Get your fats right

Ishi Khosla, TNN | Oct 28, 2012, 12.33PM IST

From zeroing in on the right combination of oils and their correct usage, to knowing the good fats from the bad ones, here's some kitchen wisdom we could all use. 
First let's start with the fact — fat is not necessarily bad. In fact, fat is integral to our health. Unfortunately, due to a lot of misinformation, fat has become a bad word in a skinny-aspiring world. There are good fats or essential fats, and bad fats. The key is to know the sources of both and strike the right balance. The body definitely requires some essential fatty acids. 20-30 per cent of total calories in a diet must come from fats. Sources of good fat include nuts, seeds, fatty fish and cold pressed oils. Foods containing monounsaturated fats (MUFA) reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which makes them desirable for the body. 

MUFA are found in mustard, rice bran, sesame, rapeseed, groundnut and olive oil. Along with the quantity of fat, the quality of fat is also important. A diet high in MUFA, with no transfats can be helpful. Fried food contains the undesirable and fattening trans-fatty acids. Sources of trans-fats include food from halwais, cheap eateries, Indian snacks like fried namkeens, pakoras, samosa, kachori, paapri chaat, golgappas, tikki, Indian sweets like patisa, gulab jamun, jalebi, imarti and majority of Indian preparations at dhabas or restaurants like dal makhni, butter chicken and shahi paneer. Choose a variety of vegetable oils instead of a single source. This is because most of the vegetable oils don't have an ideal mix of fats. Go for blended oils such as mustard, canola, sesame, rice bran and olive oil. 

Kick refined oils out of the window. They have dominated the Indian households for two decades now, giving us imbalanced fats and are responsible for various heart problems, cancer, gall bladder stones and for disturbing the overall immune system. 

High heat refining takes the oil to a very high temperature where its goodness (vitamins and antioxidants) gets destroyed. Therefore, choose less-refined or cold pressed oils instead. They retain all their flavour, aroma, and nutritional value. Olive, peanut and sunflower are among the oils that are obtained through cold pressing. 

Do not heat the oil without food for more than a minute. 

Oils with high smoking point should be chosen for frying. Smoking point of an oil is the temperature at which it starts emitting a blue haze, indicating formation of decomposition products. 

Most vegetable oils have adequately high smoking points while butter and coconut oil are not suitable for frying due to low smoking point. 

What's even better than using the best oils is to substitute it with their original sources. For instance, have sunflower seeds, peanuts and almonds instead of their oil variations. 

The writer is a clinical nutritionist and founder of theweightmonitor.

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Hold the greens, rural Indians now eating more meat and eggs

By Ankush Chibber, Contact the editor, 26-Oct-2012

Paneer cottage cheese is the
Indian dairy staple

Growing income is leading to increased demand for protein in India’s hinterland, but a shortage of supply is resulting in higher food inflation.

Paneer cottage cheese is the Indian dairy staple According to a report by ratings firm Crisil Research, overall spending by Indians on milk, eggs, fish and meat doubled in the five years up to 2009-10 to US$38bn, and two-thirds of this came from rural households. 

More money, more meat

This took the proportion of rural households purchasing milk and milk products to 80% in 2009-10, almost five percentage points higher than 2004-05. The proportion of rural households purchasing eggs, fish and meat increased to 62% from 58% over the same period. But rural per-capita consumption of milk, eggs and proteins continues to remain lower than it is in urban areas, reflecting a potential for significant further growth in rural demand for proteins. Rural per capita consumption of milk in 2009-10 was 49.4 litres versus 64.3 litres in urban areas; for meat and eggs it stood at 5.7 kg and 20.8 eggs in 2009-10 as against per capita urban consumption of 6.7 kg and 32.1 eggs.According to the report, even if the share of rural households purchasing milk remains at the 2009-10 level, another 17 million more rural households will purchase milk and milk products by 2014-15.

