Sep 12, 2013

DINAMALAR NEWS




பரோட்டா அதிகம் சாப்பிட்டால் நீரிழிவு நோய் சீக்கிரம் வரும்!

கோவை:""பரோட்டா அதிகமாகச் சாப்பிடுபவர்களுக்கு, நீரிழிவு நோய் வர அதிகம் வாய்ப்புள்ளது,'' என்று, கோவையில் நடந்த விழிப்புணர்வு பேரணியில் தகவல் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்டது.
மைதா மாவினால் தயாரிக்கப்படும் "பரோட்டா' உணவு, நமது பாரம்பரிய உணவுகளைப் பின்னுக்குத்தள்ளி, தமிழக மக்களின் முக்கிய உணவாக மாறியுள்ளது; இதனால், பல்வேறு உடல் பாதிப்புகள் ஏற்படுவது குறித்து மக்களிடம் விழிப்புணர்வு ஏற்படுத்தும் வகையில், நவக்கரை ஏ.ஜே.கே., கலை அறிவியல் கல்லூரி சார்பில், கோவையில் விழிப்புணர்வு பேரணி நேற்று நடந்தது. கோவை அரசு மகளிர் பாலிடெக்னிக் அருகில், நேற்று காலை 11 மணியளவில், இந்த பேரணியை பாரதியார் பல்கலை பதிவாளர் ராதாகிருஷணன் கொடி அசைத்து துவக்கி வைத்தார். இந்த பேரணி, பாலசுந்தரம் ரோடு, ஆர்.டி.ஓ., அலுவலகம் வழியாக, வ.உ.சி., மைதானம் வந்தடைந்தது. மாணவ, மாணவியர் புரோட்டா உணவால் ஏற்படும் தீமைகள் குறித்த பதாகைகளை ஏந்தி கோஷமிட்ட படி நடந்து வந்தனர்.
இதுகுறித்து ஏ.ஜே.கே., கலை அறிவியல் கல்லூரி முதன்மை செயலாளர் அஜீத்குமார் லால்மோகன் கூறியதாவது: சுகாதாரமற்ற உணவைச் சாப்பிடுவதால் மட்டுமில்லை; சாப்பிட கூடாத உணவைச் சாப்பிடுவதாலும் பல்வேறு நோய்கள் உண்டாகி வருகின்றன. மக்களுக்கு தங்கள் சாப்பிடும் உணவு குறித்து போதிய விழிப்புணர்வு இல்லை. கடைகளில் புதிய பெயரில் எந்த உணவை விற்றாலும், அதை வாங்கிச் சாப்பிடுவது வழக்கமாகி விட்டது. அதனால், உடலுக்கு ஏற்படும் பாதிப்பு பற்றி அவர்கள் அறிவதில்லை. இன்றைக்கு பெரும்பாலான உணவு வகைகள், மைதா மாவில் இருந்தே தயாரிக்கப்படுகின்றன.

