Nestlé invests 200 million Egyptian pounds to extend ice cream factory

Nestlé has invested CHF 26 million (200 million Egyptian pounds) to extend its ice cream factory in Egypt, one of the company’s biggest ice cream markets in the world.

According to a press release issued by the company, it began selling its products in Egypt over 100 years ago and the investment in new manufacturing lines will help meet growing demand for Nestlé and Dolce brands.

Demand for ice cream has also enabled Nestlé to create an additional new 200 jobs with this year's investment.

High-tech ices
The factory is located some 30 km from Cairo, at 6th of October City.
Ice creams produced there are distributed locally as well as being exported to North-East Africa – to countries including Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, and Tunisia.
The factory also produces the super-premium Movenpick products, exported to Malaysia.

The investment at the ice cream factory also includes the introduction of some of the most advanced food production lines of any of Nestlé’s ice cream plants.
The factory extension was inaugurated recently in the presence of Nandu Nandkishore, executive VP, Zone Asia, Oceania, Africa; Roger Stettler, senior VP, Zone Asia, Oceania, Africa; and Suresh Narayanan, market head, North-East Africa Region.

Long-term presence
Further significant investments are planned in the coming years to develop the factory’s mixing, processing, chocolate coating and cone filling equipment.

Nestlé began to make ice cream in Egypt in 1988, when it acquired the Cairo-based Industrie Du Froid company and its Kimo ice cream brand.

Some seven years later, Nestlé acquired Dolce Co for Food Industries, based in 6th of October City. In 2001, it merged its ice cream manufacturing operations together.

Today, Nestlé Egypt has three factories and seven distribution centres, and employs more than 3,000 people.

253 students, 2 teachers fall ill after consuming school food in China

A total of 253 students and two teachers fell ill from suspected food poisoning on Thursday in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, authorities said on Friday.

The victims are being treated in hospital and are improving, said a Baotou city government spokesman.

The victims from Hui People Middle School in Baotou complained of stomach ache and vomiting around 3:30 p.m. after having lunch in the school dining hall.

Around 3,000 students had lunch, and pupils who got their meals from the same counter became sick. The school has six different meal counters.

Kitchen workers from the counter are in police custody.

In the city's Donghe district, the school has more than 4,000 junior and senior middle school students, most of whom are ethnic Han.

Follow rules, sweetmeat makers told

With sweet preparation for Deepavali in full swing, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India officials have asked manufacturers to follow prescribed standards in preparation, packaging and distribution of food items.

A team led by T. Anuradha, District Designated Officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, inspected houses, marriage halls, and catering halls, where sweets were being prepared in bulk quantities.

They asked the persons involved in preparing the sweets to use standard ingredients, use quality oil and ghee, protected water, permitted synthetic food colours and ensure that hygienic is maintained in preparation area. They also stressed that workers should wear cap and should not have skin diseases who were involved in the process. Manufacturers were also asked not to use newspapers for packing the sweets and also supply only quality products.

Officials also asked consumers to buy sweets from licensed sellers and also not stress on the colour of sweets. “Milk sweets should be consumed within three days where as ghee sweets in 10 days,” they added.

Six teams were inspecting the units from Monday and it would continue for another one week. They said bulk preparation has just begun and they would closely monitor the units.

HO wakes up to unhealthy food outlets

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Srinagar, Oct 25: Lack of hygiene, absence of proper dress code or medically unhealthy condition of staffers at restaurants, hotels and other food outlets in the City may soon land its owners in trouble ranging from cancellation of licenses to imprisonment.
 Prompted by public complaints, the Srinagar Municipal Corporation has finally decided to act tough against the violators with the SMC Health Officer issuing public notifications in newspapers.
 “The Public Health Department of Srinagar Municipal Corporation is conducting a Food Safety Audit of all Food Establishments of Srinagar City, which  shall include:  Sanitation and cleanliness  of the Food Establishments, Pest and rodent control methods adopted, Health and Hygiene of the all Food Handlers along with their Medical /Health status and Adoption of dress code including uniform, gloves, and Headgear etc,” reads the notification issued by the Health Officer Dr Shafqat Khan vide No SMC/PS/HO/882 dated October 24, 2013.
 “Any Food Establishment which fails to comply the Food Safety Audit shall be liable to cancellation of Food licenses along with fine up to Rs 1 lakh or imprisonment upto 6 months under the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006,” it adds.   
 When contacted the Health Officer admitted that the decision was taken following public complaints that the “food outlets were taking consumers for a ride”. “No indiscipline will be tolerated,” he added.

