Jul 6, 2012
Understanding food safety
Food safety in India is regulated by the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the administrative ministry for the implementation of this Actthroughthe Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Vendors sell vegetables at a wholesale market in Kolkata. Farmers are injecting a hormone sometimes given to women during childbirth into vegetables and fruits to make the produce ripen sooner and gain weight.
Do we need to fear our food? After reading about hormonal additives in milk, antibiotics in meats, irradiated food and other similar reports on food contamination - unfortunately the answer to that question is yes. Recent studies tell us that even going back to basics - fresh fruits and vegetables, is not without some risks. In this article we discuss the contamination of fruits and vegetables due to the use of chemicals as pesticides, ripening and storage agents.
Though there are still many unknowns about how the wide variety of chemicals we encounter in our daily lives may affect our health, research has shown that children and expectant mothers remain the most vulnerable to their impact. Due to the greater intake of food relative to bodyweight in children, bioaccumulation effects can prove to be especially harmful. Neurotoxins and other chemicals that originate from pesticides pose the biggest threat to the developing human brain and nervous system. This makes it critical for parents to be aware of the dangers of toxins in food and understandhow to maintain food safety.
"The use of pesticides does not begin and end at the farm," explains Rajiv Betne, SeniorProgramme Coordinator, Toxics Link, an environmental organization working on issues of chemical safety and waste."Chemicals are applied to grains, fruits and vegetables at every step in the process that brings them from the farmer's fields to our tables, most commonly for maintaining them during transportation and storage and for ripening."
Though maximum residual levels of pesticides have been stipulated under Act, the haphazard use of chemicals and the large scale of the agriculture sector have made it difficult to monitor and regulate the permitted levels. "More recently, studies are being conducted to find out the combined effects of various chemicals in our food. Even if each one is within its tolerance limit, do we know whatthe effect of the cocktail of those chemicals is in our bodies?" questions Rajeev.
Is eating organic produce the answer? It would be - in an ideal world, where everyone is exactly what they claim to be. Instead of treating it as the latest fad, we would do well to understand what exactly organic farming means and why it could be a healthy alternative to commercial agricultural produce. Organic farmingrelies on natural farming methods and ecological processes, without genetically modified seeds, or chemicals used as fertilisers, pesticides, additives or preservatives.
Ashmeet Kapoor, Founder and CEO, I Say Organic explains, "Organic farming practices focus on seasonal and local produce. The farms are all close by and not too much time is spent in transit that would require chemicals to maintain the yield."
With organic farms mushrooming in all corners of the country, questions can be raised about their credibility. "There is a strict monitoring process of organic farms by agencies such as Control Union and Vedic Organic Certification. In fact processes such as testing of soil, produce and other parameters arecarried out by the certifying agencies for at least 3 years before validating the farm," says Ashmeet.
Organic or not, you can follow some simple tips to reduce your and your family's exposure to chemicals in fresh produce.
1. Choose your vendor carefully. A large store may have a supply chain that relies on long term storage to extend shelf life as opposed to a small vendor who can only afford to buy local produce.
2. Buy seasonal and local. If you are buying mangoes in December, you can be sure that they have been in storage and have been maintained using chemicals. Buying from local farmers' markets gets you the freshest produce possible. It also makes your food "greener" by reducing the wasted fuel, pollution, and greenhouse gases created by long-distance transit.
3. If it is too good to look at, it is probably not true. Hormonal additives such as oxytocin are sometimes injected to give fruits and vegetables a larger and brighter appearance. "Sometimes people get put off organic produce because it is not very bright and shiny, irregularly shaped and some vegetables could even be spotty. But they need to understand that these irregularities only indicate that it is entirely natural", explains Ashmeet.
4. Wash all fresh produce properly and peel all that can be peeled. You may not be able to get rid of all chemicals but it is still the best safeguard.
5. Some fruits and vegetables tend to retain a higher level of pesticide residue, such as peaches, apples, bell peppers, strawberries, pears spinach, lettuce and potatoes. You can reduce your exposure to pesticides by buying organic for the high-pesticide items. Others such as pineapple, mango, asparagus, bananas, cabbage, broccoli and papaya showed comparably lower pesticide residue.
"Whatever safeguards we follow while buying fruits and vegetables, the fact is that the change must take place at the source - the farms," emphasises Rajiv Betne. "Demand safe food - there has to be increased pressure on regulatory authorities to ensure strict monitoring and safety standards at par with international guidelines."
No antibiotics to be used in honey
India has decided that antibiotics should not be used at any stage of honey production, thereby conforming with the norms of European Union.
The recommendation of the Food Safety and Standards of India (FSSAI) will soon be notified by the Union health ministry which will make mandatory for the producers that honey samples conform to these regulatory measures before they can be declared safe for the consumption.
The government had been working on these standards since last year after it was found that lots, even those sold by top brands, had traces of antibiotics and pesticides in them. The antibiotics are being used by the bee-keeping industry to control diseases in honey bees and to increase the production.
The new standards have been approved by the scientific committee of the experts. Specifying that “should not be any residue of antibiotics in honey”, the FSSAI will also list down antibiotics that should be absent from honey before it is made available for the consumers.
The standards for honey prescribed under Prevention of Food Adulteration rules only specify the maximum limits of heavy metal. So far there are no standards for antibiotics in honey in India. In last few years, there have been reports of antibiotic contamination in honey exported from India and also in honey available in the domestic market. Earlier, the food and feed control authorities of the member states of the EU had also found Indian honey contaminated with prohibited antibiotics like nitrofuran and chloramphenicol, tetracycline and streptomycin.
Experts say even the samples picked up by FSSAI found antibiotic residue in honey. During their recent meeting by the food regulatory board, the joint secretary from the agriculture ministry informed that National Bee Board will make farmers aware about safety and best practices in bee-keeping. FSSAI chairperson K. Chandramouli informed that once the standards are prescribed, the same would be communicated to the agriculture ministry.
Those manufacturers which are found not conforming to the standards and thereby making their product “unsafe” are likely to face imprisonment and severe punishment that may include closing down of manufacturing unit.
The recommendation of the Food Safety and Standards of India (FSSAI) will soon be notified by the Union health ministry which will make mandatory for the producers that honey samples conform to these regulatory measures before they can be declared safe for the consumption.
The government had been working on these standards since last year after it was found that lots, even those sold by top brands, had traces of antibiotics and pesticides in them. The antibiotics are being used by the bee-keeping industry to control diseases in honey bees and to increase the production.
The new standards have been approved by the scientific committee of the experts. Specifying that “should not be any residue of antibiotics in honey”, the FSSAI will also list down antibiotics that should be absent from honey before it is made available for the consumers.
The standards for honey prescribed under Prevention of Food Adulteration rules only specify the maximum limits of heavy metal. So far there are no standards for antibiotics in honey in India. In last few years, there have been reports of antibiotic contamination in honey exported from India and also in honey available in the domestic market. Earlier, the food and feed control authorities of the member states of the EU had also found Indian honey contaminated with prohibited antibiotics like nitrofuran and chloramphenicol, tetracycline and streptomycin.
Experts say even the samples picked up by FSSAI found antibiotic residue in honey. During their recent meeting by the food regulatory board, the joint secretary from the agriculture ministry informed that National Bee Board will make farmers aware about safety and best practices in bee-keeping. FSSAI chairperson K. Chandramouli informed that once the standards are prescribed, the same would be communicated to the agriculture ministry.
Those manufacturers which are found not conforming to the standards and thereby making their product “unsafe” are likely to face imprisonment and severe punishment that may include closing down of manufacturing unit.
Kochi Corporation’s move challenged
Legally speaking it is not authorised to prosecute hotels and restaurants under the new Food Safety and Standards Act-2006, says the food safety commissionerate .
“Local bodies have no authority to prosecute hotels under the Act,” says Food Safety Commissioner, Biju Prabhakas, who is, however unsure whether panchayats, which are the licensing authorities for such establishments, can act against them under the Panchayathi Raj Act.
But an officer with the Food Safety Commissionerate contends the provisions related to food safety in the Panchayati Raj Act have lost relevance with the enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act on August 5, 2011.
“Eight laws relating to food safety including the essential commodities Act stand repealed. This applies to relevant provisions in the areas of food safety and hygience in laws like the Panchayati Raj Act too. Local bodies are no longer the licensing authorities in the case of hotels and so cannot take action like cancelling them,” he says.
“The corporation issued two licences in the past for establishments like hotels, which included one for food. Under the new Act it cannot seize food,” says former additional advocate general, Ranjith Thamban.
UN food standards body agrees on melamine level in baby milk formula
The UN food standards body has agreed on new regulations - including the maximum level of melamine in liquid milk formula for babies - to protect the health of consumers across the world. Other measures adopted include new food safety standards on seafood, melons, dried figs and food labelling.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly run by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), sets international food safety and quality standards to promote safer and more nutritious food for consumers worldwide. Codex standards serve in many cases as a basis for national legislation and provide the food safety benchmarks for international food trade.
Melamine
Melamine can be lethal at high concentrations and has been used illegally to increase apparent protein content in food products including infant formula and milk powder. Milk tainted with melamine has caused death and illness in infants. Two years ago, the Codex Commission adopted a maximum melamine level of 1mg/kg for powdered infant formula and of 2.5mg/kg for other foods and animal feed. The commission has now set a maximum limit of 0.15mg/kg for melamine in liquid infant milk.
Melamine is used to make dishware and kitchenware, among other industrial applications. The new limit will help governments protect consumers by determining if detected levels of melamine result from unavoidable melamine contamination that does not cause health problems or from deliberate adulteration.
Dried figs and aflatoxins
Aflatoxins, a group of mycotoxins produced by molds, are toxic and are known to be carcinogenic. They can be found in a variety of products such as dried fruits, nuts, spices and cereals at high levels if the produce is not stored properly. The commission now agreed a safe maximum limit of 10mg/kg for dried figs, together with details on how test sampling should be conducted.
Melons
An emerging public health issue relates to the increased popularity of pre-cut melon slices. Exposed pulp of the fruit can become a breeding ground for bacteria. This has been linked to life-threatening salmonella and listeria outbreaks.
The commission recommended that pre-cut melons should be wrapped or packaged and refrigerated as soon as possible and distributed at temperatures of four degrees Centigrade or less. Cooling and cold-storing was recommended as soon as possible after harvest, while knife blades used for cutting or peeling should be disinfected on a regular basis.
Seafood and viruses
Food hygiene in seafood, particularly for molluscs, such as mussels and oysters, have become a major food safety concern. The commission adopted a set of preventive hygiene measures aimed to control food-borne viruses. Viruses are generally more resistant than bacteria and those transmitted by the faecal-oral route can persist for months in bivalve molluscs, soil, water and sediments. They can survive freezing, refrigeration, UV radiation and disinfection but are sensitive to heat.
Common food-borne viral diseases are caused by hepatitis A virus and norovirus. The commission noted that the main hazard for the production of molluscs, such as oysters and mussels, was the biological contamination of the waters in which they grow.
It is therefore important to ensure the seawater quality of growing areas, the commission noted. When there is a likelihood or evidence of viral contamination, closure of the area, destruction of contaminated molluscs and/or heat treatment before consumption of already harvested molluscs is recommended.
Mandatory nutrition labelling
Codex recommended that food manufacturers across the world label nutritional content on their products to ensure that consumers are better informed; the recommendation is in line with the WHO's strategy on diet, physical activity and health and is a major step forward in promoting healthy eating worldwide.
The 49-year-old Codex Alimentarius Commission, meeting from July 2-7, 2012, is attended by 600 delegates representing 184 countries plus the European Union.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, jointly run by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Health Organisation (WHO), sets international food safety and quality standards to promote safer and more nutritious food for consumers worldwide. Codex standards serve in many cases as a basis for national legislation and provide the food safety benchmarks for international food trade.
Melamine
Melamine can be lethal at high concentrations and has been used illegally to increase apparent protein content in food products including infant formula and milk powder. Milk tainted with melamine has caused death and illness in infants. Two years ago, the Codex Commission adopted a maximum melamine level of 1mg/kg for powdered infant formula and of 2.5mg/kg for other foods and animal feed. The commission has now set a maximum limit of 0.15mg/kg for melamine in liquid infant milk.
