Nagaland Food Safety Cell comes down on sellers of:
• Bottled water without BIS certificate
• Misbranded & substandard food articles
• Adulterated powdered spices
• Fruits artificially ripened with Carbide gas
• Fish and crustaceans treated with formalin
DIMAPUR, JUNE 22 (MExN): The Food Safety Cell of the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare has issued a slew of notifications intimating traders in the state with regard to food safety standards.
The notifications, issued by the Nagaland State Food Safety Commissioner, I Himato Zhimomi pointed to trade practices against food safety regulations and cautioned traders against the same.
In one of the notifications, the FSC stated that certain food business operators are selling 20L/1L of packaged drinking water without obtaining BIS Certification of the FSSAI. This, it stated is liable to be penalized, punishable with imprisonment and fine under Section 52 and 63 of the said Act.
Further, it was reported that food business operators both whole and retail sellers are selling misbranded/sub-standards, imported food articles coming from neighboring countries which is harmful for human consumption.
The FSC therefore prohibited the manufacture, expose for sale offer for sale, store for sale or distribution of above the mentioned food articles in Nagaland State with immediate effect.
“Non-compliance hereinafter would be an offence, punishable, imprisonment with fine under the said Act,” it cautioned. The public have also been asked not to purchase such articles, check the quality and report any information on food adulteration. Meanwhile, the designated officers have been directed to carry out inspection and submit action taken report to the FSC.
Another notification brought to light that certain food business operators are selling powdered spices adulterated with artificial non-edible colours and also using Carbide Gas for artificially repining of fruits. The FSC prohibited “powdered spices containing foreign substances, offer for sale, store for sale, distribution for sale and sale of powdered spices in loose form, except under packed conditions with proper labels with immediate effect in the State.” It also prohibited the use of Carbide Gas for artificially ripening of fruits with immediate effect in the State.
Non- compliance hereafter would be punishable with imprisonment and fine, it cautioned. In another notification, the FSC said that several fish vendors have been found selling fresh fish products including Crustaceans treated with formalin which is highly toxic and injurious to health.
“As per Regulations 9.1 of Food Safety Standards (Food Products Standards & Food Addictives) Regulation 2011, the term ‘fresh’ refers to fish and fish products including Crustaceans that are untreated except for refrigeration, storage on ice, or freezing upon catching at sea or in lakes or other bodies of water in order to prevent decomposition and spoilage,” the FCS pointed out.
It added that distribution, storage and sale of fresh fish products treated with formalin or other forms of preservatives render the article of “unsafe”.
Therefore, the FCS prohibited storage, distribution or sale of fresh fish products including Crustaceans treated with formalin or other forms of preservatives in the State of Nagaland for a period of 3 months or till corrective measures are taken with immediate effect.
Failure to comply with the provision of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Notification will attract penalties upto Rs.10,00,000 with imprisonment.
On site tests to be conducted on fish & crustaceans from June 23
Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 22
The caution from the Nagaland Health department with regard to detection of formalin in fish sold here would come as a shocker to consumers in Nagaland. However, the use of formalin as a chemical preservative by unscrupulous fish traders has come to be reported from across the country over the years.
Nagaland Food Safety Commissioner, Himato Zhimomi when contacted for further details said that random samples from across the state were collected and tested. “We found that many of the samples contained traces of formalin,” he said. He did not specify the source of origin of the detected contaminated fish.
The bulk of Nagaland’s ‘fresh’ fish imports come from the mainland, mostly from Andhra Pradesh, and some from Assam. According to Zhimomi, sellers here were likely aware of the use of chemical preservatives but still continued selling.
Asked whether the notification also implies ban on sale of fish, he said, “This is a formal notification not banning.” Stating that the order prohibits the storage and sale of contaminated fish and crustaceans with immediate effect, he informed that Food Safety personnel will begin on-field checking/testing of fish and crustaceans sold in the market from June 23 across the state.
Action deemed fit as specified in the Food Safety law will be initiated on traders found flouting the order, he added.
