Food Safety Guidelines for thawing Food Prior to Cooking or Consumption

Frozen Corn
Dogs
To thaw the food means to bring food products from a freezing point to room temperature. Another name for thawing is defrosting. Food is frozen so that microorganisms do not grow and so no degradation or contamination takes place as long as the food remains frozen. However, bacteria begin to multiply when the temperature of food is above 4°C. Therefore when defrosting frozen food it is important to maintain temperatures even while it is thawing.
Food Business Operators must maintain a defrosting chart in their kitchens which states the time a particular quantity of food or a particular food may take to completely thawed. This will help to begin the defrosting process well in time so foods can be thawed at the right time for either cooking or consumption.
FSSAI guidelines for thawing foods so food safety is maintained:
FBOs must label all food packets being thawed with defrost date and time to indicate 2nd shelf life. Secondary shelf life is the time limit within which the food can be used safely once the original packaging is opened.
Temperature of thawed foods that have to be cooked should not be warmer than 5°C
Only thaw that much portion of food that is required
After thawing, food products must be used within 12 hours
Thawed food products should not be refrozen or kept in the chiller for use beyond 12 hours
DO NOT thaw foods in hot water
Meat, poultry and fish should be thawed in controlled temperatures of 5°C
Thawing containers must be marked green for vegetarian food and red for non vegetarian foods
The following methods can be used for thawing or defrosting food:
Refrigerator: Thawing in the fridge may be the easiest and the safest as there is minimum handling. Refrigeration thawing takes long and time varies, depending on the temperature inside the fridge.
Cold water: Sealed packets of food are easy to thaw in cold water. Place the package in covered water in a bowl or sink and change the water every 30 minutes till the food is thawed.
Running cold water Temperature of the cold water must be 15°C or less. Defrosting by this method should not be for more than 90 minutes. There must be an air break between tap and water. Food must be placed only in sanitised food grade utensil. Do not use kitchen sink for any other purpose while food is being thawed in the sink. This method is good for thawing shellfish and other sea foods.
Microwave thawing should be used if the thawed food is going to be cooked or consumed immediately or microorganisms could multiply. This is not recommended for meats as it leaves the food unevenly thawed.

Minutes concerning lecithin amended at 15th authority meeting of FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the country’s apex food regulator, convened its fifteenth authority meeting recently. It adopted the minutes of the 14th meeting after amending the minutes which respect to supplementary agenda number one, which concerns the use of lecithin and sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate in biscuits.
Confirming the development, Pradip Chakraborty, director (zone/training), FSSAI, said, “The authority considered and approved the recommendation of the scientific committee and its subsequent draft amendment notification with respect to the use of lecithin in biscuits.”
K Chandramouli, chairman, FSSAI, chaired the meeting. Welcoming those present, he said, “After the last meeting, a number of scientific panel and expert group meetings were held, so that several important scientific matters regarding standard setting could be brought to this meeting.”
He drew the attention of the members of the authority to the various scientific panel, expert group and scientific committee meetings being held on a continuous basis to strengthen the process of standard-setting, and placed on record his appreciation for the work being undertaken by these bodies.
Chandramouli said, “The number of proposals for standardisation going to panels has increased. This would ultimately help in the effective implementation of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, and provide safety to the consumers as laid down in Section 16 of the Act.”
He stated that the proposed amendment to the Act, which was approved by the Cabinet for simplification in the notification process, was introduced in Rajya Sabha in February 2014. “That would help simplify the process, so that standard-setting is faster,” he added. D K Samantaray, FSSAI’s then chief executive officer, conducted the proceedings.
Item I: Disclosure of interest by members
All the members present during the meeting signed the Specific Declaration of Interest in respect of the agenda items to be considered in the meeting, before the proceedings of the meeting.
Item II: Confirmation of the minutes of the meeting held on January 31, 2014
FSSAI confirmed the minutes of its 13th meeting, held on January 31, 2014, While adopting the meeting, Vinod Kotwal, director, Codex, FSSAI, informed that the papers related to areca nut, submitted by two members of the authority, have been forwarded for considered to the concerned director.
With regard to the agenda item pertaining to the product approval process, it was informed that the issues raised by the joint secretary, ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI), were replied to by FSSAI in a letter dated May 2014.
Regarding agenda item number 12 of the 13th Authority meeting, it was informed Agmark was denotifying their standards, and the Bureau of Indian Standards was in the process of adopting them. Thereafter, the issue would be taken up.
Further, it was informed that the comments regarding degumming would be referred to the concerned expert group for oils and fats.
Item III: Action taken report - 13th authority meeting
As decided and recorded in the minutes of FSSAI’s 13th authority meeting, the action taken report on the agenda items of the meeting was enclosed as information to the authority’s members. The action taken reports of the previous meetings were also circulated.
Item IV: Chief executive officer’s report
Samantaray briefed those present about the activities undertaken by FSSAI after the last authority meeting with respect to:
Enforcement activities, including the number of Central licences and state registration/licences issued by the states;
Surveillance activities;
Training and capacity-building;
Information, education and communication (IEC) activities;
Scientific committees’/scientific panels’ meetings and the progress in the work of standard setting;
Harmonisation of standards with Codex, and
Codex activities and financeIt was informed that around 30 meetings of the scientific panels, expert groups and scientific committees have been held since the last authority meeting. FSSAI’s chief executive officer thanked the chairs and the members of the committees, panels and expert groups.
The details of participation in various Codex Committee meetings was given, and it was also informed that the first meeting of the Codex Committee meeting on spices and culinary herbs was held in Kochi in February 2014.
Samantaray also drew the attention of all the members towards important cases going on in the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court.
In the case of Virender Kumar Yadav versus the Union of India, which is pending before Lucknow High Court and is on the appointment of whole-time designated officers in Uttar Pradesh, FSSAI has initiated the process to amend Rule 2.1.2 (b) of the Food Safety and Standards Regulations (FSSR), 2011, wherein it has been proposed that the period for appointment of designated officers has been amended from one year to five years.
Further, as per the High Court order dated April 25, 2013, FSSAI appointed Lucknow’s State Institute of Rural Development (SIRD) as the training institute under the provisions of Rule 2.1.3 of FSSR, 2011.
A communication is being addressed to the governments of all the states and Union Territories for the appointment of full-time designated officers.
The expenditure finance committee (EFC) meetings were held on January 3, 2014 and March 24, 2014 to discuss the Central sector and centrally-sponsored schemes.
Agenda items
Approval for revised standards for salted fish or dried salted fish
Approval of revised list of fish species having potential to cause histamine fish poisoning
Approval for revision of limits oof histamine level for fish and fishery products
Approval for revised pharmacologically active substances prohibited for fish and fishery products
Approval for revised heavy metals in fish and fishery products
Approval for limits of biotoxins in fish and fishery products
Approval for limits of contaminants: Polychlorinated biphenyls and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds in fish and fishery products
Approval of microbiological standards for milk and milk products
Approval of microbial standards for fruit and vegetable products
Approval of microbial standards for meat and meat products
Approval for standards for water used into food during its manufacture, preparation or treatment (water as an ingredient in food)
Approval for standards of lactic acid - food grade
Approval for standards of malt extract
Approval for adoption of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)/Department of Biotechnology (DBT) guidelines for probiotics
Adoption of ICMR guidelines for the safety assessment of foods derived from genetically-engineered plantsDraft amendment to Food Safety and Standards (Contaminants, Toxins and Residues) Regulations, 2011 with respect to the fixation of maximum residue limits of 24 pesticides recommended by the scientific panel on pesticides and antibiotic residues of FSSAI and approved by the scientific committee in its eleventh meeting, held on March 25, 2014.
Final approval of the following draft notifications - (a) Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Second Amendment Regulations, 2013 (No 1-83/Sci Pan - Noti/FSSAI-2012 dated May 16, 2013) and (b) Food Safety and Standards (Packaging and Labelling) Second Amendment Regulations, 2013 dated September 10, 2013 (No 1-83/Sci Pan - Noti/FSSAI-2012 dated May 16, 2013)
Ingredients approved in the meetings of the scientific panel on functional foods, nutraceuticals and dietetic products and other similar products and the scientific committee
Draft regulation on gluten-free and low gluten-food products
Status note on harmonisation of India’s food standards with Codex standards and other international best practices
Manuals on adjudicating officer, designated officer and food safety officer
Harmonisation of horizontal standards for microbiological contamination (mycotoxins) in food
Harmonisation of horizontal standards for microbiological contamination (mycotoxins) in food
Harmonisation of horizontal standards for microbiological contamination (mycotoxins) in food
Harmonisation of horizontal standards for microbiological contamination (mycotoxins) in food
Harmonisation of horizontal standards for heavy metals for all food product categories
Harmonisation of horizontal standards for naturally-occurring toxins (NOT) for all food product categories
Agenda arises from authority meeting held on January 31, 2014Supplementary agendas
Use of lecithin and sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate in biscuits
Use of synthetic colour in thermally-processed bell pepper, okra and spinach
Approval of sodium alginate as a food additive in ice cream
Finalisation and adoption of draft FSSAI manuals on method of analysis of foodBesides Chandramouli and Samantaray, the following members of the authority participated in it:
Dr Arun Kumar Panda, joint secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
Utpal Kumar Singh, joint secretary, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC)
Anuradha Prasad, joint secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries
Dr Lalitha Ramakrishna Gowda, chief scientist, Department of Protein Chemistry and Technology, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Mysore, Karnataka
Salim A Veljee, commissioner, food safety, Goa, and director, Food and Drug Administration, Goa
K S Rana, designated officer, Food Safety Cell, Chandigarh
Dr A R Sharma, chairman and managing director, Ricelaa Health Foods Ltd, Sangrur, Punjab
Vasudev K Thakkar, president, V Care Right and Duty non-government organisation, Vadodara
Shreya Pandey, All India Food Processors’ Association
Meetu Kapur, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Thanglura, Mizoram Consumers’ Union, Aizawl
Abukalam, Madina Munavara Coffee Estate, Chikmagalur, KarnatakaBesides Chakraborty and Kotwal (who is also FSSAI’s establishment and IEC director and financial advisor), it was attended by the following FSSAI officers:
Sanjay Dave, advisor
Sandhya Kabra, director, quality assurance, product approval and imports
Dr Meenakshi Singh, scientist, standards
Dr Bimal Kumar Dubey, director, enforcement and surveillance
Rakesh Kulshreshtha, joint director, management
Anil Mehta, designated officer, northern region
P K Karthikeyan, assistant director, regulation
Sanjay Gupta, assistant director, enforcement
B G Pandian, assistant director, imports
Dr Rajesh Kumar, scientist IV (1)

