Latest news with #FoodSafetyandStandards
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
489 convicted for food adulteration in 3 months
Jaipur: In the first quarter of the financial year 2025-26, as many as 489 people have been convicted by courts for food adulteration, and only 10 acquitted, out of 499 such cases decided, according to health department's official figures. In the previous financial year (2024-25), health department filed 3,141 cases related to food adulteration in courts across the state, in which the courts acquitted just 30 accused, while the rest were convicted for food adulteration. In the first quarter of the current financial year, the department conducted 3,432 inspections against the target of 2,820 inspections. In 2024-25, the department had conducted 13,613 inspections against a target of 11,160. A health department official said, "We are continuously conducting inspections of food establishments. Upon food samples failing safety tests, we are presenting the cases to courts." Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently praised the state for efforts to prevent adulteration through sampling actions and public awareness campaigns. The ongoing campaign against adulteration in the state has increased public awareness and is effectively curbing adulteration, it noted. However, the concern is the pendency of cases that still have to be filed in courts. In April, May, and June this year, the department filed 998 cases but is yet to file 1,583 cases related to food adulteration and other violations of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006. In Jaipur alone, 297 cases are yet to be filed in courts. FSSAI has emphasised the importance of concluding adjudication cases within 90 days of the first hearing of the case, as mandated by the FSS Act 2006. From April 2024 to March 2025, 18,213 food samples were collected in the state. Among these, 863 were found unsafe, 3,734 substandard, and 131 misbranded.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
FSSAI Advocates for Swift Action Against Food Adulteration in Rajasthan, ETHospitalityWorld
'Samples of commonly consumed food items such as ghee, milk, paneer, and spices should be collected regularly, and the related cases must be disposed of promptly,' said the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), G Kamala Vardhana Rao, while addressing state food safety officials during a State review meeting held in Jaipur, Rajasthan. He stressed the need for speeding up the process of the establishment of Food Safety Laboratory at Bikaner and assured FSSAI's support. Further, the CEO appreciated the proactive efforts of the Rajasthan government in promoting food safety and combating food adulteration. He also directed officials to ensure continuous monitoring to strengthen enforcement while emphasising the need for prompt disposal of pending food adulteration cases. Advt Advt During the review, Rao assessed efforts being undertaken under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006 to prevent adulteration, including pending legal cases, manpower deployment, and other critical importance of concluding adjudication within 90 days of the first hearing of the case, as mandated by the FSS Act 2006 was also discussed in the meeting. The meeting was attended by Additional District Magistrates of various districts who are responsible and appointed as adjudication officers for handling food adulteration related CEO took stock of the vacant Food Safety Officer (FSO) positions in the state and advised that these be filled at the Food Safety Commissioner of Rajasthan, H. Guite, presented a detailed overview of food safety operations and upcoming food safety campaigns, particularly during the festive season and shared progress executive director of Regulatory Compliance Division, Satyen Kumar Panda and director, Rakesh Kumar, also addressed the meeting and shared strategic guidance for effective enforcement of the FSS Act 2006. The meeting was attended by Chief Medical and Health Officers, all Food Safety Officers who attended online and offline from various districts, along with other senior meeting concluded with a unified resolve by both central and state authorities to strengthen collaboration, enhance regulatory enforcement and food safety compliance throughout the state. By , ETHospitalityWorld Join the community of 2M+ industry professionals. Subscribe to Newsletter to get latest insights & analysis in your inbox. All about ETHospitalityWorld industry right on your smartphone! Download the ETHospitalityWorld App and get the Realtime updates and Save your favourite articles.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
FSSAI wants faster establishment of food safety lab in Bikaner
Jaipur: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ( FSSAI ) Wednesday stressed the need to speed up the establishment of a food safety laboratory in Bikaner and assured FSSAI's support for this purpose. FSSAI chief executive officer G Kamala Vardhana Rao held a meeting with health department officials in Jaipur. He appreciated the efforts of the state govt in promoting food safety and combating food adulteration. He also directed officials to ensure continuous monitoring to strengthen enforcement while emphasising the need for the prompt disposal of pending food adulteration cases. "Samples of commonly consumed food items such as ghee, milk, paneer, and spices should be collected regularly, and the related cases must be disposed of promptly," said Rao while addressing state food safety officials during a state review meeting held in Jaipur. During the review, Rao said FSSAI assessed efforts being undertaken under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006, to prevent adulteration, including pending legal cases, manpower deployment, and other critical aspects. The importance of concluding adjudication within 90 days of the first hearing of the case, as mandated by the FSS Act 2006, was also discussed in the meeting. The meeting was attended by additional district magistrates of various districts who are responsible and appointed as adjudication officers for handling food adulteration-related cases. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cách giao dịch ETH/USD mà không cần nắm giữ Ether IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo The CEO took stock of the vacant food safety officer (FSO) positions in the state and advised that these be filled at the earliest. The state's food safety commissioner, H Guite, presented a detailed overview of food safety operations and upcoming food safety campaigns, particularly during the festive season, and shared progress updates.
Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Health
- Indian Express
FSSAI ‘voluntary' rule prompts Pune sweet shops to stop displaying expiry dates on items, poses health risks
Many sweet shops in Pune have stopped displaying information such as manufacturing date, best-before date, and even price tags on their mithai, leaving consumers unable to judge the freshness and quality of the product. This shift comes after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) made date labelling voluntary for loose sweets in November 2023, reversing a 2020 mandate that required such information. The lack of transparency has raised health concerns, especially after Pune's iconic Good Luck Cafe's licence was suspended temporarily last Sunday over hygiene issues following the detection of a glass piece in a bun maska. 'Sweets, especially milk-based ones, have a limited shelf life and are prone to microbial growth. Consuming expired or stale sweets can lead to food poisoning, headaches, vomiting, gastrointestinal problems, and other digestive issues,' says Dr Neha Patil, a medical practitioner residing at Akurdi. 'Earlier in 2020, after the FSSAI mandate, it became easy to choose mithai based on its freshness. Now, except for a few, in the majority of the sweet shops, the 'best-before date' information is not mentioned. Moreover, even the price tags are missing in many places. This deprives consumers of the ability to make informed choices about the freshness and quality of the sweets they are purchasing,' said Rohan Jadhav, a resident of Dange Chowk. The Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011, introduced the provision of the 'best-before date'. The 2011 regulations were replaced by the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations in 2020. But the mandate was made 'voluntary' from November 2023 after the FSSAI decided that the scientific panel needs to deliberate further on the declarations of dates on non-packaged or loose products. Since then, the sweet shop owners are rarely seen displaying the said information, affecting transparency and health risk. When asked about the date display, Kumar (name changed), a sweet shop owner from Nigdi, said, 'As per the revised decision, it is now as per our will to mention manufacturing and best-before date. The FDA officials also rarely ask us about the same, so we decided to remove the information from the tags.'
Indian Express
16-07-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
‘Pesticide in biscuit sample': Karnataka HC quashes criminal proceedings against Hindustan Unilever CEO
The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings lodged against Hindustan Unilever CEO and managing director Rohit Jawa after a biscuit sample was allegedly found to contain pesticide. The order, passed on July 3 by a bench consisting of Justice J M Khazi, was made publicly available recently. The court said, '…in the present case, the company is not arraigned as an accused, and therefore the petitioner, who is the sole accused, cannot be proceeded against.' It, however, stated that a fresh complaint could be filed by implicating the company too, as the initial complaint did not name it. The grievance in this regard was filed by a food safety officer in 2023, under provisions of the Food and Safety Standards Act, based on the discovery that a sample of Horlicks biscuits from a supermarket in Bengaluru contained the pesticide Chlorpyrifos beyond the safe limits. In India, Horlicks is owned by Unilever. Jawa's counsel argued that the tests prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations were not applicable to finished products such as biscuits. It was also pointed out that the company (Hindustan Unilever) was not named in the case, and as per the law, the CEO was not the manufacturer. Hence, the trial judge should not have taken cognizance of the matter. On the other hand, the opposing government counsel argued that the MD was responsible for the company's business. He added that in the event that the proceedings are quashed because the company was not named as an accused in the complaint, liberty ought to be granted to file a fresh petition and implead the company. Allowing the petitioner to do so, the high court subsequently stated, '…the criminal proceedings against the accused are liable to be quashed…the complainant is at liberty to file a fresh complaint by implicating the company also, and thereafter proceed further.'
