Odisha Governor called upon all stakeholders to enhance public understanding of nutrition, food safety

 
Bhubaneswar: Governor M C Bhandare on Saturday called upon all stakeholders to enhance public understanding of nutrition and food safety.
Inaugurating a national seminar on 'Food Safety' at Hotel Mayfair here, he appreciated the efforts of the organisers, Institute of Quality and Environment Services and Rotary Club of Bhubaneswar Heritage.
He spoke of a phased and all-inclusive approach to food safety, especially in capacity building, knowledge dissemination and efficient regulatory mechanism to achieve the desired goals.
On awareness generation, Bhandare said that the role of media, health and nutrition professionals, educators, opinion leaders and food producers was important.
Terming milk adulteration as suicidal and coming down heavily on the offenders, Bhandare said that often milk is contaminated with glucose, contaminated water, starch, detergent, urea, pesticides and toxic ingredients, paving way for many diseases including paralysis.
He appreciated the efforts of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and hoped its findings would help take corrective measures.
FSSAI CEO VN Gaur said that 15 to 20 per cent of hotel food in India was contaminated.
Food-borne diseases in the US caused the nation a loss to the tune of 51 billion dollars and it would be far more in the case of India considering its population and food habits.
Organising committee chairman DN Padhi spelt out the purpose of the seminar, especially on growing apathy towards unsafe food and step a need to reduce the burden on food safety.
Among others, principal secretary, Tourism Ashok Tripathy, DDG of Bhubaneswar Doordarshan Kendra BN Panigrahi, BP Tripathy and Debabrata Panigrahi also spoke.

Food regulator showcause to majors over tall claims in ads

Tall claims in advertisements by major food product manufacturers and pharma majors have finally caught the eye of the country’s food regulator. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued showcause notices to their promoters to justify their claims failing which they will be liable for action against them 

Those in the FSSAI’s firing line are advertisements for brands such as Complan, Pediasure, Bournvita Little Champs, Maggie Noodles, Top Ramen, Nutrichoice biscuits, Horlicks Juniors and Heart Care among others. Their promoters have been given a fortnight’s deadline to respond to the allegations regarding various violation of code of advertisement for food items, supplements and propriety foods.
Sources in the Health Ministry told  that the Authority’s move, though much delayed, was taken after it noted that the firms had been blatantly violating various codes on advertising of foods that prohibit them from depicting personal changes in intelligence, physical ability or exceptional recognition unless scientifically substantiated.

Some of them were also making nutritional and health benefit claims in food advertisements. Many like Agnesi Pasta, an imported food item from Italy, had failed to give details in Indian languages as per norms.

“While Abbott is facing questions over failing to give adequate information on labels as well as studies to support their claims for Pediasure, Amway has failed to provide complete details on its Heart Care product, a propriety food item,” as per sources.

Diet Food India has been asked to reveal which sugar is being used to make its “digestive biscuits” a sugar-free item. The FSSAI is also unsure how Nestle’s Maggi noodles have multigrains, as advertised by it.

According to them, the regulator instead of being a mute spectator has now decided to bare its fangs every time such violations are noted. “These are reputed firms and a strict warning against them would send a strong message. If these companies are brought to task, others will automatically follow the suit, it feels,” the sources added.

The Authority has also advised people to not to take the ads on their face value but check the labels before purchasing them “because health cannot be compromised”.

Traders stage protest against Food Safety Act

The Hindu Members of Federation of Manufacturers and Traders of Food Products of Tamil Nadu staging a protest against the implementation of Food Safety and Standards Act 2011 in Madurai on Thursday.Photo:R. Ashok

Central Government urged to postpone implementation

Food producers, dealers, traders and merchants joined hands to stage demonstrations simultaneously at 32 places across Tamil Nadu on Thursday demanding that the Central Government must postpone the implementation of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act 2006, which was notified and implemented from August 5, 2011.

In Madurai, members of trade and industry bodies such as Madurai District Tiny and Small Scale Industries Association, The Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association (TNFMA), Tamil Nadu Vanikar Sangangalin Perammaippu and Tamil Nadu Vanikar Sangangalin Peravai besides associations representing farmers and commodity dealers took part in the agitation.

