மும்பை, ஜூலை 15-
நெஸ்லே இந்தியா நிறுவனத்தின் தயாரிப்பான மேகி நூடுல்சில் ஒரு வித ரசாயன கலவை இருந்ததற்காக அதன் விற்பனைக்கு நாடு முழுவதும் மத்திய உணவு பாதுகாப்பு தர நிர்ணய ஆணையம் தடை விதித்தது. அதன்படி மராட்டியத்திலும் மேகி நூடுல்சுக்கு தடை விதிக்கப்பட்டது.
இதை எதிர்த்து மும்பை ஐகோர்ட்டில் அந்நிறுவனம் வழக்கு தாக்கல் செய்தது.
விசாரணை நிறைவில், ஏற்கனவே தயார் செய்யப்பட்ட மேகி நூடுல்சை அழிப்பதற்கு பதிலாக அவற்றை வெளிநாடுகளுக்கு ஏற்றுமதி செய்ய ஐகோர்ட்டு அனுமதி அளித்தது.
இந்த நிலையில், மேகி நூடுல்சை ஏற்றுமதி செய்ய அனுமதி அளித்ததை மறுபரிசீலனை செய்யுமாறு மத்திய உணவு பாதுகாப்பு தர நிர்ணய ஆணையம் ஐகோர்ட்டில் மனு தாக்கல் செய்தது. இந்த மனுவை நேற்று விசாரித்த நீதிபதிகள் வி.எம்.கன்னடே மற்றும் பி.பி.கொலப்வாலா, வழக்கை வருகிற 17-ந் தேதிக்கு தள்ளி வைத்தனர்.
Daily Archives: 16/07/2015
How to Keep Your Kitchen Clean and Safe
Using Kitchen Safety
1
Sanitize your rubbish bin. Wash and disinfect it once a week. This will remove any foul smells, which might be emanating from the trash bin, as well as stopping any bacterial growth.
- Obtain a lid for the bin, if possible. A lid holds odors in that attract flies and other insects. Empty it as soon as it smells, even if it is not yet full. You should ideally do this everyday
2
Wash surfaces people touch. Periodically wipe doorknobs, handles, buttons and controls, and light switches in and around your kitchen with cleaning agents. Even if they seem clean to the naked eye, they may already be harboring bacteria
3
Keep kitchen floors clean. Sweep and mop regularly to keep it free from debris and grease. Mop spills right away instead of letting the mess stay there.
- Immediate mopping prevents unwanted accidents and avoids breeding grounds
4
Maintain personal hygiene. Wash your hands before and after handing food, 20 seconds each time.
Presence of lead, other metals in foods: FSSAI issues draft regulations
Wednesday, July 15, 2015 08:00 IST
Food Safety & Standards Authority of India has issued draft notification to amend the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011. With this amendment, the authority has proposed to specify the level of toxin metal contaminants including lead, arsenic, tin, and cadmium in foods.
The amendment is being seen as a major step towards fixing the standards for processed foods with presence of heavy metals in them in the backdrop of findings of – metal lead – more than prescribed amount in instant noodles Maggi. Experts say that after these regulations come into force, the authority will be able to look after regulations with a guiding principle available and for food business operators it would be easier to chalk out plans for containing the levels of said metals in the food.
Further, the FSSAI has issued draft regulations for presence of melamine in milk and milk products. According to the new draft, the presence of melamine shall not exceed 1mg/kg in powdered infant formula, 0.15mg/kg in liquid infant formula and 2.5mg/kg in other foods.
The drafts will be taken into consideration after the expiry of the period of 60 days from the date of its publishing in the official gazette and made available to the public while the objections and suggestions, which may be received from any person with respect to the said draft regulations before the expiry of the specified period, would be considered by the food authority.
Meanwhile, the FSSAI has extended a ban on import of milk and milk products from China. The authority issued an advisory in this regard saying that the ban is being extended to one year further upto June 23, 2016, unless the safety risk assessment is undertaken based on credible reports.