Melamine is used to make dishware and kitchenware, among other industrial applications. The new limit will help governments protect consumers by determining if detected levels of melamine result from unavoidable melamine contamination that does not cause health problems or from deliberate adulteration.
Dried figs and aflatoxins
Aflatoxins, a group of mycotoxins produced by molds, are toxic and are known to be carcinogenic. They can be found in a variety of products such as dried fruits, nuts, spices and cereals at high levels if the produce is not stored properly. The commission now agreed a safe maximum limit of 10mg/kg for dried figs, together with details on how test sampling should be conducted.
Melons
An emerging public health issue relates to the increased popularity of pre-cut melon slices. Exposed pulp of the fruit can become a breeding ground for bacteria. This has been linked to life-threatening salmonella and listeria outbreaks.
The commission recommended that pre-cut melons should be wrapped or packaged and refrigerated as soon as possible and distributed at temperatures of four degrees Centigrade or less. Cooling and cold-storing was recommended as soon as possible after harvest, while knife blades used for cutting or peeling should be disinfected on a regular basis.
Seafood and viruses
Food hygiene in seafood, particularly for molluscs, such as mussels and oysters, have become a major food safety concern. The commission adopted a set of preventive hygiene measures aimed to control food-borne viruses. Viruses are generally more resistant than bacteria and those transmitted by the faecal-oral route can persist for months in bivalve molluscs, soil, water and sediments. They can survive freezing, refrigeration, UV radiation and disinfection but are sensitive to heat.
Common food-borne viral diseases are caused by hepatitis A virus and norovirus. The commission noted that the main hazard for the production of molluscs, such as oysters and mussels, was the biological contamination of the waters in which they grow.
It is therefore important to ensure the seawater quality of growing areas, the commission noted. When there is a likelihood or evidence of viral contamination, closure of the area, destruction of contaminated molluscs and/or heat treatment before consumption of already harvested molluscs is recommended.
Mandatory nutrition labelling
Codex recommended that food manufacturers across the world label nutritional content on their products to ensure that consumers are better informed; the recommendation is in line with the WHO's strategy on diet, physical activity and health and is a major step forward in promoting healthy eating worldwide.
The 49-year-old Codex Alimentarius Commission, meeting from July 2-7, 2012, is attended by 600 delegates representing 184 countries plus the European Union.
Emphasis on food safety, hygiene in dairy at Ecolab's Anand conference
Ecolab, in association with Vidya Dairy, organised conference on importance of food safety and hygiene in the dairy industry on June 30, 2012 in Anand, Gujarat. The conference had personalities from the industry and Ecolab to share their views on the topic. Rahul Srivastava, managing director, Amul Dairy inaugurated the conference.
The conference was held to create a platform for the industry members and key stakeholders wherein there is a mutual interaction between the industry leaders and subject experts to overcome the pressure of demand and supply and with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) coming into play, the need for high production efficiency, quality and quick turnaround time becomes the key for dairy processing plants to succeed and achieve their production targets.
Among all these pressures and demands few challenges such as high turnaround time, extended CIP hours or frequency, microbial growth control, product waste, rising energy and water costs, pose major obstruction to operational efficiencies and lead the industry to improved and technologically advanced Hygiene solutions, improved operational efficiencies and cost savings.
In the welcome presentation, Ron Pringle, general manager and vice-president, Ecolab India, said, "This conference will create an open platform where dairy industry members can come together and share their views on food safety and hygiene in the dairy industry. We have an exciting day ahead and speakers with good amount of experience in this field."
While giving presentation on 'Food safety and hygiene in dairy industry', Rahul Srivastava said, "Food safety and hygiene is the heart of the dairy industry. Indian dairy is unique in the world. Currently, India produces roughly 121 million metric tonnes of dairy products. There are about 90 million farmers in the dairy business, and 30 million cattle. About 28-29 per cent of milk is processed in India; 50 per cent of it is processed by the co-operative organisations, and the rest by private players."
He also said, "In general, dairy plants in India are not very advanced. There is need for improvement in farm production and we also need to take care of hygiene and safety while milking cattle with machines. There is need of proper sanitation for farmers in dairy business. Hygiene of tankers carrying milk is also big concern. Design of dairy plants as per food safety and hygiene is a challenge. We need to set benchmark world class systems for dairy plants. Quality of layout, fitting, instruments used for machines is very important. Involvement of people in dairy business is very important, people should be trained properly for hygiene. We have to be world-class in hygiene."
Sham Chaudhary, former general manager (quality), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), spoke about hygiene and food safety concerns in a dairy plant and good manufacturing practices (GMP) in the dairy industry. He also commented on the hygienic conditions of urinals and toilets in the dairy plants, saying that the urinals and toilets are most neglected areas in offices, factories, public places, etc. in India.
"Functioning urinals and toilets should be free from leakages and there should not be rusted plumbing. They should have working high-capacity exhaust fans with covering nets, which should be free from dust and dirt to remove the odour. And there should be a proper dustbin and toilet cabins should not be locked," he said.
He also mentioned that no priority is assigned to sanitation and hygiene. "The work area should be well-lit and ventilated. There should be training for workers in basics of hygiene and sanitation, there should also be departmental meetings to review process and to harvest ideas from the staff to improve the departments service, functional problems should be streamlined after discussion and there should be job rotation amongst employees. Time has come to give priority to microbiological quality and shelf life of milk. In the next two years or so our pasteurised milk should be drinkable right out of the pouch. Good manufacturing practices (GMP), notably housekeeping and hygiene, need urgent updates. Urinals and toilets require special attention in respect of water, soap and plumbing fixtures."
B P Rao, general manager, GEA India, spoke on the significance of cleaning solutions from an equipment perspective. He described the water consumption pattern for a typical milk plant, stating that about 27 per cent of the steam is used in processing, and 73 per cent steam is used in cleaning.
He also said, "Good manufacturing depends on various points like - (a) conventional (viz. man, machine and material); and (b) the need of the day, which includes hygiene efficiency, environment, cleanability, etc."
He also spoke about the changing trends, like capacities are increasing and reaching global size, process technologies are changing, and demand for the equipment is increasing. The right cleaning regime with innovative chemicals can lead to energy conservation, water conservation, better cleanable longer process uptimes, lower capital costs, better environment. There are four cleaning parameters, namely detergent, cleaning time, fluid mechanics, and temperature.
Cleaning detergent demands rapid and complete solubility in water and high soil carrying capacity, and should be easy to flush off with water. Cleaning time demands dissolution of soil, swelling of soil, dispersion, and final rinsing. Fluid mechanic demands requirements of effective disinfection. CIP cleaning devices (spray balls, rotating jet cleaners, and orbit cleaner). Tank cleaning comprises the cleaning of tanks with all elements installed in them, such as measuring instruments, safety equipments, agitators, etc. Storage tanks for detergent concentrates must be type-tested.
Peter Gatchell, technical specialist, dairy, Ecolab New Zealand, spoke about the company's best practices in the dairy industry, and the operational efficiencies and CIP in dairy industry. He commented on the prevalent trends in the dairy industry, and highlighted the need for increased productivity; higher milk volume; longer run time, and reduced CIP cycle time.
He also spoke on sustainability drivers like improved water productions, reduced energy consumption, reduced waste water volumes, and improved waste water quality. Efficient operational higher profitability, CIP golden rules - if the hydrostatics aren't right, nothing else matters. Direct benefits from the use of speciality cleaners - specific attack for specific soils, lower NAOH and HNO3 concentration in CIP solutions, shorter cleaning time equals increased production time. Poor personal hygiene is one of the leading causes of reported food-borne illnesses. There should be training for personal hygiene systems.
Albert Lee, application manager, Ecolab Asia, spoke on improving productivity and operational efficiency with sustainable cleaning and sanitation programs.
A sustainable future
Being sustainable is inevitable, but it is important to minimise energy, water and detergent, and strive to improve productivity. Lee also mentioned reducing the use of energy water and chemicals. Reduce use of energy, water, chemicals.
He also mentioned about burnt on soil on heated surfaces cause problems. In process of long cleaning, results are still not perfect, consequences are loss in productivity, higher costs of production (labour, utilities, chemicals and equipments), and reduced profitability. Cleaning solutions for hard to remove soils. Soil cleaned with increased mechanical energy to reduce energy, reduce caustic.
He also spoke about low temperature cleaning programs for cold milk areas. There is a two-product program for the process, comprising a base cleaner and an activator. Both products charged together into CIP system. Low-temperature acid cleaners product benefits - low temperature program, less energy, and less heating and cooking. Sustainable programs are essential for the profitability of the enterprise.
Sustainable programs saves production time, energy utilities and cleaning chemicals. Difficult to clean soils require high amounts of chemicals, temperature, and time to remove. If cleaning is not successful, change the formulation and or the production process change the cleaning program. Using a specialised additive reduces cleaning time, saves energy, water and chemicals. Low-temperature program (43-50 degrees) to save energy can be successful used to clean low-temperature processing surfaces.
Anil Kumawat, business manager, Ecolab India, made a presentation on making difference with specialty hygiene solutions. He also spoke about being different for better tomorrow. There are various concerns for India: high temperatures are not available, there are water-scarce areas, high-hardness water, and energy issues, and little or no control over process. In easy rinse solutions - three steps of CIP, terminal disinfectants. In high energy consumption, there is effective cleaning and better heat transfer, and in lower energy consumption, there is low temperature cleaning and lower energy consumption. There is little or no control over process.
Vivek Nair, industry technical consultant, NALCO (an Ecolab company), spoke about the water-related challenges in the dairy industry, in which he mentioned about product quality, operational efficiency and sustainability. He also spoke about key water challenges in diary like water scarcity, water quality, discharge restriction, water foot print reduction and water management best practice. He also gave na overview of dairy processing blocks, addressing water challenges in a dairy.
The conference was held to create a platform for the industry members and key stakeholders wherein there is a mutual interaction between the industry leaders and subject experts to overcome the pressure of demand and supply and with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) coming into play, the need for high production efficiency, quality and quick turnaround time becomes the key for dairy processing plants to succeed and achieve their production targets.
Among all these pressures and demands few challenges such as high turnaround time, extended CIP hours or frequency, microbial growth control, product waste, rising energy and water costs, pose major obstruction to operational efficiencies and lead the industry to improved and technologically advanced Hygiene solutions, improved operational efficiencies and cost savings.
In the welcome presentation, Ron Pringle, general manager and vice-president, Ecolab India, said, "This conference will create an open platform where dairy industry members can come together and share their views on food safety and hygiene in the dairy industry. We have an exciting day ahead and speakers with good amount of experience in this field."
While giving presentation on 'Food safety and hygiene in dairy industry', Rahul Srivastava said, "Food safety and hygiene is the heart of the dairy industry. Indian dairy is unique in the world. Currently, India produces roughly 121 million metric tonnes of dairy products. There are about 90 million farmers in the dairy business, and 30 million cattle. About 28-29 per cent of milk is processed in India; 50 per cent of it is processed by the co-operative organisations, and the rest by private players."
He also said, "In general, dairy plants in India are not very advanced. There is need for improvement in farm production and we also need to take care of hygiene and safety while milking cattle with machines. There is need of proper sanitation for farmers in dairy business. Hygiene of tankers carrying milk is also big concern. Design of dairy plants as per food safety and hygiene is a challenge. We need to set benchmark world class systems for dairy plants. Quality of layout, fitting, instruments used for machines is very important. Involvement of people in dairy business is very important, people should be trained properly for hygiene. We have to be world-class in hygiene."
Sham Chaudhary, former general manager (quality), Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), spoke about hygiene and food safety concerns in a dairy plant and good manufacturing practices (GMP) in the dairy industry. He also commented on the hygienic conditions of urinals and toilets in the dairy plants, saying that the urinals and toilets are most neglected areas in offices, factories, public places, etc. in India.
