Nov 13, 2017

Doctor push for salt content in food labels

CHENNAI: In two weeks, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is planning to put out a draft of the revised food labels, which will include sodium along with other nutritional facts such as carbohydrates, fats, and sugar, FSSAI scientist Anitha Makhijani said at a conference in the city on Friday.
She expected to see smiling faces and hear an applause from senior doctors, scientists and public health experts, who were lobbying for stringent rules that force food manufacturers to reduce salt in their products. But most of them expressed discontent. "It should be salt and not sodium," argued UK-based Dr Graham Macgregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine at the Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine. Macgregor has campaigned for regulations for low salt food in countries like the UK, Canada, and Australia.
Until now, FSSAI has said packaged foods can volunteer to display nutritional facts. A few products that list salt usually report it as sodium per 100g. Sodium in food must be multiplied by 2.4 to get the salt in it. "Britain had sodium on food labels more than two decades ago. They changed it to salt because no one knew what they were eating," he said.
Legislations in the UK have been able to bring down average daily salt intake by citizens from 11g to 9g in the past decade. "There is a 40% reduction and most people did not know that their food has lesser salt. But we have seen a 25% reduction in health spending due to high blood pressure and its complications," he said.
At a conference organised by the Sapiens Foundation and scientists from Indian Institute of Technology Madras, experts brainstormed strategies for action against salt with officials of FSSAI, experts from WHO and other international experts. Studies show Indians consume up to 10.98g of salt every day against the WHO recommendation of 5g. High intake of salt can increase blood pressure and cause stroke and diseases of the heart and kidney.
Makhijani said the FSSAI will consider making modifications to the rules. "As of now, declaration of nutritional facts are not mandatory. Rules will have to be amended for that," he said. Chief nephrologist at Sapiens Foundation Dr Rajan Ravichandran said the aim is to reduce salt intake by at least 2g in the next five years. "We want all food products to list the amount of table salt, besides preservatives like sodium bicarbonate. If the product uses above the prescribed level, it should be labelled red and those below should be labelled green," he said.
WHO deputy director Soumya Swaminathan said research on salt will help organisations like the Indian Council of Medical Research push for policies that will help the country bring down the incidence of non-communicable diseases. "It's the need of the hour," she said.

Use of chemicals in preserving fish: HRC directs govt depts to form joint task force

Thiruvananthapuram: The human rights commission has directed food safety, health and fisheries departments to jointly form a task force to check the use of chemicals in the preservation of fish. The commission said that the task force should conduct frequent inspections.
Commission acting chairman P Mohanadas said that the departments must ensure that public gets quality fish.
The commission asked departments to make sure that inspections are carried out in all fish markets and ports in the district and constantly take samples for testing. "Corporations and panchayats have to jointly organize awareness campaigns as a second phase of Operation Sagar Rani, which was conducted in February to check use of chemicals in fish," the commission said. "Hoardings against use of chemicals must be erected in places of sale. Handbooks and notices must be provided against use of chemicals," he said.
The commission was considering the petition of Manu C Mathew, C J Johnson and Ajith against use of chemicals in fish.
When commission sought report from food safety department, it confirmed presence of chemicals in fish. In the inspection during Sagar Rani, food safety department has found use of formalin in ice, which is used to preserve fish. Also sodium benzoate too was found to be used in preservation of fish.
In the inspections conducted along with marine police, the food safety department has taken samples for testing. It found presence of formalin in 15 samples and sodium benzoate in 5 samples.
Sources at the food safety department said that it was difficult to catch the real culprits in such cases. "Mostly, the chemical treatment happens in the auction centres or by wholesale dealers. Only the retail fish vendors will be nabbed," sources said.
"We cannot say use of chemicals in rampant. But use of chemicals is seen mostly when fishermen get good catch. They will keep some for future use after treating with chemicals. They also lack proper preservation methods like use of refrigerator," said food safety officials.

