“அனைவருக்கும் இனிய பொங்கல் நல்வாழ்த்துகள்”

Unsafe platter: Eateries refuse to register February 4 Deadline For Food & Drugs Admin To Act

Chennai: The hygiene behind the food we eat remains a concern as a majority of food operators – hotels, restaurants, canteens, hostels, roadside eateries, dairy shops, tea shops, meat shops, juice shops and vegetable and fruit vendors – in the city are yet to enroll with the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) even though the February 4 deadline is less than three weeks away. 

The Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 has set new licensing and registration norms for food business units in the country. Though the act was implemented in August 2011, the deadline was extended to February 4 this year. The government said that the act aimed at ensuring food vendors observed better standards of hygiene. 

Eateries with an annual turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh should obtain a licence, and those below this limit should register themselves with the food safety officer, the law says. FDA data shows only 9,256 of more than 23,000 food vendors here have enrolled so far. Of this, 5,423 have got the licence and 3,833 have registered with the department. 

FDA officials have identified 23,769 food operators in the city. They say they would take action against illegal vendors across the city after the deadline. Vendorswho fail to get enrolled with the department may have to shut shops or shell out penalties ranging from Rs25,000 to Rs10 lakh or imprisonment up to six months or both . While the one-year registration would cost vendors Rs100, the licence costs Rs2,000 upwards. A senior official said there would not be any extension of the February 4 deadline. “The food operators can also apply on the website (www.tnhealth.org/FoodSafety_Registration.htm). But there are no provisions for online payment of fees,” the officer said. 

Tamil Nadu Hotels Association secretary R Srinivasan has sought an extension of the deadline. “The government is yet to set up adequate machineries for implementing the rule.The government has not consulted hotel owners before drafting the act.” 

Officials said that quality of raw materials for food preparation, transportation and storage of food items, and location of street food stalls will be checked under the new guidelines. 

National Association of Street Vendors of India secretary V Mageshvaran said the act was not suited for local conditions. 

Marina crackdown 

The Chennai Corporation on Monday seized substandard soft drinks, snacks, oil and water sachets at the Marina beach. A 75-member team inspected 536 food stalls and seized 130 kg of unhygienic meat and fish, 17 bubble tops, 1,200 drinking water sachets, 17 bottles of juices, jam and sauce.

Food safety registration deadline ends on Feb. 4

Prevention of Food Adulteration Act expires; Food Safety and Standards Authority takes over 

SAFETY FIRST:Businesses with a turnover of up to Rs. 12 lakh a year need to register with the Food Safety and Standards Authority. Others with a turnover of more than Rs. 12 lakh need to obtain a licence.  

 The deadline for those involved in manufacturing, selling or distributing food to obtain licences from the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSA) of India or register with it ends on February 4 after a grace period of two years.

Food services, including schools serving noon-day meals, need to register with FSSA or face prosecution under the new food safety regime. Headmasters of schools serving noon-day meals would have to apply for the registration, said an FSSA official.

The official said food sellers who continued to stay in business without registration or a licence after the February 4 could face imprisonment up to six months and fine of Rs. two lakh.

College, school and industrial canteens too will have to either register with or obtain licence from the Food Safety and Standards Authority to remain in business legally. “The new rules are applicable to anyone involved in food business, including those who operate storage space for import or export purposes,” said the official. Toddy shops and meat sellers too come under the FSSA rules and need either licence or registration.

Though the validity of the old food safety regime under Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act ended in March 2011, food businesses have been given time till February 4 to change over. Under PFA rules, local bodies issued licences and registrations to food businesses.

According to the FSSA official, businesses with a turnover of up to Rs. 12 lakh a year need only register with the authority. Others with a turnover of more than Rs. 12 lakh a year need to obtain a licence.

The official said that a total of around 5,000 licences had already been issued to food businesses in Ernakulam district. Around 23,000 food businesses have also registered with the FSSA in the district.

Meanwhile, the FSSA official said the authority planned to intensify collection of statutory samples for testing.

Food items and ingredients were tested on a continuous basis to ensure safety, the official said. About 15 per cent of the samples tested over the last one year had been found adulterated, he said. The tested samples included cardamom, pulses, ice used in cool drinks.

Chennai civic body raids food stalls on beaches

Officials said the raids were a preventive measure ahead of the holidays, when over 10 lakh people are expected to flock to beaches across the city.

Samples taken from 536 outlets on Marina, Elliot’s, Palavakkam to test for toxins 

Ahead of Pongal on Monday, the Chennai Corporation began raids on outlets selling food on beaches across the city. This is part of a larger initiative to ensure safety on the beaches during the festive season, when many residents are expected to flock there.

Ten teams have been formed by the Corporation’s public health department to prevent sales of unhygienic food on Marina, Elliot’s and Palavakkam beaches. 

All the food stalls on the beaches are illegal, but the civic body has been unable to regulate them, even after a directive from the Madras High Court. 

A number of samples were collected from 536 food stalls on Monday, for informal testing of shelf life, rusted covers on soft drinks, ‘carcinogenic’ cooking oil, use of colouring agents, and quality. The growth of micro-organisms such as coliform, clostridium, yeast, E. Coli, salmonella and mould will also be tested.

The results of the tests will be used to assess the impact of the sales of such products on beaches. 

“This is a preventive measure. More than 10 lakh people will gather on the beaches during the festival holidays. We also educated people on health and the safety of street food. Traders selling spurious food products were also warned,” said city health officer, P. Kuganantham.

“The dark oil repeatedly used for frying food items is highly carcinogenic. Water collected from the shallow pits of the Marina which is sold, is a health hazard. Visitors to the beach should avoid such products,” he added.

