Feb 22, 2018
Ahead of pongala festival food safety wing launches inspection
Attukal Devi temple in Thiruvananthapuram all decked up on the eve of the start of annual pongala festival on Thursday
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the annual pongala festival at the Attukal Bhagavathy temple beginning on Thursday, the Food Safety Commissionerate has launched a campaign for preventing the sale of adulterated and unhygienic food to pilgrims.
Two restaurants were closed during inspections taken out at 49 restaurants in the Corporation wards situated near the temple. Four hotels, 16 provisional stores and four bakeries have been slapped with notices, Food Safety Commissioner Veena N Madhavan said.
Hotel Aswathi situated near the temple and Hotel Krishnadeepam at Kalady were shut down by the Food Safety officers. The commissionerate has made extensive arrangements for ensuring supply of water and food for the pilgrims arriving for the festival. Six special food safety squads have been deployed in the festival zone. They will function round-the-clock.
Liquor Ban
The district collector has ordered liquor ban in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation area and Vellar ward of Venganoor grama panchayat on March 1 and 2 in connection with the Attukal pongala. The ban will be in effect from 6 pm on March 1 to 6 pm on March 2.
Health Department opens 24-hr control room
Preparations of the Health Department for the Attukal pongala festival have been completed, the District Medical Officer (DMO), said. The health department has opened a 24-hour control room at the district medical office which can be contacted on 0471-2466828. The department’s control room at Attukal will be functioning on Thursday. A special medical team will be deployed in connection with the Kuthiyottam ritual. Health sqauds consisting of medical team, ambulance, health inspectors and junior health inspectors will be deployed at the venue. Inspections under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) have been launched in areas falling in the festival zone, the DMO said.
Food safety control room
From Thursday, a food safety control room will begin functioning at Attukal. Pilgrims can register their names for the ‘Annadanam’ at the control room. Complaints and grievances, if any, can also be filed at the temporary facility.
Complaints regarding food safety can be lodged with the Food Safety Commissionerate on the following numbers:
8943346198, 8943346526, 8943346582, 7593873324, 7593862806, 8943346181, 8943346195, 8592999666, 7593873351
Toll-free no: 1800 425 1125
Civic body conducts raids against unlicensed vendors
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is conducting raids against unlicensed vendors who are selling packaged water without the food safety stamp of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The move comes after the civic body traced contamination inside packaged water sold in diarrhoea affected areas which allegedly has led to the diarrhoea outbreak.
The KMC has recently begun food safety drives to stop the sale of packaged water by unlicensed vendors after around 3000 citizens fell ill with diarrhoea. Mayor Sovan Chatterjee claimed around 200 samples of water were collected from different areas in the city and the packaged water showed signs of contamination.
The mayor said, “The diarrhoea outbreak was clearly a result of a water-borne disease. We are carrying out raids with the help of the enforcement department.
Our aim is to seize water packages that are being sold by the unlicensed vendors. Most of these water packages are manufactured in various areas in North and South 24 Parganas.
Strict legal action will be taken against the offenders.” The member mayor-in-council (MMIC), Health, Atin Ghosh said, “The food safety raids are part of our routine work.
“Packaged water samples collected from places like Ranikuthi, Baghajatin Station Road, and few of the affected wards revealed the presence of Coliform bacteria in high amounts. We are cracking down on the unlicensed water vendors who are selling such spurious water without FSSAI.
The contamination is mostly found in 20litres jars.” “The names of some of the unlicensed suppliers and vendors who are distributing these samples have been collected and will be sent to the state food safety commission.
Legal action will be taken against the offenders . We have also requested the enforcement department to monitor such illegal activities in the districts” said Mr Ghosh.
Soon, eateries will have to appoint food safety supervisors to acquire licences
New Delhi:
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has drafted new regulations for culinary businesses, making it mandatory for such establishments to employ at least one food safety inspector as a pre-requisite for obtaining licences.
E-commerce operators are also required to fulfil the regulations formulated by the country’s food regulator to ensure hygiene standards. Such entities have to apply for licences under a separate ‘e-commerce’ category under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Amendment Regulations-2018.
“These draft regulations are in the process of being notified… meanwhile, keeping in mind the public health interest and to ensure the food safety of food business operations, it has been decided to operationalise these regulations with immediate effect,” the FSSAI order read.
The Hindustan Times had first reported on the regulator’s plans to make it mandatory for all food businesses with 25 or more people (such as caterers, manufacturers, companies transporting food items and retail outlets) to have at least one FSSAI-trained safety supervisor.
“We have introduced a slew of changes, and are in the process of introducing further changes to ensure that those associated with food businesses meet all regulatory requirements. Our consumers need safe and hygienic food items,” said FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal.
“These regulations will be enforced once they are notified in the Gazette of India,” he added.
Feb 21, 2018
Food companies slapped Rs 4 Lakhs fine for ‘misbranding’ rusk
BAREILLY: Additional district magistrate (city) OP Verma on Tuesday has slapped a rusk-making unit and a milk processing unit under the Food Safety & Standard Act (FSSA) with a fine of Rs 4 lakh and Rs 2 lakh respectively for violating the norms.
The food safety inspectors had collected rusk samples in 2016 from a food products company in Fatehganj West and from a restaurant at CB Ganj. The food products firm was found guilty of misbranding the rusk it produces. ADM imposed a fine of Rs 4 lakh on the unit.
Similarly, the lab reports said the milk sample, collected from a restaurant in CB Ganj was substandard. The manager of the milk processing unit that supplies pasteurized full cream milk was fined Rs 2 lakh.
A team of food safety and drugs administration (FSDA) department had raided the food products company on February 11, 2016. The team “purchased” four packets of rusk from the unit and sent the same to the government-run laboratory in Varanasi for tests.
The lab report came in December 2016. Thereafter, the FSDA officials took the matter to the court of the ADM. The lab report said that the manufacturer had not declared its batch number and packing date on its wrapper. Besides, nutritional information and “best use before” dates were written in small letters instead of capital letters, which is a violation of FSS (packaging and labelling) regulation, 2011. The lab report termed the sample as “misbranded”.
In another matter, FSDA team had collected milk samples from CB Ganj in October 2016 and sent the same to the Varanasi lab. The lab report suggested that the milk fat was about 23% deficient, “Hence the sample is substandard.”