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As energy drinks gain popularity, safety becomes an issue

New York Times Oct 25, 2012, 02.48AM IST

NEW YORK: Among the latest entrants in the energy industry's caffeine race is a pocket-size squeeze bottle called Mio Energy.

Each half-teaspoon serving of Mio, which is sold by Kraft Foods, releases 60 milligrams of caffeine in a beverage, the amount in a six-ounce cup of coffee, the company says. But one size of the bottle, which users can repeatedly squeeze, contains 18 servings, or 1,060 milligrams, of caffeine - more than enough, health specialists say, to sicken children and some adults, and even send some of them to the hospital.

Several countries are reining in sales of energy drinks, pointing to the risks of excessive caffeine consumption by teenagers and even some adults. By year's end, Canada will cap caffeine levels in products like Monster Energy, Red Bull and Rockstar. Also countries like Mexico, France and India have or are considering steps, including taxing the drinks more heavily to discourage their use.

As consumption of energy drinks soars in the United States, some members of Congress have called for a review of the industry, and the New York State attorney-general is investigating the practices of several producers. However, critics say the Food and Drug Administration has allowed the drinks to languish in a regulatory gray area and does not require companies to disclose how much caffeine their products contain.

"Their approach has been laissez-faire," said Dr. Bruce A. Goldberger, a toxicologist at the University of Florida in Gainesville, who has been an industry critic. "The question is, what is it going to take to cause them to take action?"
FDA officials say they lack sufficient evidence to act on caffeine levels in energy drinks, but continue to study the issue. Also, producers can market an energy drink as either a beverage or a dietary supplement, differing regulatory categories with different labeling and ingredient rules.

"We don't have energy drinks defined by any regulation," said Daniel Fabricant, the director of the FDA's dietary supplement division. "It is a marketing term."

Agency officials, however, may soon face more pressure to regulate the products after the disclosure Monday that the agency had received reports of five deaths since 2009 that could be linked to Monster Energy, a top-seller. The drink's manufacturer, Monster Beverage, disputed any suggestion that its products are unsafe.

The fatalities are also raising broader questions about whether companies monitor reports of deaths and serious injuries that appear to be tied to their products. A spokeswoman for Monster Beverage said Monday that the company was unaware of four of the five deaths reported to the FDA, even though such incident reports were part of an agency database.
 
The mother of a 14-year-old Maryland girl who died last December from a heart arrhythmia after drinking two large cans of Monster Energy in 24 hours obtained the records by requesting them under the Freedom of Information Act. Last week, she filed a lawsuit against Monster Beverage, a publicly traded company based in Corona, Calif., seeking unspecified damages.

Under the new Canadian rules, the big, 24-ounce size of Monster Energy that the Maryland teenager, Anais Fournier, drank will be banned because it contains 240 milligrams of caffeine, 60 milligrams more than the limit set by the new standards. Companies there will also track the types of consumers using their products and compile data about any health problems linked to them.

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Organic foods do not offer health advantages over conventional foods, says study

October 24, 2012

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has conducted an extensive analysis of scientific evidence surrounding organic produce, dairy products, and meat. They have found that in the long term there is currently no direct evidence that consuming an organic diet leads to improved health or lower risk of disease.

They did find that while organic foods have the same vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, proteins, lipids, and other nutrients as conventional foods, they also have lower pesticide levels. Organically raised animals are also less likely to be contaminated with drug-resistant bacteria because organic farming rules prohibit the nontherapeutic use of antibiotics.

“What’s most important is that children eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, whether those are conventional or organic foods. This type of diet has proven health benefits,” said Janet Silverstein, a member of the AAP Committee on Nutrition and one of the lead authors of the report. “Many families have a limited food budget, and we do not want families to choose to consume smaller amounts of more expensive organic foods and thus reduce their overall intake of healthy foods like produce.”

The report outlines the research that has been conducted on organic foods, including evidence of lower exposure to pesticides and less contamination of livestock with drug-resistant bacteria.