"Functioning urinals and toilets should be free from leakages and there should not be rusted plumbing. They should have working high-capacity exhaust fans with covering nets, which should be free from dust and dirt to remove the odour. And there should be a proper dustbin and toilet cabins should not be locked," he said.
He also mentioned that no priority is assigned to sanitation and hygiene. "The work area should be well-lit and ventilated. There should be training for workers in basics of hygiene and sanitation, there should also be departmental meetings to review process and to harvest ideas from the staff to improve the departments service, functional problems should be streamlined after discussion and there should be job rotation amongst employees. Time has come to give priority to microbiological quality and shelf life of milk. In the next two years or so our pasteurised milk should be drinkable right out of the pouch. Good manufacturing practices (GMP), notably housekeeping and hygiene, need urgent updates. Urinals and toilets require special attention in respect of water, soap and plumbing fixtures."
B P Rao, general manager, GEA India, spoke on the significance of cleaning solutions from an equipment perspective. He described the water consumption pattern for a typical milk plant, stating that about 27 per cent of the steam is used in processing, and 73 per cent steam is used in cleaning.
He also said, "Good manufacturing depends on various points like - (a) conventional (viz. man, machine and material); and (b) the need of the day, which includes hygiene efficiency, environment, cleanability, etc."
He also spoke about the changing trends, like capacities are increasing and reaching global size, process technologies are changing, and demand for the equipment is increasing. The right cleaning regime with innovative chemicals can lead to energy conservation, water conservation, better cleanable longer process uptimes, lower capital costs, better environment. There are four cleaning parameters, namely detergent, cleaning time, fluid mechanics, and temperature.
Cleaning detergent demands rapid and complete solubility in water and high soil carrying capacity, and should be easy to flush off with water. Cleaning time demands dissolution of soil, swelling of soil, dispersion, and final rinsing. Fluid mechanic demands requirements of effective disinfection. CIP cleaning devices (spray balls, rotating jet cleaners, and orbit cleaner). Tank cleaning comprises the cleaning of tanks with all elements installed in them, such as measuring instruments, safety equipments, agitators, etc. Storage tanks for detergent concentrates must be type-tested.
Peter Gatchell, technical specialist, dairy, Ecolab New Zealand, spoke about the company's best practices in the dairy industry, and the operational efficiencies and CIP in dairy industry. He commented on the prevalent trends in the dairy industry, and highlighted the need for increased productivity; higher milk volume; longer run time, and reduced CIP cycle time.
He also spoke on sustainability drivers like improved water productions, reduced energy consumption, reduced waste water volumes, and improved waste water quality. Efficient operational higher profitability, CIP golden rules - if the hydrostatics aren't right, nothing else matters. Direct benefits from the use of speciality cleaners - specific attack for specific soils, lower NAOH and HNO3 concentration in CIP solutions, shorter cleaning time equals increased production time. Poor personal hygiene is one of the leading causes of reported food-borne illnesses. There should be training for personal hygiene systems.
Albert Lee, application manager, Ecolab Asia, spoke on improving productivity and operational efficiency with sustainable cleaning and sanitation programs.
A sustainable future
Being sustainable is inevitable, but it is important to minimise energy, water and detergent, and strive to improve productivity. Lee also mentioned reducing the use of energy water and chemicals. Reduce use of energy, water, chemicals.
He also mentioned about burnt on soil on heated surfaces cause problems. In process of long cleaning, results are still not perfect, consequences are loss in productivity, higher costs of production (labour, utilities, chemicals and equipments), and reduced profitability. Cleaning solutions for hard to remove soils. Soil cleaned with increased mechanical energy to reduce energy, reduce caustic.
He also spoke about low temperature cleaning programs for cold milk areas. There is a two-product program for the process, comprising a base cleaner and an activator. Both products charged together into CIP system. Low-temperature acid cleaners product benefits - low temperature program, less energy, and less heating and cooking. Sustainable programs are essential for the profitability of the enterprise.
Sustainable programs saves production time, energy utilities and cleaning chemicals. Difficult to clean soils require high amounts of chemicals, temperature, and time to remove. If cleaning is not successful, change the formulation and or the production process change the cleaning program. Using a specialised additive reduces cleaning time, saves energy, water and chemicals. Low-temperature program (43-50 degrees) to save energy can be successful used to clean low-temperature processing surfaces.
Anil Kumawat, business manager, Ecolab India, made a presentation on making difference with specialty hygiene solutions. He also spoke about being different for better tomorrow. There are various concerns for India: high temperatures are not available, there are water-scarce areas, high-hardness water, and energy issues, and little or no control over process. In easy rinse solutions - three steps of CIP, terminal disinfectants. In high energy consumption, there is effective cleaning and better heat transfer, and in lower energy consumption, there is low temperature cleaning and lower energy consumption. There is little or no control over process.
Vivek Nair, industry technical consultant, NALCO (an Ecolab company), spoke about the water-related challenges in the dairy industry, in which he mentioned about product quality, operational efficiency and sustainability. He also spoke about key water challenges in diary like water scarcity, water quality, discharge restriction, water foot print reduction and water management best practice. He also gave na overview of dairy processing blocks, addressing water challenges in a dairy.
Factory raided for fennel seeds adulteration
AHMEDABAD: If you are one of those who like to munch on fennel seeds (variali in Gujarati) after a hearty meal, then here is some bitter truth. The Food and Drugs Control Authority (FDCA) officials raided a factory packing fennel seeds in Siddhpur and found that the manufacturer was using chemicals to enhance the colour of the seeds.
FDCA officials found that the factory owner Sanjay Patel was buying third grade fennel seeds from the market, which were to be discarded and then used synthetic dye to colour it green and give it a fresh look. "We seized more than 10,440 kilograms of the spurious fennel seeds packets from the firm which was called Satpal factory in Siddhpur town," said FDCA commissioner H G Koshia.
Koshia said that the raid was conducted after a tip-off was received on FDCA's helpline number 1800-233-5500. "The dye used in the fennel seeds was dangerous, we doubt whether it was edible. Under the new Food Safety and Standards Act, such a crime will invite six years of rigorous imprisonment and fine up to Rs 5 lakh," he said.
FDCA officials found that the factory owner Sanjay Patel was buying third grade fennel seeds from the market, which were to be discarded and then used synthetic dye to colour it green and give it a fresh look. "We seized more than 10,440 kilograms of the spurious fennel seeds packets from the firm which was called Satpal factory in Siddhpur town," said FDCA commissioner H G Koshia.
Koshia said that the raid was conducted after a tip-off was received on FDCA's helpline number 1800-233-5500. "The dye used in the fennel seeds was dangerous, we doubt whether it was edible. Under the new Food Safety and Standards Act, such a crime will invite six years of rigorous imprisonment and fine up to Rs 5 lakh," he said.
Controversial Bt brinjal cleared for entry as first GM food
After undergoing trials for the past nine years, a brinjal engineered through biotechnology to kill plant-eating insects -- the focus of a sharp and bitter debate on the safety of genetically modified plants -- has leapt closer to Indian dinner tables
The Indian government’s apex safety review panel for genetically engineered products, which functions under the forests and environment ministry, has approved, in principal, the release of Bt brinjal into the environment. Final clearance now rests with the central government. If cleared, Bt brinjal, developed by Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds Company (MAHYCO), with technology sourced from the US multinational Monsanto, will be the first genetically modified edible item to be cleared for commercial cultivation in the country. The Tamil Nadu Agriculture University and the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, were partners in the development of Bt brinjal.
Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said on October 14, 2009, that he had received the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee’s (GEAC’s) recommendation and would examine it before taking a final decision in a couple of days. “There are arguments for and arguments against GM food crops. We’re not going to act under any pressure -- from either companies or from non-government organisations,” he said.
Bt brinjal was earlier cleared by a government panel, but a review committee was constituted in 2007 when civil society groups and NGOs raised health safety and environmental concerns. Activists criticised the review committee’s decision saying the GEAC had not responded adequately to all their safety concerns.
Agricultural biotechnologists welcomed the decision, saying the engineered brinjal would reduce the use of pesticides. Bt brinjal is designed to secrete a protein that kills fruit borers that routinely attack brinjal. GM brinjal has been under field trials at several sites across the country for nearly a decade to assess its performance on farms; it was first sent to the GEAC for approval in 2004.
As of now, India allows only one genetically modified crop -- Bt cotton -- to be grown. That was cleared for cultivation in 2002. About 50 other genetically modified crops, nearly 40 of which are food items, are in various stages of development in the country. These include rice, tomatoes, cabbage, wheat and watermelon.
Media reports quoting a senior biologist who participated in the GEAC meeting said at least three members of the GEAC had expressed concerns over Bt brinjal and had dissented on the approval. “It’s intellectual corruption -- it appeared to be a predetermined decision. The others had already decided what they wanted to do,” Pushpa Bhargava, former director of the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, said.
Bhargava raised several technical issues over the design and implementation of safety studies that had been submitted by the developers of Bt brinjal to the GEAC while seeking approval for commercial cultivation.
The approval has sparked a fresh call from consumer representatives on the need to label all GM products and produce in the country, something the government has agreed to introduce but has not yet implemented.
“I’m disappointed. In the absence of labelling GM food, this is a threat to consumers’ rights to choose what they want to eat,” said Bejon Misra, a member of the government’s food safety and standards authority, and a consumer activist.
Kailash Bansal, a scientist at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, disagrees: “People in North America have been consuming genetically modified soybean, corn and papaya for years. Genetic engineering introduces a precise change in the make-up of the plant -- the Bt brinjal will allow farmers to use much less pesticides.”
India’s 500,000 hectares of brinjal farms spread across Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bengal, produce about 80 lakh tonnes of the vegetable annually. Some scientists estimate that fruit borers eat up as much as 50% of the crop.
Bt brinjal has been the test case for transgenic crops in the country. There are four varieties of brinjal on the table for approval, the important one being Cry 1Ac.
Ramesh has in the past made a “distinction” between Bt cotton and Bt brinjal arguing that Bt cotton is a non-edible item and, therefore, need not necessarily be the reason why other transgenic crops should also be allowed for cultivation. “I am going to take a decision based on the merits of the case in the interests of the country and of public health,” he said.
Strongly disapproving of the manner in which some NGOs, particularly Greenpeace, have been registering their protest, he said it amounted to blackmail. Greenpeace activists have been sending thousands of faxes from all around the world.
Greenpeace reacted saying it was shocking that the GEAC had “mindlessly” gone ahead and approved Bt brinjal even when informed scientists and citizens of the country raised serious concerns about the nature of the safety studies. In June this year, Ramesh said he did not support genetically engineered foods and that there was no great urgency for Bt brinjal, Greenpeace activist Jai Krishna said in a statement.
Gujarat FDCA launches awareness campaign on new FS&S Regulations, 2011
Amidst the chaotic opposition to the new Food Safety and Standards Regulations, 2011, the Food and Drugs Control Administration (FDCA), Gujarat, has taken a positive step towards ensuring acceptance of the new law by launching an awareness campaign on it across the state recently.
This was informed by H G Koshiya, commissioner, FDCA, Gujarat.
"The campaign was mooted following an opposition letter written to the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries by the Madhya Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries against the new Food Safety Act," Koshiya said.
He mentioned that it was not a difficult task to have a control over the situation as we acted instantly on the same whereby clarifications were given to few questions raised by the members of the industries.
"We have created awareness among 500 members from the chamber of the commerce and also with different stakeholders across the state," he said, adding that the new law needed time to reach and understood by the members of the industries, stakeholders and the industry professionals across the country.
The basic motive and the special features of the Food Safety Act were elaborated to the members who were convinced at the three-day-long sessions of the programme.
The campaign began previous year with the intention to cover different places across the state and has successfully completed around 39-40 places across the state in educating the people about the rules and regulations.
"We have also conducted a session with the rice millers association of Gujarat and around 350 members attended the session," he said.
Koshiya then said that the campaign almost lasted for about 15 days in the state covering different associations and was planning to carry the trend with federation of all tea traders associations in the near future.