To corporates

Terming it as beneficial only to corporates, the agitators said that the food standards under the new Act had been drafted without factoring in local ground conditions and were suited only for Western countries, where even a small farmer possessed over 100 acres.

Addressing the meeting, TNFMA Association president S.P. Jeyapragasam said that the FSA would sound the death knell for the small food operators who would be wiped out by its onerous provisions.

Even though a food business operator had obtained a licence to sell a particular product in one city, TNFMA vice president P. Subash Chandra Bose said, the operator would have to again apply for licence if he wanted to sell in another city.

Such provisions were only bringing back the hated “license raj” regime.

Further, he also said, the act mandated that a food product must maintain uniform standards across the country.

However, with climate, soil and farming practices varying across regions, such uniformity cannot be brought about, he added.

MADITSSIA president V.S. Manimaran said that while the Act specified that agro-products should be tested to ensure that they maintained the mandated standards, there were very few Government or accredited food laboratories in the country that were capable of analysing the samples.

He also noted that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, in her address to the Legislature, had expressed the view that the Act would hurt the small industries.

Hefty fines

Various speakers also pointed out that fines as per FSA were over 100 times when compared to the erstwhile Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.

Besides demanding that the law give adequate time and opportunity to the people to set right their deficiencies, the protestors said that the maximum penalty must be brought substantially from the present Rs. 1 lakh.

DINAMALAR NEWS

மறந்து போன மருத்துவ உணவுகள்

உணவே மருந்தாக இருந்த காலம் மலையேறி, இப்போது மருந்தே உணவாக மாறிவிட்டது. உடலை வலுவாக்கும் சக்தியையும் நோயை அண்டவிடாத தற்காப்பையும் கொடுக்கும் விதமாக நம் முன்னோர்கள் உருவாக்கிய பாரம்பரிய மருத்துவ உணவுகள் ஏராளம். அத்தகைய மருத்துவக் குணம் வாய்ந்த உணவுகளை இங்கே பட்டியலிடுகிறார் சித்த உணவியல் நிபுணர் அருண் சின்னையா.

மருந்து சாதம்

தேவையானவை: சுக்கு - ஒரு துண்டு, வெள்ளை மிளகு - 2 டீஸ்பூன், திப்பிலி - கால் டீஸ்பூன், கறிவேப்பிலை - ஒரு கைப்பிடி. இவை அனைத்தையும் வறுத்து அரைத்துக்கொள்ளவும். வெங்காயம் - 2, பூண்டு - 5 பல், உப்பு - தேவையான அளவு, கறி மசாலாத் தூள், மஞ்சள் தூள் - தலா அரை டீஸ்பூன்.

செய்முறை: கடாயில் எண்ணெய் ஊற்றி, வெங்காயத்தை வதக்கிக்கொள்ளவும். அத்துடன், ஏற்கெனவே அரைத்துவைத்திருக்கும் பொடியைச் சேர்க்கவும். கூடவே பூண்டு போட்டு நன்றாக வதக்கியதும், உப்பு, மஞ்சள் தூள், கறி மசாலா சேர்த்து, பச்சை வாசனை போகும்வரை வதக்கவும். இதை சாதத்துடன் கலந்து பரிமாறலாம்.

மருத்துவப் பயன்: அஜீரணக் கோளாறு உள்ளவர்கள், வாரம் ஒருமுறை இதுபோல் சமைத்துச் சாப்பிட்டால், அஜீரணப் பிரச்னையே இருக்காது.

வல்லாரைக் கீரைக் கூட்டு

தேவையானவை: வல்லாரைக் கீரை - ஒரு கட்டு, தோல் நீக்கிய இஞ்சி - 50 கிராம், மிளகு - 5 கிராம், பாசிப்பருப்பு - 100 கிராம், வெங்காயம் - 2, பச்சை மிளகாய் - 3, கடுகு - அரை டீஸ்பூன், எண்ணெய், உப்பு - தேவையான அளவு.

செய்முறை: கீரையை ஆய்ந்து, பொடியாக நறுக்கவும். பச்சை மிளகாய், இஞ்சி, வெங்காயத்தைப் பொடியாக நறுக்கவும். பாசிப்பருப்பை வேகவைத்துக் கடைந்து, கீரை, நறுக்கிய பச்சை மிளகாய், மிளகு, வெங்காயம், இஞ்சி சேர்த்து சிறிது நேரம் வேகவைக்கவும். கடாயில் எண்ணெய் ஊற்றி, காய்ந்ததும் கடுகு தாளித்து கீரைக் கலவையைக் கொட்டிக் கிளறவும்.