“At this point, we simply do not have the scientific evidence to know whether the difference in pesticide levels will impact a person’s health over a lifetime, though we do know that children—especially young children whose brains are developing—are uniquely vulnerable to chemical exposures,” said Joel Forman, a member of the AAP Council on Environmental Health and one of the lead authors of the AAP clinical report.

The AAP found no individual health benefit from purchasing organic milk, but emphasizes that all milk should be pasteurized to reduce the risk of bacterial infections. Purchasing meat from organic farms that do not use antibiotics for nontherapeutic uses has the potential to reduce antibiotic resistance in bacteria that infect people. The AAP calls for large, well-designed, prospective cohort studies that directly measure environmental exposures such as estrogen at low levels to understand the impact of hormonal exposure of children through milk and meat

Click here to download the full report.

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Industry divided over impact of new packaging norms on prices of foods

Friday, October 19, 2012 08:00 IST 
Abhitash Singh, Mumbai

The new packaging norms - the Legal Metrology (Packaged Commodities) Rules, 2012, under the Legal Metrology Act, 2011 - which will come into effect on November 1, may or may not spell additional financial burden for the food processing industry, but the packaging industry seems to be awaiting them as a means to foist competition.

Meanwhile, according to the ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, the new norms have been formulated keeping the consumers’ interest in mind.

Some representatives of the packaging industry feel that the new packaging norms will encourage competition and also shoot the prices of many products and the burden of it will be passed on to consumers.

They added that the companies would no longer have the window available to tweak grammage, in case the raw material prices increase. This will mean they will have to increase product prices to avoid eroding margins.

While most companies are bracing up for the situation, Godrej Consumer Pvt Ltd (GCPL) and Dabur officials are saying that there will be no immediate impact on pricing.

P G Potnis, general manager, GCPL, informed F&B News, “There will be no impact on pricing. 

Earlier the product which was available in 70 gm pack will now be available in 100 gm pack and the reason consumer will have to pay for it is since we are giving more, we will be charging more. The increase in price is absolutely logical and not reasonable.” He added, “There was a possibility of violating the norms in earlier packaging, which will not be a case now after the implementation of new norms.
Byas Anand, corporate communications, Dabur India Ltd, said, “The standard packaging norms will not be affecting our company because we do not deal in those categories, which are mentioned in them.” 

J N Mehta, general manager, Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which markets the Amul brand of milk and dairy products, said, “Standard packaging would bring in price rationalisation.”

M A Tejani,MD, Gits Food Products Pvt. Ltd, said, “Since the cases of unfair trade practices were growing, the government under the 2nd Schedule of said rule have asked all the manufacturers of 19 commodities to mandatory pack items in standard size only and any unfair reduction of quantity will not be permitted.”

He further questioned, “Why under the second schedule of the said Rule 19 manufacturers have been asked to follow the rules. The same rule should be applicable to manufacturers of all the products. Consumers are cheated when this type of new norms come into force.”

“We don't see any impact on the pricing as we already use standard packs. Packs of 200 ml, 300 ml, 500 ml, 600 ml, 1 litre, 1.5 and 2 litre as prescribed by the consumer affiars ministry are already in use in our company. So we do not see any impact on pricing,” said an official from Coca-Cola on the condition of anonymity.

In order to avoid adding to inflationary woes, companies have admitted that their pricing strategy has been cautious so far. However, according to analysts they may no longer be able to resist price hikes. Pravin Kulkarni, general manager (marketing), Parle Products, stated, “I foresee a situation where product prices will shoot up,”

Meanwhile, K V Thomas, minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution, said, “We were about to bring new packaging norms long back. The norms were going to come into effect from July this year, but were eventually postponed because of intense lobbying by FMCG companies. The new norms will make it mandatory for players to pack items in standard sizes only. We are bringing this new packaging norms keeping the interest of consumers in mind.”

Biscuits are one among 19 product categories that will be affected thanks to the new packaging norms. Others include ghee, butter, milk powder, packaged milk, baby foods, edible oil, and salt. 

