Govts have primary responsibility of assuring food security: FAO chief

National leadership and action are crucial and governments have the primary responsibility for assuring the food security of their citizens, FAO director-general José Graziano da Silva on Thursday told a high-level meeting on the UN's vision for a post-2015 strategy against world hunger. The UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) deadline will pass in 2015.

"The Millennium Development Goals have pushed us forward. But with 870 million people still suffering from hunger, the war against food insecurity is far from over," Graziano da Silva said.

"The only effective answer to food insecurity is political commitment at the national level, and reinforced at the regional and global levels by the international community of donors and international organisations," he said, adding that the world's attitude towards hunger has changed profoundly.

"The right to food in the context of national food security is now the agreed foundation for policy discussion worldwide," he said.

Rural development needed

The director-general said that since the world produces enough food to feed everyone, emphasis needs to be placed on access to food and adequate nutrition at the local level. "We need food systems to be more efficient and equitable," he said.

He said that such progress would require significant public and private investment in rural areas where over 70 per cent of the hungry live and where millions of people depend on agriculture for food and employment including 500 million smallholder farm families.

However, he warned that despite the primary responsibility of national governments to ensure their citizens are fed, today's globalised economy means that no country acts alone.

"Actions taken by one country or company may affect the food security of others [while] conflicts can lead to instability in neighbouring countries and regions," he said.

"Impacts on environmental and natural resources are not purely national and it is virtually impossible to regulate markets and activities at the national level alone."

”As examples of multilateral efforts that contribute to national efforts to reduce hunger and make development more sustainable, he cited the strengthening of the Committee on World Food Security and the United Nations Secretary-General's High Level Task Force on Global Food Security. Another example is the Zero Hunger Challenge launched by the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon last June, at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development,” he said.

Public policies should also create opportunities for the most disadvantaged, including subsistence and small-scale producers, women, youth and indigenous people, according to him.

12 Food Safety Mistakes You Make Everyday

If you think food safety means washing veggies before cooking or throwing away anything that`s been refrigerated for over 5 days, then you`re in for a surprise. Food safety requires knowledge, special utensils and extra carefulness. But most of all, you need to know what mistakes to avoid, so you can keep your food and yourself as healthy as possible.

Here`s a list of 12 common mistakes people make without thinking of the consequences. I hope they`ll help you protect your family better and make the most of the food you eat.

#1: You taste food to see if it`s spoiled

If the food is so spoiled that you can smell it and taste it, it`s way past the time you should have thrown it away. Besides the fact that it`ll leave you with a bad taste in your mouth that you won`t forget any time soon, it`s also a sure way of getting dangerous bacteria in your body. This can lead to nausea, diarrhea and stomach pains.

On the other hand, the bacteria that cause food poisoning get in your food before the food starts to smell or taste badly. The safest way to avoid eating spoiled food is to throw it away before any harmful bacteria grows. You can use this Safe Storage Times chart to guide you.

#2: You wash meat, poultry or eggs

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it`s better not to wash raw meat, poultry or eggs before cooking, for two reasons:

1. Rinsing won`t kill bacteria that give you food borne diseases.

2. Water will spread the bacteria all over your sink (and other dishes, if there are any in the sink), your countertops and other surfaces in the kitchen.

So omitting to wash meat & co. before cooking doesn`t mean you`ve missed a few hygiene classes, it means you`re spearing time and health.

#3: You dry dishes with moist towels

Wet or moist towels are a source of harmful bacteria. Using them on dishes only spreads the potential health hazards, so try to air-dry your dishes, even if it takes longer. Also, try not to wipe your hands with them either.

As a general rule, towels should not be used for more than two days and they should be dried as soon as they get wet.

#4: You forget to replace the dish sponge with a new one

Dish sponges are often the dirtiest pieces in a kitchen. They often live next to the sink, the germiest place in the kitchen, and hold onto those germs and dirt creating a real health hazard. Sponges need to be sanitized at last every other day, and replaced every week or two for best protection against germs. Here is an easy way to sanitize your sponge and give it the longest life possible.

