Functioning of Food Testing Laboratories in the Country

There are 140 Food Testing Laboratories in the Country for testing as per standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Authority Act, 2006 and Rules/ Regulations, 2011 being implemented by FSSAI. Out of these, 72 food testing laboratories are under State Government to carry out the analysis of food samples and 68 private laboratories having accreditation from National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) are authorized by FSSAI for the analysis of food samples . There are 97 food analysts employed in the 72 laboratories under the State Government. 
During the financial year 2012-13, the Government has spent Rs 721.71 lakh when compared to previous year’s Rs. 546.49 lakh. Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana are some of the States which have benefitted under this scheme. 
This information was given in Lok Sabha today by Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Processing Industries, Dr Charan Das Mahant in a written reply.

TNFS Dept. News

 

FSSAI'S Norms for Cleanliness at Food Outlets

Schedule 4 of the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation, 2011 prescribes the general hygienic and sanitary requirements to be followed by Food Business Operators.
All Food Business Operators (FBOs) in the Country should get a Central/ State licensing depending upon installed capacity and Registration in case of petty food businesses.
The FBO shall comply with safety, sanitary and hygienic requirements provided in the schedule and contained under different parts depending on nature of business.
The implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act/ Rule/Regulation rests with State Government / Union Territories. The food safety inspection of these license/ registration establishments is required to be carried out at least once in a year.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare Shri Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury, in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

Pictorial Warnings on Tobacco Product Packs

The new pictorial health warnings have been notified vide G.S.R - 724 (E) dated, 27th September, 2012 and have come into effect from 1st April, 2013. Three sets of warnings each have been notified for smoking and smokeless forms of tobacco respectively.
The Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, lays down that food product should not contain any substance which is injurious to health and that tobacco or nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products.
So far, 29 States/UT’s have issued orders for implementation of the Food Safety Regulations banning manufacture, sale and storage of Gutka and Pan Masala containing tobacco or nicotine.
(Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Nagaland, Andaman & Nicobar, Daman & Diu, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, J&K, Assam and West Bengal)
The Supreme Court, through its order dated 03.04.2013 has issued notice to the Chief Secretaries of the States and Administrators of the Union Territories, which have so far not issued notification in terms of the Food Safety & Standards Act 2006, to apprise the court with the reasons as to why they have not taken action pursuant to the letter dated 27.8.2012 issued in this regard by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The Hon’ble Supreme Court also directed the Health Secretaries of 23 States and 5 Union Territories, who have issued notification in terms of the Food Safety & Standards Act 2006 for imposing complete ban on Gutka and Pan Masala with tobacco and/or nicotine, to file their affidavits within four weeks on the issue of total compliance of the ban imposed on the manufacturing and sale of gutkha and pan masala with tobacco and/or nicotine.
The matter is likely to be taken up again by the Hon’ble Supreme Court on 3rd may, 2013.
This information was given by the Minister for Health & Family Welfare Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad, in written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha today.

Adulterated khoya seized at Gorakhpur railway station

GORAKHPUR: The food safety department seized two quintals of adulterated paneer and 2,550 kgs of khoya at the railway station in the morning. The consignment came from Kanpur Dehat and was lying unclaimed. The adulterated products were destroyed near the Rifle Club in Taramandal.

"Labs have a critical role to play in supporting research"

It is key that a food testing facility in India is not only accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), but also be recognised by the country's apex food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), and TUV India Pvt. Ltd, a leading food analysis facility, is doing its bit towards making this possible. V K Gupta, GM, lab services, TUV India Pvt. Ltd (a part of the Pune-based TUV NORD Group), shares details with Harcha Bhaskar. Excerpts:

What are the tests that are conducted in your lab and accreditations?
TUV India Pvt. Ltd is accredited under ISO 17025 in both the chemical and microbiological fields by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL). The facility is also recognised by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the Agricultural and Processed Foods Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Agmark. The fact that India is a leading exporter of agricultural produce to the world, especially the European countries, mandates the certificate by APEDA, which is issued after the produce intended for export has been tested.

