IIT-Roorkee gets notice after mess food sample fails quality check

The state food safety department has issued a notice to the Indian Institute of Technology here after food sample taken from the hostel mess on the campus failed in quality check. The notice said the department would initiate penal action.

However, the IIT has a period of 30 days to appeal against the department’s verdict on the sample and get it tested in an accredited laboratory.

If the sample fails the test there as well, the matter will be tried in the additional district magistrate’s court in Haridwar.

But the food safety officer Dilip Jain said the action would be quicker as the IIT had admitted in a statement at the time of the raid that its kitchen was unhygienic.

“It is enough for us to take action against the IIT administration or its director,” Jain said.

Around 200 students staying at the Rajendra Bhawan hostel of the IIT were reported ill after having food from the mess on September 9 last year. They had complained of severe stomach ache and vomiting.

Many students were diagnosed with food poisoning and were admitted in a hospital. Following this, the food safety department raided the hostel mess and collected certain food samples. While one of these samples failed in the quality test, the result of the others is awaited.

“In a test conducted at the Rudrapur-based state food and drug testing laboratory, a sample of red chilli power taken from the Rajendra Bhawan hostel mess has not been found to be of the prescribed food standards,” the food safety officer said.

Gutkha is now ‘legal’ in Andhra Pradesh

Little interest shown on implementing/extending its ban

Consumption of gutkha is now legal in State. Not just that, even manufacturing and distribution of this chewable tobacco product does not amount to any kind of violation, thanks to the State government’s reluctance in extending a ban on these products.

As per a Government Order issued by the Chief Secretary, the usage or distribution of gutkha was prohibited in the State with effect from January 10, 2013 till a period of one year under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. However, there seems to be no move to extend it.

“This is a grave issue concerning public health as gutkha and its related products are known to cause cancer and other serious ailments. Gutkha is banned in 23 States in the country, but our State government is taking its own time to extend the ban or implement it,” said former I.F.S. officer and secretary of Forum for Good Governance, M. Padmanabha Reddy. He has written to the Chief Secretary demanding that the ban be extended. Mr. Reddy, who procured information under RTI relating to the implementation of the ban, criticised the administration for being indifferent to the issue. 

State issues guidelines for food safety in govt hostels

City has over 20 such hostels, run by Social Justice Department

The State government has issued an order regarding food safety standards while preparing and serving the food in all hostels and residential schools across the state, run by the State’s Social Justice department. Pune has over 20 such hostels. The directive was issued by the Social Justice and Special Aide Department on January 7 under the Central Government’s Food Safety Rule. The Government Resolution (GR) mentions, “All hostel head should check safety standards as mentioned in the order and submit a report to their respective department heads. Department heads should conduct frequent meetings and review the situation.” The GR also mentions certain sanitary and hygienic requirements to which food business operators should conform. ‘Premises on which food is prepared should have an overall hygienic environment. All new units should be set up well away from environmentally polluted areas. There should be adequate space for manufacturing and storage, enough lighting and ventilation, with no flaking paint or plaster,’ the GR says. ‘Floors, ceilings and walls must be maintained — they should be smooth and clean,’ the GR adds. Besides this, the government also has guidelines on the food preparation area, hand-washing facilities, toilets, personal hygiene, transportation and handling of food, raw materials, cross contamination, stock rotation, thawing of frozen products and others. Rakesh Vitkar, in-charge of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC)-run Dr Babasheb Ambedkar student hostel claimed, “We have a capacity of 400 students. We are already maintaining hygiene while preparing and serving food. However, we will go through the government order and see if anything is lacking. We welcome this move by the government. It will help to guide hostels on maintaining better hygiene.” ►►► We have a capacity of 400 students. We are already maintaining hygiene while preparing and serving food -  Rakesh Vitkar, in-charge at PMC-run Dr Baba Ambedkar hostel

FDA launches spot registration drive for food stalls, eateries

NASHIK: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Nashik division, has started conducting spot registrations of hotels and eateries. Any business found unregistered or without a license after January 16, Thursday, will face punitive action, said officials. The spot registration drive started on Saturday.

Joint commissioner (food) of the FDA's Nashik division told TOI, "Our goal is to get all food related businesses across the division registered and licenced. Some of the paan and tea stalls, and food caterers have not responded to our call. We have formed special teams in each district that will visit spots to register business. There will also be units at our district offices in the division where the registration and licencing can be done. After Thursday, the owners of unregistered businesses or those without will face six months in jail and will be fined Rs 5 lakh."

