Regulatory compliance Newsletter July 2019

Why farm to fork ?

Everything from farm to fork

provides a food system in a

community food system in which

food production, processing,

distribution and consumption

are integrated to enhance the

environment, economic, social

and nutritional health of a partic-

ular place.

The concept of community food

systems is sometimes used with

"local" or "regional" food sys-

tems, it represents a defined

approach to building a food sys-

tem, which maintains a stability -

economic, environmental and

Social as a long-term goal that

a community strives.

Toys/Gifts inside Food

Products

FSSAI has issued a letter to all

States to enforce and discour-

age the practice of toys/gifts

inside food products as these

toys can be ingested acci-

dentally.

Moreover, the toy/gift should not resemble the food product inside package as well

FSSAI to adopt scientific methods

for food safety evaluation

Jul 27 2019,

With the advent of global food supply chains, there is a growing list of novel ingre-

dients and food additives that need safety assessment

The food regulator says there is an urgent need to drive improvements in efficiency

and effectiveness of overall food system

New Delhi: Country’s apex food regulator the Food Safety and Standards Authority

of India (FSSAI) is deliberating new scientific developments and emerging ap-

proaches for food safety evaluations in order to address food security related chal-

lenges in the country.

Given the triple challenges of food safety, food security and nutritional security

faced by India, there is an urgent need to drive improvements in efficiency and effec-

tiveness of overall food system, the FSSAI said on Friday.

“India faces major challenges where 1.3 billion population is vulnerable to both un-

der nutrition and over nutrition whilst facing several food safety concerns. Food se-

curity and food safety are very much interdependent," said Rita Teaotia, Chairper-

son, FSSAI.

“There is a critical need to aggressively adopt and integrate new next generation

scientific methods and concepts and leapfrog country capabilities soon as these will

contribute to the objective of reducing crop losses and food waste and increasing

access to safe food are achieved," she said.

With the advent of global food supply chains, there is a growing list of novel ingre-

dients and food additives that need safety assessment.

As an endeavor to promote latest advances in food safety and food security, Confed-

eration of Indian Industry (CII) and Hindustan Unilever (HUL) Initiative on Food

Safety Sciences (CHIFSS) in partnership with FSSAI organized its 6th Stakeholder

Forum on “Scientific Advances in Food Safety and Food Security" on Friday.

Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)- Indian Institute of Toxicology

Research Director Alok Dhawan highlighted the critical importance of timely adop-

tion of next generation science based, risk based, objective safety evaluation ap-

proaches, application of sensors and diagnostic techniques into regulatory frame-

works to keep pace with developed world.

He also emphasized the need to focus on the origin of food supply chain, which will

help deliver safe foods to the consumers.

FSSAI moves to check food wastage in restaurants Jul 21 2019,

India’s food safety regulator is drafting rules to check food wastage at restaurants

and social events such as weddings.

NEW DELHI: India’s food safety regulator is drafting rules to check food wastage

at restaurants and social events such as weddings. The regulations, which will deal

with issues ranging from hygiene to transportation of the leftover food, will be final-

ized soon and then be notified. Any violation of the norms will be discouraged by

provisions for heavy fines of up to RS 5 lakh, said officials in the Food Safety and

Standards Authority of India. The draft policy suggests that food controllers in states

be responsible for checking instances of major food wastage.

“Food wastage in India is rampant and it is

a careless practice that needs to stop,” said an

FSSAI official. “These rules will tell states

what can be done to prevent such wastage

and what is to be done to make the best use

of large amounts of leftover food. We will

ask the states to adopt the policy at the earliest. “The policy is likely to recommend

that all event organisers and caterers register themselves with NGOs to manage the

surplus and leftover food for distribution among the underprivileged. It will also say

that food preparation should be according to the number of guests.

“If the food is surplus due to lower turnout of guests and the resultant low consump-

tion, then it will be the responsibility of the organizer of the wedding or any other

function to remove that food from the social function site immediately as per the

proposed norms,” an official said. The regulations are coming on the heels of the

Delhi government preparing a draft policy to keep a check on wastage of food at

social events in the national capital.

