QUALITY VS QUANTITY-AN UNBALANCED FOOD SECURITY POLICY

Hear this professor from Benares Hindu University who has a valid point regarding the usefulness or otherwise of the food security ordinance recently promulgated by the President at the instance of a lame duck government! He has a perfectly valid point when he has the courage to ask the "mighty" government at Delhi as to why it is prevaricating on the food safety act which is being implemented halfheartedly across the country? What is the hurry in enacting an ordinance for an ill planned doling scheme that entails drain of more than Rs 1, 25, 000 crore of honest taxpayers' money for a doubtful cause? If FSSAI, the so called Authority on food safety in India, is to be believed more than 60% of milk in the country is adulterated while millions of citizens are being cheated and injured by consuming adulterated and poisoned foods in the country, the government being a silent/ disinterested observer on the sideline! Here is the gist of the argument of this heart broken academician. 

"High drama is on in political circle regarding food security bill that ensures cheap grain for one-third population of the country. Congress is adamant for the bill as game changer and other political parties are considering it as vote bank politics. "As an academician and university teacher, may I ask these policy makers about some facts. Who will take care of implementation of FSSA, which was made to ensure service to the masses (poor as well as prosperous), regarding food available in market, either ready made, ready to eat or raw form," he said. Why policy makers are not ensuring the best services to commoner by strict implementation of provisions of FSSA 2006 amended in 2008, 2010 and 2012 for better services to every section of society. Why they are eying only vote bank that may be an easy target?"

Has he not a point in asking why the various provisions of the food safety act are not being strictly enforced in spite of passing the act almost 7 years ago? Without bothering to evaluate the impact of previous policies, enacting new acts is meaningless and inappropriate. This country is not short of good laws but it is at the implementation level that government falters very badly with inefficient management, a shirking work force and utter insensitivity! It is unlikely that such inconvenient questions will ever be answered by a government who is bent on bribing the electorate through promises which can never be fulfilled with the available resources without adversely affecting the national development agenda. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

ANOTHER BLAH BLAH ABOUT STREET FOODS-NEW DECLARATION BY FSSAI!

What are the chances of one getting sick after consuming foods from vendors who serve their "mouth watering" products under the open air without worrying too much about hygiene and sanitation or the likely chance of the same to be vitiated by hundreds of smoke emitting automotive vehicles passing in front of them? Obviously there does not appear to be any major food poisoning episodes in India during the last three decades putting to rest the speculation in this regard by the western educated food scientists based on their perception of science! Could this be due to the extraordinarily tough stomachs Indians possess or is there any other strong reason? Probably these vendors are not as irresponsible as being made out by "scientific" surveys undertaken from time to time by scientists! One of the major reasons could be that most foods offered are cooked on the spot and served hot leaving very little chance of contamination from pathogenic microbes. Those which are not served hot are either sour tasting or salt laden or laced with sour curds that, here also there is very little chance of the customers getting sick. Against this background the recent proposal from Delhi to initiate a "certifying" scheme for these small players, purveyors of tasty local foods, may be somewhat out of place and it will likely to end up as an harassment tool that might be deployed by petty officials to extract extortion from them. Here is a take on this new "awakening" in Delhi about the safety of street foods, after doing nothing for ages!  

"Vendors wearing gloves while serving up plates of pani puri or donning a chef's hat while stirring spicy bhel may soon be a regular sighting to Mumbai's street food culture. Street food is set to become certifiably safer with the central government kicking off their Safe Street Food project across fifteen cities in India including Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Kolkata, Patna, Lucknow, Varanasi, Dehradun, Bhubaneshwar, Agartala, Jammu, Trivandrum and Chennai. The project will take off in November this year. Food Safety and Standard Authority of India's (FSSAI) that launched the Safe Street Food project plans to use officials from the state Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) to narrow down food stalls at Juhu and Girgaon Chowpatty as a part of the pilot project. Prior to the implementation, a detailed project report has been sought by FSSAI from all states. FDA officials are currently seeking information on 80 food stalls in Juhu and 28 stall in Girgaon about their working practices. "We are closely studying the cooks to see if they maintain hygiene while cooking. We are also observing how they store food and dispose garbage," said Kamlesh Sankhe, joint commissioner (food), FDA. Apart from training the street vendors on handling preparation, storage and presentation of food, the central government has instructed the state and BMC to develop an infrastructure at street food hotspots to make them more tourist-friendly. "We have repeatedly requested the civic and state authorities to provide sheds as protection from the rain and winds. Toilet facilities, waste disposal and drainage facilities should be provided as well," said Atul Gupta, treasurer, Girgaon Bhelpuri Khadya Peey Vikreta Industrial Products Co-operative Society Limited".

The response from the organization that represents street vendors is logical and correct. In stead of a window dressing approach, what the government must do is to relocate these vendors to food complexes with complimentary facilities like safe water supply, access to clean toilet and clean environment. Every city in this country should have a few such infrastructure set ups immediately for shifting the existing vendors and establishing new players with minimum hassles. The street food lovers in this country, millions in number will owe a debt of gratitude to the government, if it thinks in this direction. Of course in a country where every exercise by the government has more publicity value than substance, it may be too much to expect such progressive measures to be implemented in the foreseeable future! 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

THE "GUTKA" POLITICS-KARNATAKA EXCELS!