The ADM said, “After hearing both sides and on the basis of evidences produced by the FSDA officials, the food products company is found guilty under section 58 and 52 of FSSA. Similarly, manager of the milk unit is found guilty under section 51 of FSSA.”
The court slapped a fine of Rs 4 lakh on BR foods while City Fresh was penalised by Rs 2 lakh. Both the guilty are given 30 day time to deposit penalty amount in the court.
Food safety teams raid sweet shops collect samples in Pilibhit
PILIBHIT: With Holi round the corner, a team of food safety department raided three sweet shops in Amaria on Monday and collected samples of different sweets for a lab test. They also destroyed adulterated sweets such as jalebi and carrot halwa.
Samples of edible refined and mustered oils were also collected from many shops. The samples were sent to a state laboratory in Lucknow. Meanwhile, an action report was filed before additional district magistrate (judicial) Vinod Kumar Gaur.
The food department swung into action following the order of the officer designated of food safety and drug administration, V K Verma. The drive will continue till Holi.
According to Verma, a food safety team also sealed a meat shop in Amaria, which was running without licence. Another departmental team collected samples in Puranpur tehsil area on Tuesday and checked quality of edible materials at 10 shops.
FOOD OPERATORS WARNED OF ACTION FOR FAILING TO REGISTER WITH DEPT
Panaji (Goa): The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has asked all the food operators to follow proper procedures to carry out their business at different establishments failing which they will face penal action.
“The food business operators operating canteens, eateries, food joints and/or supplying food to all educational institutes like school, Higher Secondary Schools, Colleges, Universities, Technical Training Centers as well as food business operators operating in Government offices, private offices, etc are required to obtain either the registration or license under the food safety and standard Act., failing which penal action shall be applied as per the provisions of law,” FDA official said.
The Food Safety and Standards Act, mandates the need of a license/registration to operate any food business in the country, and the food business operator found operating without the stipulated license/registration, are dealt under the penal provisions of the Act, which includes a fine up to Rs 5 lakhs, and imprisonment for a term which may extend up to six months.
The food business operators are also expected to operate their kitchens as per the hygienic and good manufacturing practices guidelines, stipulated under schedule 4 of the Food Safety Act, 2006. As such, all food business operators are requested to obtain License/Registration and to maintain hygiene in their kitchen, failing which they are warned of action as per the provisions of law.
Feb 19, 2018
Adulterated food floods city market, citizens in a tizzy
VIJAYAWADA: Health experts and residents of Vijayawada are concerned over the quality of food items being sold in the city in the light of seizure of 2,700 kg of spurious ghee during a raid at a private transport office at Nunna, by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and police in a joint operation.
The people fear that necessary commodities like groceries, fruits, vegetables and even sweets and confectionaries are adulterated and misbranded and is afraid that consuming such food will affect health adversely. Recent raids have raised serious apprehensions among the residents about ghee and other food items available in open market.
Manufacturers are mostly targeting economically weaker sections and adulterated food items are marketed in the colonies and city outskirts. Consuming such food items can cause intestine related ailments. “For greed of fast money, some of them are producing and selling adulterated products in open market. We don’t know the right place to get quality food items,” said D Padma, a resident of Satyanarayanapura.
During the raids, Nunna police had found that Sunil Kumar, the kingpin, did not have necessary permissions from FSSAI to operate ghee manufacturing unit. He was running an illegal ghee manufacturing unit in Surampalli village and was marketing it in AP and Telangana under popular brand names like Krishna Pure Ghee, Sri Lakshmi, Nandini Ghee and Madhura.
Assistant commissioner of police (ACP- North) K Sravani said that two other persons, Pochepalli Venkateswara Rao and Chitturi Seetharamayya, were working under Sunil for past two years and Ghee worth `6 lakh and machinery worth `25 lakh were seized from the manufacturing unit in Surampalli village near Nunna. “He did not have the license to operate the unit. The spurious ghee was mixed with boiled palm oil, and vanaspathi in the ratio 10:40:50.” The officer also said that a manhunt was initiated to nab the prime accused Sunil.
Despite police monitoring and inspection by food safety officials greedy manufacturers are continuing illegal practices putting public health in danger. “We have registered over 200 criminal cases against adulterators for endangering public health. More such raids will be conducted to put an end to the adulteration menace in the city,” said FSSAI assistant controller N Poornachandra Rao.
Some Of The Fish You Eat In India Can Make You Very Sick
One of the earliest memories I have of my grandmother is her buying fish from the fisherwoman who used to come to their doorstep practically every day (she even cleaned the fish as a special favour to my grandmother). Both my grandparents loved their fish, and my grandfather could never quite figure out why I hated it. Fortunately for them, they had no idea what else they were eating along with their beloved fish.
In 2009, the Times of India published an article about a study carried out by the Indian Institute of Environmental Medicine, which found that Mackerel and Pomfret from the Versova docks in Mumbai contained an unsafe amount of mercury. However, the study did note that fish from other docks in and around Mumbai were found to be safe to eat. Another study, conducted in 2014, found that while there was heavy metal contamination in fish caught in Mumbai Harbour, it was below the permissible limits, and the fish was safe for human consumption.
Toxins like heavy metals and PCBs build up in the body over decades, and are associated with a number of serious side effects.
Unfortunately, fish consumed in other parts of the country may not be as safe. A study conducted in 2015, which tested commercial fish species sourced from three reservoirs in the Cauvery Delta, found unsafe levels of iron, zinc, lead and chromium, among other metals, in the fish. It noted that the concentration of metals in many samples exceeded the Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) standards. The study concludedthat the concentration of metals in the fish suggested a risk for humans. Another study found that shrimp collected from the Subarnarekha River, which flows through Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha, contained heavy metals in concentrations sufficient to be a health hazard.
Heavy metals aren't the only toxic contaminants people might be ingesting along with their fish. A 2016 study on fish collected in Hyderabad found that the fish were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The study found that the concentration of PCBs in the fish was high enough to pose a lifetime cancer risk.
Because of the length of the coastline, fish is a dietary staple in a large part of the country. This makes contamination of fish a huge food safety risk. Also, toxins like heavy metals and PCBs build up in the body over decades, and are associated with a number of serious side effects.
