CERC writes to McDonald’s, Subway, KFC to stop serving meat from antibiotic treated animals

Ahmedabad

Consumer Education and Research Center (CERC),a leading consumer rights organisation in India, has written to McDonald’s, Subway and KFC calling on them to stop serving meat and poultry from animals routinely given antibiotics used in human medicine.

CERC has also strongly urged the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to take urgent actions to prevent the presence of antibiotic residues in food products which is a serious health threat.

In a statement issued by the United Nations recognized Indian NGO based at Ahmedabad, on the eve of the world consumer rights day, this evening it said that it has written to McDonald’s, Subway and KFC.

‘Antibiotic residues in food products like milk, honey, eggs and chicken is a serious health threat today as it leads to the emergence of ‘superbugs’ – microorganisms which are resistant to antibiotics. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that, without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which important medicines stop working and common infections and minor injuries will once again kill people.’ the statement said adding that its writing to the restaurant chains was a part of Consumers International’s (CI) plan – World Consume Rights Day. CI’s theme this year is ‘Antibiotics off the menu’.

In India, the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants. Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011 regulates antibiotic use only in sea food. It is essential that antibiotic use and residue limits are defined for other food items too, it said.

CERC has also urged FSSAI to take urgent action to prohibit the use of antibiotics which are critical for humans as growth promoters and for mass disease prevention in poultry, dairy and other animals.

To Set standards for residues and limits for antibiotics use in poultry, dairy and meat industries.CERC has also written to the Ministry of Health, Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and Ministry of Consumer Affairs (MoCA). It is urging them to ensure that a country wide system is set up for surveillance and monitoring use of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in food producing animals.

‘We have also written to Amul, Dabur and Venkateshwara Hatcheries Pvt Ltd on the issue. Also, we are campaigning through an online petition and urging other consumer groups to support our advocacy,’ the statement said adding that people should opt for organic milk and meat products and free-range eggs where hens are not caged and are treated more ethically.

‘When you are ill, always ask your doctor whether it is necessary to take an antibiotic. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) recently asked doctors not to prescribe antibiotics for adults suffering from common cold, bronchitis, sore throat or sinus infection,’ the statement said stressing on the need for spreading of awareness on the issue.

Impact of Passive Smoking on Children

As per Global Youth Tobacco Survey, a school-based survey of students in grades 8, 9, and 10 conducted in 2009, one in five students live in homes where others smoke, and more than one-third of the students are exposed to smoke around others outside of the home; one-quarter of the students have at least one parent who smokes. 

Exposure to second hand smoke results in lung cancer and heart diseases among adults, and SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), chronic respiratory infections, exacerbation/worsening of asthma, reduced lung function growth, middle ear diseases, and acute respiratory illnesses among children. Smoking in the home affects babies and young children as well as the elderly and other adults, especially women. 

The Government has taken measures including, inter alia, the following to curb smoking: 

(i) Enactment of the “Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, (COTPA) 2003”. 

(ii) Ratification of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. 

(iii) Launch of the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) in the year 2007-08, with the objectives to (a) create awareness about the harmful effects of tobacco consumption, (b) reduce the production and supply of tobacco products, (c) ensure effective implementation of the anti-tobacco laws and (d) help the people quit tobacco use through Tobacco Cessation Centres. 

(iv) Notification of rules to ban smoking in public places. 

(v) Notification of rules to regulate depiction of tobacco products or their use in films and TV programmes. 

(vi) Notification of rules on new pictorial health warnings on tobacco product packages. 

(vii) Launch of public awareness campaigns through a variety of media. Government of India has banned certain kinds of smokeless tobacco products like gutkha and chewing tobacco through the notification issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Other tobacco products are regulated by the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003 (COTPA 2003), which contain provisions, inter alia, relating to ban on sale of tobacco products by/to minors, ban on sale of tobacco products within 100 yards of educational institutions, ban on promotions/advertisements of tobacco products, etc. 

The State Governments/UTs of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand have issued orders/notifications banning the sale of loose cigarettes. 

The Health Minister, Shri J P Nadda stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.

Drive discovers bad water in juice shops

Special drive against juice parlours

Drive is part of steps to prevent spread of water-borne diseases

Joining hands with the Health Department’s initiatives to ensure the quality of drinking water supplied, the Food Safety Authority also launched a special drive on Monday with special focus on juice parlours and wayside cool drink sellers.