Arecanut has indeed high economic importance to the people of Karnataka and it contributes to 50% of country's production. India is the major producer of arecanut, its share in global production being 47%. One of its important uses is in the manufacture of products like Gutka, a concoction of tobacco and this tree nut. Recent ban of Gutka through out the country on the basis of food laws of the country has raised concern regarding its adverse impact of this policy on the livelihood of thousands of Areca farmers in the state. Thus there is a dilemma as to whether farmer's interest should be protected or consumer health is to be safeguarded. According to FSSAI provisions individual states will have to ban gutka initially for one year and then extend every year, though it is not clear as to why this vacillation when it has been proved scientifically to be harmful to health! What is of concern is the tendency of politicians to "over rule" scientific evidence and oppose such a ban on gutka. Here is an instance of a former Chief Minister of Karnataka criticizing the implementation of food safety laws under FSSAI and "certifying" that these products are not injurious!    

"As per the Supreme Court directive, States were asked to file affidavits by June 25. The case was posted for July 26.What was the urgency to decide on the ban, without discussing the matter with all the stakeholders," he sought to know. Gowda was particularly critical of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for what he called "ignoring" the repercussions of the ban. "Farmers have been petitioning the elected representatives from the arecanut-growing regions. It was not expected of the government to ban gutka without providing an alternative to farmers," he said. The ban on paan masala was also "thoughtless." Paan masala has no proven record of being injurious to public health. "The Kerala High Court has, in fact, reversed the government's decision to ban paan masala in that State," Gowda pointed out. BJP MLC Srinivas Poojar said people employed in the gutka industry had been pushed to the streets. In reply, Health Minister, U T Khader said that the government did not have any other option. "We had to comply with the SC directive. Even the Advocate General favoured the ban."

It is true that the matter is being discussed in the state high court on a private petition but the court has not given any direction to the state to stay the ban. Therefore the state administration has no choice but to implement the food law, passed by country's parliament. There are some similarities between tobacco smoking and gutka chewing as both contain tobacco as a common ingredient. The logical question is why there is no ban on making or selling of cigarette or bidi in this country and if the citizens come to the conclusion that the economic muscle of cigarette industry is influencing the government policy, there may be some grain of truth in this. Why not apply the same yardstick to gutka also and leave the farmers and the gutka industry alone by simply insisting on a warning label declaring it can cause cancer and other health problems?  Of course ideally all tobacco based products must be banned with out any extraneous consideration for which no government in the world seems to have the guts! The distinction between chewing and smoking cannot be stretched too far to punish the gutka industry. On a different footing gutka chewers can be hauled up for defacing public places by spitting their blood red saliva juice indiscriminately every where.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

WOES OF THE HOTELIERS-A COURT''S WISE ADVICE

Does cooking and serving food constitute manufacturing? There may not be a clear answer to this vexed question which is causing some problem for the FSSAI to enforce its Rules and Regulations primarily targeted at Food manufacturing industry. When cooking assumes commercial tone and food preparations are made in large quantities using mechanized gadgets, it may be difficult to argue that this does not constitute manufacturing. After all there is a lot of commonalities between the food made in a restaurant and processed by the main stream industry such as raw material standards, preparation environment and its safety, sanitary aspects of gadgets and other paraphernalia used, personnel hygiene, storage conditions and product specifications. Therefore the contention of hoteliers that the food laws as they exist to day in India are not applicable to them may not be valid. Recent judgment by the judiciary in Mumbai asking the Government to frame separate rules for hotels may not be justifiable. Here is a take on this court ruling which may cause some discomfort to the food safety authorities.  

The Bombay High Court today suggested the Maharashtra government to frame separate rules and regulations under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) for food service providers like hotels and restaurants. A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha was hearing a petition filed by the Association of Indian Hotels and Restaurants (AHAR), which has over 6,000 members, challenging the constitutional validity of FSSA 2006 and the Rules and Regulations framed under the Act in 2011. According to the petitioner association, the provisions of FSSA are not applicable to food hotels and restaurants as they do not manufacture food. "The Act deals only with manufacturing of food articles and are mainly and substantially for manufacturing units. In hotels and restaurants food is cooked and served to customers. Cooking of food is not manufacturing," the petition states.

It is rather ingenious for one to argue that restaurant foods do not constitute "manufacturing" and hence the existing laws must not be enforced within a hotel! What if the Government amend the law to include food preparations in commercial establishments like hotels also in its ambit which may be perfectly justified? If it is a question of scale of operation, food industry has also small and cottage scale operators who are bound by the law and same should apply to restaurants also. The food laws are intended to protect the citizens from unsafe and sub-standard foods and therefore the standards should not be diluted at any cost. On the other hand there is a case for more making the rules more stringent because the vulnerability of citizens to food poisoning is much more when restaurant foods are consumed than consuming packed foods made by the food industry.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

DRINKING WATER ANARCHY IN KERALA-WHY NO ACTION ON CULPRITS?

Here is a shocking news item from Kerala, the 100% literate state in the country! The food safety authorities have suddenly woken up to the possibility that water consumed in three of the major metropolitan cities might not be safe. Branded as God's own country, authorities probably were under the impression that God was taking care of the quality of water consumed by His subjects! But the "flash drive" to make a random check undertaken, probably to justify its existence, the agency seems to have unearthed a scam in the water market which at best can be called shameful! Even with limited sampling, it turned out 90% of the market samples were sub-standard and/or unsafe when tested against the specifications laid down for potable water! Here is a take on this unfortunate but condemnable  situation for which the safety authority must be held responsible.  

