Bakers to counter fast foods with ethnic snacks

KOCHI, MAY 15: 

The Bakers’ Association Kerala (Bake) is launching a campaign to promote the ethnic foods of Kerala, particularly snacks and short-eats, to help Kerala’s distinct tastes to survive the onslaught of Western fast foods.

Bake, which in the recent years have taken several steps to raise the hygiene standards of the baking industry, is organising a workshop for entrepreneurs willing to make and market traditional and ethnic food items. About 100 new home-based entrepreneurs, including housewives, are being invited to attend the workshop.

“We want women with culinary skills and aptitude to set up their own home-based units that can regularly supply the ethnic items to our bakeries,” VP Abdul Saleem, general secretary of the Ernakulam district unit of Bake, told Business Line. “This way, housewives’ culinary and entrepreneurial skills can be developed and the State’s ethnic foods, which are on the verge of vanishing, can be revived.”

Wide range

Saleem noted that Kerala has a wide range of ethnic foods. “The three regions of the State – Malabar, Kochi and Travancore – have distinct culinary traditions and ethnic dishes,” he said. “In fact, most villages have their own traditional dishes.”

For instance, Thalassery in northern Kerala was well-known for its exotic snacks and short-eats.

Workshop

The workshop will give work training, guidance in complying with hygiene norms of the Food Safety and Standards Authority and also how to establish brands out of the home-made snacks. Marketing will be a focus area. Bake will issue its label to the snack units.

Saleem said Bake’s ‘Goodbye to Colours’ campaign to discourage bakeries from adding harmful colours to snacks was a big success. Now the members of Bake are using only authorised colours, that too at minimum levels. Saleem said the drive to promote ethnic foods would be launched in all districts and a series of workshops would be held to introduce new entrepreneurs, particularly housewives, to the concept.

Who is responsible for ‘food safety’ – SMC or D&FCO?

Wake up, food adulteration is going on unchecked

Srinagar, May 14: Who is responsible for checking the adulteration of food stuffs and initiating punitive action against the adulterers?

While the Srinagar Municipal Corporation and Drug and Food Control Organization are slugging out this issue against each-other, adulteration of food stuffs is going on unchecked in the Valley and the unscrupulous trades-people selling foods are having a field days as the sun of unaccountability shines bright and hot!

After the ‘Food Safety Wing’ of the SMC was handed over to the D&FCO here, adulteration of foodstuffs has become the order of the day, with nobody seemingly bothered about the health of the consumers.

Sources in the SMC said that all this started when an order (24-FSC of 2014, dated 25/10/2014) was issued by then Commissioner of Food Safety, J&K, de-notifying the then Health Officer, Srinagar of powers and appointing I/C Assistant Commissioner Food as ‘Designated Officer’ in the Srinagar Municipal limits.

“One of the ministers in former NC-Congress government pressured former Health Minister to hand over the wing to D&FCO here so that some “blue-eyed boys” could be accommodated,” sources in SMC said.

Interestingly, when the order to this effect was issued by the Health department, Housing and Urban Development department was not taken on board -- the SMC presumably comes under both of them, though it is more of H&UD department.

“By issuing this order, the previous government has made Health wing of the SMC completely defunct,” sources in SMC say.

Now, owing to the internal tussle between the two agencies over the issue, the food quality here has gone to dogs and food laboratory here is in absolute shambles.

Now this can be ascertained by the fact that this lab showed normal results for some food samples (of some known but controversial brands tested here) while the same samples were declared unsafe by a better and more sophisticated Food and Drug Laboratory, Kolkata, sources said.

Most of our foods are poisoned. Slowly but surely, we're poisoning ourselves, every day. Should we allow this to continue? Stand up and SPEAK OUT to save your foods, to save yourself, your children, and our future.

Earlier Food Safety Wing of the SMC would take at least seven samples a day from different establishments within the municipal limits, but now not a single is being lifted by the D&FCO.

“Go and ask D&FCO how many food samples have they lifted for testing from the city during past few months,” asked a senior functionary of SMC. “Not a single sample has been lifted after October last year,” he answered himself.

