Soya milk – the health answer as 68% of milk in India adulterated

The health answer is to shift to soya milk, said Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal President Heart Care Foundation of India. Dr Aggarwal said that the forthcoming MTNL Perfect Health Mela will focus on health benefits of shifting to soya. During festive season, especially Diwali as non adulterated milk is often used to prepare sweets it is impossible to get pure milk to drink. At least during these days it is safe to shift to soya milk.
Some facts about soya milk

• Soy milk (also called soya milk, soymilk, soybean milk, or soy bean juice and sometimes referred to as soy drink/beverage) is a beverage made from soybeans.
• It is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water.
• Soy milk contains about the same proportion of protein as cow’s milk: around 3.5%; also 2% fat, 2.9% carbohydrate, and 0.5% ash.
• Soy milk can be made at home.
• The coagulated protein from soy milk can be made into tofu, just as dairy milk can be made into cheese.
• The American Academy of Paediatrics considers soy milk a suitable alternative for children who cannot tolerate human or cow’s milk, or whose parents opt for a vegan diet.
• It is associated with a reduction in low-density lipoprotein (“bad cholesterol”) and triglycerides.
• It is good for women undergoing menopause.
• Soy affects bone mineral density.
• Gout sufferers limit consumption of soy products.
• It is good for the health of the thyroid gland.

Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture seminar on food safety

PUNE: The Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA) has organised a seminar on food safety and standards Act and rules on October 31 in the city. At the seminar, participants will be informed about the new Act and rules which is recently being implemented across the state. The seminar is mainly to create awareness among food business operators and food processing industries. Some of the salient features of the seminar include licensing and registrations, new rules introduced this year, importance of food safety, necessity of food safety implementation in food processing industry, comparison with the previous Act, improvements in the new rules, awareness on the Food Safety and Standards Authority to consumers and food business operators, benefits to people in the business as well as consumers, sampling procedures among others.
The seminar will be useful for beginners and small scale food business operators and food processing industries. It will also help managers and employees of supply chain management functions. P M Kulkarni, former assistant commissioner, Food and Drug Administration, Maharashtra, will guide the participants at the seminar to be held at the MCCIA on Senapati Bapat road between 4 pm and 6pm.

Fear Factor – Drinking tea, coffee and milk, in the light of results from ‘National Survey on Milk Adulteration 2011’

Food Safety and Standards authority of India Today morning, I went to a nearby hotel for breakfast. In my last four years in Bangalore, majority of my daily meals were from hotels. In the counter, two people were standing in front of me. My eyes went through the menu list pasted next to the printing machine; after having a quick look I decided on Idly.

Next to that, price for tea and coffee were also listed. I am not a big fan of tea/ coffee. Last time, I ordered a full tea. But today, seeing the entry itself created a terrible feeling. After all, only yesterday I read the result of ‘The National Survey on Milk Adulteration 2011’.

The National Survey on Milk Adulteration 2011

According to the survey - ‘to ascertain the quality of milk and identify different type of adulteration in the liquid milk throughout the country’,

1. ‘total non-conforming samples were 1226 (68.4%)’.
2. ‘non-conformity of samples in rural areas were 381 (31%)’ [Packet samples: 64 (16.7%), Loose samples: 317 (83.2%).
3. ‘In urban area, the total non confirming samples were 845 (68.9%)’ [Packet samples: 282 (33.4%), Loose samples: 563 (66.6%).
4. ‘deviations were found highest on account of Fat and SNF content in 574 samples (46.8%) of the total non–conformity, which includes 147 samples with detergent and two samples with neutralizers respectively’.
5. ‘Detergent was also found in 103 samples (8.4%). Perhaps the reason may be dilution of milk with water’.
6. ‘The second highest parameter of non conformity was the Skim Milk Powder (SMP) in 548 samples (44.69%) which includes presence of glucose in 477 samples. Glucose would have been added to milk probably to enhance SNF’.
7. ‘The presence of Skim Milk Powder indicates the reconstitution of milk powder’.

If I summarize,

1. 68.4% of milk is not fine for human consumption.
2. Apart from water, detergents are also present in milk.
3. People are adding milk powder.
4. Neutralizers are also present in the milk.

Regions

This issue is not limited to any single part of India. Survey was carried out by five regional offices of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in 33 states; sample size was 1791.

Moral Issues

After having breakfast, I walked towards a supermarket located some 200 meters away. Young man of around 30-32 years old was walking in the opposite direction. I could see half litre milk packet, inside a partially transparent plastic bag he was carrying. He may have a kid of 2-3 years old. It is also possible that the kid may drink this milk as well– which may contain detergents and other things.

We are buying milk (any other item for that matter) with the belief that, other side will play fair. Moreover, everybody can’t have a cow at their home.

Conclusion

It is a known fact that a good percentage of milk selling in India is not adhering to the highest standards, people made water as the twin brother of milk long time back; but detergents? adding milk powder?

