Dec 23, 2017
Question raised in Lok Sabha on Adulteration in Food Items
Question raised in Lok Sabha on Adulteration in Food Items, 22/12/2017. Cases of adulteration, including use of harmful chemicals in food items, do come to the notice of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) from time to time.
The Food Safety Officers in the States/UTs take food samples on regular basis and send them for analysis in the food laboratories to check the compliance of the provisions of Food Safety Standards Act, 2006, Rules and Regulations made thereunder.
The data on food samples collected, tested, found not conforming and action taken against the defaulter Food Business Operators is being received by FSSAI from States/UTs. The information on food samples received from States/UTs for the last three years is at Annexure- I, II and III respectively. For current year, half yearly data has been received only from 2 States and is at Annexure IV.
Plastic bottles pose threat to people
\Kurnool: Usage of plastic articles is increasing in our day-to-day lives. Gone are the days when water was stored in in clay pots. Plastic made articles have replaced all the articles in the kitchen.
Despite their hazardous impact on people’s health, the use of PET bottles has increased to a great extent. From fruit juice sellers to coconut water vendors, the use of recycled PET bottles are on the rise.
There is no monitoring mechanism from the food safety and industrial departments. Lack of proper guidelines from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has turned into an advantage for these manufacturers.
Citizens prefer the usage of recycled plastic as they are handy despite conducting awareness camps. There was no proper mechanism for testing these products in Andhra Pradesh, said a Food Safety Department official, on condition of anonymity. Even doctors also warned that recycled PET bottles were highly carcinogenic in nature.
Dr Shiva Prasad, a gynaecologist from the city speaking to The Hans India here on Friday said that consuming food products packed in recycled plastic damages health in the long run. It is better to avoid them, he added.
‘Food safety on wheels’ on the move
ITANAGAR, Dec 22: ‘Food safety on wheels’ – a mobile food testing laboratory – is on the move in the state to ensure foods are safe to eat.
This vehicular unit, provided by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, has facilities for quick qualitative testing and detection of common adulterants in foods. It will also be used for spreading awareness on food safety and hygiene among the people.
Informing that the vehicular mobile unit has so far collected several food samples in the capital region and adjoining areas since its launch on 26 September this year, the Health Service department’s food safety unit has advised the public to submit samples of milk, iodized salt, edible oils etc, and get on-the-spot test reports, when the vehicle goes to their localities.
The vehicle will travel to Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang, West Kameng, Lohit, Namsai, and various other places during the next couple of months.
FDA Maharashtra: Ensuring Quality at Every Step
The Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, completely understands that eating out is a common phenomenon. A plan is underway to implement quality check for all street vendors, restaurants, big restaurants chains and hotels. Training schedules have been planned for the entire Maharashtra, and in the next two months 50,000 people will be receiving training under it, says Dr Pallavi Darade, Commissioner, Food and Drug Administration and Food Safety, Government of Maharashtra, in conversation with Harshal Desai of Elets News Network (ENN).
What kind of initiatives FDA, Maharashtra has undertaken? How will you take these initiatives further?
Over the years, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra has established itself as an influencing governing body. The practices followed by the institution are emulated across the country. All the initiatives undertaken by the organisation have been proved to very positive and comprehensive. Be it related to drug development or food safety, the organisation has been at the forefront of bringing best practices on the table.
In the last four to five months, after I assumed the role of commissioner, we have carried out few more initiatives. One of such projects is related to the quality of ‘Prasad’ that is distributed to the people at various religious places. We have recently undertaken a project under which we have trained about 300 ‘Mandir Trustees’ on preparing ‘Prasad’ and ‘Mahaprasad.’ We had undertaken a project at the famous Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai to ensure the ‘Prasad’ is prepared in more blissful and hygienic manner.
We also ensured the use of scientific processes and better labelling of the ‘Prasad’ offered to devotees. We provided guidance to authorities for three to four months, and as a result, the ‘Prasad’ is now accepted by US FDA. The success of the project encouraged us to extend the campaign across the state. The campaign was properly framed. We appointed nodal officers and trainers to ensure the success of the campaign in a timely manner. We trained about 3,000 people during our campaign. The campaign also included ‘Gurudwaras.’ This first-of-its-kind initiative was highly appreciated by the Chief Executive Officer of FSSAI and authorities in the Central Government.
In total, we have so far organised about 150 different workshops and training programmes to train more than 26,000 people in both food and drug businesses.
What about the street food vendors and restaurants?
We completely understand that eating out is a common phenomenon. We are planning to implement the similar process for all street vendors, restaurants, big restaurants chains and hotels. We have already planned training schedules for the entire Maharashtra, and in the next two months we will be training about 50,000 people. We will be doing a full-day presentation as to what our actions are all about. We will hand them over checklists and ensure they follow it diligently.
We also run campaigns during festival seasons to check the quality of sweets being sold in the market.
Would you brief us on the recent directive related to Schedule M drugs?