New regulations regarding heavy metals
Relating to Lead, in columns (2) and (3), after the existing entries, the following entries shall respectively be inserted, namely –
| “Assorted subtropical fruits, edible peel | 0.1 |
| Article of Food | Parts per Million by weight |
| Assorted subtropical fruits, inedible peel | 0.1 |
| Berries and other small fruits | 0.2 |
| Brassica vegetables excluding Kale | 0.3 |
| Bulb vegetables | 0.1 |
| Canned asparagus | 1 |
| Canned carrots | 1 |
| Canned chestnuts and canned chestnut purée | 1 |
| Canned fruit cocktail | 1 |
| Canned grapefruit | 1 |
| Canned green beans and Canned wax beans | 1 |
| Canned green peas | 1 |
| Canned mandarin oranges | 1 |
| Canned mangoes | 1 |
| Canned mature processed peas | 1 |
| Canned mushrooms | 1 |
| Canned palmito | 1 |
| Canned pineapple | 1 |
| Canned raspberries | 1 |
| Canned strawberries | 1 |
| Canned sweetcorn | 1 |
| Canned tomatoes | 1 |
| Canned tropical fruit salad | 1 |
| Cereal grains, except buckwheat, canihua and quinoa | 0.2 |
| Citrus fruits | 0.1 |
| Fruit Juices (including nectars; ready-to-drink) | 0.05 |
| Fruiting vegetables other than cucurbits (excluding mushrooms) | 0.1 |
| Fruits and vegetables, cucurbits | 0.1 |
| Jam (fruit preserves) and jellies | 1 |
| Leafy vegetables (including brassica leafy vegetables but excluding spinach) | 0.3 |
| Legume vegetables | 0.2 |
| Mango chutney | 1 |
| Meat of cattle, sheep and pig (also applies to fat from meat) | 0.1 |
| Pickled cucumbers (Cucumber pickles) | 1 |
| Pome fruits | 0.1 |
| Processed tomato concentrates | 1.5 |
| Pulses | 0.2 |
| Root and tuber vegetables | 0.1 |
| Stone fruits | 0.1 |
| Table olives | 1 |
| Bivalve Molluscs | 1.5 |
| Cattle, edible offal of | 0.5 |
| Cephalopods | 1 |
| Crustaceans | 0.5 |
| Edible fats and oils (edible fats and oils not covered by individual standards) | 0.1 |
| Fish | 0.3 |
| Infant formula (ready to use) | 0.02 |
| Margarine | 0.1 |
| Milks (A concentration factor applies to partially or wholly dehydrated milks.) | 0.02 |
| Minarine | 0.1 |
| Named animal fats (lard, rendered pork fat, premier jus and edible tallow) | 0.1 |
| Natural mineral water, expressed in mg/L | 0.01 |
| Olive Oil, virgin | 0.1 |
| Olive Oil, refined | 0.1 |
| Olive, residue oil (olive pomace oil) | 0.1 |
| Pig, edible offal of | 0.5 |
| Poultry fats | 0.1 |
| Poultry meat | 0.1 |
| Poultry, edible offal of | 0.5 |
| Salt, food grade | 2 |
| Secondary milk products (as consumed) | 0.02 |
| Vegetable Oils, crude (oils of arachis, babasu, coconut, cotton seed, grape seed, maize, mustard seed, palm kernel, palm, rape seed, safflower seed, sesame seed, soya bean, and sunflower seed, and palm olein, stearin and superolein and other oils but excluding cocoa butter) | 0.1 |
| Vegetable Oils, edible (oils of arachis, babasu, coconut, cotton seed, grape seed, maize, mustard seed, palm kernel, palm, rape seed, safflower seed, sesame seed, soya bean, and sunflower seed, and palm olein, stearin and superolein and other oils but excluding cocoa butter) | 0.1 |
| Wine | 0.2 |
Relating to Arsenic, in columns (2) and (3), after the existing entries, the following entries shall respectively be inserted, namely
| “Edible fats and oils (edible fats and oils not covered by individual standards) | 0.1 |
| Fish and Crustaceans | 76 |
| Margarine | 0.1 |
| Minarine | 0.1 |
| Molluscs | 86 |
| Named animal fats (lard, rendered pork fat, premier jus and edible tallow) | 0.1 |
| Natural mineral water, expressed in mg/L | 0.01 |
| Olive Oil, virgin | 0.1 |
| Olive Oil, refined | 0.1 |
| Olive, residue oil (olive pomace oil) | 0.1 |
| Salt, food grade | 0.5 |
