Sep 21, 2017

How much can you trust the food you eat?

Some of the most popular brands in India and globally have had their share of turbulence in the past. Companies have lost trust, money and reputation and customers have lost faith
Managing and maintaining brand reputation for safe and high quality products is critical for any food company 
Today, all of us travel – whether for work or pleasure or both. Traditionally, drinking water has been a cause of concern among travelers and today “safe” bottled water is commonly available across the globe. Further, many of us use hand sanitizers before we eat, which is again a good hygiene. However, do we stop to think about the food which we eat? Are we paying enough attention to, or should we be concerned about the health & safety and hygiene standards which are followed while producing those delicious noodles, burgers and softdrinks that almost all of us indulge in; and which our children are virtually growing up on? 
Be it concerns around higher-than-permissible levels of specific ingredients in noodles or the worms in found in chocolate bars or lizards & rats in fries or be it adulteration of milk, edible oils or spurious liquor, all these are just a few examples of many that have rocked consumer confidence. This, combined with omni--present social media and increasing consumer activism, ensures that nowadays rarely a month goes by without such news of food scandals. Some of the most popular brands in India and globally have had their share of turbulence in the past. Companies have lost trust, money and reputation and customers have lost faith. The food industry is often accused of perpetrating a massive health and economic fraud. It may be in various forms like substitution, dilution, counterfeiting, tampering or misrepresentation ingredients, etc. The causes vary from accidental contamination to pure negligence – but the public outrage is universal. 
Food is an industry where customer trust and confidence is paramount. A crisis event can threaten the very viability of a business. Such a crisis event deviates the business from pursuing its strategic growth path and re-allocates almost all its resources from competing in the marketplace to fighting for survival. Companies that have undergone the above food safety incidents have since deviated from their long term strategic plans to remain just about viable to enable re-building of the brand. 
Managing and maintaining brand reputation for safe and high quality products is critical for any food company. In the past it may have been enough to produce affordable food, but now only those companies that earn the trust of consumers survive. The collisions of the megatrends and associated consumer demands means companies must not only deliver on quality and transparency but also continuously maintain trust. 
Today the consumer is always hungry; hungry for more choice, value and quality information. It’s a challenging (and an important) problem companies need to solve: how do you satisfy a market hungry for more while incorporating consumer demand and feedback? When it comes to health and safety around food products, consumers rightly insist on compliance with measures that ensure their safety. People want to know more about what they’re eating and feeding to their families, its nutritional values / health impact, how it has been grown, processed/ manufactured and much more. 
In India the apex Food regulator, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) implements and enforces food regulation as prescribed in the the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulation, 2011. 
Building trust is a winning strategy that all successful food companies are prioritising and investing in to win customer preference and thus market share. This is one of the greatest opportunities for food companies to make a difference. Some of the leading companies have been able to identify this opportunity and have proactively respond to food trust concerns and safeguarded themselves against exposure to potential scandals. 
Any agribusiness value chain, from production to final consumption, can only benefit from having greater transparency and credibility along its multiple links. A good case in point is that many companies selling branded tea have started re-looking at their supply chains to ensure ethical sourcing of tea and mention this information on their retail packs. 
Food fraud requires a comprehensive action to the issues challenging the modern-day supply chains. Areas where Companies need to be watchful includes usage of third party manufacturer / co-packers, sourcing of alternative raw material, ensuring usage of food grade primary packing material, changes in vendors or usage of one time vendors, existing & upcoming regulations / legislations, maintenance of product shelf life, hygiene and storage norms across the value chain, management of crisis and product recalls. Strengthening internal controls around these aspects and bringing in stringent monitoring mechanisms has become one of the most important requirements for affected companies. 
The impacts of a disruption are costly, brand damaging and far reaching. And concernedly, they are happening in an environment of increased regularity and governance – accelerated and exaggerated by the megatrends reshaping society. 
Companies now are more alert to these issues and are investing millions to ensure integrity and safety throughout the supply chain. However, the focus of these investments is often diluted for prioritizing short term gains in cost efficiency over long term profits through efficient risk management. 
Companies needs to move beyond traditional program based on food science to developing an effective strategy focused on a preventative, risk-based approach to food frauds and effective crisis management. Viewing food trust strategy through a risk-based, preventive lens, with a focus on quality management, product integrity and traceability will help in building and sustaining trust. 
As Napoleon Bonaparte famously said, an army marches on its stomach; food is a necessity for life and only the best will do – your customer will not take a perceived or real risk to their own or their family’s health. Trust is everything!

