"Make in India"- Slogan Vs reality

There was a time when world was frowning on Japanese made products for their low quality compared to those from western countries. See how this tiny country, shattered by World War II, became one of the most industrially advanced countries within a span of 25 years after the War. Same thing happened in Korea too, which, through its sheer hard work reached a stage to day when it can stand shoulder to shoulder with Japan, the US and other wealthy countries. How about China? It is another story which is a lesson to aspiring countries like India as it is the second most economically powerful country to day after the US. True there are many reasons to counter argue that India is not like China as we have an over dose of misguided democracy where accountability does not exist at any level, be it top echelons of the power structure or the lowly rated daily worker. Our Prime Minister must be admired, for nothing else, but for his courage of conviction when he coined the famous slogan, "make in India" exhorting the industry to expand their production base to manufacture quality products! Are we realistic in expecting such a thing to happen in our life time?

Quality and reliability are the two pillars on which reputation of products rests. Unfortunately in to day's India both are conspicuous by their scanty presence. The country's infrastructure in monitoring quality is practically non-existent. The quality monitoring agencies, most of them, are highly bureaucratized, resulting in delays and inefficient execution of their duties. There is a shortage of technical skills for which no action is being contemplated though every state is competing with each other to start more and more capitation fee based engineering colleges with doubtful credibility. Look at the land bill controversy which is being played out in the open by the politicians who do not care to be the laughing stock in the international landscape! Farmers whose cause these remorseless politicians are claiming to be championing do not think about the relentless suicides going on in the country side as the farmers are caught between deep sea and the devil! Their land, many of them too small to be viable, cannot bring them adequate returns, pushing them deep into debt burden while selling their land to buy more time is not allowed under the existing laws. Talking of entrepreneurs, there are many serious aspirants with high hopes who want to start new industries but where will they go for getting the wherewithal to venture into manufacturing arena? Bureaucrats, financial institutions, technology agencies and industry promotional departments of the government just pay lip sympathy without raising a finger to help them out. Sorry situation indeed.

Coming to food industry sector, will any serious entrepreneur venture into this area after the recent foolish move by the government to penalize one of the most reputed global companies without giving them even an hearing before taking such a severe penal action? The food safety and quality system is in shambles with bureaucrats running the show and the state machinery supposed to "control" the industry is archival and under functioning or malfunctioning. How can we swallow the bitter truth that 16 of the 30 states do not have even a single food testing laboratory? The judiciary in the country and the money chasing, irresponsible lawyers espousing the cause of food fraudsters, have contributed to this mess by causing inordinate delays in clearing thousands of cases, many of them 10-20 years old. Food Parks and similar grand sounding schemes have not borne any fruit till now though hundreds of crores of rupees have been spent on them. Food exports from India are grievously hurt because of the callousness, dubiousness and recklessness of the manufacturers and exporters. Look at the recent ban of import of snacks from India by the US because of quality and safety considerations and it is a pity that a major exporter claims that Indian laws under which they manufactured the products are different causing rejection! How naive and frivolous such an argument can be!  

Here is a telling commentary on the present sorry state of affairs in the country vis-a-vis the manufacturing sector which self revealing:    

"While authorities are now making an example out of Maggi, it's hard to believe that this is the only consumer product in India that fails to meet safety norms. In fact, a 2015 report by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, the national food regulator, revealed that almost a fifth of all food samples tested were adulterated or mislabeled. In 2012, a government study revealed that over 68 percent of milk sampled was adulterated with potentially harmful additives such as detergents, hydrogen peroxide, and even urea.
While some commentators in India tend to blame foreign multinationals for producing lower-quality goods for Indian consumption, even when this claim turns out to be true, the real fault lies with Indian authorities. With a patchwork quilt composed of a central regulator and an array of state government regulators, many of which are woefully understaffed, it's a miracle that this system finds any product quality lapses at all. In such an environment, it's hard to see how Prime Minister Narendra Modi's grand "Make in India" initiative to turn the country into a global manufacturing powerhouse can possibly come to fruition. India is not yet a major exporter of manufactured food products, but it does export its generic pharmaceutical products to over 200 countries. Could a Maggi-style disaster be awaiting the Indian drug industry?
If you believe the results of a 2014 academic study by a team of researchers from the University of Maryland, the University of Ottawa, and the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington, D.C., think tank, the answer could well be yes. The researchers tested samples of antibiotic and tuberculosis drugs labeled "made in India" and sold in India, Africa, and other non-African middle-income countries. They found that 10.9 percent of the products were of poor quality — that is, they either contained none or less than the required dosage of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Of this 10.9 percent, 7 percent contained less than the required dosage of active ingredients, while 3.9 percent were duds without any of the necessary active ingredients. Drugs without or with less than the required pharmaceutical ingredients will be ineffective, and therefore potentially harmful since they won't treat the condition they're meant to address.
What's more, poor-quality drugs were more likely to show up in Africa than in India or other middle-income markets. While some of this difference could be due to counterfeit drugs and poor storage conditions, the authors of the study claim that a more plausible explanation is that Indian companies are directing lower-quality drugs to the African market. Roger Bate, one of the researchers on the drug study, believes that Indian drugmakers or their distributors are deliberately doing this since regulation in African markets is even looser and laxer than it is in India. For those who claim that Western multinationals are producing lower-quality products for India, the shoe might be on the other foot. Meanwhile, U.S. regulators are poised to keep Indian drugmakers on a tight leash. In May 2013, Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd., a major Indian drug company,pleaded guilty to seven felony charges and paid a $500 million fine for fabricating data, committing fraud, and selling adulterated drugs in the U.S. market. Regulation may be at the heart of the issue. India's national drugs regulator, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization, has a staff of a little more than 300 employees, or about 2 percent the size of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). What's more, it only has authority over newer drugs; pharmaceuticals that have been on the market for over four years are under the regulatory jurisdiction of state-level regulators, who are understaffed and, in some cases, corrupt.
Low-cost Indian generics also continue to draw the ire of advanced economies like Canada, whose socialized medical system is trying to cut costs by importing cheaper drugs from India. Currently, some 5 percent of generic prescriptions in Canada are filled by drugs made in India. Meanwhile, in the United States, a whopping 40 percent of over-the-counter and generic drugs consumed are made by India's pharmaceutical companies."