| Vegetable Oils, crude (oils of arachis, babasu, coconut, cotton seed, grape seed, maize, mustard seed, palm kernel, palm, rape seed, safflower seed, sesame seed, soya bean, and sunflower seed, and palm olein, stearin and superolein and other oils | 0.1 |
| Vegetable Oils, edible (oils of arachis, babasu, coconut, cotton seed, grape seed, maize, mustard seed, palm kernel, palm, rapeseed, safflower seed, sesame seed, soya bean, and sunflower seed, and palm olein, stearin and superolein and other oils | 0.1 |
Relating to Tin, in columns (2) and (3), after the existing entries, the following entries shall respectively be inserted, namely
| “Canned foods other than beverages | 250 |
| Canned beverages, including fruit juices and vegetable juices | 150 |
| Canned chestnuts and chestnut purée | 250 |
| Canned citrus fruits | 250 |
| Canned fish products | 200”; |
| Canned fruit cocktail | 250 |
| Canned mangoes | 250 |
| Canned mushrooms | 250 |
| Canned pineapple | 250 |
| Canned raspberries | 250 |
| Canned stone fruits | 250 |
| Canned strawberries | 250 |
| Canned tomatoes | 250 |
| Canned tropical fruit salad | 250 |
| Canned vegetables | 250 |
| Cooked cured chopped meat (for products in other containers) | 50 |
| Cooked cured chopped meat (for products in tinplate containers) | 250 |
| Cooked cured ham (for products in tinplate containers) | 50 |
| Cooked cured ham (for products in other containers) | 200 |
| Cooked cured pork shoulder (for products in other containers) | 200 |
| Cooked cured pork shoulder (for products in tinplate containers) | 50 |
| Corned beef (for products in other containers) | 200 |
| Corned beef (for products in tinplate containers) | 50 |
| Luncheon meat (for products in other containers) | 200 |
| Luncheon meat (for products in tinplate containers) | 50 |
| Mango chutney | 250 |
| Pickled cucumber | 250 |
| Processed tomato concentrates | 250 |
| Table olives | 250 |
Relating to Cadmium, in columns (2) and (3), after the existing entries, the following entries shall respectively be inserted, namely
| “Brassica vegetables | 0.05 |
| Bivalve Molluscs | 2.0”; |
| Bulb vegetables | 0.05 |
| Cephalopods | 2 |
| Cereal grains, except buckwheat, canihua and quinoa (excluding wheat and rice; and bran and germ | 0.1 |
| Crustaceans | 0.5 |
| Fish | 0.3 |
| Fruiting vegetables other than cucurbits (excluding tomatoes and edible fungi) | 0.05 |
| Fruiting vegetables, cucurbits | 0.05 |
| Leafy vegetables | 0.2 |
| Legume vegetables | 0.1 |
| Natural mineral water, expressed in mg/L | 0.003 |
| Potato, peeled | 0.1 |
| Pulses, excluding soybean dry | 0.1 |
| Rice, polished | 0.4 |
| Root and tuber vegetables, excluding potato and celeriac | 0.1 |
| Salt, food grade | 0.5 |
| Stalk and stem vegetables | 0.1 |
| Wheat | 0.2 |
Relating to Mercury, in columns (2) and (3), after the existing entries, the following
entries shall respectively be inserted, namely
| “Natural mineral water, expressed in mg/L | 0.001 |
| Non-predatory fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, molluscs | 0.5 |
| Predatory Fish (Tuna, Marlin, Sword Fish, Elasmobranch) | 1 |
| Salt, food grade | 0.1 |
Relating to Chromium, in columns (2) and (3), after the existing entries, the
following entries shall respectively be inserted, namely –
|
(2)
|
(3)
|
|
“All fishery products
|
12
|
Nestle destroying evidence: FSSAI
‘They are burning the products for which they have permission to export’
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) told the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that Nestle India was “destroying evidence” instead of recalling Maggi noodles.
