Food Safety Department mandates consumer feedback apps for sweet shops in Prayagraj to enhance transparency
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Around 100 prominent sweet shop owners in the city have been asked to promote the app among consumers as the move is part of a broader effort by food safety authorities to leverage technology for better regulation and grievance redressal.
With its implementation, the department intends to ensure food businesses prioritise consumer feedback and address any issues related to food safety and hygiene promptly.
A senior official of the Food Safety Department told TOI that the department has asked traders associated with the Prayagraj Sweets & Namkeen Welfare Association to promote the consumer satisfaction feedback app ahead of the festival.
He added that traders associated with the organisation are briefed about the customer satisfaction feedback that has been made mandatory to be displayed at the shop.
Besides, displaying the standards of the Oil Board (which food contains how much oil) and the Sugar Board (which food contains how much sugar) has also been made mandatory at the shops. Shopkeepers were also motivated to keep the amount of food colour at a low level in sweets and namkeen bakery products.
Moreover, the department has also initiated an awareness campaign against obesity.
Ankit Gupta, owner of a prominent sweet shop, told TOI that they are promoting consumer satisfaction feedback on the Food Safety Connect app among consumers and have installed banners and posters at their installations.
He added that the majority of traders associated with the Prayagraj Sweet & Namkeen Welfare Association are installing details of the app at their respective shops.
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Gupta, meanwhile, said they are also taking part in creating awareness against obesity, claiming that obesity has undoubtedly become a major public health challenge, affecting people across all age groups and increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension.
Driven by unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, and environmental factors, obesity is rising at an alarming rate among citizens of all age groups, impacting both urban and rural populations.
The shift towards processed foods, reduced physical activity, and lifestyle changes has further contributed to the crisis.
Pointedly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through his Mann Ki Baat programme, also emphasised the need to create awareness and collective action to reduce obesity, particularly through lower edible oil consumption. This call for collective action highlights the importance of tackling obesity at both individual and community levels, reinforcing the need for a fitter and healthier India.
The union govt is promoting healthier lifestyles, better nutrition, and physical activity through various schemes and programmes aiming to encourage long-term behavioural change, ensuring a healthier future for all.
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Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Food Safety Department mandates consumer feedback apps for sweet shops in Prayagraj to enhance transparency
PRAYAGRAJ: Officials of the Food Safety Department have made consumer satisfaction feedback apps compulsory for sweet shop owners, aiming to enhance transparency and accountability in the food industry, benefiting consumers in Sangam city. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Around 100 prominent sweet shop owners in the city have been asked to promote the app among consumers as the move is part of a broader effort by food safety authorities to leverage technology for better regulation and grievance redressal. With its implementation, the department intends to ensure food businesses prioritise consumer feedback and address any issues related to food safety and hygiene promptly. A senior official of the Food Safety Department told TOI that the department has asked traders associated with the Prayagraj Sweets & Namkeen Welfare Association to promote the consumer satisfaction feedback app ahead of the festival. He added that traders associated with the organisation are briefed about the customer satisfaction feedback that has been made mandatory to be displayed at the shop. Besides, displaying the standards of the Oil Board (which food contains how much oil) and the Sugar Board (which food contains how much sugar) has also been made mandatory at the shops. Shopkeepers were also motivated to keep the amount of food colour at a low level in sweets and namkeen bakery products. Moreover, the department has also initiated an awareness campaign against obesity. Ankit Gupta, owner of a prominent sweet shop, told TOI that they are promoting consumer satisfaction feedback on the Food Safety Connect app among consumers and have installed banners and posters at their installations. He added that the majority of traders associated with the Prayagraj Sweet & Namkeen Welfare Association are installing details of the app at their respective shops. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Gupta, meanwhile, said they are also taking part in creating awareness against obesity, claiming that obesity has undoubtedly become a major public health challenge, affecting people across all age groups and increasing the risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension. Driven by unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, and environmental factors, obesity is rising at an alarming rate among citizens of all age groups, impacting both urban and rural populations. The shift towards processed foods, reduced physical activity, and lifestyle changes has further contributed to the crisis. Pointedly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, through his Mann Ki Baat programme, also emphasised the need to create awareness and collective action to reduce obesity, particularly through lower edible oil consumption. This call for collective action highlights the importance of tackling obesity at both individual and community levels, reinforcing the need for a fitter and healthier India. The union govt is promoting healthier lifestyles, better nutrition, and physical activity through various schemes and programmes aiming to encourage long-term behavioural change, ensuring a healthier future for all.