The three-day drive was carried out from March 21, simultaneously in Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram, as per the direction of the food safety commissioner. Officials collected 34 samples, including 16 bottled drinking water samples and nine each from tanker lorries and water sources of tanker lorries. The samples were subjected to chemical and biological tests. According to food safety officials, the situation is alarming in Kochi compared to other two cities as 90% samples collected from the city proved unsafe to drink."Both chemical and biological results of water samples collected from Kochi are not satisfactory. The presence of E coli is a major cause of concern. As per the Food Safety and Standard Act it should not be present in bottled drinking water. In the samples there was a minimum of two organisms in 100 ml," said an official with the food safety department in Thiruvananthapuram. Authorities said pH level in samples collected from sources and tankers were above the permitted level of 6.5. The iron and nitrate content in samples were also high. "If pregnant women drink water with high nitrate level, it can cause blue baby syndrome," said the official. Tests showed the presence of E coli in major brands. The presence of E coli in a well at ToshibaJunction near HMT, which is a water source, came to 1,600 organisms/100ml against the permitted level of 10 organisms/100ml. Despite the grave situation, food safety officials expressed their inability to take action against those who supply unsafe drinking, considering the scarcity of drinking water in the city and nearby areas.

After reading the report one gets the impression that the authorities (who else but the FSSAI?) is contented in flashing the results in the media to get publicity while those responsible appear to have been spared. Having misgoverned the country for decades which allowed these food criminals to thrive, exploiting the man-made water scarcity conditions, not bringing to books these perpetrators is nothing but shirking of responsibility. Selling water itself is unconscionable when Kerala is blessed with abundant rains but allowing tainted water to be sold to the unwary citizens is all the more heinous and heads must roll for perpetuating this situation. Such products must be banned in the state and the retailers who deal with such products also must be taken o task. The excuse trotted out against their inability to bring these violators to book is highly amusing that people would be starved of water!. the Government seems to be contented with the "satisfaction" that some thing is better than nothing! Will this be tolerated in any other country but in India? 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

WATER, WATER, WATER-A NATIONAL COMEDY!

Water is a precious material which is increasingly becoming scarce with each passing day. Compared to the position India was fifty years ago vis-a-vis water availability, the situation has become grave with drinking water becoming a commercial commodity, sold at exorbitant prices by the bottling industry to exploit the scarcity situation to the hilt. Governments at the Center as well as in the States vested with the responsibility of ensuring the well being of the citizens failed the nation by decades of maladministration and mismanagement as far water conservation and protected water supply are concerned. In a way if the industry is laughing all the way to their banks, thanks are largely due to the politicians and bureaucrats who run the governments! While in many cities in Europe, Canada and the United States active campaigns are undertaken to persuade citizens to consume the protected water supplied to them so that bottled water consumption is discouraged, in India practically every tap that supplies water is a source of danger to the citizens unless the same is filtered and boiled before consumption!  What a paradox! To add insult to the injury, the processors of water pay scant attention to the quality of product sold by them and recently many independent investigators who monitored the quality of water sold by many brands found that they do not conform to national standards prescribed in the statute books. Here is a take on this sorry situation in the country.

"After complaints about safety of bottled water sold in the national capital, Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad has written to the food regulator to check the bottling plants supplying such drinking water in Delhi and their water sources.  T he minister has also written to the Food Safety and Standards Association (FSSA) to check the chemical contents in the water bottles sold in and around Delhi and whether they are fit for human consumption. In a letter to FSSAI, which is responsible for maintaining standards of quality in anything consumed by people, Azad today asked the food regulator to depute teams to check water samples of all water sources and test the plants of bottling companies. Health Ministry sources said Azad's letters follows numerous complaints received by him about poor quality of bottled water sold in the open market. The Minister asked the regulator to check the contents of chemicals and ascertain their permissible limits to check if the bottling companies are using proper purification systems. Sources say the complaints refer to certain water sources from where the bottling plants are getting raw water and allege that the companies are using chemicals above the permissible limits to purify the water. Sources said the water samples of all brands, including those manufactured by top MNCs and government-run companies, would be taken".

What can one make out of the "Letter" from the Health Minister of the country to the FSSAI in which he "orders" the latter to "check" the quality of water marketed by the industry in Delhi only? Does this mean that citizens living in other parts of the country need not have any safety assurance from the industry? Probably the industry seems to have taken a cue from the Minister's obsession with Delhi and accordingly they are sending their sub-quality product consignments to far way places like Kerala! Health Minister in a country has the responsibility to ensure supply of food and water with impeccable quality and safety through the enormous vigilance infrastructure controlled by his ministry. As a guardian of health of its citizens he should have seen to it that all the municipal and panchayat areas are provided with safe drinking water. In stead he is doing a semantic exercise by writing letters to an office which is located in the same area from where his Ministry is also working! Can there be more insult to the citizen than this? One  wonders whether he had sent his letter through Indian Post or through courier service and whether the FSSAI has really received it!   

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

SELLING SUGAR UNDER THE NAME OF FRUIT! THE GAME PLAN!

