NEW FOOD CONTAMINANTS-ARE THEY ALARMING?

To the plethora of chemicals humans ingest in the day to day life here comes another one which was recently found to be in some food products and the environment around. HBCD as it is named by the organic chemists has not yet been conclusively proved to be harmful at concentrations found in meat, milk and fish, though further studies only can reveal the extent of danger posed by this substance. What is interesting is that HBCD levels in the house hold environment is much higher than that is found in some of the foods tested so far and the implication of this finding cannot be comprehended as of now. Though government safety agencies "think" that the current situation does not warrant any alarm, it is difficult to take such assurances at their face value and sooner the issue is resolved better it will be for the consumer community. Here is a take on this new developments which needs priority consideration by the health experts for further consideration.

"A new study from researchers at the University of Texas School of Public Health has revealed that flame retardant chemicals were found in many samples taken from popular food items. While less than half of the tested food products had detectible levels of the chemical called hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), 15 out of the 36 items tested positive. HBCD is used in polystyrene foam in the building and construction industry and can be found worldwide in the environment and wildlife, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. It has been highly toxic for aquatic organisms, and shown to have troubling effects on animal populations. "The levels we found are lower than what the government agencies currently think are dangerous," study author Dr. Arnold Schecter, a public health physician at the University of Texas School of Public Health in Dallas, told WebMD. "But those levels were determined one chemical at a time."

What is of serious concern is its possible role as an endocrine disruptor, capable of adversely affecting the functions of hormonal system as a whole and the Thyroid function in particular. The dangers of careless and indiscriminate disposal of plastics into the open which ultimately end up in the water bodies are obvious when it has been pointed out that HBCD is found mostly in foods derived from animals and fish which consume contaminated water and vegetation containing this toxic chemical. Endocrine disruptor chemicals are becoming more and more prominent these days because of their suspected role in causing many diseases due to interference with functions of the hormonal system in human body. Besides some of them have been implicated as obesogens, responsible for hijacking the fat metabolism leading to the obesity syndrome in most people. In the light of these findings, more serious attention needs to be bestowed on such chemicals which creep into the food system at sun-ppb levels with enormous potential to cause havoc on human health.   

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

MEAT PRODUCTS RECALL-"UNDECLARED" ALLERGENS MAIN CULPRITS

People in a country like India can never understand the logic behind frequent product recalls in the West citing safety reasons, as such a practice is rarely heard of in most developing countries. It is not that the foods made and retailed in these countries are repository of all virtues associated with quality and safety but absence of reliable, systematic and prompt reporting and documentation protocols in these countries allow almost all food poisoning cases to be swept under the carpet unless they are very serious involving high human casualties. In spite of tremendous progress achieved during the last two decades on surveillance and assessment technologies in the West, product recalls continue unabated mostly due to negligence with individual players and the safety authorities do not rule out such repeated recalls because of the impossible logistics involved in covering 100% of the industry. Against such a background, a trend is emerging where the reason for product recalls is shifting from microbial contamination to presence of dangerous allergens. As of now there does not appear to be any remedial regime to pre-empt such incidences except raising the awareness among the industry regarding the seriousness of such mishaps, intentional or otherwise.

Meat recalls during the first half of the year have taken on some unusual patterns. The number of recalls for pathogens found in beef, pork, and poultry has dropped off dramatically, while the recall of meat and meat products for allergens has spiked. And it's that increase in allergen-related recalls that worries Dr. Elisabeth Hagen, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's under secretary for food safety. She announced Thursday that USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Thursday was issuing instruction for its inspectors in an effort to stem the rise in undeclared allergens and other ingredients. "This rise is of particular importance to me both as a medical doctor and as a parent, especially as recent reports have shown that the number of children with allergies is on the rise," Hagen said. "FSIS will continue to improve its efforts to ensure that public health and labeling requirements are met. "FSIS reacted after seeing 27 recalls for undeclared ingredients in the first six months of 2011; 20 were the result of undeclared allergens. In the preceding two years combined, FSIS issued recalls for a total of 32 undeclared allergens.

