Edible Oil Units Must Ensure FSMS Compliance Needs

Olive Oil
With the implementation of FSS Act, 2006, the edible oil industry is governed by FSS Act, Rules & Regulations for issue of license, safety and ensuring standard parameters. However, for licensing, the producer or manufacturer of vegetable oil, edible oil and other products needs to have his own laboratory facility for analytical testing of samples as it is one of the conditions of the license.
Another stipulation under the regulations is that every manufacturer [including ghani operator] or wholesale dealer in butter, ghee, vanaspati, edible oils, solvent extracted oil, de-oiled meal, edible flour and any other fats shall maintain a register and present the same for inspection by the food authorities. The register must show details of
the quantity of manufactured, received or sold oil
nature of oil seed used
quantity of de-oiled meal and edible flour used etc. as applicable
destination of each consignment of the substances sent out from his factory or place of business.
Food Business Operators must also be careful that they do not sell or distribute, offer for sale or deliver to any person for the purpose of sale any edible oil that is not packed, marked or labelled as specified in the regulations. They can be exempted these conditions only if there is a public interest notification by the Food Safety Commissioner in the official Gazette and that too under
specific circumstances,
for specific period of time
for reasons recorded in writing.
Location and Layout of the establishment
In keeping with regulations and to prevent contamination edible oil manufacturing units are to be located away from those industries that emit harmful gas, chemicals or obnoxious odours. Machinery in the factory must occupy only 50% of floor space so that there is no obstacle to continuous production.
The factory must have a permanent roof like R. C.C, asbestos or iron sheet. Similarly the flooring must be either tiled, cemented or pakka stone laid. The production area walls are required to be smooth and should not be less than five feet height and the junctions between the walls and floors are curved. The factory premises must be whitewashed and painted and should also have adequate lighting and ventilation. To take care that no effluents could contaminate the oil, the factory requires proper refuse disposal and drainage facility.
To prevent infestation from flies and insects, all doors must have automatic door closures, while windows and other openings must be fitted with secure mesh or screens. For hygienic purposes entrances must have antiseptic/ disinfectant foot mats. Toilet facilities must be adequate for all workers and located away from the factory premises. Factory owners need to adopt a CIP (clean-in-place) system.
Equipment and Fixtures
Manufacturing plant owners must provide adequate facility to disinfect and clean equipment and instruments used in oil production. Equipment made with stainless steel/ galvanized iron or other non-corrosive material is most suitable for use. Temperature and pressure/vacuum in the processing vessels require proper maintenance. Edible oil must be transported in clean transport particularly if the same transportation is used for non-food items. The transport must be equipped with temperature control facility if required.
Processing plants must carry out only
Approved processes in the factory
More than 180° C temperature is required for de-odourisation
Post neutralization must be carried out for hydrogenation/ interesterification units
Packaging and Storing
Packaging material must be adequately available and while place for storage must be clean and free from pest and rodent infestation. Packaging section must be clean, tiled, covered and free from contaminants like flies and insects. Use only food grade containers or those made of prime quality material for packing edible oil and fats. Tin containers must be rust free. If required, manufacturing units must provision for cold storage facility. Follow all labelling norms on packs along with correct batch numberings so consumers are safe.
Personal hygiene
To ensure that edible oil and fats are not contaminated through workers manufacturing unit owners need to provide adequate
Aprons, headgear, disposable gloves and footwear
Provision for hand wash, detergent/ bactericidal soap
Nail cutters
Hand drying facility
Toilets with disinfectant foot mats
Water Supply
You must ensure that there is adequate supply of potable water and facilities to store water in a clean and safe manner. Make sure that potable and non-potable water pipes are easily identifiable by marking them appropriately.
Food Testing Facility
All edible oil manufacturing units should have a well-equipped laboratory for testing of vegetable oils/fats with provisions for necessary chemicals and supporting facilities. The laboratory must employ qualified chemists. Raw oil or finished products must be all tested within standard parameters and quality control records must be satisfactorily maintained.
All packaged edible oils that are being sold in all retail outlets would now be marked with the new ISI standards. BIS has been working on new standards for edible oil.

DINAMALAR NEWS

சுகாதாரமற்றதாக புகார் அரசு மருத்துவமனையில் உணவகத்துக்கு அதிரடி சீல்

சென்னை, அக். 30:
ராஜிவ் காந்தி அரசு மருத்துவமனையில் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் செயல்பட்ட உணவகத்துக்கு சீல்வைக்கப்பட்டது.
சென்னை ராஜிவ் காந்தி அரசு பொது மருத்துவமனையில் ஐந்துக்கும் மேற்பட்ட உணவகங்கள், டீ கடைகள் உள்ளன. இதுதவிர அம்மா உணவகமும் உள்ளது. இங்கு வரும் ஆயிரக்கணக்கான நோயாளிகள் மற்றும் அவர்களது உறவினர்கள், செவிலியர்கள், மருத்துவமனை ஊழியர்கள் என பலரும் உணவகங்களுக்கு சென்று சாப்பிடுகின்றனர்.
இதேபோல் மருத்துவமனையில் பணியாற்றும் டாக்டர்கள் மற்றும் மருத்துவ மாணவர்கள், பயிற்சி மருத்துவர்களுக்காக தனியாக உணவகம் உள்ளது. தனியாரால் நடத்தப்படும் இந்த உணவகம் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் செயல்படுவதாக உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகளுக்கு புகார்கள் வந்ததால் கடந்த 15 நாட்களுக்கு முன் உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அதிகாரிகள் சோதனையிட்டனர்.
அதில், புகார் உண்மை என தெரிய வந்தது. இதையடுத்து உணவகம் நடத்தும் தனியாருக்கு எச்சரிக்கை விடுத்தனர். ஆனால், மீண்டும் மீண்டும் புகார் வந்தவண்ணம் இருந்ததால் நேற்று மீண்டும் சோதனையிட்டனர். இதில் சுகாதாரமற்ற முறையில் உணவகம் இருப்பது தெரிய வந்ததை அடுத்து, அதிகாரிகள் உணவகத்தை பூட்டி சீல் வைத்தனர். அதன் மேல் எச்சரிக்கை நோட்டீசும் ஒட்டப்பட்டது. இதேபோல் மருத்துவமனையில் உள்ள அனைத்து உணவகங்கள், டீ கடைகளையும் சுகாதாரமான முறையில் வைத்துக்கொள்ளும்படி அதிகாரிகள் அறிவுறுத்தினர்.