Yes, we`ve all been there. You keep saying you`ll replace the dish sponge with a fresh one, but you keep forgetting that. Or you forget to buy new ones. Either way, the sponge keeps getting filled with dangerous bacteria that you spread all over your dishes. In fact, they`re the prefect “host” for bacteria, because of the moist environment that helps bacteria grow.

Sponges should be sanitized at least twice a week and here`s the easiest way to do it, via www.howtocleanstuff.net:

1.  Begin by adding a few drops of anti-bacterial dish detergent to the hot water.

2.  Wash the sponge thoroughly by working the water through the sponge. This can be accomplished by squeezing the water through continually along with agitating it in the water.

3.  Rinse thoroughly with clean water.

4.  You can place your sponge in a bleach solution (1 tablespoon of bleach with 1 gallon of water) as well. This step is optional as the next step will also sanitize the sponge.

5.   Place the WET sponge in the microwave. You can place it in a dish of water, but it may not necessary.

6.   Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Monitor it carefully to watch for any signs of burning. If it appears to be burning the sponge, turn the microwave off immediately.

7.   When it is finished sterilizing in the microwave, let it set for a few minutes to cool off. It will be HOT!

8.    Remove it with a pair of tongs or oven mitts to protect your hands from burning.

9.    It is recommended that even with sterilizing, you should only use your sponge for a week or two before replacing.

#5:  You bag your meat and seafood with other groceries

You have to be very careful about how you transport and store foods. Meat and seafood can leak juices over other groceries, contaminating them. To avoid this, use separate plastic bags and transport the packages on the backseat of your car, instead of the trunk. This way, you minimize the chance of “accidents” happening.

#6: You don`t use a thermometer when cooking meat

If your hamburger “looks” cooked, it doesn`t necessarily mean it actually is. It may look delicious, but it can very well hide a ton of nasty bacteria. So if you don`t have a thermometer yet, better get one and make sure you don`t eat any meat cooked under 160F.

#7: You buy food from supermarket without checking how it`s stored

Yesterday, I bought some pork fillet and, when I got home and opened the package, I instantly felt the smell of spoiled food. According to the label, it was supposed to go bad on Friday. However, something was clearly wrong with it and I`m guessing it was either transport or storage that was faulty.

So before you buy any meat products, poultry or seafood, take a look around the store. See how the employees handle the merchandise. Check if the most vulnerable foods are immersed in ice (see fresh fish and fish products, vegetable salads). Snoop around a little bit, just to make sure everything goes by the book.

#8: You assume “prewashed” fruits and veggies are same for eating without extra washing

You may never know if the hands handling your food were clean. You can`t watch the whole process the fruits have gone through before landing on the shelf, so it`s best to wash them thoroughly before eating or cooking them.

#9: You don`t wash cutting boards between uses

Ideally, you should have two cutting boards: one for meat, poultry and seafood and one for fruits, vegetables and salads. This way, you avoid spreading bacteria on all your foods and utensils. When you`re done cutting, wash cutting boards with hot, soapy water and let them air dry.

#10: You cook when you`re sick

This is a very dangerous mistake, however many people make it. Even if it`s just a cold, the virus can spread quickly and cause foodborne illnesses.

If you don`t have a choice and you must cook even when you`re sick, put gloves on your hands and keep them all throughout the process, don`t breathe on the food, use only paper towels and don`t touch your nose or mouth.

#11: You`re not careful about potentially hazardous food

Meats, poultry, fish and seafood, baked or boiled potatoes, eggs, dairy products, rice and pasta are perfect “homes” for bacteria. You have no idea just how much bacteria can grow in just one hour when food is left out in the open, so make sure you refrigerate these foods or at least keep them below 40F at all times.