We had realised that some manufacturers were not meeting the compliances for Schedule M drugs. There are about 40-50 compliances which need to be followed, but some units were not following and adhering to these standards. We have now made it compulsory to file the schedules to us after complying with all the conditions. This step will allow the manufacturers to adhere to manufacturing standards and ensure complete quality control. Here, we tried to bring the focus on the compliances within factories. Secondly, we have made similar checklists for druggist, chemists and pharmacies to ensure implementation of the best practices.
How FDA is making the most of IT and Digital Transformation?
We are the only FDA in the world to issue WHO GMP certification online. We have recently received recognition for this at the Food and Pharma Summit organised by Elets Technomedia and Gujarat’s Food and Drug Administration. We are further extending the software provided by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
We also have received approval from the Department of Information Technology. All the activities related to prosecution, inspection – anything and everything done by FDA Maharashtra – will be available online. We are launching the pilot in Mumbai and Thane. Again, this extension of the software has been appreciated by the officers in Delhi. A great digital revolution has happened in FDA. Digital transformation not only helped us streamline the operations but also increased transparency.
What is the significance of the Pink Book released by FSSAI?
‘The Pink Book: Your Guide for Safe and Nutritious Food at Home’ is guidelines for home use. It educates you on how to store raw food at home, how to cook food, healthy eating habits, packaging techniques used for food, the various hygienic practices. This is prepared by FSSAI. We are trying to distribute it to maximum people.
How do you rate the current Lab infrastructure?
Lab infrastructure is improving. We are extending the Mumbai Lab on the fourth floor at our Headquarter. We are also in the process of building a microbiology lab here at the cost of about 4.5 crores. We are building a new campus in Aurangabad which will be completed by March 2018. We have received the approval to build a 17-crore project in Nagpur. We wish to have robust laboratories in all our seven divisions. We will also be receiving new lab instruments by the Government of India. Besides, we have also got approval to add 17 vehicles in our fleet under the upgradation process.
We are the only FDA in the world to issue WHO GMP certification online. We have recently received recognition for this at the Food and Pharma Summit organised by Elets Technomedia and Gujarat’s Food and Drug Administration. We are further extending the software provided by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
Do we face manpower issues in FDA, Maharashtra?
It has been an issue. We, however, have started appointing Food Safety Officers. We have promoted officers and also reviewed the suspensions of several others. About 100 people have been appointed in the last four months. We have already asked for 400 drug inspectors to oversee the compliance to the Drugs Act in their respective jurisdictions. Thus, we are determined to strengthen the workforce.
Centre to enact law on unsealed water sale
Nagpur: The central government will enact a law to curb the sale of unsafe and unsealed water. The law will come into effect from January 1, said Girish Bapat, food and civil supplies minister, in the legislative council on Friday.
NCP MLC Prakash Gajbhiye had raised this issue during the question hour.
Gajbhiye said unsealed water was being sold on a large scale in Nagpur. "In wedding receptions and other such functions, such water is supplied and the consumers drink it as they have no choice. This water is of worse quality than that supplied by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). The civic agency supplies water of good quality," he said.
The MLC further said in outer areas, water is supplied through tankers, which is many times very turbid. "The tanker owners draw water from wells and supply it without any treatment. In one case, the tanker was found to have a two-feet thick layer of earth," he added.
Bapat admitted that the quality of unsealed water sold in cans was very poor. "We have registered 80 cases against these suppliers many times but now the Centre has asked us to stop it as it is bringing in a new law," he said.
The city has hundreds, probably thousands, of water manufacturing units that are selling 'drinking' water in chilled cans and jars. But the containers are unpackaged and unsealed, the units are unhygienic and unmonitored and the water not tested regularly.
Moreover, the units are operating without licences from Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) or Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which are mandatory for selling packaged drinking water.
In April this year, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court had directed the state government to act against those selling packaged drinking water in unsealed containers. A month later, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nagpur division, sent closure notices to about seven units of the region, selling unpackaged drinking water without mandatory licences.
According to experts, groundwater is the major source for most of the unpackaged water manufacturing units. As there are good chances of groundwater contamination, mainly through sewage, it is very important to treat it scientifically at different stages.
Dec 22, 2017
Citizens can trust food they get: FSSAI on CAG report
Responding to the CAG's audit finding, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it is committed to raise the bar of food safety and hygiene for which it is investing Rs 480 crore to modernise state food testing labs.
Food safety regulator FSSAI today assured citizens that they can trust food they get, a day after government auditor CAG pulled up the sectoral watchdog over licensing process and poor testing labs.
Responding to the CAG's audit finding, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it is committed to raise the bar of food safety and hygiene for which it is investing Rs 480 crore to modernise state food testing labs.
FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said the regulator has requested the government to recruit 600 people in the central authority to help meet manpower shortage and discharge its function of framing standards as well as ensuring compliances.
He said the regulator is reviewing the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and will make recommendation to the health ministry in the next 3-4 months.
"We assure citizens that they can trust food they get. The FSSAI is confident that the country's food safety ecosystem is well on the way to become more robust and globally benchmarked in the years to come," he told reporters.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had yesterday pulled up the FSSAI for issuing licences to food business operators without complete documents and questioned it on the quality of testing with 65 out of 72 state labs not being accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
The auditor found "systemic inefficiencies, delays and deficiencies in the framing of various regulations and standards, amendments to regulations in violation of the Act and the specific direction of the Supreme Court".