Sadly, there isn't much that can be done to get rid of the toxins in fish because fish contamination is a result of water bodies being polluted. Unless we stop dumping untreated waste in the water, we will keep consuming contaminated fish. This means that the Government must take action to ensure that all waste released into water bodies is properly treated or else, the entire coastal population will continue getting poisoned.
The opinions expressed in this post are the personal views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of HuffPost India. Any omissions or errors are the author's and HuffPost India does not assume any liability or responsibility for them.
Feb 18, 2018
VMC food safety officers target caterers
Vadodara: Food safety officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) targeted caterers on Saturday. Food and raw material samples were collected from the caterers. According to VMC officials, the checking drive targeted caterers in Alkapuri, Gorwa, New VIP Road, Makarpura and Chhani area. In all, nine samples were collected by the officials during the drive. One of the caterers was also issued a notice after it came to light that the conditions in his premises were not hygienic. Officials added that the drive was conducted in wake of the fact that the caterers were widely providing services in the wedding season and it was necessary to ensure that standards were maintained
How safe is restaurant food?
Soumya MS, a techie in Kochi, likes to try out the fare dished out by various restaurants, both small and big. The other day, she and a few of her friends visited a restaurant in Aluva and ordered biryani. It sure looked piping hot and the aroma was alluring too. But as her friend dug out the masala, there popped up a cockroach!
She says, “Given that most us are ‘paying guests’ who stay away from our homes, we are forced to rely on restaurant food. As a result, someone or the other is always down with food poisoning.” A frequent victim is a friend from north Kerala who loves his chicken and beef. “Many hotels in the city have swank interiors but nobody knows what goes on in their kitchens,” she adds.
A recent drive by the Thrikkakara Municipality Health Department revealed that seven hotels in the city were functioning in unhygienic conditions. Meat, chicken and fish were cleaned in wash basins, it was found. They were let off with a warning.
Shibu KV, Assistant Commissioner of Food Security, Kochi, confirms that many a hotel takes care to project cleanliness in the reception and dining areas but the production area leaves much to be desired. “The way they operate within the food outlets is pathetic. It is the meat items that are the most risky as they do not store them under ideal temperature conditions. The place and the manner in which they are stored are also appalling. Shawarma is another food item that often causes food poisoning. Hence, it is best if meat-based food items are avoided to the extent possible.”
In most of the medium-range hotels, those in charge are not really trained in hotel management. Acute labour shortage means that anyone is drafted in as chef or waiter, with no awareness on food safety. Shibu says this negligent attitude can never be encouraged. “We have four squads in the city to scrutinise the menace, in addition to a Quick Response Team (QRT), which takes swift actions according to the complaints they receive on a daily basis,” he says.
He points out that a few hotels have an open cooking space, which the customers can see for themselves, and lauds it as a good practice. If other hotels follow suit, it would be a good step towards healthy eating, he says.
Echoing a similar opinion is Vinoy J, a young chef, who has worked in Kochi. “I remember how fish was often cleaned in wash basins, next to the cleaning brushes and soap water. The masala was also prepared in the same surroundings. Chemical ingredients and food colour were used. The oil used was not pure coconut oil, and they would re-use it for a few days. Beef is kept in the refrigerator for days on end.”
The responsibility of storing the leftover food ingredients is often left to the cleaning staff who do not have the required knowledge to preserve them in safe conditions.
“Many of the hotels go for the cheapest available ingredients, whether it is garlic, ginger or rice.”
A former waiter on condition of anonymity recalls, “A hotel where I used to work in used to source stale chicken and use it for making Shawarma, It was the same in case of milk, as it was later used while baking cakes. The oil too was reused multiple times.”
It is the student community that suffers the most. Kurian Jacob, a final year student at Sacred Heart College, eats out three times a day because there is no ‘mess’ in his college. “We are far from choosy and have food from any outlet. It is true that we are not that health conscious. Recently, my friend, who had a glass of innocuous-looking ginger lime from a small joint was affected by food poisoning for almost three days.”
He says it is not unusual to find human hair in the food served in some food joints. “While many of them start by saying that they want to serve only healthy food, commercial considerations get the better of them not long afterwards.”
The hotels that are caught red-handed are given strict warning and shut down for a few days, Shibu says. If they continue with the same practice, they will have to permanently down the shutters, according to him. He says that his team receives a minimum of 10 complaints every day from unhappy customers.
Something that people can do on their own is to identify the hotels that are trustworthy. “The most effective method is word of mouth, and when that comes from a person close to you, one can breathe a sigh of relief. Social media groups can also act as watchdogs,” says Shibu.
The tip that he gives the layman is to avoid eating out to the extent possible, and choose only those places that are within one’s vicinity and recommended by people who have tried it out.
Substandard mawa-making unit unearthed during raid
Chhitwadi is the place which is surrounded by small and big units of mawa, paneer and other milk products which are supplied to Jaipur for consumption.
Early on Saturday morning, food officers reached the area and conducted raids in the units.
“We have seized 150kg of skimmed milk powder, 200 kg of ready mawa and 100 kg of unprepared mawa,” said Dr Narottam Sharma, chief medical health officer (Jaipur I).
The farm raided by the health department officials is situated on Chomu-Chandwaji road with name Rahul Fresh Farm. However, his owner Dinesh Sharma said, “I kept the skimmed milk power for setting paneer in my unit.”
When the health authorities inspected his firm, they found bags of skimmed milk powder. “The labourers were using the skimmed milk powder. Actually mawa is produced from fresh milk but here they were using powdered milk to produce substandard mawa,” said Virendra Singh, a food safety officer.
He said that there were three containers full of mawa and they were preparing another 150 kg of mawa using powdered milk. Singh said that though the mawa was not adulterated with any harmful substance but it was not the pure form of mawa which is sold to the consumers.
Officials alleged that selling substandard mawa is a kind of cheating with consumers. They collected eight samples of milk products from Chhitwari area and sent them for testing to government-run laboratory.
Box:
Pure versus spurious sweets
A consumer can identify sweets made of substandard mawa by its texture. The pure mawa has more fats and substandard mawa has less fats. Having more fat, the sweets made of mawa do not break but substandard mawa sweets are a little more brittle than pure mawa sweet. Mawa produced by skimmed milk powder is prepared easily taking much lesser time than pure mawa. It is relatively cheaper than pure mawa but they are sold at equal prices.