“Earlier, some vendors used to sell spurious products on the beaches. Now, members of the vendors’ association have decided to prevent such practices,” said Meen Umayaal, a vendor on Marina beach.

“Some officials created awareness about food safety recently. We now get regular customers only because we use good quality oil for cooking,” said Velu Mani, a vendor.

The food safety department is also planning to screen stalls selling unhygienic food products and will issue improvement notices to shops that function in unsanitary conditions. 

“We found that a number of packed food products sold by stalls did not have a date of manufacturing. We intend to create awareness about this also,” said a Corporation official.

“People should be careful when they buy food on beaches. They can cause infections, diarrhoea or fever,” said a food analyst.

Emergency medical teams will also be stationed at various points to help visitors at beaches this week.

Ban on gutkha extended

The Commissioner of Food Safety, Andhra Pradesh, has announced that the prohibition of manufacture, storage, distribution or sale of gutkha and other chewable tobacco products in the State has been further extended for a period of one year from January 10, 2014.

Previous order expired

The Hindu had carried a report “Gutkha is now ‘legal’ in State”, which appeared in these columns on Monday, about the purported delay in extending the ban, the previous order of which expired on January 9, 2014.

Sections

The ban on the tobacco products has been imposed under Section 30 (2) (a) of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and in the interest of public health, according to the press release from the Commissioner of Food Safety on Monday.

Adulterated AAloo, Nadru Munji Be cautious while taking Kashmiri snacks: SMC

Srinagar, Jan 13 (KNS): The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Monday cautioned people who take Nadru, Aaloo Munji (Kashmiri snacks) because the corporation has registered cases against a few vendors allegedly using industrial dye and other coloring agents in their preparations. 

Talking to KNS, Dr Shafqat Khan, health officer SMC, said that during a routine inspection of food items in Srinagar City at three places--Hazratbal Naqashband Sahib and Dastigeer Sahib industrial dye (not fit for human use) was found to be used in preparation of Nudru and Alloo Munji local Kashmiri snacks.

According to Dr Khan, the Food items were destroyed on spot and challans was framed against the offenders.

In another case, he told KNS that a trader in Fethakadal Narparisthan was found to selling substandard food colours alongside industrial colours and dyes who has been warned to immediately stop sale within one week of these food colours or face legal action under Food Safety Standard Act 2006.

“General public are cautioned not to use these food products as same are harmful for health and can cause irreversible damage to health,” Dr Khan cautioned. 

Adulterated ‘Aaloo, Nadru Munji’!

Srinagar, Jan 13: The Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Monday cautioned people against taking ‘Nadru and Aaloo Munji’ (Kashmiri snacks) saying that the corporation has registered cases against a few vendors for allegedly using industrial dyes and other coloring agents in their preparations. 

Dr Shafqat Khan, Health Officer SMC, said that during a routine inspection of food items in Srinagar City at three places—Hazratbal, Naqashband Sahib and Dastigeer Sahib areas, industrial dye (not fit for human use) was found to be used in preparation of Nudru and Alloo Munji.

According to Dr Khan, the food items were destroyed on spot and ‘challans’ were framed against the offenders.

In another case, he said that a trader in Fethakadal Narparisthan was found selling substandard food colours alongside industrial dyes, who has been warned to immediately stop sale or face legal action under Food Safety Standard Act 2006.

“General public are cautioned not to use these food products as same are harmful for health and can cause irreversible damage to health,” Dr Khan cautioned.

Govt support eludes Gaya tilkut makers

GAYA: Makar Sankranti will be celebrated on Tuesday and Wednesday when tilkut will accompany the main course of dahi-chuda (curd and flattened rice) of a vast section of people across the state. However, this Sankranti too has failed to bring much cheer to the nearly 400 families engaged in tilkut making in different localities of Gaya as their long-pending demand for the grant of cottage industry status is yet to be conceded.

If granted the cottage industry status, the makers of famous Gaya tilkut will be entitled to cheap power, subsidized fuel, low-interest bank finance, better marketing options and inclusion in the Prime Minister Rozgar Yojana list.

Incidentally, tilkut, besides Vishnupad temple and Renaissance Cultural centre are regarded Gaya's icons, giving the place a distinct identity.

According to Lalji Prasad, leader of tilkut makers, despite several petitions to the government and assurances given by former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, little has been done to provide state support to tilkut making, gradually making it a less remunerative occupation.

If non-award of cottage industry status was not enough, the nearly 200-year-old tilkut industry of Gaya has been visited by a host of other problems caused by rising input cost and migration of skilled workers. Poaching by confectionary manufacturers of Kolkata, Patna etc, according to insiders, has of late been engineering large-scale migration of skilled workers, thereby putting a question mark over the business's survival at its birthplace. Whether it be Kolkata, Patna or any other part of the country, locally-made tilkut is given the Gaya tag to make it acceptable to tilkut lovers.

A mix of lintel, sugar/gur etc in the right proportions, heated at an optimum temperature in cold but dry weather, skillfully hammered and then moulded into biscuit-like form, the tilkut protocol is extremely sensitive.

The Gaya tilkut makers have to borrow money at market rate, thereby diminishing the profit. Moreover, by bringing tilkut under the ambit of Food Safety Act, the government has made things more difficult for the tilkut makers as it now requires licence and inspection by health officials.

As tilkut comes in the category of 'no milk food item', its export potential is said to be very high. But for export promotion too, the Gaya tilkut makers look to the government for help. Gaya tilkut stands at the New Delhi trade fairs have been doing good business over the years and all that is required is to market it properly both at the national and international levels.

Due to lack of finance, tilkut makers cannot engage in bulk and advance purchase of items like lintel, sugar/jaggery. The wholesalers of these items charge arbitrary prices when the tilkut demand peaks around Makar Sankranti.