தமிழகத்தில் சிறிய மற்றும் நடுத்தர ஓட்டல்களில் மைதா மாவில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் "பரோட்டா'தான் அதிகளவில் விற்பனையாகிறது. மைதா மாவு, ரவையில் இருந்து தயாரிக்கப்படுகிறது; மைதா இயல்பாக கருஞ்சிவப்பு நிறத்தில் இருக்கும்; அதை வெண்மையாக மாற்ற, "பென்சாயில் பெராக்ஸைடு' மற்றும் "அலாக்ஸான்' என்ற வேதிப்பொருள் கலக்கப்படுகிறது; இதனால், மைதா வெள்ளை நிறமாகவும், மிருதுவான தன்மையுடனும் மாறுகிறது.இந்த "பென்சாயில் பெராக்ஸைடு' என்பது, அழகு நிலையங்களில் முகத்தை பொலிவு படுத்தவும், முகப்பருவை போக்கவும் பயன்படும் மருந்தாகும். "அலாக்ஸான்' என்பது படிகத்தன்மை கொண்ட வேதிக்கலவை. இது உணவில் கலந்தால், நீரிழிவு நோய் உண்டாகும் என, ஆய்வுகளில் நிரூபிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. ஆனால், மைதாவில் "அலாக்ஸான்' கலப்பது தவிர்க்க முடியாத ஒன்றாக மாறியுள்ளது. இது கணையநீர் சுரப்பியை சோர்வடைய செய்து, சர்க்கரையின் அளவை கட்டுப்படுத்த விடாமல் தடுக்கிறது.
இதனால் கணையத்தில் இன்சுலின் சுரப்பது தடை படுகிறது. இதனால் நீரிழிவு நோய் ஏற்படுகிறது. மைதாவில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் உணவுகளை அதிகம் சாப்பிவோருக்கும் நீரிழிவு நோய் வர அதிகமான வாய்ப்புள்ளது. மைதா "பரோட்டா' சாப்பிடுவதால் ஏற்படும் பாதிப்புகள் குறித்து தற்போது பல்வேறு ஆய்வுகள் நடந்து வருகின்றன. மதுரை ராஜாஜி அரசு மருத்துவமனை நடத்திய ஆய்வில், "பரோட்டாவில் "கார்போஹைடிரேட்' அதிகம் இருப்பதும், நார் சத்து இல்லை என்பதும் கண்டறியப்பட்டுள்ளது.
 மைதா உணவைச் சாப்பிடுவதால் இதயத்திற்குச் செல்லும் ரத்த நாளங்கள் பாதிக்கப்படுவதோடு, கொழுப்பு படிதல், உடல் பருமன், உயர் ரத்த அழுத்தம், நீரிழிவு நோய் மற்றும் மாரடைப்பு போன்ற நோய்கள் இளம் வயதிலேயே வரும் என்பதும் ஆய்வுகளில் தெரியவந்துள்ளது. தமிழகத்தில் விலை குறைவு என்பதால் "பரோட்டா' உள்ளிட்ட மைதாவில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் உணவு வகைகளை ஏழை மற்றும் நடுத்தர மக்கள் அதிகம் சாப்பிடுகின்றனர்; இதனால், பணக்காரர்களை மட்டுமே அதிகம் பாதித்து வந்த பல நோய்கள், ஏழைகளுக்கும் வர வாய்ப்புள்ளது; எனவே, "பரோட்டா' சாப்பிடுவதை தவிர்ப்பது நல்லது. இவ்வாறு, அஜித்குமார் லால்மோகன் கூறினார்.
இது விலங்குகளுக்கான உணவு...!
மைதா மாவினால் தயாரிக்கப்படும் "பரோட்டா' குறித்த வேறு சில தகவல்கள்:
* மைதா மாவில் தயாரிக்கப்படும் பரோட்டா, நம் பாரம்பரிய உணவு இல்லை; பாரசீக நாட்டு உணவாகும். ஆரம்பத்தில், இது வீட்டில் வளர்க்கும் விலங்குகளுக்கான உணவாக இருந்தது.
* மைதா மாவை வேக வைத்து கவனமாக உருட்டி, வண்டி இழுக்கும் குதிரைகளுக்கும், பொதி சுமக்கும் கோவேறு கழுதைகளுக்கும் உணவாக வழங்கப்பட்டன. ஒரு நாளைக்கு உணவு கொடுத்தால் போதும், பிறகு இரண்டு நாட்களுக்கு உணவு கொடுக்கத் தேவையில்லை. இதில், கொழுப்புச் சத்துஅதிகம் இருப்பதால், பன்றிகளுக்கும் உணவாக கொடுக்கப்பட்டது. காலப்போக்கில் இதில் ரொட்டி தயாரித்து மனிதர்களும் சாப்பிடத் துவங்கினர்.
* இன்றைக்கு மைதாவில் நூற்றுக்கும் மேற்பட்ட உணவு பண்டங்கள் தயாரிக்கப்படுகின்றன. இதில் அதிக அளவில் தயாரிக்கப்படுவது புரோட்டா மட்டுமே.

Two TN ghee brands banned by food safety department

KOCHI: The food safety department on Wednesday banned two brands of ghee for substandard quality. According to officials of the department, the banned brands are A1 SKG Ghee and Amritham Pure Ghee, both manufactured by Tamil Nadu-based companies.
The squads had collected samples of these brands from Tripunithura and Muvattupuzha during an inspection on September 5. They were later sent for lab tests, which proved that ghee of both the brands were of substandard quality. Based on the lab tests, food safety commissioner Biju Prabhakar issued orders banning the brands.
Storing and selling these banned brands would invite punishment including imprisonment up to six months or fine up to Rs 2 lakh, officials said.
The department had begun intensive checks in the wake of huge demand arising during the Onam season. "We have already collected samples of milk from different parts of the district, which have been sent for lab tests to be conducted at the regional analytical laboratory at Kakkanad. Besides, tests will also be conducted by a government accredited laboratory," said an official of the food safety department.
Routine checks and collection of samples will be conducted till the weekend, the official added.
As the milk production in the state is not sufficient to meet the demand, milk is being brought from other states such as Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra. There are as many as 316 registered cooperative societies in the district involved in the production and procurement of milk.