“Municipal Magistrate who would previously hear cases related to food adulteration on every Tuesday and Saturday, too is no doing it any longer now as there are no court hearings and cases are pending since October 2014,” sources within the SMC informed.

Food adulteration is not a new phenomenon in the Valley. In fact doctors say the occurrence has recently seen a phenomenal rise, which has led to a rise in the incidence of gastro-intestinal problems in Kashmir. “But the government has time and again failed to check the standards of food products in the Valley,” regretted a gastroenterologist who didn’t want to be identified.

“Reportedly there is massive adulteration in mass consumption food items which kills people, slowly. We have seen an increasing number of patients complaining of food poisoning, gastric troubles and other problems. Any delay in detection of the cancer can prove fatal,” says the gastroenterologist.

“Lung, stomach, liver, colon and breast cancer cause most cancer deaths every year in the world. The situation in Kashmir is no different,” he said while adding that adulteration of food stuffs has a direct bearing on the incidence of certain cancers, besides of course on other health issues.

When contacted, Commissioner SMC, Tufail Mattoo told ‘Kashmir Images’ that “yes it is true; food adulteration is in full swing in the markets within the Srinagar Municipal limits.”

He also confirmed that the powers of Health Officers of the Corporation have been reduced after an order was passed by Commissioner Food Safety , J&K, in October last year.

All they can do now is to conduct inspections of school and college canteens…! And they cannot initiate any action against the big sharks – the powerful commercial establishments selling food stuffs. No, SMC Commissioner didn’t say this, and certainly not in these words, but this is what this reporter could gauge as being the underlying meaning after talking with him and scores of other people.

“Since this order came, no market checks have been conducted by SMC, with the result that shopkeepers are having a field day by selling substandard products to customers,” reveals SMC Commissioner.

“Due to this decision SMC is also suffering huge revenue loss which would earlier come in a form of license fees, fines, etc.”

He also informed that the Corporation has already taken up the matter with the government. “The powers of SMC’s Health Officers should be restored so that Food Safety Wing (SMC) which is lying defunct could be made functional again,” Mattoo said.

“So far there has been no response from the government about the issue.”

It is pertinent to mention that despite direction from the Central government and state’s High Court, the state government has yet not appointed full-fledged Food Safety Commissioner.

India’s food safety authority halts sale of Monster Energy drinks

The drinks contain ingredients which are either not permitted under food safety regulations or for which the proof of permission is missing

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently withdrew the No Objection Certificate (NOC) of Monster Energy and Monster Energy Zero products, putting an immediate stop to their manufacturing, sale, distribution and import. These drinks are produced and marketed by Monster Energy India Private Limited which is part of US-based Monster Beverage Corporation.

The authority’s scientific panel observed an irrational combination of ginseng and caffeine in Monster Energy, which it said would have an “opposing effect” on the human body. The energy drink projects the rationale for combination of ginseng primarily as flavouring agent, but it is not listed in the Food Safety and Standards Regulations-approved list. The panel also found the title of the product misleading.

One can (475 ml) of Monster Energy Zero was found to contain vitamins B2, B3, B6 and B12 in excess of the recommended daily intake.

Apart from ginseng and caffeine, the product also contains Taurine and L Carnitine, two amino acids, in violation of section 22 of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, 2006. The use of L Carnitine and ginseng has to be specifically approved by FSSAI for use in such energy drinks. Documents supporting the approval of these ingredients were also missing.

FSSAI was to issue the letter withdrawing the NOC in September 2014. But the company managed to secure interim relief from the Bombay High Court in the same month. FSSAI challenged the interim relief in Supreme Court and the apex court finally issued the letter of withdrawal of NOC on May 8, 2015. This is not the first time that concerns have been raised about the ingredients in an energy drink. NOCs for energy drinks such as Cloud 9 and Tzinga Energy were also withdrawn on similar grounds in November 2014 and April 2015 respectively.

Energy drinks have also been at the centre of a controversy due to their high caffeine content, a strong psycho-stimulant which is marketed as an instant source of energy.

High caffeine content can have life-threatening impact on blood pressure, heart and brain functions. The energy rush after consuming such drinks come from the sugars present in it, while caffeine only gives the impression of feeling energetic.

