FOOD SAFETY LATEST

Jul 22, 2018

New mantra for Pepsico, Mondelez: Less salt, sugar

Urban consumers are shifting towards organic foods, which will prompt more firms to cut salt, fat and sugar

PepsiCo India has cut salt content by 13% in Lay’s India’s Magic Masala variant and 15% in the Spanish Tomato Tango variant, the company said.

New Delhi: Snacks and beverage makers are under pressure to shape up. Mondelez International, which makes Cadbury chocolates, and PepsiCo India are responding to changing consumer preferences by cutting salt, fat and sugar.

PepsiCo India, which sells snacks under the Kurkure and Lay’s brands, said on Wednesday it has cut salt by as much as 15% in its Lay’s potato chips brand to counter health concerns.

“Consumer activism against high salt/sugar content is picking up in India with urban consumers shifting towards wholesome and organic foods,” said Rajat Wahi, partner at consulting firm Deloitte India.

“We will see more such companies committing to create well-balanced products with low sugar, salt and fat content,” he said.

PepsiCo India has cut salt content by 13% in Lay’s India’s Magic Masala variant and 15% in the Spanish Tomato Tango variant, the company said. PepsiCo India introduced a healthier ‘multi-grain’ variant of Kurkure in April this year with 21% less salt content.

“We have reduced 5-25% sodium across popular variants of our snacks flagship brands, Lay’s and Kurkure, and we further aim at reducing sodium in 75% of our food portfolio by 2025,” said Jagrut Kotecha, vice-president, snacks category, at PepsiCo India. The firm plans to launch low-fat Baked Lay’s chips in the next two years in India.

Mondelez India, which sells Cadbury Dairy Milk, 5 Star and Perk chocolates, said it is planning to cut sugar content in its offerings. The company, whose chocolate brand Cadbury completes 70 years in India this year, hopes to ride on the increasing awareness and inclination among consumers to buy healthier food and beverages.

“We want to drive balanced indulgence and responsible consumption. In the long term, we are looking at innovations which could offer consumers the opportunity to consume something which has reduced sugar in it,” Anil Viswanathan, director, marketing (chocolates), at Mondelez India, said without giving details.

Mondelez said its current focus is to create products, across categories, in formats like Home Treats (bite-sized chocolates across Cadbury, Perk and 5 Star brands) where portion sizes can be controlled.

Both Mondelez and PepsiCo recently signed up for food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India’s Eat Right Movement, along with 12 other firms. They have pledged to cut sugar, salt and fat content and launch healthy products over three to seven years.

DINAKARAN NEWS

Why your fish is fishy

Food apps in hot water over hygiene

Owner of gutka unit gets bail

Coimbatore: Amit Jain of New Delhi, the owner of the illegal gutka manufacturing unit at Kannampalayam near Sulur that was raided in April, has obtained conditional bail from the Madras high court.

Police sources said that after submitting surety, he will have to appear at the Sulur police station every day until further order from the court. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) officials are also planning to question him in connection with the case.

A special team of the city police had camped in New Delhi for more than a month to nab Amit Jain. But they failed to trace his whereabouts.

Amit Jain had bought a textile mill at Kannampalayam in 2010 and procured machineries to manufacture tobacco products in 2011. After the Tamil Nadu government banned the sales and manufacturing of gutka and other tobacco products, he got the licence to manufacture sweet betel nut from (FSSAI) in 2013. But he manufactured banned tobacco products at the unit and supplied the items across the state in the name of VIP. But police failed to detect the illegal operation for five years. Coimbatore SP Moorthy, who got a tip off in April, had sent a special team to the spot. The police team raided the unit and seized raw materials used for manufacturing gutka. Police also seized 3.24 lakh sachets (648 kg ) of gutka from the unit and 750kg of pan masala.

4,500 kilo jaggery seized on suspicion of adulteration

Erode: Food safety officials raided the jaggery shandy at Chithode here on Saturday and seized 4,500kg jaggery worth 1.5 lakh on suspicion that they might have been . The seized jaggery would be destroyed, if they were found to be adulterated.

A team led by T Kalaivani, designated food safety officer of Erode district, conducted the search based on a tip that manufacturers were mixing chemicals, including sodium hydrogen sulphate, lime (Calcium oxide), sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, superphosphate and alum, into jaggery.

“Sodium hydrogen sulphate, a bleaching agent in textile industry, is used to whiten jaggery. The chemical should not be used in jaggery manufacturing,” said Kalaivani, adding, “Sugar is mixed into jaggery to enrich sweetness. It is harmful to people, especially ones with diabetics.”

Officials have collected samples and sent them to a government lab. “Strict action will be initiated against manufacturers if samples were found to be adulterated,” she said.

Officials have also seized nattu sarkarai to check whether it was mixed with sugar.

Kerala to strengthen monitoring of fish

Move to impound vehicles carrying contaminated fish

In the wake of seizure of 5,000 kg of formalin-laced fish from Vadakara here, the Kerala Food Safety Department is seeking the help of the police and the Motor Vehicles Department to impound vehicles carrying adulterated fish. Food safety officers heading various circles in the district will work as a team to expose the traders who collude with suppliers in Tamil Nadu to get stock at cheaper rate and sell it at higher margins in local markets. Efforts are also on to track the stock that had reached the city from Tamil Nadu. The officers suspect attempts to hide the contaminated stock using cold-storage facilities or convert it as dry fish to make profit. Regional squads will trace such stocks procured secretly and destroy them, an officer said.

Network of informers

“We are allowed to conduct vehicle checks on getting information about movement of adulterated fish by road. Our network of informers is broader now and we are confident of instantly tracking such suspected vehicles,” P. Jithinraj, an officer attached to the squad, said.

Keeping safety factors in mind, the conventional practice of sending back the suspicious stock to the suppliers has been stopped.

Following the latest directives from the Food Safety Commissioner, fish, if found adulterated after tests, will be destroyed on the spot. The officers say the move will prevent efforts to push the adulterated consignment again into the market.

Since the detection of formalin-laced fish from the other States in the local market, local fish traders have been experiencing a setback in business and a steep decline in their income.

Annoyed by the trend, some of the vendors have come out in support of the Food Safety Department’s drive against the unsafe stock.

Fish merchants at the Nadakkavu market say they take the stock directly from the local fishers as most of the buyers are interested only in the local catch.

Cong files police complaint against FDA director

PANAJI

The Congress party on Saturday filed a complaint at the Agacaim police station against food and drugs administration director Jyoti Sardesai seeking her arrest for misleading the people of Goa over the ‘formalin-in-fish’ row.