Tirupati Laddoo Approved As Temple Gets Food Safety License

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD), the governing body of the Sri Venkateswara temple atop Tirumala, has at last obtained a license from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
According to reports, the FSSAI license has been obtained for its famous laddu prasadam, and the food that it distributes under the Annaprasadam scheme. The FSSAI had also asked the Central Licensing Authority in Chennai to inspect the 'pottu' used in preparing the temple's famous laddus. 
This order came after an RTI application by a Bengaluru-based RTI activist in December last year. This would mean that the TTD will now follow regulations of the Food Safety Standards Act. 
The Hindu reported that the TTD, which initially objected to the directive that would allow non-Srivaishnavites into the kitchen (for inspection), changed its mind and applied for the licence last month, following which it was granted.
In his complaint, the RTI activist reportedly wrote
The cooks who are in preparation of these laddus in large quantity are found wearing no proper dress. They are barely clad and found sweating due to heavy heat in the kitchen. These cooks are not wearing any hand glove, apron and other safety gear. 
The laddu is a major source of the TTD's revenue and adds several crore rupees to its annual budget. It is made with flour, sugar, ghee, oil, cardamom and dry fruits. 
However, objects like iron pins, key chains and even gutka packets have been previously found in the laddus. 
In 2016, a total of 10.46 crore laddus, were sold as 'prasadam'. In its 2017 budget, the TTD stated that the sale of laddus was expected to fetch Rs 165 crore. 
In 2015, the laddu entered its 300th year. Temple officials say the sacred offering was introduced on 2 August, 1715. The laddu is in great demand on special occasions. The authorities sell the prasad round the clock during Brahmotsavam.
In 2014, about 1.8 million laddus were sold in the first seven days of Brahmotsavam, breaking all previous records. In 2014, the Office of the Registrar of Patents, Trademarks and Geographical Indications also awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) status to the Tirupati laddu.

To ensure better quality, KMC starts food drive from Golpark Team

 | 20 Sep 2017 2:28 PM To ensure better quality, KMC starts food drive from Golpark Kolkata: In a bid to ensure that the quality of food is not compromised with during the Durga Puja, food safety officers of Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Wednesday kicked off their food drive from Golpark area in South Kolkata. 
The team was led by Member Mayor-in-Council (Health) Atin Ghosh. The drive was started from Purna Das Road where a number of restaurants serving authentic Bengali and Chinese cuisines are located. The team was dissatisfied with the hygienic condition of the kitchen at Azad Hind Dhaba where the floor was found to be very filthy. "We have instructed them to change the kitchen floor immediately and served notice to them for keeping the kitchen dirty," a health officer involved in the drive said. 
The cornflour packet that was used for cooking in the Chinese restaurant 'Bliss' was also found without the level of Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which is mandatory for any packaged product. Even the kitchen at 'Tero Parbon' needs better maintenance," an official said. The team found bread crumbs with artificial colour and poor quality from the restaurant 'Jhole Jhale Ambale' which is presently closed for renovation. 
The packet of bread crumb was destroyed immediately. The Indthalia restaurant at Hindustan Park was using Ajinomoto which can be carcinogenic though the packet with the stuff had FSSAI mark. "It is written in the packet that this should not be consumed by children below 12 years. A restaurant is never in a position to cook food for children with separate ingredients. So I had urged the restaurant authorities not to use Ajinomoto in food for health reasons," Ghosh said. 
He also instructed them to furnish trade licenses inside the restaurant which was not there and had to be brought from a nearby location. The team also visited a number of roadside food stalls and made them aware of the basic food safety standards that should be followed. The team also circulated booklets brought out by the civic body as per food safety standards of FSSAI. 
"During the Puja days, we will focus on the temporary stalls that will be set up in and around the puja pandals. In the next few days, we will cover various leading restaurants across the city," Ghosh said.

KMC rolls out food safety drive ahead of Durga Pujas

KOLKATA: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Wednesday launched a food safety drive ahead of the festive season. According to Atin Ghosh, the member, mayor-in-council overseeing the KMC health the drive would continue till September 26. The civic team on Wednesday conducted a surprise drive in Gariahat and Golpark Park area. After a couple of hours drive, the KMC health department team went back to the headquarters taking note of deplorable conditions of kitchens of three well-known restaurants and inferior quality of food ingredients found in five other eateries. 
Surprisingly, quality of food was found to be satisfactory in the street food stalls. However, the problem with these stalls was - washing utensils with turbid water. "I have asked the health officials to send notices to the owners of some restaurants where the cooks work in an unhygienic condition. We will continue with the drive and spread it across the city in next six days to ensure better quality of food is served during the festive days," Ghosh said.