A study was conducted by Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in 2011 on the safety of energy drinks such as Red Bull, Coca-Cola’s Burn, Cloud 9, Hector Beverages’ Tzinga, Monster Energy Ltd's Monster Ripper and three of JMJ group’s XXX energy drink brands—Rejuve, Nicofix and Minus.

Results revealed that 44 per cent of the samples breached the caffeine limit of 145 ppm set for carbonated beverages. Thirty-eight per cent of the samples breached the limit mentioned on the label and 25 per cent did not mention the caffeine content on the label.

As of now, India has not declared any standards limiting the caffeine content in energy drinks to be followed by the industry. As per a 2009 amendment in Rule 37-A (2) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, “energy” drinks were to follow the caffeine cap of 145 ppm, as is applicable to carbonated beverages. A stay order was placed on the amendment in 2010 which led the industry to be largely unregulated.

Later, FSSAI notified a draft regulation on April 18, 2013, with standards for total caffeine in caffeinated beverages to be not less than 145 mg/l and not more than 320 mg/l. As per the draft, energy drinks were to be categorised as caffeinated beverages.

It proposed that product labels must display a message recommending that the daily intake must not exceed two cans per day. It also required labelling to have a prominent display of caution, warning against consumption by children, pregnant and lactating women. It recommended packaging of energy drinks in 250 ml containers with no health and enhanced function claims. 

Till date, there has been no action nor has there been any update on the status of these draft regulations. 

Detractors claim that consuming caffeine through tea and coffee is similar to that consumed through energy drinks.

But it is important to note that tea and coffee are consumed in smaller quantities and more slowly.

A pack of energy drink cans, on the other hand, has more caffeine and is consumed in higher quantity. When these are taken in one go, it is likely to cause sudden chemical burden on the body. It is, therefore, recommended that energy drinks follow a caffeine limit of 145 ppm.

Apart from their high caffeine content, concerns have also been raised about the consumption of these drinks with alcohol to counter drowsiness. However, scientific evidence shows that such consumption can impair cognitive function, increase probability of alcohol dependence and can affect other organs in the body.

India has no set standards for energy drinks till date. Food safety researchers have been waiting for concrete regulations to be set and implemented.

FSSAI ASKS MONSTER ENERGY INDIA TO WITHDRAW TWO ENERGY DRINKS

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked Mumbai-based Monster Energy India Pvt Ltd to withdraw its two energy drinks 'Monster Energy Absolute Zero' and 'Monster Energy' from the market alleging that contents in them have been found to be in violation of the food law.

Though the FSSAI had in 2014 itself had decided to withdraw No objection Certificate (NoC) issued a year ago to the two products, it was stopped from doing so after the company managed to take interim stay from the Bombay High Court.

However, the top food regulator moved the Supreme Court which on May 1, 2015 stayed the Bombay High Court order. Armed with the Apex Court order, the FSSAI on May 8 withdrew the NoC and asked the company to immediately stop manufacturing/sale/distribution/import of the duo products.

Though the NOC to the products were issued in 15 October 2013 which was to be expired on 14 October 2014, a FSSAI panel found that 'Monster Energy' had Ginseng which was projected as a flavouring agent but was not in the FSSR approved list.

"Also the title of the product Monster Energy was found to be misleading. The panel also found that the product has irrational combination of ginseng and caffeine which had opposing effect on the human body. Hence the panel recommended the rejection of the product as a dietary supplement," said the FSSAI in a letter to the company written on May 8.

Also, a FSSAI's scientific panel for functional foods, nutraceuticals, dietetic products and other similar products in its meeting on March 2014 for the risk assessment for safety of ingriedents and limits found 'Monster Energy Absolutely Zero' too was not fit for consumption.

"The panel observed that the product is a caffeinated drink and contains caffeine with Ginseng extract and vitamins, 475 ml cans are supplied and not more than one can/day usage level is recommended by the applicant. At this level of usage, all the vitamins (vitamins B2, B3, B6 and B12) are above the recommended daily allowance.

"It is also in violation of Section 22 of the FSS Act 2006. The product also contains Taurine, L-Carnitine in addition to ginseng and caffeine. As per the Act, such products have to be specifically approved by the FSSAI and the company has not provided adequate supporting data for the same," said the letter.