TUV India specialises in the safety and nutritional analysis of food. Nutritional analysis consists of nutritional labelling, as you can see on food packets. It consist of tests like protein, fat, energy, carbohydrates, sodium content, cholesterol, sugar and fatty acid profiles like PUFA (Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids), MUFA (Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids), SF (saturated fats) and trans-fats. The nutritional labels on food packets provide the consumers information about the content of the food. The other information related to nutritional parameters covers amino acid profiling, vitamins (both water-soluble and oil-soluble), minerals, sugar profiling, etc.

The safety testing of food consists of tests like pesticide residues, antibiotic residues, mycotoxins like aflatoxins, ochratoxins, food allergens, naturally-occurring toxic substances (NOTS), banned dyes like Sudan Red, Malachite Green and Crystal Violet; poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), poly-cyclic biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals and so on.

The upper limit of these molecules has been regulated in various national and international specifications, as most of these substances are highly toxic and many of them are carcinogenic. Equipped with the most advanced analytical equipment in the world, our laboratory is able to support both exporters and buyers to meet the stringent international norms.

Safety of food packaging is a new area which requires immediate national attention. There are various international specifications, particularly in the United States and Europe. Food can be contaminated from or through the packaging. TUV India conducts tests as per international specifications for global and specific migration tests.

To ensure that the certificate issued by the laboratory is accurate and accepted throughout the international community, TUV India uses state-of-the-art analytical techniques like LC-Q-ToF, LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, ICP-OES, GC-MS/MS, GC-MS/HS, HPLC-ELSD/PDA/UV/Fluorescence; and follows a three-tier quality system by ensuring the accuracy of the data generated through participation in international proficiency testing/round-robin tests, replicate testing and internal quality audits.

What are the findings of the most recent tests on food and beverages?
There is increased demand for nutritional labelling since the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, has come into force. Consumers were ignorant about what they were consuming when labelling was not a must. The new Act – which replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA), 1954 – has helped them by mandating the basic information, which essentially promotes consumer rights and awareness. Similarly, more new substances are found to be toxic, and their maximum residue limits (MRLs) are being regulated. These MRLs reduce with time and the availability of highly-sensitive instrumental techniques. There have been instances of widespread food safety issues such as the presence of melamine in dairy products and ethoxyquin in apple juice.

How do labs ensure food safety at different stages of food production?
TUV India supports farmers, exporters and consumers at every stage of food production.

Farm production: TUV India provides certification for Global Gap and organic produce to the farmers, so that they can compete in the international market and get a better price for their produce. The lab ensures that all the agricultural inputs like fertilisers, pesticides, soil and water meet the requirements. The final produce of the farmer is also tested for residual pesticides, heavy metals, etc. wherever required

Food processing: As the demand for processed foods, RTE (ready-to-eat) and RTC (ready-to-cook) is increasing due to various socio-economic issues and improvement in economy, manufacturing companies are introducing novel products to cater to the wide tastes of the Indian consumers, both in India and abroad. A wide range of new products are being introduced by various manufacturers. Laboratories have a critical role to play in supporting research and development and for analysing the shelf life of the products and the safety of the packaging used

Transportation and logistics: India lacks a comprehensive cold chain system and proper packaging techniques, which causes losses worth crores to the producer and the national economy. Therefore, we help in ensuring product safety with respect to analysis of microbiological spoilage and physical damage caused during transportation.

Retail outlets: Apart from product shelf life studies, nutritional labelling and safety of food packaging, we also perform analysis of market samples to understand the impact of actual storage conditions in retail outlets, thus ensuring safety of the food for the consumers right up to the last mile

In what food products is adulteration at its highest?
Food adulteration continues to be a concern in milk and milk products, banned colours and dyes used in spices, uncontrolled use of growth promoters, and pesticides and other chemicals at the farm level.