The lone Opposition party in the state asked the police to register an FIR against the director, who has been under fire after the FDA blew hot and cold over the results of fish samples drawn for testing formaldehyde.

“Jyoti Sardesai should be booked under various sections of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India Act, and also under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. We have filed a complaint with the police… we demand that an FIR should be registered immediately and she should be arrested,” said North Goa Congress district president Vijay Bhike while addressing a press conference in Panaji.

The Congress alleged that Sardesai tampered with the evidence found by the designated officer at the Margao wholesale

fish market and twisted the reports of the fish samples “in favour of certain politicians and fish mafia”.

The party also accused Sardesai of not following the sampling and testing procedures prescribed under the FSSAI Act.

Raising doubts as whether Sardesai was qualified to hold the post of the FDA director, Bhike asked the government to “discharge” her from the services immediately.

“If she continues to hold the position of the FDA director then I feel that there could a danger to the public health, as under her tenure the FDA has restricted itself to pharmaceutical companies overlooking the matter of food safety in Goa,” he claimed.

Former Calangute MLA Agnelo Fernandes demanded that all the people in the state who have been eating fish for the past many years should be screened for cancer.

“The government is well aware of the people who are involved in the fraudulent practice of lacing fish with formalin. And if the government fails to take action and arrest them then we will move the High Court,” he warned.

Jul 21, 2018

DINAMALAR NEWS

FSSAI directs e-commerce entities to debar non licensed FBO's

FSSAI directs 10 e-commerce firms to delist non-licensed food operators

Box8, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, Foodpanda, JusFood, LimeTray, Swiggy, UberEats and Zomato have been directed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI).

Food regulator FSSAI today directed Swiggy, Zomato, Foodpanda and 7 other such apps to stop using edibles supplied by non-licensed operators after consumer complaints of sub-standard food being served through e-commerce platforms.

"Following a series of complaints related to sub-standard food being supplied by food businesses listed on e-commerce food service platforms, FSSAI has directed 10 such platforms to debar the non-FSSAI licensed/registered food operators and ensure compliance of food safety rules and regulations," the regulator said in a statement.

Box8, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, Foodpanda, JusFood, LimeTray, Swiggy, UberEats and Zomato have been directed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI).

In February this year, FSSAI had operationalised guidelines for e-Commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs).

As per the guidelines, the listed FBOs on e-commerce platforms need to display their licence numbers. It also mandated an agreement between the e-commerce platforms and FBOs to comply with the Food Safety and Standards ct, Rules and Regulations.

"However, FSSAI noted with serious concern that the compliance to these guidelines was patchy and there were complaints of restaurants/hotels without FSSAI license being listed and allowed to offer/sell food products on e-commerce food service platforms," the statement said.

There were also several complaints of sub-standard food being delivered to consumers through online market aggregators, it added.

"Food authority, in its direction to e-commerce food service platforms has asked them to initiate immediate action to delist the defaulting food businesses and submit an action taken report along with details of FBOs listed on their platforms by 31st July 2018," the regulator said.

FSSAI has also directed the e-commerce platforms to furnish their FSSAI license, agreement signed with FBOs and their internal checks to ensure that their FBOs hold valid FSSAI licences.Stating that consumers will welcome this new move that aims to increase food safety, the regulator said that the online food platforms need to work harder to ensure compliance as soon as possible with this new legal framework.

FSSAI asks food delivery platforms to de-list non-licensed eateries

Move comes after receiving complaints about supply of sub-standard food

NEW DELHI, JULY 20

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has directed leading food aggregators such as Zomato, Swiggy and UberEats to de-list all restaurants and eateries that do not have an FSSAI licence or registration.

It has also asked them to submit a report on the action taken to delist such eateries or food vendors listed on their platforms by July 31.

This move comes after the food safety regulator received a series of complaints about sub-standard food being supplied by restaurants and vendors listed on these delivery platforms.

10 delivery platforms

The regulator has ordered 10 such online food delivery firms to “debar” non-licensed or unregistered restaurants or eateries from their platforms immediately and to ensure compliance with the food safety rules and regulations. These firms are Zomato, Swiggy, and UberEats, Foodpanda, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, JusFood, Box8 and LimeTray.

This is also significant as the food safety authority had operationalised guidelines for e-commerce food service platforms in February. Under these guidelines, it is mandatory for them to display the FSSAI licence number of the restaurants and eateries listed on their platform. In addition, they also need to have an agreement with these listed eateries regarding compliance with the FSS Act and Rules.

“It is time the online food platforms work harder to ensure compliance with this new legal framework,” FSSAI said in a statement on Friday.

FSSAI, however, noted with “serious concern” that the compliance to these guidelines was “patchy” and there were complaints of restaurants and hotels without FSSAI licence being listed and allowed to sell food products on e-commerce food service platforms. There were also several complaints of sub-standard food being delivered to consumers through online market aggregators, FSSAI release added.

Besides asking them to submit an action taken report, FSSAI also asked food aggregators to furnish details of the restaurants listed on their platforms, agreement signed with these eateries and mechanisms they have adopted to internally check if these restaurants have valid FSSAI licences.

FSSAI directs 10 e-commerce firms to delist non-licensed food operators

New Delhi, July 20 () Food regulator FSSAI today directed Swiggy, Zomato, Foodpanda and 7 other such apps to stop using edibles supplied by non-licensed operators after consumer complaints of sub-standard food being served through e-commerce platforms.

Box8, Faasos, FoodCloud, Foodmingo, Foodpanda, JusFood, LimeTray, Swiggy, UberEats and Zomato have been directed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI).

In February this year, FSSAI had operationalised guidelines for e-Commerce Food Business Operators (FBOs).

There were also several complaints of sub-standard food being delivered to consumers through online market aggregators, it added.

FSSAI officials use test kit to check formalin presence in fish

FSSAI officials conducting raid at a fish market in Coimbatore on Friday.HANDOUT_E_MAIL

Fish markets under surveillance of authority for last three weeks

A six-member team from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) led by Designated Officer B. Vijayalalithambigai on Friday stepped up their ongoing drive against use of preservatives such as formalin in fish by raiding the old (wholesale) fish market as well as the new corporation fish market.

During the drive on Friday, the officials used for the first time a Rapid Fluorescent Formalin Kit also known as Spot Test Kit to ascertain the presence of formalin in the fish within a matter of few minutes.

