DINAKARAN NEWS

Avoid malachite green this Holi

Zomato introduces tamper-proof packaging in 10 cities

New Delhi, Mar 20 () Online restaurant guide and food ordering firm Zomato Wednesday said it has pushed tamper-proof packaging in 10 cities in India to add an extra layer of safety for food deliveries.

The safety seals are made from a single material polymer and are completely reusable and recyclable. The company would also launch biodegradable versions of packaging, Zomato said in a statement.

"This packaging will be 100 per cent tamper proof - once the food is sealed by the restaurant, the packet can only be opened by cutting off the top-end strip," it added.

In the first phase, this packaging is introduced in 10 cities -- Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Nagpur and Vadodara -- it said in a statement.

Subsequently, it would be introduced in over 180 cities where Zomato's online ordering and food delivery services are present, it added.

" 'Zomato Safely Sealed' is our latest attempt at adding an extra layer of safety, ensuring our users receive food as good as it was when it was prepared in the kitchen," Zomato Food Delivery CEO Mohit Gupta said.

Over 5,000 restaurant partners are sealing their food using the packaging, he added.Founded by Deepinder Goyal, Zomato is a restaurant reviews, restaurant discovery, food delivery and dining out transactions platform providing information for over 1.4 million restaurants across 24 countries.

Sodium hydrosulphite found in mawa during raid

Jaipur: Non-edible sodium hydrosulphite has been found during a raid at a mawa manufacturing unit in Lohawat Vayiyon Ki Dhani in Jodhpur district on Tuesday.

Ahead of Holi, the demand for mawa has increased manifold and to cater the need of mawa, some producers of mawa, which is required for preparing sweets, are using unlawful means to cash in on its increasing demand.

“Sodium hydrosulphite is non-edible and it is unsafe for human consumption. We have found that the owner of the firm was using it as clarification agent. It is used to give whiteness and to reduce yellowish colour of mawa,” said Dr Sunil Singh, state nodal officer (food safety), who raided the unit in Jodhpur.

It has been found that the owner was purchasing milk without any fat at a cost of Rs10 per litre. He was also allegedly using refined vegetable oil and to give it whiteness, he was using sodium hydrosulphite.

According to officials, sodium hydrosulphite is also used in preparing jaggery as clarification agent. Since it is not safe for health, the health department destroyed 50kg of mawa found from the unit. The officials said that mawa is prepared by using milk and sugar only. But, to make more money, the some of the owners are using adulterants to prepare cheap mawa, which is unsafe for human consumption.

Also, the health department’s team found that the owner did not have any licence required under Food Safety and Standards Act. The health department officials have collected samples of mawa and sent it for laboratory test.

Besides, there were more such units of mawa but when the health department teams reached to conduct raids, they closed it and fled from the scene.

FSSAI approves 13 food testing laboratories including five private facilities as NRL

FSSAI approves 13 food testing laboratories including five private facilities as NRL

New Delhi, Mar 20 (KNN) Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has approved 13 food testing laboratories including five private facilities as National Reference Laboratory (NRL) under Food Safety and Standards (Recognition and Notification of Laboratories) Regulations, 2018 for specific areas.

FSSAI will provide an annual grant to each NRL as approved by the Authority from time to time.

This grant shall be used for expenditure towards manpower, method development/ validation, training and research activities, sourcing of certified reference materials and proficiency testing/ inter- laboratory comparison, according to the notification.

Any additional expenditure incurred towards method development, training, PT exercise at the request of FSSAI shall be provided at actuals.

NRL covers states like Kerala, Punjab, Pune, Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad and Kolkata.

FSSAl may also consider partially supporting organizing of annual events by NRLs on prior request by concerned NRL.

The Handbook of Guidelines for National Reference Laboratory and MoU will be shared shortly by FSSAI.

The notification said that the recognition of NRL shall come into effect only after receipt of MoU duly NRL and its acceptance by FSSAI.

Under the Food Safety and Standards the food authority may recognize any notified food laboratory or referral food laboratory, as a reference laboratory for the purpose of developing methods of testing, validation, proficiency testing and training.

The reference laboratory shall be a resource centre for provision of information for certified reference materials and reference materials, develop standards for routine testing procedures and reliable testing methods, provide technical support in the area of competence, evaluate the performance of other notified laboratories, coordinate exchange of information amongst notified food laboratories and collaborate for data generation among the network of notified food laboratories and referral food laboratories and collate the data related to their specific domain.

Mayor vouches for the quality of food at Indira canteens

HIGHLIGHTS

A BBMP food analyst, had produced findings of the test results of Indira Canteens samples from two laboratories.

