Woes of milk farmers in India-Will the white revolution end up as "red" revolution?

Considering that milk from cow and buffalo provides a major source of vitally needed nutrients like high quality proteins, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, any adverse factors affecting the dairy industry will definitely impinge on the health of the population, especially in a country like India where substantial percentage of people are vegetarians by nature or by compulsions. Though India prides itself as the number one milk producer in the world, recent international developments are bound to tell upon the fortunes of the dairy sector especially the  dairy farmers. It is ironic that India's white revolution built on cheap imports of milk powder from Western countries is facing an acute crisis by the very fact that the country is producing surplus milk products with uneconomical export prices which collapsed by almost 60%! What are its consequences? Here is a take on this extraordinary situation. 

"ince April-May 2014,milk realisations for farmers have collapsed by around Rs 10 per litre. Maharashtra farmers are currently selling cow milk, with 3.5 per cent fat and 8.5 per cent SNF (solids-not-fat) content, to private dairies at roughly Rs 16 per litre, compared to Rs 26 one-and-a-half years ago. During the same period, farm-gate prices in northern India for buffalo milk, containing 6.5 per cent fat and 8.5 per cent SNF, have dropped from Rs 39-40 to Rs 29-30 a litre. The blame for this can be laid primarily on "global" factors. Prices of skimmed milk powder (SMP) at GlobalDairyTrade — the fortnightly online auction platform of New Zealand's Fonterra Cooperative, the world's No. 1 exporter — averaged $ 1,792 per tonne on Tuesday. The corresponding rate on April 1, 2014 ruled at $ 4,126 per tonne, which itself was below the record $ 5,142 for the same period the previous year. The above unprecedented global crash has done three things to India's dairy industry. First, it has brought exports to a standstill, with SMP shipments from the country plunging from a peak of 1.3 lakh tonnes in 2013-14 (valued at Rs 2,717.56 crore) to 34,490 tonnes (Rs 681.69 crore) in 2014-15 and a paltry 8,130 tonnes (Rs 155.73 crore) during April-November 2015. Second, low export demand has impacted domestic SMP prices too. These have declined from an average ex-factory level of Rs 240-250 per kg in April-May 2014 to Rs 140-150 now, even as fat (ghee) prices have remained stable at Rs 300-310 per kg. Lower powder realisations have affected the operations of private dairies — especially those in the North and Maharashtra whose revenues are mainly from commodities, as opposed to branded liquid milk sales. When SMP and ghee were selling at Rs 250 and Rs 300 per kg respectively, a dairy would have grossed Rs 3,270 or so from processing 100 litres (103 kg) of cow milk with 3.5 per cent fat and 8.5 per cent SNF. After deducting Rs 300-350 of processing and packaging costs, they could pay up to Rs 2,950 for milk delivered at the plant. This price, at the farm-gate, would have worked out to about Rs 2,600 or Rs 26 a litre. But at Rs 140/kg for SMP and Rs 300/kg for ghee, the gross revenue from the same 100 litres of milk would be just over Rs 2,300. Netting out Rs 350 of processing-cum-packaging costs and an equal expense for transport of milk from the farm, thus, effectively leaves Rs 16 per litre — which is what Maharashtra's farmers are receiving today. Simply put, most private dairies with a predominantly commodity (powder and ghee) portfolio have responded to the global crash either by sharply slashing their milk purchase price or even discontinuing operations in the last one year.But the sharp cut-back in procurement by private dairies has resulted in a third outcome — diversion of the surplus milk to cooperatives, particularly in the western and southern states where they have a reasonable presence".  

It is unfortunate that milk producers are being put into lot of economic hardships because of the fall in procurement prices by the private dairy plants who are finding it hard to balance their balance sheets with such a low export price realization for the milk powder. The cooperative milk producers union set up in each state under the operation flood program however are still continuing to give the state decided procurement prices though the capacity of their plants are limited with many farmers compelled to go to private companies. In states like Karnataka the state government announced a bonus of Rs 4 per liter for those bringing in milk to the cooperative dairies, disbursement of this amount is irregular and uncertain. On the whole India dairy sector is going through tremendous strain and whether the country will lose the advantage of white revolution making the milk farmers some what well to do compared to traditional farmers cultivating the land. Governments at the center and states must take this as a serious crisis and come out with proactive policies to prevent large scale abandoning of dairying by the rural farmers leading to a huge potential distaster in the coming days.
           
V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.co

Is milk unhealthy? Americans seem to think so!

Is it not a blasphemy to say that milk is unhealthy? That seems to be the views of millions of American citizens who are shunning milk as reflected by the declining consumption of this precious life saver. Why this distorted thinking? Who is responsible for developing such a thinking among American people? Why is that Americans with such high computer literacy and Internet access are not able to discern the truth that milk whether from mother or cow or any edible source is the most nutritious balanced food man has come across in his long history? Well the blame lies squarely with the health authorities in the US who have been continuously dinning into their ears of people that fat present in milk is dangerous causing a host of diseases including CVD, blood pressure, diabetes and others and how can one expect a child born 40 years ago under such an environment to shake off such a belief to day so easily! The diary industry is terribly worried that declining milk consumption is going to ruin the industry unless the milk is restored to its pedestal which it richly deserves. This is not to hold a brief for the industry which always set its sight on more and more profits, often ignoring the well being of its consumers,But truth still remains that milk's place in healthy life cannot be underestimated or belittled. Here is a take on this situation in the North America..