What has been said about pharma products is true with respect to food products also. Can we be serious in bringing about a drastic change for the better and take actions, many of them painful, to streamline the food processing sector through scientifically sound, financially supportive, entrepreneur motivating, technically supporting, land acquisition facilitating and venture promotion policies without wasting more time on political chicanery? Being one of the top producers of many food materials like cereals, milk, fruits and vegetables, plantation crops, meat , poultry and fish, why can't we take up a massive program of establishing thousands of food processing units across the country with least bureaucratic hassle? Then only Indian can really claim that it is the food basket of the world.

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

FARMERS AS STAKEHOLDERS IN FOOD INDUSTRY?-A PIPE DREAM!

The reported remark by a minister in Tamil Nadu that his government "will" make farmers stake holders in food processing industry makes one laugh or cry depending on how knowledgeable one is regarding the pitiable condition of agriculture and the farmers in India. Concept wise the above statement is fantastic and will be a boon to the farmer if the government can make it work. Unfortunately the minister did not elaborate how this can be done! In a country where farmer suicides are rampant and agricultural productivity one of the lowest in the world, what is required is to strengthen the farming infrastructure in the country before talking about processing the crops into value added products.

Talking about the viability of farming in India, it is nothing but hypocrisy to imagine that all is well in the country because of government's huge subsidy doling and loan waiver schemes during election times. There are many agri varsities in the country which boast of a host technologies for boosting land productivity but only a few farmers get the benefits due to limited funds for extension activities. Added to this water availability is a big constraint and in allocating water resources, industry is invariably preferred over agriculture. The recent revelation that many irrigation projects built in Maharashtra for the benefit of farmers are diverting water to giant distilleries owned by local politicians, bears this out. Major crops depending on rains show variation in production year after year if rain fall is below normal. Under these circumstances how can any one think of integrated food production and processing systems?

If Amul dairy is a success in the case of live stock farming, it is largely due to linking of inputs like feeds, veterinary services and marketing under the aegis of that doyen late Dr FV Kurien. Why the country has not been able to replicate what Dr Kurien achieved during sixties, seventies and eighties of last millenium, is a point worth pondering over. Agriculture Market Produce Marketing Centers (APMC) are supposed to be providing decent prices to the crops brought by the farmers in a transparent manner but these centers are monopolized by mafia groups which manage to cheat the farmers by "ganging up" and through cartelization. Honest business in agri produce in the country is unthinkable under these conditions.

It was with grate fanfare that foreign investment policy was changed to accommodate international retailers in the Indian market. The "hope" was that these retailers will invest billions of rupees to establish the much needed infrastructure to procure, transport, preserve and market the perishable produce through out the country. Why would these players be doing what the government is supposed to do unless they have an agenda to recover their investments through under pricing of the agri corps procured from the farmers to sell the same to consumers at low prices? It does not make any sense to the ordinary intelligence of a citizen in this country!  

There is no evidence to show so far in any part of the world in support of the contention that entry of international retail chains has benefited the farmers. It is true that consumers get products at relatively cheaper rates and this has been attributed to the economy of large scale handling. In countries like USA the land holdings are of huge size and hardly a few thousand farmers have to be dealt with by the retail chains to source their materials. Added to this most farms in the USA receive government subsidies to compensate for low price realization in the market which enable them to sell their produce at lower prices. In contrast India has millions of farmers with average land holding less than an hectare in size and where the agri operations are costly. If these farmers are forced to sell their produce at low prices, they have no other alternative except committing suicide!

Ideally farmers' cooperatives similar to Amul are the answer to make them richer and prosperous like milk producers. But the political class in the country does not allow this to happen because of the fertile ground provided by such societies for grooming politicians! In stead of pumping billions of rupees in the form of subsidies, Government must organize agri cooperatives with each panchayat playing an active role and building up the supply chain with appropriate infrastructure for storage, transportation and terminal markets. The practice of minimum support price must be given up once cooperative organizations start operation in a big way. These cooperatives can always decide what prices are reasonable and plow back the profits to its members. This is the only way to make the farmers stake holders in food industry.

If there are many cooperative dairies working successfully in the county, why such farmers cooperative also cannot work economically making the farmers partners in creating wealth across millions of villages across the country?Just like these dairies, agri cooperatives can build their own cold storage and low temperature transport infrastructure for safeguarding the quality of their produce before delivering the same to the market or set up their own processing facilities to create branded products that can be sold through the existing retail market system or their own retail outlets.

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

REGULATIONS VS REALITY-FOOD SAFETY ENFORCEMENT

Food quality and safety are concerns for both the governments as well as the consumers. While governments world over have the onerous responsibility to protect the lives of its citizens besides preventing quality related frauds, consumer community is helpless in deciding on its own whether a particular product offered in the market is good and safe. It is creditable that the modern food regulations make it easier for the consumers to understand better what is inside a packet of food and the front of the pack labeling rules combined with the weights and measures control regulations are indeed revolutionary in nature. Implementing these rules and regulations calls for a sound infrastructure, adequately trained enforcement personnel and stern deterrent regime which are lacking in many countries, even if the food laws are excellent on paper.

Take for instance countries like China and India, both together accounting for more than 35% of world population, most of them not considered rich enough to lead a good quality life. But food frauds and adulteration are so rampant that it is difficult to keep track of violations that take place every day in these countries. The fraudsters and food criminals are so ruthless that they have no consideration or value for the lives of even children and old age population. On the other hand many unscrupulous manufacturers exploit the ignorance of the citizens in churning out inferior quality and safety suspect foods. Look at a super rich country like the US which boasts one of the best food quality monitoring infrastructures in the world and all one can see is a population most of which are big, fat, obese in appearance causing a big health crisis of unparalleled dimension.

Having stated the obvious, who is to be blamed for such a sorry situation which affects both rich and poor countries, whether under eating or over eating? Of course every one with a stake in food sector has to bear the blame to varying extent. Governments have invariably failed the citizens by not carrying out its sacred responsibility in disciplining the food industry in making healthy and safe foods. Industry pursuing a relentless strategy of earning more and more with least concern to the well being of the consumers, though there are some exceptions with some players still being honest. As for consumers, a reckless life style of eating unhealthy but tasty foods in quantities more than that required by the body is creating an increasingly morbid society afflicted by many health disorders. Added to this, most consumers lead sedentary living style with practically no regular exercise, needed to maintain a good health. If such a situation continues what will be the future of humanity in 100 years from now?