Antibiotics in the chicken we eat

APTHE THREAT: The antibiotics used in poultry are the same as the ones used for humans and will lead to resistant strains of bacteria.

It is imperative that the government takes urgent steps to deal with the growing misuse of antibiotics in the poultry industry

The road from Hyderabad to Bangalore is full of history. On the way is Banganapalli in Rayalaseema, a place with legendary history. Until the late 1700s it was a major area for diamonds. Quarried from there, diamonds were brought over to the Nizam’s Hyderabad, where thousands of merchants marketed it across the world. Strip-mined to the last carat by the late 1800s, we lost out to South Africa and South America both in production and sales of this king of gems.

Banganapalli has also been known for another king, mango — the king of fruits. Even today the Banganapalli mangoes (also called Benishan or spotless) give the much overrated Alphonso a run for the money. But alas, over the last decades, traders’ greed has led to a crisis. In their bid to ripen the fruit quickly and in the godown, they have resorted to using calcium carbide, which generates the fruit ripening gas ethylene, to do so. Result, the fruit is unevenly ripe and not as sweet as the tree-ripened ones. The residual carbide poses health hazards as well. The government appears to have finally woken up but has only issued warnings to the fruit sellers so far.

These days, as we drive from Hyderabad to Bangalore, what hits the eye is row after row of poultry farms. These are the chicken factories owned and operated not by the villager who may breed a few in his home, but by industrial hatcheries. These and similar ones elsewhere across the country have led to a “chicken and egg” revolution in India, somewhat similar to the green and white revolutions. The midday meal scheme in Tamil Nadu has introduced eggs as an occasional part of the meal for school children, with the admirable idea of better nutrition.

But there is a danger here. Just as with chemicals in the mango, or oxytocin in milk (a hormone that supposedly increases milk output in cows and buffalos), we now have a health hazard looming large in commercially produced chicken. The hazard here is the use of antibiotics in the feed given to the chicken for faster growth and to prevent any infection during hatching. Famous hatcheries such as Venky’s, Vetline India and Skylark Hatcheries regularly use antibiotics in order to reduce feed conversion ratios.

The environmental science journal Down to Earth, in its 1-15 August, 2014 issue, has highlighted the problem by analysing the antibiotic content in the chicken meat obtained from various markets in its labs, and the results are alarming. Typical antibiotics found in the chicken liver, muscles and kidney are the tetracyclines (such as doxycycline), fluoroquinolones (such as enrofloxacin) and aminoglycosides (such as neomycin).

Why are these dangerous? Repeated and prolonged exposure will lead to the emergence of resistant strains of bacteria. And these resistant strains will be passed on to the humans who consume them. Even the un-mutated bacteria in the meat can directly unleash an assault on the microbes in our guts. And note too that the antibiotics used in poultry are the same as the ones used for humans.

What about the inedible parts of the chicken that we throw away or bury in the ground? Resistant strains from the feather, bone and such are now transferred to soil, ground water, ponds and streams. In effect, as Down to Earth points out as a microbe becomes resistant, it influences other microbes present in the gut of the chicken and then those in the environment, making them resistant to a wide range of antibiotics.

It is thus imperative that government takes urgent steps to deal with this growing misuse of antibiotics in the poultry industry. Dr Chandra Bhushan of Down to Earth has come up with a set of recommendations. Some of these are: (i) Ban the use of antibiotics for growth promotion, (2) Do not allow the use of antibiotics in feed and improve the regulations of the Bureau of Industrial security (BIS) accordingly, (3) Do not allow the use of antibiotics critical for humans in animals, (4) Train veterinarians on the judicious use of antibiotics, (5) Set pollution standards and install pollution control systems to limit transfer of resistant bacteria and antibiotics from poultry farms to the environments, (6) Encourage development, production and use of alternative antibiotic-free growth promoters such as herbal supplements and better farm management practices, and (7) Develop an integrated surveillance system to monitor antibiotic-resistant trends in humans, animals and the food chain.

In all this, time is of the essence. Why? Microbes grow fast. Their generation time is in minutes and hours. The chances of mutation, and the time involved in generating newer strains are thus far, far lesser than in animals. In fighting microbes with newer and newer antibiotics, we are fighting a hard-to-win battle, rather reminiscent of the myth of the Corinthian king Sisiphus. His punishment for his deceitfulness was to roll a boulder uphill, only to watch it roll back down, and repeat it. Shall we therefore be wiser, since win we must?

D. BALASUBRAMANIAN

Stringent label rules choke city's sushi-to-Swiss chocolate supplies

Pune: 

Italian restaurant Dario's in the city has run out of ricotta salata, pecorino and goat cheese from France, and is having to adapt and substitute them in the cooking to keep patrons happy .

Like Dario's, several other fine-dining restaurants and their patrons are experiencing adearth of imported food products and upmarket food stores have almost no stocks of Swiss chocolates, cookies, canned fish, sushi ingredients, wasabi or Thai curry paste.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules on product labeling has led to a shortage of imported food products from canned fish to condiments, sauces, vinegars, cheese, honey, pastas, and many other products.

Sources from the Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), a national body of food product importers, said the shortage across the country is over 50%, with close to 450 imported food products out-ofstock in Pune alone.

Over 4,000 containers are stuck at ports following the restrictions on labeling and may not arrive in time for the festive season (Diwali and Christmas). By this time, items like chocolates and biscuits used for gifting will be out of stock completely .

The forum has 127 corporate members, 45 associate members and 11,265 retailers.Amit Lohani, FIFI's national convenor, said, “The containers are stuck at Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata ports because of labeling deficiencies or because the imported food product labels do not match FSSAI rules. For instance, the green or red dot on labels to declare whether the item is vegetarian or non-vegetarian is not mandatory in other countries, but food products in India must have it.“ In addition, India has not updated its food standard procedures. “Officials do not have any standards to test an imported product. Food safety officials do not know what wasabi sauce is, and therefore do not accept the product. They also insist on labels in English, and do not allow stickers on labels either. But changing the entire label on the product is difficult for manufacturers for just one destination,“ said Lohani.

Industry sources said dairy products, sea food, meats, sauces, chocolates, fresh fruits, biscuits, olives, canola oil, canned fish, glutenfree products, apple cider vinegar and other products are out of stock or in short supply.

City-based restaurants cater to Italian, Chinese, southeast Asian, middle-eastern cuisines and are currently providing patrons with the nextbest substitutes to the missing ingredients.

The shortage has affected the clientele. A high-end res taurant in the city , specializing in sushi, said it has been out of tuna (from Norway) for days.

“Clients are not happy, but we are helpless,“ said a chef.

“Italian cuisine needs va riety, which under the circum stances, is tough to get. Each cheese has a typical flavour and substitution isn't a long term option. Ultimately , it af fects us as customers want their preferred flavours,“ said Rebecca Dezio, company di rector of Dario's.

The owner of another Ital ian restaurant in the city said they are dealing with a short age of meat, cheese, imported alcohol and sauces. “Quite a few dishes are off the menu be cause we do not have the ingre dients. We have had to compro mise on recipes too,“ she said. Praful Chandawarkar, owner of Malaka Spice, said they have been stocking up on the imported sauces. “Ready made sauces such as soy and fish sauce are scarce, so we pick them up in bulk when they come. Otherwise, there is no hope,“ he said.

Puru Gupta, chief execu tive officer and co-founder of healthyworld.in, a wellness so lution company , said, “A signif icant proportion of our portfo lio comprises imported health brands. But clearance from the Customs and the FSSAI for these health products faces a bottleneck. We have travelled to and shortlisted health prod ucts from ASEAN countries, but clearances at the port are an intimidating part for any brand to enter India.“

Label rules choke Pune’s sushi-to-Swiss chocolate supplies

PUNE: Italian restaurant Dario's in the city has run out of ricotta salata, pecorino and goat cheese from France, and is having to adapt and substitute them in the cooking to keep patrons happy. 