Reacting to the CAG report, the FSSAI said it "appreciates the inputs from CAG to improve performance of food safety."
"The CAG report should, however, be seen in the context of the huge and complex task at hand and the fact that the FSSAI is new an evolving organisation and it faces severe constraints of manpower and resources," he said.
Stressing that the regulator has over the past couple of years taken several steps to improve food safety in the country, he said, "The FSSAI continues to be committed to raise the bar for food safety and hygiene in the country so that citizens can trust food they get in the marketplace."
Elaborating on food labs, Agarwal said the Centre is making an investment of Rs 480 crore for strengthening of the state food laboratories and referral laboratories. Overall 45 labs across States/UTs would be supported.
The FSSAI is also upgrading its own two labs and will set up two new laboratories, he said, adding that the regulator will also soon finalise reference labs to deal with inconsistency.
There are currently 240 labs across the country, of which 152 are private accredited with NABL.
On framing of standards, Agarwal said barring few products, norms and regulations have been framed for all the products, including organic food, specified under the Act.
Asked about the CAG's findings on the licensing process, he said the FSSAI is reviewing the document list and doing away with those which are not needed for getting its registration and licences.Welcoming CAG's performance audit, Agarwal said: "This report will help us in sensitising those states which are not doing enough on the food safety front."
Doubts raised on food safety in India
CAG report reveals gaps in the working of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
An audit of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s premier watchdog on the food, by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) reveals gaps in the working of the body. FSSAI is responsible for implementing the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and CAG found that though it has been more than a decade since the enactment of the act, FSSAI is yet to frame regulations and guidelines to govern different procedures.
Neither FSSAI nor the state food authorities have documented policies and procedures on risk based inspections and the FSSAI does not even have a database on food businesses in the country. Other than this, FSSAI has failed to set up well equipped food labs in the state too. Only seven out of 72 states laboratories passed the standards issued by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). CAG pointed out that as the laboratories are not well-equipped, there is a possibility that unsafe food articles continue to be manufactured and sold due.
The audit report also found that the there is an acute shortage of licensing and enforcement officers in the states which severely affected food safety measures. In case of renewal of the license too, FSSAI did not adhere to regulations. For example, in 49 cases pertaining to Central Licensing Authority (CLA), Kolkata and Guwahati, food business operators (FBOs) applied for renewal of licenses after their expiry.
Despite the fact that the licenses had already expired at the time of application, instead of issuing fresh licenses as stipulated by law, CLAs renewed the licenses. The gap between the expiry of the licenses and their irregular renewal ranged from one year to five and a half years. CLAs thus, irregularly legitimized the gap period of food business during which FBOs, operated without valid licenses in violation of section 31 of the Act.
For the performance audit, CAG examined FSSAI along with its regional and sub-regional offices in the nine selected states and one union territory between the time period from August 2011 and March 2016. The report was tabled in the Parliament on December 19, 2017.
CAG has recommended that FSSAI should expedite the notification of regulation on areas that have been specified in the FSS Act, but are yet not covered. FSSAI would also have to ensure that all licenses issued are reviewed and approved by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, before issuing. FSSAI and the state food authorities have to conduct surveys of food business activity under their jurisdiction to ensure a comprehensive and reliable database of FBOs and ensure better enforcement and administration of the FSS Act.
CAG has also recommended that the authority may frame standard operating procedures on the formulation and review of standards, and ensure that these are being followed in the near future. Ministry of Health and Family and Welfare should ensure accreditation of all state food laboratories, pertaining to equipment and functionality of the lab.
J-K govt approves creation of Commissioner of Food Safety
The Jammu and Kashmir government has approved the creation of Commissioner of Food Safety and supporting staff in the state, an official spokesperson said.
The Cabinet, which met here today under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, approved the creation of one post of Commissioner of Food Safety along with supporting staff for proper implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and Regulations, 2011, he said.
Food samples during Diwali raids show presence of carcinogens
Meerut: The results of some food samples, that were sent to the food testing laboratory in Lucknow and which arrived on Thursday, have revealed shocking amounts of carcinogenic chemicals and non-permitted food colours. The samples were sent by officials of the Food Safety and Drugs Administration (FSDA) after a raid at several sweet shops during Diwali.
Sudan, a colouring dye that is prohibited under law, was used in food colour and Rhodamine B, a carcinogenic element, was used for making sweets at a local shop in Meerut. “As many as 102 food items were sent for testing. It was found that 31 items were substandard, one was misbranded, 11 violated regulations and eight were found unsafe for consumption,” said Archana Dheeran, designated officer, FSDA Meerut.
The laboratory reports of the eight unsafe items included a sweet sample that used Rhodamine B and which was taken from the shop of one Mohd Aslam in Kithore. Meanwhile, a sample of food colour taken from Bhagat Ji Sweets in Pallavpuram had Sudan II – a banned dye.
A laddoo manufacturing shop belonging to one Salman in Jamuna Nagar on Hapur road used the non-permitted Metanil yellow colour. Experts said that this colour is neurotoxic, which can damage the central and peripheral nervous system in human body, and hepatotoxic, which can cause liver damage.