Ms. Vijayalalithambigai told The Hindu that the fish markets have been under the surveillance of FSSAI for the last three weeks and shops selling fish in both the markets are being subjected to checks. The drive is supported by the Fisheries Department.

On Friday, because of the ban on fishing in Arabian sea, there was no arrival of consignments from Kerala and the various varieties of fish that arrived from Rameswaram from Bay of Bengal were subjected to spot test.

The officials using the kit, extracted 1 cm of flesh from the fish and smashed it well before mixing it with a 20 ml diluent and after one or two minutes of observation, the water above the flesh was tested. In the tests conducted on Friday, none of the samples/water went through any colour change (normally water turns yellow if formalin was present), thus indicating that there was no formalin presence in the fish.

Officials also said that fishermen or wholesale dealers inadvertently use formalin as a preservative for the longer shelf life of fish. But, they should realise that presence of formalin will result in irritable sensation while consuming the fish.

Formalin will also trigger allergic reactions, throat pain, stomach upset and above all formalin (normally used for preserving human bodies or parts) will turn out to be a carcinogen triggering cancer.

While vigil is being stepped up and fish traders are being sensitised, the FSSAI officials exhorted people to ensure that the fish after cleaning is repeatedlywashed before cooking.

Food safety officials test fish samples for formalin

SHILLONG: Meghalaya Food safety officials today began random testing of fish samples using the latest test kits for traces of carcinogenic formalin in fishes imported from other states, an official said.

"Today, food safety officials conducted 20 random tests on fishes imported from other states mainly from Andhra Pradesh and they were all tested negative for formalin," Food Safety deputy commissioner S N Sangma told .

He said 20 samples were collected from wholesalers and randomly tested by using a simple, rapid detection kit for any traces of possible uses of formalin as a preservative.

The test kits, called 'CIFTest' have been developed by Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and yesterday 14 of such kits have arrived in the state, according to Sangma.

Today the tests were conducted on fishes collected from wholesalers in the state capital and from tomorrow, fishes samples in other districts will also be tested using the CIFTest kits, he said.

The state is awaiting 13 more fish samples sent for detailed testing at the State Laboratory in Assam. 13 of the 26 samples were tested negative for formalin, Sangma said.

Meghalaya imports about 21,000 million tonne of fishes annually from Andhra Pradesh and Assam despite improvement in fish productions in the state in the last five years, Fisheries Minister Comingone Ymbon said.

He said the state produces only 12,330 mt in the FY 2016-17 while the total requirement is about 33,000 mt annually.

5,000 kg of formalin-laced fish seized

Lorry carrying contaminated fish was coming from TN

A Food Safety squad on Friday seized around 5,000 kg of fish preserved in formalin from a lorry at Puthuppanam, near Vadakara, in Kozhikode district. The lorry was on its way from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kozhikode.

The squad confirmed the presence of the preservative using a testing strip developed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT).

Stock buried

Soon after the preliminary test proved the presence of formalin, the seized stock was buried. Four packets of samples, each weighing 500 gm, will be further tested at the CIFT and the Kozhikode Regional Analytical Lab.

Vadakara Food Safety Officer P. Jithinraj said the squad got a tip-off on the stock from a Motor Vehicles Department squad in Vadakara. The lorry was parked at Puthuppanam following a mechanical snag. There were two persons, including the driver, in the vehicle at the time of the inspection, he said.

132 boxes

There were 132 boxes of adulterated fish in the lorry. The fish was loaded from Tamil Nadu for distribution among retailers in the district.

The driver and the cleaner of the lorry are Keralites. Legal action would be recommended against the Tamil Nadu-based suppliers on the basis of the lab report.

“We have been checking all the suspected stocks in the wake of recent reports on adulterated fish. In support of the drive, we have been given three testing kits containing the newly developed strips,” said Mr. Jithinraj.

Food Safety Officers Febina Mohammed Ashraf, Renjith P. Gopi and Vishnu S. Shaji were part of the team that impounded the lorry.

Jul 20, 2018

DINAKARAN NEWS

Ice manufacturers cool to using dye

Food regulator has stipulated that ice used for industrial purposes needs to be coloured

In May, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a circular that ice manufactured for industrial purposes must be differentiated by adding a blue dye.

However, little has changed on the ground with ice manufacturers maintaining ignorance of the circular and officials saying that they have launched a campaign to raise awareness.

Along the State’s long coastline, hundreds of small and big ice manufacturing units flourish and few follow the norms laid down by the food safety regulator. In Ramanathapuram, the district collector issued a release three weeks ago about the new FSSAI notification. But food safety officials say that it is impossible to implement the order unless the manufacturing units are sensitised.

“The ice manufacturing units in these areas are usually 30x40 ft. buildings with a cement tank and employ at the most 2-3 people,” said P. Nallathambi, a designated food safety officer in Cuddalore district. The units use water from borewells, store them for a few days before freezing them. “In Cuddalore alone, there are 35 units manufacturing industrial ice. Fishermen pick up blocks of ice before launching their expedition,” he added.

Thoothukudi has five major ice manufacturing units and 12 small units and all of them use colourless ice bars, mostly for preserving fish. A total of 245 mechanised boats operate from Thoothukudi fishing harbour and another 107 boats from Tharuvaikulam fishing harbour, 10 km from Thoothukudi.

From Kanniyakumari’s Chinna Muttam and Colachal fishing harbours, around 465 boats are operated and the fish is preserved in colourless ice.

The FSSAI circular says that as ice used for industrial purposes is not safe for consumption, it needs to be differentiate from edible ice with a dye.

“Synthetic colour permitted under the Food Safety Act is to be used,” Mr. Nallathambi said.

Early days

Food safety officers in Ramanathapuram said it is too early to take action against industrial ice manufacturers. They would need to be given time to switch over to coloured ice, an official explained.

A senior FSSAI official in Coimbatore said that the food regulator has launched efforts to enforce colour differentiation for non-edible ice. “Chances are high for non-edible ice to be used in bakeries, cool bars and roadside juice stalls,” said B. Vijayalalithambigai, a designated FSSAI official in Coimbatore.

Laboratory examinations of groundwater in the past in Coimbatore have shown the presence of heavy metals and harmful bacteria like E. coli.

As per the new norms, manufacturers can use permitted colours like indigo carmine or brilliant blue up to 10 parts per million for dyeing non-edible ice whereas edible ice will remain colourless.

FSSAI officials had found that colour coding for non-edible ice was not being followed when they conducted a joint inspection with the Fisheries Department to check the use of preservatives in fish sold at Ukkdadam fish market last week though the colour distinction had come into effect from June 1. “A list of industries manufacturing non-edible ice will be drawn up to enforce the norms,” said Ms. Vijayalalithambigai.

