The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), has come up with guidelines that asks drug manufacturers to voluntarily limit the use of certain antibiotics in animal feed. The FDA has asked the drug manufacturers to limit use of 200 antibiotics as growth promoters and keep them only for therapeutic purposes. The companies adopting this recommendation will have to revise their product labels to reflect the change.
Dr Dileep Mavalankar, Director, Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar
The researchers at INSEAD business school in France have concluded that food marketing successfully distorts portion size perceptions of people many a times.
A study published in Current Science Journal (March 2012) has reported alarmingly high rate of increase in oil consumption in India. According to the study conducted by DM Hegde, project director at Directorate of Oilseed Research, the per capita consumption of edible oil in India has increased almost five folds during the period of 1950-2011.
Denmark first imposed fat tax on saturated fat in October 2011 and is now contemplating imposing a tax on sugar and chocolate consumption to fight the bulge.
A study based on the nutritional information provided by leading fast food chains across the world has shown that there is a considerable variation in salt content of the fast food products between categories, countries and also brands. The study was published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) in April.
The newly elected Uttar Pradesh (UP) government banned sale of junk foods and carbonates beverages inside and outside all CBSE, ICSE and UP board schools’ premises. These junk food and soft drinks are known to lead to a host of diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure and increased cholesterol levels. This ban makes UP the first state in India to take such an initiative.
FSSAI asked to make new rules The Delhi High Court has given the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) a six month period to come out with guidelines on implementing rules to ban junk food in and around schools. The two judge bench gave the order on January 11. The next hearing is scheduled for July 25.
The West Bengal government on December 31 sanctioned funds of rs 6 crore for the cleaning up of the Karala river flowing through Jalpaiguri in the state. The government swung into action after the Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute confirmed that presence of abnormally high rate of endosulfan in the Karala river that killed thousands of fish belonging to 33 species. This was reported on November 28.
The Delhi High Court, on December 9, directed both the Centre and Delhi government to devise ways for checking adulteration of vegetables by harmful pesticides. The court set a deadline for to months for both the centre and the state. The court is keen to know exactly at what stage the vegetables are adulterated.
No incineration of toxic waste in Nagpur
Pesticide residues found in food in the European Union fell in 2009 compared with 2008, announced EU's food safety agency on November 8. This, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) added was due to the tightening of safety rules and changes in patterns of pesticide use in Europe.
According to the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), certain pesticides should be completely banned from use in rice and governments in Asian countries should improve their pesticides regulations. IRRI is based in Manila, the Philippines.