Loophole in regulations being exploited by companies: health officer

Urban District Health Officer Rajani M. has called for an amendment to the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011. This in the light of the fact that though the government has banned the sale of gutka and pan masala that contain tobacco or nicotine on May 31, companies are subverting the ban by selling sachets of tobacco separately.

According to her, the gutka industry was exploiting a loophole in the law and selling tobacco leaves separately.

Explaining the loophole, she said that the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restriction on Sales) Regulations, 2011, prohibits the sale of food items containing tobacco and nicotine. “But loose tobacco is being sold to people who are later mixing them with other products. Since the law prohibits the sale of gutka with other food items, the industry lobby is contending that loose tobacco can be sold. There is a need to amend the regulations so that tobacco is not sold in separate sachets,” she said here on Saturday during the drive to weed out illegal advertisements pertaining to tobacco products.

Health Minister U.T. Khader, City Police Commissioner Raghavendra Auradkar and Additional Police Commissioner Kamal Panth inspected four tea shops on Infantry Road and its surroundings as a part of the drive to get illegal advertisements removed from shops selling cigarettes and pan masala. Mr. Khader directed the shopkeepers to display pictorial warnings of the consequences of consuming tobacco and its products.

Section 5 of the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) places restrictions on the advertisement of cigarettes or any other tobacco product and also makes it mandatory for a health warning to be placed in each of the stalls.

“Several youngsters consume tobacco that has dangerous health hazards. There is a need for vendors to place boards that convey the message that consuming tobacco is harmful to health so that youngsters will at least think twice before falling prey to it.”

At one of the stalls on Cunnigham Road, a vendor was selling Super Zerda, a tobacco product and there was no clear pictorial statutory warning on the sachets and the Minister directed officials to initiate action against the company.

And, the Health Minister collected six pan masala sachets and directed the officials to get them checked in laboratories to find whether they contained tobacco.

To a query, Mr. Khader said, “After the ban, sale of gutka has reduced significantly.”

He added that similar drives against the sale of tobacco products would be carried out in all districts.

JMC inspects milk vends in city

Continuing its drive against adulteration of milk in view of the forthcoming festival season, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) today inspected about 2,000 litres of milk.

A team of food safety officers under the supervision of Dr Vinod Sharma, health officer, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC), inspected prominent sweet and milk shops in Sanjay Nagar, Digiana, Nanak Nagar, Talab Tillo, Canal Road, Mast Garh, Pacca Danga, Kachi Chowni and Kucha Sabzi Mandi area.

The Municipal Corporation has asked all food establishment owners to ensure proper food supply to the general public and maintain standard of hygienic conditions on their premises, failing which strict action would be taken against them under law.

The general public is requested to cooperate with the Jammu Municipal Corporation and share information regarding poor quality of food products, if any. On October 5, a team of the JMC was attacked by milk suppliers who were in possession of the adulterated milk.

A finding by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has found that 83 per cent of milk sold in districts of the state is not safe for consumption.

Food poisoning: Health officer gives nod to legal action against restaurant

The district health officer (DHO), Mohali, has allowed the food safety officer to initiate legal action against the management of Barbeque Nation, Phase V, which offered food that was “unfit for human consumption”.

The Mohali DHO, Dr Gursharan Singh, said the step was taken after getting the report of food samples collected from the restaurant.

“Artificial colours and a strand of hair were found in the samples. The required sanction to launch a court case against the management was given to the FSO, Rajdeep Kaur,” he said.

The Mohali police has also registered a case against the owner and staff of the restaurant on the charges of causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others (Section 337 of the IPC), professional misconduct (Section 338) and sale of noxious food and drink (Sections 272 and 273) at the Phase I police station.

The case was registered on the complaint of a customer, Abhishek Tandon, who was celebrating his birthday at the restaurant on September 26. In all, around 22 persons, including three women and five children, were taken ill while having the dinner.

Beware! Sweets may be adulterated

Chennai: Come Deepavali and its time for laddoos and jelebis in most homes. But a sweet treat may send you to the doctor if you are not careful.

Food safety officials, who are keeping a strict watch on the quality of sweets and savouries being prepared for Deepavali at various foodstalls in the city, warn that adulterants and poor quality oil are often used to cut down costs.

On Thursday some of the 25 officials conducting raids on sweet stalls, took six samples of wheat halwa, badhusha and milk sweets from shops in Aminjikarai and inspected their manufacturing units on a complaint from an insurance agent, G. Marimuthu, who clai­med the sweets he bought from a shop, Parvathi Bhavan in Aminjikarai on the occasion of Ayudha pooja had made his friends sick. 

