"Made in India" food products not up to international mark? Why?

When Indian Prime Minister started his "Make in India" campaign last year with the honest intention to see more and more Indian made products in the international market, there were many who had reservations about the success of such an effort. It is true that manufacturing sector has great potential to expand employment opportunities, especially to those with low skill levels and thus contribute to socio-economic upliftment of the nation. Prime Minister even went to the extent of saying that the country would roll out "red carpet" welcoming foreign investors in stead of "red tape" of the bureaucrats which is a curse on the country. Alas not much has happened during the last 15 months of the government, though many are willing to give a chance for the reforms to come through in the coming months. Functioning of the Parliament, as being seen during the last one year is a big dampener to our hopes but it is time the government focuses more on administrative reforms not requiring the stamp of parliament so that most of the bottlenecks at the bureaucratic level can be sorted out. A recent report highlighting the sorry situation regarding export of processed foods, as highlighted by large scale rejections due to quality and safety factors at the buyers' end, offers a sad picture which must be addressed without much delay. 

Much before the controversy around Maggi raised an alarm over food safety standards in India, the voluminous rejection list of Indian food and cosmetic items in the US served as a precursor to the need for better regulations of food safety laws in India.India has always been one of the top three countries to face rejections in the monthly refusal list of food items by the Operational and Administrative System for Import Support (OASIS), of the US FDA(Food & Drug Administration). In June 2015, 170 Indian products, 185 in May and 143 in April, were rejected by the US FDA, marking the second highest number of refusals in all the three months. Ironically, India has one of the best food laws in place on paper, which requires even a roadside peanut vendor to get a licence from the government. However, the problems lie in the poor implementation of laws. In 2006, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was established as an independent statutory authority for all food-related laws under Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The Act repealed a plethora of previous central Acts including the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, which was the principal law governing the food sector in India so long. The new laws were aimed to address the issue of food safety, apart from food adulteration. The FSSAI- broadly based on Codex Alementarius Commission, a benchmark for international food safety practices- became the central regulatory authority responsible for regulating manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of food. The commission dates back to 1963, when the Food and Agricultural organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) along with its 185 member states formed the standards. "The biggest problem with food law is that it was hurriedly copied from Codex but was not sufficient to address problems in the Indian food sector. Most importantly, at the ground level, the food inspectors have no competency and capacity for effective monitoring. The FSSAI has just made the inspector raj more pronounced," said a food consultant on the condition of anonymity.

It must be admitted that the country does not need to evolve standards for various products being manufactured here because of the existence of thousands of such standards evolved by international organizations. But when it comes to traditional food products, unique to the country, they have been severely neglected by the food scientists in India though there are half a dozen research organizations of some repute and at least two dozen universities across the country imparting training and research skills to aspiring food scientists. As for Food safety management agency we have seen how it became butt of a joke internationally through its unjustified ban on a brand of noodles which was fortunately overruled by the judiciary. If India is to make a dent in the export market in food sector, it cannot achieve this through export of bread, biscuits or chocolates. This has to come through trasditional foods, thousands in number, languishing locally across the country for want of scientific inputs to standardize them, modernize their making process and design appropriate machinery for commercial production. Can our PM inspire the food scientists through carrot or stick to shift their focus of research to traditional foods in stead of wasting their time on western foods? Unless this is done the "Make in India" slogan will remain a slogan only!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

Are some foods more addictive than others? New findings with far reaching implications!

Can some foods be compared to alcohol, tobacco or psychotropic substances from the point of view of creating addiction?. A significant number of experts are veering around to the view that there are a few foods being manufactured by the food processing industry which are capable of inducing addiction and one suspects that the industry also is fully aware of this, exploiting this knowledge to develop more and more such foods for catering to the consumers vulnerable to addiction. If this is true can the industry get away with such sinister designs and will not they be liable for class action before the judiciary for suppressing such an evidence? We cannot forget how the cigarette industry was caught doing the same and what penalty they had to pay running into billions of dollars as reparation for destroying the health and lives of millions of people in the US. Food technology has evolved into a fine art to day and creating a food with right proportion of sugar, fat and flavor is very easy. This is what the industry seems to be doing world over to improve their bottom line! In such a situation what needs to be done to reduce such addiction which is playing with lives of people in countries like the US as manifested by obesity, diabetes, hyper tension, kidney diseases etc? Here is a critique on this important issue that is worth reading. 

"Are Americans in denial about symptoms of food addiction? But are these foods addictive?  Michael Moss, author of Salt, Sugar Fat, states: "I tried to use the "A" word sparingly because the industry argues convincingly that food lacks some of the technical definitions of addiction and narcotics. They prefer words like alluring, craveable, smackable. But the aim is the same, which is to create the perfect formula and amounts of salt, sugar and fat that will send us over the moon and make their products irresistible." (2) Moss reports, "There are estimates, of course, but we're averaging something like twice the recommended amount of salt. The best estimate of sugar is 70 pounds a year. We're averaging 11 percent of our calories [from] saturated fat, the bad one linked to heart disease, and the recommendation is to get it down to 7 percent or less." (2) New study reports that highly processed foods are shown to be addictive, leaving consumers with substance dependence symptoms and behaviors. The University of Michigan is hoping that their new study will help consumers make more informed decisions. The new study confirms what many people have suspected:highly processed foods like chocolate, pizza and French fries are the most addictive (3) This is the first study to examine which foods can truly be implicated in food addiction. This has recently become a growing interest due to rising obesity epidemic. Prior studies with animals showed that highly processed foods or foods with added fat and refined carbohydrates trigger addictive-like eating behavior.  Clinical studies performed with human subjects indicated that individuals eating processed foods meet the criteria for substance dependence. (3) U-M assistant professor, Ashley Gearhardt, explains that highly processed foods are known to be preferred for their taste, it has remained unknown whether these food elicit an addiction response. Unprocessed foods such as brown rice and salmon have not been associated with addictive behaviors. (3) Erica Schulte, lead author, explains that individuals with symptoms of food addiction or higher body mass indexes report greater difficulties with processed foods. "If properties of some foods are associated with addictive eating for some people, this may impact nutrition guidelines, as well as public policy initiatives such as marketing these foods to children," Schulte said. (3) Nicole Avena, co-author of the study, reports, "This is a first step towards identifying specific foods, and properties of foods, which can trigger this addictive response," she said. "This could help change the way we approach obesity treatment. It may not be a simple matter of 'cutting back' on certain foods, but rather, adopting methods used to curtail smoking, drinking and drug use." (3)"

