Oct 15, 2019
Biodiesel from used cooking oil to fuel a revolution
The Indriyam team with the working model of the plant they developed to convert used cooking oil to biodiesel, in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday.
Start-up project to generate 250 litres per day
Imagine a local taxi or truck fleet operating on blended biodiesel manufactured in-house from used cooking oil sourced from restaurants, caterers and bakeries in the neighbourhood. That situation may sound too far-fetched but it could become a reality soon, if the pioneering work by a biotechnology start-up here comes to fruition.
Sensing an opportunity in the government’s drive to cut oil imports by turning used cooking oil into biodiesel, the company named Indriyam Biologics has developed a working model that can generate 250 litres of biodiesel per day.
Pilot project
“If things go according to schedule, the pilot project will be launched next month,” says R. Dileepkumar, founder and CEO of the start-up operating from SCTIMST-TIMED, a technology business incubator established by the Sri Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST) here.
Launched with funding from the Carbon Zero challenge of IIT- Madras, Kerala Startup Mission, Department of Science and Technology, and the SCTIMST, the project involves development of a compact, portable and safe-to-handle processor for localised production of biodiesel from used cooking oil. The company has applied for a design patent on the miniaturised plant that could switch from the chemical to enzyme-based trans-esterification process.
“We hit upon the idea of small-scale production of biodiesel, as most of the big biodiesel plants in the country suffer from poor supply of raw material,” explains Dr. Dileepkumar.
“On the other hand, the reuse of cooking oil poses a health hazard while its disposal pollutes the environment. Conversion to biodiesel addresses both the issues.”
The company hopes to tap big restaurants, caterers and units making banana chips and other fried snacks to ensure the supply of raw material. It is in talks with the Kudumbasree Mission to establish decentralised units.
In August this year, the Central government had announced that State-run oil marketing companies would procure the entire supply of biodiesel produced from used cooking oil for a three-year period. The scheme that seeks to ensure the supply of biodiesel to be blended with normal diesel has been launched in 100 cities across the country.
FSSAI direction
Earlier, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI ) had stated that from March 3, eateries would not be allowed to reuse cooking oil more than three times. FSSAI has directed all food business operators to dispose of used cooking oil to authorised agencies for conversion to biodiesel.
Take action on panel report seeking ban on sachets, pouches within 3 months, NGT tells govt
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal Monday directed the Centre and other agencies to take action within three months on a report by an expert committee which sought ban on small water bottles, pouches and cups saying these constitute a considerable amount of plastic waste.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that based on the recommendations of the expert committee, "the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Directorate General of Health Services, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and other agencies concerned shall take action within three months in accordance with law".
The report, submitted recently by the panel, has stated that lighter, portable, and cost-effective nature of single serve "sachets/pouches/bottles" continues to make them an attractive proposition for the low-income consumers as well as young and active millennials.
"Smaller pack sizes/single serve packaging also have brought better quality and premium products affordable to all the sections of the society. But on the other hand it constitutes to the major plastic waste and litter, as their collection is economically non-viable. "Hence, in consultation with Legal Metrology Department the small pack sizes such as small water bottles, pouches, cups which constitute a considerable amount of plastic waste may not be allowed," the panel said.
During its deliberation, the expert committee noted that food and beverages, drugs and cosmetics and textiles are major items of mass consumption that use plastic packaging.
"All municipal bodies must be made responsible for development and setting up of infrastructure for segregation, collection, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of the plastic waste either on its own or by engaging agencies or producers as mentioned in the Plastic Waste Management Rules.
"Citizens, especially the socially engaged ones living in urban areas with wide access to information, have adopted more environmentally conscious consumption habits oriented toward recycling, reusing and composting the waste that derives from their domestic consumption," the report said.
The Expert Committee noted that while regulatory provisions for restrictions on the packaging by use of plastic material are mostly in place, there is lack of coordinated approach and implementation of these provisions is poor.
The tribunal had in May set up an expert committee to probe whether there is a need for further norms to restrict plastic packaging of food products after a plea has sought a ban on it citing health and environment concerns.
The panel comprised representatives of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, Bureau of Indian Standards, Central Pollution Control Board and Directorate General of Health Services.
NGT was hearing a petition filed by NGO Him Jagriti Uttaranchal Welfare Society seeking ban on the use of plastic bottle and multi-layered/plastic packages /pet bottles.
Use of plastics, including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and multi-layered packs such as Tetra Packs, has an adverse impact on health and environment, the plea said, adding that it also results in increase in plastic waste.
It had said the notification dated December 24, 2018, issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare under Section 92 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 deals with the issue of packaging mode of food but it ignores Antimony and Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) in specific migration limits provided for plastic packaging.
Diwali crackdown: FDA to collect samples from all sweet shops
Bhopal: Officials of the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) department will cover all sweets shops to collect samples before Diwali.
Senior food safety officer, Bhopal, D K Verma, said that samples would be collected from all sweets shops before Diwali to ensure that adulterated sweets are not sold for the festival of lights.
On Monday, FDA officials collected seven samples of packed sweets and namkeen from the godown of the super stockist of a company at Govindpura, which sells a variety of packed sweets and namkeen items in the form of gift packs on Diwali.
An FDA team collected samples of rasgulla, gulab jamun, Sonpapdi, Rajbhog and papad from the godown, which would be sent to the laboratory to test their quality. The FDA team also seized 10 packets of amchur, 15 bottles of lime juice and four packets of ajwain, which were beyond their expiry date. The FDA team destroyed all the stuff in the godown that was beyond their expiry date.