In the case of biscuits, soaps, coffee, tea and allied beverages, pack sizes start from as low as 25 gram going right upto one kilogram. In some other categories such as branded rice and flour, for instance, pack sizes start from 100 gram going beyond five kilogram, while in the case of detergents and laundry soaps, the minimum pack size is 50 gram respectively.

Analysts say, the move not to standardise small packs will help companies since they act as recruiter packs. That is entry level products and help consumers to get familiar with the brand. 

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Indian Importers to take License before 5th December,2012

Indian Importers to take License before 5th December,2012

Click here to download the advisory.

Weightloss industry dragged down by unsubstantiated claims

By RJ Whitehead, Contact the editor, 12-Oct-2012

Last week’s launch of global weightloss major Rapid Nutrition into India saw claims that the company’s Leisa’s Secret scientific programme will be the first of its kind in the country.

That is a big claim in anyone’s book, but when a vast and fast-growing middle-class suffering from well-chronicled issues of obesity provides the backdrop, in a country that is being jealously coveted by international corporations, it is in effect frankly staggering.It’s not as if medically endorsed programmes are not in demand in India—just last week, FoodNavigator-Asia reported on how 80% of urban professional women in the country are overweight. Middle-class Indians, after all, have both the money and the wherewithal to opt for effective solutions.

Taking the easy route

According to Amit Strivastava, Rapid Nutrition’s local promoter, weightloss players have taken the easy route, marketing standalone products accompanied by claims that have not been validated by the medical community.“The market is ruled by pyramid and multilevel companies; their business model is all about economics and nothing to do with science. Consumers try these with little or no results and quickly lose faith,” Strivastava explains.Because of India’s vast geography, he reasons, there is space for everyone, no matter what they claim, and there is a free-for-all when it comes to advertising.“A number of companies focus on packaging and providing huge claims. Many of these claims are international, so there is no way to revalidate them, and no way to find out if they exist or not. People end up trying whatever is available on the market out of desperation.”

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KFC shuts down as food safety chief, Kerala, probes worm-infested chicken

Thursday, October 11, 2012 
Abhitash Singh, Mumbai

A KFC outlet shut down on Monday, after a customer from Palode village in Kerala found worms in the fried chicken delicacy served to him.

According to Anil Kumar, food safety commissioner, Kerala, the outlet will remain closed till the case is under investigation. Meanwhile, three other units of the company are under the scanner with food safety officers conducting raids and collecting food samples.

The incident took place on Monday when a resident of Palode, A Shiju went to the outlet along with his wife, son and two cousins and ordered fried chicken. Interestingly, the order was on the table within no time. The family was happy that the service was fast but soon was shocked to find worms in the chicken, which they had ordered. After close examination they found more worms in it and they complained to the manager of the outlet. 

Shift manager at KFC, on the condition of anonymity, told FnB News, “As Shiju alerted our staff about the worms, we promised to replace his chicken with fresh piece, but he declined. He called his friend from health department and police to intimidate our staff. The food was brought from outside, it was not served by us. Some people are intentionally trying to malign our rapport.”

He admitted that acting on Shiju’s complaint, food safety officers inspected the place and collected food samples for further investigation.

Meanwhile, food safety commissioner, Kerala, said, “After getting the complaints from the customer our officers went to the outlet and inspected it. We have collected the samples and it’s under investigation.”

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Del Monte readying to create new snack-food segment in India

By RJ Whitehead, 03-Oct-2012

Yogesh Bellani: 'We are not 

in competition with the 

normal snacks players'

American snack food giant Del Monte has revealed that it has plans for an imminent entry into the Indian snack-food market with a range of fruit-based packaged snacks.

Yogesh Bellani: 'We are not in competition with the normal snacks players'The Californian food and beverage company is already present in India with packaged fruit, but this latest move will target the youth market with smaller package sizes. The new range will arrive on shelves over the next six to 12 months, according to reports by the Xinhua news agency.Currently, India's health snack market accounts for around only 5% of an estimated INR100bn snack-food market.

