Jul 31, 2017
FSSAI in high gear to make food safer
The central food regulator has been very proactive with regard to issues like safety and standards, including labelling of packaged products and nutrient content, which has led to a sharp rise in the number of notices, orders and guidelines issued by it since 2015.
A series of notifications and guidelines have been issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to safeguard consumer interest as part of the health ministry's plan to strengthen the regulatory regime (see graphic).
Food regulation in India has mostly been a conflicting turf between the industry, the regulator and the consumer. However, the packaged food industry is rapidly growing, making it all the more important for the government and regulator to set the ground rules in the interest of the industry as well as consumers.
"Packaged food is the reality of the day but so is the growing burden of disorders like obesity , diabetes and heart ailments. We are trying to ensure food safety by bringing changes in regulations and undertaking other initiatives," an official said.
He added that the FSSAI and the ministry was trying to work with food companies to bring in provisions like nutrient profiling not just for packaged food but also in restaurants. "This will allow consumers to make an informed choice," he said.
India's diabetes burden and the obesity problem have assumed serious levels. Experts blame these on the consumption of sugary beverages and junk food. The disease burden is also fast increasing among children.
The FSSAI plans to control sourcing of raw materials by restaurants and food manufacturers. So far, vendors of vegetables, spices and other raw materials are not required to have licences from the FSSAI.Another major area of focus is curbing availability of junk food and those high on sugar, salt and trans-fat in and around schools. The idea is to control incidence of non-communicable diseases among the youth.
MOBILE FOOD TESTING LAB TO BE LAUNCHED IN STATE
In a bid to prevent adulteration in food items and products, the State Government has decided to flag off a mobile food testing laboratory to examine food samples.
The proposed lab would be launched in coordination with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the State Government to test samples of edible oil, milk and other food items, especially in rural and remote areas.
The decision was made in view of the media reports about food adulteration in urban and rural areas of the State. As food testing labs are not available everywhere, the FSSAI has decided to set up the mobile food testing lab in the States, including Odisha.
As per the decision, a cluster would be made comprising 20 districts of Odisha where there is no facility for food test.. The lab would move for 15 days a month in every district and examine food samples including ghee, khoa, sweet, edible oil, packaged drinking water and spicy and snacks items. If required, samples would be collected from an area and sent to the nearest testing lab.
A total of Rs 35 lakh would be spent for setting up the mobile food testing lab. The Government can operate the lab through any NGO, agency, trust or society. The technicians and other staffs of the lab would be provided training. The employees would be recruited by the Government, said a senior official in the Health Department.
Deadly mix: Brewing faecal bacteria in your coffee cup?
Coffee shops in the city need to up their game where hygiene is concerned.
The recent investigative report by BBC Watchdog that found faecal bacteria in ice samples from the UK outlets of Costa Coffee, Café Nero and Starbucks, could likely put a brake on those bitter desires.
If a caffeine fix at your neighbourhood coffee shop is on top of your daily to-do list, then the recent investigative report by BBC Watchdog that found faecal bacteria in ice samples from the UK outlets of Costa Coffee, Café Nero and Starbucks, could likely put a brake on those bitter desires, hygiene not being a strong point of Indian cafes. Every year in summer there are inspections of ice factories by municipal corporations across the country. The most recent was a raid on three ice factories in Navi Mumbai in May, where 20,000 kg of contaminated ice had to be destroyed by the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because it contained traces of e-coli bacteria.
In fact, 92 per cent of ice samples collected by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation from street vendors across Mumbai were found to be contaminated. According to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) guidelines, ice used by businesses should be prepared with water that is safe for drinking and should be transported, stored and used in a sanitary manner.
“Ice used in restaurants should be made of potable water, free from e-coli bacteria. Also, the temperature required to keep the ice in its frozen form should be maintained properly. We collect and run tests on ice samples, regularly — especially in the summer season,” said an FDA official. For beverages that have multiple ingredients, those who supply the raw material and the café are both responsible for monitoring critical limits of the items through their taste, appearance, textures, odour, mixing time, pH and water levels.
Keeping consumers informed by displaying the names of the ingredients, and indicating possible allergens is also an important part of a cafe’s to-do list. India is traditionally a tea drinking nation, except for the southern states. But the coffee culture has gripped urban India, with coffee cafés sprouting in almost every corner of big cities, both home-grown as well global coffee giants. Of course, this spurt in the growth of cafés is part of the great surge of eating out, again a very urban phenomenon going back a decade or so.
Although the history of cultivation and export of the finest beans can be traced back four centuries, the domestic consumption of the coffee bean is fairly recent. Domestic consumption of coffee in India has increased from approximately 50,000 MT in 1998 to 1,1500 MT in 2011, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.09 per cent, according to India Brand Equity Foundation. So while tea may still be India’s most preferred beverage, coffee is catching on fast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)