Sea Cherry Mackerel Sowkar (In brine) : Playing the 'Ban' and 'Lift' card
Directorate, Secretariat differ on food safety rules
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 10 2013: As far as implementation of the Food Safety and Standard Act is concerned, the Health Directorate and Health Department Secretariat are not on the same footing.

The latter has allegedly threw down all the laid down rules and procedures in the gutter in this particular case.

Sea Cherry Mackerel Sowkar (In Brine) manufactured/packaged by M/S Sowkar Canning Company, Udyavara 574, Karnataka was banned on March 25 this year for not complying with the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and its rules and regulations.

The ban was lifted by an order issued by the Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) who is also the Food Safety Commissioner on November 30 .

An independent investigation conducted by The Sangai Express to study on what grounds the ban was lifted revealed differences in the perspectives of Health Directorate officials and Health Department Secretariat with regard to the rules and mandatory provisions of the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 .

File pic of Sea Cherry Mackerel canned fish put on sale at a store

The reason cited by the Food Safety Commissioner in the November 30 order for lifting the ban was not fully comprehensible within the gamut of the Act.

To check whether a food product is complying with the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and Its Rules and Regulations 2011, it sample should be sent to NABL (Accredited Food Testing Laboratories) notified by the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standard Authority of India) .

According to this provision, samples of suspected food products should be sent either to the Mitra SK Private Limited, Kolkata or the Export Inspection Agency Lab, Kolkata.

Notably, Sea Cherry Mackerels Sowkar (In Brine) was banned in Manipur in accordance with the sample test results given by the Mitra SK Private Limited, Kolkata.

However, the order for the lifting the ban was issued based on the test result given by the laboratory of College of Fisheries, Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University.

According to rules, for all products found suspect in Manipur, their samples are to be sent to the two Kolkata based laboratories.

As such, it is highly questionable why the particular food sample was sent to the Karnataka based laboratory for the particular food produced (canned fish) was manufactured by Karnataka based Sowkar Canning Company.

Before lifting the ban, the Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) wrote a letter to the Health Directorate on July 17, 2013 seeking the Directorate's opinion on the matter.

In its response sent on July 27, the Directorate maintained that the Sea Cherry Mackerel Sowkar manufactured by Sowkar Canning Company was not only unfit for human consumption but also did not comply with mandatory provision 2.2.2(8) of the Food Safety and Standard (Packaging and Labelling) Regulations 2011 .

The Health Directorate's letter further pointed out that the particular brand of canned fish was manufactured in unhygienic manner with the sole motive of earning profit.

The canned fish when tested in a laboratory notified by FSSAI, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was found containing excessive quantities of yeast and mould which are harmful to health.

The department cannot make any compromise on the matter for consumption of the particular brand of canned fish would be harmful to the people's health, asserted the director's letter.

However, in spite of the Directorate's succinct negative opinion, the Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) issued the order and allowed marketing of the particular brand of canned fish in Manipur.

For re-introduction of the canned fish after it was banned completely in Manipur, the manufacturer/company should first filed an application to the Health Directorate, Manipur along with an assurance that their food product fully complies with the Food Safety and Standard Act 2006 and its rules and regulations.

The company should also provide a sample for necessary laboratory test.

Then the Directorate should sent the sample to a qualified laboratory and its officials should also visit the company's units where the canned fish is manufactured.

Only when it is confirmed that the manufacturing unit and its product fully comply with the mandatory provisions of the Act, the ban may be lifted.

But what was done in the case of Sea Cherry Mackerel Sowker (In Brine) was not in line with the general procedure.

The ban was lifted after skipping all the laid down procedures.