To be fair to the industry it must be argued that they have to look for decent returns for their investments and efforts in the form profits by creating a market for their products and after all they can sell only products consumers demand. Whether one likes it or not, organoleptic quality of foods has been the single most driving force as far as product development programs are concerned and launching a product is invariably precede by a market acceptability study trying to gauge the reaction of the consumer. Until recently consumer always decided whether a product is acceptable based on his perception regarding over all flavor including color, taste and texture and only now health aspects are coming into focus with demands being made on the industry to make healthier foods. If foods like chocolates, pizza and others with high sugar or fat or salt content are really addictive as being made out to be, there must be restrictions against their manufacture and marketing. Can any country treat foods like alcohol and regulate their sale without impinging on the rights of the consumer to decide what he wants to eat from among the products that pass the quality and safety standards prevailing there? One has to only recall the experience of the government in New York which tried to restrict the size of bottle sizes of soda which was rejected by the courts there as violation of personal freedom! Similarly look at the resistance that is emerging in the US for a simple proposal to include extent of added sugar to a product by the processing industry on the nutritional label and it is unlikely that similar efforts in reining in food industry will ever succeed!

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

Food safety bill being "dressed up"- Will the Indian citizen ever be freed from consuming unsafe and substandard foods?

How serious is the federal government in India in safeguarding the health of its citizens? If past history is any indication all programs and activities emanating from Delhi have been focusing on rehabilitating the bureaucrats rather than putting in place a deterrent regime to punish adultrators and fraudsters who are violating even the diluted food standards with impunity without getting punished for their heinous crimes. With great fanfare the food safety act was promulgated by the previous government, a toothless body called food authority was set up and a technically "innocent" bureaucrat was promptly appointed as its chairman! Rest is history. Though maintaining the food quality and insuring food against adultration and fraud is a state subject, federal government comes into the picture for bringing in a uniform quality and safety frame work for the states to work in harmony. With strictures being passed by judicial courts one after the other during the last 2-3 years on the deficiencies of the act, it is a welcome development that the new government is mulling over its modifications seriously. Whether this exercise will end up producing a "mouse" at the end remains to be seen. Read further below regarding this development at Delhi. 

"The Government will revisit the food safety Act to make it more stringent to check growing instances of adulteration and contamination. "Two days ago, we set up a task force, which will submit its suggestions in 45 days, which will be then be put up in public domain for inviting comments. Imported food items will also be covered by this," Health Minister JP Nadda informed the Lok Sabha on Monday. Replying to a calling by PV Midhun Reddy of YSR Cong and Satyapal Singh of BJP, Nadda admitted that food adulteration and contamination were one reason for the rising burden of non-communicable diseases across the country. "It is also proposed to revisit the punishment stipulated for milk adulteration and make it more stringent," Nadda said, adding that the Government would focus creating infrastructure and manpower to face the challenge, such as setting up testing labs under public-private partnership. Nadda further added that 13,571 out of 72,200 food samples analysed in 2013-14 were adulterated, resulting in launch of 10,325 civil and criminal cases. He also informed the House that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India was at present engaged in an exercise for harmonisation of the maximum residue limit of pesticides in food commodities. Earlier, Reddy said the threat from adulteration and contamination of water, milk, oil, etc, was "greater than the threat from terrorism", as it would take more lives in the long run. Terming the unregulated use of pesticides and antibiotics as "slow poison" and the use of hormone injections on cows to increase milk yield, as a more "serious crime than cow slaughter", Reddy particularly urged the Government to ensure "Shudh Bharat" (Pure India)" along with the initiative, "Swachch Bharat." 

The statistics put out by the minister tells a pathetic story about the safety programs of the government. In a country like India with a population of 1.2 billion the number of samples picked up for testing was relatively small working out to 200 samples a day across 30 states, again a paltry 7 samples per state! One wonders what type of inspection thousands of so called "Food Inspectors" in the pay roll of the states are doing if not checking foods in the market for quality and safety violations? Has the surveillance system in the country failed miserably? This is all the more appalling considering that more than 70% of food industry is in the hands of the so called "unorganized sector" which produces hundreds of diverse products with indifferent quality and safety credentials. When an enlightened law maker from Andhra Pradesh stated that adultrated foods pose much greater threat to the country than that posed by terrorists, we have to applaud him for stating the obvious. . 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

Fresh Fish and super markets-A big contradiction?

The word "fresh" is one of the most misused terminologies by the food industry as most consumers want to eat their food as fresh as possible. Unfortunately there is no unanimity regarding the exact meaning of the word "fresh", different stake holders meaning different things. Consumer expects that fresh fish should the one caught immediately prior to be sold to him while the sellers aim at selling them before deterioration starts setting in. The arbitrator viz the government wants to ensure it is not dangerous to the health of the consumer. The food scientists and quality experts consider any thing fresh if the eating quality is essentially same as that when the fish was caught. In a food like fish which deteriorates in quality pretty fast the seller cannot afford to delay the time lapse between catching and selling too much though to day's technology has the wherewithal to keep it fresh for a few hours after catching. The reported situation in some of the super markets in the UK indicates that fish branded as "fresh" were actually caught 15 days back and consumers are buying a product with practically 80-90% of its life gone! Here is the low down on this tricky issue. 