Vadodara Municipal Corporation to conduct extensive checking of food outlets during festive season

VADODARA: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has asked all persons engaged in the food business to ensure that they adhere to the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The civic body issued the advisory in wake of the fact that food items will be prepared and stored in large quantities during the festive season.

VMC officials said that the civic body was geared up to conduct tests and inspect food and sweetmeat outlets extensively. Officials said that even raw material used to prepare food items will be checked by the civic body.

The corporation's health department officials will collect samples and analyse these in its laboratory. Teams of the department will also carry kits to analyse the samples on the spot as well.

VMC officials checked some food outlets in the city Friday and collected 13 samples. Teams had visited shops in Makarpura, Alkapuri, Gotri, Waghodiya Road, Chokhandi, New Sama Road, and other areas. The samples will now be analysed at the civic body's public health laboratory. The process is expected to continue till November 2.

Officials said that extensive checking has been planned as it had come to light in the past that raw material and prepared food items that were not fit for consumption were stored. Adulteration was another issue that the officials want to check.

More food safety officers sought

The delay in appointing qualified food safety officers has been a major hurdle to effective implementation of food safety norms in the State, Kerala Food Technologists Association (KEFTA) has said.

A spokesman for Kefta said on Thursday that though Kerala was the first State to establish a Food Safety Commissionerate to implement the Food Safety and Standard Act (FSSA-2006) there had been delay in appointing food safety officers by Public service Commission (PSC). Other States that established Food Safety Commissionerates after Kerala did it in 2011 had already appointed enough food safety officers to enforce the rules, the KEFTA spokesman said.

As many as 57 posts of food safety officers had been sanctioned in Kerala though these posts had not yet been even notified. The posts were to be filled by professionally qualified candidates.

Food analysts had also not been appointed even on temporary basis in Pampa and other pilgrimage centres, the KEFTA spokesman said, demanding appointment of food safety officers without further delay.

Fall in line by Feb 4, 2014, food trade operators told

In view of poor response from the food business operators to its registration and licensing drive launched three years ago, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has warned them to fall in line by the final deadline of February 4, 2014, or face penalty.

The operators had been given extension twice since enactment of the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. But so far the food regulator has been able to register just 25 lakhs out of the country’s around five crore FBOs and gave licence to only 6 lakh FBOs so far against the target of 50 lakh.

 “We have sought an amendment in the FSS Act to ensure that there will be no further extension to FBOs operating in the country to comply with the rules. As per amendment yet to be cleared by the Health Ministry, the FBOs have to get licence and register by February 4, 2014, otherwise they would be penalised,” said K Chandramouli, Chairman of the FSSAI.

He also hoped that the FBO will come rushing for registration in the months nearing deadline. “We have asked the State Governments to raise awareness among the FBOs about the rules which aims to ensure a certain level of hygiene,” he said.

Chandramouli said the first deadline was August 4, 2012, that is one year after the implementation of the FSS (Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. It was extended again by six months to February 4, 2013, and then to February 4, 2014.  Now we have no plan to extend it further, he added.

The FSS Act makes it mandatory for every FBO having a turnover Rs 12 lakh to obtain a licence and those below Rs 12 lakh to get themselves registered. This implies that excepting big eateries all FBOs, from road-side chat sellers to vegetable vendors and from milkman to caterers, all need to be registered.

As per the Act all FBOs (into manufacture, storage, transport and serving of food) must maintain a record of the inventory of raw food, stored food, water, food and air testing and pest control regimes. Also, it makes mandatory on food handlers to have annual medical fitness checks.