Viviana Mall becomes first mall in India to conduct FOSTAC training for Food Business Operator as per FSSAI guideline

Viviana Mall, leading destination mall in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is the first mall to organize Food Safety Training & Certification (FOSTAC) has laid down by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India).
The FOSTAC training program will slowly and steadily reach across all food operating businesses in order to make all operators FSSAI compliance
Joint Commissioner (FOOD) Konkan Division, FDA – Thane, Suresh Deshmukh was present during the inauguration along with Assistant Commissioner, (Food), FDA – Thane, Krishna Dabhade, who was one of the trainer training the participants from restaurants and food outlets (29 participants in all).
Assistant Commissioner, (Food), FDA – Thane, Krishna Dabhade, who himself conducted training for Food Business Operators (FBO’s) of the mall said, “The training will help food handlers to gain advanced expertise and adhere to the required guidelines in order to provide clean, hygienic, safe food to the customers. We have launched our mascot Master Sehat and Ms. Sehat as approved by FSSAI of healthy individuals. Through the mascot we aim to reach more than 20 lakh plus food operators and customers in a span of a year.”
In order to align with the future guidelines or policies by FSSAI’s, Viviana Mall organized this training for the food establishments present inside the mall. FOSTAC program developed by FSSAI will help in maintaining hygiene and food safety implementation at food establishments. The FSSAI is looking to introduce a mandatory requirement of having at least one trained and certified Food Safety Supervisor in each Food Service Establishment very soon in near future. Food safety supervisor will be responsible in preparing, processing and serving safe and hygiene food that is being served at that particular food business operator. 
Speaking at the event, Joint Commissioner (FOOD), Konkan division FDA – Thane, Suresh Deshmukh said, “FDA’s main objective is to provide clean, safe and hygienic food and we are glad that Viviana Mall, which witnesses 25, 000 to 30, 000 footfalls every day has become a part of the initiative. To spread awareness about clean and hygienic safe food, we are taking certain steps and we are thankful to Viviana Mall to provide us a platform to kick start our initiative as landmark for rest of the malls in Maharashtra State. Proper certification from FDA would be made mandatory for obtaining license for a food business in the next five – six months.”
Viviana Mall invited all the restaurants and food outlets present inside the mall to be a part of the FOSTAC training program.
CEO, Viviana Mall, Sunil Shroff said, “The mall strives to provide better quality and hygienic food to its patrons and employees in the mall. We aim to proactively make our food establishments FSSAI compliant even before the certification becomes mandatory. Even if one supervisor in a food chain is FSSAI certified, the skills can be passed to other employees too. This shall help food businesses to gain more trust from customers and deepen the brand connect.”
The FOSTAC training program will slowly and steadily reach across all food operating businesses in order to make all operators FSSAI compliance. After assessment participants will be certified as FSS (Food Safety Supervisor) which is valid for 2 years.

42 sacks of gutka, other tobacco products seized, 7 arrested

Coimbatore: Police on Wednesday arrested seven men from Rajasthan, who tried to smuggle 52 sacks of banned tobacco products to the city in three vehicles. 
They were identified as Pawar Lal, Manju Lal, Hanumanth Ram, Dhanuwal Ram, Saleem, Sundar and Dhawal Ram. They had brought the tobacco products, including gutka, from Bengaluru in a truck and two cars, Saravanampatti police sources said. 
"Food safety department officials, who had received a tip-off about tobacco products being brought into the city, were conducting vehicle check at Saravanampatti. They seized 42 sacks of gutka and other products made of tobacco from three vehicles," a police officer said. 
The accused are residents of Ponnairajapuram in the city. Pawar Lal was arrested for the same offence about five months ago at Rathinapuri, the officer said. 
Police booked them under Section 269, 270, 280, 341, 353 and 506 (2) of the Indian Penal Code for negligent and malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life, rash navigation of a vessel as to endanger human life, punishment for wrongful restraint, assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty respectively. The accused have also been booked under Section 7 of the cigarette and other tobacco products Act. 
They were remanded to judicial custody on Wednesday evening.