"Mr Chivers said: Supermarkets selling 'fresh' fish that's really 15 DAYS old  if not in the past few days. 'They think the fish is going to be fresh and tasty. But some of the samples we tested they are not going to enjoy at all.' He used the Torry scale – an industry standard system to measure freshness – in which experts rate the fish's physical characteristics to estimate how long ago it was caught.  Mr Chivers found some fish was in danger of going off quickly. 'These are not off, but give them a day in a domestic fridge and you would begin to taste an off odour,' he told the Sunday Mirror. Current guidelines say fish can be sold as fresh if it has been kept on ice since being caught. Morrisons' fisheries manager, Huw Thomas, said: 'Careful planning ensures that the time between the fish being caught and then sold on our counters is minimal . In our experience, the Torry scale is a reliable tool for judging quality, but not food safety or how long each fish has been out of the water.' A Tesco spokesman said: 'We ensure all our fish is of good quality.' Asda also defended the freshness of its products, saying: 'We are the only retailer to publish how and where we source our wild fish.'A Sainsbury's spokesman said all its fish would remain 'good quality for the duration of its shelf life'"

While consumer is the "King" as far the market is concerned, the manufacturers and marketeers do expect some consideration for their logistical difficulties in procuring and distribution of the product. Industry normally endeavors to minimize the lapse of time between procurement and delivery to the consumer. However consumer is willing to give reasonable time and he expects the industry to be truthful. Where is the necessity of declaring a 15 days old fish as fresh? As long as such declarations are not made consumer may be willing to patronize the brand as long as it tastes good to his palates. Those who sell stale fish cannot be expected to remain in the market for too long and the market will take care of those indulging in  such deceiving practices. Fluid milk vendors often use the words "Dairy Fresh", again to exploit the weakness of consumers to all such things which are fresh (except for liquor). Ultimately under a branded marketing regime, whether fresh or not the quality and safety of the product only can ensure survival of the brands. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"DRINKING STRAW"-WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS SAFETY?

Drinking beverages like soda and fruit juices is considered more convenient if a straw is used to such out the contents from the bottle directly or from a glass full of it. But rarely any one gives any thought to the safety of these straws offered in different places, especially in small juice or soda joints most of which use straws of indifferent quality. There are no standards for straws in many countries and under such an environment it is easy for many to indulge in production of straws of low quality and make a fast buck in the process. World over it is estimated that about a billion straws are manufactured for drinking liquid products and imagine the trash value of these disposable material which are littered all around in towns and cities with no strict environmental discipline. Straws which used to be made of paper a few years ago are ow made mostly from polypropylene plastics or polystyrene material with no biodegradable credentials. Besides these "tubes" can pose serious health dangers if the quality of raw material and ingredients used are not of food grade as it is reported from China recently. Here is a take on this little known area of food industry.  

"According to food experts, some straws could contain hazardous materials that can dissolve into drinks. Long term use can cause harm to the digestive system, premature sexual development, infertility or even cancer. An investigation team led by Lou Zhongping, who helped draft the standards on drinking straws, began inspections of wholesale stores in Shanghai's Yu Garden in early July and concluded only 10 percent of straws were qualified. Inspections 

also revealed forged quality safety logos. "In wholesale stores, we found the logo was hard to read and could be erased easily," said Lou,who is also president of the largest manufacturer of drinking straws worldwide, Soton DailyNecessities. Despite a request on July 3 by the market watchdog requiring that stores remove the straws from their shelves, a vendor said that the

straws are still being sold. Most of the quality safety logos are counterfeit, headded, showing a bag full of colorful drinking straws."Many beverage and milk tea stores as well as schools buy straws regularly, and we sell hundreds of packs every month," said the vendor, who only wanted

to be identified as Chen. In a beverage shop named Guoxiang in the Jing'an district, a manager surnamed Yang said he purchases straws from markets in YuGarden, and has never been aware of the safety concerns. Insiders said thick straws, such as those used for bubble tea, 

tend to be more at risk because they use more materials and are more expensive to make. "The price of a qualified straw is around 0.1 yuan ($0.016), which is double or even triple the price of a substandard one," said Han Ying, business department manager of Shanghai Guanxuan, a company that makes household products. "There is no threshold for producing inferior drinking straws asit's easy to attain recycled plastics, and anyone could start 

a business with several machines at home," she added. There are five straw producers in Zhejiang province's Yiwu, an international trade hub that produces at least 90 percent of the straws in the Chinese market, but the number of unlicensed producers in the country is more than 200, insiders said. The health supervision department in Changsha, Central China's Hunan province, issued a warning in May that some drinking straws might contain toxic substances after the findings of Lou's investigation".

The basic question raised by some health pundits is whether there is any need for using a straw at all in the instance? A very relevant issue. The Straw apologists contend that use of this contraption avoids contact of the sugary beverage with the teeth to a significant extent lessening the possibility of dental decay but there is very little evidence to support this argument. After all to get the full pleasure of drinking a beverage it is necessary that the liquid is moved around the mouth for the palate to sense the taste and flavor and even if a straw is used most will keep it in the oral cavity at least for a few seconds before gulping. Use of straw is also claimed to be helpful in avoiding contact of the mouth with the glass or cup which may be dirty or unhygienic. But it is silly to imagine that the contents in a dirty glass would be clean! All said and done it is time that strict safety standards are put in place for drinking straws immediately to protect the unwary consumers.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

QUALITY VS QUANTITY-AN UNBALANCED FOOD SECURITY POLICY

Hear this professor from Benares Hindu University who has a valid point regarding the usefulness or otherwise of the food security ordinance recently promulgated by the President at the instance of a lame duck government! He has a perfectly valid point when he has the courage to ask the "mighty" government at Delhi as to why it is prevaricating on the food safety act which is being implemented halfheartedly across the country? What is the hurry in enacting an ordinance for an ill planned doling scheme that entails drain of more than Rs 1, 25, 000 crore of honest taxpayers' money for a doubtful cause? If FSSAI, the so called Authority on food safety in India, is to be believed more than 60% of milk in the country is adulterated while millions of citizens are being cheated and injured by consuming adulterated and poisoned foods in the country, the government being a silent/ disinterested observer on the sideline! Here is the gist of the argument of this heart broken academician. 

"High drama is on in political circle regarding food security bill that ensures cheap grain for one-third population of the country. Congress is adamant for the bill as game changer and other political parties are considering it as vote bank politics. "As an academician and university teacher, may I ask these policy makers about some facts. Who will take care of implementation of FSSA, which was made to ensure service to the masses (poor as well as prosperous), regarding food available in market, either ready made, ready to eat or raw form," he said. Why policy makers are not ensuring the best services to commoner by strict implementation of provisions of FSSA 2006 amended in 2008, 2010 and 2012 for better services to every section of society. Why they are eying only vote bank that may be an easy target?"