Many vendors opt for large ice blocks instead of ice cubes made of potable water as the former cost ₹6 per kg, whereas ice cubes in packets are priced ₹10 per kg.

M. Karthikeyan, vice-president of the Bakery Owners Welfare Association in Coimbatore, insisted that 90% of the 500-odd bakeries in Coimbatore have switched to packet ice cubes.

Awareness campaign

FSSAI is planning a mass awareness campaign for bakery owners, operators of juice stalls and roadside vendors to prevent the use of non-edible ice in beverages and other eatables.

In Tiruchi, ice block manufacturers said they had not received any communication from the Food Safety Department on colour differentiation of edible and non-edible ice. Though the manufacturers maintained that they use both potable and borewell water for making the ice blocks used for preserving perishable food items.

An ice manufacturer based in Thuvakudi said the salt in the water sourced from borewells gets separated in the process of conversion to ice. Another manufacturer in Palakkarai sid ice cannot be made with impure water.

"The colour will show up easily. In fact, ice blocks made with rain water will also have a pale yellow shade," he said.

Bleeding colour

Though ice manufacturers in Madurai were aware of FSSAI’s guidelines. K. Suresh Kumar, head of SS Ice Company in Kalavasal, said that only one local manufacturer had tried adding colour. “That member faced deep losses because non-edible ice to which blue colour was added became a problem for him when it was used to preserve flowers and fish. The produce began acquiring a blue tint. Our main target groups stopped purchasing ice from the company. Fearing a similar plunge in numbers, we did not follow the practice,” he said.

“We make ice using borewell water and it is fit for consumption. We do not understand why the government is insisting on such regulations,” he said, adding that the FSSAI should instead conduct regular inspections at ice manufacturing companies to spot fraud.

“In Madurai, a 50 kg bar costs ₹120. The scaremongering has caused us unnecessary trouble and has brought forth distrust. Juice sellers, who are our primary ‘edible ice’ customers, are vigilant about poor quality ice. It is they who should maintain hygiene when selling their products,” he said.

FSSAI officials maintained that the colour would not bleed onto the preserved objects. “The ice when it dissolves will run as blue water. It will not damage the fish or any object that it preserves,” Mr. Nallathambi said.

10 kg decomposed fish seized from Dindigul fish market

Madurai: Dindigul food safety officials seized and destroyed 10 kilograms of decomposed fish from the fish market, when they went there to check if chemicals were used to preserve fish.

Regular checks are conducted after allegations emerged that formalin was used to preserve fish sold in markets in Tamil Nadu. The food safety department in Dindigul, led by the designated officer K Natarajan conducted the raids on Thursday.

While, no formalin laced fish was found, officials found fish that had begun decomposing as its shelf life had expired. Natarajan said that there was no evidence of preservatives being used in the fish.

This market gets its supply from Kerala, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari. If the fish is stored with proper refrigeration and icing (using ice), it would remain fresh for a period of three to seven days, he said. “Some fish imported from abroad are stored in cold storage below minus 20 degrees and are good for many days. If these methods are not used, they begin to rot.”

The shopkeepers found selling the decomposed fish were warned that they could face upto six months jail term with Rs 5 lakh fine, if they were found guilty again. Sources said that, the fish sold in this market are kept in the open most of the time. Decomposed fish was common during summer and it would be better if officials conduct frequent checks in the market.

Jul 19, 2018

DINAMANI NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

Pesticide in Hyd Kids food 40 times more than in US

City to have a cleaner, healthier street food culture

Thiruvananthapuram: If all goes as per the plan of the food safety department, the city will soon have a ‘safe street food zone’. With the department also planning to introduce apps to rate all street food shops in the city, the concerns regarding the quality and hygiene of street food will also be addressed. The changes will be as good for customers as it is for vendors in the city, which has around 250 street food joints, 180 of which are members of the association of vendors.

Food safety commissioner M G Rajamanickam said that the department had held a discussion with mayor V K Prasanth to identify stretches which could be declared as ‘safe street food zone’. “Once we get a street exclusively for street food joints, we could ensure a standard for hygiene, infrastructure and quality. Only vendors who agree to our norms will be allowed to function and thus we could ensure standards,” he said.

Earlier, there was a proposal to start a street food zone at Manaveeyam Veedhi. However, the project did not take off due to protest from the part of various groups which had argued for keeping the stretch as a cultural corridor.

The plan for rating street food joints has been conceived to provide customers a say on the functioning of street food joints, which the department believes will make vendors more responsible. The department has contacted Kerala Startup Mission to develop an app that could rate various factors of all eateries. “The KSUM will inform startups about our demand and we hope they will come up with a suitable app that will enable customers to give rating and reviews,” Rajamanickam said. The food safety department will provide another rating after checking infrastructure, hygiene, medical certificates of staff, waste management etc. “Our rating will not be based just on infrastructure. We will check all aspects from farm to fork,” Rajamanickam added.

Abbas A, the owner of Irani Fast food joint, which has been functioning at Vellayambalam for around 25 years, welcomed the decision to introduce rating. “Rating is a welcome move, especially when you are keen on hygiene. When we started the business, there were only 3-4 street food vendors in the city. Now the association of street food vendors itself has over 180 members,” he said.

FSD to challenge ADCs in food adulteration cases

Srinagar, July 18: The Food Safety Department (FSD) seems unsatisfied over the penalties imposed by Additional Deputy Commissioners in substandard cases and would challenge them before the Food Safety Appellate Tribunal.

An official of the FSD said that it was not satisfied with the "meager" amount imposed as fine by ADCs in substandard food cases in the Valley. The ADCs are adjudicating officers to decide on the penalty in food adulteration cases.

The official said that restaurants, traditional bakers, milk vendors, butchers, and various others who sell eatable items have been found violating various provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.

During various inspections, the official said that it was also found that "synthetic colours" were being used in many popular food items. "But ADCs, who are adjudicating officers, have imposed lesser fine against gravity of cases," the official said.

The official said that Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 was not being executed "properly" in the state. The Act came into force across the country in August 2011. The Act was also to ensure improved quality of food for the consumers and censure misleading claims and advertisement by those in food business.

The official said that they were framing a list of cases, which would be challenged before the Food Safety Appellate Tribunal Kashmir (FSAT).

"A list is also being compiled where we will challenge the ADC orders in substandard food cases," he said.