Like Dario's, several other fine-dine restaurants and their patrons are experiencing a dearth of imported food products. Upmarket food stores have almost no stocks of Swiss chocolates, cookies, canned fish, sushi ingredients, wasabi sauce or Thai curry paste. 

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) rules on product labeling has led to a shortage of imported food products from canned fish to condiments, sauces, vinegars, cheese, honey, pastas, and many other products. 

Sources from the Forum of Indian Food Importers (FIFI), a national body of food product importers, said the shortage across the country is over 50%, with close to 450 imported food products out-of-stock in Pune alone. 

Over 4,000 containers are stuck at ports following the restrictions on labeling and may not arrive in time for the festive season (Diwali and Christmas). By this time, items like chocolates and biscuits used for gifting will be out of stock completely. 

The forum has 127 corporate members, 45 associate members and 11,265 retailers. Amit Lohani, FIFI's national convenor, said, "The containers are stuck at the Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata ports because of labeling deficiencies or because the imported food product labels do not match FSSAI rules. For instance, the green or red dot on labels to declare whether the item is vegetarian or non-vegetarian is not mandatory in other countries, but food products in India must have it." 

In addition, India has not updated its food standard procedures. "Officials do not have any standards to test an imported product. Food safety officials do not know what wasabi sauce is, and therefore do not accept the product. They also insist on labels in English, and do not allow stickers on labels either. But changing the entire label on the product is difficult for manufacturers for just one destination," said Lohani. 

Industry sources said dairy products, sea food, meats, sauces, chocolates, fresh fruits, biscuits, olives, canola oil, canned fish, gluten-free products, apple cider vinegar and other products are out of stock or in short supply. 

City-based restaurants cater to Italian, Chinese, south-east Asian, middle-eastern cuisines and are currently providing patrons with the next-best substitutes to the missing ingredients. 

The shortage has affected the clientele. A high-end restaurant in the city, specializing in sushi, said it has been out of tuna (from Norway) for days. "Clients are not happy, but we are helpless," said a chef. 

"Italian cuisine needs variety, which under the circumstances, is tough to get. Each cheese has a typical flavour and substitution isn't a long-term option. Ultimately, it affects us as customers want their preferred flavours," said Rebecca Dezio, company director of Dario's. 

The owner of another Italian restaurant in the city said they are dealing with a shortage of meat, cheese, imported alcohol and sauces. "Quite a few dishes are off the menu because we do not have the ingredients. We have had to compromise on recipes too," she said. 

Praful Chandawarkar, owner of Malaka Spice, said they have been stocking up on the imported sauces. "Ready-made sauces such as soy and fish sauce are scarce, so we pick them up in bulk when they come. Otherwise, there is no hope," he said. 

Puru Gupta, chief executive officer and co-founder of healthyworld.in, a wellness solution company, said, "A significant proportion of our portfolio comprises imported health brands. But clearance from the Customs and the FSSAI for these health products faces a bottleneck. We have travelled to and shortlisted health products from ASEAN countries, but clearances at the port are an intimidating part for any brand to enter India." 

Going by the rules 

* Products must have a customized label just for India 

* All labels should bear the MRP, but this cannot be done separately for products coming to India 

* Labels must have the information in English, mention the manufacturer's name and ingredients

* Nutraceuticals and food products that do not meet India's standards cannot enter 

Out of stock 

Pasta sauces 

Gourmet sauces 

Quinoa flour 

Peanut butter 

Sushi ingredients 

Canned fish 

Sushi rice 

Thai curry paste

Regulatory Excess in Food Standards

Scant respect for the essential goal of regulation

Large consignments of premium whisky , wine, chocolates and other gourmet foods are stuck at ports, thanks to the efforts of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which says these do not conform to its labelling requirements. It is ridiculous that the food regulator insists that Indian consumers cannot feel secure till they know the precise ingredients of Johnnie Walker whisky , Château Latour wine and Lindt chocolate, never mind what goes into the making of mass-consumed varieties of local food and drink. Several sections of the food business have got together to challenge the appointment of the head of the FSSAI while the FSSAI threatens serious loss of revenue to the industry in the forthcoming festival season, with its obduracy and arbitrariness.

The most striking proof of the regulator's arbitrariness is its objection to use of the trade name canola for imports of this edible oil. It wants the trade to label imported canola packs `rape seed oil -low erucic acid', whi le the trade wants to call it canola oil, just as domestic bottlers of the oil imported in bulk do. The regulator's justification for its stance is that the Food and Agricultural Organisation's standards-setting Codex Alimentarius calls the oil by this name while listing canola as a synonym. The tra de points out that the same Codex has arachis oil as the main entry for groundnut oil but the regulator is happy to live with groundnut oil.

Clear and detailed labelling is desirable. But the trade needs to be given time to phase it in. Globally respected brands will not corrode the innards of Indians if they continue to come into the country bearing descriptions that satisfy, say, the US and the EU, till new labelling arrangements are complete. The larger point is about regulatory philosophy . The purpose of regulation is enlightened, sustainable growth of the sector. In food, this goal has given way to arbitrary assertion of the civil servant's power to cause damage. This is not acceptable. Both sides must abandon their mutual hostility between the regulator and the regulated, and work together.

Now, retrain your brain to crave healthy food

6-Month Diet Helps To Reverse Junk Food Addiction

Do you worry you're stuck craving chips even when you know you should be eating healthily? Fear not: new research has shown that it's possible to `retrain' the brain to be addicted to lowcalorie fare instead of junk food.

“We don't start out in life loving French fries and hating, for example, whole wheat pasta,“ said Susan BRoberts, co-corresponding author of the study published on Monday in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes.

“This conditioning happens over time in response to eating -repeatedly! -what is out there in the toxic food environment.“

The study put a group of obese volunteers through a six-month weight loss programme while gauging reactions to different foods, scanning the areas of the brain associated with learning and addiction using magnetic resonance imaging The researchers found that after a strict diet the participants' brains responded more actively to healthier food cues and showed a “decreased sensitivity to the unhealthy higher-calorie foods“.

“The weight loss program is specifically designed to change how people react to different foods, and our study shows those who participated in it had an increased desire for healthier foods along with a decreased preference for unhealthy foods, the combined effects of which are probably critical for sustainable weight control,” co-author Sai Krupa said in a press release.

“To the best of our knowledge this is the first demonstration of this important switch.” Details of the weight-loss regime are scarce but the researchers suggest that sev eral factors were key to `reversing' addiction including not only “highfiber, low glycemic“ foods but also “behaviour change education“. Coauthor Dr Thilo Deckersbach said: “Although other studies have shown surgical procedures can decrease how much people enjoy food generally , this is not very satisfactory as it takes away food enjoyment rather than making healthier foods more appealing.“

Unlicenced abattoirs in city stay put, Ambattur is top of the list with 90

The city is notorious for illegal slaughterhouses. Ambattur the list, with more illegal abattoirs than any other zone in Chennai, according to an actiontaken report on illegal meat shops, submitted to the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal.

According to the report, Ambattur zone is followed by Thiru-Vi-Ka-Nagar, Valasaravakkam, Sholinganallur and Adyar. Since March 2014, of 133 illegal shops closed, 51 were closed in Ambattur 25 in alsaravakkam and 15 in Adyar. Most applications for licences were from Sholinganallur, Valasaravakkam and Kodambakkam zones.

Meat shops in Ambattur, Alandur and Thiru-Vi-KaNagar received the largest number of licences. Prosecution was initiated against 37 shops in Thiru-Vi-Ka-Nagar and 11 each in Ambattur and Anna Nagar.

The deputy commissioner (health), who submitted the affidavit on behalf of the corporation commissioner, said: “Out of 421 unlicenced shops, we have closed 133 and issued licences to 179. Fifty shops have applied for licence and prosecution has started against 59 shops.“

Last year, People for Cattle in India (PFCI), a welfare organisation for animals, had moved the tribunal seeking a ban on illegal slaughterhouses in the city and suburbs.

In March 2014, the corporation's chief veterinary officer said there were 1,245 licensed and 421 unlicensed shops in the city and outskirts. Those without licences had been issued notices, he said.

When the matter came up for hearing last week, the civic body said it had “taken intensive public health measures to control illegal slaughter and sale of meat.“ It also “initiated constant surveillance“ through its 15 public health officers and 15 veterinary officials.

The PFCI counsel said 50 shops that had applied for licences, were carrying on business as usual. Also, according to a 1980 GO, meat shops and slaughterhouses across the state had to close on Mahaveer Jayanti, Vallalar day, Mahaveer Nirvan day and Thiruvallur Day .This is not being followed, he said.

A bench of judicial member M Chockalingam and expert member R Nagendran directed the civic body to “strictly comply with the GO“ and also ensure that meat shops are not open on October 5, Vallalar Day . “The tribunal fervently hopes to stop the functioning of unlicenced meat shops in the city,“ the bench said, posting the matter to November 11.

