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

GLOBAL WHEAT SCENARIO-WHERE DOES INDIA STAND?

It was not long ago that the Supreme Court in India admonished the Government for its "pussy footing" about problem of rotting wheat in its granaries. The court went to the extent of even suggesting distribution of the enormous quantity of wheat that could not be stored safely because of lack of storage capacity in its warehouses. Many observers even suggested that wheat should be exported to fetch valuable foreign exchange in stead allowing it to be spoiled because of exposure to weather elements under the CAP storage system. After almost an year GOI seems to have woken up to the reality and the hopelessness of the condition that exists in the country, it has recently allowed limited exports of wheat as well as sugar based on a "stop and go" policy.

According to recent reports GOI estimates that the country should be able to export about 5.5 million tons (mt) during the present financial year if the present trend is sustained till March. While a country like the US is expected to export more than 32 mt, Canada and Australia 18 mt each India's share in the world trade of 135 mt in wheat is less than 5%. Probably India can take consolation that its rank among the wheat exporting countries rose from being 16th last year to 7th this year!. Even the projection of 5.5 mt this year is based on the first half of the year performance which stood at 2.43 mt. Whether the simple arithmetic projection will materialize remains to be see under a regime which is not considered very stable politically. It may be recalled that only in September last year that GOI lifted the ban on wheat export, probably realizing that the available stock would be more than sufficient for ensuring food security.

A worrying factor that can still derail the progressive export policy now in place is the proposed Food Security Bill that will cover almost 70% of the country's population, offering rice and wheat practically free and whether the grains, available in its granaries presently and procured in future, would be adequate to meet this emerging demand. As per the records, GOI is holding a grain stock of about 43 mt presently which is much more than the 22 mt required as buffer stock according to global norms. If and when the Food Security Bill is passed and when the new policy is implemented, the situation may change dramatically and it should not come as a surprise if GOI again clamps on exports.

Any nation wishing to be a significant player in the global trade regime must have a stable and continuing export policy which only can generate the required confidence among the buyers. A fair weather exporter like India cannot be relied upon if the country does not strive to put in place a dynamic export policy which can instill confidence in the international market. If GOI can allow unrestricted exports, it is a question of time before the country can become a major player and such exports can be expected to create a positive backlash in the form of more production, better price realization to the farmer and creation of required infrastructure to maintain international quality for Indian products. What type of justification GOI can provide for exporting wheat at a price of $ 270 per ton, about Rs 14 per kg when the procurement price itself is about that and consumers pay almost double this price in the open market?

Export is inevitable whether one likes it or not because the country produces far in excess of the consumption need of the domestic market. As against an estimated production of 90 mt in the current year, Indian domestic consumption is only about 75 mt and the storage capacity in the country is far less than the surplus generated year after year. Indian agriculture is robust enough to maintain the present level of wheat production more or less and GOI should not have any apprehension in this regard. It is time the country invests on grain storage infrastructure and deploys most modern technologies for safe storage of grains for long time so that India becomes a quality and quantity player in grain exports in the coming years.

One of the excuses trotted out for not allowing export of wheat and sugar was that by doing that world prices would crash affecting global trade adversely. There were also fears that exports would affect domestic prices creating short supply in the market place. Did the export ban prevent price rise of sugar and wheat in the market in India? Absolutely not as Indian consumers have been buying these commodities in the open market at prices at least 10% more than that prevailed last year which is even higher than global prices. Now that limited exports under a controlled regime are allowed, countries like Bangladesh and other developing countries will be benefited to a great extent by getting Indian wheat, the price of which is almost 20-30% cheaper than that being realized by other exporting countries. It is a shame that India wheat cannot fetch good prices in the global market which may probably due to failure to adhere to quality norms set by other importing countries.  

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

   

FOOD GRAINS DIVERSION-IS IT MORALLY JUSTIFIED?