It is unfortunate that the population affected by allergens is growing rapidly for which no one knows the reason. There are clear guidelines about the declaration of the presence of any of the 8 allergenic ingredients listed and even when the same machinery is used for processing such ingredients it must be declared on the label. While this trend is a consolation that microbial contamination controlling protocols are increasingly becoming reliable, the allergen problem needs utmost attention to bring it under control.

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

THE CANCER "ALARM"-A WAKE UP CALL WORTHY OF ATTENTION

Consumers world over are being bombarded day in and day out with hundreds of reports, often contradicting each other, carrying information about the relation between processed foods and the killer disease Cancer. It is difficult for any layman to come to any meaningful conclusion regarding the validity or veracity of such claims. Some emanate from scientists craving for publicity while others are floated by vested interests with their own agenda, though a few are genuine. But when a serious report is put out by a scientific body of a technologically advanced country like the US, it is time one listens to its arguments and judgment.

"Traditionally, we reduce cancer risks through regular doctor visits, self-examinations and screenings such as mammograms. The President's Cancer Panel suggests other eye-opening steps as well, such as giving preference to organic food, checking radon levels in the home and microwaving food in glass containers rather than plastic. In particular, the report warns about exposures to chemicals during pregnancy, when risk of damage seems to be greatest. Noting that 300 contaminants have been detected in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies, the study warns that: "to a disturbing extent, babies are born 'pre-polluted.' " It's striking that this report emerges not from the fringe but from the mission control of mainstream scientific and medical thinking, the President's Cancer Panel. Established in 1971, this is a group of three distinguished experts who review America's cancer program and report directly to the president".

Though the report is scary, consumers, industry and policy makers cannot shy away from facing the reality as enunciated by the panel. The recommendation to use glass in stead of plastics in microwave thawing, heating and cooking is logical because of the uncertainties in terms of safety, posed by many chemicals that go in the making of different plastics. Over whelming role plastic containers play in to day's life cannot be easily reversed but glass technologists will have to come up with light, strong, crack-proof and thermally stable glass containers for use in place of plastics in the coming years. .

V.H.POTTY

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

BOTTLED WATER-THE QUALITY AND SAFETY QUESTIONS

Who ever could think of "recall" of bottled water products from the market based on safety considerations, that too in a country like the US where normal piped water supply is considered safe for drinking? But such things do happen and the industry deserves some appreciation for this action, though the intention behind such recalls might have more to do with brand image protection that consumer safety.

"This list (which I will soon post online) includes a remarkable list of contaminants. In addition to the benzene found in Perrier, bottled water has been found to contain mold, sodium hydroxide, kerosene, styrene, algae, yeast, tetrahydrofuran, sand, fecal coliforms and other forms of bacteria, elevated chlorine, "filth," glass particles, sanitizer, and in my very favorite example, crickets.Yes, crickets. In 1994, a bottler in Nacogdoches, Texas issued a recall for sparkling water found to be contaminated with crickets. The water was distributed in Alabama, Florida, and Georgia and the recall notice wasn't issued until seven months after being bottled and distributed, making it unlikely that consumers were notified in time to avoid buying the contaminated bottles. Maybe they thought it was a bonus, like that worm in tequila, or the weird things sometimes found in flavored vodkas".

Indians can take solace that no one has so far complained seriously about the safety of bottled water though there are more than 1000 bottling units working across the country. Here again the reason for such a "clean" record has more to do with the slack safety vigilance system than the efficiency of the industry! There was a hiccup some time back regarding presence of pesticide residues in the products manufactured by some major players but nothing much has happened there after. The ISI marking and safety overseeing by the Bureau of Indian Standards are nothing but a sham as this agency is more interested in the revenue coming out of the licensing process rather than enforcing the specifications for which it has neither the expertise nor the personnel and the infrastructure. Indian consumers are left to fend for them selves while the bottling industry is laughing all the way to their banks with their undeserved bounty.

V.H.POTTY

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