Hotels, shops raided ahead of Onam

Notice issued to 13 vegetable shops, five hotels, six grocery stores

A special squad conducting inspection at a shop at Sakthan Market in Thrissuron Wednesday.— PHOTO: by special arrangement
A special squad conducting inspection at a shop at Sakthan Market in Thrissuron Wednesday.
Various departments, including Civil Supplies, Police, Health, and Legal Metrology, conducted a joint raid in the public market ahead of Onam here on Wednesday.
The raid was conducted on the direction of the district collector to trace adulteration, tampered weighing machines and manipulated prices.
The team issued notice to 13 vegetable shops, five hotels and six grocery shops. Many shops did not display any price list. Some shops displayed prices in temporary cardboard sheets, the officials said.
The hotels that did not have facilities to process the waste water and those who release waste water into the streets were also issued notice. An illegal gas cylinder was seized from a hotel.
The health department officials warned the public of possible food adulteration in the Onam market. In all, raids were conducted on 42 vegetable shops, six hotels and 12 grocery shops.
The raid conducted by a special squad formed with members from various departments, started from 10 a.m. The team was led by District Supply Officer Jalaja Mani, taluk supply officer Anil and East A.S.I Sasidharan. The inspection will continue in the coming days, according to officials.
There are many complaints that shops are charging inflated prices for vegetables and grocery items ahead of Onam.
The prices were not stable and kept rising as the stocks began dwindling.
The price of some vegetables rose sharply as their supply plummeted due to lack of transportation.
The prices of common vegetables like chilli, ladies finger, drumstick and brinjal are beyond the reach of the common man. The price of raw banana, which is essential for making banana chips, has touched Rs. 80-90 per kg.

Gujarat government extends gutka ban by a year

Gujarat government extended a comprehensive ban on the sale, stocking, production and distribution of gutka as well as pan masala containing nicotine today for another year in the state.
"On September 11, 2012 imposed a ban on sale, stocking, production and distribution of gutka and pan masala which contains nicotine under provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act and its Regulation Act. Today the government decided to extend that ban for one more year," Gujarat state's spokesperson and Finance Minister Nitin Patel said in an official statement.
As per the notification issued on September 3 last year, the ban enabled by provisions of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, on the manufacturing, sale, storage and distribution of gutka was initially for the duration of one year.The notification stipulates that any violation of ban on food articles containing nicotine and tobacco as ingredients would attract at least six months of imprisonment and a fine of upto Rs 5 lakh.
However, 100 per cent export-oriented units have been exempted from the prohibition. "Chief Minister Narendra Modi has appealed to the people to make Gujarat a gutka-free state and the response from across the state is overwhelming. Hence, the government has decided to extend the ban," Patel said. During the past one year, state agencies raided 28,172 units of wholeseller and retailers and seized around 8,976 kg of gutka from 31 units, as per official statements.

