Jul 7, 2015

States demand shifting of FSSAI to Consumer Affairs Ministry

New Delhi, Jul 7: Cutting across party lines, state governments have demanded that the Centre shift the food safety regulator, FSSAI, to Consumer Affairs Ministry from Health Ministry for better regulation of processed food items. Currently, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) comes under the purview of Healthy Ministry. The regulator has been in the news since the start of the Maggi controversy. ”Jharkhand, Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh demanded that FSSAI should be governed by the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry and not Union Health Ministry. Other states/UTs supported their demand unanimously,” Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here. 
He refused however to comment on the demand made by state governments in this regard. The FSSAI issue was raised in the meeting of state food ministers on price rise issue. Around 33 states and Union Territories attended the meeting. Jharkhand Food Minister Saryu Rai said, “FSSAI should be part of the Union Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry because the issue is related to food.”
Unlike Health Ministry, Rai said, the Consumer Affairs Ministry is well-equipped with labs to check food safety as well as consumer courts to take further action against offenders. ”I hope Paswanji will taken action on this issue. If need arises, a delegation of state governments will meet the Prime Minister to explain the logic behind our demand,” Rai said.
Karnataka Food Minister Gundu Rao said a cabinet note in this regard has also moved in the state government. “Since there are legal hurdles, we want the Centre to take lead on this issue,” he added. Last month, FSSAI banned Nestle’s Maggi noodles due to presence of lead and taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) beyond permissible limits. It ordered Nestle to immediately withdraw and recall all nine variants of Maggi instant noodles from market. The regulator has stepped up surveillance on other food products including snacks and beverages.

Exclusive - FSSAI toughens stance, cuts product approvals


New Delhi: Whether it is Maggi or milk, the FSSAI seems to have come down heavily on the selection of product for approval this year.
Data shows Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has granted only 67 approvals for product licenses since January this year as compared to a generous 763 approvals in the calendar year 2014. The list of rejected applications is a scary 523.
The food regulators are finding a lot of irregularities and inaccuracies in the shelf-life analysis data submitted by the FMCG companies, who seek faster approval despite lacking proper examination reports.
Sources in FSSAI told Bloomberg TV India that companies which fail to provide shelf life analysis data suiting the Food safety and Standard rules 2011 are asked to re-apply for the approval. However, companies tend to dilly-dally in re-filing another application and often launch unapproved products in the market.
This year FSSAI has taken strict initiative by declining approvals on non-adherence of the food safety rules. Sources also informed that improper data has become a major hurdle for companies to acquire the approvals despite having no quality deficiencies.
This comes as a major setback for the food sector, as they experience delay in reaching their products to the retail shelf. FSSAI has denied the allegation of industry that they intentionally delay the process. They have clearly stated the reasons for increase in rejections and closure of food product applications.
The data published by FSSAI highlights the fast track mode FSSAI has adopted to reduce the pending files and increase the check on approval process to assure products that match the regulatory Standard don’t queue up for long.

Infographic: Here are the countries you can safely eat Maggi in while the India ban is on

It's been about a month since Maggi was banned all over India by the FSSAI for excessive lead content and mis-labelling. Manufacturers Nestle India themselves pulled out and destroyed a sizeable amount of the instant noodles from the market and vowed to return after sorting the issue. Following this, the popular snack came under the scanner in a number of countries, with Singapore, Nepal and UK imposing bans on the product imported from India.
Now, as the dust settles in, it appears that Maggi noodles is edible at least to other countries. It all began with the Bombay High Court, on 30 June, allowing Nestle India to export Maggi noodles after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said it had no objection to the company selling the product abroad. This was followed by Singapore's food regulator declaring Maggi noodles from India as safe for consumption.
Eventually other countries such as United Kingdom and Canada, declared Maggi safe for consumption. Currently,reports suggest that about seven countries have given the brand an all clear, leading to a revival of hope both for the brand and its fans.
Here's an infographic detailing all the countries you can safely eat Maggi in while the India ban is on.