FSSAI appoints Sanjay Dave as Director (Enforcement)

In a major reshuffle of departmental work at the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the post of director (enforcement) has been handed over to Sanjay Dave. Dave is currently advisor to the apex food regulator, apart from being the chairman of Codex Alimentarius Commission, international food standards body, for two terms.

The decision was taken by the top brass of the FSSAI recently stated a report by Ashwani Maindola in FnB News.

The post of director (enforcement/surveillance) in recent times was held by Col. C R Dalal, who was an Army officer serving at FSSAI on deputation; and Vinod Kotwal, who after that went on to hold the position of director (Codex/FA/Estt) with the authority. The latest to hold that position was Bimal Kumar Dubey, from whom Dave would be taking over.

In another related move, Dr Sandhya Kabra, who is director (QA/PA), will not be looking after quality assurance (food imports) anymore. She will now be restricted to only product approval. With this change, rumours pertaining to Dr Kabra’s transfer have been laid to rest.

It is pertinent to mention here that in recent times, the issue regarding product approval of imported foods remained highly debatable and the Supreme Court, few days ago, stayed an order by the Bombay High Court, which had quashed issuing of advisories by FSSAI.

DINAMALAR NEWS

Two bakeries in Madhya Pradesh slapped FDA notices for using saccharin

Two bakeries in Chandan Nagar, Madhya Pradesh - Savera Bakery and New Bharat Bakery - were slapped notices by the state Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for selling bakery products containing chemicals that are unsafe for human consumption and could trigger cancer.

Manish Swami, Chandan Nagar’s food safety officer (FSO), informed, “We recently collected samples of bakery products from the production units of the two bakeries in Chandan Nagar and found that the products contained saccharin and were unsafe for human consumption.” 

“Saccharin is an artificial sweetner that blocks mental development, triggers stomach and liver disorders and is carcinogenic,” he added. He stated that officials from the department took action after receiving complaints from several consumers.

Swami said, “Samples of toasts were collected from the two bakeries last June, and sent them for testing to the laboratory in Bhopal, whose report revealed the use of saccharine as a sweetener and observed that it is not safe for human consumption.”

“After receiving the report from the laboratory, we issued the notice under Section 46 (4) of the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and asked both the establishments to get the samples retested at the Central Food Laboratory in Mysore,” he added. 

“If they fail to submit a detailed report within 30 days after the notice is issued, necessary action would be taken against them. We would be taking steps to prosecute them if they fail to furnish the requisite details in the given time,” stated Swami.

Speaking to FnB News about the comsumption of the toasts produced from bakeries informed, he said, “ The products produced in these two bakeries were largely sold at retail stores and also consumed at tea stalls in the cities.” 

“Both the establishments have an average production of 100kg, which are sold by retail outlets in Indore and nearby cities. We have issued notices. Once the notice period lapses, we would lodge prosecutions and shut their operations.”

Devendra Kumar Verma, senior food safety officer, Madhya Pradesh, said, “ Saccharin, if used in large quantities, is dangerous to health. It must be used in small quantities. It should not be used like food.” 

“The toasts made at the two bakeries against which our officials have taken action aganist and sent notices to contained large quantities of saccharin in their toasts,” he added

When quizzed about the maximum imprisonment for selling unsafe products, he said, “There is a fine that can extend upto Rs 5 lakh, along with a maximum prison term of three years for producing and selling unsafe products.”

In big food importers’ row with FSSAI, small businesses suffering most

THE deadlock over failure to obtain product approvals for imported foods by importers from authorities concerned, leading to holding up of several consignments at various ports and airports across the country, seems to have affected small-time F&B importers the most.

In fact, many of these small businesses have suffered such losses that they are on the verge of downing their shutters.

Best before date

For most of them, apart from stuck investment, the key issue is that F&B items being perishable they are of no use after the best before date. Mitesh Trivedi, who is based in Anand, Gujarat, and is managing director, Rands Multibiz Pvt Ltd, is facing a similar situation. Last September, he started importing Jaguar, an energy drink, from the United Kingdom. 

Stuck at Mumbai port

Since then, his consignment, worth Rs 6.5 lakh, is stuck at the Mumbai Port. Trivedi explains, “My product is still stuck at the Mumbai Port, and the reason they cite for it is product approval. FSSAI does not approve of the product I have imported from the United Kingdom.”

He adds, “One can of Jaguar costs me Rs 95. I placed an order worth Rs 6,50,000, and spent Rs 3,50,000 for transportation and other purposes. A consignment of the energy drink worth Rs 6,50,000 is stuck at the port.” Trivedi rues, “It would continue to be stuck unless the Supreme Court lifts the stay order on product approvals.

Expiry in Feb 2015 

The product is slated to expire in February 2015. In the fight between the regulator and bigger importers, I stand to lose Rs 10 lakh.” He concludes, “Running the business in these circumstances has become very difficult. Many small importers, including myself, have given up and wound up their businesses.”

Review is on

Meanwhile, a source at FSSAI, on the condition of anonymity, states, “The ministries of health and food processing industries are currently in the process of reviewing the role of the apex food regulator regarding the long delays in product approvals. It would take them some time to review it.”

He points out, “Earlier, Mumbai High Court quashed the FSSAI advisories, terming them unlawful. But later, FSSAI moved the SC, and obtained a stay order until October 2014.”

21 food outlets on AMC’s raid list

AHMEDABAD: AMC continued major raids on eateries in the city for the second day on Friday. The raids are among the few coordinated raids that the AMC has carried out on eateries in the recent past.

On Friday, the AMC’s health team raided Gurukripa lodge in Jamalpur and Ambika parotha house in Khadia and recovered raw material from the kitchens of these food outlets. Health authorities have warned that they would visit places in north and west zone on Saturday. The team has a list of 21 eating joints.

Meanwhile, AMC sealed 10 eating joints in the city as part of a food quality drive. Some prominent places included Fork and Knife and Hotel Palace, according to a release.

“We will continue similar health raids in the west, south and east zones. One of the reasons is that we are receiving cases at our urban health centres where patients have been complaining of stomach-related infections,” says a senior AMC health official.

Food Safety Guidelines For Foods With Gravy & Fried Food Products

Food with Garnishing

High Risk cooked and prepared foods need special handling to prevent the growth of microbiological contaminants. Food BusinessOperators have to maintain the right temperature for storing or heating. They have to also ensure that food is consumed within the specific time as mentioned in the FSSAI guidelines. Bacteria multiply very fast in food that is moist and which has the right acidity level for growth. To prevent the growth of bacteria all small and big food business establishments must remember the special precautions needed for foods with gravy. Special precautions have to be taken for high risk foods prepared in large quantities or prepared in advance such as for meetings, large social events, outdoor events or weddings.

Do not store food with gravy at room temperature for more than two hours during display or sale. Bacteria can easily double their numbers every 10 to 20 minutes.

Foods with gravy that need to be stored for longer periods should either be kept in

a) Refrigerators at 5°C or lower

b) Hot Holding at 60°C or higher

The hot holding equipment such as a slow cooker, Bain-marie or hot holding cart should not be used for cooking or reheating

Food products with gravy have to be reheated up to 70°C

No water should be added to gravy food after it has been cooked, reheated or boiled

Sometimes food needs to be garnished and so there is post cooked mixing but remember that ingredients and garnishing that are added to cooked food must be thoroughly washed and cleaned to prevent any cross contamination from handlers, water or kitchen surfaces.

Use only potable water for washing and clean thoroughly

Add ingredients only once food is ready to be served and serve food immediately if garnishing has been added to cooked food.

Prepare garnishing only from fresh, thoroughly washed and freshly cut vegetables 

Special requirements for fried foods 

FSSAI has set special guidelines for fried foods as oil that is not of the proper grade can degrade very fast. Using degraded quality of oil is a serious food safety hazard, so only good grade oil should be used and the oil sold in open form is strictly prohibited under the regulations. The repeated use of edible oil for frying can cause health problems as the concentration of toxic chemicals become worse. Food business establishments must remember

To use proper quality branded oils/fats for food preparation as well as for frying

Use only packaged oil

Avoid the use of oils with high trans fats

Avoid preheating and re-use of oil for food preparations especially in foods with gravy

Avoid having left over oil as far as possible

Use separate deep fryer utensils for potatoes and those for meats, chicken and fish

Re-use of cooking oil should be avoided and in case of reuse of cooking oil then it should not be used more than three times to avoid formation of trans fats.

What Is Food Adulteration?

Food Colors

Food adulteration is the process in which the quality of food is lowered either by the addition of inferior quality material or by extraction of valuable ingredient. It not only includes the intentional addition or substitution of the substances but biological and chemical contamination during the period of growth, storage, processing, transport and distribution of the food products, is also responsible for the lowering or degradation of the quality of food products. Adulterants are those substances which are used for making the food products unsafe for human consumption.

Under the previous food laws any food product with lowered or degraded quality used to be defined as Adulterated Food but under the new laws (FSS Act, 2006), the word adulterated food has been termed as Substandard Food, Unsafe Food or Food containing the extraneous matter.