Meanwhile, silver vark used in sweets taken from the shop of one Randhava in Meerut’s Mussourie area was found to be toxic aluminium.
“A case will be filed against all the sweet shops which flouted norms under the Food Safety and Standards Act and action will be taken against them,” said Dheeran.
Poori Daal kaali hai: Can you even trust the food you eat?
There is a lot we expect from our politicians and leaders whom we have sent to Parliament based on their promises to us. More often than not, these promises are either half-met or not fulfilled at all.
However, the least we can expect from the people in power is that they ensure that the food we eat is safe. As prices skyrocket, it has become increasingly difficult to meet our nutritionary needs but what is one to do if the food you buy is also unsafe?
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has released an audit report where it has come down strongly on The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for their ill-equipped food laboratories and for following poor testing standards.
"The audit revealed systemic inefficiencies, including delays and deficiencies in the framing of various regulations and standards. Audit also observed amendments to regulations in violation of the Act and specific directions of the Supreme Court. Most of the state foods laboratories entrusted with food testing and certification functions, were not only ill-equipped but also did not possess accreditation of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). Further, enforcement activities relating to licensing, registration, inspection, sampling and prosecution were inadequate. FSSAI has failed to finalise the recruitment regulations. Irregularities were also observed in the appointment of contractual employees," the damning report said.
You can read the entire report here.
A part of India’s ministry of health and family welfare, the FSSAI was set up in 2011. Its job is to regulate the transport, manufacture, and sale of food apart from the all-important function of laying down scientific standards for food.
"Possibility that unsafe/declared unsafe food articles continued to be manufactured and sold is not ruled out due to failure of the Authority to monitor and cancel licenses issued under the product approval system declared unlawful by the Supreme Court," is yet another damning statement from the CAG report.
Reacting to the CAG report, the FSSAI said it "appreciates the inputs from CAG to improve performance of food safety," reports TOI.
"The CAG report should, however, be seen in the context of the huge and complex task at hand and the fact that the FSSAI is new an evolving organisation and it faces severe constraints of manpower and resources," the body added.
The paper also reports that the FSSAI CEO, Pawan Agarwal has said that the regulator has requested the government to recruit 600 people in the central authority to help meet manpower shortage and discharge its function of framing standards as well as ensuring compliances.
"We assure citizens that they can trust food they get. The FSSAI is confident that the country's food safety ecosystem is well on the way to become more robust and globally benchmarked in the years to come," he told reporters.
Dec 21, 2017
FSSAI finalises recruitment norms, proposes to create 600 posts
Most concerns raised by CAG being addressed, says CEO
NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 20:
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which is in the process of finalising its recruitment regulations, is looking to create 600 posts to strengthen its workforce.
The food safety regulator has sent its proposal to the Ministry of Health. It also said that the Central government was investing ₹480 crore to strengthen State food laboratories and referral laboratories.
“We have finalised the recruitment regulations and have made a suggestion to create 600 posts. Discussions and deliberations are going on to finalise this proposal with the ministry,” Pawan Agarwal, CEO, FSSAI, told reporters on Wednesday.
Agarwal was reacting to the CAG report tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, which raised various issues around the functioning of FSSAI, the existing inadequate lab infrastructure, delay in formulation of standards and regulations and lack of recruitment regulations among others.
“We appreciate the inputs we have got from CAG to improve performance of food safety. However, over the past one-and-half-year, we have addressed most of these areas of concern. We remain committed to raise the bar for food safety standards in the country,” he said, adding that FSSAI wanted to assure citizens that they could trust the food they get.
Agarwal said that over the past few years, several steps had been taken to strengthen and improve food safety. “The CAG report should be seen in the context of the huge and complex task at hand and the fact that FSSAI is a new and evolving organisation that faces severe constraints of manpower and resources,” he added.Delays and deficiencies
On concerns raised by the government auditor around the delays and deficiencies in formulation of standards and regulations, FSSAI said over the past two years, it had focused on expediting the process of developing new regulations and food standards. These include regulations on health supplements and nutraceuticals, food ingredient regulations, import regulations, and approval for non-specified food, among others.
Talking about food testing infrastructure, Agarwal said FSSAI was already in the process of upgrading its existing lab in Ghaziabad through a public-private partnership, and was also looking to set up its new labs in other metro cities, including Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
Talking about efforts to support State laboratories, he said hand-holding was being done to States to support them in getting NABL accreditation. “Just like the developed markets, we are also in the process of identifying and setting up a network of reference labs, which will be involved with setting benchmarks and methodology for testing for other laboratories,” he added.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had 261 unauthorised contractual employees: CAG
NEW DELHI: The FSSAI has on its roll unauthorised 261 contractual employees who perform routine functions, defeating the intention that employees should perform specific tasks, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has said.
The audit body has observed that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has not, prior to the engaging the 261 employee, identified their specific work, expected output and time frame for completion of the work.
"FSSAI has on its roll (as of December 2016), 261 contractual employees in the technical, scientific, administrative and general categories. Audit observed that these contractual employees were performing routine functions, defeating the intention of appointing contractual employees only for specific tasks of defined duration," the audit report says.