RISKY MEAL - THE MEAT YOU EAT: How safe is it


Violations At Corporation-Run Abattoir In Pulianthope Put Meat Lovers At Health Risks
Ill-equipped, unhygienic and unmonitored, the corporation's makeshift abattoir in north Chen nai's Pulianthope is posing health risks to the public.While the newly-built modern abattoir next door remains closed over political differences, meat lovers will have to contend with the abysmal conditions under which goats are slaughtered and transported to butcher shops, restaurants and hotels.
Poor or rich, all are at risk, as the Pulianthope slaughterhouse supplies meat to almost the entire city. It slaughters about 2,000 goats on weekdays and nearly 6,000 on Sundays.
While corporation veterinarians have been appointed for daily inspection at the abattoir, they are rarely to be seen, say butchers. Under corporation norms, one veterinarian is required to be on duty for every 500 goats slaughtered.While slaughter begins as early as midnight on Sundays, it starts around 4am on weekdays.
Goats procured from as far as Rajasthan, after days of transit, are offloaded from trucks into the abattoir pen.They are led into the slaughterhouse early morning in herds; they are killed and piled on top of another. The cruel treatment is unavoidable as the slaughterhouse is not large enough to handle the city's meat supply , remarks a butcher.
Overcrowding inside the abattoir, which compounds risk of infection, has led corporation authorities to remove a part of the roof of the hall. With monsoon expected in a month, the corporation officials said they are working on putting fixing the roof and installing an industrial ventilation system.
Outside the slaughter hall, illegal vendors sell meat fat and other animal organs. “ A lot of these vendors sell discarded sick animal parts,“ said a butcher. This practice poses risks as carcasses are loaded onto vehicles just a few feet away . Corporation officials had assured these vendors would be regulated, but to no avail.
Butchers at the abattoir have been demanding extension of the 30,000 sqft facility .“A 10,000 sqft space lies vacant next door. We hope the authorities will allow us to use it.“
With no proper drainage system, the abattoir is overrun with blood and a n i m a l w a s t e.
“The effluents are channelled to the Kodungaiyur treatment plant where they are cleared before they are let out into the environment,“ a corporation official said.
The temporary slaughterhouse was erected four months ago as the modern abattoir failed to open as planned. About 1,000 butchers feared they would lose their employment with the opening of the new mechanised slaughterhouse.
General secretary of the city's Mutton Merchants' Association, Moolakadai Anshu said, “What we want is an abattoir in all 15 zones. This will lessen the load as smaller abattoirs will be easier to monitor.With lesser animals to screen, it will enable a more sanitary approach. We have been making this demand to the corporation, but they haven't paid any heed to us.“

British food regulator finds Maggi safe for consumption, results raise questions on FSSAI


The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which banned the product in June, didn't respond to queries regarding the FSA statement. 

NEW DELHI: Britain's food regulator has found Nestle's Maggi noodles made in India to be perfectly safe for consumption, despite also testing the noodles and the tastemaker separately like its Indian counterpart. 
"None of the products tested in the UK so far has given the FSA any indication that EU (European Union) maximum limits have been exceeded," a UK Food Safety Agency (FSA) spokesperson said in an email. "Some of the samples tested consisted of the noodles and flavour combined and others have been tested separately. Where they have been tested separately the levels of lead reported in the flavouring have not given cause for concern." The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which banned the product in June, didn't respond to queries regarding the FSA statement.
The India ban has thrown the packaged foods business in the country into disarray. Several companies have withdrawn instant noodles from shops, uncertain about regulatory action, while many jittery consumers have stopped buying packaged snacks. This has meant that the sales spurt the category sees during the monsoon season is absent this year, industry executives said. 
To be sure, the permissible lead content is expressed differently in the two countries - 0.2g/kg in the UK and 2.5 ppm (parts per million) in India. The UK FSA spokesperson said the risks to consumers from lead in food relate to "long-term exposure from the whole of the diet". 
"None of the reported levels is likely to increase consumer exposure above usual background levels and as such no enforcement action has been taken in the UK," said the spokesperson. Apart from the UK, four countries to which India-made Maggi noodles is exported have declared the product safe. These are Canada, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand
Nestle said there is no difference in the noodles meant for export and for the local market. 
"The noodles made for the export market are produced on the same manufacturing lines as those for the Indian market at our factory in Bicholim," the company said in an email. "Since packaging materials are designed to meet the regulatory requirements of each importing country, they will need to be packed separately with a separate batch number for traceability." 
It exports Maggi noodles to Nestle in the UK, Canada, Singapore and Kenya and third parties in the US, Australia and New Zealand. 
"Nestle applies the same quality standards everywhere in the world - in India, in the US, in the EU, everywhere - and in addition ensures that we meet the regulatory requirements of each country where the product is sold," the company said. 
There needs to be greater clarity on the rules in India, said RK Bansal, former director at the food processing ministry and a member of the committee that formulated the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. 
"There are no guidelines prescribed in the regulations unfortunately," he said. "Due to lack of clarity, Maggi noodles can be treated as one product and the tastemaker can be treated as a different product. Since there are no set guidelines, it is totally up to the analysts in laboratories what they want to do and each analyst may have adifferent take on this." 
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) spokesperson told ET in an email that its tests showed India-made Maggi noodles met "food safety standards and do not pose food safety risks to consumers." 
The UK regulator said it didn't test for monosodium glutamate (MSG) content because this is allowed under EU rules. The Indian watchdog had found fault with Nestle over the Maggi noodles packaging bearing a 'No added MSG' message. 
"The FSA considers that MSG can be safely used in foods in accordance with the conditions set out in EU food additives legislation," the spokesperson said. "MSG has been evaluated for safety by a number of independent expert committees at UK, European and international level. These committees have concluded that at current levels of use, MSG does not present a risk to health."

