FSSAI asks state food commissioners to test all packaged items

New Delhi, Jun 14: Central food safety regulator FSSAI has asked state food commissioners to inspect and evaluate all packaged products available in markets across the country in the wake of Maggi controversy.

"There are hundreds of packaged food products which are being sold in the country without registration, they need to be inspected and evaluated," a source said.

The directions were given by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to the state food safety commissioners in a meeting earlier this month.

"It has also been suggested during the meeting that the state food safety commissioners should prepare their line of action for the year and collect samples of all the packaged products, even those which are not registered with FSSAI," the source added.

The state officials were also told to take action if required. FSSAI had also handed over a list of 500 products rejected by it as of April 30, 2015 to the state food safety commissioners.

Earlier this month, the FSSAI had banned Nestle's Maggi saying it was 'unsafe and hazardous' after tests found presence of lead and Monosodium glutamate above permissible limits. Nestle had also withdrawn the instant noodles brand from the market.

Following this, FSSAI had ordered testing of noodles, pastas and macaroni brands such as Top Ramen, Foodles and Wai Wai sold and manufactured by seven companies, to check compliance of norms.

In a letter to Commissioners of Food Safety of all States and UTs, FSSAI had asked them to test samples of noodles, pastas and macaroni (with tastemaker) on a set of comprehensive parameters. Cake and masala/tastemaker should be tested separately, the letter said.

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Elusive bamboo shrimp resurfaces in Mangaluru estuary after 70 years

News Network

December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A rare bamboo shrimp has been rediscovered on mainland India more than 70 years after it was last reported, confirming for the first time the presence of Atyopsis spinipes in the country. The find was made by researchers from the Centre for Climate Change Studies at Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, Chennai, during surveys in Karnataka and Odisha.

The team — shrimp expert Dr S Prakash, PhD scholar K Kunjulakshmi, and Mangaluru-based researcher Maclean Antony Santos — combined field surveys, ecological assessments and DNA analysis to identify the elusive species. Their findings, published in Zootaxa, resolve decades of taxonomic confusion stemming from a 1951 report that misidentified the species as Atyopsis moluccensis without strong evidence.

The shrimp has now been confirmed at two locations: the Mulki–Pavanje estuary near Mangaluru and the Kuakhai River in Bhubaneswar. Historical specimens from the Andaman Islands, previously labelled as A. moluccensis, were also found to be misidentified and actually belong to A. spinipes.

The rediscovery began after an aquarium hobbyist in Odisha spotted a shrimp in 2022, prompting systematic surveys across Udupi, Karwar and Mangaluru. Four female specimens were collected in Mulki and one in Odisha, all genetically matching.

Researchers warn the species may exist in very small, vulnerable populations as freshwater habitats face increasing pressure from pollution, sand mining and infrastructure development. All verified specimens have been deposited with the Zoological Survey of India for future reference.

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