Source:timesofindia.indiatimes.com
The packaged water and milk, that you buy assuming it is safe and of good quality, may not necessarily be so. Around 28% samples of packaged drinking and mineral water and about 23% milk samples tested during 2014-15 were found violating food safety standards and norms, government data shows.
“Some instances of sale of mineral water or packaged drinking water not conforming to the standards prescribed under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSAI), 2006 and Regulations thereunder and unlicensed packaged water, have come to the notice of FSSAI,” health minister JP Nadda told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
Out of 2977 and 806 packaged water samples tested during 2013-14 and 2014-15 respectively, 577 and 226 were found to be not conforming to the standards prescribed under the FSSAI Act.
Replying to another question on adulterated milk, Nadda said out of 6649 samples analysed in 2014-15, 1559 were found to be not conforming to the prescribed standard under the FSSAI Act.
In June last year, TOI had reported that the food safety regulator sounded a countrywide alert on adulteration of food commodities and asked all states to “increase surveillance activities” with a special focus on milk, packaged drinking water and edible oils.
FSSAI had also asked food commissioners across the country to collect more samples of these products and send them for comprehensive testing.
“The Secretary Department of Health and Family Welfare has requested the Chief Secretaries of all states/UTs to issue instructions to administrative and police authorities to extend all possible cooperation to the food safety authorities in carrying out surveillance activities to check food adulteration and manufacture/sale of sub-standards food item,” Nadda said.
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