If excuses can solve the problem there are plenty being touted by all thes above stake holders. Some of them may be genuine which must be more carefully looked into. For example in a country like India, more than 75% of the food products available comes from the small scale processors with practically no adequate resources to carry out their operations in a way that can ensure safety of their products. On paper, India can claim to have a good food quality and safety law under the much vaunted Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) but at the ground level practically nothing is happening with the infrastructure for enforcement in tatters! If there is a modicum of order in this area thanks are due to the prevalence of a few giant food players with deep pockets setting up their most state of art facilities for quality control. However the small players in the country have no access to such facilities for periodic testing of their products as establishing such captive laboratories is beyond their means. The question is where will they go and how can they maintain quality and safety of products churned out by them?

There are many universities and food research institutions in the country which do have some decent facilities for food testing but they are mired in bureaucratic procedures which cause considerable delay in getting the results. Besides their testing fees are not low enough to be affordable to every one. From time to time grand statements emanate from the industry saying that it would set up modern facilities on its own to help those who cannot afford to spend too much on testing their products regularly. It is in this context one has to listen to a recent declaration by the hospitality industry regarding its intention to set up cost-effective alternative food testing facilities as per the norms of NABL across the country with easy access by the small scale entrepreneurs. Similar initiatives have to come from the processed food industry also sooner or later as neither the government is capable of addressing the issue nor the private testing laboratories are going to reduce they charges.    

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

NEW INSIGHT INTO FAT ACCUMULATION IN HUMANS-OBESOGENIC CHEMICALS

"Calorie in-Calorie out" calculations provide the most sensible interpretation about the logic of the uncontrolled over weight problem that is staring at humanity to day with very little hope for reversing the trend in the near future. This theory is strengthened by the prevalence of over weight problem mostly  in affluent countries with high purchasing power and ironically low food prices. Americans seem to be ashamed of them selves when it is routinely projected that majority of the population is over weight as measured by the BMI scale and almost one third are eligible to be called obese! No matter what measures have been taken or to be taken, they do not make any dent on the magnitude of the problem. Scientists and sociologists are equally worried as to the precise reason why some people are vulnerable to putting on weight while others are not. Added to this is the wide spread occurrence of life style disorders like diabetes, CVD, hypertension, kidney ailments etc and one is not sure whether these ailments are the direct outcome of over weight conditions. If most Americans are to day taking statin drugs daily to reduce blood cholesterol levels in order to pre-empt heart related diseases, what has really gone wrong with this society that necessitated such a situation?. What are the reasons responsible for changing the health of a healthy nation till just about 50-60 years ago to the present sad condition? Obviously there may not be one single answer to the above perplexing questions.

Food technologists are blamed for "designing" mouth watering products ignoring the nutrition and health aspects while the processing industry is being hauled up for marketing such products providing no option to the consumer to buy better foods. HFCS, GM ingredients, Soy proteins and a multitude of food additives, all permitted by the responsible governments of the day, are used extensively by the processor and the accusation that these are responsible for the present health crisis may be too far fetched. There are scattered and unsubstantiated study reports implicating one or the other ingredient in developing health problems, mainly through animal studies with very little clinical data support. Similarly role of tras fats and saturated fats in cholesterol elevation in blood, CVD and obesity is based on animal experiments. The orchestrated campaign against salt in foods is also being questioned regarding their relevance and veracity. Ultimately nutrition pundits come around to the view that the best way to lead a healthy life is through eating mixed foods containing calorie yielders as well as protective nutrients and phytochemicals. Here again there is hardly any explanation as to why perfectly healthy humans are affected by these diseases, in spite of great control over their diets? Could there be other factors playing crucial role in    

weight gains?

"Swimming against the tide" is an old saying with succinct connotation and any one daring to do that has to be courageous, confident, well meaning, honest and with lot of self conviction. In the scientific community also, like other fields of human endeavor, there are daring explorers who chart out courses according to their conviction opposite to the stand of a vast majority of their fellow scientists. One may recall that Coppernicus was condemned for his conviction based on his scientific findings that earth is round by the all powerful Church and how he was heralded later as a pioneering astronomer is history.  In the obesity research a new class of scientists is emerging which is seeing beyond the present staid stance that over eating is the cause of this disorder. The established scientific theories are invariably exploited by industry to make money without any regard for the well being of the consumer and one often wonders whether the present obesity conditions are becoming the ideal props on which an industry is peddling health foods to make a fortune. Obviously perpetuating obesity may be a necessity for this industry to flourish.  

A new breed of scientists is emerging who do not accept that food alone is responsible for the over weight and the knowledge about human body development is still incomplete. They are pursuing a new line to unravel the role of man made chemicals in influencing human development. It is not that the role of endocrine system in regulating every human function is unknown but in what way and at what levels the functioning of the hormones is aborted or modified or derailed are still a matter of conjecture. Hormones literally control body growth, sexual functions, reproductive process, mood of the individuals, sleep, hunger, stress, metabolism, pancreas, hypothalamus, adrenal glands, thyroid, pituitary and testes. It is the  endocrine system that determines whether one is male or female, tall or short, hirsute or hairless, lean or heavy and such personal traits.  Obviously any event that can affect their routine and regulated functions can have undesirable consequences. Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDS) which have been brought to focus recently are entities which can disrupt the functions of hormonal system with disastrous results as borne by many scientific studies.

Considerable insight has been gained about the occurrence of EDCs in the food consumed to day as well as in the environment where humans live. These include natural hormone like substances in soy bean, hormonal chemicals administered to food animals, plastics of various types, ingredients deployed by the food industry, pesticides, etc and many chemicals identified so far seem to have the ability to mimic hormones like estrogen causing health problems of unimaginable magnitude. They are deduced to be playing an active role in fertility related problems, genital malformation, reduced male birth rates, precocious puberty, miscarriages, behavioral problems, brain abnormalities, impaired immune function, cancers of different type and cardiovascular disease. More alarming is the fact that their effect is more potent on unborn children and newly born ones though some believe they are equally disastrous for adults also.  

Tendency of fish in Thames river in the UK to be more effiminate and decreased population of male fish was attributed to pollution of the water with birth control chemicals. Similarly the abnormal deformed population in Kasargod in Kerala is supposed to be due to the pesticide Endosulfan sprayed on Cashewnut plantations to which the population nearby was exposed. Thus EDC s do exert influence on some functions of hormones in one way or the other.