"The campaign would encompass all stakeholders, industry professionals and there associations and the work was still on," he trailed off.
This was informed by H G Koshiya, commissioner, FDCA, Gujarat.
"The campaign was mooted following an opposition letter written to the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries by the Madhya Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industries against the new Food Safety Act," Koshiya said.
He mentioned that it was not a difficult task to have a control over the situation as we acted instantly on the same whereby clarifications were given to few questions raised by the members of the industries.
"We have created awareness among 500 members from the chamber of the commerce and also with different stakeholders across the state," he said, adding that the new law needed time to reach and understood by the members of the industries, stakeholders and the industry professionals across the country.
The basic motive and the special features of the Food Safety Act were elaborated to the members who were convinced at the three-day-long sessions of the programme.
The campaign began previous year with the intention to cover different places across the state and has successfully completed around 39-40 places across the state in educating the people about the rules and regulations.
"We have also conducted a session with the rice millers association of Gujarat and around 350 members attended the session," he said.
Koshiya then said that the campaign almost lasted for about 15 days in the state covering different associations and was planning to carry the trend with federation of all tea traders associations in the near future.
"The campaign would encompass all stakeholders, industry professionals and there associations and the work was still on," he trailed off.
The milk crisis in India
The Supreme Court has once again intervened on behalf of the people and in the interest of public welfare by seeking the response of the Center and various governments on a plea for checking sale of synthetic and adulterated milk and various dairy products.
The plea filed by a group of citizens, led by Swami Achyutanand Tirth of Uttarakhand, is worth studying keenly for the alarming picture that it has painted. The PIL says that synthetic and adulterated milk and milk products are being prepared using urea, detergent, refined oil, caustic soda, white paint etc which, according to opinion of experts, are 'very hazardous' to human life and can cause serious diseases like cancer. This is not all. The PIL has referred to a January 2011 survey report by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) from different cities in 33 States which says that out of total 1,791 random samples taken 1 226 samples were found not fit for human consumption.
After reading this, can there be any doubt about the alarming situation and imminent danger to public health posed by this brand of milk. Undoubtedly, the matter requires immediate action on the part of Central government and the state governments to ensure supply of healthy, hygienic and natural milk to the citizens of India. This would need a concrete action plan which alone can help substantially in stopping the rot. Why has such a situation cropped up? It may be recalled that over 10 years ago Allahabad High Court had considered the issue which had then caused panic in the state and ordered district-wise monitoring of the milk situation. So far as the formation of the monitoring committee for Allahabad district was concerned, the High Court had ordered that editor of Northern India Patrika also be among the members.
The committee was active for several months and when the situation seemed to be under control the vigilance was apparently relaxed. That resulted in the re-emergence of the crisis which gradually assumed a formidable form and has now acquired frightening dimensions. Now that the Supreme Court is looking into the matter, it is to be hoped that something effective will emerge to wage a war against adulteration which has crossed all limits. The question that any layman will ask is: What has the administration been doing all these years?
SC to examine tobacco, food law conflict
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is set to examine an interesting question arising from apparent conflict in provisions of two laws — one allowing and regulating sale of cigarettes and tobacco products, including gutka, pan masala and chewing tobacco, while the other bans use of tobacco and nicotine in food products.
A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhay issued notice to gutka and pan masala manufacturers on a petition filed by the Union government seeking transfer of their petitions in the Delhi High Court, where the new provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, was challenged.
Appearing for the Centre, additional solicitor general Harin Raval said that an identical issue related to similar provisions in the eclipsed Prevention of Food Adulteration Act was being adjudicated by the apex court and requested for transfer of the pending petition in the HC. The court asked the gutka and pan masala manufacturers to file their replies in four weeks.
The food safety and standards regulation prescribed that "tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products".
The manufacturers had challenged this provision in the HC on the ground that manufacture and sale of tobacco and nicotine containing products such as pan masala and gutka were permitted but regulated by the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.
It said the food regulation hindered the trade, commerce, production, supply and distribution of the these products resulting in unwarranted harassment and hindrance to their right to carry on business.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a related matter, had banned use of plastic pouches for packaging of gutka and pan masalas or any tobacco product forcing the industry to shift to paper packaging.
A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and S J Mukhopadhay issued notice to gutka and pan masala manufacturers on a petition filed by the Union government seeking transfer of their petitions in the Delhi High Court, where the new provisions of the Food Safety and Standards (Prohibition and Restrictions on Sales) Regulations, 2011, was challenged.
Appearing for the Centre, additional solicitor general Harin Raval said that an identical issue related to similar provisions in the eclipsed Prevention of Food Adulteration Act was being adjudicated by the apex court and requested for transfer of the pending petition in the HC. The court asked the gutka and pan masala manufacturers to file their replies in four weeks.
The food safety and standards regulation prescribed that "tobacco and nicotine shall not be used as ingredients in any food products".
The manufacturers had challenged this provision in the HC on the ground that manufacture and sale of tobacco and nicotine containing products such as pan masala and gutka were permitted but regulated by the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act, 2003.
It said the food regulation hindered the trade, commerce, production, supply and distribution of the these products resulting in unwarranted harassment and hindrance to their right to carry on business.
The Supreme Court, while hearing a related matter, had banned use of plastic pouches for packaging of gutka and pan masalas or any tobacco product forcing the industry to shift to paper packaging.
Food outlets told to register with FDA by August 5
MumbaiThe state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given food business operators a deadline of August 5 to get registered with it as per the Food Safety and Standards Authority Act of India (FSSAI).
With around 45 lakh food establishments across Maharashtra, the FDA has insisted that not only restaurants and hotels but even roadside food vendors must apply for a valid licence.
“It is usually the small shops and vendors that pose a problem in terms of licence. As per the FSSAI, anybody involved in the sale of consumables should have a valid licence and be registered with the FDA,” said Suresh Deshmukh, assistant commissioner (Food) of FDA, Maharashtra. Deshmukh said the FDA had issued around 1.6 lakh licenses in the state in the past nine months.
“Having a valid licence is important not only to comply with the norms but also to keep a tab on the hygiene levels practised by food vendors,” he said.
Of the 4,751 food samples collected from eateries, food manufactures and distributors all over the state, the FDA had filed criminal complaints in 677 cases last year.
FDA inspectors have also been interacting with the food business operators to ensure that the establishments have the appropriate licence or certificate.
As per the FSSAI Act, establishments with an annual turnover of Rs 12 crore should own a licence while those with less turnover should have a certificate.
“In the tussle of obtaining licences, the consumer suffers the most as he is deprived of purchasing quality products from a convenient store if it is not licensed,” said Prabodh Halde, member of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists, which recently arranged an interaction between FDA officials and food vendors
With around 45 lakh food establishments across Maharashtra, the FDA has insisted that not only restaurants and hotels but even roadside food vendors must apply for a valid licence.
“It is usually the small shops and vendors that pose a problem in terms of licence. As per the FSSAI, anybody involved in the sale of consumables should have a valid licence and be registered with the FDA,” said Suresh Deshmukh, assistant commissioner (Food) of FDA, Maharashtra. Deshmukh said the FDA had issued around 1.6 lakh licenses in the state in the past nine months.
“Having a valid licence is important not only to comply with the norms but also to keep a tab on the hygiene levels practised by food vendors,” he said.
Of the 4,751 food samples collected from eateries, food manufactures and distributors all over the state, the FDA had filed criminal complaints in 677 cases last year.
FDA inspectors have also been interacting with the food business operators to ensure that the establishments have the appropriate licence or certificate.
As per the FSSAI Act, establishments with an annual turnover of Rs 12 crore should own a licence while those with less turnover should have a certificate.
“In the tussle of obtaining licences, the consumer suffers the most as he is deprived of purchasing quality products from a convenient store if it is not licensed,” said Prabodh Halde, member of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists, which recently arranged an interaction between FDA officials and food vendors
Asian Regulatory Round-up: overhauls throughout the continent
Welcome to my first article on Asian food regulations. I will be bringing you monthly summaries of regulatory changes occurring across the Asia-Pacific region.
Let’s start with the two powerhouses of Asia – China and India. Although there is a lot of activity in the rest of Asia, the sheer size and attraction of both these markets will always mean food companies will always be interested in what the regulators are up to.
For China the news is generally about food safety. There seems to be no end to the creativity exhibited by Chinese entrepreneurs in how to reduce costs or increase profits without a thought of respect to the rule of law. Although this may sound harsh, the good news is the Chinese government does recognize some weaknesses in the system.
The recent release of the Five-Year Food Safety Plan calls for coordination between 14 different government departments. In a recent statement released by the Chinese government, it stated, “Many of the regulations are overlapping or contradict each other, since multiple government agencies were given the responsibility of compiling their own standards years ago.”
Whilst the government will be focusing on overhauling the 2,000 national food regulations and more than 2,900 industry-based regulations with an ambitious deadline of 2015, the concerns are really about enforcement.
Other improvements are in the legal language of Chinese regulations away from the opaque style open to interpretation by whoever is administering the law at the time.
India is overhauling its whole food regulatory structure from a completely different angle. The Indian government first established the Food Safety and Standards Authority, legislated the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, and then began dismantling old acts and regulations.
The Authority’s current agenda is on education, respect for the rule of law with a firm commitment that India’s food and agricultural base can integrate itself effectively in to the global trade of food. To this end, despite the mammoth task, India will succeed.
Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, there are six regulations covering various sections, such as Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses; Packaging and Labelling; Food Product Standards & Food Additives; Prohibition & Restriction on Sales; Contaminants, Toxins and Residues; and Laboratory & Sampling Analysis.
Although there are currently some weaknesses in the system, such as no regulations for dietary and health supplements or clear guidelines for marketing claims, the Authority has plans in motion to cover these areas whilst revising and amending the current regulations as necessary.
Across the region, Hong Kong recently passed the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation to ensure food coming in from China remains safe. And the legislators in Guam are currently labouring through a 581-page draft of a new Food Code. From all accounts it may take some time before a final version is enacted.
Other recent changes, in a pro-active move, the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health is holding discussions with manufacturers in regards to formulating new regulations to reduce the amount of sugar and salt in food products. Meanwhile, Korea is slowing implementing place-of-origin food labelling for pork, chicken and kimchi. Country of Origin labelling already exists for beef and rice.
Staying in Korea, the Korean Food & Drug Administration is set to allow functionality claims in general foods rather than just supplements. As the current system is very limited, once the new regulations are implemented, Korea’s functional food market will soar.
Taiwan is another country that does take its food regulatory regime seriously. Regulators are always amending and monitoring their regulations and standards. Already this year, the Taiwan FDA twice amended the Pesticide Residue Limits in Food Standard along with amendments to the Sanitation Standard for Food, Utensils, Containers & Packages and Standard for Specification, Scope, Application & Limitation of Food Additives.
I have endeavoured to provide a brief overview of the regulatory landscape across the Asia Pacific region. It is a huge region with half the world’s population. Over time I shall introduce the rest of the region for you.
Let’s start with the two powerhouses of Asia – China and India. Although there is a lot of activity in the rest of Asia, the sheer size and attraction of both these markets will always mean food companies will always be interested in what the regulators are up to.
For China the news is generally about food safety. There seems to be no end to the creativity exhibited by Chinese entrepreneurs in how to reduce costs or increase profits without a thought of respect to the rule of law. Although this may sound harsh, the good news is the Chinese government does recognize some weaknesses in the system.
The recent release of the Five-Year Food Safety Plan calls for coordination between 14 different government departments. In a recent statement released by the Chinese government, it stated, “Many of the regulations are overlapping or contradict each other, since multiple government agencies were given the responsibility of compiling their own standards years ago.”
Whilst the government will be focusing on overhauling the 2,000 national food regulations and more than 2,900 industry-based regulations with an ambitious deadline of 2015, the concerns are really about enforcement.
Other improvements are in the legal language of Chinese regulations away from the opaque style open to interpretation by whoever is administering the law at the time.
India is overhauling its whole food regulatory structure from a completely different angle. The Indian government first established the Food Safety and Standards Authority, legislated the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006, and then began dismantling old acts and regulations.