Food licence for medical stores painfully slow

MEERUT: Ever since the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 was implemented in August 2011, making it mandatory for medical stores to also receive a licence from the food safety department, the licencing procedure has become exceedingly cumbersome, storekeepers say.
Medical stores keepers and officials in the food safety department accept that only 50% of the licences applied for have been issued.
"The online procedure is troublesome for medical store owners. They have to get their license renewed in five years, depending on the time period for which the medical stores' license was issued. The online renewal process adds to the woes of medical store owners," said JP Singh, Chief Food Safety Officer (CFSO).
Earlier, medical stores had to get a license only from the drug inspector. After the Food Safety and Standards Act was implemented in 2011, retailers had to also get a license from the food safety department.
The step came to ensure that food items, including milk powder, honey and chyanvanprash that were sold at medical stores met food safety norms.
Puneet Sharma, a medical store owner in the city, said, "Not only is the online procedure difficult for a person like me, who shies away from technology, it also ends up taking more time than the manual issuing of licences."
Sharma said he had applied for the license in March 2014. Seven months have passed, but he has still not received the licence, he said. "I visited the department but was told the online procedure takes time," Sharma said.
When TOI sought details from the CFSO of the numbers of licences applied for and issued, he said, "It is difficult to collate data because it is on different online portals. We don't have the hard copy of the list of online licenses issued." He added that the government had given time until February 2015 to issue food licences to medical stores.

‘Ensure no wildlife meat at Sangai fest’

People for Animals Thoubal has called for officials who are to manage the food stalls at the upcoming Sangai festival to check the food offered by stall keepers, and to arrange stalls into veg and non-veg categories.
The body, in a statement, remarked, that “animal meat” refers to sheep, goat, pig, cattle, poultry and fish only under the purview of existing Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. It said slaughtering of any other species other than these animals was not permissible and is illegal.
Reacting offering of wildlife meat, PFA also said dog, and rabbit meats are also to be avoided. The body while pledging it will keep constant vigil of the stalls also reminded that the state is not famous for its cuisines.
Selling of cooked meat which is not permitted could lead to imprisonment upto six months and fine up to one lakh rupees while selling of wild animals’ meat could be punished as well.
On a different note, PFA also appealed that Pony and polo associations are not to provide joy ride of Pony horses in the festival.
In the previous year staffs of wildlife department were deployed to check sale or offering of wildlife meat or its products.

Safe packaging

The world's leading food processing and packaging solutions provider launches a food awareness campaign for mothers to keep their childern and family protected by making the right choices, reports shubhra bhramar
Food processing and packaging company Tetra Pak launched its Right to Keep Food Safe awareness campaign in the Capital recently, targeting mothers to inform them of food safety, nutrition and packaging facts. As per a recent multi-city survey commissioned by Tetra Pak, one in every three mothers surveyed is unsure about the safety of food that she gives to her family. The survey conducted by Research Pacific, Conversations With Mothers, also revealed that mothers are most concerned about the freshness and purity of the food they consume as well as the risks of its adulteration.
Releasing the findings of the survey on World Food Day, Tetra Pak’s Right to Keep Food Safe campaign was an awareness programme to empower mothers with knowledge and facts on food safety and nutrition, and motivate them to spread the word to many more mothers. An integral part of this is Nutrition Quotient (NQ), which is a first-of-its-kind online course on food safety, nutrition and packaging that has been developed by experts from the Indian Medical Association, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Indian Dietetics Association, the National Dairy Research Institute and the National Institute of Nutrition.
"Food safety is a continuing concern with the outbreaks of food-borne diseases due to adulteration, contamination and lack of awareness on how to keep food safe,” said Aditi Gowitrikar, doctor, actor and mother of two who was present at the launch. “It is surprising to learn from the survey that over 70 per cent mothers do not immediately connect serious diseases such as jaundice, cholera, and typhoid with food safety."
Tetra Pak Asia Markets marketing director, Sumit Khattar said, "The survey shows that while mothers are quite concerned about the food and beverages they consume, there is a clear need for them to have easy access to better information and consequently exercising the right choices."
The Right to Keep Food Safe campaign comprises several programmes, activities and seminars around ten key cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur and Vishakhapatnam). It aims to empower mothers to champion the movement around food safety and nutrition and become spokespersons in their own communities to increase awareness on this critical issue.