Food safety official Lakshmi Naryanan says that based on the agent’s complaint, samples of sweets were taken from the shop for testing.

“ We have also asked our officials to inspect other sweet stalls which have started Deepavali sales,” he added, revealing that the department intended to circulate handbills among the public to create awareness about possible adulteration of sweets.

“Consumers need to be alert when buying sweets as many shops use poor quality oil or vanaspati to prepare the so-called ghee sweets. The shelf life of these sweets is very little,” he warned, explaining that that several harmful colouring agents were also sometimes used to prepare the sweets. 

Food safety officials who receive complaints on the helpline, 9842156266, have conducted some 15 inspections every month this year, seizing among other things, huge quantities of  adulterants of tea dust and substandard water packets.

Amul increases milk price ; Mahananda and Mother Dairy may follow soon

While Amul has increased the price of its milk offerings by Rs 2 in Mumbai as well as in the National Capital Region (NCR) with effect from Tuesday, leading dairy companies like Mother Dairy and Mahananda are also planning to effect a rise in rates in the coming days.

Speaking about the hike to FnB News, R S Sodhi, MD, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), said, “The increase in the price of milk was necessary because of the increase in overall costs including food inflation and cattle feed. The food inflation reached around 18 per cent this year and the cattle feed prices increased by 15 per cent while the milk prices have been increased only by 10 per cent with the latest hike.”

Amul is the largest milk producer in the country with average milk procurement of over 11.5 million litre per day and sells 3.5 million litre of milk daily in Delhi and Mumbai markets.

After the increase in the milk price of Amul, Amul Gold (full cream) milk will cost Rs 44 a litre, compared to the current price of Rs 42, while Amul Taza (toned milk) will cost Rs 34 a litre, up from the current price Rs 32. The new price of Amul Slim and Trim double toned milk will be Rs 30 a litre, compared to the existing price of Rs 28.

Mother Dairy has indicated that a price rise is imminent in coming days. The company, in a statement, mentioned that it was closely following the procurement and raw material prices and there might be a review, if required.
"At Mother Dairy, we strongly follow our value that the farmers should get their fair share and the consumers’ interests are also maintained. We are keeping a close watch on the procurement prices as well as the raw material prices and input costs that affect the farmers and will review our consumer prices of milk if required," stated a spokesperson of Mother Dairy.

Meanwhile, Mahananda Dairy is expected to take decision on hike at a meeting that would be held this week.

Vikas Agnihotri, general manager, Mahananda Dairy, said, “Yes, we are aware that Amul has increased milk prices by Rs 2 in Mumbai and Delhi respectively with effect from 15th October 2013. But we are not in a hurry to increase the price.”

He added, “I can't reveal the decision right now. We will be holding the board meeting in this week or next week and will decide about further action. The decision is at initial stages.”

Parag Milk’s chairman Devendra Shah informed, “During the last year, Indian milk prices were depressed with ample supply of raw milk and depressed demand. However, the situation started improving for the better in recent months, led by tightening of supplies and rising prices in international markets for dairy commodities. Further, with increasing exchange rate of US dollar against Indian rupee over last two months, Indian dairy commodities, mainly skimmed milk powder have found favour with global buyers due to attractive rates in such tight situation and Indian exporters have started realising better prices. With supply situation of milk in the country constrained over last 2 months due to lean season and demand increasing domestically as well due to start of festival season with Eid, Shravan, Ganesh, Navratri & Diwali; dairies have been forced to pay much higher prices to milk producers to maintain supplies.”

He added, “Over the last 2 weeks, we have increased raw milk procurement prices paid to farmers by Rs 2.5-3 per litre of cow milk in Maharashtra and if the current situation continues, we shall have to further increase the procurement prices to maintain the milk inflow, with increasing US dollar exchange rate, major dairy players in Maharashtra are currently realising prices of skimmed milk powder to the tune of Rs 215-225/kg as against realisations of Rs 170-180/kg a few days back. Increasing prices of imported raw material & packaging material as well as diesel prices are adding fire to this increase in milk cost paid to farmers.”

He observed, “While the situation is very good for milk producers, it is alarming for inflation and viability of the industry. We are expecting some steps from the government to help the dairies sail through this difficult time where milk producers are paid handsomely and consumers are not impacted with exchange rate fluctuations. For dairy players like us, who are much more focussed on the domestic market with well-developed distribution network and consumer brands, we have to protect the interests of both milk producers and consumers. We cannot take short-term view of volatile export commodity market and rupee depreciation only.”