The Authority’s current agenda is on education, respect for the rule of law with a firm commitment that India’s food and agricultural base can integrate itself effectively in to the global trade of food. To this end, despite the mammoth task, India will succeed.
Under the Food Safety and Standards Act, there are six regulations covering various sections, such as Licensing & Registration of Food Businesses; Packaging and Labelling; Food Product Standards & Food Additives; Prohibition & Restriction on Sales; Contaminants, Toxins and Residues; and Laboratory & Sampling Analysis.
Although there are currently some weaknesses in the system, such as no regulations for dietary and health supplements or clear guidelines for marketing claims, the Authority has plans in motion to cover these areas whilst revising and amending the current regulations as necessary.
Across the region, Hong Kong recently passed the Pesticide Residues in Food Regulation to ensure food coming in from China remains safe. And the legislators in Guam are currently labouring through a 581-page draft of a new Food Code. From all accounts it may take some time before a final version is enacted.
Other recent changes, in a pro-active move, the Sri Lanka Ministry of Health is holding discussions with manufacturers in regards to formulating new regulations to reduce the amount of sugar and salt in food products. Meanwhile, Korea is slowing implementing place-of-origin food labelling for pork, chicken and kimchi. Country of Origin labelling already exists for beef and rice.
Staying in Korea, the Korean Food & Drug Administration is set to allow functionality claims in general foods rather than just supplements. As the current system is very limited, once the new regulations are implemented, Korea’s functional food market will soar.
Taiwan is another country that does take its food regulatory regime seriously. Regulators are always amending and monitoring their regulations and standards. Already this year, the Taiwan FDA twice amended the Pesticide Residue Limits in Food Standard along with amendments to the Sanitation Standard for Food, Utensils, Containers & Packages and Standard for Specification, Scope, Application & Limitation of Food Additives.
I have endeavoured to provide a brief overview of the regulatory landscape across the Asia Pacific region. It is a huge region with half the world’s population. Over time I shall introduce the rest of the region for you.
Jul 4, 2012
Advisory on Misbranding/ Misleading claims
F. No. 6/FSSAI/Dir (A)/Office Order/2011-12
FOOD SAFETY AND STANDARDS AUTHORITY OF INDIA
FDA Bhawan, Kotla Road,
New Delhi
Subject:- Advisory on Misbranding/ Misleading claimsFood Safety and Standards (FSS)Act, 2006, Rules & Regulations, 2011 made there
under are notified by Competent Authority of Central Government. The same has been enforced
w.e.f 05
th
August, 2011. The provisions contained in earlier legislation on the subject are now
repealed.
2. The various false claims made by the Food Business Operator about food articles and
consequent violation, if any, are punishable under the provisions fo FSS Act, 2006.
3. Violations related to food items, seriously jeopardize public health as well lead to unfair
gains to Food Business.
4. Misleading advertisement related to food items are imputed with malafide intent on the
part of person making the claim and is normally made to misguide a consumer to purchase food
item without disclosing the complete details on the advertisement. Companies (Corporate bodies
including firm or other association, individual) are also covered u/s 66, FSS Act, 2006
5. The burden of proof lies on the person willfully making false claims or engaged in
misleading advertisement.
6. An advertisement is defined u/s 3 of FSS Act, 2006 as:- any audio or visual publicity,
representation or procurement made by means of nay light, sound smoke, gas, print, electronic
media, internet and website and included through any notice, circular, label, wrapper, invoice to
other documents;
7. The provisions enshrined under Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labeling),
Regulation, 2011 includes definition of Health Claims, Nutritional Claims and Claims for Risk
Reduction. As per section 23, Packaging and Labeling of Foods of FSS Act, 2006;
1. No person shall manufacture, distribute, sell or expose for sale or dispatch or deliver to
any agent or broker for the purpose of sale, any packaged food products which are not
marked and labelled in the manner as may be specified by regulations.
Provision that the labels shall not contain any statement, claim, design or device which is
false or misleading in any particular concerning the food products contained in the
package or concerning the quantity or the nutritive value implying medicinal or therapeutic
claims or in relation to the place of origin of the said food products.
2. Every food business Operator shall ensure that the labelling and presentation of food,
including their shape, appearance or packaging, the packaging materials used, the
manner in which they are arranged and the setting in which they are displayed, and the
information which is made available about them through whatever medium, does not
mislead consumers.As per section 24, Restrictions of advertisement and prohibition as to unfair trade practices of
FSS Act, 2006;
(1) No advertisement shall be made fo any food which is misleading or deceiving or
contravenes the provisions of this Act, the rules and regulations made thereunder.
(2) No persons shall engage himself in any unfair trade practice for purpose of promoting
the sale, supply, use and consumption of articles of food or adopt any unfair or
deceptive practice including the practice of making any statement, whether orally or in
writing or by visible representation whicha. Falsely represents that the foods are of a particular standard, quality, quantity
or grade- composition;
b. Makes a false or misleading representation concerning the need for, or the
usefulness;
c. Give to the public any guarantee of the efficacy that is not based on an
adequate or scientific justification thereof;
Provided that where a defence is raised to the effect that such guarantee is based on adequate
or scientific justification, the burden of proof of such defence shall lie on the person raising such
defence. Further, any person who publishes, or is a party to the publication of an
advertisement, whicha. falsely describes any food; or
b. is likely to mislead as to the nature or substance or quality of any food or gives
false guarantee,
shall be liable to a penalty which may extend to ten lakh rupees.
8. All Food Business Operators as well as any person dealing with food articles are advised
to be careful as well as alert and must strictly follow provisions contained in Food Safety and
Standards Act, 2006 and Regulations thereof eschewing misleading claims which is not
established by scientific evidence and validated by science as proof beyond reasonable doubts.
Food items under section 22 of FSS Act, 2006, including Nutraceutucals, health supplements,
functional food which have not taken product approval or operating only on the basis of NOC
pending approval of sale cannot make any claim in their advertisement with any Health Claim,
Nutraceutucals Claims or Risk Reduction Claim. FSSAI has already initiated actions against 19
firms on misleading & extravagant claims.
Director
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India
Jul 3, 2012
Food safety seminar looks at adulteration in milk, regulatory challenges
With food safety being the key area of concern in the food safety management systems (FSMS) today, a recently-held seminar by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) here, aptly addressed this issue.
The seminar was divided into two halves. The first session had speakers like Dr Venkateshwara Rao, director, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore; Dr Amit Sharma, Export Inspection Council of India; Vinayak Hasthak, Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry, and Dr Surya Kalyani S, scientist, BIS; addressing the delegates.
A talk delivered by Amit Sharma in good hygienic practices in food highlighted some of the hygienic practices to be followed with regard to air, water, and the environment as a whole or with regard to pesticides.
“The finished raw material has to be controlled and protected until it reaches the consumers,” Sharma said while explaining the topic. He said that the food products once detected unsuitable for consumption had to be segregated and rejected.
Sharma stressed that the equipment should be located in such a place where it was easier to clean and monitor, and that it must be located in a hygienic area to obtain a desirable temperature within a minimum period of time.
He added that water was another focus in this context whereby the new Food Safety and Standards Act had clearly mentioned or differentiated the potable water and the non-potable water.
“There should be proper storage facility for water and sufficiently protected,” said Sharma, adding that the new regulations had mentioned that the water consumed for drinking should be potable water and that non-potable water should be used for other purposes.
He said that there should be sufficient drainage and wastage proposal and that sufficient temperature control in the room where the machinery was kept.
Hasthak elaborated on good manufacturing facilities in the food sector, emphasising that the focus had to be put on personal health and hygiene; personal habits (tobacco, pan masala, etc.); hair protection; handwash and clothing and personal wear.
He stressed that the BIS had already set guidelines for these food chains, adding that the second pillar of food safety was the environment; where the plant should be located; cross-contamination and risk reduction, and regulatory compliance.
“Sections 6.3 and 6.4.3 of the BIS standards clearly talks about the pesticide,” Hasthak said.
He further said that the machines should be designed and maintained and it should be made sure that the equipment were easy to repair and maintain and designed and installed in an area where it could be cleaned easily.
He then pointed out that there was a need to infuse the validation process and that the food industry should also perceive foreign matter drive.
A detailed insight into the newly formed standards on food retail management by the BIS was revealed to the stakeholders and the food business operators by Surya Kalyani, scientist, BIS.
“To ensure safe food to the consumer it is important that the retailers play their role in the food chain as they are only reliable for safe food from a consumers’ point of view,” Kalyani said.
She said that there was a need to minimising the food damage, avoiding contamination by separating the food on time and space, and adopting a good
tracking system.
Kalyani explained that the food should be protected and the primary products should be as the value addition of the food products comes from the presentation of the products.
She said that foods must be packed following the standards mentioned by the BIS adhering to the labelling laws
The second session of the seminar covered topics on different types of adulteration of milk and the importance of the Food Safety & Standards Regulations and their role in it.
“The primary objective of the FSSA is to ensure safe and suitable food for human consumption,” Dr K U Methekar, food safety officer (FSO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra, in his talk.
Methekar informed that the apex regulatory body had recently engaged advocates to defend them against different cases in different courts and that only cases related to foods which were projected as injurious to health would be taken up by these advocates in the court.
Mahesh Zagade, commissioner of food, FDA, Maharashtra, and G H Rathod, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Maharashtra, were also present on the occasion.
Further, regarding a detailed scenario on the various types of milk adulteration and different ways to detect them was elaborated by M G Haridas, project manager, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
Milk is not only adulterated with water, but also with soy milk with around 5-10 per cent, and that which is difficult to detect, synthetic milk which tastes bad, has whey adulteration.
“No standards exist for antibiotic residues in milk today, which is a grey area of concern today,” he said.
He then said that India had developed a mycotoxin detection test in milk recently, which would soon be commercialised in the country.
Meanwhile Dr Sitaram Dixit, honorary chairman, Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI), explained how consumers could avoid and detect artificial ripening / adulteration in different food products such as bananas (calcium carbide); mangoes (calcium carbide); honey (jaggery water), and ice cream (washing powder), were all on the rise and were harmful to health if consumed.
The seminar was divided into two halves. The first session had speakers like Dr Venkateshwara Rao, director, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore; Dr Amit Sharma, Export Inspection Council of India; Vinayak Hasthak, Confederation of Indian Food Trade and Industry, and Dr Surya Kalyani S, scientist, BIS; addressing the delegates.
A talk delivered by Amit Sharma in good hygienic practices in food highlighted some of the hygienic practices to be followed with regard to air, water, and the environment as a whole or with regard to pesticides.
“The finished raw material has to be controlled and protected until it reaches the consumers,” Sharma said while explaining the topic. He said that the food products once detected unsuitable for consumption had to be segregated and rejected.
Sharma stressed that the equipment should be located in such a place where it was easier to clean and monitor, and that it must be located in a hygienic area to obtain a desirable temperature within a minimum period of time.
He added that water was another focus in this context whereby the new Food Safety and Standards Act had clearly mentioned or differentiated the potable water and the non-potable water.
“There should be proper storage facility for water and sufficiently protected,” said Sharma, adding that the new regulations had mentioned that the water consumed for drinking should be potable water and that non-potable water should be used for other purposes.
He said that there should be sufficient drainage and wastage proposal and that sufficient temperature control in the room where the machinery was kept.
Hasthak elaborated on good manufacturing facilities in the food sector, emphasising that the focus had to be put on personal health and hygiene; personal habits (tobacco, pan masala, etc.); hair protection; handwash and clothing and personal wear.
He stressed that the BIS had already set guidelines for these food chains, adding that the second pillar of food safety was the environment; where the plant should be located; cross-contamination and risk reduction, and regulatory compliance.
“Sections 6.3 and 6.4.3 of the BIS standards clearly talks about the pesticide,” Hasthak said.
He further said that the machines should be designed and maintained and it should be made sure that the equipment were easy to repair and maintain and designed and installed in an area where it could be cleaned easily.
