Nov 4, 2012

To Eat Out Or Not To Eat Out –The Current Dilemma

With restaurants shutting down one after another, it has added ‘food’ to his list of woes

Restaurants and hotels have been shutting down for the last few months, ever since the ‘Shawarma’ incident, which led to the death of a student. It has apparently become ‘food-conscious’. We have been aware of or at least doubtful of the quality of food that is served to us, and yet, we wait for an event of gigantic proportions, in this case death, to react. One is left to wonder whether we were always aware of our rights or is it the latest fad that everyone is following. One thing is clear; seeds of panic have been sown. We dread to eat out, we fear the food we eat and we will not be surprised if anything, (after worms and centipedes, anything seems possible) turns up in the food we eat.

The top rung restaurants come out with justifications, while the mid level ones do not even bother to do so as they wait out the probation period silently until they can start functioning again. In most cases, the restaurants get back some of their customer base. The only difference being, people are more cautious and more aware. For how long is a question best left unanswered.

The reason for the bad quality of food served in restaurants may be manifold; the unhygienic conditions, improper storage of perishables and also the bad quality of food supplied to the restaurants and hotels by the suppliers. In the Food Safety Commission’s recent crackdown on sub-standard food quality, it has been found that the restaurants ordered to be closed down have been violating several of the food safety norms.

Asked about why no express actions were taken until the issues are raised by the public, Food and Safety Commissioner, Anil Kumar said, “We have just 120 odd inspectors. We have been doing the maximum we can. With this limited manpower, it works better to respond to citizens’ complaints.” He said that there are hundreds of pending cases in the courts regarding food safety but adds on a positive note, “We will be safe soon. More and more restaurants are switching to standardised food materials.”

Abraham Chaly, owner of Café Mojo restaurant said, “All these issues are due to negligence. Restaurants should take care to meet the standards when buying food products. The mindset of the people will return to normal once hotels and restaurants begin to exercise some caution.”









Tejas, a college student in the city, said, “We have significantly cut down our restaurant visits. It is disturbing that even big names have fallen under sub-standard quality. As long as people aren’t sure that the food they eat is good or bad, their current attitude towards restaurants might not change.”

Meanwhile, another BBA graduate Chandra said, “Food served in restaurants has always been this way. Only when something happens, there is some sort of commotion. It will all settle down soon. I enjoy eating out, and will continue to do so. “

Isn’t it high time for restaurants, hotels and the Food Safety Commission to restore the people’s faith in them? Or retain the trust of customers? If they are trying to do that, why do incidents compromising food safety occur? A crackdown on the root cause of the problem is necessary, be it the source of the food or the conditions in restaurants. Citizens have to turn vigilant to assist the Food Safety Commission and report when food safety norms are compromised.

Eating home-cooked meals is the best alternative. Restaurants and hotels should rediscover their mottos of ‘Customer is God’, if not with service, then at least with the quality of food being served to them.

MPI: ‘Meat’ing Quality



MPI is a Kerala Government undertaking providing high quality meat items, easing concerns of food safety and bird flu 

With the recent focus on the poor quality of food served in restaurants and hotels, the source of the food served has come under scrutiny and it has been found that many of these restaurants do not buy meat from licensed providers with assured standards. This is not due to lack of such providers, but merely to save a little money by compromising on quality. In this scenario, a little known fact becomes highly significant  - that Kerala is home to a remarkable company named Meat Products of India Ltd. (MPI), engaged in the production and marketing of various meat and meat products. MPI holds a Category A No.1 license from the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India, since 1973 and has been providing quality and high standards of safety in its products.

MPI is a public sector undertaking of Government of Kerala with its processing plant at Koothattukulam, Ernakulam. Its products are derived from young and healthy livestock and processed using sophisticated technology to ensure high standards of hygiene, long storage time and nutritive value. MPI has not indulged in any sort of active advertising in the past and as a result, the customer base was limited. Even then, there were people and stores who stuck to it due to the quality it promised and the trust it offered.

“With the recent developments in the food scenario, there has been a rapid increase in the number of customers of MPI. People want to be assured of quality and safety,” said Udayakumar, Outlet Manager of MPI, Trivandrum. “We also hold exhibitions and seminars to make people aware of the importance of safe food,“ he added.