Drive for healthy pongala
Devotees purchase earthen pots for Attukal Pongala festival from a steet vendor in Thiruvananthapuram. Attukal Pongala is on March 2.
Thiruvananthapuram; The Food Safety Officials will launch a drive next week to check for adulteration in raw materials such as jaggery, ghee and condiments for pongala. Once the food stalls near festival venue become active on Thursday there will be drives to check the quality of food there also. "During the past two years, we couldn't find adulteration in jaggery. However, spoiled cauliflower and vegetables which were not washed are regularly found in Gobi Manchurian served by vendors around the venue. Cauliflower available in the city is generally high on e-coli as they grow on human waste. They are susceptible to food poisoning until treated properly. Juice corners also will come under scanner," said Food Safety officials.
"Apart from this testing will be done for the suspected use of colours. Crackdowns will be organised at hotels at Manacaud, Killipalam, Attukal and Attakulangara," he said. Three squads of food safety officers will be deployed in the core pongala zone and control rooms will be opened. As in previous years resident's associations and private parties to secure the department's authorisation to serve food on the day of pongala. Around 25 health inspector will be pressed into action on the final days of pongala
Shop owner acquitted of charges of possessing gutkha
Thane (Maharashtra), Feb 17 (PTI) A local court has acquitted a 26-year-old shop owner from Mumbra near here of the charge of possessing gutkha which is banned in Maharashtra.
District and Additional Sessions Judge AS Bhaisare, in his recent order, held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charge against Nadim Suhel Ahmed Shaikh who was booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Public Prosecutor Sangita Phad informed the court that on January 28, 2015, police personnel and sleuths of Food and Drugs Administration raided the shop owned by Shaikh and allegedly seized from his possession banned goods, including Goa Gutka 1000 and Vimal panmasala.
After hearing the prosecution and defence, the Judge acquitted Shaikh of all the charges
IITs And Other Top Institutes Fail FSSAI Food Safety Audit
NON COMPLAINT KITCHENS
The FSSAI audit found flaws like food residue in utensils which were said to be washed, kitchens were found to have rodent faeces, overflowing sinks and choked bathrooms amidst the others during the audit. The audit was conducted in accordance to the food safety and standards (food safety auditing) regulations of 2017 for the institutions – Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, Indian Institute of Science (IIS) Bangalore, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi and Jodhpur, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Bombay, Guwahati, Kozhikode, Delhi, Chennai, Roorkee, Kanpur and the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Kolkata.
The Times of India reports that barring the campus kitchens of IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Roorkee which passed the test, rest all the institutions failed the audit. The campus kitchens, hostels kitchens, guesthouse kitchens and cafeterias were inspected on the basis of design, facilities, and maintenance of cooking area, usage of food-grade utensils and equipment, control of operations, the food preparation, maintenance, sanitation, personal hygiene, training and record keeping. The kitchens were to get a score above 77 out of a maximum 114 to be complaint.
Feb 17, 2018
Mumbai: Fake Food Safety Inspector Demands Rs 15,000 From Ghatkopar Hotel, Caught
Nashik Man Had Demanded Rs 15 K From Ghatkopar Hotel Manager, Who Became Suspicious When He Was Told A Receipt Would Be Sent The Next Day
Omkar Bhanushali
The police have arrested a man posing as a food safety inspector at a popular Ghatkopar hotel. According to cops, the man, identified as Omkar Bhanushali, was carrying an ID card of a Vigilance Food Safety Inspector from the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). He allegedly demanded Rs 15,000 from the hotel as "fine".
Hotel Radha Krishna, located at Ghatkopar West is a famous joint serving Indian as well as Chinese food. On Thursday, a man walked into the hotel and started taking photos. When the hotel manager objected to this, the man introduced himself as an officer from the FSSAI.
After the 'inspection', Bhanushali started mentioning flaws in the hotel. When the manager enquired what the hotel authorities should do, Bhanushali demanded R15,000 money as fine.
Bhanushali told the manager to pay in cash and said a receipt would be sent to him the following day. This made the manager suspicious, who told Bhanushali to wait and called up senior police inspector Vyankat Patil at Ghatkopar police station.
Patil said, "I received a call from the hotel saying an FSSAI officer was demanding money from them. I asked them to tell the person to wait and sent my officers to crosscheck his identity. When asked about his tenure at FSSAI, Bhanushali seemed baffled. The team brought him to the police station, where he confessed to impersonating an FSSAI officer," Patil said.
A Nashik resident, Bhanushali claimed to be an advocate. "We have found that he has visited many hotels across Mumbai, posing as an FSSAI officer. We are contacting these hotels and to verify the facts," said another officer. Bhanushali has been booked under IPC 170 for impersonating a public servant.
Domino’s Pizza To Shell Out 9.5 Lakh Rupees As A Fine For Using Unfit Cheese
International pizza chain Dominoes has been slapped with a fine of 9.5 lakh rupees by Additional District Magistrate of Shahjahanpur for using cheese unfit for consumption in their pizzas.
Facts
On 4th July 2011, food security officer Yugul Kishore took a sample of cheese from an outlet of Dominos at Shahjahanpur and dispatched it for the lab test at government regional public analysis laboratory in Varanasi. After complete and detailed examination of the sample sent, Food analyst UC Gangwar reported that the milk fat in the diced super stretch Mozzarella cheese sample was below 35 percent. 35 percent milk fat is the minimum level prescribed by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India in Mozzarella cheese to be fit for consumption.
The report was sent to the food security officer on 5th August 2015 after the lab tests on the sample were finished in-between 22 July to 28 July 2015.
A case was filed against Jubilant Food Works (franchisee for Domino’s pizza), Schreiber Dynamic Dairies in Pune(the supplier) and the seller Suresh Upadhyaya after serving them with an official court notice.
Judgement
The trial lasted for almost two years and during the course of the trial defendant even filed a counter case arguing that sample of cheese taken was not kept under advised conditions. The court found all the three defendants guilty and imposed a fine of 9.5 lakh rupees out of which district manager of Jubilant Food Work has to pay 4 lakh rupees. The supplier Schreiber Dynamic Dairies in Pune has to pay 5 lakh rupees and the remaining balance of rupees 50 thousand rupees will be borne by the seller Suresh Upadhyaya.