Govt asked to check contamination of fish

Stress on mechanism to test samples
The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has issued directions to the Government to crackdown on the widespread use of chemicals for preservation of fish.
Acting on petitions filed by Manu C. Mathew, C.J. Johnson and Ajith, the commission urged the Government to constitute a task force comprising officials from the departments of Food Safety, Health and Fisheries to carry out periodic inspections at fish markets.
Highlighting the need to keep a constant tab on fish markets at the district, panchayat and taluk levels, acting chairman of the commission P. Mohandas called for a mechanism to collect and test samples at regular intervals.
He stressed the need for a public awareness campaign against the use of chemicals for preservation of fish.
The commission was earlier informed by the Food Safety Commissioner that chemical contamination had been noticed in the fish brought to Kerala from other States.
Ice factories supplying to fish markets were found to be mixing formalin and sodium benzoate was also being used as a preservative.
The department also informed the Commission that inspection of fish markets in coastal areas had been stepped up with the help of the Marine Police.
Observing that the recommendations of the Lok Ayukta to check chemical contamination of fish had not been implemented, the Commission urged the government to take strong steps for the purpose.

DINAKARAN NEWS


DINAKARAN NEWS


DINAKARAN NEWS


DINAKARAN NEWS


DINAKARAN NEWS


DINAKARAN NEWS


சேலத்தில் குட்கா, ஹான்ஸ் விற்பனை இல்லை: போலீஸ் சோதனையால் வியாபாரிகள் முடிவு

சேலம்: சேலத்தில், குட்கா, ஹான்ஸ் விற்பவர்களை போலீசார் கைது செய்து வருவதால், அவற்றை விற்பனை செய்வது இல்லை என, வியாபாரிகள் முடிவு செய்துள்ளனர். 
சேலம் போலீஸ் கமிஷனராக சங்கர், அக்.,11ல் பொறுப்பேற்றது முதல், தடை செய்யப்பட்ட லாட்டரி, கஞ்சா, குட்கா, ஹான்ஸ் ஆகியவற்றின் விற்பனையை முற்றிலும், ஒழிக்க இன்ஸ்பெக்டர்கள், உதவி கமிஷனர்களுக்கு உத்தரவு பிறப்பித்தார். இதையடுத்து, அக்.,20 முதல் நேற்று வரை, 250 வியாபாரிகள் மீது வழக்குபதிவு செய்யப்பட்டுள்ள நிலையில், 50 பேர் கைது செய்யப்பட்டுள்ளனர். அம்மாபேட்டை இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் நாகராஜன், மாணவர்களிடம் குட்கா விற்பனை செய்ததாக, நான்கு பேரை அம்மாபேட்டை இன்ஸ்பெக்டர் நாகராஜன் சிறார் நீதிச் சட்டத்தின் கீழ், ஜாமினில் வெளியே வராதபடி கைது செய்தார். இது, வியாபாரிகள் மத்தியில் பீதியை ஏற்படுத்தியது. இதையடுத்து, போலீஸ் அதிரடியால், சேலம் நகரின் பல இடங்களில் உள்ள சிறிய மளிகை, டீ கடைகளில் குட்கா, ஹான்ஸ் விற்பனை செய்வது இல்லை என்று அறிவிப்பு பலகை வைத்துள்ளனர்.
சேலம் மளிகை வியாபாரிகள் சங்கத் தலைவர் பெரியசாமி கூறியதாவது: போலீசாரின் நடவடிக்கைக்கு, வியாபாரிகள் ஒத்துழைப்பு தர வேண்டும். ஹான்ஸ், குட்கா பொருட்களை விற்பனை செய்ய வேண்டாம். அதையும் மீறி விற்பனை செய்தால், போலீஸ் எடுக்கும் நடவடிக்கையில், சங்கம் தலையிடாது. இவ்வாறு அவர் கூறினார். வியாபாரிகளின் இந்த அறிவிப்பு, போலீஸ் அதிகாரிகள் மத்தியில் வரவேற்பை ஏற்படுத்தி உள்ளது.