Jun 12, 2017

Posh eateries serving unhygienic food, says Delhi food department

In a shocking discovery, the Department of Food Safety (DFS) of Delhi has found that many posh restaurants and upscale brands in the Capital are serving "unsafe" and "unhygienic" food to Delhiites. According to the department officials, food samples collected from restaurants in Connaught Place which included KFC, Ardor and restaurants belonging to the ITC Maurya in Pancharipuri, were found to be unsafe and not fit for consumption. As per the report prepared by the DFS, a sample of chocolate truffle cake was taken from a restaurant in the ITC Maurya, a piece of chicken stripe from KFC and a sample of aloo sabzi from Ardor restaurant in the month of March. Apart from these restaurants, samples were also lifted from other parts of Delhi and sent for testing. "These samples have been found unsafe. A notice has been sent to all the eateries for further action," said Pawan Kamra, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Food Safety, Delhi government. Officials said that the chocolate truffle cake was contaminated with pathogenic bacteria, the aloo sabzi from Ardor was coloured with unpermitted oil soluble synthetic colouring matter and the KFC chicken stripe had the anti-caking agent — silicon dioxide. 
According to health experts, presence of pathogenic bacteria in food can lead to food poisoning and the presence of the other chemicals in the food samples are worrisome When asked to respond, most of the eateries said that they have challenged the report. "We have challenged the report of the Food Analyst and the matter is sub-judice. The food sample has also been tested by an independent National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited laboratory which has found the same to be fit for human consumption," said a spokesperson from ITC Maurya. "We maintain utmost hygiene standards and don't use any synthetics or artificial flavours in our food. We have sent the samples for retesting to higher authorities through the department only.

Food adulteration: 26 shops booked


The State Food Safety and Drug Administration Department officials booked 26 shops for marketing adulterated and poor quality food items during lastt month.
Special teams of officials conducted surprise checks in shops and business establishments in Salem city, Attur, Sankagiri, Mettur, Omalur, Edappadi on various occasions during last month.

Food safety officials check for ‘plastic rice

Coimbatore: Food safety department has taken 19 samples of rice over the past two days to check for the presence of "plastic rice", besides issuing a public advisory on how to detect the same.
The move comes after photos and messages about the prevalence of "plastic rice" have gone viral on WhatsApp.
The food safety department has inspected around 200 shops across the district since Friday, taking samples of rice sold loose and also in packets and sacks. "We have not so far found any dangerous adulterant. The only non-rice particle found was stones, which is common," said the district food safety officer, Dr Vijay.
The official said they have checked for the presence of plastic, synthetic and semi-synthetic adulterants.
The food safety department has, however, issued an advisory to help people identify and the presence of plastic in rice. The officials have also released two helpline numbers, 0422220922/9444042322, to report the presence of "plastic rice" to them.
"If the rice floats on the surface when put in water, it can be plastic. And if boiled rice does not develop fungus even after three-four days, it means it could be plastic or other synthetic material," said the advisory.

Food safety

The “plastic rice” scare appears to spreading across India, fuelled by social media. Reports of it having some kind of a harmful substance is only adding to the panic. The common man has no way of knowing how to differentiate between a genuine product from a harmful one. The Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Food and Public Distribution need to assuage our fears as the health of people is very important, and there has to be stringent punishment for food adulterers.

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