Premium price, evolving market

Del Monte plans to price its packs a little above average current Indian prices. However, traditional snacks, such as potato chips, puffs and nuts, cost much less."Pricing is important, along with innovation and uniqueness," said Yogesh Bellani, chief operating officer of FieldFresh Foods, the 50-50 joint-venture between Bharti Ventures and Del Monte Pacific.Bellani said that after testing the market for around six months, the company will launch packaged fruit-based health snacks, primarily targeting “munching on-the-go” youths, adding that many of these young people are seeking snacks with different tastes and nutritional values.Globally, Del Monte sells fruits, fruit chillers, fruit salads and fruit gels, although in bigger packs. "Packs of 40g and 50g will be launched for the first time," Bellani said.In India, Del Monte already sells packaged fruits, such as pineapple slices, peach halves and fruit cocktails, in pack sizes starting at 340g. The packaged fruit market in India is estimated at INR3bn , and is growing at between 15 and 18%, said Bellani, adding that around 55% of packaged fruit is imported.Del Monte's health snack products will include packaged fruits like apricot, mango and papaya, dried fruits and dried prunes. "We are not in competition with the normal snacks players. Instead, we are trying to develop a completely new segment in the Indian snack market," Bellani said.

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Study links heightened diabetes risk to modern oils

By RJ Whitehead, 05-Oct-2012

A long-term research study published this week has confirmed that non-traditional methods of cooking are significantly contributing to the rise in diabetes among Indians.

The report, published by a team of researchers from the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation and published in The International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition, has been compiled over 20 years and took into account interviews with 1,875 men and women.                                    source      

It found that modern varieties of oils used in Indian cooking, such as palm and sunflower oils, were found to increase the risk for patients to develop insulin resistance and elevated glucose levels than traditional sesame and groundnut oils.

First of its kind

Diabetologist Dr V Mohan, the corresponding author of the study, told FoodNavigator-Asia that the results to his knowledge provide the first epidemiological evidence from India when looking at the effects on cooking oils on adults in relation to diabetes. "This finding is the first of its kind among Asian Indians, whose diets are very low in n3 fatty acid, and hence have a higher n6:n3 ratio compared to recommended levels. 

"[The research] relates the main plant-based vegetable cooking oils among urban adults in Chennai and their association to metabolic syndrome." These oils vary in PUFA [n6 and n3], MUFA and SFA fatty acid composition.

Global food prices rise 1.4 per cent in September: Food and Agricultural Organisation

4 OCT, 2012, 06.11PM IST, REUTERS 

ROME: World food prices rose in September and are seen remaining 
close to levels reached during the 2008 food crisis, the United Nations' food agency said on Thursday, while cutting its forecast for global cereal output. 

Global food prices rose by 1.4 per cent in 
September after holding steady for two months 
as cereals, meat and dairy prices climbed, 
the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation said today

The worst drought in more than 50 years in the United States sent corn and soybean prices to record highs over the summer, and, coupled with drought in Russia and other Black Sea exporting countries, raised fears of a renewed crisis. 

Grains prices have retreated in recent weeks due to rapid harvest progress and concerns about weak demand in a slowing global economy. 

But the Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) price index, which measures monthly price changes for a food basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, rose 1.4 percent to an average of 216 points in September after remaining stable at 213 points in August. 

The rise reflected mainly higher dairy and meat prices, with more contained increases for cereals, it said. 

"Prices are remaining high... prices are sustained, it's highly unlikely we will see a normalisation of prices anytime soon," FAO senior economist Abdolreza Abbassian told Reuters in a telephone interview. He added however that it was not clear whether the small increase in September meant prices were now on an upward trend, but he expected volatility in markets could intensify in coming months. 

Parmjit Singh, head of the food and drink sector at law firm Eversheds, said higher prices would place further pressure on squeezed international food supply chains. 