Of the total, 51 were appointed in 2016 alone, it said. "Further, 61 contractual employees have been working in FSSAI for more than five years (as of December 2016)," said the report.
The FSSAI admitted (May 2017) that the contractual staff had been engaged for even more than five years and they have been working like regular staff and not in any time-bound specific activity. This supports the audit observation.
FSSAI stated that an internal committee had been set up to review all contractual appointments including their remuneration, increment and tenure.
The audit body also found that there was irregular grant of higher grade to a category of contractual employees.
"In terms of sanction orders (September 2010) of the Ministry, Assistance and Accounts Assistants/Administration cum Accounts Assistants in the FSSAI are only entitled to grade pay of Rs 4,200.
"However, without the approval of the food authority, Ministry, the CEO, FSSAI approved (March 2015) fixation of remuneration payable to contractual employees based on the grade pay of Rs 4,600 against the post of Assistant and Accounts Assistants/Administration cum Accounts Assistants," said the report.
According to the audit body, FSSAI accepted the facts and stated that the rationale for this has not been found on records so far.
"In case there is no good reason, this would be reverted to Rs 4,200," said the report.
Citizens can trust food they get: FSSAI on CAG report the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)
Food safety regulator FSSAI today assured citizens that they can trust food they get, a day after government auditor CAG pulled up the sectoral watchdog over licensing process and poor testing labs.
Responding to the CAG's audit finding, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it is committed to raise the bar of food safety and hygiene for which it is investing Rs 480 crore to modernise state food testing labs.
FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said the regulator has requested the government to recruit 600 people in the central authority to help meet manpower shortage and discharge its function of framing standards as well as ensuring compliances.
He said the regulator is reviewing the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and will make a recommendation to the health ministry in the next 3-4 months.
"We assure citizens that they can trust the food they get. The FSSAI is confident that the country's food safety ecosystem is well on the way to become more robust and globally benchmarked in the years to come," he told reporters.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had yesterday pulled up the FSSAI for issuing licences to food business operators without complete documents and questioned it on the quality of testing with 65 out of 72 state labs not being accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
The auditor found "systemic inefficiencies, delays and deficiencies in the framing of various regulations and standards, amendments to regulations in violation of the Act and the specific direction of the Supreme Court".
Reacting to the CAG report, the FSSAI said it "appreciates the inputs from CAG to improve performance of food safety."
"The CAG report should, however, be seen in the context of the huge and complex task at hand and the fact that the FSSAI is new an evolving organisation and it faces severe constraints of manpower and resources," he said.
Stressing that the regulator has over the past couple of years taken several steps to improve food safety in the country, he said, "The FSSAI continues to be committed to raise the bar for food safety and hygiene in the country so that citizens can trust food they get in the marketplace."
Elaborating on food labs, Agarwal said the Centre is making an investment of Rs 480 crore for strengthening of the state food laboratories and referral laboratories. Overall 45 labs across States/UTs would be supported.
The FSSAI is also upgrading its own two labs and will set up two new laboratories, he said, adding that the regulator will also soon finalise reference labs to deal with inconsistency.
There are currently 240 labs across the country, of which 152 are private accredited with NABL.
On framing of standards, Agarwal said barring few products, norms and regulations have been framed for all the products, including organic food, specified under the Act.
Asked about the CAG's findings on the licensing process, he said the FSSAI is reviewing the document list and doing away with those which are not needed for getting its registration and licences.Welcoming CAG's performance audit, Agarwal said: "This report will help us in sensitising those states which are not doing enough on the food safety front.
Food safety regulator to ensure clean street-food hubs
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is in the process of designating popular street food localities across the country as ‘clean street food hubs’
To ensure street food available in India is safe and hygienic has been on top of FSSAI’s agenda.
India’s top food regulator could soon certify popular street-food places, assuring quality for those in love with street food but wary of hygiene.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is in the process of designating popular street food localities across the country as ‘clean street food hubs’, if they fulfil certain food safety and hygiene criteria.
“Street food is popular among people and there already are streets and cluster of shops in different states that are known for their street food. What we are planning is to ensure that the food served at these places is safe and hygienic,” said Pawan Agarwal, CEO- FSSAI.
The food regulator currently is in the process of formulating guidelines for certification.
“The parameters that we are considering include best practices for garbage disposal, maintaining personal hygiene, demarcating cooking and non-cooking area, working street lights, pest control and overall cleanliness among other things,” he said.
Once the guidelines are formed, the food regulator will write to states to get local authorities involved in the project.
“Many of the parameters go beyond FSSAI mandate so we will have to rope in various departments locally to see to it that this project is implemented successfully.”
Eating unhygienic food , especially street food, can lead to serious health conditions.
“Eating contaminated food or water can lead to diarrhoea, typhoid fever, viral hepatitis or even cholera. We frequently get patients who get sick after eating street food or taking contaminated water,” says Dr MP Sharma, chairman, gastroenterology, Rockland Hospital.
To ensure street food available in India is safe and hygienic has been on top of FSSAI’s agenda.