Does adulteration take place at the manufacturing level or at the retail level?
While there is some amount of adulteration at the manufacturing level, it is also seen during transit and storage.

What are the latest machines used for testing in India?
The new chromatographic and spectrophotometric techniques like LC-Q-ToF , LC-MS/MS, ICP-MS, GC-MS, which are confirmatory techniques with very high sensitivities, are being used in India. These are next-generation techniques, as the earlier techniques like HPLC, GC , ICP-OES were comparative techniques and were not that sensitive.

Do Indian laboratories have to import testing machines?
Yes, there are a few Indian manufacturers, but meeting the latest international specifications necessitates the import of high-end testing instruments and machinery.

How many times is a food safety audit recommended for food products?
For high-risk products, it is recommended to carry out the safety audit twice a year. For all other products, one annual food safety audit is good enough. However, when the quality is not consistent or the requirements are critical, the frequency of food safety audit may be increased.

Are Indian food labs well-equipped to test contamination in the packaging material used for food products and cold storage units?
Yes. The facilities are available with some of the good labs like TUV India. Apart from physical tests, greater competence is required for global and specific migration tests.

What are the various tests done on beverages?
For beverages, the important ingredients are water, sugar, fruit juices and preservatives. Therefore the microbiological safety for the absence of food pathogens, the fruit juice content, the level of residual pesticides, vitamins, sugars, essential minerals and various other tests are required.

All raid, no action

The state govt banned gutkha in September last year, but Food and Drugs Control Authority has taken no action against 7 companies found making and selling

FDCA chief says the delay is due to procedure to be followed, while a former drug inspector says action can be filed in hours Eight months of ban on gutkha, several raids, 21 positive test results on samples, but not a single case in court. Little wonder, the cancer causing tobacco product sells uninterrupted in Gujarat. Gutkha was banned in the state on September 11, last year under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. In these eight months the health department has not filed a single case even though 21 samples of seven manufacturers have failed the test. Their files are lying with Food and Drugs Control Authority. FDCA Commissioner H G Koshia attributed the delay to the procedure to be followed. "Laboratory test reports take some time to come. Besides, action is initiated on them only after due approval of my office. The officials who have taken the samples file a complaint in the court and then the judicial procedure begins. All this takes some time. Hence the delay in filing cases in court." 'ONE-HOUR JOB' However, former drug inspector Tushar Bhatt has a different take. According to him, it takes not more than hour to check if a given sample has trace of tobacco in it. "It's an hour's job to ascertain if a sample contains tobacco. I had filed cases of misbranding against some gutkha companies. I appear in court even today in connection with those cases." Gutkha is the biggest enemy of public health and immediate action should be taken against companies that violate the ban. "What could have been done in a few hours has not been done even in eight months. This is not done," he added. Incidentally, the authorities checked 25,597 units in the first 30 days of the ban and seized raw material and pouches worth Rs 50 lakh across the state. No raid has been conducted after this exercise. Under section 59-1 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, it is illegal to add tobacco in food items. So, as pan masala is an edible item, tobacco cannot be added to it FDCA has raided dozens of places in the state and seized gutkha products. Samples taken during these raids were sent to FDCA laboratory in Vadodara. Test reports have come in for all samples and Koshia has confirmed the test showed presence of tobacco in them, but they are gathering dust in the department. Dipika Chauhan, assistant commissioner in FDCA, said, “We have files against some gutkha companies. We will file court cases against them within a few days at district level.” Sources in FDCA told Mirror that the seven companies selling gutkha pouches in market are Vimal, R and D, Kuber, Chutki, Ketan, Zatpat, Tulsi. ‘NO ACTION DUE TO DONATION’ Lashing out at the delay in taking action, Dr Chaitanya Shroff, assistant professor of surgical oncology at Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute, said the government was reluctant to act because gutkha companies donated money to political parties. “Gutkha companies donate money to political parties in a big way. Tobacco companies are also among the highest tax payers. Gutkha is one of the biggest reasons for cancer and the government should be tough with its manufacturers” said Dr Shroff. PUBLICITY BLITZ The ban on Gutkha was imposed amid a lot of publicity in Gujarat last year. Chief Minister Narendra Modi is said to have used the ban to canvas for his party. He had asked people at several public meetings to give a “missed” call on a certain number in support of ban on gutkha. It turned out that it was a ploy to create a database of the people to whom the BJP could send publicity messages. Politics, notwithstanding, a hype was created in the state in a big way on the ban. Mirror had also reported on September 11, 2012, how people were buying pan masala and tobacco separately and mixing them to make instant tobacco-gutkha, effectively negating the impact of ban. GUTKHA CAUSES CANCER Gutkha is a preparation of crushed areca nut, tobacco, catechu, paraffin, slaked lime and sweet or savory flavours. It is a powdery, granular, light brownish to white substance. Within moments of chewing, it mixes with saliva and turns deep red in colour. It gives its users more intense kick than tobacco chewing, snuffing and smoking. It is consumed much like chewing tobacco, and like chewing tobacco, it could lead to oral cancer. Every year, 45,000 new cases of cancer are detected in the country. Out of these 16,000 are oral cancer cases. Gujarat has the highest incidence of oral cancer in the country. PERMANENT BAN Gutkha is banned under the provision to ban any food product containing harmful adulterants in the centrallyenacted Food Safety and Regulation (Prohibition) Act, 2011. The Act allows these products to be banned for a year and it can be extended every year before it lapses, resulting in a pseudo permanent ban. Accordingly, the ban in Gujarat will end on September 10, but it is expected to be extended by way of fresh notification by the government. As many as 17 states have banned the sale, manufacture, distribution and storage of gutkha and all its variants. Madhya Pradesh was the first state to do so on April 1, 2012. Gujarat banned it on September 11, 2012.