"As Americans continue turning away from milk, an industry group is pushing back at its critics with a social media campaign trumpeting the benefits of milk. The association says it needs to act because attitudes about milk are deteriorating more rapidly, with vegan groups, non-dairy competitors and other perceived enemies getting louder online. Julia Kadison, CEO of Milk Processor Education Program, which represents milk companies, says the breaking point came last year when the British Medical Journal published a study suggesting drinking lots of milk could lead to earlier deaths and higher incidents of fractures. Even though the study urged a cautious interpretation of its findings, it prompted posts online about the dangers of drinking milk. "I said, 'That's enough.' We can't have these headlines that 'Milk Can Kill You' and not stand up for the truth," Kadison said in a phone interview. She said MilkPEP's consumer surveys have indicated a noticeable deterioration in attitudes about milk over the past year or so, although they declined to give specific survey results. On Tuesday, the "Get Real" social media campaign will be announced at a dairy industry gathering in Boca Raton, Florida in conjunction with the National Dairy Council and Dairy Management Inc., which represent dairy farmers. The campaign is intended to drown out milk's detractors with positive posts about milk on Facebook, Twitter and elsewhere. Milk brands, their employees and others in the industry will post the messages and direct people to a website where they can get more information. Online ads will also tout the superiority of dairy milk over almond milk, which is surging in popularity. The campaign comes as milk's dominance in American homes continues to wane as beverage options proliferate. According to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, people drank an average of 14.5 gallons of milk a year in 2012. That's down 33 percent from the 21.8 gallons a year in 1970. Total milk sales volume has declined 12 percent since 2009, according to market researcher Euromonitor International. One factor chipping away at milk's dominance is the growth of non-dairy alternatives. While soy milk's popularity has faded, retail sales for almond milk are estimated to be up 39 percent last year, according to Virginia Lee, a packaged food analyst with Euromonitor. Meanwhile, the USDA recommends adults get three cups of dairy a day, including options like fat-free, low-fat milk or calcium-fortified soy milk. And the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which represents nutrition professionals, is supporting the Get Real campaign and its push to underscore "the decades of research reinforcing low-fat milk as one of the most nutrient-rich beverages available." But milk's wholesome image is nevertheless being muddied by diet trends and divergent attitudes about nutrition. Many who follow the popular Paleo diet, for instance, shun dairy because people didn't drink it during the Stone Age. Animal welfare groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals are also a thorn in the milk industry's side. On its website, PETA notes that "no species drinks milk beyond infancy or drinks the milk of another species" and details the cruel conditions dairy cows are often subject to."

Probably over fed Americans do not need milk because of their easy access to cheap protein foods from animals and therefore the argument that "no species on earth drinks milk from another species" may be true in theory. Similarly east Asians do not have the habit of drinking milk. But for hundreds of years in countries like India where vegetarian population is very significant, milk is the only source of proteins with high PER values, responsible for the robust health of its population since time immemorial. One big difference between India and America is that the pattern of milk consumption is totally opposite. While Indians drink fluid milk in abundance, Americans consume milk based products like cheese and frozen desserts. All said and done, milk was, is and will be world's most versatile food from a food scientist's whether Americans like it or not!

  

V.H.POTTY

http://vhpotty.blogspot.com

http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

From Soda to milk-What a climb down!

Backlash from the consumer community and sociological groups who have been berating the soda industry for the unhealthy beverages being produced, marketed and made popular among kids through over drive promotional activities. Some of the major players seem to be seeing the writing on the wall, viz there is no future for this industry and if they continue to indulge in this business, a day may not be too far way when they will face consumer wrath of Himalayans proportions and possibly face massive class action suits for economic reparation to the consumers for the health damage caused by these unhealthy drinks as in the case of cigarette industry two decades ago. Though global production of soft drinks is more than 20 billion (bn) cases valued at about $ 300 bn, USA alone accounting for about 50% of this, the ever declining trend of sales has been a cause of worry for many of the major players in this segment of industry. In USA alone the sales of soda are declining on an average 1-3% every year since 2004, an alarming signal indeed. This has probably been the reason for the new found love of this industry to nutritious and healthy products like value added milk based beverages. Here is a take on this important turning point in the fortunes of soda industry as is being reported.

Soft-drink giant the Coca-Cola Company will soon be launching a new version of milk branded as Fairlife.  The launch is planned for later this month, with sales to begin nationwide next year. "Purely nutritious milk" states the slogan under Fairlife's name on the containers. The company's optimism is riding high for this new lactose-free product, which boasts of containing 50-percent more natural protein, 30-percent more natural calcium, and 50-percent less sugar than ordinary milk. During a global consumer conference last month, Sandy Douglas, president of Coca-Cola North America, predicted that "it will rain money" once Fairlife gets established in the marketplace. Even so, he acknowledged that it will take considerable investments in the milk business and several years before that happens. "We'll charge twice as much for it as the milk we're used to buying in a jug," he said during the conference. Conventional prices for milk in a gallon jug vary but typically hover around $3. According to Fairlife's website, the new product will be sold at a similar price to value-added milks such as organic and lactose-free. It will offer skim and 2-percent milk varieties, plus a sweetened chocolate milk. The calorie count in a glass of 2 percent is 120; in a glass of skim, 80. "The premiumization of milk" is how Douglas described this new approach to marketing— a challenge to anyone looking at the declining sales of fluid milk in the United States. Back in 1975, when everyone was encouraged to drink three or four glasses a milk a day "for the sake of your health," per-capita consumption of beverage milk and cream was 262 pounds, according to figures from USDA. But with increasing concerns about obesity and the adverse health effects of sugar in their diets — along with other beverage options such as flavored water and non-dairy almond and soy milk — Americans are drinking less milk. By 2012, per-capita consumption of beverage milk and cream had fallen to 195 pounds. And, according to some industry gurus, milk sales will continue to drop, which is certainly not a rosy picture for the industry.