An FDA team also raided a sweets manufacturing factory in Govindpura on a tip-off. During the raid, it was revealed that sweets and namkeen in the factory were being manufactured for a sweets shop in Piplani. The team collected five samples of Kaju Katli, Malai Burfi, saltless mathari, gulab jamun and namkeen from the factory for testing.
The FDA also appealed to manufacturers and traders to use quality ingredients to manufacture sweets and namkeen items for sale in the festival season, not to use adulterated or substandard things to prepare sweets or namkeen, not to store stale edible goods, not to sell anything unsafe for human consumption. The officials said that if anyone is caught selling adulterated, impure or substandard edible goods, he would face strict action under the provisions of Food Security Act.
Food Safety Laboratory With FSSAI On The Road To Excellence
GUWAHATI: The road to excellence seems to have been paved for the century-old food testing laboratory (State Public Health Laboratory, Assam or SPHLA) with the FSSAI (Food Safety Standard Authority of India) sanctioning Rs 10 crore to upgrade it so as to enable it to maintain even micro-level food safety standard. The good news is that Rs 7.20 crore of the sanctioned Rs 10 crore has already been released.
Set up by British India in 1920 in Shillong, SPHLA is one of the oldest such laboratories in India. However, in 1973 the laboratory was shifted to the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) from where it was shifted to its present location at Bamunimaidam, Guwahati.
Apart from Assam, four other States – Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim – have been depending on this laboratory for maintaining food safety standards. Departments like Customs, NF Railway etc also depend on this laboratory for getting their seizures examined and analysed.
Talking to The Sentinel, a top-level official of the SPHLA said, “In fiscal 2018-19, the FSSAI granted Rs 10 crore for upgrading SPHILA, and Rs 7.20 crore of it has already been released. With the released funds we’re importing three sophisticated machines – LC-MS-MS (Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry), GS-MS-MS (Gas Chromatography Triple Quadropole Mass Spectrometry) and ICP-MS Inductivity Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry – are being imported from Germany and the USA. The installation of such machines will enable us to examine and analyse micro-level pesticides present in food materials.
“Because of the absence of such state-of-the art machines, we’ve not been able to conduct a number of micro-level tests that are mandatory under the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006. We’re conducting tests of around 1,000 cases annually.”
The official further said that the laboratory is going to get accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories. Only five of the 77 such government laboratories in the country are accredited ones.
Oct 12, 2019
Tea Board warning on adulteration
Attempt to colour leaf will be punished
The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union had threatened to stop the dispatch of made tea from Thursday
Tea Board India on Friday warned of legal action against those adding colour to tea.
It said there was no provision for use of colour in tea and advised all stakeholders to follow the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines for not using any colour in tea, which leads to food safety, health, trade and quality problems.
FSSAI 2011 regulation 2.10.1 (1) on tea says, “The product shall be free from extraneous matter, added colouring matter and harmful substances.”
The board tested samples of a bought leaf factory in Assam which had used a yellow colouring substance and it will soon take action to cancel its licence.
The colouring agent is tartrazine, a synthetic lemon yellow azo dye primarily used in food colouring. It is sometimes used to give good colour to tea.
It said colour adulteration was strictly prohibited from the consumer’s health point of view and colouring of tea had gradually become a serious concern. Tea (finished product/made tea) occasionally contains extraneous colouring materials which are not allowed. It is called adulterant tea.
“There are occasional reports that sub-standard tea leaves were coloured with Bismarck brown, potassium blue, turmeric, indigo, plumbago and others to impart some favourite colour or glossiness to the product. Tea leaves which were damaged during manufacturing process or are of inferior quality are being treated with various colouring agents to improve their appearance and price. Colouring materials which are added to tea do not add any value to the product,” the Board said in a notice.
There are some colours which are non-toxic and permitted by FSSAI, and can be used in products like sweets and fruit juices. FSSAI permits use of eight synthetic colours in specific food items and tea is not included in that list.
It said black teas are usually treated with plumbago (black lead), also used in pencils, but there was no evidence that using it was deleterious to health. However, adding foreign matter to teas for the purpose of deception should be strongly discouraged. Scientific studies are required to evaluate the impact of using colour to health. Prussian blue is also used in colouring tea, which reports suggest was a toxic substance. Adulteration in tea leaves is usually done by treating processed leaves with a mixture containing Prussian blue, turmeric or indigo, among others.
The board said a simple screening test could help detect colour in tea. It involves use of a microscope where a portion of the leaves can be mounted as an opaque object where the colouring matter will appear in small dots. There are also some chemical methods to identify the colour in tea.
Adulteration can be also detected by simply rubbing a small quantity of tea between thumb and forefinger. Artificially coloured tea results in a bright stain when rubbed.
Another way is to fill a glass with cold water and put some tea on the surface. If the water colour changes immediately, it is certain that the tea has been dyed with soluble colours.
Not in safe hands
In whose interest? The 2017 FSSAI-Nestle handshake was shameful, considering the company was still under the scanner
The way the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is cosying up to the very food industry it is supposed to regulate, it would appear it has forgotten that it is not a promotional agency but a legally mandated regulator. The FSSAI is supposed to establish food safety standards and enforce them as per law, acting as the custodian of public health, just like the Food and Drug Administration in the US. For the promotion of food industry and business, the Centre has a dedicated wing — Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
Food and drug regulation is divided between the FSSAI and the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI). In both, the influence of powerful industrial and business lobbies has been a matter of concern. In 2012, the parliamentary committee on health had exposed the dubious nature of drug regulation, and reminded the DCGI that its job was to protect consumer interest and public health and not promote the interests of the pharmaceutical industry. Now, the FSSAI is going the same way.