The Indian food regulator sought a recall of the court’s order last month allowing Nestle to export Maggi noodles, currently banned in Maharashtra and other States.
“They are still burning the products for which they have permission to export. They are destroying evidence. They were not asked to burn the products, they were asked to recall them,” said FSSAI counsel Mehmood Pracha.
The FSSAI also accused Nestle of not cooperating with its investigation and sought clarification from the court on the 72-hour notice period for taking action against it.
“We have been sending them mails asking about their recall procedure, but they have not replied,” Mr. Pracha said.
The court posted the plea for hearing on July 17.
Cornered in Maggi battle by ministry and industry, FSSAI hits back at Nestle
More than a month after the Maggi controversy, the body that called for a ban on the packet of instant noodles has found itself in a soup, but is still going after food-processing giant Nestle.
And even though the war on TV-screens has subsided and Maggi has bid goodbye to these shores, doubts have been raised on how the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) goes about clearing packaged products.
Why has the FSSAI come under fire and by who all?
Only as far back as last month, FSSAI dealt a major blow to the Indian psyche when the popular instant-two-minute-noodle brand was labelled “unsafe and hazardous” for consumption. Tests had found excessive MSG and lead in Maggi packets and several states had backed the ban.
Since then FSSAI has been subjected to quite a bit of scrutiny, with punches being landed on it by the government, industry bodies, and from a former employee.
On Monday, a report in The Economic Times had food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal falling just short of laying blame at the body. Badal said that the FSSAI’s “inspector raj” has scared off investors and the “Make in India” initiative would suffer as a result.
“In the current environment, no one can say how long it will take to get approval, so these projects were not coming to India,” she said. Badal alleged that the red-tape involved in dealing with the FSSAI was scaring off investors.
After the food-processing-minister fired the first salvos, the All India Food Processors’ Association (AIFPA) sent a letter to Badal on Tuesday, voicing their concerns, and echoing Badal’s.
“The Maggi fiasco and the arbitrary process of food approval have instilled fear in the food industry, especially small and medium enterprises… Due to the behaviour of the enforcing authority in states, some of the members of the association have abandoned expansion plans. Some have even opted to quit the food industry,” AIFPA President Amit Dhanuka told the newspaper.
The body, which has Britannia and Coca-Cola as members, has also raised concerns over the lack of qualification and experience of the FSSAI officers.
Aside from the allegations of the body being anti-industry, claims of corruption and incompetence have now started to surface.
A PIL filed in the Delhi HC by former Director of Product Approval at the FSSAI Pradip Chakraborty may have opened up another can of worms. In his petition, Chakraborty alleges “possible acts of corruption and embezzlement of funds” within the body.
Interestingly, Chakraborty was the man who gave the noodle-brand approval back in 2013, when the brand was under fire. In July the same year, he was removed from his office and in February this year, he was reportedly shunted out of the body itself.
Industry body ASSOCHAM has been publicly backing the product too, and an advertisement had found its way into the newspapers close to a week ago. Titled “The Truth About MSG”, the ad mentions that glutamate is a naturally occurring substance in several foods.
It goes on to explain what MSG is and that it is permitted under Indian law.
“Presence of glutamate in food products is usually interpreted as MSG,” it explains, saying that the presence of glutamate is misinterpreted as MSG.
Has the FSSAI hit back?
Yes. The body is still going after Nestle and Maggi.
The body has said that Nestle is “destroying evidence” instead of calling back the batches of noodles. The food regulating authority has sought for a recall of the court’s order last month which allowed Nestle to export the noodles.
“They are still burning the products for which they have permission to export. They are destroying evidence. They were not asked to burn the products, they were asked to recall them,” said FSSAI counsel Mehmood Pracha to the HC.
The body has also alleged that Nestle was not helping out with the investigation.