If consumers think that this is a genuine realization on the part of the soda industry, they better listen to the logic for opting for milk based products as made clear by them. They are simply following the trend of higher and higher awareness about health and nutrition among the consumers who want more healthy products than soda for which they are prepared to pay a higher price. This willingness to pay extra for health boosting milk products is the key to the new thinking on the part of the soda makers. As milk is one of the top most nutritive products available to man and since plain fluid milk is invariably shunned by kids, the soda makers see in this emerging situation a golden opportunity to make a fast buck. In the words of some market pundits "there will be raining of money" for the industry if right products with health value are positioned before the consumer. Who can resist buying a milk product with higher protein, higher calcium, significantly less sugar compared to "run of the mill" colored and flavored milks now in the market! While this development may be encouraging, one has to be watchful to see what ingredients these super technology companies will use while designing their new products to make them extremely appealing to their target users, viz kids.

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

Unconventional sources of milk-Are they sustainable?

According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), man must diversify the source of milk to meet the increasing demand for this most nutritious food, considered complete in many respects. While Cow and Buffalo are the common sources of milk all over the world, due to many factors the investment on these animals and maintaining them is becoming increasingly cost prohibitive. World production of conventional milk was reported to be around 780 million tons (MT), of which India alone accounted for 141 MT. If per capita availability is considered at the current production level it works out to approximately 600 ml per day, considered to be more than adequate from the nutritional perspectives. Unfortunately statistics never reflect the true ground situation and probably more than half the population, especially in Asia , Latin America and Africa cannot access to adequate quantity of milk due to economic compulsions, their limited income not adequate to be spared for buying this costly commodity at the prevailing prices. Besides milk consuming habit is limited in countries like China, Japan, Korea and other Oriental countries. Still market pundits are fore casting that milk market would grow by 25% by 2025 in some of the emerging economies which in turn is driving the quest for new sources of milk. Here is a take on this issue reflecting the view of the FAO. 

"Milk from a variety of animals including camels, llamas and moose should be more widely used to counteract high cow milk prices due to growing demand for dairy in the developing world, the UN food agency said on Tuesday. "There is huge scope for developing other dairy species," Anthony Bennett, livestock industry officer at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Rome, was quoted as saying in a statement. In a report co-authored by Bennett released Tuesday, the FAO said that alpaca, donkeys, moose, reindeer and yak could also be milked, alongside other species that are already used for milk like buffalo, goat and sheep. It said reindeer and moose milk was high in fat and protein and also contained half the lactose found in cow milk, making it a possible alternative source of dairy for people with lactose intolerance. The report forecast that dairy consumption in developing countries will grow by 25 percent by 2025 as a result of population growth and rising incomes. But it said that milk -- a crucial source of dietary energy, protein and fat -- "will likely still be out of reach for the most vulnerable households". "Governments need to address the issue by making nutrition a specific objective in dairy sector development and by investing in programmes that help poor families keep small dairy livestock," it said. Alpaca and llama and alpaca breeding could provide "a valuable nutritional and economic resource" for people in mountainous areas of South America, it said.The FAO pointed out that camel milk is already prized in Ethiopia, Mali and Somalia and mare's milk is consumed by 30 million people in Russia and Central Asia."

How far milk production from other animals as propounded by the FAO is realistic is a matter of debate. Though these animals can provide probably more nutritious milk how far they can be produced in an organized fashion is unclear. Also not certain is whether for a vast majority of consumers milk from animals other than cow or buffalo can be palatable. What is needed is a concerted effort to encourage consumption of milk by these animals in area/regions where they are already popular.and simultaneously provide scientific inputs to upgrade their genetic quality and productivity. This way pull for milk from conventional sources from these regions can be significantly reduced and milk price is not allowed to escalate uncontrollably in the global market.

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

Food grain storage -Where is the quality oversight?

If government orders can set things right, every thing in this country should have worked as they ought to have!Alas, in the scheme of things in the agenda of babus who rule this country, "ordering" is the only duty they have to perform and whether they are obeyed or implemented is none of their business!. Latest one hears is about an "order" by the Goan government to the PDS players in the state to obtain license from Delhi for grain storage to "ensure" quality of grains supplied by PDS to the card holders. What is not clear is how getting a license will improve the quality unless there is a ground level infrastructure to pick up samples, assess quality in a well equipped laboratory and haul up those who indulge in distributing unfit grains to the consumers. Here is a take on this tall order from Goan babus to the state PDS dealers. 

"Goa civil supplies department has stated that all its godowns across the state have to obtain a food safety license to ensure that quality of grains is maintained. The department has also asked for a monthly report from joint mamlatdars about damaged, inferior or infested grains found in godowns from where the grains are supplied to fair price shops through the public distribution system. The directions are mentioned in a circular issued by director of civil supplies Vikas Gaunekar.The joint mamlatdars will also have to educate fair price shop owners about maintaining quality of grains and to take measures to prevent pest infestation. There are more than a dozen godowns in the 12 talukas."

One wonders whether there has been any case in the last 2-3 decades of any food inspector daring to confront PDS system and hauling any ration shop owners or the warehouse owners (FCI or State agencies) for violating food standards? India is a country where public agencies are holy cows which cannot be touched by quality control agencies, be it food grains or the milk. If these QC agencies had done their job efficiently without fear, the quality complaints so rampant from consumers about unfit grains being supplied would not have reached Himalayan dimensions to day. Even private players manufacturing and selling sub-standard foods are rarely hauled up with annual conviction hardly in the range of 700-1000 in a country with a population of 1.2 billion! The truth is that food standards agencies in almost all states are grossly understaffed with archaic testing infrastructure though there are loud proclamations from Delhi that crores and crores of rupees have been "budgeted". Is this some sense of pessimism expressed here? Of course past experience has taught the citizens in this country to be pessimistic about every thing government says from time to time! 

