Daily Pioneer:Saturday,February 11, 2012.
The Chief Information Commissioner has criticised Union Health Ministry for its ambivalent approach on the issue of declaration of trans-fat content in edible items sold in the market.
RTI applicant KK Swami, who had sought information whether anything concrete had been done by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India on the trans-fat content isuue, was told by the Ministry that it had made it a requirement to declare the content on September 19, 2008.
“However, this letter (from the Ministry) acknowledges that since industry made various representations apprehending commercial implications in terms of their sale of products a corrigendum was issued on Feb 27, 2009 modifying this,” Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi pointed out in his order. When the matter came before the CIC.
He also noted that Prevention of Food Adulteration Department had informed the applicant Swami, in December 2009, that the safe limit specified for trans-fat in food products shall be clarified from Government of India and efforts are being made to get the food laboratory of this department accredited from NABL to have all these testing facilities in near future.
After another year, the Ministry informed him the process of framing regulation by Food Authority of India is on. With no clear reply from the Health Ministry, Swami reached the transparency panel.
Directing the Ministry to give a clear response on the subject before March 15, Gandhi said, “The appellant has been unnecessarily harassed in pursuing this matter. If there is complete neglect of care for citizens health this should at least come out when a citizen uses Right to Information”. The consumption of trans-fat which are commonly found in the edible oils and ghee are known for increasing the risk of coronary heart disease by raising levels of bad LDL cholesterol and lowering levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol.
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