May 7, 2017
No ban on chewing tobacco in Karnataka as Health Dept reverses order on AG’s advice
The Food Safety Commissionerate, the implementing authority of the ban on chewing tobacco, has issued a circular reversing the ban
BENGALURU: Five months after Karnataka banned all forms of chewing tobacco, the Health Department on Saturday reversed the order with clever wordplay. In November last year, it had submitted in the High Court about total compliance of the ban order.
The Food Safety Commissionerate, the implementing authority of the ban, issued a circular on Saturday stating that it is accepting the opinion of the Advocate General (AG). With this circular, the ban on chewing tobacco ban stands reversed.
Earlier, the commissionerate had sought the AG’s opinion on its circular dated November 24, 2016 that directed designated officers in all districts to submit daily reports on four aspects -- closure of number of chewing tobacco manufacturing units, quantity of chewing tobacco confiscated or seized, number of notices served and fines imposed, number of prosecutions initiated and to be initiated at additional deputy commissioner and magistrate courts.
The AG said that the department can neither shut manufacturing units nor confiscate chewing tobacco under the sections invoked in the circular. He suggested deleting clauses pertaining to these two aspects and replacing the words ‘chewing tobacco’ with ‘gutka’ and ‘pan masala’.
The AG had previously told Express that the department is well within its rights to shut manufacturing units or seize chewing tobacco under other sections of the law but not the sections of the Food Safety and Standards Act invoked in the circular — Section 59: Punishment for Unsafe Food and Section 66: Offences by Companies.
Asked how Saturday’s circular was in the health interest of the people, Principal Health Secretary Shalini Rajneesh said, “Chewing tobacco per se is not banned. The field officers shall seize tobacco and pan masala if they are sold conjointly.”
K V Dhananjay, advocate representing Cancer Patients Aid Association, said, “This modification shows that the state government has sold its conscience to the chewing tobacco lobby. We will approach the courts immediately and we are more than confident that public health will prevail in the courts and this modification will be quashed in no time.
State government reverses ban on ‘chewing tobacco’
In a U-turn, the Health Department on Saturday replaced the words “chewing tobacco” in its earlier tobacco ban order with “pan masala and gutka.”
Commissioner of Food Safety Subodh Yadav issued the new circular making the changes to the earlier one dated October 26, 2016. While the Commissioner argued that this was “in accordance with the Supreme Court directions”, anti-tobacco activists said it amounted to “contempt of court and yielding to the tobacco lobby”.
Mr. Yadav said the new circular was in keeping with a clarification issued by the Advocate-General. “Although the ban on pan masala and gutka had been announced earlier, there was no explicit order on that,” he explained. However, anti-tobacco activists alleged that the State was “deliberately undermining the fight against tobacco”.
Twin sachets
One of the activists, who did not wish to be named, said this would make way for sale of twin sachets — one sachet containing pan masala or gutka and the other chewing tobacco — by the same manufacturer.
Edible oil seized
Officials of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Saturday seized 1,905 litres of edible oil with bogus labels. According to FSSAI officials, the seized oil - 127 cans of 15 litres.
Officials said that a close relative of the trader was arrested by Crime Branch (CCB) of City Police on Thursday for using a duplicate version of an oil company. Apart from seizing the huge volume of oil, FSSAI also lifted samples of the same for examination at a Government laboratory.
FSSAI officials were not available to give details on the location from which the oil cans were seized.
165 of 1,200 water cans checked unfit for drinking.
Chennai: Give it a second thought before you consume can water, as it could be full of diseases. In the raid conducted by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in Koyambedu on Saturday, a total of 165 cans out of 1,200 turned out to be contaminated and defective.
"A team of five checked around 15 vehicles from Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts and found out that the cans were unlabelled and soiled. We are frequenting the checks in commercial areas, as more than 60 percent of Chennaiites rely on can water " said Dr R. Kathiravan, designated officer, Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug told Deccan Chronicle.
While 60 cans had no proper labels, 31 cans were soiled and the rest were branded with names of unauthorised companies, added the official.
According to dietician, Dharini Krishnan, many health problems are associated with consuming the contaminated water.
"One might be affected with lung problems; nausea, vomiting and can also have fatal consequences. It is better to drink boiled water or store it in a copper vessel, as it removes all the bacteria within eight hours," said the dietician.
There is a total of four teams who would conduct the raids for two more weeks in all the arterial roads of Chennai.
In a similar raid conducted last week, the FSSAI team has found out the usage of an expired essence and excessive amount of synthetic colour in the mixed fruit juices in Aminjikarai.
Don't fall for polished fruits for they might be ladened with chemicals
Customers should be alert when they reach for ripe, juicy and glossy mango, papaya and other fruits as they could be ripened using chemicals. Doctors say such fruits are a health hazard.
Chennai:
With the demand for fruits and salad vegetables peaking in the scorching summer season, several traders and vendors are reportedly making a killing by ripening and sweetening fruits artificially.
Vendors in the city’s biggest wholesale fruit and vegetable market in Koyambedu, and a few other markets in the city, allegedly do not conform to the guidelines laid down by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Sources say that in order to make a quick buck, traders are using calcium carbides to ripen fruits such as mangoes, exposing customers to the risk of health hazards.