The FSAT was made operational in 2017. Principal District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Yousuf Akhoon has been appointed its Presiding Officer.

The official said that FSAT will hear the appeals against the orders of adjudicating officers.

"Anyone can challenge the orders of the ADCs who are adjudicating officers in imposing penalty in substandard cases. The FSD is compiling list of cases for challenging the orders of adjudicating cases where meager amount has been imposed against the gravity of the case," he said.

Giving an example in one of the cases, he said, "Fine was imposed against an outside company for selling adulterated milk. The said company challenged the order. We decided the case and imposed Rs 5 lakh fine, more than penalty imposed by adjudicating officer keeping into consideration its gravity," he said.

CIFT-FSSAI issue guidelines on usage of formalin in fish

Visakhapatnam: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) have issued guidelines regarding formalin (formaldehyde) adulterant, which is rampant these days to artificially enhance the shelf life of fish during its inter-state transportation as well as for local consumption. Formaldehyde is banned for use in foods as per the Food Safety and Standards Regulations of 2011.

Consumption of fish adulterated with carcinogenic formalin can adversely impact health, causing abdominal discomfort, vomiting and kidney damage. Scientists have prepared these guidelines to alert consumers, traders and food testing laboratories on the best practices to avoid, restrict and detect formalin adulteration in fish.

Consumers themselves can check raw fish for adulteration by using a simple, rapid detection kit called ‘CIFTest’, which has been developed by CIFT.

“Adulteration of fish with unapproved chemicals and additives are undertaken by traders and suppliers to extend the storage life of fresh or chilled fish and artificially improve the sensory attributes and present a façade of freshness. Monitoring studies by the FSSAI referral laboratory on fish and fish products and CIFT have reported the presence of residues of these hazardous chemicals like formaldehyde, ammonia and illegal use of additives like sodium benzoate in freshly marketed fish/fish products, inter-state fish consignments and even in ice used during transportation,” said R Raghu Prakash, scientist in-charge of CIFT-Visakhapatnam.

“Unavailability of good quality ice at harvest centres, inadequate insulation during domestic transport and lack of warehousing facility for bulk storage of fish are some of the reasons for rampant use of easily-procurable formaldehyde in domestic fish marketing. Presence of these hazardous chemicals compromises health of consumers and needs immediate intervention from the enforcement agencies,” he added.

As per the guidance note, consumers have been advised to wash all food thoroughly with running tap water to help remove formaldehyde to a large extent. Fish should also be washed thoroughly before cooking, which should be done properly in an internal temperature of 75°C or above, as heat from cooking can also aid the removal of volatile formaldehyde. Also, the flesh should be checked to see whether it has turned opaque and can be separated easily. Consumers can check raw fish for formaldehyde adulteration using CIFTest.

The traders should refrain from using any unapproved chemical during any stage of storage, transport or supply, and ensure that cold chain or proper icing procedure is followed during inter-state transportation of fish. Food testing labs should ensure that fish samples collected for formaldehyde detection do not come in direct contact with ice. Edible portions of fish (muscle along with skin) should be used for analysis.

Central fisheries institute develops kit to detect formalin in fish

Central Institute of Fisheries Technology - ICAR has developed a kit which can detect the presence of the chemical compound in just two minutes.

HYDERABAD: After the news about the presence of formalin, a carcinogen, in fish set alarm bells ringing among seafood lovers, Central Institute of Fisheries Technology - ICAR has developed a kit which can detect the presence of the chemical compound in just two minutes.

Though officials from the Telangana Fisheries Department said that there was no need to worry about the presence of formalin in fish sold in Telangana, they said the rapid test kits would be procured as the precautionary step. Formalin is a solution containing around 37 per cent of formaldehyde. According to guidelines recently issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and ICAR-CIFT, ingesting large amounts of formaldehyde can cause severe abdominal pain, vomiting coma, renal injury and possible death.

“WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies formaldehyde as a carcinogenic for human beings. Formaldehyde is not permitted for use in foods as per Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2011,” said the guidelines.

The chemical compound is used by some traders and suppliers to extend the storage life of fish or to make the fish shine which gives a false impression that the fish is fresh.

In Telangana, officials from State Fisheries Department said that traders who market fish bred in reservoirs and tanks within the state do not use formalin as it takes only three to four hours to transport fish between any two extreme points in the state. Earlier, officials said that it takes around 10 hours to transport fish from AP to Telangana and there was no need to add the chemical compound to keep the fish fresh.

How does the kit work?

CIF Test consists of a paper strip that changes colour if it detects the presence of formalin

The strip is swabbed over the surface of fish three to four times followed by one drop of reagent

Colour developed is compared with the standard chart provided

Food safety officials inspect stalls for formalin-laced fish

Erode: Food safety officials inspected 70 fish stalls across Erode district on Tuesday evening and checked whether fish were laced with formalin.

Officials from the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administrative Department (TNFSDAD) warned owners not to use formalin to preserve fish and advised them to use natural ways of preservation.

In the city, a team of officials led by district designated officer (DDO) T Kalaivani inspected the fish market near Erode Railway Junction. “We did not seize any formalin-laced fish,” said Kalaivani.

While inspecting the stalls, officials asked the owners about the techniques used by them to naturally preserve fish. They advised them to use glass boxes to store fish and keep the stalls clean and free of flies.

Kalaivani appealed the public to contact TNFSDAD officials if they found chemical-laced fish in the markets across the district. “People can reach us at 0424-2223545 during official hours between Monday and Friday,” she said.

FDA to test fish for formalin from today

Samples to be collected from outlets

After the Goa government banned fish imported from other States as a precaution, the Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) will start testing fish for formalin on Thursday.

FDA commissioner Pallavi Darade said inspectors will randomly visit retail outlets, fish markets, and suppliers to collect samples. “During monsoon, a majority of fish supply comes from other States. After Goa has found formalin-laced fish in several consignments, we have to start our precautionary tests too,” Ms. Darade told The Hindu.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Wednesday released a document for general public on dos and don’ts before eating sea food. According to the FSSAI, consumers should thoroughly wash fish with running tap water as formaldehyde is soluble in water and fish should be cooked to an internal temperature of 75 degrees centigrade and above as heat can help remove the chemical.

The food safety authority said ingesting a large amount of formaldehyde can cause abdominal pain, vomiting, coma, renal injury, and possible death.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organisation classifies formaldehyde as ‘carcinogenic to humans’ with sufficient evidence for causing nasopharyngeal cancer in humans with occupational exposure, although no carcinogenicity has so far been established through ingestion route.