The five-day special drive is also part of the Statewide safety measures taken by the department to avoid the spread of various water-borne diseases.

According to officials attached to the department, the quality of water used for the preparation of juice and other cool drinks will be the main focus of inspection.

Squads will be split into different groups and they will conduct surprise visits in select locations, they add.

During the special drive, samples will be collected from various selling points and will be sent for detailed lab tests. In case of serious violations or adulterations, the trade license would bSe cancelled. Action will also be initiated against unlicensed traders in the sector.

The squads are planning to crackdown on sale of crushed ice delicacies on the Kozhikode beach and other popular tourism locations in the city. In an earlier checking drive, the department had exposed the poor hygiene involved in the production of such products.

Along with the checking of water quality and the collected sources, the squads will look into attempts at food adulteration.

FSO seals food outlet at Kral Khud

Srinagar:

Acting on a complaint by a consumer, Jammu and Kashmir Food Safety Organisation on Saturday seized factory of a sweet manufacturer and supplier at Kral Khud area here and seized food items from the unit.

An official communiqué said a team lead by Assistant Commissioner Food Safety, Hilal Ahmed Mir, raided the a food manufacturer, M/S Aar Gee Sweets, at Kral Khud who had been supplying sweets and other edibles to various confectionery retailers in Srinagar. “The team also raided Modern Sweets Bemina and seized the entire stock of food items from there and sent samples for testing,” the communiqué said. “On Friday, FSO had received a complaint that Modern Sweets had sold ‘Rasmalai’ to a person whose two children had been hospitalized after consuming it. We found that there were no manufacturing or expiry date on the package of Rasmalai. We seized the entire stock from manufacturer in Kral Khud and the seller in Bemina,” Mir said,” Mir said.

CHANDIGARH FOOD SAFETY OFFICERS INSPECTED VARIOUS FOOD ITEMS IN PU STUDENT CENTRE, FIVE SAMPLE TAKEN

As per the action plan prepared by Dr. Rajinder K. Sharma, Designated Officer I/c Food Safety Administration, Chandigarh Health Department, Chandigarh. Sh. Bharat Kanojia, Food Safety Officers on Monday inspected the various eateries situated at Student Centre, Punjab University, Sector 14, Chandigarh and five samples of Shahi Mutter Paneer, Prepared Rajmah, Prepared Channa, Veg. Fried Rice and Papaya Shake were taken for analysis & examination and two improvement notices have been issued. 

The Food Business Operators were instructed to adhere to the norms of Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006 and Rules, 2011.

First batch of vendors trained in food hygiene

Delhi has been divided into 10 zones, with a total of 40 centres to train 40 vendors each

Food safety regulator FSSAI in association with National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) trained the first batch of street vendors in the Capital under ‘Project Clean Street Food’ on Sunday. The programme, which aims to train 20,000 street food vendors in Delhi a month’s time, was launched by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Union Minister of State Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (Independent Charge) Rajiv Pratap Rudy.

Speaking at the event, Mr Nadda said, “Food-borne diseases pose a big challenge in the country. Hence, it is vital to train street vendors in hygienic food handling techniques.” Mr Rudy linked the initiative to the Centre’s flagship “Skill India” mission, and said the idea of “certified street food vendors” would soon be a reality.

The programme was organised at New Moti Bagh club. On the first day, 40 vendors were trained. Five vendors received the “Skill card.” “NASVI has been mobilising food vendors to participate in the project. Delhi has been divided into 10 zones, with a total of 40 centres to train 40 vendors each,” said Arbind Singh, Co-ordinator, NASVI. A street food festival organised on the occasion pulled large crowds.

As part of the effort, all food vendors of the city will begin wearing safety gears needed for maintaining hygiene.

FSSAI launches project 'Clean Street Food'

In the first phase, the project aims to raise the safety standards of foods sold on streets across New Delhi by training 20,000 roadside vendors on aspects of health and hygiene

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) yesterday launched ‘Clean Street Food’ project to raise the safety standards of foods sold on streets across New Delhi by training 20,000 roadside vendors on aspects ofhealth and hygiene, in the first phase. As part of project Clean Street Food, FSSAI will partner with the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship to train street food vendors at more than 40 centres across Delhi under the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) category of the Government’s flagship skills training scheme- Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).