Food products are said to be adulterated if their quality is adversely affected by adding of any substance which is injurious to health or by abstracting a nutritious substance.

A food item is said to be adulterated if:

A substance which is added is injurious for human consumption.

An inferior substance substitutes wholly or partly.

A valuable ingredient has been abstracted from the food product, wholly or in part.

Various types of adulterants found in the food products are as follows:

Intentional adulterants; like coloring agents, starch, Pepperoil, injectable dyes and others.

Incidental adulterants; like pesticide residues, larvae in foods, droppings of rodents.

Metallic contaminants; like lead, arsenic, effluent from chemical industries etc.

According to the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, if any person imports or manufactures for sale, or stores or distribute any adulterant, by himself or by any other person on his behalf, shall be liable

For a penalty up to Rupees two lakhs, if the adulterant is not injurious to health.

For a penalty up to Rupees ten lakhs, if the adulterant is injurious to health.

Further it is provided that, in a proceeding under the provisions of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, it is not a defense that the accused was in possession of an adulterant on behalf of any other person.

Food Safety Guidelines for Water Based Chutneys and Sauces

Water Based Chutneys and Sauces

Water based chutneys and sauces served at the food establishments need to be processed and handled hygienically according to the food safety standards to ensure – they are safe for the consumers. Chutneys and Sauces are High Risk Foods as these are made of raw foods like fruits or vegetables like tomatoes, green onions and peppers; they can easily become contaminated with harmful bacteria.

Fresh chutney and sauce ingredients like green chilli, coriander, mint or raw mangoes must be thoroughly washed and cleaned. Personal hygiene and cleanliness of knives, chopping boards and grinders is very important as these chutneys are not cooked. Once prepared, they must be refrigerated if they are not being consumed immediately.

Water activity and pH level in chutneys and sauces 

Chutneys and sauces that are made for longer use must be processed properly even though they are naturally ‘preserved’ by acidity levels of these foods. Fruits have natural acids but to lower the pH level (acidity level) to about 4.6, vinegar or other acids are used. Low pH levels prevent the growth of bacteria, moulds and yeasts and other contaminants. Water activity is the water that is found in food which can cause bacterial growth. Chutneys and sauces that have water activity of less than 0.85 (vapor pressure is 85% of the pure water) are considered safe regardless of the acidity factor as there will be hardly any water to allow the growth of microorganisms. Proper heating also preserves chutneys and sauces and keeps them safe for longer shelf life.

Food Business Operators must follow these FSSAI guidelines to provide consumers with the safe water based sauces and chutneys:

Wash all fruits and vegetables properly before processing

Use only clean and disinfected chopping boards, grinding stones or mixing machines

Ensure personal hygiene of food handlers

Use only safe and potable water in the chutneys

Use only permitted food additives when required and they should be added in the recommended quantities only

Discard spoiled products that show signs of spoilage like change in colour, texture or odour

Store sauces and chutneys in fully intact glass or food grade plastic containers with proper lids

Refrigerate chutneys and sauces when they are not being used

Consume immediately those chutneys that are perishable or are not cooked

Moisture and oxygen are two factors that encourage the growth of bacteria and hence they must be reduced to minimum levels possible in sauces and chutneys that are being stored.

Cook the sauces and chutneys to reduce water concentration so water is not available for the growth of microorganisms

Use either water canning process or pressure canning to reduce the chances ofcontamination

Seal the glass and plastic storage jars properly so that minimal oxygen is left in the jar.

Eating out still not very safe

This despite several stringent measures by authorities

Standards of hygiene continue to be flouted in the district by hotels and wayside eateries despite the stringent measures taken by the Health Department and the Food Safety authorities.

A recent search conducted by the Health Department in various food supply outlets has exposed the use of contaminated water for cooking purposes and unclean environment where most part of the cooking activities take place.

The practice in the sector has come to light following a State-level directive under the ‘Safe Kerala’ project to prevent the spread of communicable diseases during the monsoon season. Within days of the formal launch of the checking, 36 shops have been served closure notice.Regional squads

The inspection is currently under-way in the district under the headship of regional squads.

Officials of the Health Department say that they have served warning notices to over 90 hotels to immediately upgrade the facilities and improve hygiene. Closure notices will be issued to these firms if the directives are not properly implemented.

In addition to this, checking is in progress in all the soft-drink supply units, juice parlours, catering units and ice plants.

According to official sources, 40 cool bars have already been issued notices to improve the facilities.

Also, two of the ice factories have been found flouting the safety norms in production.

Interestingly, the catering units have also been found violating many of the safety conditions. Officials say 23 catering units have been served notices so far.

Health Department officials say the checking drive will be conducted simultaneously in all parts of the district. “We have formed 64 special squads for the purpose and they will coordinate the searches under Additional District Medical Officer A. Sabu and Reproductive and Child Health Officer Asha Devi,” they add.

As a counter to the official measures, some of the soft-drink traders have come up against the action of the department. “People in this trade are small-scale merchants and they will not be able to provide five-star facilities to the clients in a village setting,” they claim.

Civic body shuts down food stalls near Ganesh pandals

PUNE: Two squads, formed to act against food stalls operating on roads near Ganesh pandals, shut down some of them in the central areas on Saturday. The action is expected to continue.

"Food stalls around pandals can cause accidents as the owners use gas cylinders which can be a fire hazard. We decided to take action against all such food stalls for better safety," said Madhav Jagtap, head of Pune Municipal Corporation's anti-encroachment department, while speaking to reporters.

However, in the long run, roadside food stalls may be a thing of the past. The apex hawkers' committee has decided to ban street food stalls. Only those food stalls, which are part of a designated food court, will be allowed to run. The civic administration plans to initiate action against illegal food stalls after Ganeshotsav.

As per the September 13, 2013 Supreme Court order and directives of the state government's urban development department on October 21, 2013, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will allow all vendors to do business. The civic administration has started a biometrics survey to identify traders eligible for hawker cards.

A meeting of the apex hawkers committee was held in PMC. This committee, which includes hawkers unions, NGOs, PMC officials took the decision to control the roadside food stalls.

"As per the provisions, there are limitations to run street-food businesses. Cooking of food will not be allowed. Only those, who have clearance from the food department and other permissions will be allowed to do business on designated places," said a senior civic official.

The civic administration has finalized the parameters for the food courts. The areas near bus stops, bus stations or railway stations will have food courts. Even the popular food joints will be converted into food courts. He said that the civic administration will take action against all the illegally-run food stall businesses after the Ganeshotsav.

Civic officials said that they have been following the Supreme Court orders while removing encroachments. No-hawking zones had been declared on 45 roads and 153 junctions. All food vendors on these spots will be removed.

BOX

Directives for vendors

No cooking on the road

Food businesses can operate only from the designated food courts

Food courts are likely to come up near bus stops and stations

Business allowed only during specified hours

New scheme to modernize meat outlets in Rajasthan

JAIPUR: In a bid to improve the overall hygiene in meat shops, the state government has initiated a scheme to modernize meat shops. The project is part of a national mission on food processing where meat shop owners will be provided with financial assistance for better storage and cleaning facilities. 

The scheme aims at enhancing sanitation in the shops by providing basic infrastructure and equipment. It is also in tune with the attempts to ensure compliances of food safety rules and regulations as per FSS Act, 2006 and to address to public heath concerns as a whole. 

"Modernization of meat shops will also help protect and sustain the livelihoods of people involved. Transformation of meat shops will improve the competitiveness in supply of wholesome meat and development of new retail chains," said an official of the industry department, a nodal agency for the implementation. 

Under the scheme, the government will provide grant-in-aid or subsidy to eligible meat shops at 50% of the cost of machinery, technical and civil works to a maximum amount of Rs 5 lakh. All organizations under government, cooperatives, private sector, individuals, and self-help groups engaged in the operations of meat shops would be eligible for financial assistance under the scheme. 

Meanwhile, the scheme may prove to be beneficial for the state to tap opportunities in agriculture and allied economy. Rajasthan has the highest goat and sheep population in the country and is among the leading states in buffalo population. The increase in population of animals opens the door for a parallel industry - animal meat and milk. 

However, due to lack of proper slaughter houses, storage facilities and hygienic meat shops, it has been sent to other states. Experts believe the state has a lot of potential for generating revenue from agriculture and allied products and proper attention should be given to this sector. 

"Today people are shifting from food security to food safety. The significant rise in per capita income has led to change in the food basket of households. People in rural India consume equal amounts of cereals and animal proteins. In this scenario, Rajasthan has a huge advantage as we are the leading producer of animal protein like milk and meat," said A K Gahlot, V-C of the Rajasthan University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences. 

Eateries in Ktm Take Gourmets for a Ride

KOTTAYAM: Restaurants in the district continue with their unethical practices with minimal action being taken against eateries found violating the health codes in a series of raids conducted by the Health Department and the district administration.

In the absence of stringent regulations, the ones which were shut down and served notices reopened after a break of two to three weeks continue to function in the same manner.

Following the footsteps of the Food Safety Authority, several raids were conducted by the Health Department in the past two months as a part of the ‘Safe Kerala’ campaign to combat epidemics. Health squads of the department swung into action on the pretext of spread of food and water-borne diseases in the district, such as typhoid, diarrhoea and jaundice.