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
From 'mild jaundice' to liver transplants: How Hepatitis A is turning deadly for adults in India
Hepatitis viruses B and C have long been regarded as the more dangerous members of the hepatitis family due to their association with liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. However, hepatologists in Mumbai are now observing a surprising shift in the pattern of infections. While new Hepatitis C cases are dwindling, Hepatitis A, once associated primarily with mild childhood jaundice, is now causing severe illness in adults. 'Hepatitis A is emerging as a major threat, causing significant liver disease in adults and, in rare cases, liver failure,' said Dr Akash Shukla, head of gastroenterology at the BMC-run KEM Hospital, Parel, and a member of the technical resource group for the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme , in an interview with The Times of India (TOI). Explore courses from Top Institutes in Please select course: Select a Course Category Degree Finance Leadership healthcare Product Management Operations Management Public Policy CXO Project Management Others Data Analytics Technology Healthcare Data Science Digital Marketing Management Data Science MCA PGDM Artificial Intelligence others MBA Cybersecurity Design Thinking Skills you'll gain: Data-Driven Decision-Making Strategic Leadership and Transformation Global Business Acumen Comprehensive Business Expertise Duration: 2 Years University of Western Australia UWA Global MBA Starts on Jun 28, 2024 Get Details Dr Aabha Nagral, senior hepatologist, concurred, telling TOI, 'As living standards improve in India, especially in urban centres like Mumbai, many individuals are not exposed to the Hepatitis A virus in childhood. As a result, they don't develop immunity, and adult infections can be much more severe.' Hepatitis C: On the Brink of Elimination? Since the introduction of direct-acting antiviral treatment under the National Viral Hepatitis Control Programme in July 2018, doctors report a drastic fall in new Hepatitis C infections. 'New cases are becoming rare, which suggests the national programme has been effective,' Dr Shukla told TOI. According to data from Maharashtra's health department, over 28 lakh people were tested for Hepatitis C in 2024–2025, with 9,476 testing positive. Of these, 2,102 have commenced the curative three-month course. By comparison, only 1,339 Hepatitis C cases were recorded in 2021–2022. Live Events Dr Parijat Gupte, a gastroenterologist at Jupiter Hospital in Thane, attributed the drop to improved screening at blood banks and increased public awareness. 'There are virtually no new infections. We recommend that people who underwent blood transfusions before 2000 get tested, as they can now be treated and cured,' he said. Doctors remain optimistic that Hepatitis C could be eliminated by 2030, in line with World Health Organisation (WHO) targets. Hepatitis B Remains a Major Concern While progress has been made on Hepatitis C, Hepatitis B remains a formidable challenge. WHO has set a goal of reducing hepatitis cases by 95% by 2030, but experts believe that Hepatitis B could take 'a decade or more' to show meaningful decline. 'Hepatitis B is one of the most infectious viruses, with a tendency to reactivate. Current treatment aims to suppress the virus rather than eliminate it,' Dr Shukla explained to TOI. State health data reveals that confirmed Hepatitis B cases rose sharply, from 9,000 in 2021–2022 to over 65,000 in 2024–2025, including 23,000 among pregnant women. Dr Sharan Shivaji Narute from Medicover Hospitals, Pune, highlighted the case of a 53-year-old man who required a liver transplant after battling chronic Hepatitis B. 'At one point, we were draining up to 13 litres of fluid from his body each session. In June 2024, his son donated a portion of his liver. The transplant was a success,' he said. Testing Uptick and Expanded Access Increased testing capacity is reshaping India's hepatitis outlook. Shiva Sriram of Molbio Diagnostics told TOI that improved diagnostics have made a significant impact. Their Truenat machines saw a 150% rise in Hepatitis B tests (from 3,060 to 7,705) and a five-fold jump in Hepatitis C tests (from 475 to 2,475) between 2023–24 and 2024–25 in Maharashtra. Though tests for Hepatitis A and E remain relatively low despite seasonal spikes, especially during monsoon, Sriram anticipates this will change as the Union Government is reportedly planning to deploy Truenat machines to all 40,000 primary health centres in the next two years. 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Time of India
21 hours ago
- Time of India
2 children lose arms in this Greater Noida village that has a shock at any turn