Is it not a tragedy that in this century most consumers are swayed by highly aggressive advertisements and commercial promotional strategies of some of the industry giants and buy food products considered least healthy for them? For example while marketing fruit based beverages many manufacturers get away selling fruit pulp based beverages containing hardly 10% of the pulp, rest being sugar and the designs used in presenting the product to the consumer conveys the impression that they are fruit juices! Is it not unethical to market such products though the law may permit? The food laws are not specific regarding the way the label must be designed leaving sufficient leeway to the industry to present such products to give the appearance of a genuine juice though synthetic drinks have to carry the declaration that they do not contain fruit solids. The result is highly attractive fruit beverage packs crowding the retail shelves attracting the consumers in droves who buy them thinking that they are fruit juices. Recent introduction of a 100 ml tetra pack based fruit beverage is an excellent example as to how industry sings about consumer welfare and at the same time targets the consumers that too in poor vulnerable village sector to swell their sugary beverage business. Here is a take on this new strategy of tapping the rural wealth for a wrong cause.   

"This is going to be the lowest price for a Coke product in the non-returnable ready-to-drink category, where the pricing ranges from Rs 8 to Rs 12 and goes on to as high as Rs 60 for a two-litre plastic non-returnable pack. In package size, too, this is the smallest in the beverage product category - the smallest so far were the 200 ml returnable bottles. Explaining the strategy, Coca-Cola India President & CEO Atul Singh told Business Standard in an exclusive interview: "There are two million retail outlets in rural India where we sell our products. There are consumers who want packaged beverage at an affordable price. We have been working with our suppliers to get affordable packaging and have got Maaza at the right price point." He said the challenge would be making carbonated drinks affordable for the rural market. At present, these are sold at Rs 8-12 - not affordable for a large swathe of the market. "We need a sustainable model and there are cost constraints. But, we do recognise there are consumers who are not ready to buy at high prices. That's a challenge; we have to innovate in packaging, distribution, transportation and cooling equipment." At present, neither of the two beverage majors - Coke and PepsiCo - has ready-to-drink mainline branded products at Rs 6. Coke had introduced Fanta Fun Taste powder for Rs 5 but that had to be mixed with water. It had also introduced micronutrient powder sachets at Rs 2.50-3. PepsiCo, on the other hand, sells fruit juice powders for Rs 10, besides Tata Glucose (under a JV with Tatas) for Rs 6".

A part of the blame will have to be born by the food safety authorities in the country for making the law so flexible allowing these merchants of ill health to exploit the unwary citizens in the country. Products based on 100% sugar but with flavors latched on to them to imitate real fruits are popular in India because of the hot and sultry climatic conditions prevailing in most regions of the country during major part of the year. But these products at least carry the declaration that they are made without fruit solids. It is the fruit beverages which are dangerous because they do not warn the consumers that the fruit juice content is minuscule in them and to make up for low fruit solids artificial flavors are permitted! It is time that the category of fruit beverage is withdrawn from the statute books altogether. Alternately industry should not be allowed to add external flavors and this will make these products whither away gradually due to less attraction to the consumers. Another interesting aspect of this strategy is to shrink the pack size to bring down the price and enlarge the consumer base thereby increasing the business volume. Here is an example of a beverage pack of 100 ml priced at Rs 6 per 100 ml which really costs to the consumer Rs 60 per liter where as the same product is available in two liter packs at Rs 30 per liter! The poor is really trapped in this price matrix having no choice but to pay a higher unit price because of their lower purchasing capacity. Thus the pack shrinking strategy hits the poor economically as well nutritionally!      

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

FOOD QUALITY MONITORING-THE AWESOME TASK!

India is a large country with 1.2 billion plus population with diverse culture and economic standards. Any thing to be done on a pan-India scale is fraught with insurmountable problems and only dedication, commitment, perseverance and high investment can show positive result at the ground level. In spite of good intentions and massive investments, the income gap between the rich and the poor is widening and poor people in the country are increasingly being mired in endless miseries and agony which do not seem to give them much hope about their future. Food is an area where the country has done reasonably well, at least with regard to production of staple grains like wheat and rice. Of course the story of oil seeds and pulses is one of many missed opportunities and billions of rupees are being spent to bring these foods from out side the country every year. The onus on the government to protect the food supply is indeed awesome and the special purpose vehicle created for the country's food safety is still in its formative stage trying to prove its mettle during the last 5 years. Unfortunately this outfit under the name Food Standards and Safety Authority (FSSAI) has been created with a heavy bureaucratic structure with doubtful capability for showing any dynamism at the ground level. As this agency is heavily dependent on the state governments with no authority to enforce its writ, the policies often do not get implemented. Here is a take on this important area of concern to the Indian citizen, viz how food is the food taken by him!

"
The agency is working to bring on board about 55 million people engaged in various food businesses and register them with the organisation by February 2014, Chandramouli said. Currently, only one million licences have been issued to food and beverage operators. To check and maintain food standards, FSSAI is in the process of setting up testing laboratories, he said. "Our aim is to have at least one laboratory in each state initially. Later, we plan it to increase this to at least one lab for every 20 districts in the next five years," he added. There are currently 72 government laboratories, which are to be upgraded during this period. Simultaneously, 33 new such testing centres will be set up. On food imports, Chandramouli said: "Our country imports lot of food items now. Though there is no fixed figure available, but Rs2-3 lakh crore of foods come to India every year." "We don't have food and safety standards in the country which deal with food products across the spectrum. For this, we need to get the state governments and other stakeholders on board," Chandramouli said, adding implementation of the FSSAI Act continues to remain a challenge".