"Manufacturers and producers will naturally want to pass on increased costs to their clients but they will meet with stiff resistance from retailers who are reluctant to increase checkout prices for increasingly value-conscious customers," Singh said. 

FAO's index is below a peak of 238 points hit in February 2011, when high food prices helped drive the Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, but current levels are very close to those seen in 2008 which sparked riots in poor countries. 

OCTOBER MEETING 

The Rome-based agency said it had cut its 2012 world cereals output forecast by 0.4 percent to 2.286 billion tonnes from a previous estimate of 2.295 billion tonnes, mainly due to a smaller maize crop in central and southeastern parts of Europe, where yields have been hit by prolonged dry conditions. 

It also decreased its forecast for world cereal stocks at the end of the 2013 season to 499 million tonnes, down 4 million tonnes from its projection last month. 

Despite the rise in food prices, the United States Mission to the UN Agencies in Rome said on Thursday it had agreed with other countries that a meeting of the emergency Rapid Response Forum to discuss food prices under the G20 agriculture body AMIS was not necessary. 

"Agricultural commodity markets are functioning," the mission said. 

Abbassian said a ministerial meeting on the food market situation was still planned for Oct 16. Aid agency Oxfam called on governments to tackle the root causes of food price volatility at the meeting. 

"They need to boost food reserves and strengthen social protection programmes for populations that are at risk of hunger," Oxfam spokesman Colin Roche said in a statement. 

"We cannot afford to sleepwalk into the next food crisis." French President Francois Hollande has launched a global campaign to win support for strategic stocks of agricultural commodities, but EU development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said this week that was not the best way to tame food prices, advising a focus on agricultural investment to boost production.

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Indian team to visit Iran on October 6 to clinch wheat export deal

4 OCT, 2012, 04.50PM IST, PTI 

NEW DELHI: A government delegation will visit sanctions-hit Iran on October 6 to clinch a wheat export deal, a senior official said today.

India lifted ban on wheat exports in September 2011 on account of record production in two consecutive years. Iran, on the other hand, has not been importing Indian wheat since 1996 due to quality issues.

"A 10-member team from India will visit Iran on October 6. The team will stay in Tehran for two days to negotiate wheat exports," the official told PTI.

The delegation, headed by a senior Commerce Ministry official, will have members from ministries such asFood and Agriculture besides officials from the state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI), he said.

Due to drought in Russia, Iran has evinced interest in buying wheat from India on a long-term basis. But the west Asian country has not made clear whether it will relax quality norms for Indian wheat, sources said.

"The issues related to quality as well as the price will be discussed with Tehran officials," a source said.

India could offer to sell to Iran minimum one million tonnes of wheat a year through diplomatic channel but at a commercial price of not less than $ 300 a tonne, the source added.

A few months ago, the sanctions-hit Iran had sent a delegation to India to check the quality of Indian wheat. It had also taken wheat samples for quality analysis.

Recently, Food Minister K V Thomas had said, "Iran had taken samples and has responded positively. It is interested to import wheat from India on a long-term basis."

The global prices are very high and 1-2 million tonnes of wheat can go this year, he had said.

Export of wheat to Iran will not only help India partly settle its oil dues, but also reduce its surplus foodgrainstocks in its godown.

Due to the bumper crop, the government godowns are overflowing with foodgrains stock of 76 million tonnes, as against the storage capacity of 71.4 million tonnes.

To clear space, the government has allowed export of 2 million tonnes of wheat from central stocks and shipments are taking place steadily. Through private trade, over 1.5 million tonnes of wheat has been exported so far.

Last year, the country had harvested a record 93.90 million tonnes of wheat due to good monsoon.

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'US FDA Modernisation Act not super bus of Indian regulator': Mohanty

Thursday, October 04, 2012 08:00 IST 
Abhitash Singh, Mumbai

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) organised a meet to discuss the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006 and Regulations (FSSR), 2011 in Mumbai recently.

