IRRADIATION TECHNOLOGY-MEAT INDUSTRY DEMANDS

Gamma radiation for food preservation has been a subject matter of scientific research for more than 50 years and it has been more or less agreed by scientists and the industry that it is a safe method of keeping food safe for considerable length of time without fear of risks associated with pathogenic microorganisms. Effective and safe dosage of radiation, optimum for each food has also been worked out based on international consensus. However wide scale use of this 'clean' technology is constrained by two factors. First there is a misconceived notion amongst the consumers about possible residual radiation left in the product after processing though hundreds of studies have clearly ruled out such a possibility. Second, irradiation facilities are not easily available to the industry as the capital investment is very heavy and handling radiation sources is tightly controlled by the governments due to possible misuse by unsocial elements in the society.

A non technical issue which is mired in controversy is the insistence by many governments to declare on the label of products irradiated for the consumer to know about it whereas industry is resisting such a move fearing possible consumer back-lash. "Since 1999, FSIS has permitted the use of ionizing radiation for treating meat, meat byproducts, and certain meat food products so long as labels disclose the product is irradiated. But putting radiation labels on food has not gained consumer acceptance. AMI's request is different in that it wants to allow low-dose e-beam radiation over the surface of chilled carcasses as a processing aid and not disclose that the meat has been irradiated on labeling". Probably industry has a case as the technology used is is based on low radiation electronic beam which is considered innocuous.

Considering that pathogen related food poisoning is on the increase, especially in meat based foods, a rational decision needs to be taken and not acceding to the pleas of the industry could prove to be counter productive. This is especially true in countries like India where hygiene and sanitation standards and environmental quality are very poor and irradiation technology only can help to reduce the incidence of food borne diseases significantly.

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

UNITED KINGDOM-WHAT A FALL?

There was a time when United Kingdom (UK) was synonymous with a country where sun never sets and milk and honey are supposed to be flowing, symbolizing its prosperity and power status with many colonies under its thumb. Struggle for independence by these colonies systematically led to shrinking of its power, finally ending up with one small bit of an island in the European continent. Even in Europe UK was being overshadowed by other nations and life is not as rosy as it used to be during the good old days of colonialism

Look at the present status of UK as being reported by a recent study which highlights the current plight of UK citizens. "Familiar bugbears such as longer working hours and the high cost of living contributed to Britain's bottom place in a survey of 10 European countries. Relatively low holiday entitlement was another reason the UK came last in the uSwitch.com European quality of life index".

Though income wise UK may be high on the list, the quality of life is not guaranteed by gross annual income alone and the cost of living ultimately decides the same. It is a surprise that countries like France and Spain once ridiculed for their relatively backward status are much better placed to live compared to UK! What ever be the reasons, this is a lesson for other powerful countries that nothing is perpetual in the world and "every dog has his day"!

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

'FATTY' CONCERN-AUSTRALIAN WORRIES!

Restaurant foods are raising new worries amongst consumer activists and nutrition experts in Australia because of the frying oils they are using regularly in preparing various foods. Already high levels of fat in these products which give high sensory satisfaction are implicated in uncontrolled obesity epidemic and added to this presence of trans fatty acids in some of the foods is of grave concern. Restaurant sector has some how escaped the scrutiny of food authorities and except in some places, the nutritional quality of the foods served is a matter of conjecture.

"Of particular concern to the foundation is the amount of fat consumed outside the home, with restaurants immune from food labelling laws. We've become so particular in the supermarket, but when we eat out we have no idea what our food is being cooked in. There is a lack of transparency about what's going into a lot of our food. While some companies, such as McDonald's, Unilever and Goodman Field, have voluntarily switched to healthier oils, an increase in the amount of cheap imported palm oil, from 113,000 tonnes in 2003 to 130,000 tonnes in 2007, showed the industry as a whole was resisting change".

While restaurants can be made to display in broader terms the nutritional profile of the preparations served by them, how far this will help the consumer is a moot question. After all "eating out" is considered a change for the whole family and taste guides the selection more than the composition. The report quoted above indicts palm oil as a cheap one but castigating it as a non-healthy oil is not acceptable and the bias against this oil from Asia is apparent!

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

MEAT PROCESSING-NEED FOR EXTRA CARE

Meat processing industry has to take extra care to keep the products offered by them safe as animal products are more susceptible to incidence pathogenic infections. The rigorous licensing and monitoring regime that is in place in many countries makes it mandatory for the abattoirs to register with the regulatory agencies with their facilities open to inspection any time. In India under the Meat Food Products Order of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, clear guidelines are laid down as to the mandatory facilities to be in place before stating the processing operations. How ever such stringent measures can be insisted on only for units operating in the organized sector and there are many crude slaughtering facilities working illegally outside the ambit of law, which has serious consequences on the health of the consumer. .

