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FSSAI working on sago regulations in line with order issued by Madras HC
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Friday, 23 December, 2016, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Pushkar Oak, Mumbai
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In line with the order issued to it by the Madras High Court, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is working on regulations for sago and a testing methodology for it. The apex regulator had been ordered to streamline the regulations for sago within two months.
Kalkurichi Vellalapatti Vevasaikal Munnatra Sungam, a body based in Tamil Nadu’s Namakkal district, had filed petitions against the chemically-processed sago being circulated across the country.
R Chandrasekharan, the body’s secretary and the petitioner, stated that FSSAI would finalise the method of analysis later, when the manual was released with the microbiological tresting and analysis of food and would release a government order on January 16, 2017.
The draft regulations issued by FSSAI with regard to the method of analysis stated, “The method of analysis shall be as provided in the relevant FSSAI Manual on Methods of Analysis of Food.”
The Madras High Court had criticised FSSAI for requesting 18 months to streamline the standards for sago and testing methodology for sago. It held that as the safety of consumers was at stake, it could not grant the regulator such a long time.
Addressing a batch of public interest litigations (PIL) seeking scientific testing, the bench, comprising chief justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and justice R Mahadevan, in its order, said, “We fail to appreciate the stand which is now taken before us that FSSAI needs 18 more months to determine the tests, in view of the fact that the scientific panel has been reconstituted.”
Chandrasekharan stated, “As directed by Madras HC, FSSAI issued the draft standards for tapioca or sago. A major part, which deals with testing, is missing in the draft released by FSSAI. The method of analysis of sago is also missing.”
He added that the major concern was to finalise the tests required to ascertain safety parameters which would ensure that the sago is safe.
Hinting at further developments, Chandrasekharan stated, “We will request the court that all the states having testing labs should work to develop the testing parameters and come to conclusions within a time-frame. These parameters will then be analysed and the conclusive parameters will be adopted as final ones.”
Old sago stocks
There are stocks which are still not being tested and are under circulation in the market. “Even the old stocks of sago, which are worth Rs 15 lakhs, need to be addressed. There is a need to ensure that the sago being circulated in the markets is tested, before allowing it entry in the market,” said Chandrasekharan.
“As many states are consumers of sago, safety is at stake. Hence, the Madras HC gave only two months time to come up with the laws,” he added.
In June 2016, several stocks of sago were seized by Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (TNSFDAD), which were under circulation. The officials have been on the vigil to identify such stocks since last year.
Speeding up the law infrastructure
FSSAI has prescribed new norms for tapioca (sago) in the draft released recently. The draft in the regulation for starchy foods under tapioca sago or palm sago stated that it should be free from insect infestation, live and dead insects, dirt, extraneous matter, added colouring matter, visible mould growth, bleaching, whitening agents or optical whiteners, sweetening agents or any other adulterant.”
The draft also stated that the product should comply with the following standards, namely:
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Moisture
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Not
more than 11
per
cent
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Total
ash
(on dry basis)
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Not more than 0.40 per cent
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Acid insoluble ash (on dry basis)
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Not more than 0.10 per cent
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Starch (on dry basis)
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Not less than 98 per cent
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Protein (on dry basis)
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Not more than 0.3 per cent
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Crude fibre (on dry basis)
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Not more than 0.20 per cent
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PH of aqueous extract
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4.5 to 7
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Colour of gelatinised alkaline paste in the porcelain cuvette on
the lovibond scale not deeper than
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0.4R+1.5Y
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Sulphur
dioxide
content
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Not
more than 100
parts per million (ppm)
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In a bid to address the discontent, FSSAI has been streamlining the needed laws for sago to bring in the clarity. It has recently issued a draft fixing limit of the hydrocyanic acid (HCN) under the Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011.
The regulations relating to the crop contaminants and naturally-occurring toxic substances under the draft stated that sago, cassava flour, tapioca flour, manihot flour and their products could have HCN upto 10ppm.
This update ensured that all regulations related to the sago were streamlined before the HC's deadline.
Background
The associations of tapioca farmers have filed several petitions across the state of Tamil Nadu, as the sago procesessing units based in such districts as Erode, Dharmapuri, Namakkal, Salem and two other districts were found to be adulterated by TNFSDAD.
Several petitions filed against adulterated sago was later brought under one case to address at the Madras HC. Earlier, the activists suggested that the Sagoserve, a cooperative society for sago in Tamil Nadu could test the samples for ensuring food safety and quality.
Later, the court identified that FSSAI and its officers would keep a check on the sago processing units to ensure safety.
Now, it is to see whether FSSAI comes up with final regulations in this regards or not. Meanwhile, it has cleared its motto with its drafts issued for stakeholders’ comments which states a period of 30 days.
It passed a message that the regulator was in a hurry to streamline to regulations respecting the court’s orders. The next hearing will be held on January 24, 2017.
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