Traders use formalin to extend the storage life of the fish. The chemical also helps give an appearance of freshness. According to the FSSAI, as the formalin solution is easily available in the market, fish traders and suppliers have easy access to the chemical. Often, unavailability of good quality ice harvest centres and lack of warehousing facility for bulk storage are some of the reasons for rampant use of formaldehyde.

A fishy matter: on the formaldehyde contamination of fish

Concerns over formaldehyde contamination of fish need to be addressed — scientifically

Reports of traces of the chemical formaldehyde in fish in several States highlight both the uncertainties of science, and the importance of clear risk-communication. In June, the Kerala government found formaldehyde-laced fish being transported into the State. Soon after, The Hindu carried out a joint investigation with the Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University to look for formaldehyde in Chennai. The study revealed around 5-20 ppm of the chemical in freshwater and marine fish in two of the city’s markets. Next, Goa reported similar findings. But its Food and Drugs Administration later said the levels in Goan samples were on a par with “naturally occurring” formaldehyde in marine fish. This triggered suspicions among residents, who accused the government of playing down the health risk. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has banned formaldehyde in fresh fish, while the International Agency for Research on Cancer labelled the chemical a carcinogen in 2004. The evidence the IARC relied on mainly consists of studies on workers in industries such as printing, textiles and embalming. Such workers inhale formaldehyde fumes, and the studies show high rates of nasopharyngeal and other cancers among them. But there is little evidence that formaldehyde causes cancer when ingested orally. A 1990 study by U.S. researchers estimated that humans consume 11 mg of the chemical through dietary sources every day.

So, why is formaldehyde in fish a problem? For one thing, fresh fish should not have preservatives, and the presence of formaldehyde points to unscrupulous vendors trying to pass off stale catch as recent. Two, the lack of evidence linking ingested formaldehyde with cancer doesn’t necessarily make the chemical safe. At high doses, it causes gastric irritation. Plus, the lack of data could merely mean that not enough people are consuming formaldehyde regularly enough for its carcinogenic effects to show — the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. There is a third complication. When certain marine fish are improperly frozen during transit, formaldehyde forms in them naturally. But this formaldehyde binds to the tissue, unlike added formaldehyde, which remains free. And so, measuring free formaldehyde versus bound formaldehyde can be one way of distinguishing a contaminant from a naturally occurring chemical. In this context, the Goan government must clarify its claim. Did the Goan FDA measure free formaldehyde or bound formaldehyde? If it measured the sum of both, on what basis did it conclude that the chemical came from natural sources? Some formaldehyde consumption may be unavoidable for fish- lovers, and it may not be a health risk either. But the line between safe and unsafe consumption should be drawn by experts, in a transparent manner. The Goan claim doesn’t meet this criterion. This is why, instead of allaying the fears of consumers, it is stoking them.

Something fishy on the table

A fear of fish contaminated by the preservative formalin has spread across several states. What’s going on?

Goa Chief Minister Manohar ParrikarWednesday announced a 15-day ban on the entry of fish from other states, and ordered border checks to stop trucks bearing fish from outside. The action came a day before the Assembly’s monsoon session, and after over a week of the state being gripped with the fear of fish contaminated by formalin.

How scare started

At 3.30 am on July 13, officials from the state Food and Drug Administration raided markets in South and North Goa, and picked up samples from 17 trucks carrying fish from Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. The samples included mackerel, sardines, rockfish, clams, ladyfish, prawns, and white pomfret.

As fish traders protested, Agriculture Minister Vijai Sardesai tweeted that afternoon: “Any knee-jerk action aimed at creating panic is uncalled for…. Thankfully FDA has now confirmed that reports indicate fish showing no trace of formalin and hence #safe…”

The FDA, however, issued a statement in the evening, saying the seized fish did indeed contain formalin — though “within permissible limits”. It said the samples, brought to their lab on a “war footing”, had confirmed the presence of “formaldehyde”, a chemical which, in a compound with water and a stabiliser, is commonly referred to as formalin.

On July 14, Parrikar himself posted on Twitter: “I am personally monitoring the issue of “Formalin in Fish” and have directed FDA to seize all trucks carrying such fish or any other food items… and to punish & bring all such violators to face the law.”

An FSSAI advisory clarified that “formaldehyde, the laboratory name for formalin, is not permitted for use in foods as per Food Safety and Standards Regulation, 2011”. (Illustration: C R Sasikumar)

Before Goa, elsewhere

The first reports of formalin-laced fish came from Kerala. On June 24-25, the Kerala Food Safety and Fisheries Departments in a joint raid seized 9,600 kg of contaminated fish at Arayankavu in Kollam district. Separately, 6,000 kg of contaminated fish was seized at Walayar in Palakkad district. In Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu officials have been carrying out raids almost every other day for the last two weeks, but laboratory tests have so far returned negative for formalin.

Najid K K, Assistant Director, Fisheries, Ernakulam, said the formalin scare is not a “new alert”. Samples had been first picked up two years ago. “Consumers were approaching us, saying the fish didn’t smell and didn’t decompose even outside the fridge. There was even a complaint saying fish remained fresh on the dining table for two days,” Najid said. Kerala, which consumes around 10,000 tonnes of fish every day, has been carrying out a storm of raids under its umbrella fish safety and hygiene campaign, Operation Sagar Rani. And the Kochi-based Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (CIFT) has now developed a detection kit for formalin — paper changes colour if rubbed on fish laced with the chemical — that is in use in several states.

The Andhra connection

A Kerala FDA official said fish trucks from Andhra Pradesh, which sometimes use fake Kerala registration plates, often contain a formalin-laced cargo. “They have to have ice and fish in the ratio of 1:1, but even then, the distance is long, and fish tends to spoil. Formalin helps delay decomposition,” the official said.

According to officials across three states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Goa — aquaculture harvests from Andhra Pradesh tend to have the biggest chances of formalin contamination. The state has around 4,000 hectares under aquaculture, which produces harvests in the monsoon, when trawlers from most states do not go to sea, and supplies dry up.

Kerala officials recalled a case of Vannamei shrimp, an export variety from Andhra, which was sold at an inflated price of Rs 350 per kg, and remained good for consumption for over 15 days compared to its normal shelf life of two. On another occasion, the price of freshwater Andhra tilapia was seen to go up three times to Rs 180 per kg. Kerala officials have sent a communication to their Andhra counterparts, expressing apprehensions about middlemen using the chemical on the fish.

Supplies from Andhra have been suspected by officials in Assam as well who, incidentally, imposed a ban on the entry of fish from outside even before Goa.