The FSSAI came into existence as a result of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and started functioning a couple of years later. The food industry influence on the regulator was seen at the very genesis of the authority when it packed all its scientific panels with representatives of the industry it sought to regulate. The panels were supposed to formulate standards for various things such as levels of pesticide residue, food labelling, genetically modified content in food, food supplements, recall, fisheries products, etc. Appointing food industry executives on these panels was grossly unethical as well as illegal. The law clearly lays down that members of scientific committees should be ‘independent’ experts. These committees were cleaned up following uproar in media and rebuke from the Supreme Court.
Within a few years, the industry — perhaps nudged by the regulators — invented a way to subvert these panels once again. Instead of nominating people directly from Coke, Pepsi, Cargill, ITC, Nestle, etc., as was done in 2008, the FSSAI stuffed its panels with so-called experts from industry-floated and industry-backed, dubious think tanks, associations and so-called private research institutes.
When this industry-regulator arrangement was exposed recently in international and national press, the FSSAI has come out with draft guidelines on ‘working with the private sector’. These guidelines are nothing but poor justification of what has been going on in the authority in the past few years. It is now seeking to legitimise its cosy arrangement with the global and national food industry. The guidelines say that ‘any candidate currently working/employed or associated with private food businesses of their research centres cannot be considered for appointment’ in any scientific panel. The authority will have to sack half the members and chairmen of its panels if the proposal is implemented honestly. The guidelines also justify the participation of CEO and other senior officials of the authority on panels of some vague food safety centres established by industry associations, as long as ‘the work of such centres is fully aligned with the aims and objectives of FSSAI’. There is inherent conflict in this — the objective of private industry and food biggies is profit, while the FSSAI is supposed to protect public health and consumer interest. Where do the two sets of interests align? Why should the CEO of public-funded FSSAI rub shoulders with food companies who are answerable only to their shareholders?
Ironically, the present rot in food regulation follows a major food product recall by the FSSAI in 2015 — Nestle’s Maggi noodles — for mislabelling. This recall had jolted global food giants. Here was a promising market for highly processed food products and a food regulator which could bite. Food majors responded by unleashing high-pitch public relations and lobbying efforts through industry chambers, politicians, international associations and even World Bank. The goal was to make the FSSAI industry-friendly. Nestle floated a food safety research centre, Hindustan Lever got Confederation of Indian Industries to set up a centre for excellence in food safety, ITC gave the bait of training regulatory staff, and so on. In each of these activities, the FSSAI became an active partner and its top brass donned the cap of a champion of food industry, deviating from its legally mandated goal of protecting consumer health. The handshake of the FSSAI chief with Nestle in 2017 was a shameful act, given the fact that the company then was still under the scanner and was facing a class action suit. It continues to face trouble with other government agencies. In September 2019, two of its dubious research projects were ordered to be terminated by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) for flouting regulations relating to marketing of baby foods. The DCGI has been asked to examine if ethical approvals were taken for the two clinical trials sponsored by Nestle. But ignoring this, the FSSAI wants to work with the likes of Nestle, as is clear from the latest guidelines on ‘working with the private sector’.
Both the food and drug regulatory authorities should be above board if they have to win the confidence of consumers. Both must champion the cause of public health and consumer safety, and not become cheerleaders of the industry. Like the investigation by the parliamentary panel into the working of the DCGI, and recently into the working of another regulator — Medical Council of India — there should be one covering the functioning of the FSSAI. Knee-jerk reactions to occasional exposes into its working are not going to help. The authority needs an overhaul and a new system that ensures the highest levels of transparency. The blurring of lines between promotion and regulation is not in the interest of the public.
Your airline meal may come served in banana leaf
From disposable headphones and plastic cutlery to food scraps and toilet waste, the average airline passenger leaves behind over three pounds of garbage, according to one estimate. To get travelers and airlines thinking — and talking — about that rather large pile of trash, a British design firm has refashioned the economy meal tray, replacing plastic with renewable materials such as coffee grounds, banana leaves and coconut wood.
Jo Rowan, the associate strategy director of PriestmanGoode, said the firm is turning its attention to the less “glamorous” side of things. “Onboard waste is a big issue,” she said. “Knowing that you have four billion passengers per year, it all adds up very quickly.”
By far the biggest environmental issue with air travel is the associated carbon emissions, which are growing at a faster rate than predicted in previous, already dire projections.
But as air travel becomes increasingly accessible, airlines have been making public their pledges to curb their environmental footprints, including the plastic forks and leftovers their passengers leave behind.
The International Air Transport Association, a group representing about 300 airlines, conducted a study at Heathrow Airport in London and estimated that airlines generated about 6.7 million tonnes of cabin waste last year. As low-cost airlines proliferate, and as the tourism industry continues to court middle-class customers, that number could double in the next decade.
Pere Fullana i Palmer, director of the Unesco Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change, a research group, has taken an even deeper dive into the issue of airline trash.
Fullana i Palmer’s research group teamed up with Iberia Airlines, Gate Gourmet, Ferrovial and Ecoembes to analyse 8,400 pounds of garbage on 145 flights into Madrid. The group found that 33% was food waste, 28% cardboard and paper waste, and about 12% was plastic.
Fullana i Palmer agreed that legislation permitting more materials to be recycled or turned into biogas was needed, but said that change was possible.
In designing the onboard items, PriestmanGoode was conscious of heft because the more weight on an aircraft, the higher the fuel emissions.
Oct 11, 2019
FSSAI launches used oil collection plan
Madurai: Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO), a programme spearheaded by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) aimed at disposing used cooking oil in an environmentally safe way, was launched at a private city college on Thursday.
