Mar 14, 2015

DINAMALAR NEWS


Advertisement of Tobacco Products

New Delhi: March 13,2015
As per the Report of the Tobacco Control in India (2004), tobacco advertising, in direct or indirect form, boosts consumption. There are independent studies that have been conducted to determine the impact of advertising and promotion of tobacco products on the consumption of these products by Indians. Evidence suggests that exposure to promotional activities for tobacco leads to initiation and progression of tobacco use. Research also corroborates that exposure to tobacco advertisements and receptivity to tobacco marketing are significantly related to increased tobacco use among students. Further, tobacco use in Indian movies has been independently associated with ever tobacco use among adolescents in India. Brief of the key studies on impact of advertising and promotion on youth uptake is annexed.
Section 5 of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003(COTPA, 2003), prohibits all direct and indirect advertisements of the tobacco products. The said prohibition also extends to any activity that promotes the use or consumption of cigarettes or any other tobacco products.
The advertisement of Pan Masala is regulated by section 30 of the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which states that every package of Pan Masala and advertisement relating thereto, shall carry the warning, “Chewing of Pan Masala is injurious to health”.
Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011 dated 1st August 2011, issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 by the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), lays down that tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products. Therefore, Gutkha is a prohibited product, under 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, and hence its advertisement is also prohibited.
The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.

Centre seeks information on checks on slaughterhouses

PUNE: The urban development ministry has sought information from all state governments about the functioning of slaughterhouses and if the enforcement standards laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards regarding disposal of animal waste and slurry, as well as ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection of meat animals, are being complied with. The ministry has also sought information whether the state governments have formed the state committees to oversee the functioning of slaughterhouses.
The Supreme Court had in August 2012, in response to a writ petition, directed state governments to form committees. The apex court had issued the directions for effective implementation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Establishment and Registration of Societies for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Rules 2000, provisions of the Environment Protection Act, and Solid Wastes (Management and Handling Rules) 2000.
Among the functions of the state committees would be to identify and prepare a list of slaughterhouses located within municipal corporations, councils or other local self government bodies, call for reports from the district magistrate, deputy commissioners or district food safety inspectors on the compliance of applicable laws, recommend modernisation of old slaughterhouses, relocation of slaughterhouses that are located near residential areas and recommend measures to deal with solid waste as well as water and air pollution.
The committees would also have to carry out surprise and random inspections of slaughter houses and issue directions, check child labour, and continuously identify and crack down on unlicensed slaughter houses, and unlawful establishments where animals are being slaughtered howsoever on a small scale. The committees would have to as well as send bi-annual reports on the state of slaughter houses to the central committee.
The committees would be headed by secretary of the state urban development department and would have members from the departments of health, animal husbandry, labour, food safety commissioner representing Central Food Safety and Standard Authority of India, state pollution control board, animal welfare board, state police, as well as other officers and experts. Secretary of the ministry of urban development department would be the nodal officer who will coordinate with the state committees and get information about the functioning of slaughter houses.

Awareness campaign by Food Safety Unit

The District Food Safety Unit, South Andaman, in association with Andaman Chamber of Commerce & Industry organized an awareness campaign on the enforcement of Food Safety and Standards Act 7 Rules in South Andaman District. The program was held at Hotel TSG Grand, Dollygunj on Mar 12, 2015, in which the officials of Food Safety department and District Administration sensitized the food business operators and other stakeholders on various aspects of enforcement of the new Act and Rules during the program. They explained the Do & Don't of the food and explained how to keep veg and non-veg food articles separately, besides maintenance of hygiene in surrounding while preparing food and serving it. The Inspection is done by the Food Safety department and the samples, if any, are sent to mainland for testing.
The queries and doubts of the food business operators were answered at the interactive session that followed the awareness generation programme. All food business operators, directly or indirectly associated with food manufacturing/distribution and sale of food articles have been attended the program.
The Food Safety Unit started operation in August 2011 at State level and Regional level from Campbell to Diglipur.

WHO links food safety and nutrition

New Delhi, March 13 (IANS) Linking food safety and nutrition, the World Health Organisation on Friday said food and water borne diseases kill an estimated two million people across the world annually.
"Globally, every year, millions of people die of food contamination. Food borne illness is a serious cause of concern. Access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food is key to sustaining life and promoting good health. Food safety, nutrition and food security are inextricably linked," said Asheena Khalakdia, the team leader for communicable diseases at WHO country office for India.
She said that from production to consumption, there were several potential areas of food contamination and safe and healthy food should be the prime focus.
"Food safety is a big issue so this year we have come up with a theme on food safety on the occasion of World Health Day on April 7, 2015," she said, during a technical session on the theme for the World Health Day.
The WHO experts enumerated five key points for safer food.
These include cleanliness, keeping the raw and cooked food separate from other foods, cooking thoroughly especially meat, poultry, eggs and seafood at 70 degrees Celsius, keeping food at safe temperatures, using safe water and raw materials.
"Food safety is a shared responsibility. It is important to work all along the food production chain - from farmers and manufacturers to vendors and consumers. We want these five keys for safer food to be made accessible to every consumer. All the stake holders should come forward on a joint platform to share this responsibility," she added.