மருத்துவப் பயன்: மூளையின் செயல்திறனை அதிகப்படுத்தும். நினைவாற்றலைத் தூண்டும். காக்காய்வலிப்பு, நரம்புக் கோளாறுகள், இதய நோய், தூக்கமின்மை போன்ற பிரச்னைகளைத் தீர்க்கும்.

பானகம்

தேவையானவை: எலுமிச்சைச் சாறு - 200 மி.லி., மஞ்சள் வாழைப் பழம் - 10, நாட்டுச் சர்க்கரை - தேவையான அளவு, சுக்கு - ஒரு துண்டு, ஏலக்காய் - 10.

செய்முறை: வாழைப் பழங்களை நன்றாகப் பிசையவும். சுக்கு, ஏலக்காயை லேசாகத் தட்டிக்கொள்ளவும். ஒரு லிட்டர் தண்ணீரில் எலுமிச்சை பழச் சாறு உள்ளிட்ட எல்லாவற்றையும் போட்டுக் கலக்கவும். சிறிது நேரத்தில் தூசி அடியில் தங்கிவிடும். வடிகட்டிக் குடிக்கலாம்.

மருத்துவப் பயன்: தற்காலிகப் பசியைத் தணித்து, அரை மணி நேரத்தில், பசியைத் தூண்டிவிடும். பித்தத்தைத் தணிக்கும். உடல் பருமனைக் குறைக்கும். மயக்கம், களைப்பைப் போக்கும்.

அலுப்புக் குழம்பு

தேவையானவை: சுக்கு, சித்தரத்தை, பரங்கிச் சக்கை - தலா ஒரு துண்டு, மிளகு, வால் மிளகு, வெள்ளை மிளகு, மோடிக் குச்சி - தலா 10, திப்பிலி - 5, கடுகு, சீரகம், மஞ்சள் தூள் - தலா கால் டீஸ்பூன், கத்தரிக்காய் - அரை கிலோ, மொச்சை - 100 கிராம், புளி - சிறிதளவு, வெங்காயம், தக்காளி, கறிவேப்பிலை, கொத்தமல்லி, எண்ணெய் - தேவையான அளவு.

செய்முறை: சுக்கு, சித்தரத்தை, மிளகு, பரங்கிச் சக்கை, வால் மிளகு, வெள்ளை மிளகு, திப்பிலி, மோடிக் குச்சி, சீரகம், மஞ்சள் தூள் இவற்றை லேசாக வறுத்துப் பொடிக்கவும். கடாயில் எண்ணெய் ஊற்றி, அது காய்ந்ததும், கடுகு, கறிவேப்பிலை, கொத்தமல்லி போட்டுத் தாளித்து, வெங்காயம், தக்காளி, கத்தரிக்காய், ஊறவைத்த மொச்சை, அரைத்துவைத்துள்ள பொடி ஆகியவற்றைச் சேர்த்து நன்றாக வதக்கவும். இதில் புளியைக் கரைத்து ஊற்றி, தேவையான அளவுக்குத் தண்ணீர், உப்பு சேர்த்துக் கொதிக்கவைத்து இறக்கவும்.

மருத்துவப் பயன்: உடல் வலி, அசதியைப் போக்கும். சளித் தொல்லை நீங்கும். பசியைத் தூண்டும். அடிக்கடி சாப்பிட்டால், ரத்த உற்பத்தியை ஊக்குவிக்கும். குழந்தை பெற்ற பிறகு உடம்பில் உள்ள நச்சுக் கழிவுகளை வெளித்தள்ளும். அடிவயிற்றுச் சதையைக் குறைக்கும்.

Menace of adulteration

With the revelation of the recent nationwide surveillance survey report of Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) panic has been caused in the whole of J&K state. Authorities have been geared up by the state run administration in order to check the adulteration in milk. General masses are quite cynical about the milk they consume in their day-to-day lives.
On the other hand the dishonest and corrupt lot in the organization is trying to cover up the manufacturers involved in the heinous crimes of adulteration as their hands get greased suitably. The authorities have unfortunately a meager knowledge of adulterants and their detection procedures due to the fact that either they are nonprofessionals or ill trained.