Has he not a point in asking why the various provisions of the food safety act are not being strictly enforced in spite of passing the act almost 7 years ago? Without bothering to evaluate the impact of previous policies, enacting new acts is meaningless and inappropriate. This country is not short of good laws but it is at the implementation level that government falters very badly with inefficient management, a shirking work force and utter insensitivity! It is unlikely that such inconvenient questions will ever be answered by a government who is bent on bribing the electorate through promises which can never be fulfilled with the available resources without adversely affecting the national development agenda. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

RESTAURANT TYPE FOODS FOR SCHOOLS AND ANGANWADIS-A TN BONANZA!

India is considered one of the front line countries in applied nutrition programs benefiting millions of kids and vulnerable women through its schools and Anganwadis, spread all over the country. While school feeding programs are intended mainly to attract kids from low income families as a part of universal literacy policy of the nation, Anganwadis and other special feeding centers serve to augment the nutritional level of daily diets which are considered not satisfactory as per the health norms set by experts. After experimenting with instant food products which do not need any further cooking in the school premises for a number of years, it was Tamil Nadu which started the "freshly cooked" meals program for providing hot foods using locally procured raw material. Several other states followed this example and the responsibility was shared by the government agencies and many women based voluntary organizations. The ISKON organization is reported to be the largest agency to day in India in terms of number of meals served through organized central kitchens and well managed distribution logistics. Recent announcement made in Chennai by the CM of TN provides interesting reading regarding the ambitious goals of the government in making the beneficiaries extremely happy by providing the much needed variety for serving such meals. Here is a take on this new development.

"Thirteen varieties of rice and four types of egg 'masala' will soon enrich the plates of students benefiting under the nutritious noon-meal scheme of the State government, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa told the Assembly on Friday. Making a suo motu statement, she said the purpose was to break the monotony in the menu under the scheme introduced by former Chief Minister M.G. Ramchandran 30 years ago and to make them palatable. The government consulted well-known chefs and nutrition experts on this issue and 'channa biriyanai' and pepper egg were served on an experimental basis in a school in Saidapet and the Andhanallur panchayat union school in Chief Minister's Srirangam constituency. The students liked it and the chefs demonstrated 13 varieties of rice and four types of egg 'masala.' The Chief Minister said the new scheme would be introduced in one taluk in every district and depending on the feedback, this would be extended to other areas gradually.
There would be one set of menu for the first and third weeks of a month and another set for the second and fourth week.
The students would be served vegetable 'biriyani' and pepper powder egg on first and third Mondays; 'channa-pulav' and tomato 'masala' on Tuesdays; tomato rice and pepper egg on Wednesdays; rice, sambar and boiled egg on Thursdays and curry leaf rice or green (keerai) rice, egg masala and roasted potato on Fridays. The menu of second and fourth Mondays would be 'sambar' rice, onion and tomato egg 'masala'; mealmaker and vegetable mixed rice and pepper egg on Tuesdays; tamarind rice and tomato egg 'masala' on Wednesdays; lemon rice, tomato egg 'masala' and 'sundal' on Thursdays and rice, sambar, boiled egg and roasted potato on Fridays. The Chief Minister said the government would also provide a variety of dishes to the children attached to 'anganwadis' in the State. Special attention would be made to the children, considering their requirements and digestive capacity. The children would get tomato rice and boiled egg on Mondays; mixed rice and 'sundal' on Tuesdays; vegetable 'pulav' and boiled egg on Wednesdays; lemon rice and boiled egg on Thursdays; 'dhal' rice and boiled potato on Fridays and mixed rice on Saturdays and Sundays.Ms. Jayalalithaa said the new menu would increase the number of students attending school and improve their nutritional requirement"

Processed foods versus freshly cooked foods debate seems to have finally ended with most states opting for the latter though this option is fraught with very high degree of risks. Limited resources available for providing the needs of the children further restricts any choice, leaving the government with very little elbow room in designing the meals. Besides the activities such as material procurement, storage, fuel for cooking, actual cooking, serving the meals, cleaning the utensils etc all become additional burden/responsibilities for the school staff and teaching efficiency can be adversely affected. The risks of food poisoning is also very high requiring ever vigilant overseeing of the operation. Also debatable is the assumption that all children will eat the food and possibility of wastage also is high. Inclusion of egg is another uncertain move which may have some unforeseen reaction from vegetarian population among the kids. Ideally it is preferable that ready to serve foods are used for such massive operations and here is where the ingenuity of food scientists becomes crucial. The fresh food option now being used in many states may not be the last word on the subject and one has to wait and see the experience arising out of the present decision.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

SCHOOL MEALS-ARE THEY GOOD AND SAFE?

India is supposed to have world's largest school feeding program which can be of envy to many other developing countries. If the statistics trotted out by the government at Delhi are to be believed, children going to thousands of school across the country must be a happy lot. Unfortunately there is a wide gap between the program on paper with billions of rupees invested and what is really happening at the ground level. Like the Public Distribution System (PDS) an instrument put in place for delivering food grains at low cost to poor families, in the school feeding program also there are reported to be large scale malpractices and corruption that derail the very objective of the scheme. There are several questions that cannot be easily answered if a critical study is made of the existing feeding programs. Ideally such a scheme should use a prepacked food basket consisting of at least a dozen varieties made in centralized facilities which can be distributed for consumption with minimum preparation efforts in the schools concerned. Unfortunately this is not happening in spite of the fact that Government of India owns world's largest food research organization at Mysore with capabilities to develop right mix of products for such programs. In stead the foods are "locally" made by school teachers employing child labor using ingredients and water of doubtful quality and safety with no proper oversight by knowledgeable people. A recent instruction issued by the government in Goa tries to address this issue with a genuine intention to prevent any untoward episodes of food related poisoning. Here is a take on this constructive step in Goa which can make some dent, albeit, very small on the problem of quality and safety.  