Moreover, Additional District Magistrate of Shahjahanpur JK Sharma added that “the sample failed to pass the lab test and it was a serious issue as they were not delivering what they have promised.”
Spokesperson of Jubilant Food Works stated that same batch of cheese at a NABL- certified lab confirms that the fat content in the cheese is as per the limit mentioned by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. District manager of Jubilant Food was unaware of the fine imposed in this matter and added that all legal issues were being dealt with Jubilant Foods including this one as well.
Learning Outcome
Food Safety and Standard Authority will not allow any food producer big or small, to sell food-products in Indian markets which do not fulfill safety requirement and standard of quality prescribed by it.
Juice vendor arrested in Odisha after 300 people hospitalised
CUTTACK: A day after nearly 300 people, including children, were admitted to hospitals after drinking ‘sharbat’ from a makeshift stall on Maha Shivaratri, Salepur police arrested the vendor, Prabhakar Rout on Thursday.
Rout (54) of Telipada under Raisunguda was nabbed from Dhenkanal on Thursday night and brought here where he was produced in a court, police said.During interrogation, the accused confessed that he had been selling ‘sharbat’ on different occasions for the last 30 years. Except an old essence which was from last year’s stock, no other harmful ingredients were used in the ‘sharbat’, police said quoting the accused.
Along with Food Safety Officer Prabhakar Pradhan, police collected samples of the drink, liquids and other materials used for an examination. The samples have been sent to State Forensic Science Laboratory, Bhubaneswar to ascertain the cause of contamination.Meanwhile, Cuttack Municipal Corporation has launched a crack down on ‘sharbat’ stalls in the Millennium City on Friday. A special team comprising City Health Officer, Food Inspector and Health Standing Committee Chairman visited different ‘sharbat’ and ‘lassi’ stalls in the city and advised them to maintain hygiene.
Audit of IITs & AIIMS finds more than a fly in the soup
New Delhi: A Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) third-party food safety audit of campus kitchens at 12 top Central institutions of higher education has found that providing good food to the best brains in the country isn’t apriority for most institutions.
A majority of the institutions have failed to clear the food safety audit.
Common problems, especially for those ranked lower in the audit, include cleaned utensils retaining food residue, rodent droppings around the kitchens, reheating of food several times, kitchen staff wearing shoes in the kitchen that are meant for the outside, choked bathrooms and overflowing sinks where utensils are cleaned.
FSSAI conducted the audits according to their draft food safety and standards (food safety auditing) regulations of 2017 for IIM Ahmedabad; Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore; All India Institutes of Medical Sciences, Delhi; IIT Mumbai; IIT Guwahati; IIM Kozhikode; IIT Delhi; Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kolkata; IIT Chennai; AIIMS Jodhpur; IIT Roorkee; and IIT Kanpur.
At each institution, all kitchens and canteens were audited. Only most of IIM Ahmedabad’s and IIT Roorkee’s campus kitchens managed to pass the audit. The rest failed.
The auditors assessed the canteens, hostel kitchens, guesthouse kitchens and cafeterias on six parameters — design and facilities, which checks how the cooking area is maintained and whether they have safe food-grade cooking utensils and equipment; control of operations, or how food is actually prepared; maintenance and sanitation; personal hygiene; training and record keeping; and other comments, if any. The maximum score possible was 114, a score less than 77 was considered “noncompliant”.
FSSAI officials told TOI they are at present writing to all 12 institutions with detailed audit reports and grades and asking them to conform to norms as soon as possible.
A summary of the audit results accessed by TOI shows even institutions with relatively better grades were re-using vegetable oil, fungal or mold growth was found in vegetable storage areas, and the dough machines were rusted.
“Personal hygiene is a major issue in nearly all kitchens, so is the lack of understanding of what temperature you should heat food at, when to refrigerate food, and how many times food can be re-heated,” added an official. A premier medical education institute with one of the lowest scores was found to have shoes stored in the kitchen raw material storage area and an overflowing bathroom meant for kitchen staff.
At the other institutions the gaps include food storage areas used by kitchen staff as changing rooms, cockroach and other pest infestations, food and raw materials stored on the floor, drains not netted to prevent rat infestation, no cleaning and sanitation records, and stagnant water near the utensil-cleaning area. Many, it was found, were not FSSAI licensees either.
When contacted about the audit results, FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said, “The idea is not to name and shame these institutions. We are still communicating the results to them. But they will have to meet the norms. The positive news is that some are coming forward to improve their kitchens.”
Last year, a student found a dead rat in his south Indian thali at an IIT Delhi hostel. In Indore, recently, 15 students of a private engineering college fell ill after allegedly eating food contaminated by a dead lizard.
Feb 16, 2018
Adulterated brands flood market in Kerala as coconut oil prices skyrocket
When the shopkeeper showed reluctance in giving you the branded coconut oil you sought and tried pushing hitherto unheard brands available at low prices, did it make you wonder why he/ she did it? It may be because adulterated coconut oil brands have flooded the market. Such brands, it is claimed, provide a margin to shopkeepers who push their products. Low-quality coconut oil brands are raking in moolah at a time when prices of coconut and coconut oil have hit an alltime high in Kerala. Sample this: The Cochin Oil Merchants’ Association (COMA) tested the 31 brands it collected from different parts of the state, and found 21 of them were adulterated!
This assumes significance considering the fact the Commissionerate of Food Safety in 2016 banned the production and sale of 14 coconut oil brands in the state which were being re-branded and sold. Paul Antony, COMA secretary, said, “In a lab test conducted in December last year, we identified 17 adulterated brands. A case was filed in the Kerala High Court seeking a directive to curb the practice.” “Later, on the court’s order, we collected samples of 31 coconut oil brands from across the state and subjected them to a test at a private lab in Poonithura near Kochi.
It confirmed 21 of the 31 samples were adulterated. The iodine level in them exceeded 50 per cent. The permissible level is between 7.5 and 10 per cent,” he said. Following this, COMA sent the original copy of the lab report to the Assistant Food Safety Commissioner, Ernakulam, seeking action against erring brands. K V Shibu, Assistant Food Safety Commissioner, Ernakulam, said based on the lab report, the department collected 19 samples and sent them for lab test. “If the samples do not conform to standards under Food Safety Standards (Food products and Food Additive) Regulations 2011, action will be taken against brands under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. We have also sent a copy of the report submitted by COMA to the Food Safety Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram, as it has statewide implications,” he said.