It started project clean street food earlier this year that involves training and capacity building of the street food vendors and ensures proper regulatory oversight over them under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Close to 20,000 street food vendors have been trained in best hygiene practices in the national Capital already, and the training will be extended to other states in coming months.
Dec 20, 2017
FSSAI to check quality of food in hospitals, healthcare facilities
FSSAI wants hospitals and to follow food safety standards prescribed by the regulator
New Delhi: India’s food safety regulator has turned its sights towards hospitals and other healthcare facilities to ensure they serve safe and nutritious food.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which already has oversight of food consumed in households, offices and even places of worship, wants public health institutions to follow safety standards prescribed by the regulator.
In the first step, the FSSAI will organize a round-table meeting of health ministers from the states. The event will be chaired by Union health and family welfare minister Jagat Prakash Nadda, said FSSAI chief executive officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Agarwal.
“Next month, we are holding this round table,” Agarwal said, adding that research by regulator has identified food served in hospitals as “potentially hazardous.”
According to FSSAI, people visiting hospitals are more susceptible to food-borne illnesses than the general population. Food contamination by pathogens could be particularly harmful. In fact, small numbers of enteric pathogens that may be innocuous to most healthy people can cause disease and even death in susceptible patients, especially immune-compromised subjects, the food regulator recently said in a note.
India has 35,416 government hospitals with around 1.37 million beds, according to directorate general of state health services data. Of these, 26,604 government hospitals are located in rural areas. Each of these hospitals has a canteen that serves food to patients.
Agarwal said food handlers at hospitals should be trained on food hygiene and hazard analysis and critical control points to ensure food safety.
As part of its agenda of ensuring safe and nutritious food at hospitals, the food regulator has already partnered with industry bodies such as the Indian Medical Association, Indian Dietetics Association, Nutrition Society of India, Indian Pharmaceutical Association, Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers, the National Health Mission, and some government health organisations.
This is not the first time FSSAI is trying to ensure food safety and nutrition in a public system. In February, FSSAI said it had teamed up with the ministry of women and child development and drafted a plan to make supply of fortified food mandatory in government-supported schemes such as mid-day meals, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), and the Public Distribution System (PDS), in an attempt to fight malnutrition, Mint reported on 2 February.
CAG: Quality of food testing laboratories suspect
India's food certification process came under the scanner on Tuesday with the Comptroller and Auditor General showing that as many as 65 of the 72 testing laboratories are functioning without an accreditation from the official agency.
The same is true for eight of the 16 referral laboratories that operate without a certificate from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration.
"The quality of testing by 65 out of 72 state food laboratories and 8 of the 16 referral laboratories can't be assured," the CAG said in its report tabled in Parliament. Most of these laboratories are state-level units.
The government auditor also pulled up the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for its failure to stop import of unsafe food.
The CAG said it found licences were issued on the basis of incomplete documents in more than 50% of cases.
A test check of five state licensing authorities and three central licensing authorities found that in 3,119 out of 5,915 test checked cases, licences had been issued to the food business operators on the basis of incomplete documents. As many as 15 out of the 16 test checked food laboratories did not have qualified food analysts.
The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 came nearly a decade ago in order to consolidate multiple laws related to food safety and to put in place an effective regulator.
But even after a decade of enactment of the legislation, the Union Health Ministry and FSSAI failed to finalise the recruitment rules, leading to acute shortage of regular staff at various levels because of which the FSSAI made unauthorised appointments on contract.
The ministry sanctioned 356 posts for FSSAI at various levels, out of which there are only 115 regular staff as on December 2016. FSSAI appointed 261 contractual staff who run the lion's share of the food regulator's regular work.
To test whether the penalty is collected from violators, the auditor test checked 10 cases between 2011 and 2016 in which nearly Rs 13 crore penalty was imposed on the food business operators. Around Rs 7 crore was deposited by the operators to the FSSAI, but the agency failed to retrieve the balance Rs 6 crore.
CAG raps FSSAI over licencing process, poor food testing labs
The CAG report said FSSAI issued licences to food manufacturers on the basis of incomplete documents in more than 50% of cases checked in the audit
The CAG report said that neither FSSAI nor the state food authorities had documented policies and procedures on risk based inspections, and the FSSAI does not have any database on the food business. Photo: Ramesh Pathania/Mint
New Delhi: The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has slammed the food safety regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) in a performance audit report released on Tuesday.
The CAG performance audit report said FSSAI issued licences to food manufacturers on the basis of incomplete documents in more than 50% of cases checked in the audit.
The audit on food safety was taken up to assess the performance of the ministry of health and family welfare, FSSAI and food regulatory authorities in 10 selected states.
The report said that neither FSSAI nor the state food authorities had documented policies and procedures on risk based inspections, and the FSSAI does not have any database on the food business. FSSAI has failed to ensure that the customs authorities follow up on the non-conformance reports issued by the FSSAI itself and take appropriate action to ensure that unsafe foods do not enter the country, it said.