கடைகளில் திடீர் ஆய்வு: உணவுப்பொருட்களில் கலப்படம் குறித்து ‘வாட்ஸ்அப்’பில் புகார் தெரிவிக்கலாம்

கடைகளில் உணவுப்பொருட்களில் கலப்படம் குறித்து ‘வாட்ஸ் அப்’பில் புகார் தெரிவிக்கலாம் என கலெக்டர் தெரிவித்துள்ளார். 
திருவண்ணாமலை, 
திருவண்ணாமலை அருணாசலேஸ்வரர் கோவிலுக்கு தமிழகத்தில் மட்டும் அல்லாமல் வெளிநாடுகளில் இருந்தும் ஏராளமான பக்தர்கள் வருகின்றனர். பெரும்பாலானவர்கள் பஸ்களில்தான் திருவண்ணாமலைக்கு வருகின்றனர். திருவண்ணாமலை பஸ் நிலையத்தை சுற்றி அதிக அளவில் கடைகள், ஓட்டல்கள் செயல்பட்டு வருகின்றன. இங்கு தரமற்ற மற்றும் காலாவதியான உணவு பொருட்கள் விற்பனை செய்யப்படுவதாக புகார்கள் எழுந்தன.
இதனையடுத்து கலெக்டர் கே.எஸ்.கந்தசாமி நேற்று பஸ் நிலையத்தில் உள்ள கடைகளுக்கு சென்று திடீர் ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டார்.
ஆய்வின்போது டீக்கடைகள், பழக்கடைகளில் காலாவதியான உணவு பொருட்கள் உள்ளதா? ஓட்டல்களில் உள்ள உணவு தரமானதுதானா? என பார்வையிட்டார். சில பொருட்களையும் எடுத்து தயாரிப்பு தேதி உள்ளிட்ட விவரங்களை பார்வையிட்டார். இதில் காலாவதியான மற்றும் தரமற்ற உணவு பொருட்கள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டு சம்பந்தப்பட்ட கடைகளுக்கு அபராதம் விதிக்கப்பட்டது
இதனை தொடர்ந்து அவர் நிருபர்களுக்கு பேட்டி அளித்தார்.
அப்போது அவர் கூறியதாவது:-
உணவுப்பொருட்களில் கலப்படம் என்பது தற்போது பெரிய பிரச்சினையாக கருதப்படுகிறது. தரமற்ற உணவுப்பொருட்களை பொதுமக்கள் வாங்குவதை தடுக்க விழிப்புணர்வு ஏற்படுத்தவும், அவ்வாறு விற்பனை செய்யப்படும் கடைகளுக்கு எச்சரிக்கை விடுக்கும் விதமாகவும் இந்த ஆய்வு மேற்கொள்ளப்பட்டது.
நுகர்வோர்கள் பொருட்கள் வாங்கும் முன்பு அந்த பொருட்கள் தரமானதா? காலாவதியாகி உள்ளதா? என்பதை தெரிந்து கொண்டு வாங்க வேண்டும். கடைகளில் விற்கப்படும் பொருட்களில் குறைபாடுகள் இருந்தால் அது குறித்த புகாரை 94440 -42322 என்ற ‘வாட்ஸ்- அப்’ எண்ணிற்கு புகைப்படமாகவோ, வீடியோ பதிவாகவோ, எழுத்து மூலமாகவோ பதிவு செய்து அனுப்பலாம். மேலும் அதில் எந்த இடத்தில் கடை அமைந்துள்ளது குறித்த விவரத்தையும் தெரிவிக்கலாம். புகார் தெரிவிக்கப்பட்ட 24 மணி நேரத்தில் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும்.
திருவண்ணாமலை பஸ் நிலையத்தில் உள்ள நகராட்சி சுகாதார வளாகத்தை பொதுமக்கள் இலவசமாக பயன்படுத்தும் வகையில் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். மேலும் மாவட்டத்தில் உள்ள அனைத்து பஸ் நிலைய கட்டிடங்களின் உறுதித்தன்மை குறித்து ஆய்வு செய்யப்பட்டு குறைபாடுகள் இருப்பின் நடவடிக்கை எடுக்கப்படும். தரமற்ற உணவுப்பொருட்களை விற்றால் அந்த கடைகளுக்கு அபராதம் மட்டும் இன்றி, கடைக்கு சீல் வைக்கும் நடவடிக்கையும் மேற்கொள்ளப்படும்.
இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார்.
அதிகாரிகள் சோதனையின்போது ஒரு சில கடைகளில் தடைசெய்யப்பட்ட குட்கா போன்ற புகையிலைப்பொருட்கள் விற்பனை செய்யப்பட்டது தெரிய வந்தது. இதையடுத்து அதிகாரிகள் அந்த பொருட்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.
ஆய்வின்போது நகராட்சி கமிஷனர் பாரிஜாதம், மாவட்ட உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் செந்தில்குமார், நகர்நல அலுவலர் வினோத்குமார், நகர உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் காலேஷ்குமார், ஒன்றிய உணவு பாதுகாப்பு அலுவலர் சுப்பிரமணி, சுகாதார ஆய்வாளர் வினோத்கண்ணா உள்பட பலர் கலந்து கொண்டனர்.

