Narendra Singh Tomar has issued a call for food safety on the occasion of World Food Safety Day. Tomar, the Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Food Processing Industries in the Union Cabinet, highlighted that “the current global pandemic has drawn our attention to issues related to food security such as sanitation, antimicrobial resistance, climate […]
food poisoning
Unsafe food: FSSAI urges crackdown
Sounding concerns about the prevalence of unsafe food in the country, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is seeking a sharp reduction. FSSAI chairman Pawan Kumar Aggarwal, speaking at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event, drew attention to “very low” public confidence in Indian foodstuffs. Aggarwal drew attention to a survey […]
“Water Aunties”: A boon to rural India?
Water in India’s rural locations is often a risky business. Could “water aunties” be a solution? In areas where sewage systems are either non-existent, dysfunctional or in a state of disrepair, open defecation is still common. Water is often sourced from groundwater supplies and contamination is simply a fact of life. Outbreaks of diseases such […]
A major step towards food safety in India
The country’s apex food regulator is taking a major step towards improving food safety and hygiene standards in India. As the Centre launches a large-scale campaign to promote healthy eating in India, it has been announced that 1.7 lakh inspectors have been trained by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over a […]
Toxic vegetables being sold in Delhi: Study
Beware! Chances are high that the vegetables you are eating in the national capital contain high levels of lead. According to a study conducted by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), vegetables grown on the Yamuna floodplains contain high doses of lead, leading to high risk to the public. Prolonged consumption of such toxic […]
Food delivery: Punjab notifies hygiene standards
The luxury of ordering food online is one Punjab is looking to make safer with new guidelines aimed at food delivery services. Delivery companies including Swiggy, Uber Eats and Zomato are required to display the hygiene ratings of eateries they are associated with as a prerequisite for delivering food from them. “The onus of ensuring […]
More to food poisoning in Karnataka than first met the eye
Authorities have said the deadly mass poisoning of food at a temple in Karnataka last week was not the result of a lapse in sanitation. Rather, it was the result of something much more sinister. Police in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka have booked four people on suspicion of deliberately poisoning prasada offered to worshippers […]
Food poisoning in Karnataka highlights a national problem
An incident at a temple in Karnataka has spotlighted one of India’s major public health issues when it comes to infectious disease: food poisoning. More than 130 worshippers at a temple in the Chamarajanagar district became sick after eating food offered during the service. Eleven people died and eight are in critical condition at the […]
Food poisoning in schools: lapses in sanitation
An outbreak of food poisoning in a Mumbai school has brought the dangers of the condition to the public’s attention. The incident involved sixteen private school children and a teacher in Sahyadri Vidya Mandir in suburban Bhandup. They were were admitted to hospital in Mulund and placed under observation for 24 hours. This is not […]
Food poisoning is the second most common infectious outbreak in India
Food poisoning was the second most common cause of infectious disease outbreak in India in 2017. The IDSP says milk has been found to be one of the most common contaminated products in these cases. Out of 1,649 disease outbreaks reported till December 3 last year, 242 were due to food poisoning, according to data […]