He then pointed out that there was a need to infuse the validation process and that the food industry should also perceive foreign matter drive.
A detailed insight into the newly formed standards on food retail management by the BIS was revealed to the stakeholders and the food business operators by Surya Kalyani, scientist, BIS.
“To ensure safe food to the consumer it is important that the retailers play their role in the food chain as they are only reliable for safe food from a consumers’ point of view,” Kalyani said.
She said that there was a need to minimising the food damage, avoiding contamination by separating the food on time and space, and adopting a good
tracking system.
Kalyani explained that the food should be protected and the primary products should be as the value addition of the food products comes from the presentation of the products.
She said that foods must be packed following the standards mentioned by the BIS adhering to the labelling laws
The second session of the seminar covered topics on different types of adulteration of milk and the importance of the Food Safety & Standards Regulations and their role in it.
“The primary objective of the FSSA is to ensure safe and suitable food for human consumption,” Dr K U Methekar, food safety officer (FSO), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Maharashtra, in his talk.
Methekar informed that the apex regulatory body had recently engaged advocates to defend them against different cases in different courts and that only cases related to foods which were projected as injurious to health would be taken up by these advocates in the court.
Mahesh Zagade, commissioner of food, FDA, Maharashtra, and G H Rathod, joint commissioner (food), FDA, Maharashtra, were also present on the occasion.
Further, regarding a detailed scenario on the various types of milk adulteration and different ways to detect them was elaborated by M G Haridas, project manager, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB).
Milk is not only adulterated with water, but also with soy milk with around 5-10 per cent, and that which is difficult to detect, synthetic milk which tastes bad, has whey adulteration.
“No standards exist for antibiotic residues in milk today, which is a grey area of concern today,” he said.
He then said that India had developed a mycotoxin detection test in milk recently, which would soon be commercialised in the country.
Meanwhile Dr Sitaram Dixit, honorary chairman, Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI), explained how consumers could avoid and detect artificial ripening / adulteration in different food products such as bananas (calcium carbide); mangoes (calcium carbide); honey (jaggery water), and ice cream (washing powder), were all on the rise and were harmful to health if consumed.
Ban on milk products’ import from China extended for year
The Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on Monday issued the gazette notification extending the ban on import of milk and milk products from China till June 2013 in view of their poor quality standards.
The move came over a week after the top food regulator advised the Government to do so in view of reports of poor quality standards of milk in China.
On Friday, the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) had recommended ban on milk and milk products on June 22, the DGFT under the Commerce and Trade Ministry failed to do even by June 24 when the deadline had expired.
Waking up to the lapse, the DGFT has now issued the notification. It says, “Prohibition on import of milk and milk products (including chocolates and chocolate products and candies/ confectionary/ food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient) from China is further extended till 23.6.2013 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”
It was in September 2008 that India had banned milk and milk products from China for the first time for three months following reports of deaths and diseases in China due to the consumption of the milk-laced with melamine, a fatal chemical. Till then the ban has continued.
The move came over a week after the top food regulator advised the Government to do so in view of reports of poor quality standards of milk in China.
On Friday, the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) had recommended ban on milk and milk products on June 22, the DGFT under the Commerce and Trade Ministry failed to do even by June 24 when the deadline had expired.
Waking up to the lapse, the DGFT has now issued the notification. It says, “Prohibition on import of milk and milk products (including chocolates and chocolate products and candies/ confectionary/ food preparations with milk or milk solids as an ingredient) from China is further extended till 23.6.2013 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.”
It was in September 2008 that India had banned milk and milk products from China for the first time for three months following reports of deaths and diseases in China due to the consumption of the milk-laced with melamine, a fatal chemical. Till then the ban has continued.
Jul 2, 2012
Honey: Health Benefits of the Golden Liquid
Honey is a sweet food, which is healthier than table sugars. It is a natural sugar made by honeybees using nectar from the flowers. Cave paintings suggest human beings collected honey from honeycombs roughly 8000 years ago and the goodness of honey has been known and used in food and as medicine for at least 4000 years.
Honey is loaded with powerful antioxidants with antiseptic and antibacterial properties. It is not just to spread on bread toasts in the morning breakfast. Apart from its nutritive food value, honey is extensively used for its medicinal properties in alternate medicine. Studies about honey have revealed that honey has powerful anti-bacterial activity on a wide span of bacteria. The low water content and the osmotic property make honey an excellent anti-bacterial natural product.
The nutritive values of honey are as follows:
| Constituents | Nutritional value per 100g |
| Energy | 304 kilo Calories |
| Carbohydrates | 82.4 grams |
| Sugars | 82.12 grams |
| Dietary fibers | 0.2 grams |
| Fat | 0 grams |
| Proteins | 0.3 grams |
| Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) | 0.038 milligrams |
| Niacin (Vitamin B3) | 0.024 milligram |
| Folate (Vitamin B9) | 2 microgram |
| Vitamin C | 0.5 milligram |
Minerals present in honey are:
| Minerals | Amount in per 339 grams (1 cup) |
| Calcium | 20.3 milligrams |
| Iron | 1.4 milligrams |
| Magnesium | 6.8 milligrams |
| Phosphorus | 13.6 milligrams |
| Potassium | 176 milligrams |
| Sodium | 13.6 milligrams |
| Zinc | 0.7 milligrams |
| Copper | 0.1 milligrams |
| Manganese | 0.3 milligrams |
| Selenium | 2.7 micrograms |
| Fluoride | 23.7 micrograms |
Honey is known for various amazing benefits. It has been widely used in a variety of products from sweet confectioneries to cosmetics.
Some of the benefits of honey are mentioned below:
1. Honey and Cinnamon: A Perfect Combination
Honey and cinnamon have been curing many diseases and infections since ancient times. Traditional societies have mixed honey and cinnamon from time immemorial to cure people from common cold, sore throat and skin infections. This practice is still followed by alternate medicine practitioners who use it to cure infertility in men and women. The combination of honey and cinnamon cures arthritis pain, cholesterol, hair fall and gastric problems. It also clears stomach ulcers and helps digest the heaviest meals. The most common use of honey and cinnamon is to cure cold and sore throat. Studies show that applying honey and cinnamon on your skin cures pimples and acne.
2. Honey and Immunity
Studies show that honey is an excellent remedy for improving your immunity against allergies and asthma. Honey contains floral flavonoids. When the honey is ingested, they immediately increase the antioxidant levels within the cells of the body and decrease the capillary permeability and fragility. Honey has also shown anti-cancer and anti-tumor properties preventing the risks of cancer in humans. Research by students at the Xavier University in New Orleans showed positive result of local honey and its allergy curing properties. The results say that honey acts as a vaccine for those who are allergic to pollen grains. Honey contains the same kind of pollen grains that cause this allergy. By consuming honey, we make the body accustomed to these pollen grains decrease the chance of the immune response to them like release of histamines. Local honey is said to be the best kind against allergies.
3. Honey and Stamina
Honey helps build stamina in athletes. When athletes take honey drinks before and after important athletic events, it replaces all the carbohydrates and minerals spent during the workout or in extreme conditions. While we are going through workouts, our body sweats and we lose minerals. Honey contains a good amount of all the important minerals and replaces them in the body. It is like an energy drink for the sportsmen and athletes and helps them in muscle building.
4. Honey and Weight Loss
Honey is a natural sweetener that contains 22 amino acids including a variety of minerals, which are important for metabolism and therefore helpful in preventing obesity. Lemon juice with a little honey early morning is believed to be the effective anti-cellulite treatment. This is an effective remedy to speed up shedding pounds from your body. Again, honey and cinnamon is another powerful remedy for effective weight loss. For people who love binge eating, honey can be taken as an effective remedy for digestion later on.
5. Honey and Cosmetics
Honey is widely used in many types of cosmetics like lip balm, face creams and shower gels. The reason behind this is because honey does not spoil due to its high sugar content. It has 50% more density than water. The osmotic property of honey attributes to its anti-bacterial property. Honey is a thick liquid that acts as a perfect skin and hair conditioner. It brings smoothness to the skin and hair. Hence, is used in cosmetics and shampoos.
6. Honey and Antiseptic Properties
Generally in hospitals, doctors prefer Hydrogen peroxide to clean wounds so they heal quickly. The same chemical is present in honey in very good amounts. It is released by diluting honey in water or body fluids. When it is applied on the open wounds, especially burn wounds, the glucose present in honey dilutes gradually releasing Hydrogen peroxide. And due to its viscous constituency, honey prevents wounds from sticking to the dressing and there are little or no scars after healing.
Food safety, hygiene in dairy industry theme of Ecolab's Anand conference
Ecolab, in association with Vidya Dairy, organised a conference on the importance of food safety and hygiene in the dairy industry in Anand, Gujarat. The conference had personalities from the industry and Ecolab to share their views on the topic. The chief guest for the conference was Rahul Srivastava, managing director, Amul Dairy.
The welcome presentation was delivered by Ron Pringle, general manager and vice-president, Ecolab India. He said, “This is the beginning of a platform for new ideas and experiences to be shared with each other, and this conference will create an open platform where dairy industry members can come together and share their views on food safety and hygiene in the dairy industry. We have an exciting day ahead and speakers with good amount of experience in this field.”
In his presentation titled, 'Food safety and hygiene in dairy industry', Srivastava said, “I would like to congratulate Ecolab and Vidya Dairy for organising this conference. Food safety and hygiene is the heart of the dairy industry. Indian dairy is unique in the world. Currently, India produces roughly 121 million metric tonnes of dairy products. There are about 90 million farmers in the dairy business, and 30 million cattle. About 28-29 per cent of milk is processed in India; 50 per cent of it is processed by the co-operative organisations, and the rest by private players.”
Sham Chaudhary, former general manager (quality), Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), spoke about hygiene and food safety concerns in a dairy plant and good manufacturing practices (GMP) in the dairy industry. He also commented on the hygienic conditions of urinals and toilets in the dairy plants, saying that the urinals and toilets are most neglected areas in offices, factories, public places, etc. in India.
“Functioning urinals and toilets should be free from leakages and there should not be rusted plumbing. They should have working high-capacity exhaust fans with covering nets, which should be free from dust and dirt to remove the odour. And there should be a proper dustbin and toilet cabins should not be locked,” he said.
B P Rao, general manager, GEA India, spoke on the significance of cleaning solutions from an equipment perspective. He described the water consumption pattern for a typical milk plant, stating that about 27 per cent of the steam is used in processing, and 73 per cent steam is used in cleaning.
He also said, “Good manufacturing depends on various points like – (a) conventional (viz. man, machine and material); and (b) the need of the day, which includes hygiene efficiency, environment, cleanability, etc.”
Peter Gatchell, technical specialist, dairy, Ecolab New Zealand, spoke about the company's best practices in the dairy industry, and the operational efficiencies and CIP in dairy industry.
He commented on the prevalent trends in the dairy industry, and highlighted the need for increased productivity; higher milk volume; longer run time, and reduced CIP cycle time.
Albert Lee, application manager, Ecolab Asia, spoke on improving productivity and operational efficiency with sustainable cleaning and sanitation programs.
A sustainable future
Being sustainable is inevitable, but it is important to minimise energy, water and detergent, and strive to improve productivity. Lee also mentioned reducing the use of energy water and chemicals.
Anil Kumawat, business manager, Ecolab India, made a presentation on making difference with specialty hygiene solutions. Vivek Nair, industry technical consultant, NALCO (an Ecolab company), spoke about the water-related challenges in the dairy industry, in which he mentioned about product quality, operational efficiency and sustainability.
The welcome presentation was delivered by Ron Pringle, general manager and vice-president, Ecolab India. He said, “This is the beginning of a platform for new ideas and experiences to be shared with each other, and this conference will create an open platform where dairy industry members can come together and share their views on food safety and hygiene in the dairy industry. We have an exciting day ahead and speakers with good amount of experience in this field.”