New investigators pursuing the theory that EDCs will have an influence on obesity also are coming up with new evidences supporting this stand. The fact that many of the EDCs have been safety tested with animals and in vitro studies does not mean that they are totally harmless in human beings. The safety limits for these chemicals arrived at by internationally accepted protocols may hold good still as far as their disease causing potential is concerned. An entirely new approach to the action of EDCs now being pursued presumes that these chemicals even at concentrations below 1 ppb can have potential effect on the development of fat cells as they can hijack the regulatory system that controls body weight. There are many chemicals introduced in the daily lives of human beings and no systematic effort has gone into their impact on obesity. It is an irrefutable fact that phenomenal rise in obesity is matched by rise in manufacture and use of industrial chemicals which may be playing the role as "obesogens". This raises the inevitable question whether human beings will ever be able to avoid over weight problem under such an environment. One can realize the implication of such a situation when apple, most favored nutritious fruit, is known to be laced with at least 12-15 pesticide and other crop protectant chemicals while others like peaches, Bell pepper, Celery, Strawberries, Lettuce, Nectarines, Cherries, Kale etc are also considered as over treated with chemicals. Evidence on the fat storing ability of obesogens is accumulating in recent days, the most impressive study coming from University of California, Irvine where Tributyltin, a fungicide used commonly, was confirmed to be obesogenic in rats. It was found that this chemical activates components in human cells, retinoid X receptors which are necessary for fat cell formation. 

The reported presence of Bis-Phenol A in the urine samples of 93% of Americans and Phthalates in 75% of the population more or less tells the story as to why People in the US are more vulnerable to over weight and obesity. True, over eating and eating of unbalanced foods do contribute but omnipotent presence of EDCs in the foods consumed and the environment they live make it difficult to shed the weight easily under standard weight losing regime. More than 6 billion pounds of BPA and 18 billion pounds of phthalates are produced annually and no wonder a small portion of this, gaining entry into human system, can make the growth dynamics go haywire over a period of time. While BPA is a prominent component of polycarbonate plastics and the widely used epoxy resins used in food packaging, phthalates are part and parcel of many food packings and wrappers, pesticides, toys, PVC pipes, medical supplies etc. Where does the HFCS fit into this obesogen scenario? If these scientists are to be beliefved HFCS plays the role of an obesogen by interfering with the Leptin formation which regulates appetite and consequently increasing the craving for eating for more food.    

     

The role of obesogens in fat accumulation raises questions about the effectiveness of just diet and exercise in helping people lose pounds and maintain a proper weight. Obesogen research may be in its early stages but surely it is gaining widespread attention among those familiar with problems concerning body weight gain in human beings. Probably at this stage of research it may not be possible to pin point precisely the extent of influence these chemicals exert on the obesity epidemic but what ever has been found so far gives sufficient reasons for alarm. In some of the studies it has been found that obesogens have the ability to target signaling proteins in a developing fetus to make more fat cells. This can be expected to have lifelong consequences because it raises the chance of body fat accumulation as a person ages and making it more difficult to lose excess weight. Even if obesogens do not exert undue influence on adults, it is possible that exposure during pre-birth and early childhood stages can have lasting influence on fat accumulation in the body. It is a matter of speculation whether those born after the widespread production and use of many industrial chemical during the middle of the last millenium were more vulnerable to obesity related fat disorders. The fact that compared to other countries, the US boasts of highest density of obese population and the consumption of industrially processed foods is highest in this country further support the role of obesogenic chemicals in over weight epidemic. 

  

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

HEALTH FOODS-ARE THEY REALLY HEALTHY?

Food industry is supposed to be providing to the consumer foods that can satisfy both their nutritional as well as culinary satisfaction. Whether the current day food manufacturing sector has been able to satisfy both the above criteria is a subject matter of incessant controversy. A substantial segment of the consumers feel that this industry is more obsessed with protecting its economic interests rather than the interests of the consumer with the result that responsibility for most of the modern day health disorders has been laid at the door steps of the industry. Whether it is CVD, Diabetes, Blood pressure, Kidney disorders or Obesity a substantial segment of the society blames the industry for making and marketing unhealthy foods to the unsuspecting consumer. Though food industry will have to take a large part of the blame for this sorry situation, the government as well as the consumer also have contributed to this mess in their own way. While the regulatory agencies under the government control can be found guilty of not exercising its power of disciplining the industry, consumers must be faulted for not choosing the right food and not following an active life style required to maintain good health.

Sugar including HFCS, fat including the trans fats and salt are the common enemies targeted as villains of the peace when role of food on good health is considered. Why these three constituents in the food should become villains though they were part of the foods consumed for ages is mired in controversies defying a consensus among the pundits of health. It is true that HCFS and trans fats are human creation and therefore their exact role needs to be elucidated through critical and reliable human studies but organizing such studies is fraught with lot of logistical difficulties at the ground level. The empirical calculation that as long as the calorie intake is balanced with expenditure and a diet of varied components is consumed regularly, one need not fear about health deterioration may require a revisit if the large scale use of food additives used by the processors, contaminants that creep into the food during handling and processing, faulty design of products with low fiber and depleted nutrients and unsafe processing practices are taken into consideration. Modern day foods are largely based on too much sugar, refined grains devoid of almost all nutrients, high salt levels, high fat content, all necessary to increase palatability which happens to be the driving force for successful marketing. 

It was not long ago that the industry came up with food supplements and nutraceuticals to overwhelm the consumer who started to worry about the ill effects of over processed foods and success was almost instant. To day this specialized segment of the industry offers a wide range of products,  most of which are considered neither a food nor a pharmaceutical product and the new industry is worth about $ 200 billion world wide, according to one estimate! Ideally for business, food processing makes an easy choice but progressive tightening of safety regulations and increasing criticism from the consumers make it difficult to meet consumer aspirations. Here is where the food supplements and nutraceuticals fit the bill. This is also true for pharmaceutical industry which is a cost intensive sector besides being tightly controlled universally. Almost all products being churned out by this new avatar of the industry such as probiotics, antioxidants, etc are able to make claims on one count or the other regarding their effectiveness on improving health or some medical benefits or preventing many diseases. Unfortunately these foods have not been subjected to any meaningful clinical research for proving the claims. Many of these products are targeted at young or old people with claims of keeping one younger, fitter and slimmer, often offering quick-fix solutions to protecting health. In India there are a few products that blatantly boast of growing taller, sharper, smarter, more healthy, quick energy restoration etc though very little clinical evidence is offered in support. Enrolling some obscure "scientists", obviously mercenaries in nature, in visual promotions gives the claims some respectability. It is a tragedy that government of the day remains a mute spectator to this day light fraud!        