The raids revealed the flouting of rules in several places as they had unhygienic and unhealthy kitchen surroundings.Most of such establishments were shut down and the rest were given warnings.

On Friday alone, two hotels under the Kottayam municipality, one at Manimala and another at a borma at Pampady were shut down for serious health code violations.

As many as 164 eateries were also served notices. Raids were conducted in 866 food production centres by 65 teams on Friday alone.

However, the establishments have come back into action after two or three weeks after the raids as they are no provisions to shut them down permanently. According to a higher official in the Health Department, the shutdown establishments can be reopened after paying fine from the range of `500 to `5000.

The same thing happened with the KSRTC canteen in the city which was shut down by the authorities for more than once for flouting norms. The raids found that the canteen kitchen had stale food, unhealthy environment, lack of hygiene and even rats.

Now healthy ads sell junk food

Commercials mislead consumers by shifting the focus from poor nutrition to physical exercise

Illustration: SoritThe junk food industry is once again in the eye of a storm. This time not just for its unhealthy content but for trying to mislead the public through advertisements which link its food with physical exercise.

Sample this. A recent ad for Maggi Atta noodles featuring actress Madhuri Dixit shows children playing a video game sitting inside a house when they hear screams of “goal”. They rush out to see a fit and healthy mother playing with other children. She inspires them to start playing outside. Hungry after their activity, they want to eat something as interesting as a football game. What else but Maggi Atta noodles, the so-called “wheat version with nutrition of three rotis and vegetables”. Since the commercial was released in early June, Nestle has aggressively campaigned with it on the social media with the tagline “health is enjoyable”.

Yet another ad, of Nada Maida (a brand popular in South India), tries to portray that consuming maida (white flour) will make young children energetic. Linking junk food with health is not restricted to India. A youtube ad of Coca Cola, meant for the western audience, makes it seem a fun exercise to earn a can of coke. The ad, which received more than 200,000 hits in one-and-a-half months, asks participants to burn 140 calories to win a can of coke. Burning that much calories requires 23 minutes of physical exercise, the ad claims. It ends with the audience cheering for the people who “earn” their coke.

Hollow claims, empty calories

The industry’s linking of physical exercise with junk food can hardly be construed as a responsible response to criticism of selling unhealthy food for decades. The question being asked is whether these ads or foods even inspire a culture of physical exercise. Rahul Prakash, a XII standard student and a volunteer with Delhi non-profit Uday Foundation, says: “This (Atta Maggi) ad is like surrogacy. They are just trying to sell the pack in the name of health. Promoting physical exercise when children are addicted to in-house games is just a mask.”

The target audience in such advertisements is mothers of young children. Deepti Patil, mother of two, now gives Maggi Atta noodles to her children because she thinks it is healthier. “My children are fond of Maggi and eat it at least four times a week,” she says.

Nestle’s justification for calling the product healthy is that it matches international standards. “codex guidelines that are followed internationally require 3 gm dietary 
fibre per 100 gm as adequate threshhold. We state on the pack that Maggi Vegetable Atta Noodles contains 5.3 gm of dietary fibre 
per 100 gm (of the noodles) and the fssai-accredited laboratory has confirmed that the products tested by them contained more 
than the declared fibre value,” said Nestle in an email response to Down To Earth.

But while atta noodles might be healthier than white flour noodles, they are not a healthy diet. A 2012 study by Consumer Education Research Centre (cerc), a non-profit working on consumer rights, showed that atta noodles are among the highest 
sodium-containing instant noodles. “The devil lies in the tastemaker. Most of the salt content is in the seasoning. Flavour enhancers are unhealthy too,” says Pritee Shah, chief general manager of cerc in Ahmedabad.

The cerc study also found that fat in atta noodles was actually 17 per cent against 13.4 per cent claimed on the packet. “These people are shifting focus from healthy to something marginally better than the worst, like white flour products,” adds Shah.

Junk food has other harmful ingredients too. For instance, Maggi noodles are high in not just sodium, but carbohydrates and food additives as well, and low on essential elements like fibre, vitamins and minerals. Atta noodles, despite claims, are no exception.

“The commercials create the impression that fat and calories are the only problems with junk food and exercising can solve the issue. But junk food contains harmful contents,” says Ashim Sanyal, chief operating officer of 
consumer magazine voice.

In the US, the Coca Cola commercial has provoked outrage. Public health activists there called it a tactic to score brownie points in the name of promoting a healthy lifestyle. “A 12-ounce (350 ml) bottle of Coca Cola provides about 140 calories. Coca-Cola would like you to think that 140 calories is trivial to compensate for with physical activity. But those calories come with no nutritional value and should be thought of as candy in liquid form,” says Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University.

Linking health and nutrition with junk food has, however, become a necessity for the industry if it has to survive. In the US, sales in the soda industry are already on the decline in the last few years. They fell by 3 per cent in 2013, compared to a decline of 1.2 per cent the year before, according to Beverage Digest, a trade publication in the US.

“Companies like Nestle and Coca-Cola are desperate to distract attention away from their unhealthy products by pretending that exercise is the solution to a poor diet,” says Michele Simon, president of a US food 
industry watchdog Eat Drink Politics. “Science shows that exercise cannot counteract eating junk food. Such ads only serve to confuse the issue and make the junk food companies look good,” she adds.

Shocking test

Another category of products misleading consumers with claims of healthy food is digestive biscuits. voice conducted a test on four types of such biscuits—Anmol Tejus Digestive, Britannia NutriChoice, Horlicks Nutribic and McVitie’s Digestive. The products were tested for total fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt content against the standards set by Food Standards Agency of the UK.

All biscuits were found undesirable for saturated fat and sugar, three were neutral for total fat while one was undesirable. Only Horlicks fell in the category of desirable for salt, which means it had a salt content of less than 0.3 gm per 100 gm.

Need for stricter laws

In India, the Advertising Standards Council of India, a self-regulatory voluntary organisation of the advertising industry, receives maximum complaints under the personal and healthcare category. In June this year, 46 of 124 complaints fell in this category alone. In all, 84 of the complaints, including Nada Maida, were upheld by the council.

Currently there is no mechanism to prevent misleading advertisements in India. “The manufacturers have to only abide by the provisions made in Sections 24, 52, 53 of the Food Safety and Standards Act. The provisions are broad and generic, so advertisers/manufacturers are getting away with all types of false claims,” says Shah.

“We are demanding that if an ad is objectionable and makes misleading claims, then the celebrities endorsing it should also be held responsible,” she says. Activists also suggest that if a commercial is found misleading, then the company should be asked to run a corrected ad for as much time and space as it ran the previous one. “Right now, companies are only asked to withdraw the objectionable ad,” Shah adds.

The government is planning to amend the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, to 
establish a consumer protection authority. 
It will take action against misleading ads.

Junk nonetheless

While Nestle promotes its Atta Maggi with the tagline "health is enjoyable", the product cannot be called healthy

CLAIM

Nestle says an 80 gm packet of Maggi Atta noodles provides dietary fibre of three rotis

TRUTH

Nutritionists say three rotis contain roughly 9 gm of fibre. A CERC study found only 5.3 gm of fibre per 100 gm of Atta Maggi

CLAIM

The Maggi Atta ad boasts high vegetable content in the product

TRUTH

A packet contains one or two pods of green peas, two french beans and a small portion of carrot. This hardly makes it healthy, especially when it has high sodium content. The CERC study found Atta noodles contain 1,031 mg/100 gm of sodium, which was the highest among all the tested noodles

DINAMALAR ARTICLE

Canola oil importers challenge rapeseed oil - low erucic acid advisory

The canola oil import case has landed in court, with importers challenging the advisory by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for labelling it rapeseed oil - low erucic acid.

Dalmia Continental, one of the major importers of canola oil in the country, has challenged the advisory issued by the country’s apex food regulator in the Bombay High Court.

It referred to an earlier order by the same court in the Vital Nutraceuticals case, wherein it said advisories were not the way to do regulations. In April, the importers received a letter from FSSAI regarding the guidelines for labelling canola oil. 

Bombay High Court issued a notice to the regulator, asking them to reply and fixing the next hearing date (September 1). However, the latter’s counsel questioned the jurisdiction of the court, which replied that it would be considered at the next hearing. 

Meanwhile, the primary argument made by the petitioners in this case has already been challenged by FSSAI in the Supreme Court and won a stay on the order in the Vital Nutraceuticals case. 

According to the sources in FSSAI, the case related to the fresh challenge to the advisory regarding imported food (in this case canola oil) is being analysed, and the authority would give its reply during the next hearing. 

The industry stated that initially it was verbally communicated to canola importers by FSSAI that all units of canola oil should mention rapeseed oil - low erucic acid as a part of the ingredients list.

Many importers complied with this direction, and containers of canola oil were accordingly cleared. This letter – the first official communication issued by FSSAI - was received four months after the containers were first held up. 

After its issuance, Canola containers have been disallowed clearance again. The letter demanded further change in labelling, which, in their opinion, was unjustified and discriminatory.