FSSAI study to highlight consumer behaviour & consumption

Indore : After withdrawing four caffeinated energy drinks from the market, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated a study on consumer behaviour and consumption pattern of these drinks across the country.
The aim of conducting the study is to know about the profile of consumers using Caffeinated/ Energy drinks along with the consumption levels among children, teenagers and young professionals. After getting the report, the FSSAI intends to review the caffeine standards proposed for the caffeinated/ energy drinks.
The regulatory body has called for Expression of Interest (EOI) from the consumer research companies to conduct the study and to provide results to the FSSAI.
In its EOI, the FSSAI has mentioned that consumption of caffeinated/energy drinks in India has shown an upward trend during the past decade. The FSSAI considers it expedient to review the intake of caffeine and other ingredients present in these drinks after conducting a detailed study among various target and consumer groups of Caffeinated/ Energy drinks to understand their usage pattern, preferences and attitude of the consumer groups towards their consumption in view of various studies recently conducted internationally in this behalf.
The target respondents for the survey would be teenagers and youngsters i.e. among students, young professionals, managers and office goers of age-group of 15-45 yrs.
“Geographical coverage of the study would be across Tier-I, Tier-II and Tier III cities. Metros/Tier-I cities would include Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad whereas tier-II and tier-III cities would be Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Indore, Jaipur, Kota, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Manipal, Noida, Patna, Pune, Vadodara, Vishakhapatnam and Shillong. It is to be noted that the FSSAI had withdrew the NOC of few energy drinks when category of energy drinks were found to have contents not included in approved list of Food Safety and Standards Regulations. The titles of the products were also found to be misleading.

A month into Maggi fiasco, sales of all instant noodles crash 90%

New Delhi:
One month after the ban of Maggi, instant noodles sales in India have crashed by over 90% to just about Rs 30 crore from Rs 350 crore a month earlier, according to industry estimates.
With the key category facing an uncertain future, food processing industry players are worried that this could have an impact on their overall investment plans, while companies are now facing `increased harassment from safety inspectors', according to a senior official of industry body Assocham.
“In the last one month the instant noodles category has suffered a massive drop in sales to about Rs 30 crore a month. Before the Maggi ban this category was around Rs 4,200 crore annually , which is about Rs 350 crore per month.There is a fear psychosis among consumers,“ the official said. Last month central food safety regulator FSSAI had banned Nestle's Maggi saying it was “unsafe and hazardous“ for consumption after finding excessive levels of lead and violation of labelling regulations on taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG). Nestle India had recalled Maggi from the markets. With FSSAI cracking the whip, HUL withdrew its Knorr Chinese noodles and Indo Nissin Top Ra men noodles which were pending for approval with the food safety regulator.
In the aftermath of Maggi controversy , there has been “in creased focus“ on packaged food companies, the official said, adding “there is a lot of ha rassment going at lower level The industry is very scared of being subjected to more harass ment“. Seeking government in tervention, the Assocham offi cial said: “There is no standard protocol for testing in different states and manufacturers are not given enough time to take remedial measures.“

Support emerging for FSSAI whistle-blower

Food safety norms often end up benefiting MNCs, alleges former FSSAI director
KOLKATA, JULY 6: 
Even as Pradeep Chakravarty, a former director of the Product Approval Committee at Food Safety and Standards of India, prefers not to say anything about his PIL before the Delhi High Court which alleges rampant corporate lobbying in FSSAI. NGOs and political parties, including some chief ministers, are expressing solidarity with him. Chakravarty would not name them for obvious reasons.
With the public interest litigation petition expected to come up for hearing on September 30, Chakravarty told BusinessLine: “The matter is sub judice and I would not like to comment on it.” Nor does he want the issue politicised.
In his petition, Chakravarty alleged that the food safety norms often end up “benefiting MNCs”. MNCs, he alleges, also get their scientists and technologists on decision-making bodies. The petition alleges that key committees responsible for granting approval have non-technical people. It wants a review of the products approved by FSSAI in the last two years.
In the petition, Chakravarty, now reverted to his home (West Bengal) cadre, also claims that a ‘retaliatory probe’ has been instituted against him for his role in not allowing the import of an energy drink.
According to sources, Chakravarty denied clearance to an Indian importer to market energy drinks produced by a US company because it contained more caffeine than considered safe for Indians (the cap on caffeine content is set lower for Indians because their average body weight is lower than Americans’).
In July 2013, Chakravarty was removed as the head of the Product Approval Committee at FSSAI. Three months later, in October, his successor reportedly allowed the import of the drink. The approval (for import), it is said, was granted before FSSAI’s scientific panel could review the application.
In January 2014, an enquiry was initiated against Chakravarty, and in February this year, he was moved out of FSSAI.Letter to Health Minister
However, Chakravarty did not give up. In March, he along with two other former FSSAI directors — SS Ghonkrokta, and Asim Chaudhary — wrote to Union Health and Family Welfare Minister JP Nadda on the alleged malpractices. The letter, a copy of which is available with BusinessLine ,also refers to issues relating to the import of the energy drink.
FSSAI withdrew approval for the energy drink’s imports in May but the probe against Chakravarty is continuing.