Some 19 lakh tonne rice procured during ongoing kharif marketing season

Over 19 lakh tonne rice has been procured by government agencies during the Kharif Marketing Season, 2013-14. As per data made available to the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, total of 19,76,806 tonne rice has been procured till October 15, 2013, during the season.

Highest procurement has been made in Haryana i.e. 10,83,426 tonne followed by Punjab 8,74,761 tonne and Tamil Nadu 14,934 tonne. Chandigarh has also made significant procurement by procuring 3,685 tonne.

Manpasand’s Mango Sip is 4th largest selling packaged mango fruit juice

Manpasand Beverages, a fruit juices company, has made its ‘Mango Sip’ brand the fourth largest selling packaged mango fruit juice, claims a press release issued by the company recently.

Manpasand Beverages is in the business of beverages since a decade with its flagship brand Mango Sip established by first generation entrepreneur Dhirendra Singh. It has carved a niche for itself in the market with a basket of 25 product variants. Mango Sip brand has grown to become the fourth largest mango drink brand in India.

Speaking about the success of the brand, Dhirendra Singh, chairman & MD, Manpasand Beverages Pvt. Ltd, said, “We expect strong growth in future as there is huge opportunity in packaged beverage market being fuelled by a rise in disposable income, changing lifestyle and a burgeoning younger middle class. The per capita consumption in India is very low and this presents industry players with the opportunity to tap the huge untapped potential that this segment offers. Mango juice is amongst the favourite and most widely accepted by consumers across India. The beverages industry is expected to see 35% to 40% growth in foreseeable future. In next 5 years, we expect the size of fruit drink industry to more than double to around Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore.”

The per capita consumption of fruit juice-based beverages in Germany is 45 litre, 42.5 litre in Switzerland and 39 litre in USA, while in India it stands at just 20 ml per capita. “This shows the huge opportunity we have in terms of business if proper strategies are devised to make fruit juices available more widely and affordable. Increasing penetration in tier-II and tier-III cities of India will contribute towards growth of the sector.

The company has strong presence in the tier-2 and semi-rural and rural markets in India. Its brands are present in over 20 states through more than 200,000 retailers, over 2,000 distributors and 200-plus super stockists. The company’s manufacturing facilities are located at Vadodara in Gujarat, Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Dehradun in Uttaranchal.

Karnataka joins hands for Global March Against Monsanto; for food safety

With the world all set to observe October 16, 2013, as World Food Day, Karnataka has joined the Global March Against Monsanto and for food safety and seed sovereignty.

In this regard, farmers, consumers, scientists, students, activists and others have vociferously pointed out the rejection of genetically-modified (GM) crops and the corporatisation of food systems.

Inaugurating the public action against Monsanto, veteran freedom fighter H.S Doraiswamy exhorted the gathering to continue this struggle for keeping our food and farming systems free from the clutches of multinational corporations like Monsanto.

“It is alarming that governments are getting into partnerships with this corporation and jeopardising seed sovereignty of Indian farmers. We are here to show corporations like Monsanto that we will not tolerate any jeopardising of our farming, food and environment,” said P Srinivas, co-convenor, GM Free Karnataka Coalition.

Meanwhile, on October 11, 2013, the Karnataka High Court had dismissed petitions that challenged criminal prosecution of top officials of Monsanto/Mahyco and University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, who have been accused of biopiracy in promotion of Bt Brinjal, India's first food GMO.

Speaking on the occasion, Leo Saldanha of Environment Support Group (ESG), which first exposed the issue said that Monsanto worked to take away control over seeds from local farming communities as an integral part of their business model. “Now they have been caught red-handed illegally appropriating Brinjal varieties endemic to India and which constitute our biodiversity heritage.”

“We will continue to closely monitor efforts of national and state biopiracy regulatory agencies to ensure the criminal proceedings against the corporation and collaborating institutions reaches its logical end and serves as an example against similar biopirates for all time to come,” he added.

He demanded the state government to immediately conduct an investigation into the failure of Bt cotton in the state and blacklist companies like Monsanto, which had pushed the poor farmer in Karnataka to severe distress.