heavy fine : The regulations, which will deal with issues ranging from hygiene to

transportation of the leftover food, will be finalized soon and then be notified. Any

violation of the norms will be discouraged by provisions for heavy fines of up to 5

lakh, said officials in the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Food con-

trollers to play active role

Newsletter FSSAI’s proposed

color-coded labelling

will help in easy

identification of

unhealthy foods

Red-color coding on the

product labels and front-of-

the pack labelling are key

proposals

The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has said that the draft labelling regula-tions proposed by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) will enable consumers identify unhealthy foods high in fats, sugar or salt. The FSSAI, which released the draft for public consulta-tion last month, proposes to make it mandatory for pack-aged food companies to de-clare the quantity of salt, add-ed sugar, saturated fats, transfats and cholesterol on their labels. Red-color coding on the product labels if salt, sugar and saturated fat con-tent is beyond a certain threshold level and front-of-the pack labelling are other key proposals in the draft reg-ulations. In a statement, CSE Director-General Sunita Narain said: “This is a big step, which will enable people identify un-healthy foods that are high in fats, sugar or salt. It should help to contain the growing incidence of obesity and non-communicable diseases.” The proposed front-of-the-pack label will depict infor-mation on number of calories and the quantity of salt. Mandatory content labelling

The label will also include how much of the RDA (recommended dietary allow-

ance) is exhausted by eating one serving of the food.

Micro plastics, an invisible danger to human health Jul 21 2019,

Indians consume 11 kg of plastic products in various forms every year, ac-cording to industry estimates

Plastics — the wonder material known for its durability, stability and afford-

ability — has become a major environmental challenge in recent years. This

pervasive nature of plastic in environment has led to its entry in the human

body, posing a threat to human health.

With over 400 million tons of plastic production globally every year, the

plastic still remains a choice for industries such as cosmetics, food packag-

ing, utensils etc. Much of the waste plastic ends up in dump yards and also

gets accumulated in water bodies.

A number of studies have shown its adverse effects on marine ecosystem and

its presence in the bodies of marine animals such as fish, mollusks, turtles

etc. The plastic reaches bodies of its producers, humans, by consumption of

sea food, closing the full circle.

While macro plastics remain a visible problem, micro plastics and Nano

plastics which are generated through physical, biological and chemical ac-

tions on plastic are emerging a more serious health hazard.

Due to their invisible nature, micro and Nano plastics can enter human bod-

ies through use of products that contain Nano plastics such as scrubs, lip-

sticks, mascara, shampoos etc., other than by consumption of sea food.

Recent studies have also found micro-plastics in tap and bottled water. The

workers in textile and PVC industries also inhale Nano plastics unknowingly.

“Other than the food chain, constant contact with day-to-day life plastic

products allows oral, dermal and inhalation exposure to micro plastics and

additive chemicals to human body. So, it is important to determine the inter-

actions between micro plastics and biological macromolecules to understand

their effects on human health,” explained Natarajan Chandrasekaran, profes-

sor at Vellore Institute of Technology, who is engaged in studying the impact

of micro plastics in humans.

According to industry estimates, an average Indian consumes approximately

11 kg of plastic products in various forms every year. Though it is much less

than what an American or a Chinese does, it still is a problem.

Scientists say plastic particles can reach our stomach, and depending on their

size, these plastics are either excreted, get entrapped in stomach and intesti-

nal lining or move freely in body fluids such as blood, thereby reaching vari-

Newsletter Eco-friendly biofuels

made from food

waste could cut

'flight shame' among

air travelers

“Biofuels are what’s going to save us when it comes to aviation." Several airlines already pow-er their planes with a blend of conventional fuel and biofuel. The average American gener-ates around 1 ton of carbon pollution Powering every light bulb, phone, television, com-puter and kitchen appliance in their home for two months. But a single round-trip flight from New York to London is all it takes to generate that same amount of carbon pollu-tion, a fact that has left some jetsetters feeling “flight shame,” and a growing num-ber of others even forgoing air travel. The airline industry has ex-pressed concern that flight shame will put a dent in their bottom line, and they are tak-ing steps to use less fuel — packing more passengers into fewer flights, for instance, or using high-tech navigation systems make sure planes take the shortest route to their destination. These changes will help curb pollution, experts say, but the best way to clean up planes is to switch to fuel made from plants. Commercial aircraft run on kerosene-based fuel, but it is possible to make jet fuel from vegetable oil, algae, rotting fruit — Even used dia-pers .Biofuels could Cut car-bon pollution from airplanes by upwards of 60 percent, potentially helping them pol-lute as little as buses and trains. Biofuels also have a big ad-vantage over Electric planes, another option for more sus-tainable air travel. While bio-fuels can still perform in frig id

While a number of studies have shown negative effects of plastics on nerv-ous system, hormones, immune system together with cancer-inducing prop-erty of plastics are already well known, scientists are now trying to under-stand how the basic machinery of body interacts with plastic particles.