A number of critical issues, such as the food import clearance system, the new FSSA regulations and the registration and licensing were discussed at the meeting. 

S N Mohanty, chief executive officer, FSSAI, and Raghu Guda, general manager, National Institute for Smart Government (NISG), addressed the gathering, attended by about 80 delegates, comprising members of the Association of Food Scientists and Technologists (India) [AFST(I)], importers and food business operators (FBOs).

Replying to an importer's query about the US FDA Modernisation Act and the loopholes in the Indian regulations, Mohanty replied, “The US FDA Modernisation Act is not a super bus for FSSAI. We have our own regulations, and a lab report is not a certificate for safety of the import consignments. Scientific panels decide the safety of the food products and hence the final decision lies with my scientific panel teams.”

While discussing the regulations and the new Act, Mohanty emphasised that safety and security of food items should be the priority of the importers. He also requested all the importers to apply for licences and also make the transporters aware about the importance of having licences. Any person whose annual turnover is less than Rs 12 lakh should register with FSSAI, and those whose annual turnover exceeds Rs 12 lakh should obtain a licence from the nation's apex food regulator.

One of the importers, whose consignment of dietary supplements has been delayed for the last six months, questioned the uniformity of FSSAI regulations.

To this, Guda replied, “The regulations for dietary supplements are not yet out. It is a long process and we are going through it. Earlier the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act, 1954, was in force. It merely looked into the quality of the food and not on food safety. The new Act has made the procedure a little difficult, but then the importers should obey the regulations.” 

The provisions of the new law do not explain ingredients like sucralose. But Mohanty urged consumers, FBOs and stakeholders to follow the existing Act. 

Hailing the new law as ideal for food safety in the country, Mohanty said, “Our effort is also to create a single window system for an effective implementation of the new FSSA regulation.”

The importers asked for clarity in the import clearance regulations, citing the issues that crop up when the food products are held back.

“It is the duty of every importer to look into the aspect of the necessary documents for the clearance and comply with the new law,” Mohanty said, adding that it was enough to comply with the USFDA approval. 

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Delhi High Court ask the government to ensure quality food in railway

Monday, October 01, 2012 08:00 IST 
Abhitash Singh, Mumba

The Central government was asked by the Delhi High Court recently to respond to a PIL seeking adequate measures by the government to ensure that hygienic and quality food is available at railway premises and also in moving trains.

A division bench of acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw issued notice to the Railway Ministry, the chairman of the Railway Board, the director-general (Railway Health Services) and also the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on a PIL filed by Sardar Jagjit Singh, a retired food inspector with the Railways.

The petitioner filed a PIL through K C Mittal, counsel, which says, “Twenty-three million people travel by train in various parts of the country every day, and it focusses on the prevailing appalling conditions of sale and supply of adulterated foodstuffs in Indian Railways.”

A CD containing a news article from a television channel was submitted by the lawyer to the court which says, “The worst is the insensitivity and the failure on the part of the respondents to take adequate steps to ensure sale and supply of unadulterated, wholesome and hygienic food to 23 million passengers who travel everyday by train (24X7) in different parts of the country.”

Seeking a direction to various authorities to issue notification in compliance the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA), 2006, the PIL said, “Establish prosecuting and adjudicating agency and Food Safety Appellate Tribunal at the micro level to monitor and check the food adulteration day and night at various railway stations.”

It further said that, “The checking should be done in passengers and goods trains, pantry cars, other food outlet in railway areas operated by private contractors, Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Ltd (IRCTC) or food plazas including unauthorised vendors and canteens run by railways.”

When FnB news spoke to the FSSAI, A K Srivastava, assistant director (legal), he said, “We will reply to the notice given by Delhi High Court as soon as possible.”

A K Saxena, assistant director general (public relations), Railway Ministry said, “We will go through the notice given to us by the Delhi High Court and accordingly the action will be planned.”

The bench has now fixed October 31, 2012 for further hearing of the matter. 

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