The offending chemical

Formalin is a preservative mostly used in forensic museums and morgues where autopsies are conducted. Dr Shailesh Mohite, forensic chief of Mumbai’s Nair Hospital, said formalin is used to harden human tissue for post mortem examinations. “It tightens the cellular architecture, and is used in forensic museums. In morgues, we use formalin to ensure the specimen doesn’t decompose,” he said.

Dr Mohite was clear that formalin “should never be consumed by humans”. Even in laboratories, he said, “we use only a 10% solution, so with 900 ml of water, we use 100 ml of the chemical”.

Formalin could also be carcinogenic, doctors said. Pawan Kumar Agrawal, CEO of India’s food safety regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), said there is “no permissible limits for formalin”, thus refuting the Goa FDA’s claim. An FSSAI advisory clarified that “formaldehyde, the laboratory name for formalin, is not permitted for use in foods as per Food Safety and Standards Regulation, 2011”. According to FSSAI, the most common reasons for “dishonest traders” using formalin is the “unavailability of good quality ice at harvest centres, inadequate insulation during domestic transport and lack of warehousing facility for bulk storage of fish”, besides the easy availability of the chemical.

Jul 18, 2018

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

5 TONNES ADULTERATED TEA POWDER SEIZED

DINAMALAR NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

DINAMANI NEWS

DINAKARAN NEWS

Food safety officers appointed

Eight Food Safety Officers have been appointed for Virudhunagar district.

The jurisdiction of seven municipalities and 11 panchayat unions have been revamped to six municipalities and two panchayat unions. People can alert and lodge complaints about food adulteration and serving of eatables under unhygienic conditions in this district to the Food Safety Officers.

New food safety officers

District Collector S. Prabhakar said that new food safety officers have been appointed in the district and asked the public and food business operators to contact them for clarifications.

Officials include K. Ravi – Erode City 1 (97503-69495); S. Selvam – Erode City 2 (89733-20229); E. Govindaraj – Erode City 3 (94430-11687); M. Muthukrishnan – Bhavani Municipality, Erode block (77080-90043); S. Kulandaivel – Gobichettipalayam municipality (99765-88656); P. Neelamegam – Punjai Puliyampatti municipality; Bhavani Sagar (98429-12322); N. Sathishkumar – Nambiyur block (73730-20734); C. Manoharan – Perundurai block (99445-19671); P. Ezhil Sekiya Raja – Kodumudi block (98656-89838); A.A. Palanisamy – Modakurichi block (93855-69322); M. Lakshmi – Bhavani, Ammapet block (95005-28466); M. Kodeeswaran – Anthiyur block (98433-58056); S. Selvakumar – Talavadi block (73731-78787) and M. Sakthivel – Gobichettipalayam and T.N. Palayam blocks (90956-02246).

Formalin found in samples

Fish in a few hotels have tested positive; vendors alerted

A few samples of fish lifted from a couple of hotels in the city have tested positive for formalin.

Hotel industry sources, which confirmed the findings, said they had informed their vendor, and had asked him to check with his source. “We returned the contaminated fish and have asked him not to source from that person again,” the sources said.

Most hotels have tie ups with laboratories or have in-house testing facilities to check for quality of items used in cooking.

A source at one laboratory said that of 30-odd samples collected, 5 to 6 showed traces of the chemical. While the kits may not work below a particular level, even traces are enough to confirm the presence. “The standard is that formalin should be absent in fish,” said a source.

On watch

After reports of formalin in fish surfaced, hotels have been on the watch.

“We have not found any chemical content so far in the fish that we buy. We are taking daily samples and checking at our in-house facility. We have educated our vendor about the dangers and asked him to be careful while making purchases,” said a hotelier. However, none of the 19 samples lifted by the Food Safety Department tested positive for formalin at their lab in Guindy, authorities claimed.

Note issued

Meanwhile, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has issued a note.

It has advised consumers to thoroughly wash fish with running water since the chemical is soluble in water and washing will aid the removal of the chemical to a large extent.

It also said that formaldehyde was not permitted as per the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011.

Stale meat, biriyani seized from hotels, destroyed

Stale poultry meat and biriyani, along with soft drinks stored beyond their date of expiry, were seized by Food Safety Officials from two hotels in Charring Cross here on Tuesday and destroyed.

Officials said that a team, led by Designated Food Safety Officer Karunanidhi, along with Food Safety Officers from the Ooty, Coonoor, and Gudalur municipal areas, D. Nandakumar, S. Govindaraj and S. Senthil Kumar, inspected six hotels in the Charring Cross area on Tuesday, as part of a routine exercise.

However, the officials said that they found that chicken and biriyani at two of the hotels had been prepared a few days ago and had been stored inside a freezer to be reheated and sold to the public.

They seized 15 kg of chicken and 5 kg of stale biriyani from the two hotels and destroyed the items. They also destroyed around 20 litres of soft drinks which were kept in the stores beyond their date of expiry. They warned the hotel owners of stern action, including cancellation of their licence if the offence was repeated.

Comply with food safety norms’

Amritsar, July 17

In order to make hoteliers comply with the safety guidelines under “Tandarust Punjab” mission and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India guidelines, the health department is sending messages to the owners on daily basis on their phones.

District Health Officer Dr Lakhbir Singh Baghowalia, the brain behind the idea, said, “We send a message every morning in which we remind them about how many days are left to comply with the instructions.”

Earlier, the department in a meeting chaired by deputy commissioner and attended by hoteliers asked them to comply with the food safety guidelines within seven days.

“The purpose is to keep reminding the hotel owners about the instructions so that they cannot excuse themselves from the liability later,” said Baghowalia.

“Under the mission, ensuring sale of hygienic food is one of the foremost targets. The hoteliers should also consider it as their ethical and moral duty to ensure good quality food is served to the customers as playing with someone’s health for a little money is immoral,” he added.

Food Safety officials raid restaurant

Collect samples of some dishes

Officials of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted raids on Alfa Restaurant in the city and collected samples of some dishes.

They served notices on the restaurant management on poor hygienic conditions and for preserving meat for a long period.

The team led by Assistant Food Controller N. Purnachandra Rao conducted surprise checks on Tuesday, on the restaurant located in the city and other branch, being run by the same management.

They found chicken, mutton and other items preserved in the refrigerators in the restaurant.

“We collected samples of Chicken Tanduri and Chicken Biryani, which would be sent for testing,” said Mr. Purnachandra Rao.

