Stomach churning stats
Deccan Chronicle gets down to finding how much of food we eat is safe
By : n. arun kumar
Update: 2015-06-14 05:57 GMT
Chennai: The next time you buy savouries from a shop, beware! According to the state food safety and drug administration (food safety division) statistics, of the 46 samples they analysed in Tamil Nadu in 2014-2015, 80.43 per cent (37) turned out to be either unsafe or sub-standard or were mis-branded. Among the samples tested under FSSA Act, 88.89 per cent of supari, pan masala and gutkha (8 out of 9 tested), 59.64 per cent of packaged drinking water (34 of 57 analysed) and 49 per cent of jam, jelly and dates (37 of 75 examined) were found unsafe, sub-standard or mis-branded.
Food safety department sources said they had conducted checks in several shops, malls and outlets to take samples of different kinds of food items. “It is not that we are conducting checks only because of the Maggi controversy; even before that every year we have been doing it,” the sources said. There are about 500 officers in the food safety department who do checks on a regular basis.
“We don’t get into all shops and collect samples as it may seem like we were harassing them. Instead, our officers check shops which they suspect may have unsafe or sub-standard items,” an official said, adding that the checks would continue. The samples that the officials collect are sent to six food analysis laboratories across Tamil Nadu for examination. If the product turns out to be dangerous or of poor quality, the officials send a show-cause notice to the company seeking an explanation about the findings of the analysis. If the reply is not satisfactory, the officials initiate legal action against the company.
In 2014-2015, 203 persons were convicted of the 550 against whom criminal/civil cases were launched and a total of about Rs 35 lakh penalty was imposed on them.
Officials and consumer activists say that if anybody wants to check their food item they can pay the requisite fee and get it tested in one of the six FSA labs in the state.
Asked for his comments, veteran consumer activist and chairman emeritus of the Consumers Association of India, R. Desikan, said the state government should ensure they seize and stop the sub-standard items from being used. “The authorities should also raid the factory and if they are in the same state, they should be closed; if they are in a different state, the authorities should inform that state for action,” he said.