Food safety officials, representatives of Madurai district hoteliers association and oil manufacturers association took part in the launch, which took place in the presence of about 500 students of Lady Doak College. The purpose of the scheme is to make sure that the cooking oil used by bulk users such as hotels, snacks manufacturers and bakeries do not enter into the system again. Often such used cooking oil is sold at a cheaper rate to small eateries or disposed of in an environmentally hazardous manner.
FSSAI prescribes the limit for Total Polar Compounds (TPC) to be a maximum of 25% beyond which cooking oils are unsuitable for use. The TPC level increases when oil is reused more than three times and the prolonged consumption of food prepared in reused oil can cause serious health problems like hypertension, liver disease and cancer. Designated officer for food safety, Madurai district, Dr M Somasundaram said that the programme was organized in the college so that they can reach out to a large number of families directly. A sticker released during the launch will be pasted at hotels from where used oil has been promptly collected by them. Hence, such hotels can be considered safe for the public. The oil collected will be sent to a private company, where it will be converted into bio-diesel.
President of Madurai district hoteliers’ association K L Kumar said that the programme will help to wean used oil away from the system. Though they used oil only once, they used to sell it. The used oils were purchased by roadside eateries, but now it will directly be collected by officials to be converted into biodiesel. “There are 300 members in our association and around 50 of them took part in the function. All our association members will render cooperation to the food safety officials to make this programme a success,” he said.
FSSAI to collect used cooking oil
Madurai: Food safety officials will launch Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO), an ambitious programme by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to manage used cooking oil in an environment-friendly way. The purpose of the scheme is to ensure that cooking oils used by bulk users such as hotels, snacks manufacturers and bakeries do not enter into the system again. Often, used cooking oil is sold at cheaper rate to small eateries or disposed of in an environmentally hazardous manner.
FSSAI has made notifications in Food Safety and Standards (licensing and registration of food businesses), First Amendment Regulation, 2017 in this regard. The regulations prescribe the limit for the Total Polar Compounds (TPC) to be a maximum of 25%, beyond which cooking oil is not suitable for use. TPC is the widely accepted parameter to determine the quality of cooking oil. TPC level increases rapidly when oil is reused more than three times. Prolonged consumption of food prepared in reused oil can cause serious health problems including hypertension, liver diseases, increased cholesterol level and even cancer, according to food safety officials.
Designated officer for food safety, Madurai district, Dr M Somasundaram told TOI that they will launch the programme in a few days at a private city college so as to drive the message to a large number of houses. “We have identified five big players involved in oil trade in Madurai and from them a list of bulk purchasers, who buy 50 litres of oil a day, has been obtained. Oil will be collected from them to make biodiesel out of it,” he said.
For every 50 litres of oils used, there has to be waste oil of 10 litres. The waste oil will be sent to a private company with which FSSAI has forged a tie up. An estimated 4 lakh litres of cooking oils are distributed from Madurai to various southern districts. The oils are brought in container trucks and packed here, another official from food safety department said. Dr Somasundaram said that a sticker will be pasted in hotels, where waste oil is being collected by the food safety department. Customers can rest assured on the safety of the food in hotels with such stickers. “We have found that some bulk cooking oil users had been selling waste oil at cheaper rate in the market. However, we are yet to find out where the waste oil is being utilized,” he said.
An insider from oil manufacturers association said that the oil lands up in roadside chicken and snacks shops. Not all roadside shops are at fault, but those which sell snacks at a cheaper rate are doing it to cut costs. Although a major proportion of oil reaching Madurai is palm oil, only a fraction of it is being sold under that name. The rest is sold as various other cooking oils like ground nut oil, gingelly oil and sunflower oil by mixing essence. According to the insider, this was how traders are keeping the oil prices low. “For instance, it will cost Rs 230 a litre to manufacture groundnut oil, but the oil is available in market starting from Rs 120,” he added.
Experts raise questions on FSSAI draft about conflict of interest
The draft is silent on many aspects which proves that FSSAI wants to remain non-transparent, they say
Experts have raised questions over the draft framework prepared by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to engage with private entities.
The food regulator has been facing a barrage of criticism ever since it took a decision over making food fortification illegal.
The draft itself does not provide enough clarity that can bring transparency into the system and revive consumer confidence. The FSSAI usually maintains a silence on issues such as checks and balances while dealing with civil society and private food producers and associations.
In the draft, the FSSAI has proposed allowing members to voluntarily declare a ‘conflict of interest’ or ‘recuse’ themselves before any meeting of the Food Authority and Central Advisory Council.
But it is silent on the type of ‘format’ to check voluntary declaration. There is a further question mark over the grievance redressal mechanism if one violates the declaration.
“The format should be like United Nations bodies like the World Health Organization or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which include the claims of participants to avoid conflict of interest,” Vijay Sardana, agriculture policy and trade expert, said.
According to media reports, FSSAI’s scientific panels are made up of experts who have strong links with food and beverages companies.
For instance, the Standard Review Group (SRG), which reviews existing food standards, identifies gaps and suggests changes, is currently made up of members from private food associations.
The draft proposes the inclusion of representatives from reputed consumer rights groups and civil society organisations in the SRG and other technical panels.
But it is not clear about what the nature of the civil society groups should be. “There are a number of civil society groups funded by multinationals, which are on the advisory board of the FSSAI. This is a direct conflict of interest,” Ashwini Mahajan, national convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, said.
“There should be a policy to see to it that no foreign-funded civil society groups are on any board of authority,” Sardana said.
Besides, the draft also proposes dissemination of information, training and education through private parties. Experts feels that this part should also be under the FSSAI’s control.
The draft proposes the setting up of laboratories on public private partnerships and the testing of food at laboratories certified by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories.