Food Inspector G. Venkateswara Rao said that there was no food licence for the restaurant. The case is under investigation, Mr. Rao said.

Food inspectors recruitment: High Court impleads PSCs of Telugu States

PIL filed against unchecked incidence of artificial ripening of fruits

Hyderabad High Court on Tuesday suo motu impleaded the Public Service Commissions of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition to ascertain details of recruitment of Food Inspectors in the two Telugu States.

The petition seeking action by governments of the two States against usage of chemicals like calcium carbide for artificial ripening of fruits was heard by a division bench comprising Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan. During earlier hearings, the HC observed that absence of adequate number of food safety officers was becoming a stumbling block in checking artificial ripening of fruits.

This was emboldening fruit merchants to indulge in indiscriminate usage of chemicals for ripening fruits, posing a health hazard. The HC sought to know the systems and hierarchy of food safety mechanisms in both the States.

On Tuesday, the Special Government Pleaders for AP and Telangana, D. Ramesh and Sanjeev Kumar respectively, submitted to the bench the strength of the Food Inspectors they had. They explained that the Food Inspectors were being recruited in the two States through their respective PSCs.

Lawyer Niranjan Reddy, who was appointed as amicus curiae by the HC for assistance in the matter, brought to the notice of the bench on Tuesday that the two States had been claiming about recruiting Food Safety officers for past several months. The same submissions were being made repeatedly, he said. On hearing both sides, the bench decided to implead the PSCs of the two States to ascertain details about the appointments of food safety officers before finalising the petition.

Jul 17, 2018

DINAKARAN NEWS

Food safety cannot be left to chance: Time to incentivise states for action

FSSAI being the apex regulatory body, is having important responsibilities and functions to perform to ensure food safety in the country.

To reduce the economic burden due to foodborne disease, India needs to invest in ensuring food safety for the masses.

Food-borne Disease Burden

The foodborne disease burden is a global concern both in terms of human sufferings and economic costs. The global burden of foodborne illnesses in 2010 was 600 million cases worldwide, with 4,20,000 deaths. The burden in South-East Asia alone, including India, is about 150 million cases and 1,75,000 deaths, with India having the highest mortality (60,000 to 70,000 deaths in 2016) for children under five years of age, and an estimated economic burden of foodborne illnesses. A recent World Bank report (2018) estimated that the annual economic costs of foodborne illness were to the tune of about $28 billion (Rs 1,78,100 crore) or around 0.5 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) every year.

FSSAI as regulator

Food Safety and Standard Authority (FSSAI) being the apex regulatory body, is having important responsibilities and functions to perform to ensure food safety in the country. As per our evaluation, in the last six months of the year 2018, FSSAI has come out with more than 50 well appreciated proposals or initiatives to revise the existing regulations, standards, food safety practices, guidelines, norms testing methods, etc. and some of them are as follows:

FSSAI issued an alert on chocolates with plastic fragments; set norms for safe and healthy food to children in schools; warned food operators for artificial ripening of fruits; showed safe driving message on alcoholic beverages; indicated calorie count on restaurants’ menu; launched the Food Safety & Standard (organic foods) Regulation, 2017; notified E-commerce; banned advertisement of HFSS products for children; declared life imprisonment for milk adulteration; planning to limit trans fats in oils and vanaspati by 2 per cent by 2022; and most recently, it amended law to stop reuse of edible oils. FSSAI also set standards for millets, pulses, alcohols, fruits and vegetables, seasoning food products and oil and fat categories, and has organised so many awareness and orientation programmes for different stakeholders in the country.

However, the hope that FSSAI completes the due work of revising the standards and regulations, puts in place a basic structure of implementation and builds an ecosystem in the country for food safety by the end of 2018 as mentioned.

Besides, hope that there would not be much criticism of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) about its overall performance this year, and if at all there, they are addressed effectively and urgently.

States need to be incentivised & outperform

In the beginning of this year, Health Ministers from different states adopted a joint resolution with seven-point charter and agreed to enhance state of food safety in India.

Until last financial year (2016-17), despite having online registration system only 7,92,780 licenses and 3039762 registrations of FBOs have been done by the states. Among the states, Maharashtra provided licenses and registrations to 2,05,688 and 6,91,285 registrations to FBOs (Food Business Operators), followed by Uttar Pradesh with (4,02,072) registrations.

In India, total 4,398 officials are looking after the food safety sector across the states. Among the states, Uttar Pradesh has maximum i.e. 842 officials followed by Tamil Nadu with 644 officials.

In 2016-17, total 60,671 samples were analysed, 14,130 were found adulterated, 10,640 cases were registered against the offenders, but only 1,596 cases were convicted. Out of the total convicted 80 per cent (1,273 cases) were from Uttar Pradesh alone and in north-eastern states — Rajasthan, Punjab and Odisha not even a single conviction was reported.

During the year, in 3,978 cases penalty was imposed and total penalty amount was `14.8 crore. In India, there are total 125 NABL Accredited Food laboratories, 72 Public Food laboratories and only 16 Referral Food laboratories, which are not sufficient at all.

If states intend to enhance the food safety, they need to develop key infrastructure, such as putting in place the implementation and monitoring mechanism, develop capacity at all level, develop cold chains, storage facilities, better testing capacity, crop protection and animal health which they are currently lacking.

To reduce the economic burden due to foodborne disease, India needs to invest in ensuring food safety for the masses. If we see the current funds at the disposal to FSSAI for food safety from grant in aid and other sources, this is not more than `75 crore per year (around 20 percent of this money remains unspent every year). Therefore, earmarking merely 1 per cent of the cost of the foodborne disease, which comes around `18 billion per year, and providing more to the states, to begin with, can solve the problem.

Self-compliance and cross learning can give answers

Since the food safety compliance by the states, has been a weak area, the approach of FSSAI of self-compliance by the businesses and building their capacities to do so seem to be rewarding. It would also be good to introduce third-party auditing, so that instead of food inspector or FSO, the third-party can do the compliance verifications. The usage of more and more state of the art technology, online platforms, etc. would be very useful and will rebuild the much eroded consumer confidence about food safety.

India is actively learning the modernised techniques from various developed nations and all our neighbouring countries like Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan are striving hard to learn the same from India. The International Cooperation Cell of FSSAI, in last three years, has signed official MoUs for experience sharing and others, with more than 10 to 15 countries, including the USA, the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, which hold top world ranking in food safety performance. But the question is that why not our states learn from each other when so many best practices are around. If states remain laxed and are not incentivised, it is unlikely for India to ensure food safety in its nearfuture.