J P Nadda, Minister for Health & Family Welfare, stated that this is a pragmatic, practical, constructive and positive approach to skilling one of the largest unorganised sectors of the country. With nearly 20 lakh street vendors in the country, the training of 20,000 vendors is on a pilot basis in the NCR of Delhi. “As street food forms an integral part of our society, the project which shall upgrade the skills of the street food vendors will also contribute to preventive and promotive health,” he added.

Under the Delhi Project, 20,000 food street vendors would be trained, assessed and certified by seven training partners over the next four weeks at 40 training centres set up for the purpose across Delhi. Delhi Food Safety Commissioner and the National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) are engaged in mobilisation of street vendors across Delhi. Food vendors will receive smart skill-cum-registration cards on completion of the training.

Green tribunal to rule on safety of PET containers on Monday

HIGHLIGHTS

• Uttarakhand-based NGO, Him Jagriti, has petitioned the NGT that given India's extreme variations of temperature, it fears that PET containers leached harmful chemicals like phthalates and heavy metals.

Green tribunal to rule on safety of PET containers on Monday

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is slated to pronounce on Monday on whether plastic packaging of products including polyethylene terephthalate (PET) containers is safe or not.

Uttarakhand-based NGO, Him Jagriti, has petitioned the NGT that given India's extreme variations of temperature, it fears that PET containers leached harmful chemicals like phthalates and heavy metals.

It has sought directions to restrict the use of plastic bottle and multi-layered plastic packaging including PET bottles by imposing a ban on packaging of carbonated soft drinks, saying unrestricted use of plastics for packaging has significant health and environment impact.

The green panel had noted that the Central Pollution Control Board and the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSO) have sought a ban on using PET bottles or plastic containers for primary packing in liquid oral formulations.

In findings that could help Rs.4,000 crore Indian PET packaging industry, two separate test reports by international testers SGS and India's Shriram Institute for Industrial Research (SIIR) have not found any traces of harmful leaching in PET containers packaging tested at varied environments.

Pharmaceuticals along with soft drinks constitute about one fourth of India's PET packaging industry.

PET is made from mono ethylene glycol and purified terephatic acid. Of the 600,000 tonnes of PET production, the pharmaceutical industry uses around 16 percent, accounting for around 100,000 tonnes every year.

The NGT bench had earlier indicated that it favoured "restriction" on plastic packaging of products including PET bottles and granted a final opportunity to various plastic manufacturing units and others to file their written submissions in the matter.

தடை செய்யப்பட்ட 15 கிலோ புகையிலை பொருள் பறிமுதல் சமயபுரம் கோயில் கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு

திருச்சி, மார்ச் 15:

சம ய பு ரம் கோயிலை சுற் றி யுள்ள கடை க ளில் நடத் திய ஆய் வில் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட 15 கிலோ புகை யிலை பொருட் கள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட் டன.

சம ய பு ரம் மாரி யம் மன் கோயி லில் பூச் சொ ரி தல் விழாவை முன் னிட்டு கலெக் டர் பழ னி சாமி உத் த ர வின் பேரில் உணவு பாது காப்பு பிரிவு மாவட்ட நிய மன அலு வ லர் சுரேஷ் பாபு மேற் பார் வை யில் மண் ணச் ச நல் லூர் வட் டார உணவு பாது காப்பு அலு வ லர் கென் னடி தலை மை யில் உணவு பாது காப்பு குழு வி னர் சம ய பு ரம் கோயிலை சுற் றி யுள்ள அனைத்து உணவு கடை க ளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற் கொண் ட னர்.