Noida: Life will be a long battle for Taimur and Zara. For their families too. In back-to-back accidents reported from houses, just lanes apart at Greater Noida's Accheja Buzurg village, the two children, aged 7 and 13, respectively, were left maimed. Taimur lost both his forearms and Zara's right arm had to be amputated from the shoulder after they suffered powerful shocks. The similarities were too many. Both incidents happened in May. Both the children were playing on the roofs of their houses when they accidentally touched the perilously low-hanging 11,000kV wire, stretched precariously within the touching distance above their houses. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida "What should have been an afternoon of play turned into horror for Taimur on May 22," the boy's father, Naushad Ali, told TOI. The youngest of four siblings, Taimur had climbed onto a neighbour's rooftop with friends when he touched the exposed wire, screaming in pain as electricity surged through his small body. By the time he could be taken to the hospital, the damage had been done. A Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 11 Foods That Help In Healing Knee Pain Naturally | Zen Life Mag Undo by Taboola by Taboola t Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, doctors said they did what they could: three surgeries followed, but both of Taimur's arms had to be amputated below the elbow. Now, the Ali household is gripped in a daily routine of hospital visits every other day, power backup for a newly installed air conditioner—a necessity now, not a luxury—and sleepless nights spent checking for pus in Taimur's wounds. "The boy still doesn't understand what has happened. He keeps asking me where his hands went," Naushad says, his voice cracking. "And I have no answer." What makes this tragedy harder to digest is that warnings had been given. Naushad says he had raised the issue repeatedly with local authorities, including the district magistrate. Yet, no action was taken. On July 14, he filed a case against officials of the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL), naming Dankaur's junior engineer (JE), sub divisional officer (SDO), executive engineer (XEN) and other officials under BNS sections 289 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 125b (act endangering life or personal safety of others). "But does this really capture what they did—or didn't do—to prevent this?" he asks. "I will fight till someone is held accountable." Just weeks earlier, Zara, a teenager visiting her grandmother's house during school holidays, had suffered a similar fate. She was playing with her cousins on the terrace when her hand brushed against a wire draped across the edge. She screamed. Her aunt saw it happen and shouted for help. 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During monsoon, sparks are common in places where insulation has worn thin. Fatima, whose daughter Ikra suffered a shock while leaning over the ledge to watch a camel a few months ago, says she no longer lets her five children go to the terrace. "There are poles so close to the house that during rains, the current runs through the walls. Sometimes loose cables lie on the road. We've given up complaining. No one listens," she says. Mushaida, another resident whose daughter Muskaan narrowly escaped a similar fate, said they built a ledge to prevent direct contact with the wires. "We did what we could do. After Taimur's accident, the power officials didn't move the wire. They just added an angle iron to shift it slightly. Is that a solution?" The danger isn't confined to rooftops. Tahseen, a resident of neighbouring Usmanpur, who visited Achheja Buzurg for a DJ event, had a narrow escape while crossing a road. "My head brushed against a hanging live wire. It knocked me to the ground with a powerful jolt. I survived, but the trauma has stayed. It haunts me," he says. "Why is no one fixing this?" Though located just 8km from Dankaur, Achheja Buzurg's basic infrastructure has been ignored for years, too. A 2023 study, titled "Smart and Sustainable Village: Urbanising Achheja Buzurg", undertaken by researchers from Galgotias University, painted a bleak picture. It noted that the village received irregular, low-voltage electricity through a web of exposed cables, solar lights didn't work, and that drainage network, parks and solid waste management was virtually absent. Rahat Ali, Taimur's grandfather and a former village pradhan, says he's raised the issue with authorities several times over the years. "Not a leaf moved," he says. The district administration, when questioned, offered reassurances. DM Manish Verma told TOI that he had "issued a warning to the chief engineer to rectify the issues in Dankaur" and ensure no such incident happens again. A senior UPPCL official told TOI that surveys conducted earlier had found that residents had extended their homes or added floors, bringing rooftops closer to existing poles which were installed before the homes were built. "We are planning to serve notices to those who have built or extended their homes too close to the power lines," he said. "Loose wiring will be identified and repaired." But to the families already devastated, that's too little, too late. Questions loom. Why weren't these wires insulated or raised higher when new construction started? Why didn't repeated complaints prompt preventive action? And how long before another child becomes the next victim? In the absence of accountability and a permanent solution, life as many knew it in Achheja Buzurg has retreated indoors.