Food regulator orders recall of Hector beverages' Tzinga, terms it 'unsafe'

The Food Safety & Standards Authority of India has made a rare and strong move in getting energy drink brand Tzinga recalled, terming it 'unsafe'.

NEW DELHI: In a rare move, India's food quality regulator has ordered recall of Tzinga energy drink of Hector Beverages, maker of Paper Boat drinks, saying it's 'unsafe'.

"You are directed to recall all the existing products (under Tzinga) from market under intimation to FSSAI as the same has been declared unsafe," the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) wrote to Hector Beverages in a letter dated May 12.

This is a rare case when the food authority has directed a company to entirely withdraw its products. So far, it has mainly directed firms to either change formulations or labelling on their packs. A Hector Beverages spokesperson, in an email response to ET's query, said, "We acknowledge notice from FSSAI on May 13, 2015. We understand that Tzinga is one among the few other energy drinks companies to which 

the notice has been issued." The food regulator has also directed two other smaller players Pune-based firm Pushpam Food & Beverages, which makes Cloud 9 energy drink, and Chennai-based firm Akoaroma, which makes flavoured water to recall their respective products.

Both these firms could not be reached for comments.

ET has reviewed copies of all three letters sent on Tuesday. Tzinga sells in three flavours: Lemon Mint, Tropical Trip and Mango Strawberry. "As a responsible company, we will cooperate and immediately comply with the notice. Simultaneously, we are internally investigating this matter and will aim to address this at the earliest," the Hector Beverages spokesperson said.

Technically, the firm can contest FSSAI's order in a court. Hector Beverages makes the popular Paper Boat range, which has made its niche in the readyto-drink segment dominated by fizzy drinks, by selling ethnic beverages such as aamras, aam pannaand jaljeera.Set up by former Coca-Cola officials Neeraj Kakkar and Neeraj Biyani, Hector's first product was Tzinga.

The firm is backed by Sequoia and Catamaran Ventures. Three years ago, FSSAI had directed all energy drinks makers to stop using the word 'energy' on their labels, and instead call them 'caffeinated beverages'. Drinks are also supposed to carry a statutory warning of 'high caffeine content' label, in addition to directive on the label - 'not recommended for children, pregnant women, persons sensitive to caffeine and sportspersons'.

The energy drinks market in the country, growing at over 30% annually, is dominated by Austrian firm Red Bull with over 70% share. Besides Tzinga and Cloud 9, other players include Coca-Cola's Burn. Industry reports peg the energy drinks market at Rs 700 crore, which is niche compared to the mass Rs 14,000-crore soft drinks category.

Last month, Hector Beverages had inked a tie-up with Indo Nissin, maker of Top Ramen noodles, for distributing its beverages across general trade stores. The two companies had announced the exclusive distribution partnership, which, they said, would specially help to increase Hector's penetration in smaller, tier-II markets.

Akshaya Patra inaugurates food safety lab in Ahmedabad

AHMEDABAD, MAY 14: 

Bengaluru-based Akshaya Patra Foundation on Thursday inaugurated its first and latest Food Safety and Quality Control Lab (FSQC Lab) in Ahmedabad. This lab is established in technical collaboration with the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru.

The microbiology laboratory is equipped with the latest and modern technology for evaluating the food products right from the farm to plate. These include table top refractometer which evaluates the total soluble solids, fat purity, and adulteration in oils.

Speaking on the launch, Madhu Pandit Dasa, Chairman, Akshaya Patra Foundation, said, "It is indeed a great moment to have a state-of-the-art food safety lab being inaugurated at Ahmedabad. All the kitchens of Akshaya Patra follow a standard process for preparing the mid-day meals. This process is charted out to ensure hygiene and quality of the cooked meal and also to adhere to the food safety standards."

The Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, has provided technical assistance for setting up this lab. The microbiology lab is equipped with the latest technology instruments in enumerating the microbial count, using filtration techniques with pre-sterilised membranes of 0.45 microns. The air sampler instrument evaluates the environmental quality in few hours.

The lab is also equipped with fume hood and exhaust systems along with precision weighing balances of 0.0001g accuracy to accurately weigh the chemicals for microbiological and chemical analysis.