5 fall ill after eating instant noodles

Five persons, including four minors of a family, were hospitalised after they consumed ready-to-eat noodles here, a senior police officer said on Monday.
“An FIR was lodged by the father of the children and since it is a non-cognisable case, we are moving court for approval,” East Khasi Hills district SP (City) Vivek Syiem said.
The siblings, residents of Lawsohtun area in the city, started complaining of severe headache and started vomiting soon after consuming the ready-to-eat noodles bought from a local market yesterday afternoon, the officer at Laban police station said.
“Three of them were admitted to Ganesh Das Hospital and the other two were rushed to Shillong Civil Hospital for immediate medical attention,” Deputy Commissioner of Food Safety S. N. Sangma said.
The Food Safety office has taken samples of the vomit and leftover noodles for a detailed test and has also ordered an inquiry into the incident, Mr. Sangma said. - PTI

Eat, pray you don’ t fall sick: Science-driven standards and making industry accountable will tone up our food safety regime

The Food Safety and Standards Act was enacted by Parliament in 2006 – after nearly 10 years of deliberations – with great hopes of building a modern, technologically vibrant food sector. But stakeholders are now asking whether this much awaited law is in danger of being whittled down and its original intentions defeated.
The intent of this law was to bring all food related statutes together, introduce scientific risk assessment methodologies and transparency in the determination of food standards, and tackle the problem of food contamination before the contamination actually took place.
But for the last six months there has been no full time chairperson at Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Staff strength in FSSAI is getting depleted and there is a chronic shortage of people with risk assessment skills who can understand and deal with the complex issues involved in food safety. The food safety regulator is in danger of drifting back to the obsolete and unscientific procedures which governed food safety regulation in the country under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, which has since been repealed. India’ s food industry also seems to be blissfully unaware of the impending crisis which can upset all their investment plans and product innovations.
The new Act recognises that food safety is not merely a matter of punishing acts of food contamination but involves scientific determination of standards, holding industry accountable for safe manufacture of food and risk-based regulation in line with the resources and skills available.
Making the law more stringent is no guarantee for effective implementation as is clear from the more than one lakh food safety related cases pending in courts. Most developed countries have moved on to risk-based and science-driven food safety standards and industry is being held squarely accountable for safe food through verifiable standards monitored by the regulator.
By taking on the vast and unnecessary responsibility of approving the safety of each individual food product, the food safety regulator is constantly under pressure to clear thousands of products, many of which may have ingredients which have safe limits laid down either within the country or internationally.
However, since no risk assessment is carried out, there is no documentary basis for regulatory decisions. Besides, no reasons are given for approvals, approvals are often contradictory, and there is no procedure for appeals or time limits for clearance. This seems to have seriously hampered the process of innovation and introduction of new and often healthier products in the market.
It should be noted that product approval by a team of officers is no guarantee of food safety. The food item has to be manufactured safely in line with the standards and this can only be ensured by insisting that industry follow verifiable process standards on a day to day basis, get certified by accredited agencies and be subject to risk-based inspections.
Even an advanced country like the US is able to inspect only 1% of the total food produced in the country. What other countries have done is to lay down easily understood safety standards and guidance documents for ensuring compliance. They intervene only when malfeasance is detected.
India really needs a paradigm shift in its food safety regulation system – from relying solely on supply-side food safety, it should develop demand-pull systems for it. Demand-pull systems work with consumers demanding quality and safety attributes in food and forcing the supply side to fall in line. Failing which, they would be made to face punitive market response and regulatory action.
Keeping in view the large unorganised sector India’ s food safety law requires the regulator to lay down simple standards, undertake extensive food safety education, and enable industry to achieve and demonstrate safety. Drafts of critical regulations such as food labelling, functional foods, standards for school meals, water quality and so on are awaiting the regulator’ s attention.
That’ s not all. Public food testing laboratories need to be upgraded urgently. Thousands of food safety professionals need to be trained to man vacant posts in the states. The regulator also needs to work with state governments to bring the use of chemicals in agriculture to safe limits.
In US, the government recently undertook a review of implementation of its food law and brought in significant changes in its implementation. In UK, the food regulator has made industry primarily responsible for food safety and has laid down methods of certification and accreditation to verify that it does so.
The wonderful opportunity that was provided by the Food Safety and Standards Act to modernise the food sector with safety, transparency and inclusiveness as its prime objectives, seems to be on the verge of collapse. Reversion to the command and control approach of the old food laws is not an option either because it has been found severely wanting.
The march of technology and new products requires a responsive mindset towards regulation and a willingness to learn. When decisions are not backed by science and due diligence, the regulator runs the risk of being rendered irrelevant to the needs of a fast changing economy and society.