According to some observers the nutraceutical and health food industry is a "placebo" driven business with little margins and therefore it cannot invest too much on clinical research in supportv of its varied claims.  Consumers eager to buy products which are fortified with one or more nutrients or well being ingredients, enhanced and enriched and their ready willingness to buy them, provides the platform for the health food industry to exploit this weakness for enriching itself! There is a famous saying that multi vitamins only improve the "health" of the industry! Probably this may be the real truth in the case of health food industry also. It is the eternal hope of the consumers who are hooked on to these products by high pressure promotional efforts of the industry, that ensures phenomenal growth by many major players in this sector. This situation cannot be allowed to continue knowing well that consumers are being taken for a ride by this industry with no regulatory agencies doing any thing to curb their activities. Probably it is time consumer activists take up cudgels on behalf of millions of unsuspecting consumers and force the governments in different countries as well as international agencies involved in health related developments to bring in some sanity in the form of evolving a regulatory environment to protect the interest of the consumer. The fact that these products do not harm the consumer though the claims made are unsustainable, cannot be an excuse to delay action in this area any more.     

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

WHY CRUCIFY FOOD INDUSTRY FOR MODERN DAY HEALTH TRAGEDY? SHARE THE BLAME!

Food industry has been at the receiving end during the last two decades attracting a slew of criticism, holding it responsible for all the ills that afflict the modern society in terms of various health disorders. Three distinct lines of study being pursued by different groups independently are opening up new possibilities that the human system per se will have to take some blame for the uncontrolled weight gains experienced by many people in spite of following diet regimes considered helpful in maintaining the body weight and BMI within the limits recommended. This does not mean that food industry has to go over board absolving itself of any role in this transformation that has made two thirds of all Americans either over weight or obese. The three studies involved unraveling of the peculiar way genes are working to by pass the brain in deciding what to eat and when to eat, the unsuspecting impact of obesogens in obesity development and the part played by the thyroid gland in changing the body weight, throw some light on the dynamics  of body weight.

No doubt the food environment in affluent countries does not lend itself to any meaningful control on the part of the consumer to exercise any self discipline in selecting right type of foods as there are fantastic choices with tempting organoleptic credentials but very low nutrient density. It has to be admitted that foods containing high sugar, high salt and high fat dominate the market while healthy foods are too few in number. Besides healthy foods are invariably too expensive to be affordable to many economically not-well to do consumers, making them occasional foods while internationally recognized norms entail almost 50% of daily diet to be made of fruits and vegetables, the ultimate in human nutrition. Why the food industry persists with this practice of turning out almost 90% of its products with more sugar, salt and fat is to be seen in the context of the desire to improve its bottom line and it will be difficult to regiment the industry into a health provider under policing without considering genuine apprehension about its economic sustainability. 

Coming to the role of genes it has been pointed out that there is a gluttony gene evolved out of the Bdnf gene which is responsible for over eating because of its influence on the signalling system between the brain and the appetite center. Leptin and Insulin are the two hormones associated with satiety and hunger and through their communication with the brain appetite or satiety signals are sent. After ingestion of a meal the chemicals released by these hormones send signals to activate the neurons in the hypothalamus region of the brain which triggers satiety and due to the action of the modified Bdnf gene, the satiety signal fails to reach the appetite control center resulting in more and more eating. Discovery of the role of FTO gene in obesity development is another significant development indicating that exercising control over eating is more difficult for those having any modification in this particular gene. It is reported that more than two thirds of the population have mutated versions of FTO gene making them susceptible to craving for foods high in sugar and fat. 

Recently some studies have focused on the role of some chemicals being spewed into the environment and the food system which, besides being harmful to the body, also triggers increased fat synthesis leading to accumulation of fat. Increase in the number of fatty cells as well as enlarged size of fat cells, both result in bloating of the body, upsetting the BMI and leading eventually to obesity. A classical example is bis-Phenol A, a leachant getting into the food from poly carbonate packaging and bottling material and can lining compounds at ppm levels, not considered too dangerous till recently. But its influence on lipogenesis even when present in ppb levels in foods is receiving increased attention from scientists though conclusive evidence is still not on the table to demand for its total ban, though food and beverage industry by and large has voluntarily stopped their use, a couple of years ago. There are many Endocrine Disruptors, found among pesticide chemicals, antidepressant medications, perfluorooctanoic (PFOA) acid containing coating materials in non-stick cookwares, which also have obesogenic properties. The fact that 98% of Americans have PFOA in their blood is indeed some thing that must worry the safety experts.

Thyroid hormone is an important component of the human endocrine system with many functions attributed to its optimal activity. Too much of Thyroxine or too less of it can have many adverse consequences on a variety of body functions. Recent studies have brought out the close relationship between hypothyroidism and unnatural weight gain. As the Thyroid gland fails to produce sufficient Thyroxine needed by the body to ensure normal metabolism, food ingested invariably contribute to fat accumulation in the body. Iodine deficiency and impaired Thyroid gland performance can contribute to this situation. While iodine deficiency is not very common due to wide use of iodized salt these days, because of tireless campaign by health activists and governments in some countries, salt intake is coming down significantly with a potential to reduce iodine intake also. Iodine deficiency can be more conspicuous among consumers not used to sea foods which is a major source of this micro nutrient. Unfortunately hypothyroidism is not easily diagnosed as the symptoms associated with it like fatigue, cold, constipation, dry skin and hair, sore muscles, slowed down thinking, memory loss, mood swings etc are too common to be alarmed about and probably many people may not be even aware of such deficiency condition.

Confounding the confusion further, sporadic reports linking Vitamin D deficiency to obesity need to be taken seriously in countries farther away from equator where inadequate exposure to Sun can slow down the synthesis of this vitamin among the population there. Though recommended daily intake is pegged at 200-600 IU depending on the age of an individual, recent studies indicate that a more appropriate optimal figure would be double this level considering that a significant segment of the population are over weight with their Vitamin D conversion rate to Calcitriol, the active hormonal form, being insufficient. Vitamin D deficiency also contributes to Calcium deficiency which in turn increases the production of Synthase enzyme that is involved in conversion of calories into fat. The Vitamin D -Obesity relationship is more reflected by decreased absorption of this vitamin in obese individuals and whether Obesity creates Vitamin D deficiency or vice-versa is still not clear.

