Jul 10, 2017
'FSSAI' orders hotels and restaurants to handle surplus food carefully
Hyderabad: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has said that surplus food from hotels and restaurants should be handled in a hygienic manner and distributed to the needy. Food businesses are supposed to follow a set of guidelines to ensure that leftover portions are not reused and served to customers.
The FSSAI has issued a notice stating that surplus food is to be distributed to the needy, through organisations, in a safe and hygienic manner. It is keen to implement a set of guidelines in this regard.
Perishable and non perishable foods are supposed to be segregated and packaged properly to avoid contamination during handling and storage.
The FSSAI says that it is the duty of food business operators to give the surplus food distribution companies advance notice to ensure that the food is distributed and consumed within its shelf life.
A senior officer of the FSSAI explains, “Food wastage is a major problem in the food business. According to the United National Development Program, up to 40 percent of the agriculture produce in India is wasted.”
“Cooked food accounts for 30 percent of this wastage. It is becoming increasingly important for us to ensure that surplus food is put to good use.” says the senior officer of the FSSAI.
A volunteer-based organisation called the Robin Hood Army is operational in 42 cities. It coordinates with hotels and restaurants to ensure that leftover food is distributed to the needy.
The strengthening of organisations such as this will go a long way in managing the distribution of surplus food.
KCR direct officials to curb food adulteration, sanctions 26 food safety officers posts
Hyderabad, July. 9 (NSS): Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has given specific instructions to the Police Department for curbing the illegal manufacturing units adulterating the food products in coordination with Food Safety Department.
Special Teams have been constituted for inspection of various food related establishments in GHMC limits with the support of Police personnel.
The GHMC is taking steps to maintain hygiene by the eating establishments and also to control the food adulteration by the eating establishments through the available staff of Food Safety Wing of GHMC duly implementing the Food Safety & Standards Act, 2006 and Rules, 2011 and also the provisions of Hyderabad Municipal Corporation Act, 1955 in the limits of GHMC.
The Food Safety Officials, Assistant Medical Officers of Health, Deputy Commissioners and concerned officials are conducting surprise inspections on Hotels & Restaurants. During last three months, ,the officials inspected 373 hotels and collected over Rs 16 lakh as fine for various irregularities.
To meet the shortage of food safety officers, the government has sanctioned 26 food safety officers additionally and the process of recruitment for these posts is being handed over to TSPSC and it is under process.
How safe is the packaged water?
Quality check: Packaged water samples taken at random are periodically tested at designated laboratories.
Experts say the government has not come forward to regulate packaging units
MADURAI
A new fleet of carriers has merged with city transport, often being the cause of traffic bottlenecks. Rickety lorries carry drinking water to the interiors of Madurai. Vehicles with stainless steel tankers distribute ‘mineral water’ on order.
Packaged water is transported in a hurry in bubble top containers. People no more believe that they can get daily supply of potable water at their homes.
Ironically, this has happened this summer in a city which was found to indulge in frugal use of water by a 2005 study of Tata Institute of Social Sciences. The TISS study found that a Madurai household consumed a minimum of 370.9 litres of water a day, against the average of 408.6 litres.
Successive monsoon failure, depleting storage in Vaigai dam and reduction of the Vaigai into a flood carrier have narrowed down the choice of source to the ground. Surface water has become a luxury in a city where only waste water flows on the surface in many places.
Water packaging units have multiplied with most of them choosing villages like Manthikulam, Kathakinaru, Keezhamathur, Melakkal, Kallandiri, Poigaikkaraipatti and Sembianendal Vilakku to source water. A family of four consumes one water can of 18-litre capacity in two days on normal days and one can a day in summer.
“The government has not even thought of providing quality water free or at subsidised rates. It has not come forward to regulate packaging units. Packaged water has entered all households, irrespective of the stratum, today,” says R. Murali, former Principal, The Madura College.