Eco-friendly composite catalyst and ultrasound removes pollutants from water Jul 21th 2019,

Scientists have developed a wastewater treatment process that uses a com-

mon agricultural byproduct to effectively remove pollutants and environmen-

tal hormones, which are known to be endocrine disruptors.

The sewage and wastewater that are inevitably produced at any industrial

worksite often contain large quantities of pollutants and environmental hor-

mones (endocrine disruptors). Because environmental hormones do not break

down easily, they can have a significant negative effect on not only the envi-

ronment but also the human body. To prevent this, a means of removing en-

vironmental hormones is required.

The performance of the catalyst that is currently being used to process sew-

age and wastewater drops significantly with time. Because high efficiency is

difficult to achieve given the conditions, the biggest disadvantage of the ex-

isting process is the high cost involved. Furthermore, the research done thus

far has mostly focused on the development of single-substance catalysts and

the enhancement of their performance. Little research has been done on the

development of eco-friendly Nano composite catalysts that are capable of

removing environmental hormones from sewage and wastewater.

The KIST research team, led by Dr. Jae-woo Choi and Dr. Kyung-won Jung,

utilized biochar, which is eco-friendly and made from agricultural byprod-

ucts, to develop a wastewater treatment process that effectively removes pol-

lutants and environmental hormones. The team used rice hulls, which are

discarded during rice harvesting, to create a biochar** that is both eco-

friendly and economical. The surface of the biochar was coated with Nano-

sized manganese dioxide to create a Nano composite. The high efficiency

and low cost of the biochar-nanocomposite catalyst is based on the combina-

tion of the advantages of the biochar and manganese dioxide.

The KIST team used the hydrothermal method, which is a type of mineral synthesis that uses high heat and pressure, when synthesizing the Nano com-posite in order to create a catalyst that is highly active, easily replicable, and stable. It was confirmed that giving the catalyst a three-dimensional stratified structure resulted in the high effectiveness of the advanced oxidation process (AOP), due to the large surface area created.

Newsletter temperatures at high altitudes, “battery technologies don't do very well at very, very low temperatures,” Scown said. Batteries are also very heavy. Are plastic bags biode-

gradable? Not really,

says new UK research

The biodegradable, Oxo-

biodegradable and conven-

tional plastic formulations

remained functional as carrier

bags after being in the soil or

the marine environment for

over three years, the study

published in Environmental

Science and Technology says.

India, United Kingdom and

several countries have taken

steps to curb the use of plastic

amid growing concerns over

pollution, but claims that

some bags are biodegradable

don’t stand up to scrutiny.

India, United Kingdom and

several countries have taken

steps to curb the use of plastic

amid growing concerns over

pollution, but claims that

some bags are biodegradable

don’t stand up to scrutiny,

new research released on

Monday says.

Biodegradable and composta-

ble plastic bags are still capa-

ble of carrying full loads of

shopping after being exposed

in the natural environment for

three years, the study by re-

searchers from the University

of Plymouth says.

Degradation of five plastic bag

materials widely available

from retailers was examined

in the study. They were then

left exposed to air, soil and

sea, environments which

they could potentially en-

counter if discarded as litter.

When used under the same conditions in which the existing catalyst can re-

move only 80 percent of Bisphenol A (BPA), an environmental hormone, the

catalyst developed by the KIST team removed over 95 percent in less than

one hour. In particular, when combined with ultrasound (20 kHz), it was con-

firmed that all traces of BPA were completely removed in less than 20

minutes. Even after many repeated tests, the BPA removal rate remained

consistently at around 93 percent.

Dr. Kyung-won Jung of KIST's Water Cycle Research Center said, "The cat-

alyst developed through this study makes use of a common agricultural by-

product. Therefore, we expect that additional research on alternative sub-

stances will lead to the development of catalysts derived from various types

of organic waste biomass." Dr. Jae-woo Choi, also of KIST's Water Cycle

Research Center, said, "We have high hopes that future studies aimed at

achieving process optimization and increasing removal rates will allow for

the development an environmental hormone removal system that is both eco-

friendly and low-cost."

**Biochar: a term that collectively refers to substances that can be created through the thermal decomposition of diverse types of biomass or wood un-der oxygen-limited conditions.

NGT sets 3-month deadline to shut polluting industries across India Jul 16 2019, National Green Tribunal has directed the Central Pollution Control Board to

shut down polluting industries in "critically polluted" and "severely polluted"

areas within three months.