“On the one hand, scientific evidence on adverse impact of GM crops on human health, environment and farm livelihoods is increasing, on the other hand, the Central government is pushing for GM crops into our farms and plates. The latest in these efforts is the Biotechnology Regulatory Authority of India (BRAI) Bill, which proposes to create a single-window clearance system designed for easy approval of GM crops. This is nothing but a Monsanto Protection and Promotion Law,” said Neha Saigal, sustainable agriculture campaigner, Greenpeace India.

Addressing the gathering Kavitha Kuruganti, national convenor, Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), called the attention of the national and state government to the fact that this World Food Day has a theme of 'Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition.'

“It is high time that we steer away from an agriculture paradigm promoted by multinational corporations like Monsanto which fills our farms and food with toxic chemicals and risky GM crops for the profit of these companies into an ecological farming paradigm which has a triple bottomline of social, ecological and economic sustainability,” she added.

Japan interested in joint ventures to import rice bran oil from India

Japan has evinced considerable interest in importing rice bran oil from India. In this regard, the Japanese government and manufacturers of the products are currently seeking joint venture opportunities in India to manufacture value-added products.

A seven-member delegation representing Japan's Wakayama prefectural government met the Solvent Extractors' Association of India's (SEA) executive director B V Mehta and some leading rice bran oil manufacturers and marketers recently.

The Japanese delegation included Daisuke Tsutsumi, director for overseas promotion, Wakayama Perfectural Government, and Toshimichi Tsuno, one of Japan's leading rice bran oil and value-added products manufacturers.

It is expected that Indian rice bran oil – known as health oil in India and heart or rice oil in Japan (owing to the number of nutritional benefits it offers) – would appear on the shelves of stores in Japan soon. 

Health benefits
Rice bran oil is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids, and has a higher capacity to reduce cholesterol than other poly-unsaturated fatty acid- (PUFA-) rich oils due to the presence of oryzanol.

Oryzanol is richer in micro-nutrients and natural antioxidants than other cooking oils. It reduces cholesterol absorption and blood platelet aggregation and increases cholesterol excretion.

It contains natural vitamin E, which is an anti-oxidant, and helps improve neurological functioning. Due to its high anti-oxidant content, it fights the free radicals that harm the immune system.

Rice bran oil also contains squalene, which softens and moisturises the skin, thus helping delay wrinkle formation. It also has anti-viral, anti-aging, anti-itching and anti-dandruff properties.

Its stability – it does not decompose at high temperatures to form toxic compounds – makes it an ideal cooking medium. Moreover, it retains its anti-oxidant stability even at high temperatures.

It has a high smoking point of 213 degree Centigrade. Studies have shown that snacks prepared in rice bran oil absorb 12-25 per cent less oil than those prepared in groundnut oil.

It has a balanced fatty acid profile close to the recommendations of the American Heart Association (AHA), the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

They recommend an almost equal ratio of 27-33 per cent saturated fatty acids (SFA): 33-40 per cent mono-unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA): 27-40 per cent PUFA in healthy oil. Rice bran oil has a ratio of 24 per cent SFA: 42 per cent MUFA: 34 per cent PUFA.

22 firms found marketing unauthorised 'herbal' drinking water

were adding 'nannari', 'athimathuram' and some other herbs saying these were good for health. (AP)

Government has issued notice to 22 firms which sold what they claimed herbal drinking water without proper license in an alleged bid to avoid the ongoing crackdown on unauthorised packaged drinking water units as directed by the National Green Tribunal.

The notices seeking to know why action should not be taken against them were issued recently by the Food Safety and Standards Department as it found that the units were using different nomenclatures to sell water without necessary permission.

According to Food Safety Officer here Dr Suguna, the department officials were inspecting the quality of water sold in cans and bottles under various brands following directive of the Green Tribunal which has initiated suo motu proceedings taking into account media reports about poor quality of water supplied by several packaged drinking water units.

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has recently told the tribunal that as many 814 units out of 967 in the state did not have its approval for functioning.

Also though the government had made it compulsory that the bottles used for packing water should get ISI certification, the same was not being followed by many companies.

Of late, in order to slip out of the noose being tightened around them, the drinking water firms were using a different nomenclature to sell their product-viz herbal drinking water.

The units claimed they were adding 'nannari', 'athimathuram' and some other herbs saying these were good for health.

Though the herbal drinking water did not require quality seal, like ISI seal, they were being monitored under Food Safety and Standard Act.

Companies marketing herbal drinking water should obtain proper permission from the Food Safety and Standards Department for production and obtain certificate for marketing them. But the 22 firms were found lacking these and hence show cause notice had been issued to them to reply within 15 days.