A three member committee was directed by the NGT to probe the allegations of encroachment by stone crusher units on the river bed of Ganga flowing through Sahibganj in Jharkhand. The committee after visiting the site will submit its report within a period of three weeks. In case violations are …
Mixing of cheap coconut oil with costly edible oils is rampant in south Adulteration is posing a serious threat to the edible oil trade in south India. Mixing of refined coconut oil, made from poor quality copra, with other oils is on the rise. As coconut oil is the cheapest …
>> The Mexican police caught six smugglers with about 57,000 Olive Ridley turtle eggs on August 28 in Oaxaca state. The eggs of this endangered species are part of people's traditional diet and marketed openly despite a ban. >> Tajikistan recently cancelled a Russian contract for the construction of a …
no food adulteration: The Union ministry of health and family welfare has issued draft rules amending the existing Prevention of Food Adulteration rules (1955). The draft, made public on August 14, is open for comments and objection for 60 days. The rules lay down that each package of chewing tobacco …
The food processing industry is only just taking off, says P.N. Kaul, president of the All India Food Processors' Association (aifpa). "We have to think about the industry," he says. "The retail boom demands volumes." The Chordia Food Park near Pune, Kaul says, is the first successful experiment of its …
Vanilla is said to be the world's most popular flavour. Its sweet, mildly fruity, spicy and alluring aroma is considered to be both sensual and calming. Aroma analysts call vanilla the smell of love... ARNAB PRATIM DUTTA travels to the farms of Kerala to find out what is rotten in …
contaminated milk continues to be sold in Maharashtra despite crack-down measures taken by authorities. The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (fda), had, in a study, found that 20 per cent of the milk is adulterated. Though the study prompted immediate action and licences of 21 dairies to be suspended, yet, …
food and environmental safety in the country has been stoked with the centre's decision to ease the quarantine norms for 5.5 million tonnes of imported wheat. The first tender for this was released on February 20 this year; the latest on September 5. Three union ministries have bent rules to …
Following the us government's announcement that an illegal and untested genetically modified strain had contaminated its conventional long-grain rice, the European Commission has stopped its import. While Japan has suspended imports, the 25-nation European Union has placed strict limits saying the grain will not be allowed unless it is certified …
Pesticide residue norms: Cola majors yet to clean up their act, govt drags its feet. Sunita Narain, the feisty director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), likens her campaign against pesticide levels in India's soft drinks to "a dog with a bone that it is determined not to …
When Parliament convenes for the monsoon session, the government plans to introduce the Food Safety and Standards Bill, 2005. I am sure the government will hope there is enough mayhem to distract the attention of legislators from the bill, which has been crafted carefully to weaken consumer protection in the …
in a major step towards checking adulteration in soft drinks, the Drinks and Carbonated Beverages Sectional Committee (fad 14) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (bis) has decided to segregate soft drinks as a separate category for setting final product standards. The decision was taken in the tenth meeting of …
An Act to make provision for prevention of adulteration of the food. This Act may be called the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954. It extends to the whole of India. It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, …
the Joint Parliamentary Committee (jpc) has finally delivered its verdict. Affirming that the Centre for Science and Environment's (cse) findings about the presence of pesticide residues in aerated water were correct, the panel dismissed as hot air soft drink manufacturers' claims that their products are safe. It was cse which …
the soft drink episode has apparently made the authorities wise up to the need for hard resolve. On August 26, 2003, the Union ministry of health and family welfare (mohfw) issued a draft notification amending the Prevention of Food Adulteration (pfa) Rules, 1955, to give them more teeth. The proposed …
It is interesting how the coalitions of the willing and the wanting shift in this world. When it comes to negotiations on ecological globalisation - conventions from climate change to biodiversity protection - the powers almost always align as follows: on one side, the US flanked by its partners (Japan, …
governments in India seem to have a knack of jumping off the deep end, taking little care to first get their homework right. If the recent decision to ratify the multilateral Cartegena protocol on biosafety (cpb) (see also) without first ensuring a strong domestic legislation on import of genetically modified …
A yummy scoop of ice-cream may be the best way to beat the heat. But some unpalatable facts about the standards being adhered to by ice- cream makers may raise dollops of doubts about the frozen delight. According to a recent study by Consumer Education and Research Society (cers), Ahmedabad, …