“There is the important question of putting the results of food tests in the public domain on which the draft is silent,” Sardana said. “The draft is silent on a number of aspects which indicates the authority wants to keep its affairs non-transparent,” he added.
The draft was released on October 4 and is open for public comments.
Oct 8, 2019
Food regulator sleeping with 'enemy'
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has entered into several partnerships with organisations floated by food companies, sparking off concerns about conflict of interest since these companies are to be regulated by the Authority.
On its website, FSSAI lists its partnerships, which include one with an organisation called CHIFFS (CII-Hindustan Unilever Initiative on Food Safety Sciences). The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is an industry association that lobbies for corporate interests and Hindustan Lever's well known food brands include Knorr soups, Brook Bond tea, Lipton, Cornetto and Kissan.
The initiative includes other companies such as Dupont, Keventer Agro, Rasna, Nestle and Dabur. The partnership is "to co-produce food safety as a shared responsibility".
The witnesses for the MoU signed between FSSAI and CHIFFS include the regulatory affairs official of Coca-Cola and the executive director of Food and Agriculture Center of Excellence (FACE). FACE is a joint initiative of CII and Jubilant Bhartia, better known for Dominos Pizza and Dunkin Donuts. FACE and CHIFFS seem to have many common people in various capacities.
FSSAI's 'Eat Right India' campaign has involved several food businesses that have "come forward to voluntarily make commitments" on reducing transfats, sugar and salts in packaged foods and to promote healthier food options.
The website of the campaign, which lists almost every big food company as a partner, states that food businesses have been nudged to promote healthier food options in several ways. An industry notorious globally for resisting and even flouting regulation is being "nudged" for voluntary commitments though self-regulation by it hasn't worked in any other country.
Resource Centre for Health Supplements & Nutraceuticals (ReCHaN) is yet another "collaborative initiative of FSSAI, International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplements Association (IADSA) and CII". Partners of ReCHaN include DSM, one of the biggest multinationals manufacturing micronutrients, HerbaLife, Amway and SunPharma. IADSA described itself as a "global platform to guide the evolution of policy and regulation in the sector". It is primarily composed of 50 member associations representing over 20,000 companies worldwide and meant to give its members a part in shaping regulation globally and in individual countries.
FSSAI has also partnered with Global Food Safety Partnership (GFSP), a public-private initiative established by the World Bank "to improve food safety in low and middle income countries". GFSP's collaborators include food MNCs such as Unilever, General Mills, Cargill, Mars Inc and Nestle. GFSP is supporting FSSAI set up an International Training Centre in Mumbai and is also "facilitating study visits of FSSAI or Indian delegations to various countries".
In collaboration with Tata Trusts, and various international NGOs working in the field of nutrition, FSSAI is establishing a Food Fortification Resource Centre to "promote large-scale fortification of food and to nudge and facilitate food businesses to adopt fortification as a norm". Several Tata companies are under FSSAI regulation. The international NGOs involved include Food Fortification Initiative and Nutrition International. Almost all identify themselves as public-private collaborations with collaborators including some of the world's biggest micronutrient manufacturers, food companies or associations and research institutes floated by the food and beverage industry.
FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal told TOI that the partnerships were being wrongly interpreted. "Food safety is globally seen as a shared responsibility with focus shifting from prosecution to preventive action to ensure food is safe in the supply chain. We are extremely careful in partnerships as far as conflict of interest is concerned. Capacity building of food businesses and consumer awareness building are important parts of our roles," said Agarwal.
CII defended its partnership stating that CHIFSS initiatives were focused on building capacity and capability in high-risk areas and that there was no room for any conflict of interest in its initiatives.
FSSAI inks parnerships with those it is meant to regulate
On its website, FSSAI lists its partnerships, which include one with an organisation called CHIFFS (CII-Hindustan Unilever Initiative on Food Safety Sciences). The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is an industry association that lobbies for corporate interests and Hindustan Lever’s well known food brands include Knorr soups, Brook Bond tea, Lipton, Cornetto and Kissan. The initiative includes other companies such as Dupont, Keventer Agro, Rasna, Nestle and Dabur. The partnership is “to co-produce food safety as a shared responsibility”.
The witnesses for the MoU signed between FSSAI and CHIFFS include the regulatory affairs official of Coca-Cola and the executive director of Food and Agriculture Center of Excellence (FACE). FACE is a joint initiative of CII and Jubilant Bhartia, better known for Dominos Pizza and Dunkin Donuts. FACE and CHIFFS seem to have many common people in various capacities.
FSSAI’s ‘Eat Right India’ campaign has involved food businesses that have “come forward to voluntarily make commitments” on reducing transfats, sugar and salts in packaged foods and to promote healthier food options.
The website of the campaign, which lists almost every big food company as partner, states food businesses have been nudged to promote healthier food options. An industry notorious globally for resisting and flouting regulation is being “nudged” for voluntary commitments though self-regulation but it hasn’t worked in any other country.
Resource Centre for Health Supplements & Nutraceuticals (ReCHaN) is yet another “collaborative initiative of FSSAI, International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplements Association (IADSA) and CII”. Partners of ReCHaN include DSM, one of the biggest multinationals manufacturing micronutrients, HerbaLife, Amway and SunPharma, which manufacture nutraceuticals. IADSA described itself as a “global platform to guide the evolution of policy and regulation in the sector”. It is primarily composed of 50 member associations representing over 20,000 companies worldwide and meant to give its members a part in shaping regulation globally and in individual countries.
FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal told TOI that the partnerships were being wrongly interpreted.
“Food safety is globally seen as a shared responsibility with focus shifting from prosecution to preventive action to ensure food is safe in the supply chain. We are extremely careful in partnerships as far as conflict of interest is concerned. Capacity building of food businesses and consumer awareness building are important parts of our roles,” said Agarwal.
