Govt sanctions prosecution of Kanwal, Khyber, AVON

SMC to file charge sheet today

Srinagar, Feb 23: State Government has accorded sanction for the prosecution of the leading Food Processing Companies whose products were found adulterated with carcinogenic chemicals.
Drug Controller of the State, Satish Gupta, told Excelsior that Government has accorded sanction for the prosecution of AVON Agro Industries Pvt Ltd Delhi, Khyber Agro Farms and M/s Kanwal Agro Food Industries Anantnag whose food products were found adulterated by the Central Food Laboratory Kolkata.
Health Officer Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Dr Shafaqat Khan told Excelsior that he has got sanction from the Commissioner Food Safety Jammu and Kashmir, Ganzafar Ali,for the prosecution of M/s Kanwal Agro Food Industries Anantnag whose Sounf powder was found adulterated and that of a Punjab based Food processing company whose Karela and Jamun juice were found adulterated.
Dr Shafaqat said that he will produce charge-sheet against these two companies tomorrow before the Municipal Magistrate Srinagar under Food Safety Standards Act 2006. “There was no delay on my part for prosecution but I was waiting for the government sanction”, he added.
The Food Safety Officer, Budgam, Shugufta, told Excelsior that she has not received any sanction for the prosecution of Khyber Agro Farms whose toned milk has been found adulterated. “Once the sanction is accorded, we will go through legal process”, she added.
The turmeric powder of AVON Agro Industries Pvt Ltd Delhi, toned Milk of Khyber Agro Farms and Sounf powder of M/s Kanwal Agro Food Industries Anantnag was found adulterated by the Central Food Laboratory Kolkata whose reports came in November and December last year.
The Central Food Laboratory Kolkata report about turmeric powder manufactured by AVON Agro Industries Pvt Ltd Delhi said that it contained Tartrazine adulteration.
The Central Food Laboratory Kolkata report about the Khyber Milk states that besides containing detergent, the sample has failed to conform to various other standards stipulated under laws and regulations.
The Central Food Laboratory Kolkata about Saunf powder manufactured by M/s Kanwal Agro Food Industries Anantnag found it unsafe and misbranded, containing added colouring matter – Carmoisine and Tartrazine.
Sources said that these companies are facing serious charges as the Director SKIMS, Shoukat Ahmad Zagar, in its report has said that the colouring agents and other material found in the spices and the toned milk are carcinogenic, can damage various body organs and cause heart diseases.
The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has already penalized these companies and asked them to deposit Rs 60 crore with the Director SKIMS for damaging the health of people.

Food Act changes good but inspectors pay bad

5-member panel to discuss pay uniformity

Structural inequality among cadre of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is holding back officers from doing their job. Step-motherly attitude of the state government towards the Food Safety Officers (FSO) underplay their importance for a healthy society, discussed FSOs from all across the state here at an annual convention.

“To do away with ‘Inspector Raj’, state has brought in new Food Safety and Standards Act 2006; the Act is progressive, but the government has failed to provide adequate infrastructure and staff,” said Secretary General of FSO Cadre Association of India VK Rathi.

As the Act came into force, the role of Food Inspector has been changed from a regulator to a facilitator.

The FSOs in the state are being paid class-IV employee wages. “Our salary is Rs 16,000 to Rs 17,000, whereas those in other states are being paid Rs 40,000 - Rs 50,000. Our grade pay is Rs 2,100 against Rs 4,200 to FSOs in other states,” said Manish Swami, a senior FSO.

“Promotion opportunities are bleak. FSOs end up in the same post till their retirement. We had sent a list of recommendations to the pay commission and the state government, but none have been accepted,” said Swami.

A five-member committee has been constituted at the annual convention with food commissioners from Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Goa and Maharashtra states to discuss uniformed pay structure of the officers across India, irrespective of the state cadre they belong to.

Given the amount of arable land in our country, food security is a big challenge and at the same time providing quality food to people is equally important, said an officer.

Check illegal vendors

As per provisions contained in Food Safety and Standards Act, all food vendors, including restaurants, roadside eateries, tea shops, juice shop, fruit and vegetable vendors, fish and meat stalls should register them and obtain a licence from Food Supplies Department, failing which a fine or imprisonment should be awarded.

Further the owners may have to shut down their shops. But it is seen that half of city’s food outlets have not yet been enrolled by the authorities and therefore continue as illegal vendors. In addition, many mobile vendors from the suburban areas continue their business in the city by means of their cycles and sell their products within 2-3 hours and return back.

Further, some meat and fish sellers also come to city during morning hours and sell their products in and around the city and leave the place before noon, but they do not possess any licence. They also do not keep the area clean. In such cases, the authorities should create an awareness programme and force them to register with their names for licence.

Milk vendor fined

A branded milk packet was found to have 0.4 per cent less milk solids content than what was stipulated. Officials slapped Rs. 1 lakh penalty on a grocery shop owner M. Hidayathullah, from whose shop they collected the sample, instead of the manufacturer.

Food Safety Officer of West Arani block Koteeswaran conducted a surprise check at his shop on March 21, 2012 and collected a sample of the Shruthi Milk packet, a homogenised, pasteurised and double toned milk that he was selling in the shop.

After a gap of 20 months, Hidayathulla got an intimation sent by District Supply and Consumer Protection Office, Tiruvannamalai. DRO S. Valarmathi told The Hindu that the milk samples collected from his shop by Food Safety Officer were found to be substandard in a laboratory . When asked if any action was taken against the manufacturer, she said, “If he had bills to prove his purchase from the manufacturer we would have taken action against the manufacturer, but the vendor had no bills. So, we had to take action against the shop-keeper.”