"With an objective to ensure distribution of proper and hygienic food under the Mid-day Meal Scheme to the students, the department of education on Thursday issued a circular announcing that all its officers/officials will make surprise visits to various schools in all the talukas to assess the quality of meals served under this scheme. A circular to this effect recently issued by the director of Education, Mr D P Dwivedi states that these officers/officials will have to submit a report with their recommendation in the prescribed format within fortnight of their visit. The circular also states that a schedule should be prepared by respective DDEs of zones to ensure that these officers/ officials visit all the schools and multiple visits of same school or no visit of schools should be avoided. The circular has directed the officers/officials of the DoE to find out during their visit as to whether the weekly menu has been displayed on the school notice board, the type of meal served, time and delivery of food by the self-help groups/ Mahila Mandals, maintenance of Mid-day Meal scheme register, type of food containers used and so on. The visit will also find out whether the head of the school has checked the quantity and quality while receiving the containers with mid-day meal, whether the meal is tested and tasted by the teacher before serving to the students, whether the meal is tested and tasted by the Parent-Teachers Association member before serving the same, and general impression of the visiting officers/officials as regards the mid-day meal served in every school. It may be recalled that the DoE had last month issued another circular asking schools to standardise the practice of making students wash their hands before and after eating the mid-day meal. In that circular, the schools had been told that the particular practice would reduce the occurrence of Darrow. During the academic year 2011-12, meals were served to 91,000 primary school students studying in altogether 1,134 schools, while at the upper primary level - from classes V to VIII - meals were served to a total of 62,000 students in 425 upper primary schools around Goa".

While such routine directions come at regular intervals, a larger question remains regarding the competence and commitment of the babus involved in management of the feeding program in hundreds of schools in the state. If education department personnel are appointed for overseeing the functions of schools receiving government aid, how can they carry out the food management related functions? Will they have sufficient spare time to devote to activities other than education? Do they have any basic idea regarding hygiene, sanitation and food quality? At least government must expose them to the dynamics of functions related to food distribution through limited short term training programs. It is a rudimentary principle of human relations that one will listen to only those who are more knowledgeable than himself and therefore the education department babus can have more authority in overseeing the school feeding program if they are trained in food handling basics.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
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WATER SUPPLY IN INDIAN CITIES-CITIZENS" WOES

While lot is being talked about the food security issues which are going to be faced in the coming years, little attention has been focused on the on-going water crisis being experienced in many urban entities throughout India. Though providing safe drinking water to its citizens in adequate quantities is the sacred responsibility of those who plan and manage civic facilities in these protected population areas, India is woefully lack of even the minimum infrastructure in these townships due to mis-governance, lethargy, callousness, insufficient investment and insensitivity to the sufferings of the citizens. Probably India may be the only country in the world where water quality in most of the towns and cities is totally unreliable and can cause damage to the health of the population depending heavily on the so called "protected" water supplies. One even wonders whose health the municipalities and civic corporations are protecting-the citizen's or the financial health of the private water suppliers and the bottled water manufacturers who are having a swell time under such an environment. Here is an interesting report from Chennai about the tragedy of water supply system here which reflects the unfortunate mindset of the governments with no value attached for human lives in their agenda!

"As many as 90 private tankers that cater largely to apartment complexes, hotels, hospitals and commercial establishments were checked over the past few days. The water samples transported by private vehicles were checked in various areas such as Koyambedu, Retteri and Padi. The exercise follows the recent death of two construction workers from West Bengal, allegedly due to acute diarrheal disease after drinking water procured from a private tanker supplier at their workplace in Pallikaranai. These tankers are becoming indispensable as the demand for water is on the rise. While Metrowater's supply is primarily through pipes, some localities rely on tankers for their daily needs. Chennai Metrowater operates nearly 670 tanker trips every day and charges a nominal amount for them. The remaining gap between demand and supply, especially for the suburbs and large establishments, is mainly bridged by private water lorries. While over 2,000 private tankers are said to be in the business in and around Chennai, there is no regulation or monitoring of the quality of water supplied or the number of trips operated by these private suppliers. According to sources in the Food Safety department, the Chennai Corporation is the authority to enforce quality norms on private water lorries in the city while the Public Health department fulfills that function in the city's fringes. None of the water samples checked had the minimum chlorine level of 0.2 parts per million (ppm), as per prevalent specifications. The water in these tankers had been extracted from bore wells or open wells in agricultural areas".

It is admitted that India is a big country and there are bound to be teething problems and occasional hiccups during the growing phase but perpetuating the dilapidated water supply infrastructure except for some stray improvements here and there is not acceptable to the citizen who invests heavily on taxes and confidence on the ability of the administrators to protect his life under the democratic system of governance. Projects are planned, heavy investments are made and execution is scheduled but it takes ages for such projects to take shape due to the inefficiency of the management system with no one bothered about such indefinite delays which can be any where from 5 to 40 years!. Many projects are never even completed, let alone commissioned! Accountability has become the casualty in the present day India with no one being hauled up for shoddy work in any sphere of activity connected with the governments. What a tragedy! What type of life a citizen can lead if the basic minimum water needed for a clean and healthy life is denied to him, though excuses may be many for the shirkers to trot out for the delay? Will India ever achieve a stage where at least water flows abundantly, let alone the promised honey and milk under the Ramarajya regime envisaged by Mahatma Gandhi? If the present trend is any indication, such a transformation is unlikely in the foreseeable future.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE "BEST BEFORE" DATE-ITS SIGNIFICANCE

Front of the pack labeling is a boon to the consumers who can decide about their food purchases based on nutrient make up and desirable features of the product they are buying. But there is one aspect about which lot of confusion still persists and this is regarding the expiration date indicated on the label. One may recall the clarion call by one of the ministers in British Government recently not to waste food unnecessarily and cautioning the citizens against throwing every food pack that has crossed the expiration date. The million dollar question is whether the food contents are still edible after the expiration date and how safe they are. It is generally understood that if the content in a food pack does not show any changes in terms of smell, texture and other physical characteristics, it can still be consumed and many people are doing precisely the same these days because of economic compulsions. This issue is assuming more importance with more and more people ignoring the "best before" date which may have some safety implications and same is the subject matter of a recent report. 