Supreme Court issues notice to Centre on food safety

In the plea, petitioner Vineet Dhanda requested the apex body to issue directions to the Centre and the states to formulate fresh laws and guidelines and take adequate steps to curb the contamination of the edible and non-edible consumer products
Close on the heels of Maggi and several other packaged edibles coming under the food safety scanner, the Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to the Centre and states on a public interest litigation seeking stringent norms to curb rampant food adulteration.
The PIL filed by lawyer Vineet Dhanda sought intervention of the apex body to monitor and regulate adulteration of food and other consumer products.
In the plea, the petitioner requested the Supreme Court to issue directions to the Centre and the states to formulate fresh laws and guidelines and take adequate steps to curb the contamination of the edible and non-edible consumer products.
The PIL also urged for the formation of a special agency to take immediate action like searching, sealing and seizing products of violators.
The petition sought framing of guidelines to prevent adulteration of food and other consumables like fruits, vegetables, dairy products, edible oils, honey, meat, spices and pulses throughout the country.
"Existing laws regarding food adulteration are incapable of punishing the offenders who contribute to the menace of rising food adulteration by their wrongful acts and also the existing laws and guidelines are insufficient to control the problem of adulteration of food," the PIL said.
"Issue directions to the Union of India and respondents to formulate guidelines and limits regarding use of antibiotics, chemicals, etc. as per international food standards," it added.

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உணவு பொருள் கலப் ப டம் தடுக்க கடுமையான சட்டம அர சுக்கு உச் ச நீ தி மன் றம் நோட்டீஸ்்

புது டெல்லி, ஜூலை 7:
உணவு பொருட் களில் கலப் ப டம் தொடர் பாக தாக் கல் செய் யப் பட்ட பொது நல மனு வுக்கு மத் திய, மாநில அர சு கள் பதில் அளிக் கு மாறு உச் ச நீ தி மன் றம் நோட்டீஸ் அனுப் பி யுள் ளது.
உண வுப் பொருட் களில் கலப் ப டம் செய் யப் ப டு வதை தடுக் கக் கோரி வக் கீல் வினீத் தண்டா என் ப வர் உச் ச நீ தி மன் றத் தில் பொது நல மனு தாக் கல் செய் தார்.
அதில், ‘‘உண வுப் பொருட் களில் கலப் ப டம் செய் யப் ப டு வதை தடுக்க தற் போ துள்ள சட்டம் வலு வா ன தாக இல்லை. இத னால் உண வுப் பொருட் களில் கலப் ப டம் அதி க ரித்து வரு கி றது. அபா யத் தி லி ருந்து மக் களை காக்க அரசு எது வும் செய் வ தில்லை. கலப் ப டம் செய் யப் ப டும் நிறு வ னங் களை மூட அர சுக்கு உத் த ர விட வேண் டும். ரசா யன கலப் பில் லா மல் சர் வ தேச தரத் தில் உண வுப் பொருட் களை தயா ரிக் க வும், கலப் பட பொருட் களை பறி மு தல் செய்து அழிக்க கடு மை யான விதி மு றை கள் வகுக் கும் படி மத் திய, மாநில அர சு களுக்கு உத் த ர விட வேண் டும் ’’ என கூறி யி ருந் தார்.
இந்த மனு உச் ச நீ தி மன்ற தலைமை நீதி பதி எச்.எல் தத்து, நீதி ப தி கள் அருண் குமார் மிஸ்ரா, அமித் தவா ராய் ஆகி யோர் அடங் கிய பெஞ்ச் முன் நேற்று விசா ர ணைக்கு வந் தது. அப் போது இந்த மனு தொடர் பாக மத் திய, மாநில அர சு கள் பதில் அளிக் கும் படி நோட்டீஸ் அனுப்ப நீதி ப தி கள் உத் த ர விட்ட னர்.

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கிருமாம்பாக்கத்தில் அதிரடி மளிகை கடைகளில் புகையிலை பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல்

பாகூர், ஜூலை 7:
கிரு மாம் பாக் கம் பகு தி யில் மளிகை கடை களில் ரெய்டு நடத் திய உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை யி னர், தடை செய் யப் பட்ட புகை யிலை பொருட் களை பறி மு தல் செய் த னர்.
புதுச் சேரி உணவு பாது காப்பு துறை அதி காரி ரவிச் சந் தி ரன் தலை மை யில் அதி கா ரி கள் நேற்று கிரு மாம் பாக் கம் பகு தி யில் உள்ள மளிகை கடை களில் அதி ரடி ரெய்டு நடத் தி னர். அப் போது விற் ப னைக்கு பதுக்கி வைத் தி ருந்த தடை செய் யப் பட்ட புகை யிலை பொருட் களை பறி மு தல் செய் த னர். தடை விதிக் கப் பட்ட புகை யிலை பொருள் விற் பனை குறித்து பதி ல ளிக்க கடை உரி மை யா ளர் களுக்கு நோட்டீஸ் அளித்து உள் ள னர். 15 நாட் களில் பதில் தெரி விக் கா விட்டால் அடுத்த கட்ட நட வ டிக்கை எடுக் கப் ப டு மென தெரி கி றது.
இதே போல கன் னிக் கோ வி லில் உள்ள மதுக் கடை, பாரி லும் அதி ரடி சோதனை மேற் கொண் ட னர். அப் போது மது, குடி நீர் பாட்டில் களில் காலா வதி தேதி குறித்து ஆய்வு செய் த னர். பாரில் உணவு தயா ரிக் கும் கூடத்தை சுத் த மாக வைத்து கொள் ள வும், குப் பை களை உட னுக் கு டன் அகற் ற வும் அறி வு றுத் தி னர்.