#12: You let food cool before putting it in the fridge

That`s one of the most common mistakes, perhaps you`ve made it too. But what they don`t know is that hazardous bacteria start growing within two hours if food doesn`t get refrigerated. So don`t wait food to cool off completely before putting it in the fridge. You can wait for an hour or two, but no more than that.

Achievement of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India during 2008-2012

With the objective to consolidate the laws relating to food and for laying down science based standards for articles of food, the Food Safety and Standards Act was enacted and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established in 2008.

The following FSS Regulations have been notified in 2011.

Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food businesses) Regulations, 2011

Food Safety and standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations, 2011

Food safety and standards (Food product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011

Food safety and standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011

Food safety and standards (Contaminates, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011

Food Safety and Standards (Laboratory and sampling analysis) Regulations, 2011

The enactments and orders mentioned in the Second Schedule of the Act (including the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act) and the Milk and Milk Products Regulations, 1992 have been repealed w.e.f. 5.8.2011. FSS Act has been made operational from 5.8.2011. The food regulatory framework has now moved from limited prevention of food adulteration regime to safe and wholesome food regime.

Operationalizing the Enforcement structure at the Centre and State level:

All the States have operationalized the FSS (Licensing and Registration of Food businesses) Regulations, 2011. About 2,77,801 licenses and 8,60,119 registrations have been issued by the State Governments till date.At the Central level, 9,348 licenses have been issued till 11.3.2013.

Initiatives taken by FSSAI for fixing of standards of food articles:

1.     Draft standards for caffeinated beverages have been formulated and are under notification for seeking public comments. 

2.     Draft notification for fixation of limit of Trans Fatty Acid in partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil, has been notified for seeking public comments.

3.     Draft notification for fixing standards for Antibiotics in Honey, has been notified for seeking public comments.

4.     Draft standards for Olive Oil have been notified for seeking public comments.

5.     Regulations of Alcoholic Drink- Alcoholic Drink has been defined as Food under Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and the process of framing standards and regulation thereof has begun. After following the prescribed process of Standards setting, the same would be brought to the Food Authority for discussions.

6.     Draft regulations of Imported Food safety have been framed.

Surveillance of Food and Food Borne Diseases:

Surveillance action has been initiated on milk and iodized salt. The report of milk survey conducted by FSSAI has been released. FSSAI has also commissioned a nation–wide survey of schools to finalise guidelines regarding serving of food in the schools.

Framework on Food Safety Management System (FSMS):

Framework of FSMS has been finalized. 

Harmonisation of Standards with Codex and other international standards:

FSSAI has begun the exercise of harmonizing the standards for the various food items. 

Constitution of the Scientific Committee and eight Scientific Panels:

FSSAI has constituted and apex Scientific Committee to provide scientific opinion to the Authority on wide range of subjects that are within the mandate of the Authority. The Scientific Panels on Functional Foods, Food Additives, Method of Sampling and Analysis, Biological Hazards, Contaminants in Food, Pesticides and antibiotic residues, Genetically modified organisms and food and Labelling, claims/advertisements have been formed. 

Food Import Clearance System (FICS):

Implementation of IT enabled Imported Food monitoring system at major entry points in the country i.e. Food Import Clearance System (FICS) has become operational at select ports of Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai including airports and importers are getting the food items tested, cleared using the IT enabled system.

City anchor: A strict no to use of calcuim carbide on mangoes

In the season of the king of fruits, the FDA is getting ready to crack the whip on mango traders who use calcium carbide, an inorganic compound that is known to cause cancer, for hastening the ripening of the fruit.

FDA has started inspections to detect any calcium carbide use by mango traders. Besides, around 16 traders selling mangoes have been issued show cause notices for not obtaining licence under the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Act.

FDA has warned of strict action including prosecution if calcium carbide is found to be used by traders to ripen mangoes. "So far, we have not found any defaulter but a strict warning has been issued at our workshop held with 80 traders recently," Shashikant Kekare, Joint Commissioner, FDA, (food) told Newsline.

