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Official who spoke to media had no authority: FDA director

Cong gheraos FDA director, seekS clarification On tests for FORMALIN

| JULY 17, 2018, 07:16 PM IST
Official who spoke to media had no authority: FDA director

the goan I network

PANAJI

A delegation from the Goa Pradesh Congress Committee including MLAs Tony Fernandes, Filipe Nery Rodrigues, Clafasio Dias, Wilfred D’Sa, and Francisco Silveira, on Monday met Food and Drug Administration Director Jyoti Sardessai at her office in Bambolim to hand over a memorandum seeking clarification on the issue of formalin being found in fish sold at the wholesale fish market at 

Margao.  

When asked for a clarification, Sardessai told the Congress delegation that the first test was “only an indicative test of the total aldehydes present in the fish, and it was found that formaldehyde was present, as it is one of the aldehydes present in fish.   

She went on to add that this was only an “indicative test”, (800 grams of mackeral were tested) and nobody from the FDA had the authority to say based on the indicative test that formalin was present in the fish.   

“The person (from the FDA) who made the statement to the press about the presence of formalin based on the indicative report was not authorised to make the statement. I am the only one who has that authority,” she said.   

She went on to say that testing for formalin in food had gone on in laboratories on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, and that the FDA “did not find formalin on anything.”   

While clarifying that formalin could not be present on any food at all, Sardessai also said, “Formalin is naturally present in food upto 4 parts per million. This is considered as acceptable.” She said that it was because of this naturally present formalin that the tested fish samples showed positive, but insisted that nothing was amiss saying, “The formalin was within permissible limits, no added formalin was present on the samples.”   

“We’re keeping a constant eye on all fish coming from out of state also, and we have found no formalin-laced fish,”she added.  

When questioned about why the FDA had randomly decided to carry out a raid on fish to test for the presence of formalin, Sardessai said that tests were carried out a year and a half to two years back as well, and nothing seemed amiss.   

When Francis Silveira demanded to see said reports, Sardessai hurriedly retorted, “I will put this to the government.” A statement that led to outrage and chaos in her office.   

When asked what action the FDA would take to calm people, Sardessai said, “If we ever find formalin on food, nobody will be spared.”   

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