BENGALURU: On Tuesday in the city, the Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun, two of her predecessors and a few corporators had vouched for the quality of food being provided at Indira Canteens by putting up a stout defence.

A BBMP food analyst, had produced findings of the test results of Indira Canteens samples from two laboratories, and contested the claims which were made by BJP corporator Umesh Shetty on Monday.

"Indira Canteens were started to cater to poor people who can't afford quality food at cheaper prices and it is a hit in Bengaluru. BJP corporator Shetty has tried to politicise the issue in the wake of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Nobody knows when Shetty took the samples and submitted them to the labs. Besides, Ramaiah advanced testing laboratory, where Shetty claimed to have got the tests done, is not authorised to conduct such tests under Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Hence, Shetty's claims are not authenticated," claimed Gangambike.

Gangambike further made an appeal to the citizens by asking them to not fear, as the food supplied at India Canteen is fit for consumption. She claimed that, a BBMP food analyst had taken samples from the Indira Canteens in two wards of Mahadevapura assembly constituency recently and found them to be satisfactory. Further on March 7, the report authenticated that the samples sent for analysis conformed to the FSSAI standards.

Manjunatha Reddy and G Padmavathi, the Former Congress mayors had said that, Shetty was trying to create fear and panic among poor people who were dependent on Indira Canteens for the quality of food.

Holi and the extravagant spread of food from across India

The most vibrant festival of the country is undoubtedly Holi and is celebrated with colours and a massive gastronomic spread.

Green peas kachori.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Different variants of kachoris and pakoras are in abundance on Holi

When it comes to celebrating festivals, India is one country which leads the world. With so many religions and diverse cultures and geographical locations each festival in India has its own uniqueness. It's not just the cultures which differ but even the food traditions vary from state to state.

The most vibrant festival of the country is undoubtedly Holi and is celebrated with colours and a massive gastronomic spread. It announces the arrival of spring, end of winter and a thanksgiving for a good harvest. Each community and region has subtle differences when it comes to dishes cooked at homes. In Uttar Pradesh a lot of women make savouries and begin the process a week in advance.

With new potatoes in the market and good sunlight many variants of potato chips, aloo lachaas and namkeens are put out on the terraces of most of the houses.

Gulabo and kesar thandai are some of the popular dishes served during lunch in this festive period. 

Sometimes five to six families come together to prepare these goodies for the festive season. Sangeeta Khanna, an expert on Uttar Pradesh food traditions, especially Benares, says, "Kathri and Marwari communities make special Kanji vadas for Holi and are perfect to cut the fatty fried foods."

Also different variants of kachoris and pakoras are in abundance. Not to forget the bhang pakoras paired with bhang thandai which is a must-have in all the regions. Bhang or Cannabis first consumed by Lord Shiva on Goddess Parvati's recommendation has now become an integral part of the celebrations. Lassi with bhang leaves and assorted nuts is most commonly consumed during the day. Maneesh Srivastava, a seasoned food writer, says,

"In the Kayastha community in Bihar gujjia, khajja , khoya mal pua during lunch is a norm and mutton for dinner is a must". An interesting fact is that in every part of the country, on this day, people end up eating some kind of mutton dish paired either with poori or steamed rice. In Bengal its kosha mangsho, in Bihar it is mutton curry, in UP it's mutton biryani or kadhai sort of curry and in Maharastra it's again a sukha mutton or a dry preparation of the meat.

The vegetarians satisfy their cravings mostly by making a spicy kathal curry (jackfruit) as it is in season and also a close mock meat. There are some households that do a kathal biryani too. Another common dish is the dahi vada which has variants like, kanji vada , dal vada made both sweet and savoury.

In Jharkhand mutton dhuska is quite common while the Oriyas make chakuli pitha for Holi. Puran Poli, again a very unique dish mainly in Maharashtrian houses, is a part of the festive food. It is basically made out of flat bread stuffed with sweet chana dal with a nutmeg and cardamom filling. Gujjias also differ from region to region as the stuffing changes every few kilometres. From nuts to coconut to condensed milk (khoya) filling, they come in all varieties.

Some people serve it after soaking it in a sugar syrup (chashni) while some avoid it and serve it dry. Even vermicelli stuffed gujjias in Muslim-dominated areas in Benaras are quite popular during the season and are specially made for the fellow brothers celebrating the festival. In Bengal a special sweet called Jilipi is made which has its own unique character and is only made during Holi.

The dish pakohas a close resemblance to the UP Jalebi as it is made with a batter of paneer (cottage cheese) and then dipped in chashni before being served. For many people after a hectic day of colours and fun, hot colourful sabudana papads , crisp bhang pakoras, a portion of mutton curry and a glass of chilled bhang thandai are good enough to end the day on a high.