While issuing the fiat, they have allowed the use of ethylene to speed up ripening the mangoes. Ethylene, an organic compound that can be synthesised, is found naturally in gaseous form in plants and is responsible for ripening of fruits.

Last year, Satara had reported three instances of calcium carbide being used to ripen mangoes. In a recent case in Nashik, artificially ripened Alphonsos worth Rs 1.25 lakh were destroyed by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) at a fruit market. Around 1,400 kg Alphonsos worth Rs 1.25 lakh were seized from a shop at Sharadchandra fruit market as they were being ripened using calcium carbide, Kekare said.

FDA sent four kg of calcium carbide seized in Nashik to Pune for laboratory tests.

On Thursday, a meeting was held at FDA's Pune office where assistant commissioners from various districts including Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Solapur submitted their reports and decided on strategies to conduct random checks at vegetable and fruit markets to prevent use of calcium carbide.

S M Deshmukh, Assistant Commissioner, Satara said most traders either sprinkle the powder or keep some pouches of calcium carbide in the room where mangoes are stored. It usually takes four-five days for mangoes to ripen naturally. It is done in just a day or two using calcium carbide, Dilip Sangat, Assistant Commissioner, FDA said.

Pune division of FDA is gearing up to conduct random inspections at fruit stalls. Shivlal Bhosale, president of the Fruit Merchants Association, told Newsline the Association has 250 fruit vendors and instructions have been issued against use of calcium carbide.

According to FDA officials, there has been a sizeable impact of awareness programmes do drive home the point.

"We have allowed the use of ethylene gas," Kekare added.

 FSSAI MOOTS MANDATORY DISCLOSURE OF KEY CIGARETTE INGREDIENTS ON PACKS

In a move that will bring Indian companies on par with their global peers, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) proposes to make it mandatory for manufacturers of cigarettes to disclose the amount of NICOTINE and TAR - two crucial ingredients that go into the making of cigarettes - on packs. FSSAI will soon issue a notification to this effect. The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 (also called COTPA), which regulates the trade and commerce as well as advertisement of cigarettes and other tobacco-related products, incidentally, has a provision for declaration of the contents going into a cigarette. But owing to the lack of dedicated Research laboratories, the government did not notify the rule so far, and cigarette manufacturers have also raised the same issue in support of their resistance to declaration of the ingredients. At the moment, Indian manufacturers have graphic as well as text warnings such as “Smoking Kills” and “Tobacco Causes Cancer” on packs to alert consumers of the ill-effects of smoking. Six Tobacco Research laboratories are being set up at the moment by Government of India in Chandigarh, Gujarat, Noida, Ghaziabad, Chennai and Kolkata at a total cost of Rs 57 crore. These labs will be established with support from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Food Safety officials to collect fish samples from all districts

The Food Safety Commissionerate has decided to collect samples of fish sold in all the districts after the presence of formalin was detected in fish sold in the state, Food Safety Commissioner Biju Prabhakar said on Wednesday.

The Commissionerate has also collected samples of ice used to keep fish fresh and in food items. Additionally, sample of water and products are also being collected from ice plants, ice factories, ice cream units, bottled water plants and soda and soft drink manufacturing units across the state, the Food Safety Commissioner said.

Food Safety Officers have been instructed to initiate prosecution measures in the event of toxic elements and chemicals being detected in fish and fish products, including dry fish, Biju Prabhakar said.

The Food Safety Commissionerate’s decision comes in the wake of complaints about the presence of highly toxic chemicals in fish arriving in the markets. Recently, the Confederation of Residents’ Association, Thiruvananthapuram, had lodged a complaint in this regard with Health Minister V S Sivakumar.

