‘Nalla ennai’ not ‘nallennai’: Govt cracks down on misbranding

Chennai: The state food safety department has directed oil manufacturing and packing units not to print the phrase ‘Nalla ennai’ on oil sachets or packets. Units in Tamil Nadu were found marketing inedible lamp oil as ‘Nalla ennai’ (implying good quality oil). However, the phrase by and large refers to edible gingelly or sesame oil in local retail markets.

A total of 277 outlets, mostly in the districts of Salem, Namakkal and Tirupur, were found selling inedible oil as edible oil, according to government records.

Samples were lifted from nearly 930 outlets recently by food safety officers (FSOs) across the state following complaints that there was rampant adulteration in edible oil sold at rural areas. Sincethe resultswere bothersome, an oil committee was constituted under the state food safety commissioner to look into the issue.This committee in November 2017 held a meeting with all FSOs where FSOs pointed out that both edible and inedible were being manufactured and sold in the same premises and the latter was misbranded as edible.

Following this, the committee released a set of guidelines for manufacturers and packers of both categories of oils, said commissioner P Amudha. Accordingly from January 2018, edible oil manufacturers were banned from printing details about taste, quality or health benefits on the wrapper since phrases like ‘super refined’, ‘extra or micro refined’, ‘cholesterol friendly’ and ‘saturated fat free’ were misleading consumers at times.

It is mandatory for inedible oil packers from now on to print a picture of a lamp on thewrappers legibly (occupying at least 30% of the total space) in order to make it clear that the product is not suitable for cooking and can be used only for lighting lamps. As far as edible oil is concerned, ISI-marked containers should notbeclosedwithlead soldering; repacking iscompletely banned.

FSOs were instructed to ensure that no one with skin diseases or communicable ones are employed in these units. Officials have been directedtobe vigilant aboutfrequent change of addresses by repackers and relabellers to evade legal action and take necessary legal action under the provisions of theFSS Act.

Food operators have also been instructed not to stock edible and inedible oil on the same racks, Amudha added. Long-termuseof adulterated edibleor cooking oil might result in a medical condition named epidemic dropsy, say medical experts.

Missing cats linked to roadside Mutton Biryani

Customs shall not clear article of food without valid shelf life: FSSAI

New Delhi, Feb 12 (KNN) The food watchdog, FSSAI, today said that the customs authorities will not clear any article of food unless it has a valid shelf life.

Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2018 FSSAI has notified regulations on Food Safety and Standards (Import) First Amendment Regulations, 2018.

The notification amends the requirement relating to shelf life of imported product at the time of port clearance.

As per this notification, Custom Authorities shall not clear any article of food unless it has a valid shelf life of not less than sixty per cent, or three months before expiry, whichever is less, at the time of import, said Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Further, one more provision stating “the importer shall submit certificate of sanitary export from authorized agencies in exporting countries for the categories of food as may be specified by the Food Authority from time to time” has also been inserted.

This will help in the risk prioritization and in effectively dealing with high risk products intended for import. The said regulation will come into force on the date of their finalization, FSSAI said.

HIGH ON NUTRITION

The increasing health consciousness and awareness among consumers is compelling them to move over to organic food products, says Dr Saurabh Arora

The demand for organic foods began with fruits and vegetables when there were reports of pesticide residues in them. However, the popularity of organic foods has now extended to foodgrains, pulses, tea, spices and even oilseeds. According to a report in a leading newspaper, the organic food market in India is growing at 20-22 per cent annually. India has a rich heritage in organic farming and data shows that about 1.5 million hectares are certified as organic. In 2016-17, India exported `2,478 crore worth of organic commodities like oilseeds, cereals, millets and processed organic foods.

HEALTH advantages

Organic foods have gained popularity because people have become aware of their benefits. They contain no chemical pesticides or fertilisers and are grown naturally with manure or compost along with insecticides. Children are more susceptible than adults to diseases caused by chemical pesticide residues in food and thus parents prefer organic foods. Another advantage is that organic foods do not contain growth hormones or antibiotic residues. Animals are often given growth hormones and antibiotics in animal feeds which are directly transferred into animal foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs and dairy products. In organic farming, these practices are banned and animals are usually fed in natural surroundings. Eating antibiotics containing foods frequently makes antibiotics ineffective in humans.