Antony said when COMA was collecting coconut oil samples, shopkeepers were found pushing low-cost coconut oil brands to customers as the companies provide more margin to shopkeepers. “Moreover, 14 of the 21 adulterated brands were carrying the ‘Kera’ tag in their brand names, clearly as an attempt to hoodwink customers as the ‘Kera’ coconut oil brand sold by Kerafed has a lot of takers in the state,” Antony said. Food Safety officers said while banning erring companies was an option, it was not a permanent solution as most of such companies were fly-by-night brands. “If we ban an adulterated brand, it will become available in the market under another name very soon.
There is no control or regulation over the supply and sale of coconut oil brands in the state,” the officers said. As for iodine content, experts said if iodine value was around 50 per cent in the adulterated oil, coconut oil content in it will only be about 25-30 per cent and the rest will be other oils. “Since palm kernel oil is available for `60-70 per kg, one can simply adulterate coconut oil without much investment and can reap huge benefits, as coconut oil price reached a 30-year-high of `260 per/kg a couple of months ago,” said experts in the field.
The officers said around 400 oil container lorries cross into Kerala from Tamil Nadu per day and a good extent of adulteration is taking place in Kerala with the help of cross-border oil mafia. When contacted, K Anil Kumar, Joint Commissioner of Food Safety, refused a comment saying the matter was sub-judice.
2.7 tonne adulterated ghee seized
2.7 tonne adulterated ghee seized
Vijayawada: Food safety department and the city police on Thursday conducted a joint raid in Surampalli village under the Nunna police station limits and seized 2,700 kg adulterated ghee from the manufacturers.
According to information, the officials on a tip-off raided the two units and seized the ghee. Assistant food controller N Purnachandra Rao and Nunna circle inspector M V Durga Rao led the raids.
Purnachandra Rao told media that a trader named Venkat had been selling adulterated ghee under the popular brand names in the market. The officials seized 1,200 kg of ghee and fake labels of noted brands like Krishna, Srilakshmi, Madhura and Nandini.
Officials later raided another unit nearby and found about 1,500 kg adulterated ghee which is ready to be packed. The officials collected some samples for the lab tests and machinery has been seized. Purnachandra Rao said cases were registered against the manufacturer and the driver.
Tobacco products worth Rs 2.12 lakh seized
Police have recovered tobacco products worth around Rs 2.12 lakh during checking from an Imphal-bound truck along Imphal-Dimapur section of NH-2. Three persons alleged to be the owners of the tobacco products were also detained by the police along with the truck (ASO1EC6416) and handed over to the authority of state food safety office, an official said Thursday.
A team of Narcotic Cell of Imphal East district recovered 532 packets (200 gm each per packet) of tobacco products “Baba black deluxe chewing tobacco” packed in 10 cartons, the source said. The three individuals were identified as Md Amir Khan (26) of Kwakta village of Bishnupur district, Md Abdul Haque(30) of Khomidok of Imphal East and Md Abdul Hashim (24) of Paobitek of Imphal West district.
A senior police officer said that police have been conducting drive against sale of tobacco items under Food Safety and Standard (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2011.
Milk adulteration: 8 samples tested in 3 yrs
While 6,649 and 7,635 samples of milk were analysed in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively, none of the samples were collected or analysed from the Capital. Most of the adulterated samples are from UP (1,306 out of 2,468). Of the total 7,638 samples collected from across the country, 2,332 were found to be adulterated, almost a third of the actual number. However, eight samples were collected in 2016-17 from Delhi. In the absence of stringent laws, the data reveals that every third sample in the country is adulterated.
Milk, instead of being beneficial, has become a cause of concern for many in the country. In a recent data shared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, only eight samples of milk from Delhi were analysed in the last three years and of these – one was found to be adulterated, but no penalties were imposed.
In the absence of stringent laws, the data reveals that every third sample in the country is adulterated.
While 6,649 and 7,635 samples of milk were analysed in the years 2014-15 and 2015-16 respectively, none of the samples were collected or analysed from the Capital. However, eight samples were collected in 2016-17 from Delhi.
Of the total 7,638 samples collected from across the country, 2,332 were found to be adulterated, almost a third of the actual number. Most of the adulterated samples are from UP (1,306 out of 2,468).
After the Supreme Court in August 2016 directed to curb milk adulteration activities in the country, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had advised all the states and Union Territories to comply with the directions and submit their ‘action taken report’ (ATR), but so far only nine states, excluding Delhi have submitted their reports.
Feb 15, 2018
FSSAI proposes rules for food sold, supplied in schools across India
India’s food safety regulator, in a first, has prescribed norms to ensure safe and healthy food for children in schools across India.
NEW DELHI: India’s food safety regulator, in a first, has prescribed norms to ensure safe and healthy food for children in schools across India.
The draft proposals by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India have recently been put out in public domain for feedback before they are notified.
Named Food Safety and Standards (Safe and Wholesome Food for School Children) Regulations, 2018, the proposal seek to prescribe standards for food items sold or supplied in school mess, kitchens and eateries run by food business operators or even vending machines.
Under the proposed rules, schools will be asked to make distinction between eatables marked green, yellow and red.
While green will mostly comprise of fresh food, yellow will imply packaged food and red colour will mean food items high in salt, sugar and fat. The draft rules suggest that food and beverages categorised as green or yellow should be largely be on school menus and items labelled as red, with high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) content will be discouraged from being sold or provided inside school campuses.
The proposals also say that a balanced diet for school-goers is one that “should provide about 50-60 per cent of the total calories from carbohydrates (preferably from complex carbohydrates), about 10-15 per cent from proteins and 20-30 per cent from both visible and invisible fat.
“In addition, it should provide such non-nutrients as dietary fibre and antioxidants, which bestow positive health benefits,” reads the draft.
The draft regulation also says that the school authority selling or catering school meals must obtain a license or be registered as a food business operator (FBO) from the concerned licensing authority under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
“At the heart of these regulations is a central idea to make it clear what is healthy for children and what is not,” said FSSAI chief executive officer Pawan Aggarwal.
“We have based the proposed norms on science and highest standards of nutritional requirements for kids as laid down by the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad," another FSSAI official said.