Dr. Saji Easow, Production Manager at MPI said, “Meat is obtained from good livestock, each stage of processing is under strict supervision and the storage is done under deep freezing conditions at -20 degrees. Everything is done in a scientific manner. This quality that MPI offers is what makes more and more people trust it.”

Suresh, proprietor of Sonu Cold Storage, Ambalamukku, said, “We have been using MPI products ever since we started our business. The quality of MPI products is assured and we can trust it absolutely.”

MPI products are available with all leading supermarkets and cold storages throughout Kerala.

The outbreak of Bird Flu outside Kerala has made the government bar its doors to the poultry and related products from outside its borders. MPI has come to the rescue with a mobile van service in the city, selling products in different parts of the city throughout the day.

The timings are as follows:

10.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m.at Kesavadasapuram
 11.00 a.m.to 12.00 noon at Pattom
 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m.at Vellayambalam
 3.00 p.m.to 4.00 p.m.at Vazhuthacaud
 4.30 p.m.to 6.30 p.m.in front of the Secretariat on all days
 4.00 p.m.to 7.00 p.m. at Connemera market (Palayam) on all days except Sundays
 8.00 am to 12.00 noon at Connemera market on Sundays.

Gutkha ban `discriminatory`, cigarettes still sold: STA

New Delhi: With 14 state governments banning gutkha, an association working for the welfare of smokeless tobacco growers has termed the ban as "discriminatory", saying cigarettes and beedis were still being sold in the market.

Smokeless Tobacco Association also said the sale of gutkha cannot be banned under the Food Safety and Standards Regulation Act-2011 as it has been done now, as gutkha has been classified as a tobacco product under the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act-2003 (COTPA).

Members of the association met Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and explained to him how the ban on gutkha in 14 states, as advised by the Centre, was affecting the lives of four crore people who eke out their living by growing tobacco, said CK Sharma, a member of the association.

Sharma, who was part of the delegation that met Azad, said the Health Ministry has promised to set up a sub-committee to look into the issue and come up with suitable recommendations.

He said gutkha has now been banned after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India classified it as a food product and advocated its ban.

"This is discriminatory because cigarette and beedi, which have more tobacco content than gutkha, are being sold freely while gutkha is banned. The ban should be removed as gutkha is not a food product," Sharma said.

However, he said gutkha manufacturers were open to any kind of regulation under the COTPA and noted that they were already complying with rules that make it mandatory to print a statutory and a pictorial warning.

The states which have banned sale of gutkha are Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Delhi and Goa.

FDA plans anti-adulteration drive sans staff

Agency officials have been directed to check banned substances in sweets
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) minister Manohar Naik has decided to go tough on food adulteration in sweets this Diwali. He held a meeting where he directed officials to carry out a drive to check for adulteration and the use of banned substances in sweets by collecting samples from sweet manufacturing units and shops. Earlier, the minister of state for FDA, Satej Patil had also directed officials to carry out a similar drive to clamp down on the supply of adulterated sweets and food items in the market, especially during the festive season.
On their part, the officials are surprised as to how ministers go on issuing orders when the department does not have enough staff to carry out raids and collect samples. Out of the 260 sanctioned posts of Food Safety Officers (earlier called Food Inspectors) in the state, the department has only 209 inspectors. Similarly, the number of sanctioned posts of Assistant Commissioners are 62, but as of now the department manages with just 27. The number of sanctioned posts for Joint Commissioners are eight and the number of posts filled are six. Besides, the department has not even recruited enough analysts to carry out lab tests too.
There are about two and half lakh stores in state, while there are about 40,000 in the city, which sell food and related items in the state and come under the jurisdiction of the FDA. “How are we expected to function with such skeletal staff and carry out checks on a large scale,” asked an official.
Earlier, FDA commissioner Mahesh Zagade had informed that action would be initiated against erring officials who did not implement rules and regulations of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and had warned of punitive action against those who failed to perform their duties.