 

Govt response sought on PIL for ban on junk food in schools

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday asked the city government if it had issued any direction to schools on regulating sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around their premises even as the Centre said it would come up with guidelines on the issue by July.   Issuing notice to Delhi government on a PIL seeking ban on sale of junk food and aerated drinks in and around schools, a division bench of Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice V K Jain sought its response by April 17.
“We want to know whether the Delhi government has issued directions to the schools here regarding sale of junk food and carbonated drinks under the Delhi Education Act,” the bench said.  Meanwhile, Additional Solicitor General(ASG) Rajeeve Mehra told the bench that the central government would finalise the guidelines by July this year to regulate the availability of junk foods and carbonated drinks within 500 yards of a school.

Earlier, the government had informed the court that the task of framing guidelines on making available quality and safe food in the schools has been assigned to AC Nielsen QRG-MARG Pvt Ltd. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said that in pursuance of the court`s earlier order; it has given the task to formulate the guidelines to the private firm after inviting proposals from various expert agencies that do similar work.

 

Harmful dyes found in sweets in India

Metanil yellow dye causes neurotoxicity in rats. This dye is commonly found in a popular Indian sweet dish called jalebi.

LUCKNOW, INDIA: India has just celebrated Holi, its festival of colours, where brightly dyed sweets are handed out to everyone. However, a nationwide study has discovered that many of the colourings used in those sweets and savouries contain illegal and toxic dyes not for use in food.

Mukul Das, Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, Lucknow, and colleagues found that while there has been an overall decline in the use of illegal colours in recent years, they are still widely used. The team detected illegal and potentially toxic colours in around 16 per cent of sweets and savouries tested. They also found that even with sweets that contained safe colours, 58 per cent exceeded the cap of 100 mg/kg determined by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The scientists found six banned dyes in the sweets tested – rhodamine B, orange II, metanil yellow, malachite green, quinoline yellow and auramine. These are mostly used by the paper, leather and textile industries. FSSAI rules allow only eight colours to be used in food, and all the others are classed as non-permitted colours (NPCs).

According to Das, a major problem with vendors and shops selling sweets and savouries is that they’re not aware of FSSAI standards, and end up using more of them than are permitted. “But they know which colours should not be used and are lured into buying the non-permitted dyes because they are cheaper than the approved ones,” he added.

Rhodamine B, a tracer dye, was the most commonly used illegal colour, picked up in 30 per cent of samples. Levels of the dye varied from 36.9 to 542mg/kg. For orange II, metanil yellow and malachite green, the ranges were 23.8 to 456mg/kg, 36.8 to 256mg/kg and 57.4 to 231mg/kg, respectively.

“All these dyes are harmful and can cause diseases like cancer upon chronic consumption, but since these quantities are not sufficient to cause any acute health problems, the real impact of these dyes on consumers’ health cannot be assessed,” said V Sudershan Rao, Food Safety Expert, National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, India.

Research at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore, found that chronic exposure to metanil yellow causes neurotoxicity in rats. The dye is commonly found in a popular Indian sweet dish called jalebi.

The survey was the largest of its kind in the country, and serves as a wake-up call to regulators. “Added vigilance is needed by the government to stop the use of illegal, toxic dyes. The study should help policy makers revisit the quantities of permitted colours used in various foods. Right now, there’s a uniform upper limit of 100mg/kg, and 200mg/kg in a few cases, for all permitted colours. The cap for food dyes should be reset according to their individual toxicity potential,” said Rao.

MCC drive to check hygiene at restaurants

Taking no chances:Mysore City Corporation authorities inspecting a restaurant on Wednesday.— Photo: M.A. Sriram

The Mysore City Corporation (MCC) on Wednesday conducted random checks at a few hotels and restaurants in the city to ensure hygiene.

The authorities also cracked down on roadside vendors selling cut fruits, as a precautionary measure to prevent the outbreak of gastroenteritis, which is common during summer.

Restaurant owners were pulled up for low standards of hygiene in storage and preparation of food. They were directed to supply boiled and cooled water to customers.

The MCC drive will cover the entire city over the next few days.

Eateries not complying with cleanliness and hygiene norms in storage, preparation and serving of food would risk penalty or cancellation of licenses.