In his presentation titled, 'Food safety and hygiene in dairy industry', Srivastava said, “I would like to congratulate Ecolab and Vidya Dairy for organising this conference. Food safety and hygiene is the heart of the dairy industry. Indian dairy is unique in the world. Currently, India produces roughly 121 million metric tonnes of dairy products. There are about 90 million farmers in the dairy business, and 30 million cattle. About 28-29 per cent of milk is processed in India; 50 per cent of it is processed by the co-operative organisations, and the rest by private players.”
Sham Chaudhary, former general manager (quality), Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), spoke about hygiene and food safety concerns in a dairy plant and good manufacturing practices (GMP) in the dairy industry. He also commented on the hygienic conditions of urinals and toilets in the dairy plants, saying that the urinals and toilets are most neglected areas in offices, factories, public places, etc. in India.
“Functioning urinals and toilets should be free from leakages and there should not be rusted plumbing. They should have working high-capacity exhaust fans with covering nets, which should be free from dust and dirt to remove the odour. And there should be a proper dustbin and toilet cabins should not be locked,” he said.
B P Rao, general manager, GEA India, spoke on the significance of cleaning solutions from an equipment perspective. He described the water consumption pattern for a typical milk plant, stating that about 27 per cent of the steam is used in processing, and 73 per cent steam is used in cleaning.
He also said, “Good manufacturing depends on various points like – (a) conventional (viz. man, machine and material); and (b) the need of the day, which includes hygiene efficiency, environment, cleanability, etc.”
Peter Gatchell, technical specialist, dairy, Ecolab New Zealand, spoke about the company's best practices in the dairy industry, and the operational efficiencies and CIP in dairy industry.
He commented on the prevalent trends in the dairy industry, and highlighted the need for increased productivity; higher milk volume; longer run time, and reduced CIP cycle time.
Albert Lee, application manager, Ecolab Asia, spoke on improving productivity and operational efficiency with sustainable cleaning and sanitation programs.
A sustainable future
Being sustainable is inevitable, but it is important to minimise energy, water and detergent, and strive to improve productivity. Lee also mentioned reducing the use of energy water and chemicals.
Anil Kumawat, business manager, Ecolab India, made a presentation on making difference with specialty hygiene solutions. Vivek Nair, industry technical consultant, NALCO (an Ecolab company), spoke about the water-related challenges in the dairy industry, in which he mentioned about product quality, operational efficiency and sustainability.
Camps for issuing licences to food traders from tomorrow
Amritsar, July 1
The Health Department has planned to organise camps at various markets in the city to register and issue licences to food traders under the Food Safety and Standard Act. The first camp in the series would be organised at Majith Mandi on Tuesday, said district health officer Ashwani Sondhi.
Sondhi said the department would be accompanied by bank officials so that all the formalities in registering and issuing licences were completed on the spot. The department had earlier created awareness among traders through meetings and advertisements, but despite all efforts, only around 400 traders responded to the repeated calls.
“We have divided the city into five parts. In the first series, we will hold one camp in each part. Later, we will also organise camps at the sub-division and block levels in the rural areas,” said Sondhi, adding that the camps would be helpful in bringing more traders under the ambit of law.
The Food Safety and Standards Act, which came into force earlier this year, had so far failed to draw any big response. Even the government had to extend the deadline once in order to give a chance to traders to respond. As per the guidelines issued by the state government, businesses with a turnover of less than Rs 12 lakh were required to get themselves registered with the office of the district health officer, while those with a turnover above the limit were required to obtain a licence.
The guidelines were also binding on those engaged in activities related to manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution, import and even catering. Further, temporary stalls and “karyana” stores selling food ingredients were required to register themselves, said Sondhi.
Officials of the Health Department had claimed that the procedure would help them keep an eye on food sellers and manufacturers to ensure good health of residents. The instructions are issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act — 2006 which became operational in the state after August 8, 2011.
The Health Department has planned to organise camps at various markets in the city to register and issue licences to food traders under the Food Safety and Standard Act. The first camp in the series would be organised at Majith Mandi on Tuesday, said district health officer Ashwani Sondhi.
Sondhi said the department would be accompanied by bank officials so that all the formalities in registering and issuing licences were completed on the spot. The department had earlier created awareness among traders through meetings and advertisements, but despite all efforts, only around 400 traders responded to the repeated calls.
“We have divided the city into five parts. In the first series, we will hold one camp in each part. Later, we will also organise camps at the sub-division and block levels in the rural areas,” said Sondhi, adding that the camps would be helpful in bringing more traders under the ambit of law.
The Food Safety and Standards Act, which came into force earlier this year, had so far failed to draw any big response. Even the government had to extend the deadline once in order to give a chance to traders to respond. As per the guidelines issued by the state government, businesses with a turnover of less than Rs 12 lakh were required to get themselves registered with the office of the district health officer, while those with a turnover above the limit were required to obtain a licence.
The guidelines were also binding on those engaged in activities related to manufacture, processing, packaging, storage, transportation, distribution, import and even catering. Further, temporary stalls and “karyana” stores selling food ingredients were required to register themselves, said Sondhi.
Officials of the Health Department had claimed that the procedure would help them keep an eye on food sellers and manufacturers to ensure good health of residents. The instructions are issued under the Food Safety and Standards Act — 2006 which became operational in the state after August 8, 2011.
Jul 1, 2012
When chocolate isn’t chocolate anymore...
In the US, one out of every three or four young children are now obese, and generals from the Armed Forces have represented that stricter controls need to be exercised over packaged foods of this sort. Here in India, we have the world’s largest population of diabetics, and much of it is caused by unhealthy eating
Somewhere in the hubris surrounding the Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) circus, is a small sub-episode, played out for a short while onscreen—but extremely important all the same. It involves the handing over of a basket full of Cadbury products, important because it is not just one of the bigger sponsors, but also because at no stage does the venerable Amitabh Bachchan say anything about them being chocolates or even mentioning the brand.
This discretion is not accidental. Nor does it happen because the advertiser wants less airtime for her buck. The real reason is not shrouded in mystery but like a bad smell it is simply ignored.
Before one moves in-depth into the local Indian scenario with branded ‘chocolates’, it is important to point out that information from the ministry of food processing is still not very clear on the subject. Whether it has to do with cacao, cocoa solids, cocoa butter or any other combination thereof, it appears that the term ‘chocolate’ can be added on to almost anything sold in India, from slabs to bars to barfees to ice-creams and more, without demur—as long as the ingredients mention something to do with some form of cocoa. Sometimes, not even that.
Of course, in another conversation held “off the record”, this correspondent was told by a senior functionary at the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that often they follow the US FDA” classifications and standards. That is interesting, because much of the cocoa solids and cocoa butter controversy, in addition to the concept of changing the nomenclature of chemically altered palm oil to give it cocoa butter nomenclature and formulations as well as similarities, started there.
Chatting, separately, with a friend who works on vegetable oil carriers, a specialised sort of sea-going tanker ship which is designed to transport food-grade liquids in bulk across great distances and varying climatic conditions without damaging them, I also came to learn about a palm oil-based product which was now transported in bulk and is being used in lieu of cocoa butter—the main ingredient for most brands of chocolates and chocolate derivatives sold commercially. This sounded interesting—was the ship, then, always afloat in the brilliant aroma of fresh chocolate, certainly something which would match the fresh sea air?
Far from it, I was told—matter of fact, when moving into hotter areas like the Red Sea, the whole ship apparently smelt like cooking oil going bad on a roadside vendors stall off any random highway frying pakodas. Even the heavy oil and diesel fumes were less sickening, as the jokes flowed, after all—add liquor to the stuff in the tanks, and you have a Tia Maria? Food for thought, as we opted for the pink coloured stuff hopefully labelled ‘strawberry’, on the dessert rack.
On the way back home I stopped over at one of those 24x7 convenience stores attached to fuel filling stations, and on a whim and a fancy, asked the attendant to give me a variety of chocolates in the sub-Rs30 range.
With a basket full of ‘chocolates’ from Cadbury's, Nestle, Mars and a couple of other brands, I moved to the check-out counter and re-confirmed from the cashier—these are all chocolates, right? The young man behind the till looked up at me in surprise, then in wonder, and finally took pity and said, ‘of course’—and then added, “Cadbury means chocolate, no?”
How interesting. A story or report is developing, is the thought that went uppermost in my mind as I paid the sizeable bill, there was so much variety. Chocolates are Cadbury, generic, and other brands with similar products in the same shelf are also, thus, chocolates. When I asked the young man why they didn’t have Amul, however, I was told, oh, that’s milk, not chocolate.
But then, Cadbury’s is almost a generic term for chocolates, and asking the sales person at a store for guidance on this is not of much use—anything and everything in the same shelves is, by default, also allegedly chocolate. Somebody will say—the sales person is really not the best person to ask for specific details. Valid point, but who else will you ask at a sales outlet, then? And doesn't that mean something—slightly more lucid labelling, for example?
So now we start with the research part. The retail part has already confused many.
First road-block—you have to buy the stuff. Their websites, full of so much effort and detail for everything else, do not provide full details of what their products are made of. But that’s for the India websites—head for the same product, same company, but European and American websites, and you can get more details than you can handle. Try it. So, take a digital photo of the ‘chocolate’ wrapper, and expand it so that you can read it.
Yes, certainly, the list of ingredients and other important information is provided on the packaging. In an extremely small font size, and with special care to the colours used—what looks like dark blue or black on a purple background, for example. Or golden brown on darker brown... Which makes it almost impossible to read on the packaging, unless you go seeking out magnifying glasses and bright lights—or digitally enhance things.
In some developed countries, it is now a pre-requisite that what is not chocolate is not sold as chocolate. By and large, local variations aside, if it did not have at least 30% by way of cacao, chocolate, cocoa butter or solids, then it could not be called ‘chocolate’. Certain products, like ice-creams claiming to be chocolate or using related words, needed to have a “this is not chocolate” cautionary on the wrappers too.
Next, we start with those popular products which don’t have aspirations towards being called ‘chocolates’, but won’t hesitate in giving themselves airs as well as using confusing buzzwords. Cadbury Oreo, for example, uses the term ‘chocolatey’. What does that mean? If you look closely at the wrapper, you will see that it means that the ‘creme’ part contains refined sugar, vegetable fat and emulsifier. The ‘biscuit’ part, however, does claim to have some cocoa solids—though not enough for even the manufacturers to tell us how much.
Moving on, we take a closer look at the flagship brand from Cadbury, called ‘Dairy Milk’. Gets interesting, because the Rs5 and Rs10 packets containing slabs or éclairs don’t even claim to be chocolates, or have any in them. These are, simply, refined sugar in vegetable fat. But the packaging, font, colours used—even the glasses of white liquid shown that could be milk being poured into the ‘I’ are the same—as with the costlier ‘Dairy Milk’ bar which cost Rs25-Rs30 and more—and have “rich classic milk chocolate” written on them.
Coming up next is something called Galaxy Smooth Milk, manufactured in Dubai, exported and imported by Mars in India—and over-printed with the line “smooth and creamy milk chocolate”, as well as with a strategically placed sticker placed over the ingredients part. This sticker says “no vegetable fat in chocolate”, but when you peel the sticker away carefully, you learn that the non-chocolate part of this product does contain—vegetable oils.
Nestlé’s packaging appears to have their own strategies too. KitKat says that it has crisp wafer fingers covered with ‘chocolayer’. The milk chocolate bar says that they are Swiss chocolate makers since 1904, but the ingredients take you through the usual storyline of going coy about its ingredients—‘nature identical’. Best, of course, is their Milky Bar, sold in the same chocolate shelves—it gives up, doesn’t even claim to have any chocolate in it, and goes into partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Of course, the fonts used and the labelling are deceptively similar to their chocolates, but then, that’s par for the course.
The ‘chewy’ chocolate bars, they have their own stories—5-Star by Cadbury is “yummy chocolaty”, Bar-One by Nestle is “delicious chocolayer” and Snickers by Mars is “covered in chocolate”. But all of them, without exception, have their share of vegetable fats and oils. Of course, that’s never part of the advertising or marketing strategy.