The industry also stated that as per Codex standards for variously-named vegetable oils, the technical name of the oil were synonyms of the same. “If synonyms are allowed to be used for other oils, the same should be permitted in the case of canola oil as well,” it added. 

“The insistence on following the technical term for canola oil alone, when the same principle is not applied to any of the other vegetable oils being sold in India, is discriminatory, excessively severe and unjustified,” the industry pointed out.

But FSSAI pointed out that it was mandated to develop its own standards based on product approval and harmonise them with Codex. 

“The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, does not state that Codex standards are automatically applicable to India,” it added.

Also, since rotten and substandard imported foods are on the rise, consignments are being checked so widely. And therefore food import needs certain permissions. 

“FSSAI’s own standards based on the product approval were stopped for the last seven months due to litigation and things were stuck,” an official with the apex food regulator said.

“Now with the stay by the Supreme Court, the work has resumed, and things would move from here on. The World Health Organisation (WHO) or Codex standards would be harmonised based on the product approval by the FSSAI according to Indian conditions,” he added.

The Supreme Court would hear the appeal by the FSSAI on advisories in October, and the outcome would decide the future course of action to be taken with regards to imported food and product approval.

சிக்கல் - 65 ஜிலீரிட வைக்கும் சிக்கன் ரிப்போர்ட்!

சிக்கன் பிரியாணி, சிக்கன்-65, சிக்கன் குழம்பு என வாரா வாரம் சிக்கன் சுவைக்கும் குடும்பமா நீங்கள்?! உங்களுக்குத்தான் இந்த அதிர்ச்சித் தகவல்கள்!

சமீபத்தில் 'சென்டர் ஃபார் சயின்ஸ் அண்ட் என்விரான்மென்ட்’ வெளியிட்டுள்ள அறிக்கையில், 'பிராய்லர் கோழிகள் வளர்ப்பில் டெட்ராசைக்ளின், ஃப்ளோரோகைனோலோன், அமினோக்ளைக்கோசைட் உள்ளிட்ட அதிகப்படியான ஆன்டிபயாடிக் அந்தக் கோழிகளுக்குச் செலுத்தப்படுகிறது. இத்தகைய கோழிகளை உணவாக எடுத்துக்கொள்பவர்களுக்கும் அதிகப்படியான ஆன்டிபயாடிக் உடம்பில் தங்குகிறது. இது, பல்வேறு சிகிச்சைகளுக்காக நாம் எடுத்துக்கொள்ளும் ஆன்டிபயாடிக் மருந்துகளை வேலை செய்யவிடாமல் தடுத்துவிடுகிறது’ எனும் அந்த அறிக்கை, 'கோழிகளை சமைப்பதால் அதன் உடம்பில் உள்ள ஆன்டிபயாடிக் அழிந்துவிடாது’ என்றும் அதிர்ச்சி கிளப்புகிறது.

பிராய்லர் கோழிகளுக்கு பெயர் போன நாமக்கல்லில் பிராய்லர் கோழி வளர்க்கும் ஒருவரிடம் இதுகுறித்துக் கேட்டபோது, தன் பெயர், அடையாளங்களைத் தவிர்த்துப் பேசியவர், ''நாங்க பெரிய கோழி கம்பெனிகளுக்காக ஒப்பந்த முறையில கோழிகளை வளர்த்து தர்றோம். அவங்க குஞ்சு கோழியோட, மக்காச்சோளம், சோயா, கருவாடு, உப்பு, கடலைப் புண்ணாக்குனு கோழிகளுக்கான தீவனங்களோட இன்னும் சில மருந்துகள் கலந்து உலர்தீவனமா மூட்டையில கொண்டுவந்து இறக்குவாங்க. அதைப் பிரிச்சு கோழிகளுக்குக் கொடுப்போம். 35 - 42 நாள்ல வளர்த்து உரியவங்ககிட்ட ஒப்படைச்சுடுவோம். 42 நாள் கோழி, தன்னோட வாழ்நாள்ல 3 கிலோ 600 கிராம் தீவனத்தை சாப்பிட்டிருக்கும். பிராய்லர் கோழியை கறிக்கோழினு சொல்வோம். இது கறிக்கு மட்டும்தான் உபயோகப்படும். முட்டைக்காக வளர்க்கப்படுற கோழியை லேயர்னு சொல்வோம்'' என்றவர்,

''தடுப்பூசி, குடிநீர்ல கலக்குற மருந்து இதையெல்லாம் கம்பெனிக்காரங்களே தந்துடுவாங்க. இதுபோக கோழிகளுக்கு கண்ல டிராப்ஸ் ஊத்துவோம். கோழிகளுக்கு தண்ணீர் எல்லாம் சொட்டு நீர் முறையிலதான் கொடுப்போம். அந்த தண்ணியில சில மருந்துகளையும் கலப்போம். ஆனா, இதுக்கெல்லாம் பேர் எதுவும் தெரியாதுங்க'' என்றார் வெள்ளந்தியாக!

பூப்பெய்தும் வயது... குறையும் ஆபத்து!

இப்படிப் பல ஊசிகளும், ஊட்ட மருந்துகளும் கொடுத்து வளர்க்கப்படும் இந்தக் கோழியைச் சாப்பிடுவதால் நமக்கு என்னென்ன தீமைகள் ஏற்படும் என்பது பற்றி, திருமானூரைச் சேர்ந்த ஓய்வுபெற்ற கால்நடை மருத்துவர் காசி.பிச்சையிடம் பேசினோம்.

''ஒவ்வொரு உயிரினத்துக்குமான வளர்ச்சியை, இயற்கை தானாக அதன் உடம்பில் நிர்ணயித்திருக்கும். அப்படியிருக்க, ஒன்றரை மாதத்திலேயே ஒரு கோழி செயற்கையாக வளர்க்கப்படுகிறது என்றால், அதை சந்தேகப்பட வேண்டாமா? அந்தக் கோழிகளுக்கு செலுத்தப்படும் ஊசிகள், மருந்துகளை சம்பந்தப்பட்ட நிறுவனங்கள் ரகசியமாக வைத்திருப்பார்கள். ஆனாலும், க்ரோத் ஹார்மோன் எனப்படுகிற வளர்ச்சிக்கான மருந்துகளே இந்தக் கோழிகளுக்கு செலுத்தப்படுகின்றன என்பது உண்மை. குறுகிய காலத்தில் அபரிமிதமான வளர்ச்சியை இந்தக் கோழிகள் அடைய இதுவே காரணம். இத்தகைய கோழிகளில் சிக்கன்-65 எல்லாம் செய்து சாப்பிடுவது... நம் உடலுக்கு சிக்கல்களுக்கு மேல் சிக்கல்களையே கொண்டுவந்து சேர்க்கும்.

கிராமத்து நாட்டுக்கோழியை கவனித்தீர்களென்றால், அரை கிலோவில் இருந்து ஒரு கிலோ கணக்கில்தான் அதன் எடை இருக்கும். நம் வீட்டில், தெருவில் உள்ளதை உண்டு, ஓடியாடி, இயல்பாக வளரும் கோழி அது. அதனால் அதன் வளர்ச்சி ஆரோக்கியமாகவும் சீராகவும் இருக்கும் (இப்போது நாட்டுக்கோழியையும் கலப்பின மாற்றம் செய்து, பிராய்லர் போலவே வளர்ப்பவர்களும் பெருகியுள்ளனர் என்பது தனிக்கதை). அதேபோலதான் மனிதனின் வளர்ச்சியும் இயல்பானது, சீரானது. ஆனால், சமீப வருடங்களாக பெண் குழந்தைகள் பூப்பெய்தும் வயது 14-ல் இருந்து படிப்படியாகக் குறைந்து, இன்று 10, 9 என்று வந்து நிற்கிறது. மாதவிலக்குப் பிரச்னைகள், சீக்கிரமே ஏற்படும் மெனோபாஸ் நிலை என இவையெல்லாம் சங்கிலி விளைவுகளாகிவிடும்.

உயரம் ஊட்டத்தால் அல்ல!

ஆண் குழந்தைகளும் சட்டென ஏழடியில் வளர்ந்து நிற்கிறார்கள். இதற்கெல்லாம் காரணம் என்ன என்று கொஞ்சம் நின்று யோசித்தால், இப்படி வளர்ச்சி ஊசிகள் ஏற்றப்படுகிற இறைச்சி, பால் போன்ற உணவுப் பொருட்களை உட்கொள்வதால்தான் என்பது புரியும். ஆனால், நம் வீட்டுக் குழந்தைகளின் மிதமிஞ்சிய வளர்ச்சியை, உணவால் ஏற்பட்ட பிரச்னை என்று உணராமல், ஏதோ ஊட்டச்சத்தால் ஏற்பட்ட போஷாக்கு என்று நினைத்து சந்தோஷப்படுவது எவ்வளவு அறியாமை!'' என்று சொல்லி பதறவைத்த டாக்டர், இந்த வகை உணவுகளால் பெண்களுக்கு ஏற்படும் பிரச்னைகளை இன்னும் விரிவாகப் பேசினார்.