The above report laments about lack of allocation of funds to FSSAI during the 12th Plan and one is afraid that this could as well become an excuse for non-performance or under performance.It is common knowledge that the quality of food made in India and imported at great cost is suspect because of grossly under developed infrastructure and shortage of critical personnel to run the monitoring program sincerely and effectively. With legal system delaying trials of food fraudsters for years, many are able to get away with blatant violations of existing laws and wide spread adulteration.  One of the excuses trotted out for under performance is lack of standards available to enforce but this argument cannot be sustained when it is realized that international standards under FAO-WHO as well by different global organizations are in place for thousands of foods which can easily be adopted till domestic-specific ones are evolved. FSSAI seems to be over obsessed with licensing and wants more than 55 million food handlers to be brought into its licensing system! Is it practical? What next after registration? Does it have adequate capability to undertake surveillance of these players regularly? Millions of home scale processors, cottage units and micro enterprises cannot be expected to register with FSSAI which is both time consuming and cumbersome. Since the retailers who sell the food articles are all licensed by local civic authorities, it is easier to make them accountable vis-a-vis quality of food sold by them. The onus of selling safe food must be put on these retailers who must be punished if he peddles bad food even unintentionally. Such an environment will starve the fraudsters of a market eventually. No doubt a body like FSSAI is a necessity for the country but it must be made to work hard and diligently for the welfare of the common man.  

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

LIES, DAMNED LIES AND ABSOLUTE LIES! THE AD GURUS MUST BE HAULED UP

Recently Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was reported to have issued "notices" to a few food manufacturing companies for promoting their products through unethical advertising campaigns claiming unproven health benefits to the consumers if they buy their brand of products. Knowing pretty well the fate of these notices, it can be safely concluded that nothing will come out of these notices because these manufacturers represent the "cream" of the Indian food industry as of now with enormous economic and political clout. Still consumer can take some comfort that "some thing" is being done to highlight the malpractices being indulged by them. It has been often proved that the State can never provide succor to its citizens who invariably have to knock on the doors of the courts to get justice. Here is an illustration of such wrong doings which have been highlighted in the following article.

"It's all lies. Nothing happens if you use it," burst out my octogenarian mother, provoked by a shampoo commercial promising to turn your tresses soft, silken, and strong. I was torn between amusement and pity. Who believes the tall claims made by advertising execs in this day and age? Certainly not my four year old who has already been informed — to fob off potential requests for crap toys and candy — that all ads are lies designed to get some sad sack to spend her precious money. And it's worked. Each time, Karisma Kapoor touts that anti-aging cream on TV, Mallika promptly declares on cue, "How silly. No cream can make you look nice." A bitter truth that the rest of us girls have taken a lifetime to learn, after spending thousands of rupees on body lotions that leave your skin dry, creams that don't whiten, hair loss shampoos that don't work, diet supplements that leave your waist undiminished. Beauty products are the worst offenders the world over in the lies-in-advertising business, but in India, they have close competition from children's 'health' drinks. A screen-grab of a Complan ad from YouTube. Image used for representational purpose only. Boost claims to provide "three times more stamina thansadharan chocolate drink". Complan Memory claims to contain "memory chargers" to ensure that your kid is a betterratta-baaz than the next. Horlicks will make your laadla"taller, stronger, sharper". And hey, don't bother with that glass of milk if it doesn't contain Bournvita to ensure the right level of calcium absorption. Pediasure, "helps in a child's growth and development". Each of these claims is "misleading and deceptive," according to Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which plans to prosecute Heinz India, GlaxoSmithKline, Abbott India and other mega-companies in 19 such cases of false advertising. There's plenty of bad news for adults as well. No, Special K will not make you skinny, those Nutrichoice biscuits may not be a healthy snack, and multigrain Maggi is likely no more nutritious than the ordinary kind. Before we get too excited at the prospect of overdue justice, we should know that the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 doesn't impose much more than a paltry Rs 10 lakh fine. A reason perhaps why FSSAI is baying for real blood. Earlier this year, FSSAI director Asim Choudhary told Indian Express that it was time to hit these companies where it really hurts: "Similarly these companies must not not be allowed to telecast such advertisements by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and there should also be a ban on their advertising on social networking sites so that in course of time these misleading advertisements will be monitored at more than one level." An alternative strategy is to go after the other great beneficiary of false advertising: celebrities. Actors have made a fortune endorsing false claims made by a wide range of products, lending their brands to campaigns that actively deceive consumers. Investors in the Susi Emu Farms were furious with brand ambassadors Sarath Kumar and Sathyaraj.According to Times of India, "The duo had appeared in TV advertisements for Susi Emu Farms, calling it one of the most lucrative business ventures while district collectors were sending out advisories cautioning people against investing in such schemes." Earlier this year, Bollywood actors Govinda and Jackie Shroff were booked by the Food and Drug administration in a false claims case against a herbal oil endorsed by them. But why stop at them? But don't hold your breath waiting for the government to crack down on SRK, John Abraham, Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone for endorsing fairness products that often contain chemicals like hydroquinone and mercury that cause hyper-pigmentation with extended use. A few punitive cases, however, will do little to dent the constant onslaught of marketing in our consumerist world where everyone is always trying to sell us something. But here's the problem with advertising: false claims are just the tip of the iceberg. A recent study conclusively connected fast food advertising with child obesity rates in North America, while another study found that television viewing was inversely related to intake of fruit and vegetables, and positively related to intake of candy and fast food in American children. Now, I can go blue in the face telling Mallika all about TV ads that lie, but what about those dreadful chocolate biscuits? The totally crap, sugar laden stuff that doesn't pretend to be healthy and tastes so, so good. Now what are we going to do about that?

What is nauseating in this whole episode is the role played by celebrity persons whether in Bollywood or in the scientific world who lend their face and voice in promoting patently unjust claims for a few bucks. In the absence of any code of conduct under the Press Council to haul up those indulging in this nefarious activity, the culprits easily get away. Imagine an icon in Bollywood promoting a brand of noodles among children, in stead of sending the most appropriate message that children must eat more fruits and vegetables for growing and remaining strong! What is more disgusting is some of the scientists, knowledgeable as they are, lending their names for promoting products which they know very well are not that much healthy as being claimed. For all of them smell of money is so overwhelming that they chose to ignore their conscience! It is time the Press Council take appropriate action against the manufacturers, the media and the promoting persons without further delay.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

RAMPANT MISBRANDING AND MISLABELING-SMALL CAN BE UGLY TOO!

Every consumer knows what is meant by food adulteration and its consequences. Though it is an arduous task for a common man scouting for the food that makes up the daily diet, advent of branding and the front of the pack labeling regulations make the task some what easier. The nutrient labeling provision is another tool in the armory of the consumer to pick and choose the food that fits the individual needs. After the setting up of FSSAI at Delhi the consumer expectations have soared on the possibility of adulterators being brought to book by this much heralded safety agency. That this is not happening is a big disappointment for may honest citizens as reflected by increasing incidences of food frauds reported from all parts of the country. Added to this, few courts have intervened to suspend the operation of some of the key provisions of Food Safety Act making the food market environment highly dangerous. Recent report from Indore regarding the wide prevalence of mis-branding amply reflect this reality. Here is as take on the same.

"The problem of misbranding is on the rise in the city, especially when it comes to food products. For starters, misbranding means wrong packing number and dates on the product. This problem is as dangerous in nature as the adulteration was. Out of a total of 80 samples of various products as collected by the food department based on complaints since the coming into force of thefood safety Act, 2006, nearly half of them were found to be misbranded. The manufacturers normally involve themselves in such illegal acts to cheat the customers so as to keep their cash register ringing, say experts. First, by not mentioning the batch number and date of manufacturing of the product, they can simply keep selling the product even beyond the expiry date, add they. Talking to ToI, Manish Swamy, food safety officer, said that we have started working according to the provision of the new Food Safety Act. Forget adulteration, the misbranding of the products by the manufacturers has become a big problem in the city, said Swamy. It is why we have issued only 130 fresh licences as against 1000 applications received by us from the prospective food traders, said he.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Madhya Pradesh Food Product Manufacturers and Sellers Association is planning to call on the opposition party parliamentarians in New Delhi shortly to urge them to raise voice against the Food safety Act in Parliament. It was confirmed by the president of the federation, Ramesh Khandelwal."

FSSAI itself had reported some time back that milk vended through out the country is adulterated heavily and unsuspecting citizens are being taken for a ride in places like Delhi under its very nose! What is disturbing is the stand taken by small traders to resist the operation of food safety laws in the name of harassment to them by the inspection officials in the market. Though there may be some truth in this claim, not enforcing the Act is not the remedy. Democracy does not mean chaos because of misuse of the freedom enshrined in the constitution. The much maligned branded foods offered by organized industry and major players offer safer products and small players must understand this situation. Food safety regulations must be enforced no matter how strongly the small scale industry and the unorganized traders protest their operation.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

JUNK FOODS IN INDIA-THE SCARE STORY!

People at high places in the government have a habit of pontification rendering all types of advice to the citizen, who after all is considered a "slave" destined to listen but not to react! Not a single day passes without a minister or a bureaucrat or a lowly placed government official asking citizens to do this or that without ever meaning it. If the track record of these government functionaries regarding their achievements is taken into consideration, one can imagine the pathetic situation vis-a-vis governance that exists in the country to day. Here is a gem from an "official" of the much heralded Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) fulminating on subjects on which this person is hardly qualified to talk!