"Cash-strapped consumers are turning to a rather dangerous way to stretch their food dollars — they're ignoring expiration dates and keeping leftovers in the fridge for longer periods of time. In a recent survey, the Food Standards Agency in the UK found that one-third of respondents said that rather than throwing something out once it's expired, they rely on the look and smell of the food to gauge how safe it is to eat. And that can be risky. "With most of us seeing our weekly shopping bills increase over the last few years, we are all looking for ways to get the most out of our shopping budget," said Bob Martin, a food safety expert with the FSA, but he warns, "Bugs like E.coli and Salmonella don't cause food to smell off, even when they may have grown to dangerous levels. So food could look and smell fine but still be harmful." Andrew Wilson of the British Dietetic Association concurred and added, "A bout of food poisoning is not only unpleasant but could be potentially life threatening. There's no point in taking risks with food safety."

Of all the information contained on a label, expiration date is the most useful tool for the consumers obsessed with fresh foods. It is a common knowledge that the moment the food is harvested till it reaches the dining table, a series of chemical, physical and microbiological changes begin and what industry does is to extend the life of the material through processing and packing. But no matter what technology is deployed food continues to deteriorate, albeit slowly after processing, even under modified atmospheric conditions, and that is why expiration date is indicated for getting an idea of the time lapsed between manufacture and selling. In the true sense expiration date or "best before date" is only an estimate with regard to the eating quality of food and it does not reflect the safety limit. While consuming date expired foods, one has to make doubly sure that there are no hazardous microbial contamination that can cause injury to the consumer. This is more easily said than done. Probably a safe way of ensuring this is by heating the product sufficiently, if feasible, to destroy any microbes that might have gained entry into the packet.   

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE!-ANOTHER VIEW ABOUT PDS IN INDIA

That the PDS system which is supposed to serve millions of impoverished Indian population is in total shambles is well known with massive pilferage being the hall mark of the program. The only point on which there is difference of opinion among impartial observers concerns the percentage of intended beneficiaries who get the real benefit, the estimates varying from 40% to 65%! In spite of the criminalization of PDS, country's GDP seems to be registering amazing growth with people to day having more money in their hands like never before. If the latest revelation that PDS grains are used by many families to raise Chickens and other domesticated food yielding animals is true, Government needs to rethink the strategy as to whether the PDS is really serving the purpose for which it was created. Probably those who receive the PDS grains find it hard to consume them because of extremely low quality and hence are feeding the same to raise meat, egg and milk! The brand new Food Security Bill further seeks to raise the subsidy and provide these grains at practically throw away prices of Rs 1-3 per kg! These reckless policies, with a hidden agenda of cornering vote banks, especially in rural areas, can only lead to more starvation, under nourishment, malnutrition and bankruptcy of the economy in the long run. 

Padmini, a native of Chertala Taluk in Kerala says that she gets more than enough foodgrains to feed her family at subsidised rates of Re 1 to 2 per kg. So she sees no harm in feeding the excess grain to household chicken and ducks. After all, eggs, chicken and duck fetch substantially higher value at the market. Moreover, it would be far more expensive to buy rice-brawn and coarse cereals which were fed to the poultry earlier. While the political masters are deliberating the prudency and expediency of the newly revised poverty line, millions like Padmini have no doubt crossed the invisible line which divides the poor from the rich in India. Suffice to say that it has been a feat without parallel in Indian economic history. A feat, more remarkable than India's tryst with liberalisation programmes. Despite all the success stories about India's green revolution and self sufficiency in food grain production, per capita availability of cereals stagnated around the 400 gram mark during the past 50 years. Productivity had marched ahead. Food grain production had tripled. But for occasional vagaries of weather and wild swings in production there was nothing substantially wrong with India's food production. The visible signs of prosperity both in India's rural heartland and urban sprawls are real. These signs meant that India's poor were consuming more. Per capita food grain availability should have zoomed. But that has not been the case.

According to recent reports, country's food production is expected to be unusually high and if procurement prices are right there could be a large inflow into the granaries of the government. With the storage capacity in the country being limited a substantial portion of the procured grains will have to be kept under CAP system of open storage which will further aggravate the quality problem already being experienced with PDS grains. If the cash distribution option being considered in lieu of food grains is implemented what will happen to the PDS is a million dollar question. A fundamental issue that is ignored by the policy makers is whether such free distribution of national wealth will not impact the human productivity in the country adversely as the need to work to get food is obviated by the government largess. Unless subsidized food is confined and restricted to those who are really poor by standard economic markers as assessed by scientific census there is no justification to waste national wealth so recklessly as being proposed.

V.H.POTTY

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http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

PUBS BECOMING MAINSTREAM RESTAURANTS?-THE NEW TREND

Pubs are just "watering holes" for people longing for an alcoholic drink for consumption in a relaxed atmosphere and very little focus is on the quality or variety of "accompaniments" served along with. The so called "Public Houses" so common in the UK became Pubs as an accepted synonym and these establishments were part of the culture in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. There was a time when frequent visits to Pubs, especially in the evening was a part of the living style in these countries. These pubs also served as meeting points for people as they were established even in villages. There are about 50 000 pubs in the UK alone, though their number is declining because of rapid changes in the food business and changing life style of the people. Concerned with this trend there appears to be a conscious effort to transform the face of these Pubs by dramatic improvements in foods served there that can compete with good established restaurants. Here is take on this historical change taking place in the UK.

"As pub foodservice expands, pub chains look to new growth opportunities with an extended mix of food and drink for their customers.  Consumers cite higher-quality food as the number one reason for visiting pubs more often, indicating that high-quality ingredients and premium positioning can drive traffic and sales.  Thirty-nine percent of consumers say they are visiting pubs less often than they did a year ago in the midst of a sluggish economy.  However, changes in the evolving pub sector are attracting a broader base of consumers and attracting more young consumers, 52 percent of which say they are visiting pubs more often compared to a year ago. "Consumers expect pubs to offer high-quality foods, despite the established perception of traditional pub fare," says Technomic Managing Director Darren Tristano. "Pubs aren't just a place to grab a pint anymore.  By broadening their menu items and adjusting their concept positioning, new dayparts such as breakfast, can attract couples and families choosing pubs as a viable dining option."