More pathetic is that till it remains in news everyone involved in the trade takes utmost care while the same doesn’t last long and after some time both the concerned authorities and the traders go by the same offensive way due to the hard fact that corruption has encrypted the whole of our system. And the culprits, be it vendors or manufacturers, find it more lucrative to corrupt the official concerned in order to deliver the substandard or adulterated food product than giving the quality product as per the specified standards. Although such surveys are considered to be good in order to reduce the adulteration that might have been rampant in our state as well but its authenticity has to be ensured by the state administration, sooner the better. Because milk is a product consumed by all age groups and mostly by the children its utmost safety has to be ensured by the state run administration by handing the authority over to the most honest & candid officials. Other than the existing Food & Drug Control Organization, occupied mostly by the unethical lot, an upright team has to be set in place so that incase of any ambiguity the said samples are forwarded to a national lab for re-examination.

As per the recent survey of FSSAI the practice of making synthetic or adulterated milk is feared to have adopted in almost all the states of India.  And the adulterants that are mostly being used include urea, caustic soda, cheap cooking oil and common detergents. Detergents are added to emulsify and dissolve the oil in water giving the frothy solution, the characteristic white colour of milk. Refined oil is used as a substitute for milk fat. Caustic soda is added to the blended milk to neutralize the acidity, thereby preventing it from turning sour during transport. Urea, sugar & salt are added for solid-not-fat (SNF). The above prepared synthetic milk looks like natural milk, except in taste and nutritional qualities. The cost of preparing synthetic milk is less than Rs. 8 per liter and it is sold to consumers at a price arranging between Rs 22 - 23 per liter after blending it with natural milk. The use of synthetic milk has been found to have cancerous effects on human beings. Urea and caustic soda are very harmful to heart, liver and kidneys. Urea is an additional burden for kidneys as they have to do more work to remove urea from the body. Caustic soda which contains sodium acts as slow poison for those suffering from hypertension and heart ailments. Caustic soda also deprives the body from utilizing lysine, an essential amino acid in milk, which is required by growing babies. Such artificial milk is harmful for all, but is more dangerous for pregnant women, fetus and persons who are already having heart and kidney problems.

Chemically to detect urea, caustic soda, starch, glucose, sugar, detergent etc. at home for the consumers particularly for house wives is very difficult. But, before utilizing the milk at home house wives and consumers may see the main characteristics of natural milk and synthetic milk as mentioned in the figure.

Physical properties         Natural milk                              Synthetic-milk

Taste                               Slightly Sweet                            Bitter
                                                      
Colour                             White                                          White

pH                                   Around  6.8 (Acidic)                     Around 10(Alkaline)
(H+ ion concentration)

Texture                           No soapy feeling if                       Gives you a soapy feeling.  
                                       rubbed between fingers       
Effect of heating               No change                                  Turns yellowish
                                         continues to remain white              on boiling.                                


Effect on storage               No change in color                     Turns yellowish.

Besides adulteration there are so many other queries which demand answers from the concerned authorities. Water is usually seen to be added in milk both at the producer level as well at the vendor level that contributes in reducing the solid content already present in milk and eventually the milk becomes substandard, though it may not be harmful. But how pure is this added water? Is it really the tap water or pond water? Not only this, water is also used at the manufacturing level that must also be ascertained for required quality parameters and therefore requires a well trained human resource. Furthermore, it is said that the vendors & manufacturers make the milk out of Powder. How true is it? And if it is so is it permitted as per the Food Safety & Standards Act? Also, does the Skimmed Milk Powder used for standardization of a particular type of milk conform to the specified standards? What kind of skimmed milk powder is being used by the traders? How limited is this addition of SMP to lose milk? How much is the milk scientifically & hygienically prepared, processed & packed? Such issues are to be looked into by the authorities and the administration very seriously so that the food becomes safe for the consumption of a common man.

Let’s all be conscientious because we really need to fight this menace of adulteration for our own wellbeing. We as producers and consumers have a role to play in checking this nuisance while the government authorities have and can play a vital role in curbing such adulteration and use of harmful chemicals in various food products by increasing the frequency of official Inspections and honest samplings. After all, it is the matter of human life.