Jul 17, 2017
READY-TO-EAT SPROUTS UNHEALTHY, REVEALS STUDY
Undercooked meat is unhealthy, so are the ready-to-eat sprouts which is widely sold in the retail market or supermarkets and by vegetable vendors on the roadside.
A study published in the latest edition of the Current Science has found that both undercooked meat and moong daal sprouts are potential sources of food-borne infections.
The researchers had picked a total of 14 chicken meat and 13 ready-to-eat (RTE) sprouted mung bean samples from different retail poultry shops and local street vendors respectively from Mumbai.
After detailed analysis of the samples, the researchers found that pathogens belonging to various bacteria were present in chicken meat and sprouts.
Common food-borne and opportunistic pathogens like Campylobacter, C. perfringens, Streptococcus, Shewanella, Pseudomonas, Aeromonas hydrophila, Staphylococcus, E. coli, Acinetobacter, Enterobacter, Klebsiella were detected and 18 per cent of the genera were common to both food types, said the research team.
The researchers were Onkar A Naik and Archana Rath from Department of Biotechnology, University of Mumbai, and Jayant R. Bandekar and Devashish Rath from Food Technology Division and Molecular Biology Division of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai.
High microbial load was observed in both chicken meat and sprouts samples. In a tropical country like India, warm and humid conditions facilitate rapid proliferation of bacteria in food. Moreover, undercooked food and unhygienic handling practices also contribute to high bacterial load in food samples, the researchers noted.Doctors have attributed poor microbiological quality of the sprouts to unhygienic sprout production and retailing practices.
“If sprouted hygienically, they are safe and healthy. In retail markets where hygiene issues like washing of hand and water quality are not ensured, they become unsafe. Hence, while purchasing them one must ensure that best practices are being maintained,” said Dr Umesh Kapil, from Department of Gastroenterology and Human Nutrition Unit, AIIMS in Delhi.
Though there are no guidelines in India, the US FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises that children, the elderly, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems should avoid eating raw sprouts of all kinds, including alfalfa, clover, radish and mung bean sprouts. Sprouts can be “cooked thoroughly to reduce the risk of illness.
Over the past 16 years, there have been at least 30 reported illness outbreaks associated with raw or lightly cooked sprouts abroad. Mike Doyle, director of the Center for Food Safety at the University of Georgia has been quoted as saying “I consider sprouts to be among the most risky foods sold at retail”.
Diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps are common symptoms that occur 12 to 72 hours after infection.
Roadside eateries pay no attention to hygiene
Parotta being prepared on a roadside shop Tiruchi.
GST forces many poor people to opt for them
K. Ravichandran (47) of Aruppukottai just needs Rs. 40 to have a non-vegetarian unlimited meal on a roadside eatery on V. O. Chidambaram road near the Central Bus Stand in Tiruchi. On Sunday, while he was being served a curry, a layer of dust kicked up by a swirling wind fell on his plate. A layer of dust also covered the omelettes and parottas being made by the food stall owner. But neither he nor Ravichandran bothered much about the dust and Ravichandran continued to enjoy his lunch, as the owner went on cooking.
Ravichandran was not a lone customer having lunch at the roadside eatery. Similar was the scene at most of the roadside push cart eateries at Central Bus Stand. At least 50 customers were seen eating at different stalls on VOC road. Most of them were having lunch as they waited for buses to various destinations.
Some of them were drivers and conductors of State owned transport corporation buses and private buses.
They get one parotta at Rs. 10 and kuska and varieties of rice at just Rs. 20 per plate. One plate of mutton biriyani was being sold at Rs. 70.
“Most of the restaurants charge Rs. 100 for a vegetarian meal. In addition, I have to pay Rs. 10 to Rs. 18 to the government on Goods and Service Tax. I cannot afford it. Hence I prefer to eat at a roadside eatery,” says Ravichandran.
Surprisingly many are aware that most of the food stall owners pay little attention to ensure hygienic environment and hygienic methods of food preparation.
“We know well that we eat food items prepared in a poor hygienic condition. But, we can afford only to eat at roadside eateries,” says a woman, a Thiruverumbur bound passenger from Erode, who was having lunch at a roadside eatery.
A owner of a roadside eatery said that he was giving top priority for hygienic preparation of foods but the windy season was making the job difficult.
Sounding an alert on possible outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera, M. A. Aleem, former Vice Principal, K. A. P. Viswanatham Medical College, said that most of the roadside eateries were transacting business in an unhealthy and unhygienic environment. The windy season would make the food quality worse. It was important for the health officials to ensure good environment surrounding eateries.
While acknowledging that roadside eateries have come to stay in the city, Dr. Aleem further said that the Tiruchi Corporation, Public Health and Food Safety officials should conduct an awareness programme for all owners, cooks and other employees of these eateries.
Development of food testing laboratory mechanism will boost the food processing sector in India
Quality and Food Safety have become competitive edge in the global market for the enterprises producing and marketing foods products. For a successful food processing sector in the country, various aspect of Total Quality Management (TQM) such as quality control, quality system and quality assurance should function in a horizontal fashion for total success. The quality infrastructure is must to produce the world class processed food products in India. The Indian food products face the tough competition from global companies which produces high quality standard food products. To overcome this situation and to produce global quality food products in India then a Quality and Food Safety system has to be implemented to meet the global quality standard.
Laboratory testing is an important process, which relies on scientific analysis to identify problems with food products
For quality check and testing, Food Testing Laboratory plays very important role. Western countries have put a strong food testing laboratory system to check and maintain the high quality food products. India too is following the same system to produce the world class quality products. Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has been working rigorously to upgrade Food Testing Laboratory infrastructure in India. The main objective of this upgradation is to provide a safe nutritious diet in order to maintain health other aspects in today’s world. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries is upgrading the food testing laboratories which would benefit all stakeholders including domestic industry (Domestic and exports), entrepreneurs, small and medium enterprises.
Laboratory testing is an important process, which relies on scientific analysis to identify problems with food products. It provides analytical data on the quality of a product or production process. The objective of quality control is to identify impurities in the food material, or contamination after a product is produced and before it is placed on the market. Additionally, laboratory testing is important for the research and development of new products, including, for example, the choice of ingredients or components, the design of food processing, shelf-life studies and sensory evaluation of products.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industries is keen to build the food processing sector in India. It is focusing high on building infrastructure, maintain standard quality and providing all the assistance to propel the growth of the industry. To bring the world class technology and provide international platform, The Ministry of Food Processing Industries is organizing World Food India from November 3-5, 2017 in New Delhi. World Food India intends to establish global linkages and facilitate foreign investment in India’s food retail market that services the needs and rising aspirations of the country’s 1.3 billion consumers.
World Food India aims to provide opportunities for both investment and trade in the food processing sector for leading Indian and international companies. Encompassing the entire food spectrum from production to consumption, World Food India is looking at creating a better sourcing environment, thereby enabling higher returns for farmers, creating employment, and fostering entrepreneurship.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)