Adulterated ‘edible’ oil seized in Villapuram

In a surprise check in a private godown near Villapuram Housing Board Colony here on Thursday, the officials unearthed adulterated edible oil packed in 500 ml plastic containers and kept in over 150 boxes – each box carrying 20 plastic containers.

Following complaints from consumer forum members about sale of adulterated edible oil, District Collector L. Subramanian ordered the officials to take action. A special team comprising officials drawn from Revenue Department, District Supply Office, Food Safety wing and Commercial Taxes Department was formed.

After locating the unit adulterating oil, about 50 officials surrounded the premises. The officials found that the operator of the unit, I.M. Selvaraj, was adulterating oil.

Mixing 20 per cent of groundnut and gingely oil, and 80 per cent of palm oil, Selvaraj was selling it in 500 ml plastic containers as gingely oil under the brand name of ‘Vetrivel’ and ‘Thanga Mayil’.

Selvaraj was procuring oil in bulk from traders in Virudhunagar district. Around 20 workers were engaged in the operation every day. According to Joint Director (Agriculture) Jayasingh Gnanadurai, Selvaraj admitted to having a network spanning the southern districts and parts of Kerala. It is likely that he may be selling substandard oil at least for a year.

The samples have been taken by Food Safety Officer Sujatha for examination. RDO Arumugam recorded the statement of Selvaraj, and Commercial Tax officials, led by Joint Commissioner (Enforcement) Illango, assessed the purchase and sales recorded by him.

Food safety officers confiscate seven parcels of mawa

Continuing its drive against unlabelled sweets and ‘farsan’ coming into the State the food safety officers of the Goa Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) confiscated seven parcels containing mawa/kalakanand from the Vasco railways station on Wednesday.

The parcels were brought for delivery to certain sweet mart vendors in Vasco city for preparing sweets ahead of upcoming annual Ganesh festival. The quantity of mawa/ kalakanand brought into Goa via railways was 263 kg, estimated at Rs. 40,000.

The consignment was booked by the Railways from Miraj to Vasco for delivery to certain dairy/sweet marts in Vasco and the FDA was on the look out for such arrival or entry of such consignments into the State for last several days and managed to detain the consignment on a tip off received by the Department. Director of FDA Salim Veljee said on Wednesday evening that the entire consignment did not carry any label disclosing the name and address of the manufacturers, nor any label declaration about its nutritional value, manufacture date, best before use, or other essential labelling requirements prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.

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Consignment did not disclose the makers’ name

Mawa had not been kept in cold storage

Vendors to face legal action

If found involved in manufacturing misbranded tea powder

Adulterated tea packets that were seized in Salem on Thursday.

Officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India will file a case in the court against those involved in manufacturing and distributing tea powder that is found to be misbranded and unsafe for human consumption.

During an inspection at a godown in Omalur six months ago, team led by T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, found adulterated tea powder packets kept for distribution. Officials seized 250 kg of tea powder and notice was also issued to the vendor V. Selvam. The samples were sent to Food Analysis Laboratory in Guindy, Chennai that confirmed it as ‘unsafe’. But the vendor went on appeal and hence another sample was sent to referral laboratory in Kolkata which also confirmed it as unsafe. Hence, health officials sought permission from the Food Safety Commissioner for initiating legal action against the vendor, his wife S. Bagyalakshmi, who is the licence holder and the manufacturer V. Nibhana of Ayanavaram, Chennai.

Hence, health officials would be filing the case in the court in Omalur on Friday seeking action against the three under Section 52 (misbranding) and 59 (unsafe) of The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. If found guilty for misbranding, the accused may be liable to a penalty which may extend to Rs. 3 lakh and imprisonment for six months and fine up to Rs. 1 lakh for manufacturing or storing or distributing food items for human consumption which is unsafe. Ms. Anuradha told The Hindu that they raided Selvam’s house on Wednesday and found the unsafe tea powder packets with new brand name kept for distribution. “We have seized 107 kg of tea packets. This would be first time in the State that a case is to be registered under the act since implementation”, she added.

Packaged water firms revoke decision

Members of the Tamil Nadu Packaged Drinking Water Manufacturers Association have withdrawn the decision to surrender the licences provided by Bureau of Indian Standards to operate drinking water units. A.Shakespeare, the association’s general secretary, said that the decision was withdrawn as officials of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India have assured them that action will be taken against units that sell ‘herbal’ and ‘flavoured’ water without any licence.

மசாலா தோசையில் கரப்பான் பூச்சி திருவனந்தபுரத்தில் ஓட்டலுக்கு சீல்

திருவனந்தபுரம், செப். 6:

திருவனந்தபுரத்திலுள்ள ஒரு ஓட்டலில் சாப்பிட வந்தவருக்கு வழங்கப்பட்ட மசாலா தோசையில் கரப்பான் பூச்சி கிடந்தது. இதையடுத்து உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் சோதனை நடத்தி அந்த ஓட்டலுக்கு சீல் வைத்தனர். அதோடு அந்த ஓட்டலுக்கு ரூ.10 ஆயிரம் அபராதம் விதித்தனர்.

திருவனந்தபுரத்திலுள்ள ஒரு அசைவ ஓட்டலில், கடந்த ஆண்டு சிக்கன் ஷவர்மா சாப்பிட்ட கல்லூரி மாணவர் திடீரென இறந்தார். இதையடுத்து, உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் அந்த ஓட்டலில் நடத்திய பரிசோதனையில், அந்த மாணவருக்கு வழங்கப்பட்ட உணவு மிகவும் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் தயாரிக்கப்பட்டது தெரியவந்தது. இதையடுத்து அந்த ஓட்டலுக்கு சீல் வைக்கப்பட்டது.