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) conducted a survey and enlightened the people. Good thing, but who will take action against the entities contaminating milk? Simply conducting an ‘ease of doing business survey’ will not increase the ease to do business. It should be firmly backed by action at ground level. Here, if I am not wrong, independent India always had food inspectors, regulators etc. Even this ‘Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’ was not created yesterday. Still this is the situation.

It is important for government and its various arms to make sure the security of her citizens. Providing security is not limited to protecting borders or conducting income tax raids, it also includes the protection of consumer and sanity of market place.

Sajeev.

Mineral water units must stick to norms, says Deputy Commissioner

Deputy Commissioner V.P. Ikkeri has stated that action will be initiated against mineral water units in the district if they fail to follow the norms as per the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. In a press release here on Saturday, he stated that a team of officials had been formed to check if those units had obtained clearance and were following the norms.

This apart, the tahsildar, officials from Bescom and the Health Department, and municipality officers would also inspect and stop operations of any unit that did not adhere to the norms. “Besides ordering the closure of such units, officers would file criminal cases against them,” he added.

VILLUPURAM & DHARMAPURI DIST. FSO ACTIVITIES

டீத்தூளில் துணிக்கு போடும் சாயம் "மிக்சிங்'

சேலம்: "டீத்தூளில், முந்திரி தோல், இளவம்பஞ்சு காய், துணிகளுக்கு போடும் சாயம் போன்றவை கலக்கப்படுகிறது. செந்நிறமாக இருக்கும் டீயால், குடல்நோய், கல்லீரல், புற்றுநோய் உள்ளிட்ட பாதிப்பு ஏற்படும். கலப்பட டீத்தூள் பயன்படுத்துவோர் குறித்து தகவல் தெரிவிக்கலாம்' என, கலெக்டர் மகரபூஷணம் வேண்டுகோள் விடுத்துள்ளார்.
இது குறித்து, அவர் வெளியிட்ட அறிக்கை:ஏழை, எளியவர்கள் முதல் வசதி படைத்தவர்கள் வரை, பருகுவது டீ ஒன்று தான். அந்த டீத்தூளில், பல்வேறு கலப்படங்களை செய்து, மக்களின் உடல் நலத்தை கெடுக்கின்றனர். குறிப்பாக, முந்திரிதோல், துணிகளுக்கு போடும் சாயம், இளவம்பஞ்சுகாய் உள்ளிட்டவை கலக்கப்படுகிறது. உணவு பாதுகாப்பு மற்றும் தரங்கள் சட்டப்படி, டீத்தூளில் எந்தவிதமான சாயங்களும் சேர்க்கக்கூடாது. செயற்கை வண்ணங்கள் உடல் நலத்துக்கு கேடு விளைவிக்கக்கூடியது.

நல்ல தரமான டீத்தூளில், 200 கப் டீ மட்டுமே கிடைக்கும், கலப்பட டீத்தூளில், 400 கப் டீ கிடைக்கும். இந்த டீயை சாப்பிடுவதால், குடல், கல்லீரல் உள்ளிட்டவை பாதிக்கப்படும். புற்றுநோயும் வருவதற்கான வாய்ப்புள்ளது. கலப்பட டீ விற்பவர்களுக்கு, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு சட்டப்படி, ஏழு ஆண்டு வரை சிறை தண்டனையும், 10 லட்சம் ரூபாய் அபராதம் விதிக்கப்படும்.டீத்தூளில் கலப்படம் உள்ளதா என்பதை எளிய முறையில் கண்டறியலாம். அதாவது, ஒரு கண்ணாடி டம்ளரில் முக்கால் பாகம் குளிர்ந்த நீர் எடுத்துக் கொள்ள வேண்டும். கண்ணாடி டம்ளரில் உள்ள நீரில் டீத்தூளை தூவவும். டீத்தூள் நீரில் இறங்கும்போது, நீர் சிகப்பு அல்லது பழுப்பு நிறமாக மாறினால், அது கலப்படத்தூள். சுத்தமான டீத்தூள் குளிர்ந்த நீரில் சாயம் வராது. கொதித்த நீரில் மட்டுமே சாயம் வரும்.மேலும், தீபாவளி பண்டிகையையொட்டி, இனிப்பு, காரவகைகள் விற்பனை செய்வோர், கலப்படம் இல்லாத வகையில் தயாரித்து விற்பனை செய்ய வேண்டும். உணவு பாதுகாப்புத்துறையில் கட்டாயம் லைசென்ஸ் பெற்றிருக்க வேண்டும். பொதுமக்கள், லைசென்ஸ் பெற்றுள்ள கடைகளில் மட்டுமே, இனிப்பு, காரவகைகளை வாங்குங்கள். புகார்கள் இருக்கும்பட்சத்தில், தொலைபேசி: 0427 - 2450332, மொபைல்: 94435 20332 என்ற எண்ணில் தொடர்பு கொண்டு தகவல் தெரிவிக்கலாம்.இவ்வாறு அறிக்கையில் கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது.