திண்டுக்கல் மாவட்டம் முழுவதும் அனுமதி பெறாத 9 குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்களுக்கு சீல் வைப்பு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரி நடவடிக்கை

பழனி, செப்.26-திண்டுக்கல் மாவட்டத்தில் இந்திய தரச்சான்றிதழ் பெறாத 9 குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்களுக்கு மாவட்ட உணவு பாது காப்பு மருந்துவ துறை நியமன அலுவலரால் சீல் வைக்கப்பட்டது.ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ. தரச்சான்றிதழ்திண்டுக்கல் மாவட்டத்தில் சுவையூட்டப்பட்ட குடிநீர், மூலிகை குடிநீர் என்ற பெயர் களில் 9 குடிநீர் நிறுவனங்கள் செயல்பட்டு வந்தன. இக்குடி நீர் நிறுவனங்கள் தங்களின் குடிநீரின் சுவையை கூட்ட அதிமதுரம் சேர்ப்பதாகவும், மூலிகை குடிநீரில் மூலிகைகள் சேர்ப்பதாகவும் விளம்பரம் செய்து விற்று வந்தன. ஆனால் இந்நிறுவனங்கள் யாவும் ஐ.எஸ்.ஐ. தரச்சான்றிதழ் பெறவில்லை என்று கூறப்படு கிறது. இந்நிலையில் பசுமை தீர்ப்பாயத்தின் உத்தரவின் பேரில் திண்டுக்கல் மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் மருந்து துறை அலுவலக நியமன அலுவலர் டாக்டர் குணசேகரன் மற்றும் அந்தந்த பகுதிகளில் உள்ள உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர்களுடன் திண்டுக்கல் மாவட்டம் முழு வதும் 2 நாட்களாக ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டார்.இதில் பழனி பகுதியில் இயங்கி வந்த 5 தண்ணீர் சுத்திகரிப்பு மற்றும் தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனங்களும், திண்டுக்கல் நத்தம், ரெட்டியார் சத்திரம், ஒட்டன்சத்திரம் ஆகிய பகுதி களில் இயங்கி வந்த 4 குடிநீர் தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனங்களை ஆய்வு செய்தார். அப்போது அந்நிறுவனங்கள் எவ்வித அரசு அனுமதியும் இன்றி குடிநீர் தயாரித்து வந்தது தெரியவந்தது. இதைத் தொடர்ந்து அந்நிறுவனங் களை அதிகாரிகள் சீல் வைத்த னர்.முன் அறிவிப்புஇதுபற்றி உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் மருந்து துறை நியமன அலுவலர் நிருபர்களிடம்கூறிய தாவது:-திண்டுக்கல் மாவட்டத்தில் நடத்திய ஆய்வில் 9 குடிநீர் தயாரிப்பு நிறு வனங்கள் மத்திய அரசு தரச் சான்றிதழ் இன்றியும், குடிநீர் நிறுவனத்தை நடத்த எந்த தடையும் இல்லை என்ற அனுமதி சான்று இல்லாமல் இயங்கி வந்தது கண்டுபிடிக் கப்பட்டது. இவர்களுக்கு கடந்த 10 நாட் களுக்கு முன்பு ஒரு குறிப் பாணை வழங்கப்பட்டது. அதைத்தொடர்ந்து 2-வது குறிப்பாணையில் ஏன் உங்கள் நிறுவனத்திற்கு சீல் வைக்க கூடாது என கேட்டு அனுப் பப்பட்டது. இதைத் தொடர்ந்து நேரடியாக சம்பந் தப்பட்ட குடிநீர் நிறுவனங் களுக்கு சென்று ஆய்வு செய்து அந்நிறுவனங்களை மூடி சீல் வைக்கப்பட்டு நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்பட் டுள்ளது என தெரிவித்தார்.

3 mineral water plants sealed

Officials attached to the Department of Food Safety have sealed three mineral water plants around Sankarankovil in the district for functioning without permission.

An official statement said a surprise check was conducted in a few mineral water plants at Sankarankovil, Karivalamvanthanallur, Melaneelithanallur and Dharmadurani and three of them were found to be functioning without proper permission obtained from the Department of Food Safety for commercially manufacturing “flavoured herbal drinking water.”

Moreover, it was found that the water was being packed in unclean cans and marketed.

Subsequently, the Food Safety Officers, T.R. Muthukumarasamy, Maharajan, Ramesh and Chandrasekaran, sealed the illegal mineral water manufacturing units.

The Food Safety Department has warned that manufacture and sale of mineral water without proper permission would attract serious punishments under the provisions of Food Safety Act. Moreover, the consumers should buy only mineral water bottles carrying ISI mark and consume it before the expiry/ best before date, the statement added.

Seized food items burnt

IMPHAL, Sep 25 :Sub-standard food items, including fruit juice products, confiscated by teams of Food Safety and Standards Enforcement Wing from different shops in august have been consigned to the flames at Lamphelpat area today.
According to Imphal West Designated Officer (Food Safety) CMO S Bimolakumari the food items disposed at the IMC temporary dumping site near KRYPSA ground, Lamphelpat were seized during raids of commercial establishments carried out on August 16 and 17 and August 23 and 24 at Khwairamband Keithel areas and godowns of these shops located in other areas of the State capital.
The seized items comprising banned tobacco products, pickles, canned fish, milk-based products and soft drinks were consigned to flame with due consent and disposal site selection by the Manipur Pollution Control Board, said the Designated Officer adding that market value of the destroyed items is about Rs 42,63,180.
Asking shop owners/traders to strictly comply with prescribed food safety norms and to sustain trade activity by possessing valid license, she also urged the general public to not only exercise vigil while purchasing consumable items but also inform Food Safety personnel in case any irregularities are detected.

Food companies, activists lock horns over junk food in schools

Differences have been cropping up even as Food Safety & Standards Authority of India attempts to put in place final guidelines to determine what counts as healthy food in educational institutes

The country's top packaged food & beverage companies and food safety activists are at loggerheads over what constitutes junk food in schools. The difference in opinion between the two has cropped up even as the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) attempts to put in place a final set of  guidelines to determine what counts as healthy food in educational institutions.

These companies such as Hindustan Unilever (HUL), Nestle, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Dabur, who are part of the  All India Food Processors' Association (AIFPA), an apex body of packaged food players in the country, argue that there is nothing called junk food that exists anywhere in the world. "You either have something that is of low nutritional value or high nutritional value. There has to be a scientific basis to what constitutes junk food," M A Tejani, president, AIFPA says. 

The AIFPA alongwith the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) is part of the 14-member expert committee that will give its recommendations to FSSAI before the latter formulates the final set of guidelines by December. Both AIFPA and NRAI, however, boycotted the expert committee meeting held today in New Delhi. 

Activists such as the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) say that the argument by the AIFPA is a frivolous one intended to skirt the core issue of having  guidelines or benchmarks pertaining to healthy food to children. "There are number of countries around the world that prescribe guidelines pertaining to the wholesomeness and nutrition of food to children. There is certainly a need for a proper set of guidelines as well as a national policy pertaining to food targeted at children here," says Sunita Narain, director, CSE, who is also on the expert committee that will make recommendations to FSSAI. 

CSE says that the move by the food safety regulator to have a defined set of guidelines is important since there are no  adequate food safety and labelling standards in India. The draft guidelines, which were prescribed last month by FSSAI, 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 intended at helping children inculcate good eating habits.  

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. Bejon Misra, a consumer policy expert, who is also the founder of Consumer Online Foundation, says that food companies should indicate the proportion of salt, sugar and fat going into food items. "More often than not this is unclear on account of poor labelling standards that prevail here," he says.
Executives at Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, however, 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 HUL, 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 fulfill specific nutrition criteria or those requested by or agreed to by school administrators.

No compromise on food safety

In the present era, one of the major challenges is eating healthy nutritious food. Because everything we eat today is contaminated in some way or the other, almost every edible item available in the market is laced with some chemicals, in the form of additives, preservatives, colour and flavor. Loads of fertilizers and pesticides go in the growing of food grains and vegetables that we consume, which while high yielding and good to look at, have less food value and lack in taste. Then there are other various edible items which we buy off the shelf: cooking oils, lentils, canned food items, pickles, various snacks, soft drinks, mineral waters, the list is endless, all of which contains various chemicals, in as they say, in permissible amount. This is the whole gamut of diet for the majority of the people, with very rare exceptions who can afford to eat home grown grains and vegetables without the use of chemical fertilizers. 

This kind of diet, everybody agrees is not conducive to keeping the body hale and hearty, and consequently, the present generations have become victims to a lot of lifestyle diseases. Over this, what is matter of grave concern is the deliberate act of adulterating food products and other consumables solely driven by profit. We also have scores of producers of items who do not conform to the guidelines laid down under the Food Safety and Regulation Act, 2006, distributors and retailers who push these products and sell items which have already crossed the expiry date etc. Needless to say, these people are playing with the lives of the consumers just to earn some extra profit, an unethical and criminal act which deserves stringent punishment under the specified law. In our state, in recent times there have been numerous cases of substandard, adulterated and contaminated food items being sold in the market, which as been highlighted by local media. 

This had led to certain brands of beverages, bottled water, tinned fishes etc being banned. The most recent case concerns the firm Reliable Hydrotech, which contrary to its name turned out to be most unreliable, as suspended particles were found in the bottled water manufactured by it. With the PHED department failing woefully in supplying safe drinking water to the public even around the capital city, bottled or mineral water has become the preferred alternative for city dwellers and scores of manufacturers have jumped into the fray to meet this supply. From numerous instances, it is clear that many of them have not maintained the standard and followed the guidelines laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards.  

The Food Safety Commissioner should come down heavily on these firms by banning these harmful products from the market and at the same time, there is a need to revisit the licensing process of these firms. Together with this, stricter vigil and monitoring is required on the edible products available in the market, so as to prevent major mishaps of food poisoning and for the overall need to ensure that the public gets to consume healthy food items. There should be no compromise on this front.