Meat seizure could blow up in civic body's face

Did the corporation blow the chances of nailing a stale meat seller by playing the lone ranger?
It seems so. A senior official of the Food Safety Authority has come out against the recent seizure and sampling of 1000kg of suspected stale meat by the civic authorities. A senior official of the Food Safety Authority said the corporation officials didn’t have any legal authority for collecting food samples, calling it an “unauthorised act”.
Going by the provisions of the Food Safety Act, only a qualified food analyst can collect food samples. The samples collected in violation of the provisions of the Act will not have any legal backing. “There are chances that such cases could fall flat in courts when the procedural formalities are flouted,” he said. The corporation authorities had been inspecting hotels and collecting food samples by invoking the provisions of the Travancore-Cochin Public Health Act 1954. But with the enactment of the Food Safety and Standards Act, only the Food Safety Authority officials can act and collect samples in these cases.
With the new legislation coming into play, the role of the civic authorities had been bracketed into checking sanitary and hygienic conditions in eateries, he said.
Considering the legal implications of the Act, the corporation officials should share intelligence and plan joint operations for curbing the sale of low quality foodstuff in the city, he said.
The secretary of the Kochi Corporation wrote to the Food Safety Commissioner on Wednesday requesting the Authority to take up the case. The officials of the Authority were sceptical about the outcome of the case as sampling was not done as prescribed by law.
A health official of the corporation said the meat samples were collected in the presence of a veterinary doctor of the civic body.
The non-availability of the officials of the Food Safety Authority for collecting food samples had been a drag on the efforts of the civic body. Recently, a health official and the chairman of the Health Standing Committee of the corporation had to wait at a hotel for nearly two hours for the Food Safety Authority officials to arrive and collect samples.
‘Kochi corporation officials do not have any legal authority for collecting food samples.’

Slaughterhouses to come up at border checkposts

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The animal husbandry department is planning to set up centralised slaughterhouse-cum-quarantine stations at border checkposts in the state to keep a tab on the flow of unhygienic and stale meat into the market.
The department has already submitted a proposal to local self-government (LSG) department regarding acquisition of land for the purpose at Parassala, Kumily and Walayar.
The decision is being mooted in the wake of reports of frequent transport of innards of cattle through border towns into the markets of the state. While discussing with food safety officials the department has learnt that innards like liver and kidney of cattle are transported in an unhygienic condition, often emanating a putrid smell from them.
"At present, we don't have a proper facility to conduct a check on trucks carrying cattle for slaughtering. There are hundreds of trucks lined up and it's a tedious process to unload each of them and conduct separate inspections for presence of any kind of disease. By having a well-equipped slaughterhouse-cum-quarantine station at the borders, we can assure that only clean and disease-free meat is transported for sale into the markets," said animal husbandry department director K G Suma.
The plan is to slaughter the cattle after inspection at the border itself. Large chunks of meat will be packed in chilled boxes and transported by specially chosen contractors to different markets. Diseased cattle will be quarantined and sent back.
While cold storage will be set up at -20 degree Celsius for stocking meat at the centralised slaughterhouses, chilled containers maintaining low temperature will be used for transporting packaged meat to long distances.
"The government has already allocated Rs 400 crore for setting up slaughterhouses in panchayats and municipalities. This amount can be diverted to establish top class facilities for slaughtering at the border," Suma said.
The department is planning an elaborate workforce, including doctors and labourers, to be deployed at the slaughterhouses. "The animals need to be provided food and water, while certification has to be issued by the doctors. We will soon hold another meeting with the LSG department so that the land for the purpose is identified and acquired in the border areas," Suma said.
As per the records, 5-10 lakh cattle are slaughtered every year in 161 authorised slaughterhouses in the state. However, unauthorised slaughterhouses are yet to be audited which means that the real consumption of meat/beef would be much larger than the original estimate.

Medical college patient gets dead snake in curry

THIRUVANATHAPURAM: A woman got the shock of her life on Wednesday morning when she found an unusual and nauseating ingredient in her pea curry: a dead snake hatchling.
The finding led to the closure of the Medical College Teachers' Co-operative Society canteen, which served the dish. After finding worms and millipedes from food items, it is the turn of snake.
The dead snake was found in the appam-curry set ordered (as parcel) by a patient at Medical College hospital here for the breakfast.Food safety officials closed down Medical College Teachers' Co-operative Society canteen following a complaint.
Nedumangadu-based V Omana found the snake in the curry only after her son ate some portion of the curry and left the rest for her. Shocked to see the worm-like creature in the curry, Omana approached a doctor at the hospital. The doctor informed that it was a young snake. Soon, Omana informed food safety officials.
The food safety wing led by Satish Kumar collected the samples and sent them to laboratory. "It looked like a worm at first. Later we confirmed that it was a young snake. We have inspected the canteen and sealed it. The samples and the snake were sent to laboratory for analysis," Satish Kumar said.
A food safety official said that the matter was serious and they won't allow the canteen to open. "Once we get the lab report, we will file a detailed report to food safety commissioner and Medical College superintend," the official said.
Barring the mental shock, Omana and her son did not complain of any health problems, the official said.
A senior doctor at the Medical College hospital said that some private parties were functioning under the name of Medical College teachers' society, but the teachers had no role in it.
"A number of unauthorised canteens is functioning on the campus. Most of them function with the support of local politicians. When Usha Titus was the special health secretary, some steps were taken to regularise canteens. The Medical College Teachers' Co-operative Society has nothing to do with Medical College teachers. Some local politicians are behind the canteen. The Medical College is planning to give IRCTC the contract to run the canteen on the campus," said a doctor on condition of anonymity.
The canteen was functioning near the old superintend office on the campus. The food safety official said the hygienic condition of the canteen and the premises was not satisfactory.

