Safety First: Tea, milk and oil adulteration, new China food safety rules and more feature in our round-up

Pakistan’s adulteration ‘crisis’: Food safety department raids yield thousands of kilos of tainted products

Food safety raids conducted by food safety departments across Pakistan have yielded thousands of kilogrammes of adulterated food products​, ranging from tea to milk and spices.

In the most recent raid which was conducted by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Food Authority (KPFA) earlier this week, over 2,000 kilogrammes of adulterated black tea, 500 litres of powdered milk and 300 kilogrammes of yoghurt were found.

KPFA Night Squad Captain and Director Operations Khalid Khan Khattak said in a statement to media that: “The black tea was mixed with bark, and the unit has now been permanently sealed.”​

The KPFA added via a statement on its Facebook page that: “The milk and yoghurt were discarded on the spot, whilst the [culprit] was handed over to the police.”​ Both dairy items were reportedly adulterated by having skimmed milk added into the content compositions.

Milk in India found to be most highly-adulterated food product despite FSSAI assurances of safety

Milk and dairy products in the Indian capital territory of Delhi have been found by local authorities to be the most adulterated food product in the state​.

The Delhi Food Safety Department tested some 2,880 samples of different food types across both packaged and fresh items between January 2018 and April 2019, of which 477 failed quality tests, it has recently been revealed.

Topping the list amongst these 477 samples were milk and relevant products, of which 161 samples were adulterated. 21 were found to be ‘misbranded’, 125 ‘substandard’ and 15 ‘unsafe’.

Two goals, 10 action plans: China Communist Party and state council outline first joint food safety plans

China has outlined a set of food safety proposals​ to achieve two main goals: to ensure that 98% of all products fulfil spot-check requirements by 2020, and that the nation's food safety standards will be regarded as the world's best by 2035.

This is the first time a food safety proposal has been released by both the central committee of the Communist Party and the state council.

By next year, more than 97% of China's agricultural products should pass food safety inspection, while more than 98% of its food products should fulfil spot-check requirements, officials said.

Cheap, dangerous oil: Indian FDA warning over adulterated products amid FSSAI rule change

The Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Adminstration Department has warned the Indian public about the continued dangers of adulterated edible oil ​despite a recent labelling change made by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

The state government food safety agency conducted a raid on a local oil mill earlier this year, and issued the warning after it discovered that higher-priced oils from sesame and groundnut were being adulterated with palm oil.

“[We found that] palm oil was being mixed with sesame oil and groundnut oil, [and unaware consumers were purchasing these] because of the cheap price,”​ said Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Adminstration Department Designated Officer Dr R. Chithra to Times of India​.

Burning the stomach wall: Expert rounds on dangerous black salve and bloodroot products to 'treat' cancer

Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration's (TGA) recent seizure of unlicensed bloodroot and black salve supplements has highlighted a dangerous emerging trend for unlicensed ‘natural’ products that claim to help fight cancers​.

Along with the Queensland Police Services and Australian Taxation Office, the TGA executed a search warrant at a business premises Queensland in May and seized 27 jars of bloodroot salve (commonly known as black salve), 84 bottles of Triple-Strength Bloodroot Capsules, and 30 bottles of Double-Strength Bloodroot Capsules.

This operation was part of a wider ongoing investigation into the alleged unauthorised import, marketing and distribution of unlicensed therapeutic health products, with several devices associated with the manufacture of such goods also confiscated.