The proposed regulations have come in the wake of a Delhi High Court directive given to the FSSAI few years back.
The proposed norms also suggest that no person offers, or exposes for sale, HFSS foods to school children in school canteens, mess premises or hostel kitchens.
State food authorities will also be required ensure that no person offers, or expose for sale, HFSS foods to school children within 50m of school premises.
Food businesses manufacturing HFSS food products will also be barred from advertising such foods to children in school premises.
Trader arrested for selling dead chicken
Tirupur: A trader and a poultry farmowner were arrested for selling dead chicken at Palladam in the district recently.
Last week, police personnel at Veerapandi Pirivu checkpost red-handedly caught Ganesh, 34, of Parappalayam while he was carrying dead birds, which could fetch 140kg of meat. On intimation, food safety and drug administration (FSDA) authorities seized the dead chicken.
“In the past four months, we seized about 170kg of dead chicken in two instances excluding the last one. Catching the dead cocks was for the first time. When the police inquired with Ganesh, he confessed that all the 60 dead birds were procured for Rs 10 each from a poultry farm owned by Marimuthu of Sultanpettai near Palladam,” said K Tamil Selvan, designated officer of FSDA.
“Many people might be involved in such illegal selling of the dead chicken. It could cause health complications to the consumers from various Tasmac bars and roadside stalls. Apart from picking the dead chicken from the dump yards, the traders buy directly from the poultry farms. Arrests of the poultry owner and the trader might send warning message to the other violators,” he said.
FSDA has been planning to conduct an awareness programme to the poultry farmowners of Palladam, which has 4,207 hatcheries and 52 broiler farms and considered as one of the poultry hubs in the state.
Besides, collector K S Palanisamy has ordered the poultry farms not to sell dead chicken and to dispose them as prescribed by the animal husbandry department or otherwise face action including heavy fines.
Inferior quality tea, soaps seized
Quality check: Food safety officials and police inspecting the seized tea in Chennai on Wednesday.
Man who ran a shop in Kothawalchavadi sold products displaying known brand names
The police have seized 60 fake handmade soaps of a well-known herbal brand and over 900 kg of tea belonging to a reputed brand from a shop in Kothawalchavadi on Tuesday.
According to the police, Subramani, who works in the sales division of the herbal soap firm, had come to Anna Pillai Street. He purchased a soap from a shop run by Mallaram.
“He found that the quality was not good and it was not hand made. He lodged a complaint with us,” said a police officer.
Based on a complaint from Subramani, the police registered a case under the Trade Marks Act and started investigation.
On the same day, Murali from Kothawalchavadi lodged a complaint stating that the quality of tea purchased from Mallaram’s shop was not good.
Murali had purchased the product as it was being sold ₹50 lesser than the retail price.
Based on his complaint, the police checked the shop and Mallaram told them that he had purchased the tea packets from a man at a cheaper price.
Shopkeeper arrested
A cheating case was registered against Mallaram and he was arrested.
“Representatives from the tea company checked the seized tea packets. Investigation is on,” the officer said.
State asked to strengthen testing of farm produce
After hearing the submissions, the bench concurred and said that there was a need to strengthen the testing of farm produce and poultry.
The high court told the state to direct local bodies to inspect the produce.
Mumbai: The Bombay high court has taken cognizance of complaints by a petitioner complaining of absence of proper machinery to check for contamination with pesticide residue, antibiotics and veterinary drugs in food articles like vegetables, fruits and meat in the state. The HC directed the state to take instructions from relevant departments set up laboratories under the control of local authorities and also form inspection squads to visit poultry farms in the state. The court also directed the state to direct local bodies to inspect the produce being sold at APMC markets and consider setting up laboratories there. The directions were issued in light of the complaints by the petitioner that all edible items were being treated with harmful antibiotics, insecticides and pesticides that were violative of food and drug rules.
A division bench of justices Naresh Patil and Nitin Sambre was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Citizen Circle for Social Welfare and Education, an NGO through advocate Shehzad Naqvi seeking directions to the union and the state to set up a mechanism to curb intentional contamination of food products by the producers and farmers which was resulting in health hazards to consumers. While referring to the sorry state of affairs the petitioners stated that there was no inspection apparatus to check on usage of antibiotics in poultry farms. Referring to section 21 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which deals with veterinary drugs, pesticides and antibiotic residues found in meat, vegetables and fruits, Mr Naqvi said that the centre and state should form a mechanism to check these.
After hearing the submissions, the bench concurred and said that there was a need to strengthen the testing of farm produce and poultry. "There is a need to set up inspection squads and laboratories to test for the harmful residue in all food items," said justice Patil. He instructed the state to rope in local bodies and take instructions on setting up of inspection squads and laboratories within each district and at local markets too.
Govt for crackdown on contamination of fish
Mercykutty Amma releases kit for quick detection of ammonia, formaldehyde
The government is gearing up for a crackdown on chemical contamination of fish, Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma has said.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, she said move was afoot to clamp down on traders using hazardous chemicals for preservation of fish. The operation would be carried out jointly by the Fisheries and Food Safety Departments.
The Minister released a kit developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) for quick detection of ammonia and formaldehyde, commonly used as preservatives for fish. Named CIFTest, the kit includes a paper strip that is laced with a reagent after rubbing on the fish. In a process akin to a litmus test, the strip changes colour as the reagent interacts with ammonia or formalin.
K. Ashok Kumar, one of the scientists at CIFT who developed the kit, said 18% of the samples collected from various fish markets during the validation of the kit had shown dangerous levels of ammonia and formaldehyde, indicating the public health hazard. Most of the highly contaminated samples were collected from traders importing fish from other States. CIFT has recommended better cold storage facilities at fish-landing centres and markets to eliminate the use of chemical preservatives.
The Minister, who later distributed the kit to Matsyafed and Food Safety officials, said the CIFT would transfer the technology for mass production. She said periodic inspections would be carried out at fish markets across the State and promised stern action against traders using hazardous chemicals to extend the shelf life of fish.
Ms. Mercykutty Amma said the government was framing legislation for regulation of fish marketing in the State. The proposed Bill was aimed at eliminating middlemen in the fish marketing chain and ending the exploitation of fishermen, she said.
It envisaged a greater role for fishworkers’ cooperative societies in procuring directly from fish landing centres and bringing fresh fish to the consumer.