Stopgap checks could let murky tanker water suppliers get away

UNDER SCRUTINY:Ernakulam district administration has started acting against errant private water suppliers

Fears of polluted water being transported in lorries continue to worry residents

Band-aid mechanisms to check quality of water being distributed in tanker lorries are falling way short of Kochi’s needs.

Even days after the district administration started acting against violators, fears of polluted water being transported in these vehicles continue to worry Kochiites.

Tests conducted at the Government Regional Analytical Laboratory at Kakkanad and the Food Quality Monitoring Laboratory under the Council for Food Research and Development in Konni recently had found faecal coliform bacteria or E.coli in wells located in Churnikara panchayat, Eloor, Aluva and Kalamassery.

District Collector P. I. Sheikh Pareeth said there was a proposal to launch special squads to check distribution of contaminated water. But we were yet to form these teams. Directions had been given to set up taluk-based squads, he said.

Mr. Pareeth made it clear that tanker lorry owners would not be allowed to collect water from sources that were not certified by the health wing. He said there was no shortage of water at the storage facilities of the Kerala Water Authority at Aluva and North Paravoor from where tanker lorries can collect drinking water for supply in the city and other places. The District Collector said the other collection points of the KWA include Thammanam, Muppathadam and Choondi.

Senior officials of the Food Safety wing said inspection of tanker lorries were carried out, if they received reports of violation of guidelines issued by the Food Safety Commissioner regarding the quality of water and the manner in which it was transported.

They said there were no permanent special squads to check such incidents. The Food Safety Commissioner had also directed the Kerala Water Authority to supply drinking water only to tanker lorries that had food safety licence and adhere to the norms.

However, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board are not part of any special squads to check tanker lorries.

A board official of the water authority said they could be part of such drives only on the basis of requests made by the health wing, board officials said. The public can complain to the Food Safety toll-free line (1800 425 1125) if they notice drinking water being supplied in an unsanitary manner or in violation of the food safety norms.

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Proposal to launch squads to check distribution of contaminated water

Lorry owners will not be allowed to collect water from uncertified sources