Oct 4, 2019
Oct 1, 2019
OPEN HOUSE HOW TO CHECK SALE OF SPURIOUS & ADULTERATED SWEETS? Customer awareness can go a long way
Most traditional sweets are prepared with milk and ghee, which are the most adulterated food items during festivals.
Festival time is a time of celebration and is incomplete without sweets. But now-a-days, many sweetshop owners adulterate sweets. Food adulteration has become a major cause of concern. Regular raids and alert vigilance should be made by the Health Department during the festive season. A heavy fine should be imposed on factories or shops where adulteration takes place.
Khushboo Singla
Don’t compromise on qualityThe government should earmark mandatory quality standards to be followed by all sweets makers. As a customer, we should remain vigilant regarding the spurious and adulterated sweets. We should try to purchase branded or ISI marked products. Government should enforce strict rules. It should provide quality check scales so that customers can purchase the products after checking the quality. Food adulteration should be considered a criminal offence and the government should award death penalty to those who play with the precious lives. We must try to find out the substitutes of milk products with same nutritional values. Government should keep a close eye on interstate supplies. They should properly check the products coming from other states so that culprits can be detected at the earliest. Children should be kept safe from these eatables. Special tribunals must be set up for speedy redressal of grievances in the festive season. Ritu Priya
Cancel licences of erring shopkeepersIndia is a land known for its festivals, and the sweets are an important part of the celebrations. Since sweets are the most loved food items during festivals, sometimes the residents have to consume inedible food items in which shopkeepers deliberately add substances that cause serious health problems. In this process, the sweets shops often compromise on the quality of the sweets, especially the milk-based items. In order to rake in huge profits, they use milk-containing urea, detergents and chemical whiteners, khoya having paper or starch and ghee enriched with vanaspati or animal fat. As silver is expensive, shopkeepers widely make use of the aluminium foil as ‘vark’ in their sweets. However, the FSSAI has made strong laws against adulteration, but it is still not stopping the small vendors and businessmen from cheating the customers. The FSSAI should conduct regular raids during festive season. Those found guilty should be punished. Their license needs to be cancelled and they should be imposed with heavy penalities so they do not dare to play with the lives of innocent people. Awareness among general public regarding the harmful effects of adulterated sweets needs to be created. Rishika kriti
Make sweets at home
Festive season calls for greed of shopkeepers and they indulge in malpractices by compromising the quality of sweets. Instead of relying on retailers, one should resort to homemade goods which could be altered to taste and quality standards. This would drop the demand of sweets at sweetshops and act as a warning to sellers to strive to stop adulteration.
Krishna
Inspect food & sweetshops
Festivals are incomplete without sweets. Adulterated food items increase in the market during festive seasons. There are some ways by which the sale of spurious and adulterated sweets can be checked. The food department can divide areas to inspect sweet shops. The authorities should also raid those locations where sweet items are prepared. The guilty should be punished accordingly. Preparation of milk-based items should be checked thoroughly before and during the festive season. Consumers should also check sweet samples before purchasing the product.
Mehak Bajaj
Educate consumers
Food adulteration is the cheapest way to earn profits during festive seasons. The problem can be tackled by educating consumers. Government should install purity check machines at dairies and sweetshops. Media can play a vital role in the checking of adulterated products with the help of vigilant reporting. The Health Department should conduct random raids to end this menace. A consumer also needs to make smart choices to avoid such unfair trade practices. One should always taste or smell the sweets before buying in bulk. Stale products emit a smell and taste slightly sour.
Muskan Rehan
Imposing heavyfines on guilty
A heavy fine should be imposed on factories and shops where adulterated food items are found. Consumers should also be made aware of their rights under the Consumer Protection Act. The Health Department inspectors should collect samples of milk products and get them analysed. People can check milk quality on their own using milk-testing kits available in the market. Consumers should be careful while buying sweets from sweetshops during festivals.
Navneet Kaur
FSSAI should play a pivotal role in inspection
Under the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), punishment must be given to the people found guilty of adulterating food. Before buying the product, consumers should check the product themselves. Government must take proper steps for protecting the interest of consumers. Proper check must be kept not only by the government but also by the authority off the FSSAI and consumers.
Manpriya Kaur
Take strict action
An area should be divided among health inspectors to collect samples of sweets from sweetshops. An effective way to check adulteration is that food supply officers should visit sweet shops as customers and buy sweets to get them analysed. Strict actions should be taken against the shopkeepers who sell adulterated sweets. The Health Department should aware customers about adulteration in sweets and various food items through press and social media and vigilant reporting.
Prabhsimran
Create anti-adulteration task force
Food adulteration is common nowadays. An anti-adulteration task force should be created. A heavy fine and punishment should be imposed on culprits. Customers should also report the guilty to consumer courts. Regular raids and alert vigilance should be made by the Health Department during the festive season.
Gursahib Singh
Look for safety marks on milk packets
In India, most of the traditional sweets are prepared with milk and ghee. These two products are the more vulnerable to be adulterated. Pasteurised packed milk can be used to prepare sweets at home. Sweets prepared with natural ingredients must be preferred. Artificially-coloured and flavored sweets must be avoided. Purchase sweets and milk from authorised dealers only. Always insist on AG mark and FPO license on milk and packed ingredients used.
Amarpreet
Establish monitoring agency
In today’s world, every bussinessman is in a race to reap maximum profits by adopting any means and methods. The easiest way to reap profits in the food business is adulteration, whether it is in oil, milk or ghee. The biggest victims of such foul practices are consumers. The menace of food adulteration needs to be curbed. Municipal Corporation should establish a monitoring agency deal with adulteration. There must be periodical inspection of those who are dealing in food business. Heavy fine should be imposed on those who are guilty. A certificate of food standard must be issued by the agency to sweetshops and food shops owners.