DINAKARAN NEWS


DINAKARAN NEWS


DINAKARAN NEWS


Prohibited tobacco products worth Rs.17 lakh seized


DINAKARAN NEWS


DINAMANI NEWS


பெங்களூருவில் இருந்து கோவைக்கு கடத்தப்பட்ட ரூ.15 லட்சம் போதை பாக்கு பாக்கெட்டுகள் பறிமுதல் 7 பேர் கைது

பெங்களூருவில் இருந்து கோவைக்கு கடத்தி வரப்பட்ட ரூ.15 லட்சம் போதை பாக்கு பாக்கெட்டுகள் பறிமுதல் செய்யப்பட்டது. இதுதொடர்பாக தொழில் அதிபர்கள் உள்பட 7 பேரை போலீசார் கைது செய்தனர். 
கோவை,
கோவையில் உள்ள ஒரு வீட்டுக்கு கன்டெய்னர் வேனில் போதை பாக்கு (பான்பராக்) பாக்கெட்டுகள் பெங்களூருவில் இருந்து கடத்தி வரப்பட்டுள்ளதாக போலீசாருக்கு தகவல் கிடைத்தது. உடனே போலீசார் அங்கு சென்று கன்டெய்னர் வேனை திறந்து சோதனை நடத்தினர்.
அதில் குவியல், குவியலாக போதை பாக்கு பாக்கெட்டுகள் இருந்தன. அருகில் நிறுத்தப்பட்டு இருந்த மற்றொரு சிறிய வேனிலும் போதை பாக்கு பாக்கெட்டுகள் காணப்பட்டன.
இதுதொடர்பாக வேன் டிரைவர்களிடம் விசாரணை நடத்திய போது, பெங்களூருவில் இருந்து போதை பாக்கு பாக்கெட்டுகள் கடத்தி வரப்பட்டு கோவை மாவட்டம் முழுவதும் வடமாநில தொழில் அதிபர்கள் சப்ளை செய்து வருவது தெரியவந்தது. பிடிபட்ட போதை பாக்கு பாக்கெட்டுகளின் மொத்த மதிப்பு ரூ.15 லட்சம் ஆகும்.
இதையடுத்து வட மாநில தொழில் அதிபர்கள் பவர்லால் (வயது 40), மஞ்சுலால் (43), டிரைவர்கள் அனுமன்ராம் (21), சானிவால் ராம் (25), சுந்தர் (29), தொழிலாளர்கள் சலீம் (27), சாவாராம் (25) ஆகியோர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டனர். அவர்களிடம் தீவிர விசாரணை நடைபெற்று வருகிறது.
கைதான தொழில் அதிபர் பவர்லால், கோவையில் குடோன் வைத்துள்ளார். சில ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்பு ஒரு கும்பல் இங்கிருந்து போதை பாக்கு பாக்கெட்டுகளை கொள்ளையடித்து சென்றது. இந்த வழக்கின் போது சட்டவிரோதமாக போதை பாக்கு பாக்கெட்டுகளை பதுக்கி வைத்தது தொடர்பாக தன் மீது வழக்குப்பதிவு செய்யாமல் இருக்க, கோவை போலீஸ் துணை கமி‌ஷனராக இருந்த சுகுமார் லஞ்சம் பெற்றதாக லஞ்ச ஒழிப்பு போலீசில் பவர்லால் புகார் செய்தார்.
இது தொடர்பாக சுகுமார் மீது வழக்குப்பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டு கோர்ட்டில் வழக்கு விசாரணை நடைபெற்று வருகிறது என்பது குறிப்பிடத்தக்கது.