''வளர்ச்சி ஹார்மோன்கள் செலுத்தப்பட்ட உணவுகள் விஷயத்தில், அது பெண்களுக்கு ஏற்படுத்தும் பிரச்னைகள் பல. ஒரு கல்லூரிக்கு சிறப்பு விருந்தினராகச் சென்றிருந்தபோது, 'மாதவிலக்கில் பிரச்னை உள்ள பெண்கள் என்னிடம் தனியாக வந்து பேசுங்கள்’ என்று சொன்னேன். அத்தனை பெண்கள் என் அறைக்கு முன் வந்து நின்றதைப் பார்த்து அதிர்ந்துவிட்டேன்! இதற்கெல்லாம் காரணம், உணவுப் பழக்கம்தான். தவிர, அதிகப்படியான ஹார்மோன் ஊசிகள் ஏற்றப்பட்ட உணவுகளைச் சாப்பிடுவதால் தாய்மார்களின்  பால் சுரக்கும் தன்மை மாறிப்போகிறது. இதனால் பால் சுரப்பு நின்றுபோகும் தாய்மார்கள் தற்போது அதிகரித்திருக்கிறார்கள். இன்னொருபுறம், இந்த உணவு ஈஸ்ட்ரோஜன் ஹார்மோன் சுரப்பிலும் தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்துவதால், சீக்கிரமே பூப்படைதல், குறிப்பிட்ட வயதுக்கு முன்னரே மெனோபாஸ் வருவது போன்ற பிரச்னைகள் ஏற்படுகின்றன'' என்று எச்சரித்தார் டாக்டர்.

சிக்கனை, கிச்சனிலிருந்து தள்ளுங்கள்!

அசைவப் பிரியர்கள் தங்கள் உணவு முறையில் செய்யவேண்டிய மாற்றங்களை அறிவுறுத்தினார், கோவையைச் சேர்ந்த 'செக்ஸாலஜிஸ்ட்' கோமதி சின்னசாமி. ''நாட்டுக்கோழி சாப்பிட கடினமாக, சமைக்க கொஞ்சம் நேரம் எடுக்கும். அதேசமயம், அதிக வலு தருவது நாட்டுக்கோழிதான். சென்னை போன்ற மாநகரங்களில் கிடைப்பது அரிதாக இருக்கிறது. கூடவே பிராய்லர் கோழியின் விலை குறைவு என்பதாலும், சாப்பிட மிருதுவாக இருப்பதுடன் சீக்கிரமே சமைக்க முடிகிறது என்பதாலும், பிராய்லர் கோழிகளைத்தான் பெரும்பாலானவர்கள் விரும்புகிறார்கள். ஆனால், பிராய்லர் கோழியில் உள்ள அதிகப்படியான கொழுப்பால், அதை சாப்பிடும் பலருக்கும் ஒபிசிட்டி ஏற்படுவது நிஜம். இன்றைய குழந்தைகள், அரை கிலோ சிக்கன்-65 உணவை தனியாளாகவே சாப்பிடுகிறார்கள். ஆனால், இந்தக் கொழுப்பைக் கரைப்பதற்குத் தேவையான உடல் இயக்கம் தராமல் டி.வி முன் உட்கார்ந்துகொள்கிறார்கள். பின் எப்படி அந்தக் கொழுப்பு கரையும்? இப்படி அதிகப்படியான கொழுப்பால்தான், பெண் குழந்தைகள் 10 வயதிலேயே பருவம் அடைகிறார்கள். இதுவே ஆண்களுக்கு, அவர்களின் ஆண் உறுப்பின் வளர்ச்சி தடைபடுகிறது. இந்தக் குழந்தைகள் வளரும்போது, இருபாலருக்கும் குழந்தையின்மை பிரச்னை ஏற்படவும் வாய்ப்புள்ளது'' என்று அதிர்ச்சி கொடுத்தவர், சிக்கனை உடனே விடமுடியாது என்பவர்களுக்கான டிப்ஸ் (பார்க்க: பெட்டிச் செய்தி) கொடுத்ததோடு...

''மொத்தத்தில், சிக்கனை கொஞ்சம் தள்ளி வையுங்கள்... உங்கள் கிச்சனில் இருந்து!'' என்று முத்தாய்ப்பாய் சொன்னார்.

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சிக்கனை விடமுடியாது எனநினைப்பவர்களுக்கு...

 வாரம் ஒரு முறை அரை கிலோ சிக்கனை குழம்பாக வைத்து, ஆளுக்கு இரண்டு பீஸ் சாப்பிடலாம்.

 உங்கள் வசிப்பிடத்துக்கு அருகில் உள்ள ஏரி, குளம், வாய்க்கால், ஆறு முதலியவற்றிலிருந்து கிடைக்கும் மீன்களைச் சாப்பிடலாம்.

 வீட்டில் வளர்க்கப்படும் நாட்டுக்கோழிகளைச் சாப்பிடலாம். இவை, கொழுப்பை குறைவாக சேமித்து வைக்கும்.

 வீட்டில் வளர்க்கப்படும் ஆட்டுக்கறியில் ஹார்மோன் அபாயம் இல்லை. எனவே, மாதம் ஒரு முறை சாப்பிடலாம்.

 கடல் மீன்களைப் பொறுத்தவரை, ஒரே வகை மீனாக அல்லாமல் பல வகை மீன்களாக சாப்பிடலாம். மீனில் கொழுப்பு மிகக்குறைவு.

பின்குறிப்பு: குளத்து மீன் என்று சொல்லப்படுகிற நெய் மீனை (பார்க்க வழுவழுவென்று இருக்கும்) உயிரோடு நம் கண் முன்பாகவே வெட்டித் தருவார்கள். இதை அதிகம் எடுத்துக்கொள்ள வேண்டாம். இவை, கோழியின் கழிவுகளை சாப்பிட்டு வளரும், இந்த மீனைச் சாப்பிட்டால், சரும அலர்ஜிகள் வர வாய்ப்பிருக்கிறது.

ஆன்டிபயாடிக் ஆபத்து!

கோழிகளுக்கு அதிகப்படியாக செலுத்தப்படும் டெட்ராசைக்ளின், அமினோக்ளைக்கோசைட், ஃப்ளோரோகைனோலோன் போன்ற ஆன்டிபயாடிக் எல்லாம் கோழிகள் உடம்பில் ஏற்படும் கிருமிகளை அறவே அழித்துவிடுகின்றன. இத்தகைய மருந்துகளை உட்கொண்ட கோழிகளை சாப்பிட்டால், நம் உடம்பில் உள்ள செல்களை அழிப்பது, எதிர்பார்த்திராத சைட் எஃபெக்ட்ஸ் வர வைப்பது என நம் உடம்பின் இயல்பான மாற்றத்தை, வளர்ச்சியை அது சீர்குலைத்துவிடும்!

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''அதிகப்படி ஏதுமில்லை!''

சிக்கன் தொடர்பான குற்றச்சாட்டுக்களுக்கு பிராய்லர் கோழி வளர்ப்பாளர்களின் பதில்..?

இதைப் பற்றி பேசும் 'வெங்கடேஸ்வரா ஹேச்சரீஸ்' நிறுவனத்தின் தமிழக துணைப்பொதுமேலாளார் டாக்டர் செல்வகுமார், ''பொதுவா எல்லா கோழி பண்ணையிலயும் இந்த மாதிரி ஆன்டிபயாடிக் சேர்க்கப்படுறதில்லை. கோழிகளை வளர்க்க சொல்லி விவசாயிகளுக்கு குஞ்சுகளா கொடுத்திருவோம். அந்தந்த ஊர்ல உள்ள வெட்னரி டாக்டர் உதவியோட கோழிகளுக்கு ஊசி போடுவாங்க. கோழிகள் வளர்ந்ததும் அதை அப்படியே வித்துட முடியாது. நாலு அல்லது அஞ்சு நாள் கழிச்சுதான் விற்பனை செய்ய முடியும். இப்படி செய்யுறப்ப கோழிக்கு எதாவது பிரச்னை இருந்தாகூட தெரிஞ்சுடும்.

அமெரிக்கா மற்றும் ஐரோப்பிய நாடுகள்ல பிராய்லர் கோழிகளுக்கு கொடுக்கப்படுற டிரக்ஸ் என்ன அளவுல எப்படி கொடுக்கணும்ங்கிற மாதிரியான சார்ட் இருக்கு. அதை அரசாங்கம் எப்பவும் கவனிச்சுட்டே இருக்கும். அங்க உபயோகிக்கிற மருந்துகள் அளவைத்தான் இங்கேயும் நாங்க உபயோகிக்கிறோம். இந்தியாவுக்குனு எந்தவித அளவீடும் கிடையாது. ஆனாலும் தேவையில்லாம ஆன்டிபயாடிக் மருந்துகள் செலுத்தப்படுறது கிடையாது. இந்திய பிராய்லர் கோழிகளை ஜப்பான், ஆப்பிரிக்கா, மத்திய கிழக்கு நாடுகளுக்கு ஏற்றுமதி பண்றோம். அதிகப்படியான ஆன்டிபயாடிக் கொடுக்கிறதா இருந்தா, அவங்கள்லாம் தங்கள் நாட்டுக்குள்ள எப்படி அனுமதிப்பாங்க?'' என்று கேட்டார்.