Jan 10, 2018
Telangana to have foolproof nutritious food system
The health authorities have decided to adopt a seven-point charter to address issues that have impeded food safety
Hyderabad: For the first time in Telangana, the State government is set to implement a broad framework aimed at putting in place a fool-proof mechanism for safe and nutritious food for all.
To this effect, the health authorities have decided to adopt a seven-point charter to address issues that have impeded food safety and put in place a robust food control system at the State-level.
Participating in a round table meeting of State Health Ministers in New Delhi organised by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Tuesday, Health Minister, Dr. C. Laxma Reddy said the State government is committed to improve food safety and very soon these measures will be grounded.
Recognising the need to improve infrastructure, the State government has decided to upgrade State Food Laboratories (SFL) by roping-in manpower and equipment and get certification from National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
The SFL will become part of the Indian Food Laboratory Network (InFoLNet) to ensure seamless flow of information and in the process instil confidence among public and food business.
Among the many decisions, the authorities have also decided to tap into the available funds with Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to upgrade the SFLs. The authorities will procure major lab equipment, set up microbiology laboratory and renovate infrastructure at a cost of Rs 10 crore.
In addition to all this, authorities will also utilise resources to start mobile food testing laboratories dubbed as ‘Food Safety on Wheels’ with a cost of nearly Rs. 40 lakh and an additional Rs. 5 lakh every year towards petrol and oil expenses.
The authorities have also decided to address the issue of micro-nutrient deficiency by adopting fortified staples like rice and flour with iron and iodine in mid-day meal scheme and in Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS). In due course, activities like promoting organic food, launching campaign with focus on youngsters to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Telangana sets focus on food safety
To come up with online Food Licensing and Registration System; to launch special drives to identify unregistered eateries
Hyderabad: The heath authorities here are set to introduce an online Food Licensing and Registration System (FLRS) where Food Business Operators (FBOs) i.e. eateries can apply online for licenses and registration.
It is mandatory for persons who operate food business to apply for license and registration under Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Act, 2006. However, it is a fact that there are many eateries that operate their business without registration and license.
In the round-table on Food Safety held in New Delhi, Health Minister Dr C Laxma Reddy said the process of integration of payment gateway and online licensing system to implement FLRS was under process and very soon it would be completed. To bring in more food business operators under the umbrella of FSSAI, the authorities also want to issue license and registration within 30 days of receiving an application.
The authorities have also decided to launch special drives to identify unregistered FBOs and conduct more inspections through food safety officers who from now on are required to maintain a database of eateries that are operating in their jurisdictional areas.
Web-based sampling system
In another major initiative to improve food safety, the health authorities have decided to adopt a web-based mobile application ‘Food Safety Compliance through Regular Inspections and Sampling (FoSCoRIS)’ that can be used in mobile devices, tablets and desktops.
The app will essentially replace manual inspection that is carried out by the food safety officers and serve as an empowering tool for data collection, monitoring and data analysis.
These officers will carry out inspections with their handheld devices, capture images and upload the inspection report while Food Safety Commissioner will be able to monitor live update of the inspections that are being carried out at the ground level.
The Food Safety Commissioner will also be able to view details of the officers conducting inspections, geographical location, food premises being inspected etc. They would also be able to draw inspection plans on FoSCoRIS itself and assign inspections to the officers on the field. The status of inspections assigned and inspection reports submitted can also be monitored.
Framework to promote safe eating habits in children
To bring social and behavioural changes towards eating habits, especially among children, the State health authorities have decided to adopt Safe and Nutritious Food initiatives in schools.
With the double burden of under-nutrition and increasing childhood obesity, authorities want to target children and encourage them to develop healthy and safe eating habits early in life.
To encourage food safety, hygiene and consumption of nutritious food among schoolchildren, authorities will collaborate with Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to come out with a framework to promote safe and wholesome food eating habits in schools.
Essentially, it will deliver and reinforce the message of safe and nutritious food through both curricular and co-curricular activities and create Health and Wellness Coordinators and teams in schools.
According to officials here, FSSAI has already created scientifically and technically accurate content for inclusion in the curriculum. It has also come up with a Teacher’s Training Manual to equip teachers with necessary information on food safety.
Release funds for AIIMS, Minister to JP Nadda
Health Minister Dr C Laxma Reddy on Tuesday met Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda and requested him to expedite the long-pending All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) project in Telangana.
Reddy met Nadda on the sidelines of a round-table meeting of State Health Ministers on Food Safety in New Delhi and urged him to release funds that were meant to establish AIIMS in the State. He also requested to release the funds that were set aside by the Union Ministry of Health to improve mother and child health in the State.
During the meeting, he reminded the Union Minister that the Centre had promised AIIMS for Telangana in the last year’s budget but so far funds were not released to launch the much-awaited project.