FSSAI office awaiting instructions
The offices enforcing the Food Safety and Standards Act in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar districts, which are the major suppliers of vegetables and fruits to neighbouring Kerala, have not received any communication from their headquarters in Bengaluru for checking the samples for pesticide content in the wake of Kerala government’s reported decision to prohibit vegetables and fruits with pesticide content from entering the State from July 15.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) office in Chamarajanagar is awaiting instructions from the higher authorities in this regard. So far, neither food safety officers nor officials of the Horticulture Department had received any reports about Kerala stopping transport of vegetables and fruits from the State.
Accreditation still awaits FSSAI labs
Five of twelve labs lack accreditation from National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laborataries
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) finds itself in a spot in the Maggi controversy following Nestlé’s claim that FSSAI’s tests were carried in laboratories without accreditation. Five out of FSSAI’s 12 ‘recognised labs’ lack accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
A senior official with the Food Research and Standardisation Laboratory, Ghaziabad said the lab had initiated the process to get NABL accreditation way back in 2003. However, it is yet to get accreditation “due to reasons I can’t disclose”, the official added.
“Being a referral lab, we don’t need accreditation from the NABL,” said an official of the Central Food Laboratory in Kolkata, which tested Maggi noodles for lead content. However, according to FSSAI’s guidelines, all labs seeking recognition from it should be accredited by the NABL. A K Adhikari, director of Central Food Laboratory, Kolkata, refused to comment on the issue.
Experts say this might lead to legal complications if a Maggi-like case happens in future. “When FSSAI is asking companies to get their products certified from a laboratory that is accredited by the NABL, it should do that in the case of its own labs, too. You can’t have double standards,” said Ashwin Bhadri, CEO, Equinox Labs.
Balwinder Bajwa, CEO of Edward Food Research & Analysis Centre, where Nestle tested its products, says: “NABL has on board professional and respected people. It is mandatory for labs in the country to have NABL accreditation. Then there are approvals like BIS, FSSAI, AG MARK. Even for that, the primary requirement is that you should have an NABL certification.”
Nestle India’s counsel Iqbal Chagla had argued in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday that the tests were conducted at non-accredited laboratories. This point also finds mention in Nestlé’s rejoinder to FSSAI’s affidavit filed after the first hearing on June 12.
FSSAI is Working to Promote Better Safety for Packaged Food Products
Consumer Affairs Ministry has expressed the view that consumers are worried about the safety standards of packaged food products. Consumers’ fears could be grounded on the fact that recently a number of packaged foods have been banned or withdrawn from the market. Nestle instant Maggi noodles, Knorr Chinese noodles and Top Ramen are some of the popular brands that are not presently in the market either for non-compliance of FSSAI regulation or for lack of product approval. The Consumer Affairs Ministry has, however, decided to file a complaint with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) on the Maggi issue.
Senior FSSAI officials and the Health Ministry clarified their stand on the Maggi issue before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food and Consumer Affairs. The representation told the Members about how toxic content like lead and other heavy metals, additives and ingredients in packaged foods are regulated. FSSAI also gave a report on the actions it has taken in the last one month against companies that were found to be selling substandard food products.
Among all the bad news for the food processing industry there is some light at the end of the tunnel. The FSSAI has finalised 12,000 standards for food additives and ingredients that are in line with the standards of the United Nations established Codex Alimentarius Commission. To a large extent this will help food manufacturers as they will no longer have to go through the lengthy product approval process if they comply with these standards for food additives and ingredients.
The existing food safety & standards regulations have approx. 380 articles of foods for which the standards have been specified. The Law Ministry is presently examining the new standards finalized by FSSAI and it will not be long before that the notifications are issued in this regard by FSSAI.
FSSAI has also fixed the maximum limit for use of food additives in various food groups so that additives do not exceed the acceptable daily intake. Similarly, it has set norms for use of ingredients that are used to prepare processed food products. Besides this the FSSAI is in the process of reviewing the existing standards for caffeine content, metal and toxic contaminants and other residues in food products.
The Apex food regulator hopes that these measures will improve the quality of foods. Along with this, once the process of setting standards for imported food is also ready, then the Indian consumers can hope to see better and safer products in the markets.
FOOD SAFETY UPDATE 