With world population surging ahead ruthlessly, the quest for food to meet the food needs of millions of new denizens is becoming a relentless effort in many countries, developed, developing as well as  the impoverished ones. The fact is that condition of most of the populations in poor African, Asian and South American countries is a matter of concern because the very existence of such poverty ridden human beings pricks the conscience of the whole world and can be a source of unrest and violence affecting the lives of every body in this planet. For long it has been realized that unless well to do nations show a spirit of sacrifice in helping those with hungry bellies, eternal peace will continue to elude humanity. It is not that such help is not forthcoming as billions of dollars worth foods are donated each year by the industrialized world to needy people in these poor countries but the pertinent question that begs for an answer is whether this humanitarian help is sufficient to make any meaningful impact on the hunger front. Will this world ever be able to solve this food problem through financial resources, technological means, skill upgrading of local population, land reclamation, water conservation and economic improvement of the people in these unfortunate countries?. 

What is alarming indeed is the mindless and unethical diversion of human foods to cattle and for non food purpose in most developed countries while almost one third of the global population is literally starving. Two typical examples are enormous diversion of corn to alcohol production and ever increasing use of Palm oil as a sustainable source of fuel for automobiles in the US and Europe. Take the case of corn which is a rich source of starch carbohydrate which is processed into alcohol through hydrolysis into glucose and anaerobic yeast fermentation.  In Brazil where there is a strong alcohol industry based on sugar cane, vast rain forests are being destroyed for expanding sugar cane cultivation to meet the inexhaustible demand for alcohol from the automobile industry. One can understand that sugar is not a staple and therefore Brazil's efforts can at best be condemned from the ecological point of view but "corn-for-alcohol" program defies logic and ethics. Look at the US which is diverting almost a third of its corn production for making alcohol because of the mandate from the government to blend fossil fuel based gasoline with 10-15% alcohol over a period of time. While Brazil can opt for a policy to cut down on sugarcane cultivation and replace with staples like corn, in the US the bumper corn production harvested year after year can save millions of lives, especially in Africa where it is a staple crop. Paradoxically there are amble technological capability to use alternate sources of carbon like green mass materials, other wise wasted, for alcohol production. All it requires is a conscience and the necessary resolve to help fellow denizens in other continents.

Palm oil presents a different case and shows how far a food material can be mindlessly usurped for deriving pleasure and comfort by those who are well to do. Malaysia and Indonesia happen to be the top producers of Palm Oil and India leads the list of importers of this vital commodity. Shortage of edible oils in India is a well known "secret" during the last two decades with the local government having no clue regarding ways and means to overcome this perennial shortage. Imagine the cascading effect of increased diversion of Palm Oil to Europe on a typical family budget in India when the domestic oil prices start shooting up once demand starts climbing from the automobile sector! Paradoxically there is sustained campaign going on among the Western countries against Palm Oil, blaming the producing countries for global warming by reckless deforestation and it is suspected that such insinuations are made by lobbies trying to protect the interests of oils from corn, soy and rapeseed. History is replete with examples of trade manipulation by many countries to export their surplus commodities and protect their farmers. Wheat was once the instrument of influence for countries like the US, Europe and Australia and it is a fact of history as to how many Asian countries have switched over to wheat dominated diets in the aftermath of some of the wars fought in the Asian theater with Americans dominating them

The most recent example of diversion of food materials to non-food purpose comes from India which is the top most country in the world in guar bean production. Guar bean is not a component of the staple diet in the country but the cluster beans constitute a significant vegetable in the diets of people in some areas in the country while the dried beans are consumed in the sate of Rajasthan as a regular food. It may not be totally correct to say that guar bean was used only for food purpose because its viscosity modifying properties made its processed versions a useful component in many food products. More over its nutritional value is limited to the dietary fiber it contains in abundance. A hardy crop, Guar bean is grown in the arid regions of Rajastan which accounts for more than 82% of production in India. High levels of Galactomannan, a polysaccharide component in Guar makes it a valuable additive in dairy products including ice cream, cheese, puddings, cold meat products, besides being an important substance for the paper and textile industry, ore flotation process, explosive materials and fossil fuel extraction. With 85% of the seed made up of dietary fiber, it is considered an important source of pro-biotics that facilitate growth of beneficial gut microorganisms. Partially hydrolyzed guar gum better known as PHGG when ingested causes fermentation in the large intestine generating valuable volatile acids of great significance to good health.    

