FSSAI was on a high drive prior to the Commonwealth Games event, making all types of high decibel claims regarding its "efforts" to make Delhi eateries safe for the international athletes as if these visitors were going to flood these restaurants in droves. While nothing much was heard further regarding the effect of such "strong actions" (at least on paper), the recent reported disappearance of 10 tons of adulterated khoa, the base material used in hundreds of sweetmeat products, under the very nose of the inspection authorities and police personnel speaks "volume" about the toothless nature of this bureaucratic body vested with the task of making food safe for Indian consumers. If such things can happen in Delhi so easily, what about the fate of people living in other places far away from Delhi within India where safety monitoring practices are practically nil.
In a feat that makes Houdini's disappearing acts seem like child's play, 10 tonnes of khoya seized by the department for prevention of food adulteration from the Khoya Mandi near Mori Gate on Wednesday, vanished without a trace within hours of being impounded. All that is left of the largest seizure in the capital of what is suspected to be adulterated khoya, are samples lifted by PFA department officials for testing. Behind the disappearance is a familiar story of callousness and lack of coordination among government agencies. The consignment lay in the open at the mandi's auction site all morning as officials tried to 'persuade' the police to seize it. While the PFA department claims the police refused to take the consignment into their possession despite a written request, the cops say no such request came to them through "official channels". The losers in this battle will surely be consumers in Delhi, as the khoya is likely to find its way into sweets sold during the festival season.
In the above sorry episode, callousness and shirking of responsibility have been cited as reasons but collusion between the adulterators and safety management personnel cannot be ruled out altogether. It is a common knowledge that there are more than 1000 dairies around Delhi distributing adulterated milk to the extent of one lakh liters a day under the very nose of the FSSAI Czar with no one really bothering about its impact on the health of the citizens. The infamous synthetic milk made from urea, detergent and any fat (animal fat or palmoil), invented 15 years ago by a resourceful Haryana milkman is reported to be the most "popular" source for extending natural milk by the fraudsters. Presently dairies with processing capacity less than 75000 liters do not require licensing and therefore are having a free run in the market. One can only hang one's head in shame when the foods consumed every day in this country are blatantly tinkered with such impunity by the "organized" food adulteration "industry" while those vested with protecting the citizens enjoy the comforts of air-conditioned offices in Delhi satisfied with making "stern warnings" periodically!
V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/V.H.POTTY
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com
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