It may not be a consolation for the Indian consumer that such violations are reported in other countries also. Here is a case from Australia."The Government is committed to ensuring food production is properly licensed and audited and we'll crack down hard on those who think they can cut corners," he said. "Laws already in place mean anyone caught processing meat for sale illegally can face a fine of $55,000 for an individual or up to $275,000 for a corporation." Well, the intention is clear but whether in practice such heavy impositions will be a deterrent against chronic violators remains to be seen.

In India the situation is indeed alarming with organized abattoirs, under the licensing regime accounting for a fraction of the meat production offered to the consumer. Thanks to a vibrant meat export industry that supplies products to several countries, the abattoirs operated by them can boast of international standards. It is a pity that most of the abattoirs working in urban areas, owned by the local civic authorities, are dilapidated and their modernization is still a cry in the wilderness.

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

IS THE DRAGON BENIGN? YES, IF OTHERS ARE!

Admirers of China often highlight how that country is helping poorer nations with low GDP and technological capabilities, through bilateral economic cooperation and assistance. It is rarely understood that cooperation is a two way street and involves giving and taking and no country can be expected to be totally charitable towards any other party. When economic aid is extended, there will invariably be strings attached to it and this applies to even Indian aids being offered to third world countries. If this is so why China is being singled out lately for criticism for being some what selfish in expecting benefits to flow back to the country from such endeavors.

According to the current views amongst the China watchers, that country is orienting its aid strategy for political and economic gains for itself, diluting the objective of helping the aid receiving countries."Some critics have suggested China's investment and trade strategy is unfair and, ultimately, disadvantageous to Africa. Business partnerships are often vague, with loose promises of compensation and profit-sharing that never materialize. Chinese loans often stipulate that ensuing contracts must be awarded to Chinese firms and employ Chinese labor. The influx of Chinese labor and cheap Chinese goods that often follows has weakened local economies and caused unemployment in parts of the continent".

The argument that aid receiving countries are weak in negotiating for most favorable terms for themselves probably will not cut much ice and well laid down international norms in the form of legal framework are available with some of the UN agencies like UNCTAD. Then there are regional associations like ASEAN, SAARC, SAARD, ECA etc which can assist its members in striking most favorable deals. Under these circumstances why China alone should be blamed for its aid program defies logic!.

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

SECURING FOOD SUPPLIES-NEW ARAB INITIATIVE

Leasing land in other countries for raising food crops to satisfy self needs, has become common these days with many land and water starved countries trying to strike bilateral arrangements with those having cultivable land to spare or are forced by circumstances to offer their lands on lease. Already serious doubts are being raised regarding the impact of such large scale land transfer on the local food security environment and international agencies seem to be concerned about such distortions in the world economic order. Unlike land leasing another approach being considered is to strike business partnership with global agricultural companies who operate in some of the countries for ensuring return in the form of food commodities.

The new initiative by some of the Gulf countries in forming a consortium is worth watching. "Gulf Arab states will pour $2 billion into a new agricultural fund in coming months to secure food supplies by buying stakes in existing agricultural firms; Gulf countries mainly reliant on food imports, have ramped up efforts to secure food supplies through buying farmland in developing nations or buying stakes in agriculture companies. The new Arab agricultural holding company will be part of the broader Arab Authority for Agriculture Investment and Development (AAAID), an organization made up of 20 Arab and African states all keen to lock in food supplies".

Food is going to be a critical issue for many countries in coming years and every nation is aware that food security only can ensure normal productivity and peaceful life for their population. While taking up such ventures investing countries should not make the lives miserable for people in those countries where agricultural activity is pursued.

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

FOOD SAFETY CENTERS-NEED OF THE HOUR

Free trade regime which is mandatory for members of WTO, brings along with problems hitherto unseen or unanticipated. Different countries have food quality monitoring systems of their own and some are very strict while others have less rigorous enforcement practices. No country in the world is self-sufficient in all foods and dependence on imports of some ingredients is inevitable for the processing industry to flourish. Taking the case of India, the Food Standards and Safety Authority has some of the best provisions for protecting the consumers from food related problems but enforcement is totally lacking raising questions about the dependability of the system. Export rejections at the importing countries are often high while there is very little control about what is imported into the country.

If foreign buyers have to repose confidence on Indian food products, necessary world class infrastructure to assess and control the quality of products is absolutely necessary. What India has now, is an apology of a system that cannot be an envy of any one! Look at a small country like Northern Ireland where no effort is spared to ensure their food products are of world class standard. "The £2 million (US$3.2 million) Centre for Assured, Safe, and Traceable Food (ASSET), funded in part by Northern Ireland's Department for Employment and Learning, will research new technologies to detect contaminants in food, which agri-food industries will implement in their facilities to ensure high standards of food safety".

Rampant adulteration of foods go undetected and unpunished, in spite of stringent laws on paper which attract more and more criminals into food retailing. This has led to a situation where foreign buyers are becoming increasingly intrusive to protect what they have ordered and prevent food related safety problems with imported foods from India. There is no worthwhile central agency with necessary power and facilities to prevent manufacture, market and export of processed foods of sub-standard quality. Northern Ireland is showing the way as to how quality and safety can be upgraded, if one has sincerity, vision and resources.

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