All considered the enemy that is manifested in the form of obesity seems to be within the individual and unless the parameters mentioned above are addressed properly, blaming others for this distortion in human health landscape is not going to serve any purpose. Under the prevailing conditions in different countries, addressing the problem of gluttony and over weight will have to take into consideration the basic health parameters of each individual vulnerable to weight gain and then make attempts to over come them. Whether it is the genetic factor or hypothyroidism or obesogen exposure or Vitamin D deficiency that make people fatty, appropriate measures need to be taken to correct the diets, evolve exercise regimes and create market conditions to reduce exposure to so called junk foods. It is not proper that the food industry alone is hammered for a situation caused by diverse factors illustrated above and in stead the world as a whole must look for effective and collective solutions to obviate the problem.          

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

THE "CALORIE-BODY WEIGHT" EQUATION-NEW APPROACH TO UNDERSTAND OBESITY

When the subject of obesity is talked about, there is always this tendency to advice the victims of such physiological disorders to cut down drastically on food intake, least realizing that there is no quick fix solution to overcome the epidemic. It is true that balancing the calories consumed with that expended is a key to "prevent" development of obesity but cutting down on calories by people already obese has minimal effect forcing the unfortunate victims to seek medical intervention. Many slimming diets propounded by commercial special food industry also do not help in controlling weight in all people, their impact being not uniform among the patients trying to bring down body weight through this route. It is for nothing that obesity "industry" is growing fast attracting victims who do not get solace through conventional diet therapy.  

Mathematics is a precise science and it is the basis of all designs man comes up with during the last few decades. There are many mathematical models evolved by scientists to test hypotheses and concepts and with the computing power of to day's man becoming mind boggling, there is nothing which cannot be predicted based on mathematics. Practically the whole space program was developed on computer calculations and modeling studies. It is against this background attempts are being made to use mathematical modeling studies to understand and predict obesity trends among human beings based on food intake and other data available already in the literature. Probably better and more intensive use of mathematics may reduce drastically the time needed to understand and project future possibilities.

A standard answer to any question related to calorie intake and weight reduction will always be that it takes about 3500 kC calorie reduction to lose. But it appears this is no longer the holy grail if some mathematicians have their say. They aver that the behavior of the human body is not the same under over caloric and under caloric conditions. Proof of this contention is that a person already overweight puts on more weight for every 10 calories additional intake compared to a normal healthy person consuming the same number of calories. In other words the effect of calorie intake is not manifested immediately and there is a certain time factor to see its weight gaining effect. If these findings are true the dietary science may have to be revised to keep in tune with the new predictions by the mathematics experts.

One of the surprising findings is that weight gain and reduction cannot be achieved in short time and it may take 1-3 years to reach equilibrium by the human body. In other words there is no quick fix for weight reduction as is being propagated by the merchants and peddlers of weight reduction diets world over. How difficult it is to lose weight can be gauged by the fact, as brought out recently, that it takes about three years for a dieter under any dietary regime to reach a steady state and there should not be any disappointment if results take longer to arrive than expected! The mathematical model arrived at by the new studies predicts that if one wants to reduce 10 pounds, it is necessary to cut down 100 kC a day for 3 years. Most welcome finding that will give solace to many weight watchers is that huge variations in daily intake of foods will not be a problem as long as the average intake is maintained to achieve the desired goal of reduced weight. 

One of the reasons as to why in the US one out of every three persons is obese can be seen against the above background. Since 1970s the food cost in that country has been coming down significantly while the per capita income has been increasing, putting more money in the hands of people. American food industry started its "seduction" program to tap the increased money in the hands of the population by creating foods that stimulate the palate rather than improving their well being! If the obesity in the US has assumed alarming proportion during the last one decade, it has to be understood in the context of the growth of the food industry there churning out foods with empty nutrition and abundance of calories. If the mathematical modeling is taken into consideration once the equilibrium level of the body is reached in 3 years resulting in increase of 10 pounds in the body weight, every additional calorie is bound to escalate the weight accrual relentlessly resulting in obesity in no time. As against 2000-2500 kC intake by healthy persons in developing countries, the corresponding figure is in the vicinity of 3500 kc! Under such a condition one cannot help saying "Obesity, thy name is America"!

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

THE BRAND WAR-INDUSTRY BRANDS VS RETAILERS' BRANDS

The important players involved in supplying processed food products to consumers are the manufacturer and the retailer and unless there is a close liaison between them the market cannot satisfy the consumer fully. It is rarely understood that the retailer acts as a conduit for feed back information from the consumer regarding the quality of a new product launched by the industry and similarly valuable data regarding sales of a product in a given time allows the industry to do mid-course correction to its products to augment the sales. Industry also gets valuable information regarding the competitors which is helpful in planning corporate policies and evolving market strategies to score over competitors. Retailers can favor some manufacturers over others by manipulating the shelf space given to each of the brand offered by them in their aisles. It is well known that some good brands are destroyed some times by the retailers while bad products get promoted through such shelf space maneuvering.

Are the retailers really so powerful that many industry players dread them for various reasons? Probably yes, depending on the extent of market dominance by the organized retailers. In many countries, especially the developing ones, market is largely controlled by small retailers or the so called traders or family stores with limited shelf space and low business volume. In such a situation it is usually the industry which dominates them because of the dynamics of business that prevail in these countries. While famous brands can dictate terms to small traders, the very same brands pay obeisance to supermarkets enjoying enormous clout. Many established brands refuse to supply products to the distributors who supply the products to traders unless the price is paid in advance and there are instances when even the loaded transport vehicle does not leave the premises of the factory unless Demand Drafts worth the value of the consignments are received by the manufacturer! Such a situation is possible only when organized retailing does not make up much of the consumer goods business in a country.

Another feature of organized retailing is that with its enormous financial muscle small manufacturers can be bludgeoned into submission and get as much as 40-50% margin in selling the products from the latter. Many small scale manufacturers are ruined because of this unjustified and irrational practice by big retailers. On the other hand retailing chains deploy another strategy in tackling the big brand owners by creating their own brands or in-house brands.to compete with the former and this more or less works when such shop brands are priced marginally lower. This is what is happening in many countries where organized retailing in the form of super markets, Departmental stores and Malls have practically monopoly of the market with very little presence of small players. Probably this is one of the fears that has barred the entry of multinational brands in processed foods into India. Not allowing foreign investment in multi-brand retailing so far has allowed a thriving small business community to grow so far unhindered or without any fear about the financial muscle of international retailing giants. Whether this situation, where not even 5% of the retail market is in the hands of organized business houses, will continue or not, depends on Government of India's policy orchestration in the coming months.