Probably the old concept that those who come to drink alcoholic beverages do not care for the quality of food served, due to their focus in getting "tipsy", no longer holds good and modern day "drinkers" are more "mature" and realistic in their expectations. If one has to have a decent meal after a couple of drinks, it is quite a task to go hunting for a good restaurant and as driving under the influence of alcohol is an offence there are logistical and legal problems. However when alcohol is consumed along with food it can be expected to metabolize faster and this gives the necessary opportunity to the Pub to serve good foods making the customers stay with them longer. The Pub owners in the UK seem to have grasped the significance of this realism, changing their strategy by offering high quality foods to expand their clientele. This trend is likely to emerge in other countries also and eventually the distinction between Pub and a restaurant may get blurred over a period of time.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"PASSING THE BUCK"-FCI SHIRKING ITS RESPONSIBILITY?

"Passing the buck" is a favorite game among the bureaucrats who want to shirk their responsibility. It is a rare instance when a bureaucrat is taken to task for not performing the assigned duties. In India bribe taker is invariably not punished while the bribe givers are relentlessly pursued for appropriate action! Here is an instance of India's grain handling monolith coming put with a policy to do away with quality inspection assessment practices and asking the state governments to do that function under the so called decentralization policy, the excuse being shortage of personnel. How can an organization like this, vested with ensuring food security in the country can do such a policy turn around is beyond the comprehension of many concerned citizens. Probably this strategy might have been chalked out to deflect serious criticism leveled against FCI for delivering sub standard grains to PDS beneficiaries and for allowing a portion of the grains procured to rot in the open from time to time. Since it is the prime responsibility of FCI to ensure food quality and safety for which it has been provided with adequate funds and personnel, how can it say that it is short of personnel? It is unfortunate that FCI is playing a dangerous game taking risk with the lives of millions of PDS beneficiaries through this rash action. Will the GOI support such a policy? One can only watch the situation with some alarm. 

"Reeling under staff shortage, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has declined to carry out quality control inspection of foodgrains procured by State agencies and stored in their stockyards. In a letter, the General Manager of FCI has conveyed the status to the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department which, in turn, has asked all Collectors and Civil Supplies Officers to ensure that quality is maintained from FCI depots to distribution points. The Centre had, in August, directed states to ensure procurement of stocks as per the prescribed quality standards and maintain the same in the storage, till it is taken over by FCI. In fact, under the decentralised procurement (DCP) scheme, procurement of food grains and safe maintenance during storage till distribution is the responsibility of the State Government. Similarly, the Government has to ensure quality of food grains received from depots of FCI till the stock is distributed among the beneficiaries through fair price shops.� The primary responsibility of maintaining quality of food grains will be the concern of the State. Amidst all this, FCI is facing serious shortage of quality control personnel. In the last nine years, the total� strength� of quality control staff has decreased from 5,111 to 4,001. In view of the shortage, FCI has conveyed that it may not undertake routine inspection of wheat and paddy procured by State agencies and stored in their godowns. However, inspection of wheat and rice delivered at FCI godowns will continue to be undertaken by the quality control staff of the corporation. In case of complaints received about poor quality of food grains procurement and maintenance of stocks by the State, FCI will inspect the stocks jointly with quality control staff of the State agencies and a joint report generated. The corporation has made it clear that it will be the responsibility of the Government to inspect quality of stocks issued by its agencies to respective fair price shops".

It looks like a "divide" is being created between states and the Center which may probably help for playing the "blame game" which will weaken the very foundation of the federal democratic structure of the country, the ultimate sufferer being the poor consumer, caught in the cross fire. If there is a shortage of personnel what prevented the FCI to recruit more to reach the optimum figure essential to carry out its tasks efficiently? None else but the FCI has to be blamed for both serious shortage of  storage facilities to protect the grains procured as well as its inability to "see beyond its nose" to set up necessary training infrastructure to turn out technical staff required for quality checking and other related technical activities. It is time GOI revisits the objective of setting up FCI and the way it is working now! Why not convert FCI into a corporate entity like some of the giant grain companies like Archer Daniel Midlands (ADM) with sound economic rationale? While it should have sufficient infrastructure to procure, store and transport its grains, similar organizations at the state level can be purely distribution entities, buying and distributing the food grains to PDS out lets on behalf of GOI. Government subsidies can go directly to the state entities to buy and deliver the grains to targeted beneficiaries.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

BOX LUNCHES WITH 6 MONTHS LIFE-NEW CLAIM BY CHINESE RAILWAYS

Chinese bullet trains were recently in the news for a wrong reason, the safety of foods served being questioned. People in India are too familiar with the low quality and uncertain safety of foods served in trains under the India Railways and therefore are not surprised that such things happen in China also. However the issue is of a different nature and the controversy had a technical flavor to it. The issue was how can any one serve food packets with 6 months shelf life on a train which obviously have no pantry cars and even if cooking facilities are available it may be too difficult to cook hot foods when the trains are moving at such high speeds. It is forgotten that the classical canned foods with which every body is familiar have shelf life of 1-2 years and both World Wars of the last millennium were fought by soldiers dependent on such long life tinned foods. Modern food technology has evolved suitable processing conditions for the manufacture of long life foods using other packaging materials also that include multi-layer plastics and plastic trays. In India Retort pouched foods of various varieties, mainly traditional preparations, are in the market with  6-12 months product life. Viewed against this backdrop, Chinese Railways serving foods with 6 month life is no surprise at all

"An investigation carried out by Shanghai Morning Post last week found two such box lunches produced a month ago. One of the lunches had a guarantee of 90 days and the other six months. Sold at around 30 yuan ( $ 4.7) each, the box lunches contained rice, beef, potatoes, eggs and carrots, and the labels stated that no additive has been used. the paper sent the two samples to a laboratory in Shanghai for testing. The results of the test showed that the food had not deteriorated and there were no illegal additives. A spokesperson with the Shanghai Railway Bureau, who insisted on anonymity, explained that they offered such box lunches with long guarantee periods only on long distance trains. "some trains leave (to Shanghai) the next day. We are afraid the safety of food purchased in places outside Shanghai (for the return trip) is unsafe", adding fresh box lunches are supplied on short distance trains". 