Because, simply put, it would not pay to tell buyers the truth. That what they are getting, largely, is chemically altered and modified vegetable oils—especially palm oils. For whatever reason, and one reason is that the process of converting palm oil into cocoa butter brings it very close to the next step where they all end up as industrial plastic sludge, even house flies and blue bottle flies don’t sit on these confectionary item when you unwrap them and put them out on a balcony,
So when and how did cocoa butter morph into something that came out of palm oil? Here’s one of the articles on the subject.
http://www.waset.org/journals/waset/v54/v54-95.pdf
The chemically re-formulated palm oil is just one step away in the world of chemistry from being converted into a form of industrial plastic. Even in this shape, it has many shared properties, for example—flies and other insects won't come near it.
Try it. Get hold of an imported packet of chocolates, sold in Europe or North America. Unwrap them, and put them out on a balcony in plates, along with other plates that have Indian ‘chocolates’ of the sort mentioned as well as cut fruit like bananas. And watch where the flies and other insects head for.
Why don’t the flies head for the Indian ‘chocolates’, the ones with palm oil cocoa butter in them?
If we had to eat sweetened vanaspati mixed with refined sugar, we didn’t need FDI from abroad to come and do it for us, and tell us it was chocolate. Even the worst of local sweet and sweetmeat manufacturers would never have sold us this sort of garbage.
Out there in the US, one out of every three or four young children are now obese, and generals from the Armed Forces have represented that stricter controls need to be exercised over packaged foods of this sort. Here in India, we have the world’s largest population of diabetics, and much of it is caused by unhealthy eating of this sort.
Is it too much to expect from these companies, with their ‘brand values’ and all the rest of it, to be honest about what they are selling?
No wonder Amitabh Bachchan just handed over the package full of Cadbury whatevers. He is now a grandfather, again, and is probably concerned about what that child will eat when she grows up. Certainly not refined sugar in vanaspati.
Somewhere in the hubris surrounding the Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) circus, is a small sub-episode, played out for a short while onscreen—but extremely important all the same. It involves the handing over of a basket full of Cadbury products, important because it is not just one of the bigger sponsors, but also because at no stage does the venerable Amitabh Bachchan say anything about them being chocolates or even mentioning the brand.
This discretion is not accidental. Nor does it happen because the advertiser wants less airtime for her buck. The real reason is not shrouded in mystery but like a bad smell it is simply ignored.
Before one moves in-depth into the local Indian scenario with branded ‘chocolates’, it is important to point out that information from the ministry of food processing is still not very clear on the subject. Whether it has to do with cacao, cocoa solids, cocoa butter or any other combination thereof, it appears that the term ‘chocolate’ can be added on to almost anything sold in India, from slabs to bars to barfees to ice-creams and more, without demur—as long as the ingredients mention something to do with some form of cocoa. Sometimes, not even that.
Of course, in another conversation held “off the record”, this correspondent was told by a senior functionary at the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that often they follow the US FDA” classifications and standards. That is interesting, because much of the cocoa solids and cocoa butter controversy, in addition to the concept of changing the nomenclature of chemically altered palm oil to give it cocoa butter nomenclature and formulations as well as similarities, started there.
Chatting, separately, with a friend who works on vegetable oil carriers, a specialised sort of sea-going tanker ship which is designed to transport food-grade liquids in bulk across great distances and varying climatic conditions without damaging them, I also came to learn about a palm oil-based product which was now transported in bulk and is being used in lieu of cocoa butter—the main ingredient for most brands of chocolates and chocolate derivatives sold commercially. This sounded interesting—was the ship, then, always afloat in the brilliant aroma of fresh chocolate, certainly something which would match the fresh sea air?
Far from it, I was told—matter of fact, when moving into hotter areas like the Red Sea, the whole ship apparently smelt like cooking oil going bad on a roadside vendors stall off any random highway frying pakodas. Even the heavy oil and diesel fumes were less sickening, as the jokes flowed, after all—add liquor to the stuff in the tanks, and you have a Tia Maria? Food for thought, as we opted for the pink coloured stuff hopefully labelled ‘strawberry’, on the dessert rack.
On the way back home I stopped over at one of those 24x7 convenience stores attached to fuel filling stations, and on a whim and a fancy, asked the attendant to give me a variety of chocolates in the sub-Rs30 range.
With a basket full of ‘chocolates’ from Cadbury's, Nestle, Mars and a couple of other brands, I moved to the check-out counter and re-confirmed from the cashier—these are all chocolates, right? The young man behind the till looked up at me in surprise, then in wonder, and finally took pity and said, ‘of course’—and then added, “Cadbury means chocolate, no?”
How interesting. A story or report is developing, is the thought that went uppermost in my mind as I paid the sizeable bill, there was so much variety. Chocolates are Cadbury, generic, and other brands with similar products in the same shelf are also, thus, chocolates. When I asked the young man why they didn’t have Amul, however, I was told, oh, that’s milk, not chocolate.
But then, Cadbury’s is almost a generic term for chocolates, and asking the sales person at a store for guidance on this is not of much use—anything and everything in the same shelves is, by default, also allegedly chocolate. Somebody will say—the sales person is really not the best person to ask for specific details. Valid point, but who else will you ask at a sales outlet, then? And doesn't that mean something—slightly more lucid labelling, for example?
So now we start with the research part. The retail part has already confused many.
First road-block—you have to buy the stuff. Their websites, full of so much effort and detail for everything else, do not provide full details of what their products are made of. But that’s for the India websites—head for the same product, same company, but European and American websites, and you can get more details than you can handle. Try it. So, take a digital photo of the ‘chocolate’ wrapper, and expand it so that you can read it.
Yes, certainly, the list of ingredients and other important information is provided on the packaging. In an extremely small font size, and with special care to the colours used—what looks like dark blue or black on a purple background, for example. Or golden brown on darker brown... Which makes it almost impossible to read on the packaging, unless you go seeking out magnifying glasses and bright lights—or digitally enhance things.
In some developed countries, it is now a pre-requisite that what is not chocolate is not sold as chocolate. By and large, local variations aside, if it did not have at least 30% by way of cacao, chocolate, cocoa butter or solids, then it could not be called ‘chocolate’. Certain products, like ice-creams claiming to be chocolate or using related words, needed to have a “this is not chocolate” cautionary on the wrappers too.
Next, we start with those popular products which don’t have aspirations towards being called ‘chocolates’, but won’t hesitate in giving themselves airs as well as using confusing buzzwords. Cadbury Oreo, for example, uses the term ‘chocolatey’. What does that mean? If you look closely at the wrapper, you will see that it means that the ‘creme’ part contains refined sugar, vegetable fat and emulsifier. The ‘biscuit’ part, however, does claim to have some cocoa solids—though not enough for even the manufacturers to tell us how much.
Moving on, we take a closer look at the flagship brand from Cadbury, called ‘Dairy Milk’. Gets interesting, because the Rs5 and Rs10 packets containing slabs or éclairs don’t even claim to be chocolates, or have any in them. These are, simply, refined sugar in vegetable fat. But the packaging, font, colours used—even the glasses of white liquid shown that could be milk being poured into the ‘I’ are the same—as with the costlier ‘Dairy Milk’ bar which cost Rs25-Rs30 and more—and have “rich classic milk chocolate” written on them.
Coming up next is something called Galaxy Smooth Milk, manufactured in Dubai, exported and imported by Mars in India—and over-printed with the line “smooth and creamy milk chocolate”, as well as with a strategically placed sticker placed over the ingredients part. This sticker says “no vegetable fat in chocolate”, but when you peel the sticker away carefully, you learn that the non-chocolate part of this product does contain—vegetable oils.
Nestlé’s packaging appears to have their own strategies too. KitKat says that it has crisp wafer fingers covered with ‘chocolayer’. The milk chocolate bar says that they are Swiss chocolate makers since 1904, but the ingredients take you through the usual storyline of going coy about its ingredients—‘nature identical’. Best, of course, is their Milky Bar, sold in the same chocolate shelves—it gives up, doesn’t even claim to have any chocolate in it, and goes into partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Of course, the fonts used and the labelling are deceptively similar to their chocolates, but then, that’s par for the course.
The ‘chewy’ chocolate bars, they have their own stories—5-Star by Cadbury is “yummy chocolaty”, Bar-One by Nestle is “delicious chocolayer” and Snickers by Mars is “covered in chocolate”. But all of them, without exception, have their share of vegetable fats and oils. Of course, that’s never part of the advertising or marketing strategy.
Because, simply put, it would not pay to tell buyers the truth. That what they are getting, largely, is chemically altered and modified vegetable oils—especially palm oils. For whatever reason, and one reason is that the process of converting palm oil into cocoa butter brings it very close to the next step where they all end up as industrial plastic sludge, even house flies and blue bottle flies don’t sit on these confectionary item when you unwrap them and put them out on a balcony,
So when and how did cocoa butter morph into something that came out of palm oil? Here’s one of the articles on the subject.
http://www.waset.org/journals/waset/v54/v54-95.pdf
The chemically re-formulated palm oil is just one step away in the world of chemistry from being converted into a form of industrial plastic. Even in this shape, it has many shared properties, for example—flies and other insects won't come near it.
Try it. Get hold of an imported packet of chocolates, sold in Europe or North America. Unwrap them, and put them out on a balcony in plates, along with other plates that have Indian ‘chocolates’ of the sort mentioned as well as cut fruit like bananas. And watch where the flies and other insects head for.
Why don’t the flies head for the Indian ‘chocolates’, the ones with palm oil cocoa butter in them?
If we had to eat sweetened vanaspati mixed with refined sugar, we didn’t need FDI from abroad to come and do it for us, and tell us it was chocolate. Even the worst of local sweet and sweetmeat manufacturers would never have sold us this sort of garbage.
Out there in the US, one out of every three or four young children are now obese, and generals from the Armed Forces have represented that stricter controls need to be exercised over packaged foods of this sort. Here in India, we have the world’s largest population of diabetics, and much of it is caused by unhealthy eating of this sort.
Is it too much to expect from these companies, with their ‘brand values’ and all the rest of it, to be honest about what they are selling?
No wonder Amitabh Bachchan just handed over the package full of Cadbury whatevers. He is now a grandfather, again, and is probably concerned about what that child will eat when she grows up. Certainly not refined sugar in vanaspati.
Food vendors to apply for license
Your neighbourhood tea stall may be forced to close down after July for not getting a license under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011. The regulation came into effect on August 5, 2011, but the authorities were unable to enforce it in Kolkata yet. Not only large restaurants, bars and canteens, even roadside food stalls come under these regulations. The deadline set for obtaining the licenses is August 4, 2012.
A ministry official said that the regulations had been formulated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India under the ministry of Health and Family Welfare to ensure that safe and hygienic food was served by the outlets. Every outlet needs to obtain a license and maintain a certain level of hygiene. Only a few outlets in Kolkata have obtained licenses. We have started raids elsewhere and will soon start in Kolkata. Outlets that do not have the license will be shut down till they apply and ensure proper hygiene. He also said that they have information of some high-end restaurants, including a few on Park Street, not maintaining the requisite level of hygiene. The food has to be cooked in a hygienic manner under proper cover to prevent harmful things from falling in. All stalls and outlets should have a proper sewerage facility that is not close to the drinking water source. The food has to be stored in a hygienic manner.
The Bengal government has not taken any step to enforce the law or create awareness on the issue. Most food joints, especially the small ones, do not have any idea about the license.
The stall owner has to keep his hands clean and abstain from activities such as spitting, blowing his nose or scratching himself while preparing or serving the food. The utensils have to be washed properly in clean water. The regulations will also apply to college and office canteens and catering agencies that supply food during marriages and other ceremonies.
Partha Pratim Hazari, MMiC, Prevention of Food Adulteration said that they have been informed by the state government but the preparations have still not reached a level where we can issue license to all stalls.
According to an official the license holders will be able to attract more customers as they will be displaying their identity cards. The customers would be assured of hygienic products, even if the stall is small.
The procedure of applying for Licenses is not a long one. The stall owner needs to apply to the registration authority that will then carry out an inspection and then issue a License that needs to be renewed every year. The identity cards will be issued with the Licenses and have to be kept on display at all times.
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