With the end of fossil fuel gluttony in sight, the fuel industry, looking for expanding the available fuel supply through many alternate options, seems to have struck rich when enormous gas reserves were discovered under hard rocky terrains in countries such as the US. Sheer logistics of extracting this valuable energy source posed problems which have now been overcome by the so called fracking technology involving release of this gas reserve by cracking the rock surface and using guar gum based liquid medium to flush out the gas. The requirement of the fracking industry is gigantic and due to this demand pull the prices of guar bean derived products are sky rocketing literally creating a bonanza for the poor farmers of Rajasthan. While this is a good sign which will see modernization of guar mills that convert the seed into a fine powder, food industry is likely to suffer as high prices are going to be a great barrier in continuing to use this additive in food formulations. A closer inspection of milling facilities will reveal the primitive conditions under which the seed is processed and the health dangers faced by the workers employed by the industry. What is disturbing is the push for explosive expansion of guar cultivation by the organized sector that has the potential to displace many established staple crops, eroding the food supply further in the coming years.    

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

FOOD VS MINERALS-ARE THE NEW POLICIES SKEWED?

The present government is very keen to push through the so called food security bill under which food grains like wheat, rice and coarse grains are distributed practically free to three fourth of the population in the country under the skewed perception that people would be happy if they could access staple foods easily. What is forgotten in this populist program is about the logistics of production of required food to meet the new needs arising out of the commitment by the government. The long forgotten Green Revolution had run its course, ruining the fertility and health of the soil and it is unlikely that the same soil can achieve quantum jump in production unless reclaimed or rehabilitated. Such a program of rejuvenation is far from the minds of the policy makers as of now and probably this commitment will eventually lead to massive imports of food in future. Present happy situation with the grain stocks cannot continue for ever and if the rains fail the country a couple of times the present stock can "evaporate" in no time. Is any one at Delhi, including the "exalted" Planning Commission bothered about this precarious situation?

The new Land Policy now being orchestrated is intended to facilitate land acquisition for industry and real estate conglomerates, the only redeeming feature being increased compensation receivable by the land losers. But disappearance of agricultural land, especially smaller holdings owned by millions of farmers in the coming years will make a dent in food production and such a land policy will also contribute to increased food imports. There appears to be a perception in the government that self reliance is a "sin" when the country has subscribed to free trade policies under the WTO regime. Is food import a wise policy? Of course not because grain prices in the international markets are influenced by many factors and India has no influence on the same. Is the country prepared to pay any price to import food grains when food shortages become acute one day? Recent events have seen how a small drought in one exporting country can cause spiraling of grain prices in the global market and imagine the potential risk in the form of civil disturbances that can occur under scarcity conditions! 

As one of the discerning critics has pointed out recently the present government seems to be more pre-occupied about mineral exports under the perceived impression that they can bring lot of money and this is the logic behind the enactment of the new Mining Bill. Though land acquisition for mining is not a pre-requisite as such lands rich in minerals are leased out for long time, fact still remains that land is lost for cultivation if minerals are found under the land, affecting again food production. Country seems to be forgetting the recent mining scams in states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and others which have rocked the nation and all these scams are politician-mining mafia driven causing huge losses to the exchequer. Look at places like Bellary where the environment is thick with red dust generated by inefficient and crude way of mining and mining barons are ruthless in destroying every thing coming in their way. Illegal mining and exporting appear to be taking place under the very nose of the government in spite of judicial intervention! A number of NGOs who espouse the cause of environment are doing a yeomen service to the nation by their relentless fight against over mining and unscientific practices of mining industry. 