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

DRUGGED CHICKEN-A STAPLE IN CHINA?

China is fast growing as the capital of fraudulent food products manufactured both for exports as well as domestic consumption. While one will have laud the economic miracles achieved by this ancient country with in a short span of time, what is incomprehensible is why this country is not able to prevent food frauds taking place more and more frequently affecting its image abroad and health of its citizens. Some how countries like India and China are under estimating the innovative genius shown by food criminals who seem to be invariably one step ahead of the government! Latest episode of food fraud comes from some parts of China where chicken farmers are reported to be using banned drugs, antibiotics and non-permissible hormones to fatten their chicken, obviously to make fast money, ignoring the well being of the citizens. Here is commentary on this despicable practices going on unchecked in this country.

On December 18, China Central Television (CCTV), the country's national television station, reported
that several Shandong-located chicken farms fed antibiotics and hormones to chickens every day 
to reduce their death rate and quicken their growth. Hormones, antibiotics and antiviral drugs,
were all fed to the chickens to compensate for the unsanitary conditions in their cages,
according to the CCTV report. The owner of one of the farms says he gave the chickens
at least 18 kinds of antibiotics. Within a mere 40 days, the chickens' weight would surge
upward of 3 kg. To make matters worse, the chickens were found to be  given drugs banned
by the State Food and Drug Administration of China (SFDA). According to the report, some
chickens were fed anti-biotics two days before slaughter.China's poultry raising regulations state that chickens cannot be given drugs at leastone week before being slaughtered to ensure the drugs are no longer in their systems. Two such farms in Gaomi  and Pingdu, both in east China's Shandong Province, sold their chickens to a slaughterhouse  in Pingdu, which belongs to Liuhe Group, the company that provides chicken to the China
division of Yum Brands of Shanghai, which owns the KFC fast food chain. Yum's logistics center then
delivered the chicken to its fast food stores, said the report.Companies belonging  ;to Liuhe Group
also fabricated feeding logs for their chicken farms and produced quarantine qualifications without
 conducting any tests, said the report. On December 21, the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration
conducted a food safety check at KFC outlets. It found that one of 32 samples taken from eight
batches of Yum Brands' raw chicken was suspected to be contaminated with the anti-viral medicine amantadine, which is banned for use in food. The Shanghai food and drug authority
has asked Yum to recall related products fr omits KFC restaurants&nb sp;and has launched a citywide
inspection of KFC outlets. Yum Brands Inc., the world's largest restaurant group, is believed to have known

about the antibiotics in its chicken as far back as 2010. Beijing Review was unable to reach

Yum Brands for comment. McDonald's and the Japanese fast food chain Yoshinoya have also been embroiled in the chicken scandal. On December 23, the Beijing Animal Inspection authority uncovered that
23 restaurants or food companies bought chicken from Liuhe Group, including Yoshinoya.
Some dishes incorporating chicken have been withdrawn from sale at Yoshinoya restaurantsin Beijing,
reported the Xinhua News Agency. On December 26, McDonald's admitted that the Liuhe
Group was its secondtier supplier.It claims to have stopped using raw chicken from Liuhe since December 18. During a press conference held on December 25, Bi Meijia, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), said that relevant poultry raisers and processors have been shutdown
and are currently under investigation. The MOA has dispatched a group ofexperts to Shandong
Province to inspect the matter, he said.

Globally food adulterators and fraudulent players are having a swell time in making money by cheating the consumers and the regulatory agencies through very innovative techniques and higher the prices of food products larger seems to be margins for this industry! Olive oil, Saffron, Honey, etc are prime candidates for fraudulent practices and due to many reaons they are able to get away without being detected and pinished. Milk is another food item attracting adulterators in droves and this is an example of how such activities are sustained for decades in every part of the world. Imagine the genius of these criminals in India where milk is made without the help of a cow or a buffalo but using chemicals like urea and detergents! Probably people, especially in poor and developing countries may have to live with this evil till adequate resources are available to them to create required infrastructural facilities to check, uncover and bring to book those indulging in food related criminal activities.

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

"COUNTERFEIT" FOODS-A GLOBALLY ROARING BUSINESS!

Cheating the consumer for making a fast buck is a universal phenomenon, whether in India, China or the US. While consumers can absorb occasional sub-par quality products marketed by some unscrupulous players, it assumes critical dimension when such foods can pose serious health hazards. For example adding water to milk is not directly dangerous
but concocting a milk look alike product made from urea, detergents etc can be really reprehensible and indefensible.
It is interesting that most risky foods churned out by fraudsters posing health risks are more prevalent in developing countries like India while counterfeit foods with doubtful quality are seen more in developed countries. This may probably due to more efficient surveillance and modern infrastructure seen in wealthy countries. According to a recent study economic fraud is more prevalent globally with high priced products like olive oil, saffron, honey etc though mass consumed products do not lag very much behind. Here is an informative piece of report on the subject.  