NEW DELHI: Contending that economic development cannot take place at

the cost of public health, the NGT has directed the Central Pollution Control

Board to shut down polluting industries in "critically polluted" and "severely

polluted" areas within three months.

On the basis of a study jointly carried out by the CPCB and state pollution

control boards in 2009-10, industrial clusters were notified as Polluted In-

dustrial Areas (PIAs) and they were ranked as 'critically polluted area' (CPA),

'severely polluted area' (SPA) and 'other polluted areas' (OPAs), depending

upon the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index scores.

On the basis of a study jointly carried out by the CPCB and state pollution

control boards in 2009-10, industrial clusters were notified as Polluted In-

dustrial Areas (PIAs) and they were ranked as 'critically polluted area' (CPA),

Newsletter The bags were monitored at

regular intervals, and dete-

rioration was considered in

terms of visible loss in sur-

face area and disintegration

as well as assessments of

more subtle changes in ten-

sile strength, surface texture

and chemical structure.

The biodegradable, oxo-biodegradable and conven-tional plastic formulations remained functional as car-rier bags after being in the soil or the marine environ-ment for over three years, the study published in Envi-ronmental Science and Technology says.

Bakeries, sweet

shops, restaurants

can now sport ‘Trans

Fat Free’ logo

Food safety regulator

FSSAI working on bring-

ing down trans-fat con-

tent to 2% by 2022

Bakeries, sweet shops, res-

taurants besides packaged

food companies will now be

allowed to use “Trans Fat

Free” logo at their outlets and

on their products, if they

comply with the norms noti-

fied by the Food Safety and

Standards Authority of India

(FSSAI).

The regulator had last year notified the Advertisement and Claims regulations, which states that nutritional claim of Trans fat free can only be made if products con-tain less than 0.2 gm. trans-fat per 100 gm. or 100 ml of food.

In a letter sent out to food safety commissioners and food business operators

'severely polluted area' (SPA) and 'other polluted areas' (OPAs), depending

upon the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index scores.

"No further industrial activities or expansion be allowed with regard to 'red'

and 'orange' category units till the said areas are brought within the pre-

scribed parameters or till carrying capacity of area is assessed and new units

or expansion is found viable having regard to the carrying capacity of the ar-

ea and environmental norms," the bench said.

It, however, made clear that white and green or non-polluting industries

which are not causing any pollution will not be affected by this order.

It directed the CPCB with the assistance of experts to compile information

with regard to polluted industrial areas based on water and air pollution

norms and notify such information on public domain within three months.

The tribunal also directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests to take

steps for enforcement of action plan for improvement of the situation.

The green panel sought a compliance report by the CPCB after three months

by email and posted the matter for hearing on November 5.

The tribunal took note of a media report which said that the CPCB had start-

ed a process to rank 88 industrial clusters across the country based on their

pollution levels.

The report said that the CPCB has recently completed the analysis of the lev-

els based on air and water quality and hazardous waste generated by these

clusters.

According to the media report, the state pollution control committees and the

CPCB had conducted surveys in 2009-10 to check pollution levels in the 88

notified industrial clusters. Thereafter, the CPCB had ranked these clusters

under 'critical' and 'serious' categories.

Alpla And Billerudkorsnäs To Join Forces

To Pioneer Paper Bottles For A

Sustainable Future

Apr 3rd 2019,

Plastic packaging solutions provider ALPLA and paper packaging materials- and solutions provider BillerudKorsnäs today announced that they will em-bark on a joint venture. They do so with the vision to develop a fully biobased and recyclable paper bottle.

ALPLA and BillerudKorsnäs today announced that they will form a joint ven-

ture in the Danish paper bottle company ecoXpac. When the transaction has

been completed, ALPLA and BillerudKorsnäs will own equal parts of

ecoXpac. A minority post will be held by the founder family. BillerudKorsnäs

is currently the majority in the ongoing development of a paper bottle, which

was started by ecoXpac in 2010 and with Carlsberg Group since 2015.

ALPLA & BillerudKorsnäs share the ambition to drive packaging innovation

Newsletter earlier this week, the food

safety authority said, “Food

establishments like baker-

ies, sweet shops and other

food outlets are encouraged

to use healthier fat or oil

options, to reduce the trans

fat content in the foods.”