கடைகளில் போதை பொருள் விற்பனை தடுக்க நடவடிக்கை-மக்கள் பண்பாட்டுக்கழகம் மனு

 
காஞ் சி பு ரம், ஜூலை 7:
காஞ் சி பு ரம் மாவட்டத் தில் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட போதை பொருள் விற் ப னையை முழு மை யாக தடுக்க கோரிக்கை விடுக் கப் பட்டுள் ளது.
இது கு றித்து தமிழ் மக் கள் பண் பாட்டுக் க ழ கத் தின் மாநில அமைப் பா ளர் கோ.ரா.ரவி, கலெக் டர் சண் மு கத் தி டம் அளித்த கோரிக்கை மனு வில் கூறி யி ருப் ப தா வது:
காஞ் சி பு ரத் தில் பஸ் நிலை யம், காந்தி ரோடு, காம ரா ஜர் வீதி உள் ளிட்ட பகு தி களில் உள்ள டீக் கடை, பங்க் கடை களில் அர சால் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட பான் ப ராக், ஹான்ஸ், குட்கா போன்ற போதை பொருட் களை பதுக்கி வைத்து விற் பனை செய்து வரு கின் ற னர்.
இதை சாத க மாக் கிக் கொண்டு சில பள்ளி மற் றும் கல் லூரி மாண வர் கள், தொழி லா ளர் கள் வாங்கி உப யோ கிக் கின் ற னர். இது கு றித்து சம் பந் தப் பட்ட அதி கா ரி களுக்கு புகார் தெரி வித் தால் ஆய்வு செய் கின் ற னர். ஆனால் நட வ டிக்கை எடுப் ப தில்லை. சில அதி கா ரி கள் பணம் பெற் றுக் கொண்டு போதை பொருட் களை மறை மு க மாக விற் பனை செய் யும் படி கூறி விட்டு செல் கின் ற னர். போதை பொருளை பயன் ப டுத் து வ தால் மாண வர் கள் அதி க ள வில் பாதிக் கப் ப டு கின் ற னர். எனவே, காஞ் சி பு ரம் மாவட்டத் தில் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட போதை பொருட் களை முழு மை யாக ஒழிக்க நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும். கடமை தவறி செயல் ப டும் அதி கா ரி கள் மீதும் உரிய நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும் என மனு வில் கூறி யுள் ளார்.

உணவின் தரத்தை சோதிக்கும் ஆய்வகங்கள் தரமானவையா?