"Some fear higher world food prices are making food counterfeiting the next big global trend. Counterfeit food is a way to steal millions and put food safety at extreme risk. Obviously, anyone willing to rip off valued brands or products to manufacture counterfeit food outside of any the regulation of any country does not give a rip about food safety. Interpol Police have recently turned up candy bards, fish, cheese, and tomato sauce—all phony—foods that could have ended up in the U.S. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has its own police force for tackling fraudulent foods and drugs. Counterfeit drugs get most of the attention. The World Bank says consumers pay $30 billion annually for fake drugs with Africa being the hardest. Estimates for how much consumers pay for fake food are a little more fluid. At last month's 9th Annual Anti-Counterfeiting and Brand Protection Summit held in Midtown West, NY, a fact sheet from DuPont said counterfeiting cost U.S. businesses $200 billion to $250 billion annually, affecting 92 percent of Fortune 500 companies. Food and beverages are only a slice of that, of course, but consider that Russia has documented $3.3 billion in annual losses due just to counterfeit vodka, the total for food and beverage products would probably be staggering".

If the above report is to be believed the cost of counterfeiting branded foods and drugs is staggering with many major brand owners suffering financially from this under-ground activities of fraudsters. More concerned should be the consumers who are cheated out of their hard earned money by enticing them to buy cheaper foods. Can this criminal activity ever be stopped? Probably not as many experts believe that it would be a logistical nightmare if taken up seriously and it is impossible to eliminate frauds completely. A possible option could be to increase the severity of punishment meted out to the food fraudsters such a way it has a strong deterrent effect on those contemplating committing such frauds.

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

UV TECHNOLOGY FOR FOOD DISINFECTION-NEW CLAIMS

Keeping the food from harm's way is a continuing challenge for the industry in spite of enormous success in evolving a multitude of disinfection technologies during the last five decades. Classically the traditional thermal pasteurization still rules the roost though the technique to generate heat may vary depending on the technology one talks about. With the advent of HTST/UHT technology which is being used by Tetrapack and other companies, heat damage to the quality of food processed has been greatly minimized though it is not avoided completely. Quest for non-thermal processing has resulted in development of modern technologies like Gamma Radiation, High Pressure Processing and a few others which are now being commercialized though on a slow pace. Ultra Violet light certainly has high disinfecting potential but its use is restricted more or less to making water pathogen-free. Now comes the news that new technologies are on the anvil exploiting the kill potential of UV light for commercial pasteurization of liquid foods like wine, fruit juices, milk etc. Here are some details about this latest development 

"The production of environmentally friendly, sustainable, chemical-free food continues to challenge the food industry, spurring the development of alternative novel food processing techniques that are more sophisticated than traditional practices and better for the environment. Ultraviolet light is one of these emerging solutions being used in food technology as a physical preservation method in food processing to purify microbiologically sensitive liquids such as wine, fruit juice and milk. This is according to US-based research scientist and world-renowned ultraviolet light in food technology expert, Dr Tatiana Koutchma, who was recently hosted by SurePure, the global patent holders of the world's first UV-C photopurification turbulator technology, to lecture the Microbiology Research Group students at the University of the Western Cape on the benefits of novel processing technologies other than heat, including UV light. She says that the use of UV light can not only lower microbial infestation and obviate chemical degradation of foods and the environment, but that it can improve the functionality of food, too, by enhancing fruit phenols and preserving antioxidants"

How far the above report is commercial promotion and how much the technology described above is realistic cannot be ascertained unless there are verifiable user experience regarding its efficacy and reliability. Probably the manufacturers of the so called "UV Photopurification Turbulator Technology" may have to do a lot of leg work to convince the user industries that it can "improve chemical, physical and microbiological" quality of foods treated, as being claimed. The assertion that the nutritional quality is enhanced because of increase in polyphenol content also needs more scientific evidence. No doubt UV technology can compliment the conventional pasteurization processes but how far it can become a stand alone technology remains to be seen.  

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

FOOD ADULTERATION-A UNIVERSAL THREAT TO CONSUMERS

The hapless citizens in India can take solace from a recent scholarly report about fraudulent practices adopted by manufacturers of foods world over to get economic benefits at the expense of the consumer. One is familiar with the famous saying of one of the past prime ministers of India describing corruption as universal and not confined to India. Same appears to be true with food adulteration also. It is surprising that the fraudsters are always one step ahead of the safety agencies when it comes to detecting adulteration and their techniques are increasingly becoming more and more sophisticated with time. Food frauds literally constitute a high tech industry because of the enormous economic gains inherent in adulteration. Interestingly costlier the food product, more incentive is available for evolving appropriate methods to mimic the original product with cheap alternatives.Here is a gist of the report that elaborates on economic frauds perpetrated in the US based on reliable data base. 

"Olive oil, milk, honey, saffron, orange juice, coffee and apple juice are the seven most likely food ingredients to be targets for intentional or economically motivated adulteration of food, or food fraud, according to analysis of the first U.S. public database created to compile information on risk factors for food fraud published in the Journal of Food Science. The database was created by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) and provides baseline information to assist interested parties in assessing the risks of specific products. It includes a total of 1,305 records for food fraud based on a total of 667 scholarly, media and other publicly available reports. Food fraud is a collective term that encompasses the deliberate substitution, addition, tampering or misrepresentation of food, food ingredients or food packaging, or false or misleading statements made about a product for economic gain. A more specific type of fraud is the fraudulent addition of non-authentic substances or removal or replacement of authentic substances without the purchaser's knowledge for economic gain of the seller. According to the authors of the paper, food fraud may be more risky than traditional threats to the food supply because the adulterants used in these activities often are unconventional and designed to avoid detection through routine analyses. "The vast majority of food fraud is primarily technical and economical," said John Spink, associate director with the anti-counterfeiting and product protection program at Michigan State University. "However, there are some cases where there can be serious health consequences as illustrated when melamine was added to infant formula and pet food in order to falsify the level of protein content in these products."