“The food establishments

which use trans-fat free

fats/oils and do not have

industrial trans-fat more

than 0.2 gms per 100 gm. of

the food, in compliance

with the regulation on

Claims and Advertisements,

2018 can display ‘Trans Fat

Free’ logo in their outlets

and on their food products,”

it added.

Since last year FSSAI has

been pushing the industry

to bring down the trans-

fatty acids in Vanaspati,

edible bakery shortenings,

margarine in a phased man-

ner. The trans fat content in

fats and oils has already

been limited to 5 per cent.

The regulator is working on

further reducing the con-

tent to 3 per cent by 2021

and 2 per cent by 2022.

“The regulation is also be-

ing extended to food prod-

ucts having fats and oils,”

FSSAI said.

This commitment was made after the World Health Or-ganization called for the elimination of industrially-produced trans fat from the food supply by 2023. Many countries around the world, such as Denmark, Chile, Norway, Singapore and South Africa already limit trans-fat in all foods to 2 per cent.

in a sustainable direction. The two com-

panies intend to leverage the development

by combining their resources, competen-

cies and strengths to support scaling

ecoXpac in the commercialisation of a

fully biobased and recyclable paper bottle.

In late 2016, Carlsberg Group revealed a

first physical prototype of a paper bottle,

the Green Fiber Bottle, and the first generation of paper bottles has since then

been in a testing phase. The plan now is to continue the development to be

able to launch and then scale up production. Following generations will be

both fully biobased and have biodegradable barriers thereby fully realising the

vision and enabling consumers all over the world to live more sustainably. It is

to realise this vision the two companies come together on this journey of inno-

vation.

“With BillerudKorsnäs we have found an ambitious partner creating a new

packaging market segment that offers a complementary consumer experience

to our current rigid packaging solutions. ALPLA is sharing the passion for

technical challenges and innovation. I want to emphasize the long-term vision

of the joint venture to introduce fully bio based paper bottles. ALPLA is con-

tributing capital as well as technical know-how to the joint venture to acceler-

ate the development and market introduction of the paper bottle”, says Gün-

ther Lehner, CEO of ALPLA.

“I believe that with our shared and honest ambition to break new ground,

ALPLA and BillerudKorsnäs now make an important commitment to contrib-

ute to a more sustainable future. The question is not ‘if’ but rather ‘how soon’

this joint venture will introduce a fully biobased and recyclable paper bottle to

the market. And when we do, it will enable a significant shift in consumer be-

havior globally,” says Petra Einarsson, CEO and President BillerudKorsnäs.

“EcoXpac was founded with a strong vision for the future. Today we are privi-

leged to have the best players in their fields sharing our vision. It makes me

proud of what we have achieved so far. The vision has never felt closer to reali-

ty than today,” says Martin Grosen Petersen, CEO of ecoXpac.

The formation of the joint venture is subject to customary regulatory approvals such as merger control clearances. It is expected that the transaction is com-pleted in Q3 2019.

About ALPLA ALPLA is one of the leading companies involved in plastic packaging. Further information: www.alpla.com About BillerudKorsnäs BillerudKorsnäs provides packaging materials and solutions that challenge conventional packaging for a sustainable future. Further information: www.billerudkorsnas.com About EcoXpac EcoXpac is an innovative Danish company specialised in designing, developing and implementing process solutions for moulded fibre bottles.

Newsletter According to FSSAI regula-

tions, the maximum permis-

sible limits for Total Polar

Compounds (TPC) have been

set at 25 per cent, beyond

which the cooking oil is un-

safe for consumption.

Stating that the logo is volun-tary, FSSAI also stressed in its letter that it will be the responsibility of Food Busi-ness Operators to comply with the requirements as specified in its regulations, in cases, “Wherein a claim to this effect is made.” The regu-lator has also released the specifications of the logo.

BRAZIL'S GENET-

ICALLY MODIFIED

SUGAR CANE AND

SUGAR SHIPPED

TO CHINA FOR

APPROVAL

Brazil’s agriculture minister

will ask Chinese officials on

Thursday to greenlight exports

to the Asian nation of sugar

made from genetically modi-

fied (GM) sugarcane, which is

expected to be widely used in

Brazil in coming years.

Minister Tereza Cristina Dias

told Reuters in Beijing on Wednesday, on her first visit to Brazil’s top buyer of farm goods, that she would raise the GMO issue during a visit to China’s General Administra-tion of Customs on Thursday. Brazilian officials will make the case that the sugar has no trac-es of modified genes after the GM cane is processed, similar to soy oil made from GM soy-beans.

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