A. Kodiswaran, a water vendor in Ayyavu Thevar Nagar, raises doubts over the quality of water supplied in tankers. How many times do they clean the container before filling it daily? Even in the case of non-branded water supplied in containers, he says his customers want the processing units to be regulated. The government should fix a standard price and ensure that they supply hygienic water.
The Bureau of Indian Standards has prescribed two sets of standards for packaged water – IS: 13428 relates to mineral water, water drawn from a natural source and bottled without altering standard composition; and IS: 14543 is for bottled water with altered composition through any process of filtration and disinfection.
Generally, the process of reverse osmosis is employed to alter the composition of water. Big brands, researchers say, add minerals after processing water drawn from natural sources to retain their composition. “Branded water is by and large safe and does not contain any harmful chemicals or microbiological organisms during their shelf life,” says K. Ramesh, water analyst.
But the RO process, used by smaller units that sell water in bottles, cans and bubble tops, tends to bring down total dissolved solids (TDS) from the standard 500, points out S. Rajamohan, Managing Director, Enviro Care India, a laboratory for testing quality of food and water, accredited by National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories.
“The TDS in groundwater in many areas of Madurai is very high due absence of recharge and high atmospheric temperature. After RO process, it comes down considerably. In a particular case, the TDS was 163. This has an adverse impact on one’s immune system,” cautions Mr. Rajamohan.
The Bureau of Indian Standards and Department of Food Safety and Drug Administration undertake periodic collection of drinking water available in the market at random. These samples are subjected to tests for their physical and chemical properties and presence of heavy metals, pesticides and microbiological organisms.
The unit’s licence is suspended if any deviations are detected. What is of concern is the presence of micro organisms, which is a reflection of compromise on safety standards at the filling area of packaging units. Another area of concern is the absence of expiry date in many containers.
“We do not look at the expiry date of water bottles bought from shops on highways,” says Mr. Rajamohan.
“The containers look ugly and we do not know whether they are washed before water is filled. There is also the menace of plastic bottles getting littered. The government should nationalise water business, scientifically process water, standardise prices and eliminate plastic containers. Simultaneously, existing water sources should be protected,” says Mr. Murali.
What is the way out? The best way is to use water available at home. “Consume water supplied by the civic body or drawn from the bore well at home after boiling and filtering it,” says Mr. Rajamohan.
LIQUID NITROGEN: Visual drama, medical trauma?
AFTER HEARING ABOUT HOW A MAN WAS HOSPITALISED AFTER CHUGGING A COCKTAIL INFUSED WITH LIQUID NITROGEN, MANY ARE NOW HAVING SECOND THOUGHTS ABOUT MOLECULAR GASTRONOMY. RESTAURATEURS SAY IT IS POPULAR BECAUSE THE SMOKE EFFECT MAKES THE DISH LOOK GOOD.
CT ASKS THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY TO CLEAR THE SMOKE AROUND IT
For those who were impressed by the use of fancy dishes and drinks served on the table emanating smoke that soon evaporates, the news that a liquid nitrogen drink burnt a hole in a businessman's stomach came as a shock. A party with friends in Gurugram went downhill for a Delhi businessman, who gulped down a drink prepared with liquid nitrogen before the smoke coming out of his drink could evaporate. The doctors had to remove a part of his stomach after he was rushed to the hospital complaining of uneasiness.
His blood tests revealed severe lactic acidosis, which refers to the presence of high level of lactic acid in the blood, resulting from oxygen deprivation in the body .
The incident has not only left people shocked, but has also highlighted the flip side of the growing fad of molecular gastronomy that has been picked up even by city restaurants. Staff members' lack of training and poor knowledge on the use of liquid nitrogen or other such additives can lead to disaster, say restaurateurs.
PRESENTATION OVER QUALITY?
Presentation of food was always an important aspect for restaurants, but over the years, the presentation of a dish has become a priority to impress those who are more interested in taking pictures of the dish and sharing it on their social media pages even before tasting it. One of the reasons why molecular gastronomy or the use of chemicals in food became a trend at restaurants is that it makes the dish look more presentable and fancy.