It is unusual for food industry, that too for large manufacturers to complain against monolithic retailing companies regarding the unfair practices indulged in by the latter adversely affecting their fortunes in a wealthy country like Canada as is being reported. What is true for Canada can be true in other countries too. The core of the complaint is that some giant retailers are slowly weeding out reputed brands by introducing their own shop brands which are sold cheaply. Besides affecting their business, food industry feels that such unfair trade practices destroy innovation at the ground level and by "copying" these brands retailers are able to reap a rich harvest at the expense of the innovating industry. Many retailing organizations do not have the wherewithal to come up with good new products as they lack expertise, personnel and infrastructure facilities, all of which cost lot of money. Other unfair tactics include prolonging the lead time for clearing new products, restricting shelf space arbitrarily and larger returns of unsold materials all having a bearing on the viability of new brands.  

The only way the mainstream industry can fight this new trend is to set up its own "Cash and Carry" stores where the branded products are sold in bulk, acting as a feeder source to small retailers who in turn can add their margin while selling them to the consumers. Already this concept has been established in Western countries and in India too there are some such wholesale stores where customer entry is restricted by pre-registered membership system. Imagine operation of such wholesale shops in large numbers in a country like India and what benefits this will confer on the small traders who operate even in remote rural areas carrying out their business earning a few rupees that sustain them. As it is, the small retail business community in the country is a vibrant one and it is not easy for foreign companies to dislodge them from the retail landscape so easily as they seem to be imagining. A few big domestic retailing giants have already learned their lesson as their big plans, started in 2005 to establish dominance in the retail market in India has come to naught forcing them to linger on without any appreciable presence during the last seven years!

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

THE "BUDGET" TIME-WHAT IS IN STORE FOR THE FOOD INDUSTRY?

It is the budget time now in India and as usual the Finance Minister goes through the motion of consultation with various stakeholders as far as the national economy is concerned. If one goes by the past experience it is rare that any suggestions made by those fortunate to be consulted, are incorporated in the Budget. With its eyes focused heavily on spreading the net far and wide, GOI obviously is averse to any pleas from the industry to forgo any revenue that is already assured through existing policies. One of the unique features of the financial policies of GOI is that those who pay taxes are repeatedly being asked to pay more taxes and most of the revenue generated through economic levies is spent on programs which are supposed to help poor people. In spite of massive subsidies distributed year after year neither the poverty level nor the hunger seems to be affected with more people being pushed under the "Below Poverty Line" though the statistics based on which these are estimated cannot be taken as reliable.

Recent debate regarding Food Security Bill throws up stark realities of Indian scenario where GOI wants to give food grains at throw away prices to more than 75% of rural population and 65% of urban population incurring a national financial commitment estimated at Rupees one hundred thousand crore, an enormous amount measured on any scale. Obviously the money has to come from honest tax paying citizens and business sector and the newest Budget, scheduled to be presented in the first week of March has to dig deep into the pockets of those already paying hefty taxes to "augment" the subsidy "frenzy" that has seized the government. There is no quarrel with the social justice philosophy inherent in such a mindset but when country's precious resources are squandered, pilfered or stolen, every citizen is bound to feel the pinch of the sacrifice made each one and the country's policies are questioned. On one hand the every day food is becoming increasingly expensive, casting a heavy burden on the family budget of an average citizen, protective foods like fruits and vegetables are non-affordable to most middle class consumers raising alarms all around regarding the adverse impact of such a run way price escalation on the health of the people in general.

According to some observers familiar with the government thinking, the Finance Minister may attempt to come out with policies that can nudge entrepreneurs to invest more on productive activities and this is sought to be achieved without worsening the already alarming fiscal deficit. Economy is sought to be revived through measures that include incentives for new infrastructure projects, labor-intensive industries, others manufacturing urea and a few agricultural input materials, setting up of cold chains and supply chains that help maintain the quality of food produce. It is recognized that a combination of unbearably high interest rates and tortoise paced decision-making at the government level have caused a policy paralysis which are responsible for stalling investments. Gross fixed capital formation, a measure of investments, contracted 0.7% in the second quarter of the current fiscal from a year ago. 

As in 2008, the government presently does not seem to have the leeway to step up spending to generate demand and probably dreaming to encourage private spending through policy impetus, least realizing that scope for major fiscal concessions is very limited. With the national debt mounting to unacceptable level, bordering on panic,GOI seems to have very limited options to keep the growth rate beyond 7%. GOI may not concede that it is unlikely to succeed in restricting fiscal deficit target of 4.6% of GDP in the current fiscal and naturally this will increase pressure to rein in spending. Commitments already made on food security bill, the pet project of the UPA government will suck more from the kitty and only future will tell whether this is a wise policy at all viewed from fiscal angle. If one has to hazard a guess, the forthcoming budget may make an attempt to ease norms governing foreign investment in infrastructure and set up a dedicated infrastructure debt fund to provide support to public-private projects. There is also a possibility of subsidizing imported natural gas to achieve higher urea production. 

Though nothing much is talked about food industry which has been knocking on the doors of the Finance Ministry every year at this time seeking tax abatement for its products, except for juggling with the excise duty with some items removed and others brought in there is hardly any relief to this sector. Of course the budget for the SPV for food industry, the MoFPI is increasing every year for various incentive schemes for the different areas of food processing like Food Parks, R & D, infrastructure, cold stores and chains, new food projects in backward regions, etc but the impact of these measures so far during the last few years has been not very significant. Still food industry is benefited by progressive lowering of packaging materials during the past which has enabled many small scale processors to break into the highly competitive market with low cost pouched products affordable to masses. If there is a single wish the industry is allowed to express, it will be to free all the products manufactured by it from all taxes at the federal and state levels, at least for a 10 years. 

The debate about taxing high end products will go on with no consensus about it in sight but there may be a case of taxing nationally branded products while leaving out local products from any levy. This move can give some relief to the small and medium scale industries which currently find it difficult to compete with large brands and wide scale sickness in this segment of food industry can be attributed to their insufficient marketing muscle. A fiscal incentive scheme for large players for bringing smaller ones under their tutelage for marketing purpose may give a fillip to the development food industry as a whole and must be considered by the government. GOI can definitely afford these steps because tax collection from the food industry is so minimal that there may not be any net benefit if the expenses for recovering the tax are computed. One can only hope that GOI can still listen amid the din generated by UP election and the slew of financial scams in which it is embroiled!  

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

"HUMAN" GELATIN-SOUNDS WEIRD?