According to health officials, Laxma Reddy also drew Nadda’s attention towards the proposed medical colleges in Mahabubnagar, Siddipet, Suryapet and Nalgonda and urged him to allocate funds for the colleges.
FSSAI urges states to use its book on eating right in schools
Food regulator FSSAI has urged the states and Union territories to advise their school education boards to use the 'Yellow Book', aimed at children detailing how to eat right, in school curriculum.
The book was brought out by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in September last year, and has been launched in three categories for children in the age group of 4-7 years, 8-12 years and 13-17 years.
It covers a range of topics — from food safety practices, personal hygiene and cleanliness habits and eating a balanced diet, to packing a wholesome lunch-box. It also lays emphasis on preventing nutritional deficiencies and making healthy choices.
The book includes useful tips and interesting activities for school children. It can be used independently as a guide, as well as an activity book in conjunction with the existing curriculum in schools.
"State governments and Union territory administrations are requested to advise the school education boards to use the Yellow Books in their curriculum while delivering inputs related to safe and wholesome food," the FSSAI said in a letter to the states and UTs.
"The existing curriculum maybe reviewed based on FSSAI's content, gaps identified and a holistic review undertaken to ensure messaging is not fragmented and is appropriate and correct," it said.
The book has been developed after discussions with various education boards such as CBSE, NCERT, state education boards, nutrition and education experts.
Besides, the FSSAI has also launched 'Pink', 'Purple' and 'Orange' Books which consists of information on food safety and nutrition for Indian households, restaurants and employees in organisations.
"The Pink Book has practical tips and information about food safety and nutrition that Indian households need on a daily basis. In India, most people still eat food that is cooked at home. Thus, behavioural changes about food safety and healthy nutrition should ideally begin at home," a senior official said.
"Most people do not have access to food safety experts and nutritionists. Thus, most of the homemakers are at the mercy of multiple and often conflicting sources of information on safe food and nutrition. This initiative of FSSAI is aimed at filling in this gap," he said.
The Orange Book is all about safe and nutritious food for employees while the Purple Book contains food standards and practices to be followed by restaurants.
Artificially ripened papayas seized in Visakhapatnam
The team, led by DSP C.M. Naidu, conducted the raids following repeated complaints.
Officials of the vigilance and enforcement in association with food safety officials raided a fruits godown and seized four tonnes of artificially ripened papayas at Seethampeta area in Vizag city.
Visakhapatnam: Officials of the vigilance and enforcement in association with food safety officials raided a fruits godown and seized four tonnes of artificially ripened papayas at Seethampeta area in Vizag city. The team, led by DSP C.M. Naidu, conducted the raids following repeated complaints from the public that many traders in the city were using chemicals to ripen papayas and bananas, turning the fruits hazardous.
Mr Naidu said the accused, K. Srinivasa Rao, is running a six-tonne godown. For the past few years he has been supplying artificial ripening pa-payas to outlets in the city. “Our raids revealed that Srinivasa Rao has been using Ethephone, an insecticide, to ripen papa-yas,” said food inspector S. Janardhana Rao. “Eating fruits, which are artificially ripened, will put the consumer at risk with mouth ulcers, gastric problems and rashes,” he added. “We have seized the god-own and registered a case against Srinivasa Rao un-der the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. We have collected the samples and will send them to the laboratory in Hydera-bad and will file a charge-sheet against Srinivasa Rao later,” said the DSP.
FDA Notice to McDonald's for Poor Quality at Mumbai Outlet
The FDA had reportedly conducted a "surprise check" on the McDonald's outlet for alleged violation of the Food Safety Standards Act, by cooking in unhygienic conditions, and also not displaying its license copy prominently.
Mumbai: The state food and drug administration (FDA) has warned popular quick service restaurant McDonald's as one of its outlets in the central region of the city has allegedly breached food safety standards.
The FDA had reportedly conducted a "surprise check" on the McDonald's outlet in High Street Phoenix at Lower Parel for alleged violation of the Food Safety Standards Act, by cooking in unhygienic conditions, and also not displaying its license copy prominently.
They subsequently sent a warning notice to the restaurant chain, saying if the conditions were not improved over the next 15 days stern action would be taken.
HardCastle Restaurants, which runs the McDonald's franchise in the Southern and Western states said they are looking into the matter seriously.
"As a part of a routine investigation, we have received some queries from the FDA. We have already submitted our response to the points raised," the company said in a statement today.
According to the Food Safety Standards Act, hotels and restaurants should see to it that the kitchen conditions, as well as the cleanliness and hygiene of the chefs should be of good standard.
2nd phase registration for food-related units starts in Tirupur district
TIRUPUR: The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) started its second phase of enrolment camps for food business operators (FBO) in the district on Tuesday at CM Unavagam in Palladam. The enrolment drive would end on January 12.
The FSDA asked FBOs to use e-services, which was launched on Monday, for registration and for getting licences.
