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

Crop research start-up plans commercial foray

Vijayawada-based BR KuKing Spray, incubated at the Agri-Business Incubator (ABI) of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (Icrisat), Hyderabad, is planning to commercially roll out its cooking oil spray technology by mid-January 2012.
After four years of development including formulation, process and machinery with an investment of Rs 4 crore, BR KuKing recently received an approval from the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for its cooking oil spray technology (sunflower and groundnut) and the patented and FDA-compliant product has been granted a licence as a proprietary food.
“Our pilot plant is presently running at Pamarru, 40 kilometre from Vijayawada. We are in the process of setting up a commercial plant, initially with a capacity to make 5,000 dispensing cans (each costing Rs 150 for 250 ml) per day, besides exporting our technology to east European and West Asian countries beginning next year,” said managing director B Rami Reddy.
He was speaking to Business Standard on the sidelines of the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Food 360-degree, a two-day international conference-cum-exhibition on agribusiness and food processing which began here on Monday. BR KuKing, in which Icrisat holds close to 28 per cent stake, is in talks with a couple of venture capital firms to raise about Rs 6 crore to fuel its marketing and brand-building exercise for its product across major cities down south.
Cooking oil spray, a mechanism for dispensing formulated cooking oil in an aerosol form, helps in reducing the viscosity of oil and providing it with non-stick properties. This technology, Reddy said, will help in uniform spreading of oil in pans or other cooking surfaces, thereby reducing the consumption of oil by 10-15 times as against the regular oil.
In the domestic cooking oil spray market, which at present has only a handful of players like the US-based SprayLite and Agro Tech Foods’ SundropSlimLife, BR KuKing is primarily looking at tapping into the health sector like dieticians, heart specialists and diabetics.
“Once the venture captial fund is in place in the next two months, we will launch the off-the-shelf product. We have already developed products based on coconut and ghee, for which we are planning to file for global patents by the end of this month,” Reddy said, adding the company was in negotiation with all the top three players in the edible oil market in the country for technology licencing and custom-manufacturing, which is expected to crystallise by March 2012.

Simple Sanitation: Five Tips to Help Prevent Pests

Imagine for a moment that your product is compromised by pests. Not something you even want to think about, right? Protecting your product is of the utmost importance to your bottom line and your business’ reputation.
The good news is that sanitation is a relatively easy way to help prevent pests from being attracted to your facility. A sanitation program must encompass daily, weekly and monthly steps, along with a thorough deep cleaning at least once a year.
Here are five quick sanitation tips to help keep pests at bay:
1) Regularly sweep or vacuum under appliances. Use a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter to clean debris from cracks and crevices in walls—this can also remove any pests hiding in these areas.
2) Thoroughly clean all equipment, particularly in joints and around nuts and bolts, which can be easily overlooked. Dust and grime can collect in these spots and attract pests.
3) Clean spills immediately, even if it is just water. Pests only need a small amount of water to survive in your facility.
4) Remove floor drain covers and scrub drains with an organic cleaner and brush to remove organic debris that can act as a breeding ground for some pests.
5) Line all trashcans and make sure they are tightly sealed. Implement a regular trash-removal schedule and ensure trash is disposed of daily. Don’t let trash pile up outside entrances and near the building—this can attract pests to your building where they may find easy access through nearby doors. Move dumpsters as far from the building as possible and work with your waste management company to regularly clean and rotate your dumpster.
Remember, sanitation is just one facet of a comprehensive Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Make sure to document any pest sightings and work with a licensed, trained pest management professional who can help train your staff to be on the lookout for signs of pests. Staying ahead of pests today will help prevent costly problems in the future.

Raw Sugar vs White Sugar

Both are made from cane juice. Firstly, extraneous matter is removed from cane juice. If this juice is then concentrated and crystallized, the result is raw sugar (which is yellowish brown in colour). If the juice is further “refined” before crystallizing, the result is white sugar.

In Western countries, there is growing body of opinion recognizing the health benefits of raw sugar vs white sugar (both varieties are manufactured and available there). White sugar is said to be a
leading cause of various health disorders, while raw sugar is praised on health grounds.

Raw sugar contains many vital minerals (which are naturally present in cane) that are conducive to health. These are all removed during the refining stage of white sugar. Besides, the refining process uses sulphur dioxide and trace quantities of sulphur remain behind in the white sugar (sulphur is a widely used pesticide).

In India, sugar standards and rules are anachronistic. They were framed much before the acceptance of Nutrition Science as a discipline. Sugar Industry is not allowed to manufacture or sell raw sugar towards food applications. In fact there is no standard of raw sugar under Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules.

In manufacture of raw sugar, processes being fewer, the cost of manufacture is less than that of white sugar. Also, the yield per tonne of cane is higher. Most importantly, health benefits are more.

Gujarat FDCA organises 4-day training on food safety for designated officers

The Gujarat Food and Drug Control Administration (FDCA) organised a four-day training programme on food safety regulations and implementation for designated officers (DOs), in Gujarat, from November 15-18, 2011, at the Training Centre of Amul Dairy (Anand), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation, Anand, in Gujarat.

The training programme was organised in order to sensitise the officers on various food safety aspects, grievance redressal procedures and provide a demo of the functioning of food processing industries in Gujarat.

Around 49 DOs hailing from states and union territories of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Dadra and Nagar Haveli attended the programme.

“The aim of this programme was to sensitise the designated officials about the regulatory requirements and clear the ambiguity, if any, with regard to the new Act. This would enable them to discharge their duties efficiently,” said Dr Hemant Koshia, commissioner, Gujarat FDCA.

Technical workshops were also conducted as part of this practical training programme where visits were organised for food processing industries, including a visit to Amul Dairy at Anand. “This was done to give them a clear view on health and the hygiene ways in which such industries functioned following the implementation of the new Act.

Some of the subjects covered at the technical programme over the three days included, food safety plan, food processing technology, new technologies in food production / processing, food surveillance and risk analysis, Codex India - roles & responsibilities, concepts of food safety and quality management, food alerts, traceability and food product recall, inspection of food establishments, manufacturing units, inspection and reports, sampling of food, food laboratory, offences in food, trials (case study) and procedures to launch prosecution, implementation of food regulation – FSS Act, 2006.