Dinathanthi

ÞQŠ¹, è£ó‹ îò£KŠðõ˜èœ 100 êîiî‹ ²è£î£óˆ¬î «ðí«õ‡´‹


àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ܽõô˜ â„êK‚¬è


ï£èŠð†®ù‹, ïõ.4-
bð£õO ð‡®¬è‚° ÞQŠ¹, è£ó‹ îò£Kˆ¶ MŸð¬ù ªêŒðõ˜èœ 100 êîiî‹ ²è£î£óˆ¬î «ðí «õ‡´‹ â¡Á è ïèó àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ܽõô˜ ã.®.Ü¡ðöè¡ ÃP»œ÷£˜.
Þ¶°Pˆ¶ Üõ˜ ªõOJ†´œ÷ ÜP‚¬èJ™ ÃPJ¼Šðî£õ¶:-
bð£õO ð‡®¬è
bð£õO ð‡®¬è õ¼Aø 13-‰ «îF (ªêšõ£Œ‚Aö¬ñ) ªè£‡ì£ìŠð´Aø¶. bð£õO ð‡®¬è ªè£‡ì£ì ܬùˆ¶ HKMù¼‹ ÞQŠ¹ ñŸÁ‹ è£ó õ¬èèœ îò£KŠðîŸè£è ñO¬è ªð£¼†è¬÷ ÜFè Ü÷M™ õ£ƒA õ¼A¡øù˜. Üšõ£Á ñO¬è ªð£¼†èœ õ£ƒ°‹«ð£¶ îóñ£ù, è£ô£õFò£è£î ªð£¼†è¬÷ 𣘈¶ õ£ƒè «õ‡´‹. «ñ½‹ àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ¶¬øJì‹ àKñ‹ Ü™ô¶ ðF¾ ªðŸø ï‹ðèñ£ù õEè GÁõùƒèO™ ñ†´‹ 𣘈¶ õ£ƒ°õ àí¾ Íô‹ ðó¾‹ «ï£ŒèOL¼‰¶ ñ‚è¬÷ ð£¶è£ˆ¶ ªè£œ÷ô£‹.
100 êîiî‹ ²è£î£ó‹
«ñ½‹ àí¾ MŸð¬ùò£÷˜èœ îóñ£ù ñŸÁ‹ è£ô£õFò£è£î ªð£¼†è¬÷ ñ†´«ñ MŸð¬ù ªêŒò «õ‡´‹. vi† v죙 ï숶ðõ˜èœ ñŸÁ‹ CøŠ¹ Ý˜ì˜ â´ˆ¶ ÞQŠ¹ ñŸÁ‹ è£ó‹ îò£Kˆ¶ ªè£´Šðõ˜èœ 100 êîiî‹ ²è£î£óˆ¬î «ðí «õ‡´‹. ÜÂñF‚èŠð†ì èô˜è¬÷ ÜÂñF‚èŠð†ì Ü÷¾èO™ ñ†´«ñ ðò¡ð´ˆî «õ‡´‹. MŸð¬ù Þìƒè¬÷ ß, èóŠð£¡ Ì„C, âL àœO†ì¬õ ܇ì£ñ™ ð£¶è£Šð£è ¬õ‚è «õ‡´‹. °PŠð£è àí¾ ªð£¼†è¬÷ ¬èò£œðõ˜èœ ªõÁ‹ ¬èè÷£™ àí¬õ ¬èò£÷ Ã죶. àí¾ MŸð¬ùòèƒèœ ªî£ì˜ è‡è£EŠ¹‚° à†ð´ˆîŠð´‹.
¹è£˜ ªîKM‚èô£‹
MŸð¬ùòèƒèO™ îò£K‚èŠð´‹ àí¾ ñ£FK¬ò â´ˆ¶ ðK«ê£î¬ù‚° ÜŠðŠð´‹. «ñ½‹ è ïèó£†C‚° à†ð†ì ï£Ã˜ ñŸÁ‹ è ð°FèO™ àí¾ MŸð¬ùò£÷˜èOì‹ àí¾ ð£¶è£Š¹ ܽõô˜ ªðò¬ó àð«ò£Aˆ¶ bð£õO Þù£‹, Ü¡ðOŠ¹, ô…ê‹ Ü™ô¶ «õÁ õ¬èJ™ ã«î‹ «è†´ ò£ó£õ¶ îƒè¬÷ ÜÂAù£™ Üõ˜èœ °Pˆ¶ ô…ê åNŠ¹ˆ¶¬ø Ü™ô¶ ñ£õ†ì èªô‚ìKì‹ ¹è£˜ ªîKM‚è «õ‡´‹. Þšõ£Á ܉î ÜP‚¬èJ™ Üõ˜ ÃP»œ÷£˜.