Till now, 65% of the 18,585 FBOs in the district have either registered or submitted applications for the purpose. "With the first phase of special enrolment camps held last month, Tirupur FSDA was able to increase the percentage of enrolled entities from 46% to 65%. The state food commissioner has fixed January 15 as the deadline to achieve 100% registration," said K Tamil Selvan, designated officer of Tirupur FSDA.
"For registration or to obtain licence, the FBOs could submit application at the common e-services centres (CSC) with the required documents and registration fees. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) started the online services for the purpose in Tamil Nadu on Monday," said Tamil Selvan.
As per the FSSAI norms, the food selling entities, from hawker to business class hotels, should pay Rs 100 as an annual registration fee if it has a turnover under Rs 12 lakh and 2,000 if the turnover exceeds Rs 12 lakh.
In case of the food manufacturing units, the registration fee is Rs 3,000 if the total production is less than one tonne a day and Rs 5,000 for 1-2 tonnes a day.
Earlier, the FSSAI wanted the FSDA to get all FBOs registered or obtained licences before the last year. But around 50% of the entities across the state were yet to enrol.
The enrolment would help the department to keep a tab on the quality of foods produced and sold in the FBOs. So, the FSDA was carrying out door-to-door campaigns to create awareness. "If the FBOs fail to come forward for registration, we would serve them with legal notices," Tamil Selvan added.
Food borne diseases cost India $28 billion a year: World Bank study
To reduce the economic burden, India needs to invest in ensuring food safety for the masses, says a study by World Bank and the Netherlands government
New Delhi: Food borne diseases cost India about $28 billion (Rs1,78,100 crore) or around 0.5% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) every year, revealed a study by ‘Food for All’ partnership of the World Bank Group and The Netherlands government.
To reduce the economic burden, India needs to invest in ensuring food safety for the masses. Indians are moving from simple staples to more nutritious food. While this should have positive impacts, according to the study, the transformation is currently leading to “risky foods”. “If no investments in food safety are made, there could be an adverse impact with potentially large costs due to increase in poverty and under-nutrition,” said Delia Grace, program manager (animal and human health, ILRI, in her presentation on Tuesday at a round-table meeting of health ministers from the states.
The study was conducted by Grace, Zuzana Smeets Kristkova, researcher at Wageningen Economic Research, and Marijke Kuiper, senior research economist at Wageningen Economic Research, Wageningen University, Netherlands.
The two-day round-table meeting, which was organized by the country’s food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), was chaired by union health and family welfare minister Jagat Prakash Nadda.
Ensuring safe food, said Grace, will eventually reduce child mortality. According to her, India should improve its food safety policy through coordination across the value chain, develop key infrastructure, such as cold chains, storage facilities, better testing capacity, crop protection, and animal health to improve food safety.
According to the ILRI expert, India needs to strengthen training and education across all levels of the value chain, ensure “faster collaboration” between governments, producers and consumers and embed food safety in nutrition programs (government schemes).
The health ministers from different states on Tuesday adopted a joint resolution with seven-point charter.
“Recognizing that safe, hygienic and healthy diet is key to preventive healthcare which is part of the first pillar of National Health Policy, 2017, the state health ministers agreed to improved convergence between National Health Mission and Safe and Nutritious Food campaigns initiated by FSSAI,” FSSAI said in a statement.
This would include using funds from the National Health Policy for strengthening of food safety systems in the states, integration of emergency response system under National Food Mission, added the FSSAI statement.
As part of the charter, the state health ministers agreed to support development of robust food standards and codes of practice for safe food, create a positive regulatory environment, establish a credible and robust national food testing system and address micronutrient deficiencies through government schemes and by promoting healthy dietary habits.
The state health ministers also agreed to build “culture of self-compliance amongst food businesses”. The ministers have also assured to focus on third-party audits, make enforcement transparent, standardized, predictable and fair by adopting digital compliance platform.
States must use NHM funds for food safety: JP Nadda
Nadda is Union minister of health and family welfare
NEW DELHI: In a bid to strengthen food safety systems in each state such as laboratories and enforcement infrastructure, states should use funds from National Health Mission (NHM), said the Union minister of health and family welfare, JP Nadda during a meeting with state health ministers and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
"Central Government is providing support to the tune of Rs 482 crore for the states. As many as 45 state labs are to be strengthened. I request the states to come forward with the proposals or give us the plan for strengthening the laboratories," said Nadda adding that finance will not be a constraint and each state should have at least one government food laboratory of high quality.
Food borne diseases impose a huge economic burden on India amounting to as much as 0.5% of India's GDP or about $28 billion, according to researchers present at the meeting.
All state health ministers, present during the meeting, agreed to the use of appropriate curriculum content on food and nutrition in schools to promote healthy eating habits and build awareness. States will also launch sustained campaigns in cities, districts and states under the banner of Safe and Nutritious Food (SNF) to develop city, district and state-wide ecosystems and declare them smart food state, city or district.
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