"According to the diet experts, the habit of consuming junk food among Indian is increasing day by day and have warned that this could lead to severe health conditions. Deputy Programme Manager at the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) Savvy Soumya Mishra said that just blaming the international chains of fast food to spoil the pattern of diet in India is not enough. She said that fast food has penetrated to the rural markets also in different forms such as potato chips and soft-drinks and wished that some remedial measures should be taken regarding this. "Potato chips and similar snacks are available even in remote villages, where you may not find a school or a ration shop. These things have more reach. There will be soft-drink bottles in places that may not have even clean drinking water. McDonald's and Pizza Hut may not have reached there, but chips and soft drinks have, what a pity!" Mishra said. She also laid emphasis on the importance of reducing children's reach to such trans-fat-laden junk food and suggested that such eatable items should be banned in schools. "Imposing a ban is the government's decision, but junk food must be banned in schools because it is difficult to restrain children. You can ban it in school and introduce fruits and fruit juices. There are also many things prepared at home. We grew up eating a lot of other things, traditional food. We did not grow on chips and packaged snacks like Kurkure," added Mishra. The extent of junk food is now not only limited to food items like buggers and pizzas, said Dr. K K Aggarwal , a Delhi-based cardiologist. He added that the conventional Indian snacks are also a big threat as they are prepared using vegetable fat. "We shouldn't get carried away and just ban burgers. Everything that just tastes good is bad for health, because such things will either be made with 'ghee' (clarified butter), which is very unlikely, or with trans fats sourced from vegetables. So, whatever contains trans fats is unhealthy, regardless of whether it is commercial or not," said Dr. Aggarwal. However, the reaction of the common people towards junk foods was seem to be mixed. "Young people these days prefer fast food. But as the report has said, one should avoid that food. As far as traditional recipes are concerned, we should go for that," said Suresh, a resident of the city. In contrast to that, another opinion regarding this suggested that junk food has now became a necessity to the changed nature of people's daily lives, and they come in different varieties of which some of them are healthier than the rest. "These days, people need their food quick. Many families have both parents working, so burgers and chips are very good alternatives for those who are in a rush. But these things come in many varieties. Now we have potato chips, which are baked. One can eat well, it is also a little costly, but we can't say these things are useless," said Arpit, a Delhi based resident. Moreover, the regulating body for food safety in India, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) proclaims the products free of trans fats if the content of trans fats is less than 0.2 grams per serving. However, as per a recent report presented by the Centre for Science and Environment, many brands are claiming their products to be trans fat free even though the content is much higher. Excessive and regular consumption of trans fat consumption enhances the possibility of coronary heart disease and hence recommended by the health experts to consume them only in traces".

This Blogger was not able to make much of what is sought to be conveyed by this official though popular words like "junk foods", "trans fats", "clean drinking water", "school children", "healthy diet" etc are liberally used out of context. Ultimately what is sought to be conveyed is lost in the ramblings coming from this wise person. FSSAI, being the repository all the knowledge available on junk foods and healthy diets should be entrusted with the task of reforming the children and youth in the country and train them on good diet and good eating practices! Probably the hapless citizens in this country can do with less pontification and more action at the ground level.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

FSSAI'S "MAGNA CARTA"!-A HALF BAKED "CAKE" AT BEST?

It took more than 5 years for various ministries in the GOI to convert the 2006 Act into an "implementable" program and there could be justified jubilation that at last India has a unified food safety enforcement program equitable and legally sound that is beyond challenge in any court. Unfortunately this was only a pipe dream as the Rules and Regulations promulgated as a part of the Act are being challenged in different parts of the country for various reasons, some genuine and others by parties with vested interests. It is sad that the Law Ministry of GOI did not foresee this development even after "vetting" for years together and the consumer safety has become the casualty of such official callousness. Here is some aspects of FSSAI rules and regulations now being challenged in Tamil Nadu courts recently. 

"The judge stated that he was inclined to pass such orders as the High Court had already granted similar interim orders on November 8 last year in two other writ petitions. The provisions that were stayed included Sections 3(1)(a), (za), (zf), 5(1)(a), 13, 14, 23, 31, 40, 50 to 65 and 77 of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. According to the petitioners, the Legislation enacted in 2006 and implemented from August 5 last year severely affected those engaged in food business. While the first three Sections that were challenged related to the definitions of adulterant, licence, and misbranded food, the other provisions related to composition of Food Authority, scientific panels, and scientific committees for implementing the Act. The Sections dealing with packaging and labelling of foods and licensing and registration of food business were also under challenge. The petitioners were also aggrieved against provisions imposing penalties, which they termed as very high. Sections 50 to 65 of the Act stipulated the penalties and punishments that could be imposed for manufacturing and selling sub-standard food, misbranded food, food containing extraneous matter and for issuing misleading advertisements".

That food industry in general is not happy with the law of the land now being enforced is well known, though part of this dissatisfaction might be due to making some provisions some what stringent to its liking.  It is not clear what lies ahead for the consumer in this country with the operation of many important provisions being stayed by the court. Is it going to be a free for all situation where fraudsters and adulterators can make tons of money at the expense of the consumer? Another debatable point is whether the courts are justified in staying the operation of such an important legislation since "loss of business" can never over ride the safety of the citizens in the country. If at all the Law was found deficient legally, the court could always order compensation from the government in lieu of business lost. One can only hope that the legal complications surfacing now will be resolved with least delay in the interest of all concerned. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

EATING OUT-A PERILOUS EXPERIENCE WITH DANGEROUS CONSEQUENCES!

One of the few pleasures of life for a middle class family is visiting a decent restaurant for having a leisurely experience of consuming food preparations which are difficult to make at home. Besides such eating out practice enhances family values though it can make a big hole in the family budget, especially these days when all eateries have literally doubled or tripled the prices during the last two years. At least the customers patronizing the restaurants had the consolation the eating in these places will not endanger their lives because of the vigilance of the local civic authorities in regularly monitoring the safety of the foods served at these places. now comes the news from different parts of the country about the pathetic safety management in most places due to ill-planning on the part of FSSAI, the "apostle" of food safety measures in India. Here is a report from Chennai about the ground reality obtaining in many towns across Tamil Nadu vis-a-vis food safety vigilance activity.