Farzana Khan
Special vigilance during festive seasons
Festive season is about to come and this will lead to consumption of sweets in huge quantities. Food officers should survey all shops and check the quality of material which is used by shopkeepers in making various sweets. Specific areas should be allocated to them so that they can check food samples easily and take strict action against those who indulge in adulteration of sweets.
Jagjit Kaur
Consumers should report discrepancies observed
During festivals, the sweet shopkeepers in order to meet the demand of customers, compromise the quality of sweets. They make easy and big profits while the health of public is subjected to risk in this process. The adulteration of sweets must be checked. Our government and Municipal Corporation need to check the suppliers of adulterated sweets. They must keep an eye on sweet manufacturing shops, factories and food shops. People must be made aware of chemical tests that can be used by them to check adulteration in sweets. If people are able to test the purity of sweets being sold at their own, they can easily report any discrepancies to the Health Department. An officer must be appointed in every major area for inspection every week during festive seasons. These approaches will help in curbing adulteration practices.
Kamaldeep Kaur
Work tirelessly on“zero tolerance”
Due to soaring prices and addition of sub-standard materials to sweets, they no longer remain that sweet. Every year, authorities of the Health Department conduct raids but to no avail. These raids only occur at two levels, collection of samples and sending the same to testing laboratory. That’s why adulteration of sweets has progressed from being a simple means of fraud to highly sophisticated and lucrative business. As the adulteration pattern is changing every year and newer adulterants and contaminants have entered the markets of Indian cities, the authorities are yet to find incidences of adulteration along with quantification. Though enough parameters are in force, but pioneering and tireless efforts are required to weed out the seeds of adulteration from various segments of marketing. Besides, a need is there to set aside an inclination to favour some person or group and to open the lock of zero tolerance with the key of strictness on the basis of legislation.
Ravi Chander Garg
Surprise checking to serve the purpose
Strict action like cancellation of the licence by the Food Department can bring such actions to a halt. The Food Department should create various teams to inspect the sweet shops. Surprise checking and strict actions can bring an end to such practice. The license of the culprits should be cancelled for playing with the health of the people. Such an action would teach others a lesson and they would not dare to indulge in any such activity.
Ekroop Kaur
Do-it-at-home tests to check spurious items
During the festive season, adulteration in sweets becomes a common affair. In India, the silver ‘vark’ on the sweets mostly contains aluminum. The government has provided a food officer to every state and he is authorised to check the safety of food. If the product found by him contains some harmful substance, he has every right to stop its manufacturing. The products most likely to be found adulterated include milk, ghee, and khoya. To check adulteration in milk, take some milk in a spoon and leave it on a slanting plate if it leaves white tail, it is pure. For ghee, place some of it on your palm. If it starts melting quickly, then it is real ghee. To check the silver ‘vark’, touch it with your finger. If it feels harsh and comes on to your finger, it may be fake. Also check the hygiene standards of the sweets shop.
Amanpreet
Put food safety teams on high alert
Shopkeepers and vendors are playing with the health of people. During festivities, the demand for milk and by product such as khoya and ghee goes up tremendously which leads to increase in adulteration. These things happen because of shortage of milk. The Food Department can divide the areas to check the dairy products and sweets shops. Fine and punishment should be awarded to those who adopt such practices to earn more profit.
Shiwani
Adulterated sweets a thriving business
Unhealthy business of sweets shops thrives easily ahead of the festive season. The race of minting money by using shortcuts and it takes the form of competitions among different competitors. There must be only one government agency to control the supply of raw material to the owners of sweet shops. Various government agencies should take samples of the food items which are being sold by shopkeepers. If after this any food item particularly sweet is found to be adulterated, officials of these agencies should be held responsible. By remaining vigilant, consumers can prevent unhealthy items from acting as a spoiler. Content of different items which are used in each gram of sweet should be mentioned on the packaging box. Workers packing the sweets should wear clean dresses. They must wear gloves while packing food items. At the time of packing sweets they should not chew tobacco or any other intoxicant item. Hygienic standards at the sweets shop should also be maintained. Shopkeepers should display the norms of the Food Safety and Standard Act in their shops. If anyone is found guilty to sell adulterated sweets, he should be fined heavily. Shopkeepers should refrain from making use of such malpractices to earn money.
Dr Mohd Saleem
Conduct regular raids
The festive season is fast approaching and this is the time when most of the adulteration takes place. To check such activities, raids should be carried out beforehand. The shops must be inspected properly not only during festivals but also at regular intervals so that the shopkeepers remain under a check.
Muskan Arora
Officials hand-in-glovewith culprits
Festivals are a time for merry - making. Some money-minded people do not hesitate to play with the lives of innocent citizens. It is just the beginning of the festivities with Dasehra round the corner. Everything goes on with impunity. Last year, 60 per cent of the milk food samples seized in Punjab raids had failed the quality test. Food Safety Officers and other officials were found to be hands-in-glove with the culprits. Even the State Food Lab is under the scanner for approving the sale of the spurious items. Warning bells are ringing. It is time that the government started tackling this problem and that too with concrete results. The whole system needs to be streamlined. Stringent action is the need of the hour. The sale of unhealthy food items should not be allowed to act as a spoiler for the people during the festive season.