Foods which are preserved by processing at high temperatures as happening in the retorts used for sterilization, safety is never a problem as long as the package integrity is ensured by appropriate handling and storage. Such products, however can have some quality problems in terms of sensory properties. Naturally food products containing different chemical substances like proteins, carbohydrates, fats and other reactive moieties can always undergo chemical reactions, generating artifacts and the extent of such changes is dependent on temperature of storage and presence of oxygen inside the pack. Therefore it may be too much to expect that such heat processed foods will have same eating quality as that of their freshly prepared counterparts. Chinese passengers complaining about eating quality of the foods served in Bullet Trains may have some truth.   

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

COTTAGE FOOD RULE-WHAT IS THAT?

The food safety management calls for strict licensing protocols and it is not that every body can start making a food for selling in the market because of the possibility of food based poisoning episodes affecting the health of the citizens. Generally large, medium and small scale food processors do come under the licensing procedures while the so called cottage scale processors are normally exempt from any such procedures. Of course in a country like the US there are strict norms that govern cottage scale producers also with severe restrictions on their area of operation. Farmers markets and trade fairs are locally confined events and any one is free to sell home prepared foods provided they are safe and free from any health risks. There are chefs and other culinary artisans with wealth of experience and their lack of capital to start a full fledged production facility constrain them from starting new ventures. A modern Kitchen with varied facilities and available to such entrepreneurs, can motivate these entrepreneurs to enter the industry with minimum resources. Called an "Incubator Kitchen" a new experiment is being carried out in the US under a recognized university which allows people with interest in food line to try their luck in this type of kitchen and if successful further investment on independent facility with regular licensing can be thought of. Such kitchens can be set up in every university that can kindle interest among those with talent to make food business a success. Here is a take on this new development.   

"Local chefs and bakers looking to sell their products in grocery stores, restaurants or across state lines can now use a kitchen facility known as the Incubator Kitchen, offered at USU, instead of waiting to obtain a professional-grade kitchen of their own. Assistant professor and extension food quality and entrepreneurship specialist Karin Allen said people can produce and sell food products out of their home if they meet certain requirements, called the Cottage Food Rule. The incubator kitchen allows people who do not meet the home requirements, or who want to sell to a larger market than allowed under the rule, produce and sell food. "It allows them to sell it at grocery stores, to restaurants and also they can sell it across state lines," Allen said. "It gives them a little more opportunity to let their business grow than just trying to sell at a farmers market or a craftfair." Allen said the kitchen has been certified through the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. She said the kitchen allows businesses to produce most — but not all — food items. "Any food that would be approved for a Cottage license, there's no problem making those kinds of foods in this kitchen," Allen said. "It's not as open as a commercial kitchen would be, where any food product basically could be made." Allen said recipes are evaluated and approved on a case-by-case basis. She said meat products are never approved for the kitchen. Allen said the Incubator Kitchen, located in the Family Life Building, uses equipment no longer in use by university programs".

Food is a sensitive area and governments have special responsibility to ensure that the citizens are not exposed to public foods in the market with uncertain safety credentials. While working from home and producing excellent quality food products are possible, there is always the lurking fear that the home based industry may not have the sustaining power to maintain the required hygiene and sanitation which only can ensure food safety. The Cottage Food Rule in vogue in the US targeted at these processors to ensure food safety. But the Incubator Kitchen comes handy for new entrepreneurs to make experimentation, development and trial marketing across the country for testing the waters for the viability of the products. In India all catering training institutes must provide such facilities to home scale processing artisans for establishing their own ventures with confidence. The type of products may include pickles, preserves, sweetmeats, savories, many traditional foods which are not available readily in the market.   

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/

http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

"LOCAL FOODS"-A "FREE FOR ALL" SITUATION!

Like organic foods, local food movements in some of the western countries have gained acceptance by a significant segment of the consumer because of the perceived feeling that they are safer, more nutritious and environment friendly. While organic foods got really established across the world with their own standards, quality vigilance and international protocols, local foods can be confirmed only by tracing the sources from where they have come. Most of the big retail food chains are the losers because local foods made available in the farmers' markets are much more in demand than the products offered by the former which are sourced from hundreds of kilometers away with practically nothing known about their credentials. Of course with traceability law in place consumer has a much better chance of knowing the history of the produce bought from a retail chain. If a recent report from the UK is to be believed one in three dealers offering local foods are of suspect credentials and here is a take on that situation.

"Council food enforcement officers visited over 300 premises across England and Wales because of the increasing consumer interest in buying `local'. They visited both point of sale and manufacturing facilities. In total, 558 products (65 per cent from restaurants, 23 per cent from retail shops and 12 per cent from manufacturers and other) labelled as `local' were investigated. Full inspections revealed that at least 18 per cent of the claims were undoubtedly false with a further 14 per cent unable to be confirmed and therefore assumed false. These false claims were found at similar levels across all food sectors with almost one in five restaurant descriptions misleading customers. Meat and dairy products were frequently misleading with 50 per cent of poultry, 29 per cent of sausages, 27 per cent of both beef and lamb and 24 per cent of dairy products all completely false. Chairman of Local Government Regulation councillor Paul Bettison said: "To have around a third of all items investigated turn out to be false or potentially false is extremely worrying. "At present there is no widely agreed definition of the term `local' and it isn't acceptable. Everyone should be operating in a fair environment and following the same rules. Defra and the food industry must agree the definition of `local'."

According to one report even some of the retail chains in the US are resorting to malpractices, setting up local food section in their premises but stocked with materials sourced through their regular supply chain which amounts to cheating the consumer. As there are no established methodology to distinguish between local and those sourced from distant places, sufficient scope exists for fraudulent operators to make a fast buck through this easy route. Until clear cut guidelines are established for defining any food as local, consumer is left at the mercy of the dealers in providing local foods, many of them unable to resist the opportunity to cheat the unsuspecting consumer. A rigorous vigilance system must be in place for bringing to books such fraudsters which may provide the necessary deterrent.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com