The CAG held that food safety covers the entire food chain, and includes the stages of manufacturing or preparation, handling, transportation and storage of food in ways that prevent contamination and food-borne diseases. Any relaxation of food safety standards and their enforcement may lead to proliferation of illegal, dishonest manufacturers and suppliers, which is detrimental to public health.
“At least 65 out of the 72 state food laboratories to which FSSAI and state food safety authorities sent food samples for testing do not possess National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation. Consequently, the quality of testing by these laboratories cannot be assured,” the CAG report said.
The report highlighted that FSSAI has no data on public analysts declared eligible under the erstwhile Prevention of Food Adulteration Act who continue to function under the FSS Act. FSSAI also has no data on whether all the notified empanelled food laboratories have qualified food analysts. Audit test checks found that 15 out of the 16 test checked food laboratories did not have qualified food analysts, it said.
“Shortage of qualified manpower and functional food testing equipment in state food laboratories and referral laboratories resulted in deficient testing of food samples. There were significant delays in finalization of cases by Adjudicating Officers. Further, a significant portion of the penalty imposed remained uncollected,” the report said.
Slack food safety could be risking public health: CAG
Audit report says most food testing labs in country are ill-equipped.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), India’s constitutionally mandated federal auditor, has cited serious lapses in enforcing food-safety norms in the country, which, it said, could be putting public health at risk.
A majority of the country’s food-testing laboratories were poorly managed, the report said. It found that 65 of the 72 state-wide food laboratories were not accredited to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), as required. “Consequently, the quality of testing by these laboratories cannot be assured,” the CAG report said. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the national regulator, relies on these laboratories to confirm safety of food items.
Over 50% of licenses granted to manufacturers were issued on the basis of incomplete documents, which suggests they may not be fully complying with safety standards. From popular snacks to savouries, all foods found in stores possess the FSSAI’s licences.
In 2014, a state-level food laboratory in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur had found Swedish food giant Nestlé SA’s popular instant noodles brand, Maggi, to be unsafe. Nestlé SA had, at the time, claimed its product was safe and that there were “issues of interpretation” by Indian food inspectors. Samples tested were found to contain monosodium glutamate or MSG in Maggi.
The samples were then sent to the Kolkata-based Central Food Laboratory in June 2014. The Kolkata lab took almost a year to come out with a verdict, which said the samples not only contained MSG but also lead. This prompted the FSSAI to order a recall of Maggi in June 2015.
“Most of the state food laboratories entrusted with food testing and certification functions, were not only ill-equipped but also did not possess the NABL accreditation,” the CAG report states.
A range of issues afflicts these laboratories, including lack of trained manpower, which hampered “effective fixing of science based food standards and their enforcement”. The FSSAI’s office did not respond to queries on the CAG report, including an email sent to the CEO’s office.
“Governance lapses could mean a lot of ineligible and unsafe products could be floating around. The other aspect is technical, namely proper calibration of laboratories,” said Anurag Sharma, a former food-standards consultant to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organisation.
“Any relaxation of food-safety standards and their enforcement may lead to proliferation of illegal, dishonest manufacturers and suppliers, which is detrimental to public health,” the CAG said.
It said the enforcement aspects of the FSSAI were slack, including activities related to licensing, registration, inspection, sampling and prosecution. The FSSAI, according to the audit, had also failed to finalise recruitment regulations and there were irregularities in the appointment of contractual employees. Until the enactment of the Food Safety Act, 2006, the main legislation that governed food safety was the archaic Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
CAG slams FSSAI over lapses in enforcing food safety
New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has come down heavily on the Union Health Ministry and its body FSSAI for not framing regulations governing various procedures, guidelines and mechanisms in line with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
As per the top audit body's observations, there is a possibility that unsafe/declared unsafe food articles continued to be manufactured and sold due to the failure of the authorities to monitor and cancel licences.
"Audit observed that even after withdrawal of NOCs (no-Objection Certificates), there was no mechanism to ensure that the licences issued on the basis of the withdrawn NOCs were cancelled," said the report.
The audit body found that licences were issued on the basis of incomplete documents in more than 50 per cent of the cases test-checked in the audit.
"Neither FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) nor the state food authorities have documented policies and procedures on risk-based inspections, and the FSSAI does not have any data base on food business," said the audit report.
According to the CAG, 65 out of the 72 state food laboratories to which FSSAI and state food safety authorities sent food samples for testing do not have the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)'s accreditation, due to which the quality of testing by these laboratories could not be assured.
It observed that between January 2012 and May 2013, the FSSAI issued, without the approval of the ministry, a series of advisories covering the category of proprietary foods, which had been defined as articles of food and for which standards had not been specified.
The CAG has also questioned the continuation of licences issued in terms of flawed NOC procedure.
"Audit observed occasions where the NOCs issued by the product approval divisions had to be withdrawn because the application for product approval for a similar or identical product was denied by the scientific committees/scientific panels," said the audit report, adding that it was, therefore, evident that the FSSAI permitted possibly unsafe foods to be manufactured, distributed, sold or imported in the country.
The CAG observed that though the NOCs were valid only for a maximum period of one year, the FSSAI did not ensure that the licences issued on the basis of these NOCs were accordingly valid for the same period.