அனைவருமே பாதுகாப்பான உணவை சாப்பிடுவதைத்தான் விரும்புவோம். மனித வாழ்வில் பாதுகாப்பான உணவை சாப்பிடுவது என்பது மிகவும் கடினமான விஷயம்தான். இது அனைத்து மக்களுக்கும் கைகூடுவதில்லை. உணவுப் பொருள்களை விளைவிப் பதிலிருந்து அது தட்டில் உண்ணும் உணவாக கிடைக்கும் வரை அது பாதுகாப்பாக இருக்கிறதா என்பது கேள்விதான்.
அவசர உலகில் நாம் வாழ்கிறோம். எதிலும் அவசரம்தான். இதனாலேயே 2 நிமிஷத்தில் சமைக்கும் உடனடி உணவு வகைகள் மிகவும் பிரபலமானது. இப்போது கடைகளில் நெஸ்லேயின் மாகி தயாரிப்புகள் இல்லை. காரணம் அதில் உடலுக்குத் தீங்கு விளைவிக்கும் உலோகக் கலவையான ஈயம் மற்றும் மோனோ சோடியம் குளுட்டோமேட் இருந்ததுதான்.
ஒவ்வொரு உணவுப் பொருளிலும் எந்த அளவுக்கு உடலுக்குத் தீங்கு விளை விக்கும் பொருள்கள் இருக்கின்றன என்பதை அறிந்து, தெரிந்து பயன்படுத் துவது சரியானதாக இருக்கும். தீங்கின் அளவு, அதை எவ்விதம் எதிர்கொள்வது என்பதைப் பொறுத்தே நமது உணவுப் பழக்கத்தை மாற்றிக் கொள்ள வேண்டும்.
ஒவ்வொரு பொருளிலும் உள்ள ரசாயனப் பொருள்களின் அளவை தெரிந்து கொள்வது மற்றும் அது உடல் ஏற்கத் தக்க அளவில் உள்ளதா என்பதை அறிந்து கொள்வதுதான் இதற்குச் சிறந்த வழி. உணவுப் பொருள்களின் தரத்தை சோதிப்பதற்கு தேசிய அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட்ட ஆய்வகங்கள் (என்ஏபிஎல்) உள்ளன. இது அறிவியல் மற்றும் தொழில்நுட்பத் துறையின் கீழ் செயல்படும் சுதந்திரமான அமைப்பாகும்.
நாம் சாப்பிடும் உணவுப் பொருள் களில் 17 ஆயிரம் வகையான பொருள் களை இந்த ஆய்வகங்கள் சோதித்து அவற்றுக்குத் தரச்சான்று அளிக்கின்றன என்றால் சற்று வியப்பாகத்தானிருக்கும்.
நாட்டில் மொத்தம் 12 மத்திய ஆய்வகங்களும் மாநிலங்களில் 72 அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட்ட ஆய்வகங்களும் உள்ளன. இது தவிர என்ஏபிஎல் அங்கீ காரம் பெற்ற 65 தனியார் துறையைச் சேர்ந்த ஆய்வகங்களும் உணவின் தரத்தை பரிசோதித்து சான்றளிக்கின்றன.
ஒவ்வொரு காலகட்டத்திலும் ஏதேனும் ஒரு உணவுப் பொருள் இதுபோன்ற சர்ச்சை அல்லது சிக்கலில் மாட்டிக் கொள்வது வழக்கம். 2003-ம் ஆண்டில் காட்பரி சாக்லேட்டில் புழுக்கள் இருப்பதாக புகார் எழுந்தது. இதையடுத்து மகாராஷ்டிர மாநிலத்தில் காட்பரி சாக்லேட்டுக்கு தடை விதிக்கப்பட்டது. அடுத்து 2006-ம் ஆண்டில் பன்னாட்டு குளிர்பான தயாரிப்பு நிறுவனங்களான கோக் மற்றும் பெப்சியில் பூச்சிக்கொல்லி மருந்து இருப்பது கண்டுபிடிக்கப்பட்டது.
2014-ம் ஆண்டில் அமெரிக்க நிறுவனமான கென்டகி பிரைட் சிக்கன் (கேஎப்சி) டெல்லி விற்பனையகத்தில் செயற்கை நிறமிகள் சேர்க்கப்படுவதாக புகார் எழுந்து அதற்கு தடை விதிக்கப்பட்டது. இதேபோல ஸ்டார் பக்ஸ் நிறுவனத்தில் பயன்படுத்தும் 32 பொருள்களுக்கு உணவு பாதுகாப்பு தரச்சான்று மையம் அனுமதி மறுத்தது.
இந்தியாவில் பிரபலமாகத் திகழும் ஹால்திராம் தயாரிப்புகளுக்கு அமெரிக்க உணவு கட்டுப்பாட்டு அமைப்பு (யுஎஸ்எப்டிஏ) தடை விதித்தது. இவற்றில் அதிக அளவில் பூச்சிக்கொல்லி மருந்து மற்றும் பாக்டீரியாக்கள் இருப்பதாகக் கூறி தடை விதித்தது.
உணவுப் பொருள்களில் மிக முக்கியமான நான்கு உலோகக் கலவைகள் இருக்கக் கூடாது. அதாவது காட்மியம், ஆர்செனிக், பாதரசம் (மெர்குரி), ஈயம். இவை மிகக் குறைந்த அளவில் இருந்தாலும் உடலுக்கு பாதிப்பை ஏற்படுத்தும்.
நமது உடலுக்கு தாமிரம் மற்றும் ஈயம் உள்ளிட்ட கனிமச் சத்துக்கள் தேவை. ஆனால் இவையே அதிக அளவில் சேர்க்கப்பட்டால் அது நச்சாக மாறிவிடும். இதேபோல குடிநீரில் உலோகக் கலவையோ அல்லது காற்றில் நச்சுப் புகையோ கலந்தால் அது உடலின் செயல்பாடுகளைக் குலைத்துவிடும்.
குறைவான தரத்தில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் உணவுப் பொருள்களின் வழியாக நமது உடலில் உலோகம் சேர்ந்துவிடும். குடிநீர் மூலம் ஈயம் சேரும்.
அரசின் கட்டுப்பாட்டில் உள்ள ஆய்வகங்கள் போதிய அளவு நவீன சாதனங்களுடன் இல்லை என்ற குற்றச்சாட்டு மூன்று ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பே எழுந்தது. 2012-ம் ஆண்டிலேயே மத்திய உணவு ஆய்வக இயக்குநர் சத்ய பிரகாஷ், மத்திய சுகாதாரத்துறை அமைச்சருக்கு இது தொடர்பாக அறிக்கை அளித்துள்ளார்.
மத்திய அரசின் ஆய்வகங்களில் 6 ஆய்வகங்களில் போதிய வசதிகள் இல்லை என்று குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார். பழங்கள், காய்கறிகள், குளிர்பானங்களைக் கூட சோதிக்கும் வசதி இவற்றில் இல்லை என்று சுட்டிக் காட்டியுள்ளார். ஆனால் இது குறித்து அரசு எந்த நடவடிக்கையும் எடுத்ததாகக் தெரியவில்லை.
பொதுமக்களின் நலன் சார்ந்த குறிப்பாக உணவு, குடிநீர் சார்ந்த விஷயங்களில் அரசு நிச்சயம் கவனமாக இருக்க வேண்டும். இது சார்ந்த துறை களை தொடர்ந்து கண்காணிக்க வேண்டியது அவசியம். அதேபோல உணவுப் பொருள்களை சோதிக்கும் ஆய்வகங்களின் தரத்தை உயர்த்த வேண்டியதும் கட்டாயமாகும்.
அமெரிக்காவில் உணவு கட்டுப்பாட்டு அமைப்பின் அனுமதியைப் பெறுவது மிகவும் கடினமாகும். அந்த அளவுக்கு விதிமுறைகள் அங்கு கடுமையாக உள்ளன. இதே அளவுக்கு விதிமுறை களை இங்கும் கடுமையாக்க வேண்டும்.
உணவுப் பொருள் தரத்தில் விதிமுறை களை மீறுவோர் மீது கடுமையான நடவடிக்கை எடுக்க வேண்டும். தரமில்லாத பொருள்களுக்கு அனுமதி அளிக்கவே கூடாது. இதுபோன்ற தொடர் கண்காணிப்புதான் அவசியம். அனைத்துக்கும் மேலாக ஆய்வகங்களின் தரத்தை உயர்த்துவது மிக மிக அவசர அவசியமாகும்.