As per the new Food Safety and Standards Act which came into effect from August 5, 2011, a licence is compulsory for business with an annual turnover of over Rs 12 lakh. Business with a turnover less than Rs 12 lakh are required to get a yearly registration for Rs 100 a year, while the annual licence fee is Rs 2,000.

Food business like paan stalls, fruit or vegetable vendors, handcarts with food items being sold, grocery shops, bakeries, food packaging units, caterers, inns, dhabas, tea stalls, onion-potato traders, meat shops have been included under the act from August 5, 2011. Many of these stalls were not registered in the last registration drive.

The FDA's Nashik division oversees five districts - Nashik, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Nandurbar and Jalgaon. Till date, around 35,561 businesses have been registered in Nashik division, including 8,346 in Nashik district, 5,193 in Dhule district (which also Nandurbar district), 7,425 in Jalgaon and 14,597 in Ahmednagar districts. Licenses have been issued to 16,137 businesses, including 7,331 units in Nashik, 2,866 in Dhule, 2,409 in Jalgaon and 3,531 in Ahmednagar districts.

High Court Ban on Plastic Packaging Traders seek legal recourse in SC

Traders of the state, under the banner of Himachal Pradesh Beopar Mandal, yesterday decided to move the apex court against the Himachal Pradesh High Court's decision to ban 25 junk food items sold in plastic packaging in the state from January 26 this year.

The High Court has also directed the government to ensure that from March 31, foodstuff, including primary and essential food manufactured, transported, sold, packaged and distributed in the state, conforms to the Food Safety and Standards Act of 2006 and the Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Regulation of 2011.

The traders have been perturbed as most of the fast-moving packaged edible products of branded and unbranded types come in plastic packing. In view of the orders, such material will not be allowed to enter the state for sale.

The Beopar Mandal today authorised its working-president Sumesh Sharma to lead a delegation of traders to Delhi to meet legal experts. The other members include Inderjit Singh, president of the Shimla unit, Surinder Kumar, general secretary of Manali unit, and Rajinder Sood, member of the Wholesalers' Alliance from Una.

Speaking over telephone, president of the state Beopar Mandal, Madan Lal Khurana said the delegation had left for Delhi today and would take legal advice on January 12. He said the manufacturers were not willing to change the packaging for a small percentage of the clientele in the state, which meant these items would not be on the shelves for sale after January 26.

Khurana said these orders would not only bring financial setback to the traders, but would also affect the consumers.

Expressing hope that the Supreme Court would give relief to the traders of the hill state, he said if need be, their cadre would not hesitate to take to the streets against the orders. He said while the party in power should clarify its stand, even those in the Opposition should speak their minds on the issue.

Traders want food grain out of APMC Act ambit

Traders' unions on Sunday demanded exclusion of food grain like wheat, rice, jowar and cereals from the ambit of the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act. Traders also sought the adoption of a single-point mechanism to charge cess on commodities in place of the current multiple cess system.

The demands were raised at a state-level meeting of traders conducted at the Poona Merchants' Chamber called to discuss various issues faced by traders. Addressing a press conference after the meeting, Walchand Sancheti, president of the Poona Merchants' Chamber, said, "Prices of commodities go up owing to multiple cess system. When other states have already adopted a single-point cess system to restrict double taxation, the state government is persisting with the old system. The government has continued with multiple cess mechanism which is neither beneficial to the farmer nor to the consumer."

Sancheti said the government has already initiated steps to decontrol fruits and vegetables. "We want the government to exclude food grain from the APMC Act. Processed commodities such as rice, edible oil, powders, sugar, tea, flour, besan and dry fruits should be excluded," he said. He added that the traders will soon discuss the memorandum of demands with the government.

Vice-president of the Poona Merchants' Chamber, Praveen Chorbele, said that more than 125 traders from the state had participated in the meeting. He said, "Besides exclusion of food grain from the APMC Act, we will urge the government to introduce some changes in the Food Safety and Standards Act. We want the government to impose a reasonable fine under various provisions."

Meanwhile, traders have demanded abolition of the Local Body Tax (LBT). Chorbele said there has been considerable increase in the VAT. There is no need to impose LBT on commodities if the government has registered significant growth in VAT collection.

We will also urge the government to introduce some changes in the Food Safety and Standards Act. We want the government to impose a reasonable fine under various provisions