"Further, after withdrawal of the NOCs, FSSAI did not ensure that the Central Licence Authorities also cancelled the licences that had been issued on the basis of the now-withdrawn NOCs and also that the food business operators had stopped the manufacture, distribution and sale of such products."
Stating that there was a failure of the ministry and the FSSAI in framing the recruitment regulation even after a decade of the enactment of the act, the CAG observed that there was an acute shortage of licencing and enforcement officers in the states, severely affecting the food safety measures.
Parliament enacted the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 to overcome the difficulties and to consolidate and subsume the existing acts and orders and establish a single-point reference system -- FSSAI.
The body was to lay guidelines, science-based standards and regulate the manufacture, storage, distribution and sale of food products.
The CAG also found matters pertaining to non-refund of product approval fees in the audit report.
"Audit observed that though 1,876 applications for product approval were pending with FSSAI after the Supreme Court judgment, FSSAI has not refunded Rs 4.69 crore to the applicants," the report said.
Among other issues related to the food regulatory, the CAG observed that there were deficiencies in the procedure by food safety authorities in sample handling and failure in monitoring the status of receipts of samples sent for analysis.
Dec 19, 2017
39 out of 297 food samples fail quality test
Pune: Of the 297 food samples drawn during Diwali and tested, 39 have fared poorly on various quality parameters at the state-run lab, the latest report of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has revealed.
FDA officials had drawn samples of 387 food items ahead of Diwali this year. "Of these, 297 samples have been analysed at the designated laboratory so far. After the testing, it was found that 39 samples did not conform to the quality standards set by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI)," SS Desai, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Pune, told TOI.
Among the 39 samples found substandard (lacking in quality but safe for human consumption), the maximum were of milk and edible oil. "Milk samples found substandard lacked the amount of fat and solids-not-fat (SNF) as per the norms laid down by the law. While purity of edible oil was compromised by mixing oils of lesser quality," Desai said, adding that excessive use of edible colour and milk powder affected the quality of milk products, sweets and farsaan.
"We have started taking action against the commercial establishments from where these 'substandard' samples were drawn," Desai said, adding, "As per the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, the FDA officials can only fine them for such offences. A case is filed against a supplier only when the sample is found unsafe for human consumption."
Meanwhile, activists have questioned the state's approach towards ensuring food safety. "The state health laboratory in Pune, which is a referral lab for testing food samples in the state, has been overburdened. Many key positions of the staff are lying vacant for years. The government should fill up these posts," activist Sanjay Dabhade said.
Lab not yet set up to test food served to VVIPs at official functions
“The Microbiology Lab sanctioned two years ago, as part of the Public Health Laboratory project of the Drug and Food Control Organisation, couldn’t be established due to inordinate delay by the Health and Medical Education Department in buying the necessary testing equipment and supporting infrastructure,” officials told Kashmir Reader.
A Food Safety Officer (FSO), wishing anonymity, said that such callous approach has left officers in a dilemma over what to do about VIP security. He said that in the absence of testing equipment, it is nearly impossible to test the safety of food served at public events.
Sources said that the food analysts are left helpless when they are assigned the job of testing food served to VVIPs. “We can’t test the food for adulteration or poisoning due to bacteria as per the official protocol. Lack of infrastructure and equipment make us vulnerable to grave mistakes,” confided a food analyst.
He said that the analysts who are assigned the job of testing food usually follow a medieval practice of the times of royal courts.
“Analysts and technicians follow an old practice that was prevalent in royal courts, where royal cooks would taste the cuisine themselves in front of the king before he eats it,” the official said.
The food testing is also hampered due to the defunct mobile testing vans of the Drug and Food Control Organisation (DFCO).
“There is no separate staff for the mobile testing vans, which make food testing even more difficult,” rued an administrator.
“The laboratory staff is forced to attend to VIP duty, despite the absence of equipment, which puts them in danger,” he said.
Speaking to Kashmir Reader, Suman Vikas, Assistant Professor at Department of Food Technology, Islamic University of Awantipora, said that a microbiology lab is vital for food safety and quality testing in a variety of food products, raw materials, and ingredients.
He said a simple microbiology lab with basic equipment would take Rs 8 lakh-10 lakh to start.
“The lab must have supporting infrastructure and basic equipment, like ovens for sterilisation, autoclave, incubators, refrigerators, colony counters, laminar flow chamber, microscopes, and computers,” Vikas said.
“It is not a big investment for the government. Many private food and spice companies in Kashmir have small labs. If they have it, why can’t the food department?” he said.
Controller, DFCO, Lotika Khajuria admitted that there has been a delay in setting up the microbiology lab. She, however, denied that any breach of security protocol occurs in her department.
“The police department usually calls us to send food analysts at functions attended by VVIPs. We are doing the best possible to make sure that the food is tested properly. If any of our officials are facing problems in their duty, he or she must give it in writing, so that we take up the issue with the quarters concerned. The issue may be taken up with the Food Safety and Standard Authority for necessary action,” she said.
According to her, the delay in the establishment of microbiology lab is due to the validation process. “We can’t start the lab right away because validation process takes time. We will start it soon because the funds have been sanctioned,” she said.
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