Nov 17, 2016
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India’s food safety authority has not been sure-footed on the matter of issuing standards for fortified foods.
On Monday, the Food and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) announced that it is working on fortification standards for packaged food products such as cereals and biscuits. Fortification means bolstering the nutritional content of a food product by increasing essential micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins. The FSSAI has also issued draft guidelines for five fortified products — rice, wheat, salt, flour, milk and edible oil. For a country long beset by the lack of food safety standards, the new guidelines are a significant first step. However, the food safety authority has not been very surefooted about fortified foods. On the one hand, it is contemplating operationalising the guidelines for rice, wheat, salt, milk and edible oil, even before issuing a final notification. On the other hand, the agency has not specified a deadline for setting standards for packaged foods.
Such vacillation is unfortunate given that there is a growing body of opinion certifying the salience of fortified foods to combat malnutrition. In fact, the first documented evidence of food fortification was in the early 1900s in the US when vitamin B3 was added to coarsely ground corn — the staple of the poor in the country — to help combat the rise of pellagra, a disease caused by the deficiency of this vitamin. In Britain, after the First World War, the government ordered vitamins A and D to be added to margarine because butter had become a scarce commodity in the country. In India, food fortification began in the early 1960s when iodine was added to salt to combat goiter. But while the UK and the US and many other countries have stringent standards on food fortification, India has been slow to get its act together.
The FSSAI’s indecisiveness is especially troubling in view of the government’s recent emphasis on fortified food. In fact on October 16, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Anupriya Patel announced that fortified food would be a key element in the government’s fight against malnutrition. Programmes such as the Mid-Day Meal Scheme, Integrated Child Development Scheme and the Public Distribution System would be mandated to buy and distribute fortified food, she had said. In a country where the unorganised sector plays a significant role in production, processing and packaging of food products, stringent standards are an elementary first step. It is unfortunate that the FSSAI has not been pro-active on the matter.
Going for frozen food? Here's what you need to know
Chef Tushar from McCain Foods India has listed some of the reasons one can opt for frozen food:
Quality: Frozen produce is picked at the peak of its nutrition and flash frozen to maintain the flavours and nutrients. Flash freezing locks in all the product's goodness.
Cost-effective: Frozen foods stay fresh for longer because the freezing process suspends enzyme activity that causes the food to rot. Depending on the type of food, you can store it for several months without losing quality, but always check for longevity of your purchase.
Convenience: Manufacturers have refined preparation, storage and reheating techniques to create flavourful, gourmet-quality meals and entrees. Frozen meals also expose people to foods they might not otherwise eat, such as ethnic foods with long preparation times, or specialty foods that may be too expensive to obtain fresh.
Safety: Freezing suspends microbial and fungal activity in the food. As long as the food remains frozen, it is safe. Frozen ready-to-cook food can be prepared within the hygiene of the house. Add to it your own special touch.
Reduce wastage: Frozen food helps reduce food waste as you use only what you need -- which means it's good for your pocket and the environment.
FSSAI to set up food safety standards review panel
FSSAI will also strengthen capacity building and training of food safety labs and master trainers in food safety standards, who can further train the stakeholders in the food value chain.
MUMBAI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) today said it is in the process of setting up a food safety standards review panel to identify gaps in the existing standards for safe and nutritious food against international standards.
"FSSAI has formulated a three-pronged strategy for ensuring safe and nutritious food for the 1.3 billion people in India. We are in the process of setting up a food safety standards review panel to identify gaps in existing standards for safe and nutritious food against international standards," FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal said here.
"FSSAI will also look at ensuring that these food safety standards are complied by stakeholders in the food business through third party auditing and food inspections," he added.
Inspections will become a norm as far as food safety is concerned, Agarwal said while speaking at a seminar 'Surakshit Khadya Abhiyan', a national mission on safe and nutritious food initiated by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Food & Agriculture Centre of Excellence (FACE).
FSSAI will also strengthen capacity building and training of food safety labs and master trainers in food safety standards, who can further train the stakeholders in the food value chain.
"Also, awareness will be create amongst consumers about food safety and nutritious foods, be it at home, schools, colleges, work place, street food, social and cultural centres," Agarwal said.
Agarwal expressed optimism that India as a nation can address the food safety issues "if we create a brand and work on it whole-heartedly in a collective manner".
Advocating a mass movement on food safety and nutritious food for all, he said, "For this, we have to build the right eco system in food safety."
He also said that awareness should be created about fortified foods amongst consumers.
"FSSAI has set up standards in fortified foods also. Hence, to ensure nutritious food for all, fortified foods have to be encouraged in production and demand," he said.
CMC launches crackdown on stale food
CUTTACK: Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) has launched crackdown on stalls selling stale food items in the Baliyatra fair.
To ensure that revelers are served with good quality food in the fair, special squads of CMC on Wednesday conducted surprise raids on 182 food stalls in the fairgrounds and destroyed over 160kg of stale food. Besides, for the first time CMC also collected fine of over Rs 1000 from the stall owners, who were found selling stale food items. "Our aim behind collecting fine from food stall owners is to instill fear in their minds so that they will not sale stale or unhygienic food to the revelers," said CMC commissioner, Gyana Das.
Lip smacking food items like thunka puri, dahi bara alu dum, chilly chop, Mathura cake, chaat and kebabs are major attraction of the fair and some hot favorite among the revelers. Lakhs of people throng to the fair specially to relish the mouthwatering food stuff. "It is our top priority to ensure that hygiene and good quality food is served to people in the fair. Lakhs of people congregate every day in the week long fair and any leniency may lead to outbreak of gastrointestinal diseases," said a CMC officer. Along with stale food, the civic body is also targeting the stall owners who are using polythene packets in the fair. Use of polythene is completely banned in the fair. However, the directive has little impact on the fair ground.
CMC officials claimed that despite repeated warnings some food joints are using stale and low quality ingredients in the food. CMC will initiate strict action against the repeated offenders. "Now, we are collecting nominal fine but from repeated offenders we will collect more amount," said a CMC officer.
Over 600 kiosks are selling mouth watering food items in the fairground during the eight day long Baliyatra. The CMC will intensify the raids and each and every stall will be checked thoroughly. The civic body has launched crackdown on sale of water pouches in the fair ground.
Revelers have also welcomed the move. "It is a good initiative and the raids should be conducted properly during the fair," said Samir Ranjan Das, a reveler.
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