Gelatin is a relatively minor substance that is used by food, pharmaceutical, photography and cosmetic industries which find this by-product of meat industry a very attractive material with some unique physical properties. As the world use of gelatin is less than 0.3 million tons and many effective substitutes have been developed from plant sources during the last few years, its significance is progressively diminishing though its recovery during slaughter house operations improves the economy of meat industry significantly. Use of gelatin by food industry is not very high because of its association with meat industry, many manufacturers preferring to use plant derived viscosity modifiers which include agar agar, carrageenan, pectin, konjak, guar gum etc..

While 27% of gelatin manufactured comes from animal bones, Bovine hide and Pig skin contribute 28% and 44% respectively. Production is largely concentrated in Western Europe (39%), Northern America (20%) and Latin America (17%). Gelatin is a protein by nature derived by partial hydrolysis of Collagen found in bones, connective tissues, organs, intestines of cattle, chicken and pig but its nutritional value as a protein source is very low. It is predominantly made of two amino acids-glycine and proline, has no tryptophan and is deficient in threonine, isoleucine and methionine. Therefore its value to the industry lies in its functional properties. It melts into a liquid at high temperatures and solidifies on cooling. It forms a high viscous fluid with hot water and can form a gel on cooling. This is the property which makes gelatin an attractive ingredient in many food products.

Gelatin is found in many food products that include Marshmallows, gelatin desserts, low fat yogurts, jams, cream cheese, a number of low fat foods, margarine, jelly base etc. Its properties as a stabilizer, thickener, texturizer, viscosity modifier, fat sparing ingredient are unique and given a choice any processor will opt for gelatin. Recent news that using biotechnology scientists have been able to make gelatin from human cells, if true, may provide a cleaner route for getting a cleaner and more consistent product for industrial use. The quality of gelatin from slaughter house waste is not uniform though there are broad quality ranges and lot of standardization is required before a uniform quality product with assured performance can be offered. Human gelatin, so called because of the use of human stem cells for producing the product, can be of a high quality with assured performance. Biotechnology has been even able to create artificial meat from human stem cells.    

The new technique for making gelatin from human DNA is receiving world wide attention after the reported success of Chinese scientists who were able to insert human genes into a strain of yeast to "grow" large amounts of recombinant.human gelatin. Though the experiments are still at an early stage, some doubts are being raised whether such products derived from stem cells will be acceptable to the industry and the consumer. The reported fiasco of marketing human "breast milk" as a health product in the UK is still fresh in the memory of many people and whether same sentiments may rule when it comes to accepting meat derived from human gene remains to be seen. More important consideration would be whether such products are safe and whether clinical trials are required to be done to confirm their safety.

It is claimed that there is a very high degree of similarity between gelatin that comes from a cow, a pig, and a human and hence the pioneers do not see any health risk to it. The fact that people have been ingesting gelatin for many years does not guarantee that human derived counterpart would behave the same way. It is being pointed out that human-derived gelatin is already in use by the pharmaceutical industry in the manufacture of certain pills and vaccines. Probably the highly controlled production techniques under laboratory conditions may offer a more consistent product than "traditional" gelatin. Also cited is the current practice of using human genes by pharmaceutical firms in the production of human  insulin for diabetics, human growth hormone, and erythropoietin, which is used to treat anemia. Using stem cells for experiments however beneficial it may turn out to be, is a divisive issue with religious connotations and probably such products may never find universal acceptance in all parts of the world.

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

"SKILL" VS "DEGREE"- FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Modern education in India and many developing countries is degree oriented with the students striving hard to get a University degree or Diploma entertaining serious hope of landing in a job, preferably in government sector. On the other hand there are many lower education centers where pupils are trained to sharpen a skill or develop a skill that will help to plunge into a job requiring that particular skill. Education is a broad term and it need not be University centered because every day it is a learning process if one has the common sense to observe and understand the environment. Unfortunately the current system of education does not value non-formal education and every job available has a qualification tag, generally a university degree. If the unemployment problem is acute in the country, blame squarely lies with the present education system. 

Life has to teach a lot of lesson to youngsters aspiring to be some body to be counted by the society. There are millions of so called skilled personnel with capabilities beyond the reach of their counterparts coming out of the formal education system and these skilled workers are invariably called artisans with experience in doing specific jobs with confidence and elan. Take the case of a Mason who may be an illiterate person with no formal education but he can be depended upon to do his construction work and if one looks at the evolution of this artisan the career must have started as a menial worker with practically no knowledge about any aspects of construction to begin with. Within a few years of watching his peers work at the construction sites and after a few hesitant steps towards practicing the masonry job in a small way, he may eventually become even a civil contractor undertaking construction work with increasing complexity over a period of time. Same is true with almost all skill oriented profession. 

Food industry is a classical example of artisan predominance as 75% of the food products marketed in the country comes from unorganized or informal sector, employing millions of artisans. Almost every traditional Indian foods which have been commercialized in India are produced using traditional technology with predominantly manual operations. The machinery content in the technology is limited to a few standard unit operations like grinding, mixing, heating and concentration. Modern packaging machinery, when deployed, are restricted to semi automatic types while most packing is done manually. The failure of mechanized gadgets to make khoa, paneer, roti, idli, vada, bonda, papads, Chakli, samosa and many snack products reflects the importance of skill in making the traditional food products of acceptable quality. 

There are many institutions and universities offering degrees in food technology all over the country and hundreds of graduates, post-graduates and doctorates are produced by them year after year. Where do they fit in as a responsible operator? Unfortunately, with multinational companies with least challenges to grow, 90% of the industry in the micro enterprise, small scale and medium scale sectors do not employ any university degree holder and this should wake up the education pundits in the country regarding the exact need of this industry to flourish. Besides the so called teachers with responsibility to impart training are them selves not fully conversant with developments in food technology, being out of touch with modern developments. To a very limited extent the certificate and diploma course do serve a purpose but in absence of hands-on training facilities in these teaching "shops", at best half baked products are turned out from these centers. Industry also must carry the blame partially because of its reluctance to join forces with teaching institutions in making the "products' of these centers fully "baked". 

Any course intended to train operators in a food processing facility must focus more on practical aspects rather than being heavy on academic content. Of course food technology is a vast area and it is humanly not possible to train every one in all areas. It is here that specialization is called for. One of the most shining examples of focused training comes from Mysore where specialist milling technicians are trained at CFTRI specifically for the flour milling industry. Why not such course be planned for every sector like fruits and vegetables, baking, confectionery, snack foods, dairy products, breweries and other food product categories based on a realistic assessment of country's need. The Ministry of Food Processing Industry, instead of behaving like a funding entity, must take lead in this area to generate thousands of skilled artisans who can provide a sound foundation to the food industry in general. 

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