida found that most of them had neutralisers, skimmed milk powder, urea, detergent and ammonium sulphate. Neutralisers are usually added to prevent curdling and increase the shelf-life of milk. They could be added in the form of caustic soda, sodium bicarbonate and sodium carbonate. Skimmed milk power was found in all the samples.
A local shop in Delhi selling milk-made products.
In 2011, the “Executive Summary on National Survey on Milk Adulteration” released by the Foods Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) pointed out that at the national level, 68.4 percent of milk being sold was adulterated. It said the worst performers were Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Mizoram, Jharkhand and Daman and Diu, where adulteration in milk was found up to 100 percent! This Authority was established under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006. The Act not only replaces the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954 but also consolidates other food acts such as the Fruits Product Order, Meat Food Products Order, Vegetable Oil Products (control) Order and the Milk and Milk Products order.
So how can this menace be curbed? Ashish Bahuguna, chairman of the FSSAI, said that milk adulteration is more in North India than the South. A kit has been produced to check the quality of milk by FSSAI. It is presently negotiating with investors and entrepreneurs to mass produce and market it.
LIFE IMPRISONMENT
A year ago, a Supreme Court bench had asked both the centre and the states to look at amending the FSSA and also the IPC so that those who adulterate milk can be awarded life imprisonment. Referring to its orders of December 5, 2013 and December 10, 2014, the apex court said: “It will be in order, if the Union of India considers making suitable amendments in the penal provisions at par with the provisions contained in the State amendments to the Indian Penal Code” by Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Odisha governments, which have enhanced the punishment for adulteration of food and products to life imprisonment.
Speaking for the bench, Justice R Banumathi had said: “Since in India traditionally infants and children are fed milk, adulteration of milk and its products is a concern and stringent measures need to be taken to combat it. The consumption of adulterated milk and adulterated milk products is hazardous to human health.”
Coliform bacteria can cause diarrhoea, vomiting, urinary tract infections and typhoid. Unless boiled or pasteurised, milk in the raw form can be dangerous.
The direction by the apex court to make milk adulteration punishable with life imprisonment came after a PIL was filed by an Uttarakhand-based religious seer Swami Achyutanand Tirth. He had highlighted the menace of growing sales of adulterated and synthetic milk in different parts of the country.
Last year, Harsh Vardhan, the science and technology minister told the Lok Sabha that over 68 percent of milk in the country does not conform to standards laid down by the food regulator. He added that the most common adulterants found in milk were detergent, caustic soda, glucose, white paint and refined oil, considered “very hazardous” as it could lead to serious ailments.
Milk sold in packets is more hygienic than milk sold raw.
In olden days, there were no pasteurisation units and the milkman supplied the milk. But then cattle grazed in lush green fields, were healthy and well-fed. Today, milch animals are just seen as vehicles to make money. They live in cramped sheds that are dirty, full of dung and urine and are let out into the open, where they feed mainly on waste found in polythene bags. As there is no law on hygiene and cleanliness, the local milkman does not want to incur extra costs to ensure that the milk is unadulterated.
But with reports of coliform in it, there are enough reasons to worry.
Misleading to call soya, almond beverages ‘milk’, says Parag Foods
“Only milk obtained from milch animals can be called milk. Soya/badam drinks can only be called as substitute of milk or alternative to milk, but they cannot be termed as milk”
NEW DELHI, AUGUST 17:
Dairy company Parag Milk Foods has raised concerns on plant-based soy or almond-based beverage makers classifying their product as milk.
Devendra Shah, Chairman, Parag Milk Foods, said: “According to the regulations, only milk obtained from milch animals can be defined as milk”. He added that as per the regulations, even toned milk or full-cream milk should be made out of milk or milk products obtained exclusively from animal-sourced milk and should not contain any other substances.
“One can’t promote soy and almond milk, the same as milk , in contravention of the provisions of food safety law. Therefore, the association of the word ‘milk’ with soya or almond beverages is quite misleading and should not be permitted to be sold as soya or almond Milk,” he added.
In a letter to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the company has said that under the FSS Act and Regulations, beverages having vegetable plant origin and having milky appearance sourced from soyabean and almond cannot be termed as milk.
“Manufacturing and selling of soya/badam beverage as soya/badam milk is misleading. These drinks can only be called as substitute of milk or alternative to milk, but they cannot be termed as milk as per Food Safety and Standards ( Food products and Food Additives) Regulations 2011,” the letter stated.
Non-milk alternatives
According to Euromonitor, non-dairy milk alternatives in India are still in the nascent stage and have pegged the retail value sales of soy milk currently at about ₹106 crore. The category is expected to grow at 15.7 per cent CAGR in the country in 2017-2022 period, it said.
This concern comes at a time when a similar debate has been raised in more developed markets of Soy Milk such as the United States. According to media reports, traditional dairy companies and makers of plant-based alternatives are locked in a battle over labelling norms of plant-based alternatives in the US since the beginning of this year.
Ashwin Bhadri, CEO, Equinox Labs, said: “ For more clarity for consumers, additional disclaimer such as “non-dairy milk” can be put on the labels of such products. It becomes a bigger concern, if someone is marketing flavoured milk as almond milk or soy milk.”
Abbott increases nutrition portfolio for metabolic disorders
Abbott, a leader in nutrition science research and development, has announced increased access to its metabolic formulas to help infants diagnosed with Inborn Errors of Metabolism (IEM) in India.
Abbott's Nutrition Metabolic Formulas (ANMF) will help infants diagnosed with IEM in India, where the US-based company said, a large number of babies need specialised nutrition and medical attention to survive.
The announcement comes on the back of easing of import regulations by the regulatory authority FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) under the Diet4Life initiative, which has made the movement of these critical medical foods simpler and faster into the country since November 2016.
The final approval on IEM products came in June.
India has one of the world's highest birth rates. Of the nearly 74,000 babies born every day, 74 are likely to born with IEM, the global healthcare company said.
On a yearly basis, this translates into more than 27,000 infants who need specialised nutrition and medical attention to be able to stay healthy and even survive, it said.
Anganwadis serve poor quality dal in Guntur
Minister P. Pulla Rao, along with other officials, inspects and tastes food at an Anganwadi centre in Srinivasa Raothota in Guntur on Thursday.
Guntur: Minister for civil supplies P. Pulla Rao expressed displeasure with the officials for using poor quality dal in the food being served at Anganwadi centres, during his inspection in Guntur on Thursday.
He warned the officials about stern action if they fail to follow the norms. He inspected the rooms, food and kitchen in the Anganwadi center at Srinivas rao Thota and inquired about the nutritious food offered to pregnant women under Anna Amrutha Hastham scheme. He tasted the food with Guntur joint collector Krithika Shukla and Guntur West MLA M Venugopala Reddy and expressed dissatisfaction over the poor quality of dal and rice. He directed the officials and Anganwadi centers to provide nutritious food and warned of stern actions for violation of norms.
Mr Pulla Rao with food safety department officials conducted surprise checks in the Rythu Bazaar near NTR bus station. He expressed anguish over the poor sanitation and selling of water and food for excess prices in the food canteen in the Rythu Bazaar. He directed food safety department to collect samples for tests. He interacted with the public, inquired about the rates of vegetable and stated the government is taking all measures to control onion prices. He directed Estate Officer to take measures for the improving sanitation.
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