Saviour of the Eco-system

Organic farming is a lifeline not only for small farmers who receive a fair price for their produce but the environment also gets a fillip. Another area where organic farming proves useful is, it encourages the growth of varieties of natural foods and prevents loss of species. These natural varieties are tastier and nutritious as well. Today, more than natural species the hybrid varieties are dominating agricultural crops. Organic farming is carried out in harmony with nature so it helps in the preservation of the natural environment, wetlands etc. which in turn support wild life. It reduces pollution caused by chemical pesticides and fertilisers in the environment. Wildlife, insects, frogs, birds, and micro-organisms are able to play their natural roles.

Certified quality

Organic food products are grown under a natural system of agriculture without the use of synthetic fertilisers. Therefore, any food for sale under organic foods in India needs to comply with the provisions laid down under either the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) administered by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) or the Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) operated by the ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. There are a number of organic brands that use the term “organic” on labels but if these products are not certified then their authenticity is suspectible to violation.

Organic FOOD REGULATIONS

According to the Delhi-based Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), foods that are labelled organic but not certified cannot be considered safe. The ICRIER also mentioned the need for a uniform standard for organic foods in its last report. Now, the Food Safety Standards and Authority of India (FSSAI) has launched the Food Safety and Standards (Organic Foods) Regulations 2017 along with the unified logo for organic food products, supported with the tagline Jaivik Bharat. All organic foods certified under this logo need to convey the full and accurate information on labels about the organic status of the food. The Jaivik Bharat logo will henceforth be recognised as a mark of quality assurance given by the above mentioned certification bodies in India or any other bodies recognised by FSSAI.

The people who buy organic foods in India come from all socio-economic backgrounds. However, what is common is these people are mostly health-conscious consumers who do not mind paying a bit more than conventional foods. They do not mind paying a little extra for the comfort of knowing that they and their families are safe from the perils of chemical fertilisers, pesticides and antibiotics. What these consumers must also understand is that they must not blindly buy foods labelled “organic” but must look for the certification mark ,which truly authenticates the food as being organic. This logo certifies that the organic food is indeed free from all kinds of adulterants like pesticides, heavy metals, mycotoxins, antibiotics and so on. With the regulatory framework in place, consumers can feel safer in the knowledge that the organic foods and products they are buying are indeed authentic and safe for their health and well being.

Uttar Pradesh implements BHOG project to ensure safety of prasad

The project involves training temple authorities, doing routine inspection of temple kitchens by the state FSDA and licensing of the product

Both the state government and the FSDA are responsible for implementation of BHOG. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Uttar Pradesh government has come forward to implement BHOG (Blissful Offering to God)—an initiative started by the Association of Food Scientists and Technologist of India (AFSTI) along with the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards India) to offer clean and hygienic prasad to the devotees. The state government and the state FSDA (Food Safety and Drug Administration) department has come together to implement BHOG in Mathura and Varanasi, which are well-known pilgrimage sites in Uttar Pradesh.

This project was conceived in 2015 when Sajeev Patil, who is the CEO of Siddhivinayak Temple in Mumbai, Maharashtra stated that the foreign pilgrims are sceptical about the cleanliness of the prasad and they refuse to eat. Later, this was conveyed to Probodh Halde, who is the all India president of AFSTI. Halde came up with the BHOG project by joining hands with FSSAI, and the first pilot project was started at Siddhivinayak temple.

In 2016, the first workshop was conducted in Delhi, which was organised by FSSAI. During this session, all the stakeholders such as health ministers, representatives from well-known temples like Meenakshi Temple in Tamil Nadu and Somnath Temple in Gujarat, and officials from AFSTI were present.

“When it comes to implementation of the project, both the state government and the FSDA are responsible,” Probodh Halde tells Down To Earth. He also says that over 250 temples have been trained in Maharashtra and temples in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan have also implemented the project and this was revealed in the review meeting, which took place in January 2018. Halde also appreciated the efforts taken by the Uttar Pradesh government to implement BHOG.

The project involves training temple authorities (prasad handlers and vendors) to follow the guidance document, doing routine inspection of temple kitchens by the state FSDA and licensing of the product. However, some temples are sceptical about the whole concept of inspection of their kitchen. Down To Earth had previously reported how difficult it would be to implement Food Safety Management System in places of worship.