However, culinary expert Dr chef Damu disagrees, and says, "I am against adding any kind of chemicals to food.It's harmful to the health. We can pres ent the food in a very appealing way using our own traditional ingredients and there's no need to resort to these gimmicks."
Known for his adherence to traditional ways of cooking and encouraging the same, he says, "I believe in parambaryam.Food is medicine and medicine is food.Addition of any kind of chemical ingredients should be discouraged."
Saying that he does not see such fads as a long-lasting one, Damu adds, "Molecular gastronomy is making some inroads into our restaurants. But the ingredients used to create the effect, do not add any taste to the food. It's used only for fashion. One should have a passion for cooking but not add fashion to food."
Bengaluru-based chef and restaurateur Abhijit Saha says most restaurants use liquid nitrogen for two reasons -one, to cool the food rapidly and two, to create visual drama. "Liquid nitrogen is used to cool food rapidly . It is usually used to create ice creams, mousse and sometimes used in cocktails,"he says. But how safe it is to use liquid nitrogen is, we ask."Liquid nitrogen is as safe as water and as harmful as fire. We all know what fire can do but that doesn't stop us from using fire while we cook. Similarly , it is safe as long as all necessary precautions are taken and as long as it evaporates from the dish or the drink," he adds.
Ajit Bangera, senior executive chef of ITC Grand Chola says that molecular gastronomy should not be used just for the sake of adding drama to the food. It should add some value to the food and for that you should have a trained set of staff members, he says. "We apply the principles of molecular gastronomy in our restaurant as well but we do so with all the precautions. In food, mere drama is not enough, taste is ultimately important. We have a well-travelled team, that has been trained properly . Every dish that reaches the customer's table is tried, tested and validated by me."
Emphasising that safety has to be the first priority, he says, "I don't validate what other people are doing. I don't validate mixing liquid nitrogen with alcohol.You cannot entrust the job of food safety to the customer, it should be the job of the chef and his team to ensure that food is tasty and safe."
Arasu Dennis, brand consultant for a number of restobars, says that mixing liquid nitrogen in alcoholic beverages is yet to catch up in the city . "I know that it's a big fad in other cities but we Chennaiiites are very conservative when it comes to spending money . Implementing molecular gastronomy techniques means an additional cost for the consumer and they seldom prefer it."
TRAINING FOR RESTAURANT STAFF A MUST
He adds that such experiments in food and beverage should be done under expert supervision. "If I have to implement it in the restobars I am a consultant for, I would definitely bring in an expert to create awareness and teach how to go about the process. In addition to the restaurant staff, we need to educate the customers too, as to how to consume it, which is a very critical aspect of it," he says, adding, "We should never blindly copy a fad just for the sake of it."
CUSTOMER SPEAKS
Though this incident has raised concerns among restaurateurs, some customers say that it won't deter them from eating out."The incident definitely puts a doubt in my mind, and has made me more aware of the food practises one can adapt to Indian working conditions. I will be cautious about what I order from now on, but I also expect the restaurant to inform me if such an ingredient is being used by them," says Rohan Palkar, a software professional.
Dr Wasim, preventive and wellness consultant and a food blogger says, "It's wrong to mix molecular gastronomy and liquid nitrogen. The extensive use of liquid nitrogen should not deter or bring a bad name to molecular gastronomy." He adds, "I have strong reservation when it comes to the use of liquid nitrogen in food, especially in combination with alcohol. I have seen chefs use it very carelessly in many places. In order to create theatrics and mimicry, safety should not be compromised. I am a fan of molecular gastronomy if done well." Anusha Vincent, a writer and foodie, says that she is never fascinated by the `science in food.' "I believe that food should be a product of love, not a product of science! I do not want to eat food that looks like it was manufactured in a biotech laboratory . You could say I am more of a Jamie Oliver gal than a Heston Blumenthal one! Give me a real mango any day over mango in gel or paper form," she concludes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)