Authority sounds caution against frozen desserts

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), a statutory regulatory body set up by the union government, has asked the State units of the authority to keep vigil against misguiding practices in the sale of ice creams resorted to by certain manufacturers in the country. A statement to the effect has been circulated among the State units, according to sources.

Ice cream is considered as a dairy product, but frozen desserts camouflaged as ice creams are marketed by various food processing companies, an expert in food safety affairs and senior official of a milk marketing company which manufactures ice-cream, said. The product is marketed usually with the picture of the cream which resembles ice-cream. Selling frozen desserts as ice-cream violates the new rules of FSSAI which have been enforced recently.

Manufacturers of frozen dessert use vegetable oils which cost only about one-third in comparison to the cream derived from milk, the expert said.

The misrepresentation of facts tempts the customer to believe that the frozen dessert is ice-cream.

The practice is rampant among several catering companies. There is chance of utilising adulterated vegetable oils available in the market for the production of the frozen dessert and being served to the gullible public. The consumers, misguided by the flavours, tend to believe that the product is ice-cream even though the product name as such is not mentioned on the label.

In fact, the new regulations make it compulsory to mention the ingredients and the name of the product.

A note circulated among the district officials of the State authority of FSSAI said stabilising agents such as propylene are allowed in ice-cream at 0.5 per cent. But manufacturers were making ice creams only by mixing the stabilising agents and selling them in the market. Stabilisers are reportedly used to improve the texture of ice cream.

These ice creams were injurious to health, it said. As per present provision of food law, there should be at least 10 per cent of milk fat and milk protein in the ice cream made from cow milk and buffalo milk. But an official of the FSSAI told The Hindu that no complaints on the issue were received so far in the State.

Thanks to The Hindu