Hooch adulteration as bad as Maggi

The trial of the “hooch” kingpins, behind the deaths of 103 labourers in Malwani at north-west Mumbai, will drag on for over five years. In the second case, the Bombay High Court has allowed the transnational company, Nestle India, to export its suspected products overseas, probably on the assumption that foreigners are more resistant to lead contamination than Indians.
In the third case, Maharashtra’s Minister for Child and Women Development, Pankaja Munde, has been very vociferous in asserting that she did not bypass e-tender norms and so supplying chikki containing dirt and pebbles to malnourished children was fine. Unless someone files a PIL making her a respondent, her alleged act of causing Rs 206 crore loss to the state exchequer will go unpunished.
India has the sixth largest food and grocery market in the world which is projected to grow by $487 billion by the year 2020. The advertising budget of Nestle India is Rs 445 crore while it spends only Rs 19.5 crore on quality-testing of its food products. In sharp contrast, the Central Government allocates just Rs 56.93 crore to the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSAI) to run its four laboratories and 82 accredited laboratories in various states, the majority of which do not test contaminated food.
Out of Rs 56.93 crore allocated to the FSSAI, the lion’s share is spent on administration, maintenance and salaries with very little spent on testing food products for contamination. Apart from the accredited laboratories, the FSSAI does not have a network of quality-testing laboratories in India. Monitoring polluted food for contaminants is definitely not a priority with the Narendra Modi government which feels that mortality rates caused by farmers’ suicides and polluted food is a more subtle way of curbing population growth than the Emergency-era forced sterilizations.
This is borne out by the fact that Pepsi and Coca Cola were in the eye of a storm in 2003 when their colas were found to be contaminated with pesticides which went undetected because the FSSAI was set up only in 2011 to prescribe standards for food articles with the result that it was reduced to giving approvals to the laboratories in various states.
As a result, when the test reports for Maggi noodles finally emerged after a year, it was found to contain 17.2 parts per million (ppm) of lead, over seven times higher than the prescribed norm of 2.5 ppm allowed in packaged food. Metallic lead is a poison which can cause brain damage to infants and affect all organs in adults, not just the nervous system, but also the bones and teeth, the kidneys, and the cardiovascular, immune, and reproductive systems, leading to death.
In this respect, the alleged deliberate use of lead in Maggi noodles is not very different from the use of methanol in the illicit liquor or “hooch” used by the kingpins to earn quick money. The methanol supplier, Kishore Patel, would have faced the death penalty in “dry” Gujarat. He is a crorepati with several flats and a farmhouse.
The victims are different but the modus operandi of both Kishore Patel and Nestle India are the same. But Nestle India has already engaged a top PR agency and top lawyers in Mumbai to revamp its image and exploit loopholes in the law. Kishore Patel may not be so lucky.
In the year 2006, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government enacted the Food Safety and Standards Act, a catch-all law which supplanted bits and pieces of legislation such as the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, the Fruit
Products Order, 1955, the Meat Food Products Order, 1973 and the Milk and Milk Products Order, 1992.
Multiple laws created problems of multiple controls over multiple commodities. But the 2006 Act required food products to voluntarily comply with prescribed standards, which were seen as progressive, because developed countries did the same.
Now, the Maharashtra government is contemplating amending the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Slumlords, Bootleggers, Drug Offenders and Dangerous Persons Act (MPDA) to eradicate production and sale of ‘hooch’, which should have been done decades ago. The use of the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act against the alleged criminals who sold “hooch” is commendable because liquor is not a food unlike Maggi noodles.
But there are provisions in our antiquated Indian Penal Code such as sections 272 and 273 (life imprisonment) which can still be used against the directors of Nestle India who are responsible for its day-to-day affairs to make them accountable for the harm and suffering caused to millions of infants whose lives will be affected in future due to lead contamination.
And if this is not done, politicians like Pankaja Munde, companies like Nestle India and criminals like Kishore Patel will have the last laugh.

KUNGUMAM ARTICLE