Mr. Hidayathullah’s advocate S. Prakash said , “The manufacturer’s address is printed on the packet and the seller is in no way responsible for the alleged quality compromise. Hence, it is not just to penalise only the seller.”

Cheese and snack sample of a super market fail food test

LUCKNOW: The food samples collected from Lucknow's Khoya mandi and two major stores have failed the authority's test. Around 33% of food samples collected from the market during Diwali time have been reported to be violating Food Safety and Security Authority of India's norms. The team had taken around 34 samples, out of which 12 could not pass the laboratory test.

The official in charge of FSSAI JP Singh said that according to the report collected from food analysis laboratory of Varanasi, the cheese and snacks' samples collected from a prominent super market in Aashiyana colony have been found to be of inferior quality. Officials said that labeling norms were violated in the packed snacks of the store. Another big store for food purchase in the locality also came under FSSAI scanner during Diwali.

Packets of raw material of sweets being sold in the store also violated packaging norms. The khoya samples picked from Pandit Khoya Mandi, Thakurganj Khoya Mandi and Kursi Road Khoya Mandi have also been reported to be substandard during Diwali time. Similarly sweet samples collected from a Rahimnagar shop and cheese collected from a dairy shop in Khurram nagar near Picnic Spot Road were of inferior quality.

The ghee samples picked from Biharipur Saadatganj and sample of mustard cooking oil from various shops have been found to be ignoring the standards. The curd collected from a famous dairy shop in Chowk was of substandard quality. FSSAI officials said they would soon file case against shopkeepers selling inferior quality food material to consumers in the ADM court.

If their guilt is proved in the court, the shopkeepers in question would be charged a penalty of Rs 1-5 lakh, said FSSAI officials.

HO seeks registration of FCI, CAPD outlets

Srinagar, Feb 15: Finally the health authorities are planning to shut government-run ration depots which do not confirm to health and hygiene standards and have often been accused of being breeding ground for rodents like rats.
 Official sources said City’s Health Officer Dr Shafqat Khan on Saturday shot missives to Regional Director Food Corporation of India (FCI)  and the Director  Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD) seeking details of its godowns and depots in the City.
 In a communication vide No SMC/PS/HO 1329-32 dated February 15, 2014 addressed to Regional Director FCI and Director CAPD the Health Officer, Srinagar Municipal Corporation  sought registration of “all food storage and distribution outlets of FCI and CAPDD in Srinagar City.”
 The registration aims at “monitoring the quality of food stuffs like rice, sugar and atta, which are distributed for public consumption.”
 “Regular inspections shall be made by the Food Safety Officers of the SMC to the outlets to ensure hygiene and sanitation. Those outlets which are found in insanitary conditions shall not be allowed to operate and also regular food sampling will be conducted of all the food items distributed for public consumption at these Shali stores,” the Health Officer said.
 When contacted Dr Khan while confirming the development said: “This step has been taken in interest of public health and rules and regulations under Food Safety and Standard Act 2006.”
 People often complain of poor stocking of food stuff at the ration depots and that presence of rodents are synonymous with such facilities.”

Delhi food safety commissioner’s claim on FBO license conversion false

Saturday, February 15, 2014 08:00 IST
Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi

                                                                        There is no truth to Delhi’s food safety commissioner K J R Burman’s claim that food business operators (FBO) in the capital got 2,500 licenses converted before the February 4, 2014 deadline lapsed. This was stated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s apex food regulator.

Only 645 licenses have been obtained so far, while the process of registration is yet to commence. In fact, it has been sluggish since August 5, 2011, the date the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, came into effect. It is, however, expected that the capital would be on track by the time the extended deadline – August 4, 2014 – lapses.

Sources stated that the Mayur Bhavan office, where the registration and licensing would take place, was to be ready by April 2013, but it remains incomplete.

Only the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (331); Dadra and Nagar Haveli (200); Daman and Diu (258); Manipur (394); Meghalaya (633); Mizoram (228); Nagaland (160); Puducherry (332) and Sikkim (360) have issued fewer licences than Delhi.

Officials destroy expired soft drinks in Vellore

Expired soft drinks of several leading brands that were on sale in different shops in Vellore were destroyed on Thursday.

In view of death of a Cuddalore girl after consuming soft drink of a leading brand recently, food safety officials in Vellore district started crackdown on soft drinks that bear the same batch number of the bottle the girl reportedly consumed.

The team of officials checked lots of shops in new bus stand, a godown of a stockist of the beverage, shops in Tirupatthur, Jolarpet, Arcot and Ranipet.

Though they were on lookout for the soft drink bottles bearing the same batch number that was allegedly responsible for the death of the girl, they found and destroyed large number of expired soft drink bottles.

Worth of the soft drinks destroyed on Thursday is reportedly around Rs. 10,000.

CAT order to UT on food safety officer’s plea for appointment

Chandigarh, February 14
In an order passed today, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) today directed the UT Administration to consider the UT’s senior-most food safety officer for appointment as designated officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act and fill the post on a regular basis in three months than filling it by way of deputation.

The CAT disposed of the application filed by Food Safety Officer Sukhwinder Singh, who had moved the tribunal in 2011, seeking direction to the UT administration for considering him for the post. He had challenging the UT Administration move to fill the post by way of deputation.

Singh had claimed that he was the senior-most food safety officer, thus was eligible to be appointed a designated officer under the Food Safety and Standards Act.

In his application in September 2011, He had submitted: “The post of designated officer is being occupied by an official who has come on deputation, in addition to his own duties. He is on deputation for medical services as SMO from Haryana whereas as per the Act and rules, a whole-time officer is required to be appointed designated officer for performing duties under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules framed thereunder in 2011.”