When it comes to food adulteration no other country can beat India because this is a country where every one has unlimited freedom to indulge in such activities with no possibility of retribution. Though food laws that exist are comparable to international ones, there is very little activity at the ground level to monitor or detect adulterated foods in the market or punish the guilty. Milk is mentioned as one of the top adulterated products but can any country beat the ingenuity of the Indian fraudsters in evolving a milk completely without a cow or a buffalo, using ingredients like detergents, urea, cheap oil etc that competes with genuine milk in the market with complete impunity? Of course Chinese may be providing close competition by using the deadly Melamine to increase protein values in milk for economic gains! Saffron is another commodity that attracts fraudsters like the honey beckoning the bees! Consumers are invariably advised by well meaning pundits that they should go for branded foods marketed by established food manufacturers but it is like asking people to eat cake if bread is not affordable! Besides almost all commodities that do not undergo any significant are not available in the branded format from reputed industry players. There does not appear to be any lasting solution to this vexed problem. Stringent punishment to proven fraudsters in double quick time, if made the hall mark of the food safety regime, may see a decline in adulteration cases significantly. A separate and dedicated food fraud court stream under the judiciary for fast tracking such cases may also have a deterrent effect.  

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

TAGATOSE-A PREBIOTIC OR A SWEETENER?

Food industry and the Pharmaceutical companies are continuously looking for newer non-calorie sweeteners with least harmful side effects and off taste. There are already half a dozen such sweeteners popular with weight watchers and diabetic people though each one of them cannot be considered as perfect in all respects. Latest to arrive is Tagatose a natural sugar obtained by isomerization of galactose under alkaline condition or through use of isomerase enzymes derived from yeast. It appears Tagatose occurs in small quantities in most dairy products though its presence is not felt by the consumer. As its sweetness index is 92 compared to 100 for cane sugar and its calories content is only 1.5 kC per gm lot of attention is being focused on this new sweetener. Though Tagatose is not produced commercially as of now, its emergence in future as a major player in low calorie foods cannot be ruled out. Here is a report on this natural sugar substitute.

"It's not quite as sweet as table sugar, but it's very close. It works well in baked goods and beverages for sweetening, but it hasn't become common yet. Besides the food industry, tagatose has caught the interest of medical researchers for a couple of reasons. One is that we don't absorb it very well. That means that we don't get as many calories from tagatose as we do from fructose or glucose — only about half as many. And if we don't absorb it, it doesn't have as much effect on our blood sugar. So it has been getting some interest for use in weight-control foods and for people with diabetes. The other effect of not being absorbed is that when it gets farther down in our gut, the friendly bacteria can use it. So some producers are trying to promote it as a prebiotic, something to help the good gut bacteria grow better. The flip side of that is that bacteria produce gas when they grow. Some people have found that eating foods sweetened with tagatose gives them gas, bloating, stomach rumbles and even diarrhea. As with many dietary fibers that are also prebiotics, the effects depend on the dose. Eat a lot and you're more likely to feel an effect than eating just a little bit. Yogurt doesn't bother most people, and neither does tagatose. It's not commonly used yet, but don't be surprised if it starts to appear in more and more foods".

Tagatose is not absorbed across the intestinal wall and hence passes into large intestine with no calorie effect in the blood. But it has been pointed out that the Tagatose molecules can be physically transported across the intestine, eventually getting into the blood though in relatively small concentrations. Without adequate safety studies and enough understanding of its metabolism once it enters the blood stream, its universal use should not be permitted. As its sweetness is only 92% that of sugar, large amounts are needed to perceive the sweetness effect and with average consumption of 75 gm of sugar by an individual Tagatose can never be an alternate sugar substitute unless its consumption at high levels is proved safe. Of course cost is another factor which may come in the way of commercializing this new sweetener. Since it has been approved as a GRAS ingredient in the US in 2001, food industry may still try it out for special applications. Probably use of Tagatose as a base for carrying other sweeteners like Aspartame, Sucralose, Stevia etc may be more feasible.  

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

ANOTHER MILK "PROBLEM"-CHINA'S LATEST SAFETY TRAVAILS

It is sad to see a country like China struggling to cope up with food frauds in spite of the brutal state power available with the government to punish the culprits with even capital punishment. How far the corruption at the government level influences the attitude of adulterators is not clear. The incident of Melamine tainting of infant food that killed and maimed many children, which is not easy to erase from memory, has dented the image of this country considerably and any effort to seriously address the systemic failure is not viewed with confidence by the citizens as well as international buyers of Chinese foods. Now comes the news that Milk being produced by one of the leading dairies in that country is contaminated with the deadly Aflatoxin at levels not considered acceptable in many countries, further straining the credibility of food safety administration of there. Here is a gist of the news report which gives further insight into the episode.  

"China has discovered excessive levels of a cancer-causing toxin in milk produced by one of the nation's leading dairy companies, the firm said, in the latest in a series of food safety alarms. The government's quality watchdog found high levels of an aflatoxin, which is caused by mould, in milk produced by the Mengniu Dairy Group, the company said in a statement issued Sunday. Mengniu said the milk, produced at one of its plants in the southwestern province of Sichuan, was tested before being sold so the contaminated milk never reached the market. China is trying to crack down on product safety violations to reassure citizens and restore faith in the government after a series of high-profile scandals. Milk was at the centre of China's biggest food safety scandal in 2008 when the industrial chemical melamine was found to have been illegally added to dairy products to give the appearance of higher protein content. At least six babies died and another 300,000 became ill after drinking milk tainted with melamine. Product safety problems have been found in goods ranging from pharmaceuticals to cooking oil. In September, the government arrested 32 people over the sale of cooking oil made from leftovers taken from gutters. Aflatoxins can be found in milk after cows consume feed contaminated by mould and can increase the risk of cancer, including liver cancer, according to the World Health Organisation. Mengniu said the products had been destroyed, and apologised to consumers".