இந்த சம்பவத்துக்கு பிறகு, கேரளா முழுவதும் உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகள் சோதனை நடத்தி, சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் உணவு தயாரிக்கும் ஓட்டல்களுக்கு சீல் வைத்து வருகின்றனர். இந்த சோதனையில் கேரளாவில் பெரும்பாலான ஓட்டல்கள் சுகாதரமற்ற முறையில் செயல்பட்டு வருவது தெரியவந்தது.

நேற்று முன்தினம், திருவனந்தபுரம் வழுதக்காட்டிலுள்ள ஒரு சைவ ஓட்டலுக்கு விமானப்படை அதிகாரியான ராஜேந்திரன் என்பவர் சாப்பிட சென்றார். அவர் மசாலா தோசைக்கு ஆர்டர் செய்தார். சிறிது நேரத்தில் மசாலா தோசை வந்தது. ஆவலுடன் அதை ராஜேந்திரன் சாப்பிட முயன்றபோது, மசாலாவுக்குள் ஒரு இறந்த கரப்பான் பூச்சி கிடந்தது. இதைப் பார்த்து அதிர்ச்சியடைந்த ராஜேந்திரன், உடனடியாக ஓட்டல் ஊழியர்களிடம் விவரத்தை கூறினார். ஆனால் ஓட்டல் ஊழியர்கள் அலட்சியமாக பதிலளித்ததாக கூறப்படுகிறது.

இதையடுத்து ராஜேந்திரன் உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறை அதிகாரிகளுக்கு போன் மூலம் தகவல் தெரிவித்தார். உணவு பாதுகாப்புத் துறை ஆய்வாளர் சிவகுமார் தலைமையில் அதிகாரிகள் விரைந்து வந்து அந்த ஓட்டலில் பரிசோதனை நடத்தினர். இதில் அந்த ஓட்டலில் மிகவும் அசுத்தமான சூழ்நிலையில் உணவு தயாரிக்கப்பட்டது தெரியவந்தது. மேலும் சமையலறை அருகிலேயே கழிப்பறையும் இருந்தது. இதையடுத்து, அந்த ஓட்டலுக்கு ரூ.10,000 ஆயிரம் விதித்த அதிகாரிகள், ஓட்டலையும் பூட்டி சீல் வைத்தனர்.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Fast food set to be red-flagged in schools' menus by Dec

FSSAI will put the draft guidelines in front of a seven-member expert committee

In what would alter the consumption pattern of products such as burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, snack foods and soft drinks in schools, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is putting in place final guidelines to determine what counts as healthy food in educational institutions.
The guidelines, to be released by December this year, would categorise food items commonly sold and consumed in schools under segments such as junk food, street food, nutritional food and unhealthy food. The move, according to those in the know, is aimed at helping children inculcate good eating habits.
FSSAI would present its draft guidelines before a seven-member expert committee. The final set of guidelines would be formulated taking into account recommendations of the committee, sources said.

JUNKING JUNK FOOD

• FSSAI is framing a final set of guidelines that will categorise food items  commonly sold and consumed in schools under segments such as junk food, street food, nutritional food and unhealthy food
• The aim is to promote healthy food habits among children
• Food safety activists say the step is important since packaged food & beverage companies have been aggressively targeting kids
• Multinationals such as Coca-Cola and PepsiCo refute that saying they do not market their products to children below 12 years
• Coke, Pepsi alongwith Cadbury, Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, Kellogg’s, General Mills and Mars are part of the group of companies that have pledged to promote good dietary habits among young children

Executives at Coca-Cola and PepsiCo say they do not market carbonated drinks to children in primary and secondary schools. Products such as Maaza are available in secondary schools only on demand. Packaged water by the two companies is available in both primary and secondary schools.
Activist bodies such as the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) say the food regulator’s move is important, given the lack of adequate food safety and labelling standards in India. Chandra Bhushan, deputy director, CSE, says, “While the step is welcome, the draft guidelines, in my view, need to specifically address food-labelling issues. Also, there is rampant consumption of junk and street food right outside schools. Though the draft guidelines speak of regulating the sale of these food items within 500 yards of schools, strict implementation is essential.”
Last year, after a two-month study, CSE had said fast food and snacks such as PepsiCo’s Lays and Haldiram’s Aloo Bhujiya contained dangerous levels of trans-fat and salt. “Sugar, salt and fat are items that need to be regulated. This means governments have to step in to control the powerful processed-food industry. But this is not happening in India,” it had said.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo say they are already part of an eight-member club of companies in India that has pledged to promote healthy dietary habits among children. The group, formed three years ago, also includes Hindustan Unilever, Nestle, Kellogg’s, General Mills, Mars and Cadbury. These firms have decided not to advertise to children below 12 years and desist from commercial communication of their food & beverage products in primary schools, except for products that fulfil specific nutrition criteria or those requested by or agreed to by school administrators.

New Rule To Ban Junk Food in Indian Schools, Expert Panel Formed To Set Guidelines

 

Bangalore: Children in India will soon find it difficult to go to school due to a new reason. The Health Ministry has recently told the Delhi High Court that it has framed guidelines on regulating the sale of junk food in and around school premises, reports Harish V Nair for Hindustan Times.
Food items such as sandwiches, pizzas, chips, burgers, noodles, french fries and aerated soft drinks are going to be banned as told by Research Company, AC Nielsen. It said-”junk foods which contain no proteins or vitamins but which are rich in salt, sugar and high in calories can cause obesity and hypertension among students.”
Additional Solicitor General Rajeeve Mehra said that the panel will have four members of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Advisor S Dave, product approval director Pradeep Chakraborty, Quality Director K Sandhya, scientist Meenakshi Singh will be a part of it along with one official each from HRD ministry, Health Ministry and National Institute of Nutrition.