Snake found in food: eatery closed

Food safety officials closed a temporary food establishment within the Government Medical College Hospital compound here after a small snake was found in the curry bought from there.
V. Omana and her son from Aryanad had bought appam and green peas curry from the eatery for breakfast. As they were midway through the food, the mother spotted a worm-like creature in the curry which was later identified as a snake.
Chief Food Safety Officer with the Mobile Vigilance Squad, Satheesh Kumar, said that samples of the food had been sent to the analytical laboratory and a report would be submitted to the Commissioner of Food Safety on Thursday. A report detailing the condition of the eatery run by the Teachers’ Credits Cooperative Society was submitted to the Commissioner on Wednesday itself.

Dead snake found in food served by hospital canteen

In a horrifying incident, a dead snake was found in a packet of curry served by a canteen at the Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, leading to its closure by the Food Safety Authority.
The snake, which looked like a hatchling, was found in the green peas curry bought by a woman to be given to her son undergoing treatment in the hospital, police said.
When she opened the sachet in which the curry was served, she found to her shock the dead reptile lying in it.
She informed the hospital authorities of the matter and a protesting crowd gathered at the canteen soon.
The hospital authorities then informed the police and food safety officials of the issue and they pacified the irate crowd promising firm action against the canteen operators.
They also ordered closure of the canteen and took away samples of the food items for analysis and further action.

Purple Potato Chips in to Wipe Away the Blues of Artificial Food Coloring

Synthetic food dyes that lend different colors to food to make them look attractive have come in for some flak which has led food chemists to explore natural alternatives to artificial food coloring.
This led them to discover food pigments from the purple potato to develop plant based dyes.
Stephen Talcott, a food chemist at Texas A&M University, said, "Our work with purple sweet potatoes has been going for a couple of years, partially in response to a trend within the food industry to move away from synthetic colors, primarily shades of red."
According to the scientist, the color stability of the purple potato is incredible. Their neutral flavor makes it all the more suitable for food products. But, there are other challenges which make the purple potato still not such a viable alternative. Supply of sweet purple potatoes is another challenge!
There is a market for natural food colors, especially after growing concern about the adverse effects of artificial food coloring on children

Food Safety Act: Vendors told to get registered by February next year

Jammu, September 11
Poor response from traders to renew their licences under the amended Food Safety Act-2006 has forced the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) to extend the registration deadline till February next. The process was to be completed last year.
There were allegations that employees engaged in the process are demanding additional money from them, which had led to the delay in its completion. The government has fixed fee for the renewal and registration of their business concerns.
As per the order issued by the Commissioner Food Safety, all food business operators were directed to renew their existing licenses, registration granted under the repealed Food Act/Order under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Regulation of Food Business) Regulations, 2011.
Under this Act, every food business retailer or manufacturers has to register with the licensing or registering authority. The Act states that even petty manufacturer shall follow the basic hygiene and safety requirements provided by these regulations.
“These food business operators include small retailer, roadside food vendors, hawkers, stall holders, cottage industries relating to food business, meat/mutton/poultry business operators with the slaughtering capacity of two larger animals or 10 small animals or 50 poultry birds per day," said Health Officer, JMC, Dr Vinod Sharma.
Dr Sharma said the Act stated the food business manufactures were required to ensure that his or her premises was free from the growth of mould, fungi and infection and workers should wear clean aprons, hand gloves, head wears and keep their nails trimmed, clean and wash their hands with soap and detergent before starting their work. They have been asked not to use colour, display rate list properly and ensure that medical check up of workers is conducted and report sent to the JMC.
Legal Health Protector
Under Food Safety Act-2006, every food business retailer or manufacturer has to register with the licensing or registering authority. The Act states that even petty manufacturer shall follow the basic hygiene and safety requirements