"Eating out has become risky, with state health authorities not inspecting restaurants or carrying out checks on their kitchens for the past seven months. This has become a problem since perishables rot faster in the summer heat due to longer power cuts. After the responsibility of food safety was taken from municipal corporations and given to a special state food safety unit, monitoring has been consigned to the backburner. The newly-formed unit has been struggling with its organisation, training and logistics. "We are yet to begin taking samples or conducting raids in Chennai," said a food safety official in Chennai. "We are still registering eateries and setting up offices." According to the state health department, corporations stopped collecting samples for testing and raiding restaurants to check if they are conforming to quality specifications in August 2011. A Chennai corporation official estimates that it may have been nine months since samples were collected. Health experts and corporation officials say unscrupulous restaurateurs and manufacturers of food products could take advantage of the fact that no checks are being conducted. "With several hours of power cuts being imposed on the state every day, the absence of checks could be a problem as perishable goods are likely to spoil even faster," an official said. Officials say funding for the health department under the new Food Safety Act has begun only now, almost a year after the act was implemented. Even the state food commissioner is currently operating from the state homeopathy hospital without any support staff. Health department offices in other districts in the state have also been brought standstill, with the exception of Madurai and Coimbatore where officials recently started collecting samples for testing. "But we haven't begun taking samples yet," said a health department official in Tirunelveli. "Right now we our focus is on completing the registrations of over 12,000 small establishments in this district." Many other districts are awaiting release of funds and allotment of office space. In Coimbatore samples have been collected from three restaurants so far and two were found to be contaminated but the authorities were unable to prosecute them, added a local food officer. Food safety, until last year, was overseen as additional duties by health officers in city and town municipal corporations. Rules regarding food safety were covered by the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act. Now a new, more comprehensive, law is in place that has specific instructions for food packaging, ingredient display, hygiene and sanitary conditions".

Such reports are pouring in from different places across the country though from time to time assurances are given that things would improve and these are nothing but teething troubles experienced at the beginning of a new system. It is pathetic to hear such excuses from the Babus of FSSAI who were supposed to have been working on the Food Safety Bill since 2005! The citizen has a genuine right to ask how many more years it will take for the system to start clicking! In the mean time what will be the fate of the common man caught between the devil and the deep sea? Hoteliers must be a happy lot because they can compromise on investment on safety related activities with impunity! Of course there are many honest players among them who do not need the "stick" to enforce safety related rules as go by their conscience to fulfill their duty and obligation to their customers. Is it not ridiculous for the officials to claim that they are busy registering the eateries and therefore have no time for checking the hygiene and sanitation in these catering places?

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

WHAT IS A JUNK FOOD? NO ONE KNOWS!

Can there be a more ridiculous situation than what had happened in the Supreme Court some time back when GOI was quizzed regarding the prevalence of selling junk foods near the school premises? In stead of explaining to the court that the term junk food is an anachronism because all foods provide some calories or nutrients if they are edible. In stead the FSSAI, representing GOI informed the court that it is going to lay standards of safety for the so called "junk foods". Also FSSAI tried to prevaricate on the issue by diverting the attention of the court by fulminating against trans fatty acids which are supposed to be in all junk foods! It is a pity that in stead of agreeing to ban all unhealthy foods in or near educational institutions, this responsibility was shifted to the states most of which have lowest priority for matters connected with consumer safety. HRD Ministry which controls policies related to education must have pitched in by agreeing to bring out guidelines for foods that could be sold to children near the school. Here is a report on this case which was carried by major news agencies recently. 

"Most of the junk foods have high quantity of trans-fatty acids and is low in minerals, vitamins and other essential food nutrients. And, said to be a major reason for obesity among children in schools in cities such as Delhi and Mumbai. The ministry told the court that the authority has constituted a scientific panel to prescribe standards for fatty acid residues, poisonous metals and microbiological parameters in food items including those considered junk food. Once the new standards are prescribed, the ministry has said that its enforcement will be responsibility of the respective state governments. Such (state government) authorities are required to collect samples of food and take action on the findings of the tests reports based on safety parameters and standards prescribed by the authority, the ministry reply to the court said. The food safety law provides the power to the state governments to impose a fine on those selling sub-standard food not adhering to the standards. Despite that action against adulterated or sub-standard has not been of desirable levels. On the bigger question raised in the Public Interest Litigation of Rahul Verma regarding imposing a ban on junk food in schools and educational institutions, the ministry said it was an administrative decision to be taken by respective educational institutions. The ban cannot be imposed under the food safety and standard act of 2006, the ministry said".

While reporting on the Supreme Court proceedings, no one seems to have been bothered by thousands of push carts operating near every school in this country selling cut fruits, ice candy, local sweets etc under most insanitary condition. Why FSSAI chose to highlight dangers of trans fats could have been to exhibit its technical prowess vis-a-vis food safety to the court! Probably it is time stern action is taken against school management if such unhygienic foods are allowed to be sold to students in their schools. Cut fruits are by far the most dangerous source of infectious food borne pathogens and the tender body system of the children is more vulnerable to infections by consuming these fruits and other similar risky food products. Parents also have an obligation towards their wards and the practice of giving hefty pocket money to school going kids spawns many undesirable activities in and near the school.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com