இந்த ஆய் வின் போது தடை செய் யப் பட்ட பொருட் கள் விற் ப னைக் காக வைக் கப் பட்டு இருப் பது கண்டு பிடிக் கப் பட் டது. இதை ய டுத்து குட்கா, ஹான்ஸ் உள் ளிட்ட 15 கிலோ பொருட் கள் பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட் டன. பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட்ட பொருட் கள் கண் ண னூர் பேரூ ராட்சி அலு வ ல கத் தில் ஒப் ப டைக் கப் பட் டன. பறி மு தல் செய் யப் பட்ட பொருட் களை பேரூ ராட்சி செயல் அலு வ லர் கும ரன் மற் றும் பேரூ ராட்சி அலு வ லர் கள் சாகுல் ஹ மீது, தேவ தாஸ், கணே சன், சோம சுந் த ரம் ஆகி யோர் பார் வை யிட் ட தோடு இந்த பொருட் களை கம் போஸ் உரம் தயா ரிக் கும் குப் பை க ளு டன் கொட்டி அளிக்க உத் த ர விட் ட னர். சம ய பு ரத் தில் என் றில் லா மல் திருச்சி மாவட் டம் முழு வ தும் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட புகை யிலை பொருட் களை பறி மு தல் செய்ய அதி கா ரி கள் அதி ரடி நட வ டிக்கை எடுக்க வேண் டும் என் பதே அனைத்து தரப் பி ன ரின் எதிர் பார்ப் பாய் உள் ளது.

வேலூர் மாவட்டத்தில் களைகட்டிய தடை செய்யப்பட்ட புகையிலை பொருட்கள் விற்பனை

வேலூர், மார்ச் 15:

தமி ழ கத் தில் ஹான்ஸ், பான் ப ராக் உள் ளிட்ட புகை யிலை மற் றும் பாக் கு கள் கடை க ளில் விற் பனை செய்ய தடை செய் யப் பட் டுள் ளது. தடையை மீறி விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டும் கடை க ளில் உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை அதி கா ரி கள் ஆய்வு நடத்தி பறி மு தல் செய்து வந் த னர். இந் நி லை யில், வேலூர் மாவட் டத் தில் தடை செய் யப் பட்ட புகை யிலை பொருட் கள் விற் ப னையை முழு மை யாக கட் டுப் ப டுத்த முடி ய வில்லை.

இத னால், மண் டித் தெரு, சுண் ணாம் பு கார தெரு உள் ளிட்ட குடோன் க ளில் பதுக்கி வைக் கப் பட்ட புகை யிலை பொருட் களை மீண் டும் சந் தைக்கு கொண்டு வந் துள் ள னர். இத னால், தற் போது பெட்டி க டை கள், மளிகை கடை க ளில் மீண் டும் புகை யிலை பொருட் கள் விற் பனை செய் யப் பட்டு வரு கி றது.

தடை செய் யப் பட்ட பான் ப ராக் பாக் கெட் டு கள் ₹7 முதல் ₹12 வரை யும், புகை யிலை ₹10 முதல் ₹15க்கும் விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கி றது. வேலூர் மாவட் டத் தில் ரயில் நிலை யம், புதிய பஸ் நிலை யம், பழைய பஸ் நிலை யம் மற் றும் மாவட் டத் தின் உள்ள அனைத்து பகு தி க ளில் செயல் ப டும் பெட் டிக் க டை க ளி லும் இவை விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு கின் றன. இவை சம் பந் தப் பட்ட உணவு பாது காப் புத் துறை அதி கா ரி க ளுக்கு தெரிந்தே விற் பனை செய் யப் ப டு வ தாக சமூக ஆர் வ லர் கள் கருத்து தெரி வித் துள் ள னர்.

Equinox Labs to conduct seminar on Impact of FSSAI on Corporates and FBOs

Equinox Labs, a leading FSSAI consulting company, will be conducting a seminar on Impact of FSSAI on Corporates and FBOs on March 18, 2016. 

The seminar will be conducted by Chhaya Verma, assistant manager, compliance and food safety, Equinox Labs, giving clarity on the numerous laws under FSSAI and how to adhere to them. It will familiarise the attendees with the audit process, benefits of FSSAI to the Indian food industry and will prepare them to confidently face an FSSAI / FDA audit and the penalties if the mentioned standards are not followed by FBOs and corporates on topics like benefit of manufacturers, importers and exporters.

Ashwin Bhadri, CEO, Equinox Labs, says, “FSSAI, established under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, is responsible for protecting and stimulating public health by the regulation and administration of food safety. Food safety is incomplete without adhering to FSSAI. I believe this seminar will enable one to know the impact of FSSAI on corporates and FBOs.”

According to a press release issued by the company, Equinox Training Center is India’s largest platform for food safety & FSSAI courses, trainings, certifications, seminars and webinars. A series of free webinars have been conducted earlier like FSSAI License Modification: Helps In Business Expansion; Food Labelling Requirements in Compliance with FSSA; Two Sides of Coin - Modification & Renewal.