Earlier, officials from the Fisheries and Food Safety Departments, accompanied by the Minister, collected samples from fish vendors in the Palayam market here. All the samples tested negative for ammonia and formalin, a press note issued here said.
PK Agarwal gets extension as CEO, FSSAI
Pawan Kumar Agarwal has been given extension of tenure as Chief Executive Officer in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for a period of three months.
Feb 13, 2018
‘Nalla ennai’ not ‘nallennai’: Govt cracks down on misbranding
A total of 277 outlets, mostly in the districts of Salem, Namakkal and Tirupur, were found selling inedible oil as edible oil, according to government records.
Samples were lifted from nearly 930 outlets recently by food safety officers (FSOs) across the state following complaints that there was rampant adulteration in edible oil sold at rural areas. Sincethe resultswere bothersome, an oil committee was constituted under the state food safety commissioner to look into the issue.This committee in November 2017 held a meeting with all FSOs where FSOs pointed out that both edible and inedible were being manufactured and sold in the same premises and the latter was misbranded as edible.
Following this, the committee released a set of guidelines for manufacturers and packers of both categories of oils, said commissioner P Amudha. Accordingly from January 2018, edible oil manufacturers were banned from printing details about taste, quality or health benefits on the wrapper since phrases like ‘super refined’, ‘extra or micro refined’, ‘cholesterol friendly’ and ‘saturated fat free’ were misleading consumers at times.
It is mandatory for inedible oil packers from now on to print a picture of a lamp on thewrappers legibly (occupying at least 30% of the total space) in order to make it clear that the product is not suitable for cooking and can be used only for lighting lamps. As far as edible oil is concerned, ISI-marked containers should notbeclosedwithlead soldering; repacking iscompletely banned.
FSOs were instructed to ensure that no one with skin diseases or communicable ones are employed in these units. Officials have been directedtobe vigilant aboutfrequent change of addresses by repackers and relabellers to evade legal action and take necessary legal action under the provisions of theFSS Act.
Food operators have also been instructed not to stock edible and inedible oil on the same racks, Amudha added. Long-termuseof adulterated edibleor cooking oil might result in a medical condition named epidemic dropsy, say medical experts.
Customs shall not clear article of food without valid shelf life: FSSAI
New Delhi, Feb 12 (KNN) The food watchdog, FSSAI, today said that the customs authorities will not clear any article of food unless it has a valid shelf life.
Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2018 FSSAI has notified regulations on Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2018.
The notification amends the requirement relating to shelf life of imported product at the time of port clearance.
As per this notification, Custom Authorities shall not clear any article of food unless it has a valid shelf life of not less than sixty per cent, or three months before expiry, whichever is less, at the time of import, said Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Further, one more provision stating “the importer shall submit certificate of sanitary export from authorized agencies in exporting countries for the categories of food as may be specified by the Food Authority from time to time” has also been inserted.
This will help in the risk prioritization and in effectively dealing with high risk products intended for import. The said regulation will come into force on the date of their finalization, FSSAI said.
HIGH ON NUTRITION
The increasing health consciousness and awareness among consumers is compelling them to move over to organic food products, says Dr Saurabh Arora
The demand for organic foods began with fruits and vegetables when there were reports of pesticide residues in them. However, the popularity of organic foods has now extended to foodgrains, pulses, tea, spices and even oilseeds. According to a report in a leading newspaper, the organic food market in India is growing at 20-22 per cent annually. India has a rich heritage in organic farming and data shows that about 1.5 million hectares are certified as organic. In 2016-17, India exported `2,478 crore worth of organic commodities like oilseeds, cereals, millets and processed organic foods.
HEALTH advantages
Organic foods have gained popularity because people have become aware of their benefits. They contain no chemical pesticides or fertilisers and are grown naturally with manure or compost along with insecticides. Children are more susceptible than adults to diseases caused by chemical pesticide residues in food and thus parents prefer organic foods. Another advantage is that organic foods do not contain growth hormones or antibiotic residues. Animals are often given growth hormones and antibiotics in animal feeds which are directly transferred into animal foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. In organic farming, these practices are banned and animals are usually fed in natural surroundings. Eating antibiotics containing foods frequently makes antibiotics ineffective in humans.
Saviour of the Eco-system
Organic farming is a lifeline not only for small farmers who receive a fair price for their produce but the environment also gets a fillip. Another area where organic farming proves useful is, it encourages the growth of varieties of natural foods and prevents loss of species. These natural varieties are tastier and nutritious as well. Today, more than natural species the hybrid varieties are dominating agricultural crops. Organic farming is carried out in harmony with nature so it helps in the preservation of the natural environment, wetlands etc. which in turn support wild life. It reduces pollution caused by chemical pesticides and fertilisers in the environment. Wildlife, insects, frogs, birds, and micro-organisms are able to play their natural roles.
Certified quality
Organic food products are grown under a natural system of agriculture without the use of synthetic fertilisers. Therefore, any food for sale under organic foods in India needs to comply with the provisions laid down under either the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) administered by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) or the Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) operated by the ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. There are a number of organic brands that use the term “organic” on labels but if these products are not certified then their authenticity is suspectible to violation.
Organic FOOD REGULATIONS
According to the Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), foods that are labelled organic but not certified cannot be considered safe. The ICRIER also mentioned the need for a uniform standard for organic foods in its last report. Now, the Food Safety Standards and Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations 2017 along with the unified logo for organic food products, supported with the tagline Jaivik Bharat. All organic foods certified under this logo need to convey the full and accurate information on labels about the organic status of the food. The Jaivik Bharat logo will henceforth be recognised as a mark of quality assurance given by the above mentioned certification bodies in India or any other bodies recognised by FSSAI.
The people who buy organic foods in India come from all socio-economic backgrounds. However, what is common is these people are mostly health-conscious consumers who do not mind paying a bit more than conventional foods. They do not mind paying a little extra for the comfort of knowing that they and their families are safe from the perils of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and antibiotics. What these consumers must also understand is that they must not blindly buy foods labelled “organic” but must look for the certification mark ,which truly authenticates the food as being organic. This logo certifies that the organic food is indeed free from all kinds of adulterants like pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, antibiotics and so on. With the regulatory framework in place, consumers can feel safer in the knowledge that the organic foods and products they are buying are indeed authentic and safe for their health and well being.
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