The explanation that the affected milk supply came from cattle, fed with animal feeds containing high levels of Aflatoxin which is generated due to growth of the mold Aspergillus under unsatisfactory conditions of storage or use of Aflatoxin tainted ingredients like groundnut cake, cannot be an excuse to condone such dangerous episodes. If the production of cattle feed or processing of milk is managed under HACCP regime, such an incidence could not have happened. One can only hope that adequate lessons will be learned from this unfortunate incidence of milk poisoning.  

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

OMEGA-3 OIL AND PROBIOTICS THROUGH MILK-A NEW DEVELOPMENT

Probiotics and Omega-3 fatty acids are currently the hot favorites of health food industry and during the last few years several products have been launched containing one of these nutrient ingredients. While probiotics are invariably added to yogurt type of products, Omega-3 oils are used to fortify juices and other processed foods. Probiotics are basically Lactobacillus cultures which are stabilized before incorporation and act in the intestine once ingested enriching the gut microbial colony for imparting some of the beneficial attributes associated with them. However the major constraint with such products is their limited shelf life. Similarly Omega-3 oils, mostly derived from some fish varieties, do have trace aroma of fish still lingering, deterring its use by consumers averse to fish. New technology now being developed in Australia attempts to overcome the above problems and open up vast opportunities to the industry to turn out increasing varieties of food containing these nutrients with no adverse effect on the native texture or aroma. Here is a take on this latest innovation. 

"Adding probiotics to manufactured dairy and juice products can improve digestion and general gut health, and boost the immune system. However, such products are not currently possible, as milk and juice products with probiotics go sour within days. "And even though existing food products fortified with fish-based omega-3 oils only have small amounts added, a residual smell and taste is common. "The key advantage of Progel ingredients is that they don't affect the quality, texture, taste or smell of the product, and products containing Progel encapsulated actives may provide sufficient levels of active nutrients to provide a beneficial source of probiotics and omega-3 to consumers," Professor Bhandari said. "Probiotic and omega-3 juice products made possible by the Progel technology also include calcium, so they would offer many of the health benefits of calcium, probiotics and omega-3 to consumers who do not regularly consume milk and yogurt or oily fish." 

It is true that there are serious questions regarding the true health benefits of preparations containing probiotics in yogurts and almost all claims have been rejected by the EU authorities for lack of adequate scientific evidence. Similarly inclusion of Omega-3 oils in processed foods may raise some issues regarding its necessity and efficacy. More than the actual content of Omega-3 fatty acids, there is some evidence that it is the ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids that is more crucial than the absolute content of either of them. The stand that those who do not take yogurt or fish are prone to serious diseases is based on faulty premise as there are millions of consumers who do not consume either of them and still live without any health handicaps. But in the relentless pursuit of "value addition" in food processing, it may be important for the industry to come up with such products which may help their bottom line. Probably these fortified products might be more beneficial to those consumers suffering from deficiency diseases rather than normal ones consuming a mixed diet.

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

MILK, THE ELIXIR OF LIFE-A SALUTE TO THE ANIMALS THAT FEED THE MANKIND

Mother's milk is supposed to be a complete food that can sustain the life of a child during initial months after being born and animal milk from cow and buffalo is also equally nourishing for human beings of all ages. There are also milk derived from sheep, goat and camel consumed in some regions and irrespective of the source, milk can be rightly called the "elixir" of life. Of course some nutrients like Vitamin C and Iron are not supplied by milk and often in formulated products these nutrients are added during processing. Another dimension to milk yielding cattle is that they are also good sources of meat with beef from cow being the most consumed animal product in the world. One of the endeavors of science has been to make the milk animals yield more and more milk through breeding and more efficient feed materials. While India, based on its "low input-low out put" model surpassed the US in milk production, it is the "high input-high out put" model which raised productivity to very high levels, never thought of before. As against India's 100 million milch animal population produced on an average less than 4 kg per head per day, the corresponding figure in the US is around 30 kg. It may, however be debatable whether the methods used to achieve this impressive yield figure are ethical or safety pliant.

"The United States has about 60,000 dairy farms; the vast majority, about 99 percent, are family owned and operated and members of producer cooperatives. According to USDA, since 1970 milk production per cow has more than doubled - from 9,700 pounds to more than 20,500 pounds per year. In total, U.S. dairy cows produced 189 billion pounds of milk in 2009. Even after seeing numbers like these, it still may be surprising to learn that milk has a farm value second only to beef among livestock industries and equal to corn. According to the American Dairy Association, dairy is the No. 1 agricultural business in California, Idaho, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Wisconsin. Not only do dairy farmers help fuel the economy, they fuel people's bodies with economical food products essential to good health. The National Dietary Guidelines for Americans, commonly known as the food pyramid, recommends that children and adults consume three cups of milk or dairy products per day to provide vital nutrients, including calcium, potassium, vitamin D and protein. Diets rich in dairy foods help maintain bone mass, reducing the risk of osteoporosis in older adults. And, proving that mother's old adage of "Drink your milk" was sound advice, researchers have shown that the intake of milk and milk products is crucial during childhood and adolescence, when bone mass is being built. According to the National Dairy Council, dairy products are the No. 1 source of calcium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamin D in Americans' diets. Research shows that dairy foods, when consumed as part of an overall healthy diet, may help to reduce the risk of diseases such as hypertension, obesity and colon cancer".