Bir Devinder Singh Bedi
Make use of DIY hacks to ensure quality
Adulteration is a practice followed during festivals which is a dangerous to our health. The milk is adulterated with detergent or urea, khoya with starch and so on. To curb the practice of adulteration, there is a need to properly execute the laws like Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. Checks must be conducted at different food shops. The punishment must be imposed on all the culprits, whether rich or poor. The checks are required not only during festivals, but throughout the year. One can also make use of the DIY hacks to check spurious items.
Manmohan Kaur
Enforce e-challanon defaulters
Most of the times, consumers suffer because of the ignorance on the part of consumers and lack of checks on these suppliers. Consuming a healthy and a balanced diet, bereft of junk and processed foods, is the right of every citizen of the country. We can avoid diseases and live a healthy life by becoming more vigilant. Inspections and raids by food inspectors are just occasional. The Municipal Corporation and local government should check fruits and must keep an eye on the sweets manufacturing shops. Street food vendors should be given cards on which inspection data is marked every week. E-challaning for defaulters should come into force. Efforts should be made to develop facilities for the testing of sweets samples locally instead of sending them elsewhere. The present laws on food adulteration need to be implemented in the letter and the spirit to deter the anti – social elements from following unethical ways of doing business. Consumers themselves should make healthy choices for themselves.
Dr Jasdeep Kaur
Train consumers tocheck adulteration
Any Indian festival is incomplete without sweets. Adulteration of food items increases during the festive season. Milk, khoya and coloured food products are the most adulterated food items during the festivals. To look into the matter, a workshop-cum-training session should be conducted at various schools and institutions to train people to check adulteration themselves easily. Before buying any sweets, the consumers should check thickness, softness and smell of the sweets. Sweets having silver vark on them should be checked with accuracy as they are mostly replaced with aluminium foil. Consumers should check cleanliness and hygiene conditions of the shop before buying sweets.
Kartika Singh
Apprise residents about their consumer rights
With festive season coming up, markets will be being with adulterated sweets. The authorities of the Health Department should take strict steps, send investigation teams and penalise the defaulters. As a consumer, one should make sensible use of their rights. Only then the problem of adulteration can be curtailed.
Japkirat
Check silver varkon sweets
In India, festivals are welcomed with full vigour, and with it, sale of spurious and adulterated sweets also increases. To avoid this, government should appoint officials for regular inspection of shops. Clean and safe ingredients should be used by shopkeepers. In addition to this, customers should be responsible before buying sweets. They should ensure that the silver vark on the sweets is not aluminium foil and smell them to make sure that the sweets are not stale and emit a fowl smell.
Gurvir Kaur
Divide city to ensure thorough checking
Problem of spurious and adulterated sweets during the festive season is not new when the demand for sweets is quite high. Adulterated food impacts people’s health adversely. Thus, it becomes imperative to maintain a check on adulteration. Special provisions by the government must be made such as dividing the city amongst health officers for checking so that all major sweet shops are covered. Also, proper checking equipment must be made available to health officers for thorough checking. Every shop must get samples approved. Heavy fines must be imposed for those indulging in adulteration. Prior the festive season, visits to check cleanliness and hygiene must be made.
Akrita Budhiraja
OPEN HOUSE COMMENT
Preventive and timely control need of the hour
Minna Zutshi
Adulteration of sweets is very common in the festive season when the demand for sweets soars. Adulteration of food may be defined as “the addition or subtraction of any substance to or from food so that the natural composition and quality of food substance is affected”. Adulterants in sweets include colours that are not food grade and are even potentially toxic, ingredients that are spurious and that mar the quality of food. Adulteration may lead to food impurity, contamination and allergens. To check adulteration, preventive control, inspection and compliance are required. Usually, by the time a sample is collected for purity test, the food is already out in the market and even if it fails the test, the consumers have no way of knowing this. In such a scenario, the power of instituting a mandatory recall can be effective. Imposing stiff penalties on the guilty and also boycotting those found adulterating food items is the need of the hour. The district administration must deal with iron hand those guilty of food adulteration.
Hyderabad man gets cockroach in Sambar
Hyderabad: A 25-year-old graphic designer from Hyderabad was in for a shock on Wednesday when he found a cockroach in his food delivered by Swiggy. Shali Hussain, a Madhapur resident, claimed that he found the roach in the idly-sambar from Minerva Coffee.
Sharing the incident, Shali Hussain told NewsMeter, “On Wednesday, I ordered idly-sambar from Minerva Coffee Shop through Swiggy. My friend opened the sambar and dipped the idly to find something suspicious. Initially, we thought it was a curry leaf, but, we realised that it was a cockroach. We were lucky to have noticed it. What would have happened if we were in a hurry? Due to the bad experience, I was unable to have anything for the whole day.”
He further added that this experience made them avoid outside food. However, they also admitted that being working professionals, cooking is complicated. “If a place like Minerva serves food like this, I don’t know whom to trust. Swiggy responded and apologised for the experience and gave us the link to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and asked us to mail to them. While we have already done that, Swiggy has not yet removed Minerva from their service. That’s the least they could do, at least this particular branch.
Annoyed Shali Hussain took to Twitter to express his anger. He tweeted, “Minerva Coffee Shop. Found a Cockroach in Delicious Healthy Sambar From #MinervaCoffeeShop, Madhapur, #Hyderabad. Ordered this morning from @swiggy_in. Worst response from @SwiggyCares (sic).”
Minerva Coffee Shop
Found a Cockroach in Delicious Healthy Sambar From #MinervaCoffeeShop, Madhapur, #Hyderabad. Ordered this morning from @swiggy_in
Worst response from @SwiggyCares
In a similar incident, a Hyderabad resident was served non-vegetarian food instead of a vegetarian meal. Aruna Prasad, a Hyderabad resident, ordered butter paneer rice bowl and instead received chicken.
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