With the onset of kathiri veyyil a few days ago, the demand for fruits like mangoes, banana, papaya and watermelons has only gone up. However, some vendors using carbide stones and other chemical elements for artificial ripening, have turned out to be a bane. In doing so, such fruits would be ready for consumption practically overnight. Those claiming to know more allege that some traders also inject ‘erythrocyte’ in watermelons, to enhance the natural colour of the fruit.
Small- time fruit vendors also claim that when they go to Koyambedu market early in the morning, they notice traders spraying chemicals on the fruits. “On a few occasions, when I went to purchase mangoes and watermelons, I was shocked to see carbide stones poking out of the fruit pile. I have heard some customers complaining about the stones, when they came to buy fruits like mangos, chikku and watermelons,” said A Marimuthu, a fruit vendor in Aminjikarai. Some traders in Koyambedu market complex even keep the spray bottles inside their shops and since the officials have failed to conduct frequent raids and apprehend violators, most of them get away scot- free.
However, members of Koyambedu Market Licensed Merchants Associations say that they advise the traders not to indulge in such practices. Thyagarajan, president, Koyambedu Market Vegetable and Fruit Vendors Association, said, “FSSAI and Greater Chennai Corporation officials are conducting raids on a continuous basis and we are also advising the traders in the market not to use any chemical spray and carbide stones for artificial ripening.”
However, a vendor from the Koyambedu fruit market, speaking on condition of anonymity said that although they use chemicals, they ensure that this does not cause health hazards to the consumers. “I have been selling fruits like mangoes and chikku for over a decade here, and no customer has complained about fruits,” he said.
Exercise caution: When contacted, Food Safety Wing Designated Officer, R Kathiravan, Chennai, told DTNext that they are constantly inspecting all the markets across the city and appealing to the consumers to purchase only those mangos that ripen naturally. People should be careful while purchasing fruits like mangoes, chikku, banana and papaya, as there is a possibility that they have been artificially ripened,” he said. When asked about colouring agents in fruit juices, the officer said that they target such vendors. “We will conduct raids soon.”
Risk of allergies: Doctors say artificially ripened fruits contain lesser nutritional value and can cause allergies. Dr M A Aleem, former Vice-Principal and a medical expert of KAPV Government Medical College, Tiruchy, said, “Eating fruits ripened with carbide and ethylene would pave the way for causing diarrhoea, peptic ulcer, indigestion and irritation in the mouth. Consumers should buy fruits with utmost care. Worse still, it could cause cancer of the bladder.”
Touch of stone: The carbide stone has chemicals which are detrimental to health. Due to these chemicals, fruits are being ripened within 12 hours. However, ethylene gas is permitted to be used by FSSAI for ripening by dipping the mangos in the liquid.
What norms say: No person shall sell or offer or expose for sale or have in his premises for the purpose of sale under any description, fruits which have been artificially ripened by use of acetylene gas, commonly known as carbide gas. The fresh fruits and vegetables shall be free from rotting and free from coating of waxes, mineral oil and colours.
Violations
Carbide stone is banned
The chemical is banned under the Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011
Violators could be penalised with a 7-year imprisonment or a hefty fine
Around five tonnes of artificial fruits, including mangoes, were seized in 2016
8.5 tonnes of fruits have been seized till date this year
Ethylene gas is the permitted and most commonly used ripening agent
Unit making ice-candies with Saccharin unearthed
The ice-candies which were destroyed by health officials on Saturday
JAIPUR: Food safety officers unearthed a manufacturing unit of ice-candies for allegedly using saccharin as a sweetener on Saturday. Saccharin is an artificial sweeter which is not permitted to be used as an ingredient for producing ice-candies.
The manufacturing unit — Jai Shree Ambey, is situated in Jaipuriyon Ka Bad at Sirsi Road. "The food safety officers collected two samples of ice candy and milk candy. We have also destroyed 1,000 ice-candies which were prepared with saccharin," chief medical health officer (CMHO) Jaipur-I, Dr Narottam Sharma said.
At the time, when a team of CMHO raided the manufacturing unit, they found that there were workers in the unit manufacturing ice-candies. "We asked them if they have used saccharin in preparing the ice candies. They accepted that they have used the artificial sweeteners. They have also given it in written," Verendra Singh, food safety officer said.
"Saccharin is harmful to children especially those who are under-14 years. It affects bones badly. In rural areas, these ice-candies are sold and its sale picks up during summer," Singh said.
In comparison to Saccharin, sugar is quite expensive. To earn heavy profits during summer when the demand for ice-candies goes up significantly, they use of saccharin. The granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose. Saccharin is more than 300 times sweeter than sucrose, the officials said.
Officials said that if lab reports show that the ice candies contain saccharin, they will present the case before the court.
The firm caught preparing ice candies using saccharin, sale it in the rural areas. If children consume it regularly, they become vulnerable to different kinds of health related problem. Food safety officers also claimed that it may have a carcinogen effect on children. Officials said that whenever they have found saccharin in ice-candies, the testing report shows that it is unsafe for consumption.
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