Is it not amazing that milk when taken as per the recommendations of nutrition pundits can provide biologically efficient Calcium to the extent of 25% of "Daily Recommended Intake" (DRI) for an adult? While Indian can be proud of outpacing the US in total milk production, it has a long way to go to increase the per capita consumption to the minimum nutritional requirement. While the top milk consuming country Finland shows a per capita consumption of 184 liters per year, the corresponding figure for India is 78 liters per year. Of course the average consumption figure hides the unpalatable situation behind, in that the gap in consumption between "haves" and "have nots" is very wide with poor people practically not consuming any milk at all due to economic compulsion. How milk production in India can be increased is a complex question as the current out put is achieved by millions of small producers with limited income and to transform this low input-low output situation into a high production model calls for investments and technological intervention of a massive nature. Whether this is feasible remains to be seen.

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

PRODUCTS FROM "CLONED" ANIMALS IN THE MARKET?-BRITISH CONCERN

The controversy regarding safety or acceptability of products like meat and milk from off springs of cloned cows is becoming a serious issue posing some trade strains between the US and the UK. It all started by reports that such products are circulating in the British market about which the food safety authorities had no clue. This episode even created a campaign for shutting down the safety agency in the UK charging it with dereliction of duty by not preempting such undesirable and unlawful activities of the food industry. Now it turns up that the suspected British products originated in the US causing wide consternation all around.

'Mark Rueth's Holstein cow Paradise had just been crowned supreme champion of the World Dairy Expo in Madison in 2000 when a biotechnology company salesman approached him ringside and offered a cut-rate deal to clone Paradise so she could "live forever," and make his farm more profitable. The Oxford dairy farmer and cattle breeder agreed, and the salesman immediately pricked the prize cow's ear to harvest DNA. The world of cloning hasn't exactly been paradise for Rueth in the decade since, and especially during the past two weeks. Recent headlines in the British press screamed that two male offspring of a Paradise clone were slaughtered for beef that entered the food chain. Milk from a daughter of a Paradise clone also was traced to the British food supply, setting off consumer fears about food safety. "The English people get in an uproar about stuff," Rueth said last week, noting that a British reporter and photographer showed up unannounced at his farm. "It's not like you're manipulating or changing the DNA. Half of the DNA from the clone's offspring is from the father." In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration doesn't regulate milk or meat from offspring of cloned animals, and doesn't require labeling. Two years after the agency concluded those food products were safe, they're in the American food supply. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture requests that the industry continue a voluntary moratorium on placing products from original clones in the food supply to allow trade partners in other countries to pursue their own regulations".

The controversy assumed another dimension when it was revealed that cloning was done from tissues recovered from a cadaver cow, the justification being that the quality of meat can be tested only after the animal is slaughtered. But many puritans do not savor the "act of resurrection", as the process is understood by a lay man, being construed as "interfering" with nature. The consumers will never know about this while buying such products from such sources because slack labeling regulations in the US.

"These "resurrected" animals are then bred with naturally born cows. The next step is to see if their offspring - whose meat can be sold to consumers in the US - have the same qualities as the grandparent from which the cells were originally taken. Ranchers at the Simplot company also clone from live animals that are particularly productive or fertile. The driving force behind the project is the head of the company, Scott Simplot, who firmly believes that cloning can be used to improve beef production. His stated aim is to raise the standard of the great American steak. "The notion behind what we are doing is to find that animal that created that great steak - and once we have it, we want to reproduce it," he said. "So (if we are successful), every time we have a steak at a restaurant it will have that memorable taste." But the idea is not to everyone's taste. The leading whole food chain in the US, Whole Foods Market, has banned the sale of products of cloning. According to its global vice-president, Margaret Wittenberg, although meat and milk from cloned animals has been allowed to go on sale in the US, most Americans have never heard of it".

Earlier the news of products from cloned animals appeared in news papers that alerted the British safety agency which is yet to come to a conclusion regarding this controversy.

"Food safety officials in Britain are to investigate a claim that milk from the offspring of a cloned cow was on sale for public consumption, they said Monday. The disclosure has provoked concern among some farming campaigners, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is set to investigate a report in Friday's International Herald Tribune newspaper. But the body which represents Britain's dairy industry insisted that there was no danger. The newspaper quoted a British dairy farmer, speaking anonymously, saying that he was using milk from a cow bred from a clone as part of his daily production. The farmer did not want his name to be disclosed because he feared Britons saw cloning as "distasteful" so buyers would stop taking his milk if they knew who he was. The FSA said in response that it regarded meat and products from cloned animals and their offspring as "novel foods" which need to be authorised before being put on sale. "The agency has not received any applications relating to cloning and no authorisations have been made," a spokeswoman said. "The agency will, of course, investigate any reports of unauthorised novel foods entering the food chain." Peter Stevenson, from campaigners Compassion in World Farming, said he was "extremely concerned" at the report and called for an outright ban on the sale of food from cloned animals and their offspring.He said: "The Food Standards Agency must act quickly to trace this milk and get it withdrawn from shops. The cloning of farm animals can involve great suffering."

Europe's strict stand on cloned animals is understandable given the uncertainties regarding the long term consequences of consuming products derived from animals of later generations of cloned parents. The shocking revelation about the unpredictable developments vis-a-vis the first cloned animal Dolly is still fresh in the memory of people and this puts further dampener on the possibility of acceptance of foods from cloned animals.

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