The current year bumper harvest may embolden the government to push ahead with its illogical policies because with large stocks of food grains in the government storage depots, covered as well open, a false sense of food security is likely to prevail at least for another year. When one talks about mining and export of minerals from the country, it is forgotten that precious non-renewable resources are lost once for all irretrievably and will the present rulers be around to answer to the future generations about such a heinous deed? What prevents the government from linking mining leases with production outfits which can extract the valuable mineral contained and return the bulk of the wastes back to the place preventing unnecessary land destruction. Export of minerals containing 99% sand and traces of targeted mineral is nothing but a folly when country is talking about value addition, industrialization and employment generation. 

India will be remembered in history as a country going down under with wrong policies and priorities, if agriculture is not given the importance it deserves. Almost 70% of the population living in the rural backyard of this country should be applauded and encouraged for providing food to the 30% of those living in urban regions generating economic wealth through manufacturing and other industrial and commercial services. If rural India falters the country will falter and it is the duty of the government to provide rightful environment through economic and policy support with more commitment. Farmers in this country should not be allowed to wither away by a deluge of suicides taking place in different agricultural belts and if such wake up calls do not ring alarm bells in the appropriate quarters, nothing else will!

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

CONCERN FOR FOOD SAFETY-A TOTAL SHAM?

Any responsible democratic government cannot shy away from its solemn duty to protect its citizens from dangers emanating from different sources including that posed by sub-standard and unsafe foods. All nations have their own food safety management systems tailored to the situation prevailing there. As the world is tending to become a global village with porous boundaries, it is in the interest of every one to have harmonized food laws that can be followed without unnecessary disputes and uncertainties. WHO-FAO sponsored Codex Alimentarius Commission and International Standards Organization happen to be two of the most visible agencies that help the countries to evolve quality and safety standards for universal adoption or acceptance with some minimum modifications.

Food and Drug Administration of the United State of America (FDA) and the European Food Safety Council are two of the most active agencies engaged in evolving safety protocols suitable for their countries and being industrially advanced and economically well to do nations they have the wherewithal to invest on safety related development work for implementation to benefit their citizens. As for other countries, especially those coming under the category of developing or undeveloped nations, the models offered by developed world are supposed to be gold standards though they still have to modify some of them to suit their individual needs. Under such a situation what could be the implications if there are grave concerns regarding the credibility of these safety enforcement agencies in those countries?

USA, which, by far the only unchallenged super power, has a powerful body created by the government tasked with the responsibility of making the food chain secure and protect its citizens from fraud, unsafe foods and unhealthy products in the market. Unfortunately the sordid record of the FDA does not inspire any confidence amongst other nations aspiring to evolve workable but effective safety regimes for protecting their citizens. Of course the task on hand is tough considering that it has to balance the interests of both the industry as well as the consumers. It is in an unenviable position to day being attacked for botching its duties by both the stakeholders. For a dispassionate observer, the very fact that food in that country is the biggest killer compared to communicable diseases is a telling commentary on the track record of this agency.

The FDA, is being blamed for many ills that confront the country by illegally allowing antibiotics, hormones and slaughterhouse waste (all banned for years in Europe) to enter the food supply, along with pesticides and GMOs, with none ever having been tested for safety in humans. It is a fact that the situation continues even to day despite decades of studies by independent scientists proving the danger of these alleged toxic substances in foods. It is inevitable that FDA will have to face the allegation regarding its obfuscation before strong industry lobbies that has caused the death of countless number of people from chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease etc caused by unhealthy foods churned out by the food industry. The allegation that the food industry is working in tandem with pharmaceutical industry so that both are benefited, one by selling foods of uncertain safety and the other selling medicines to cure the diseases caused by consuming unhealthy foods! Unfortunately both these industries are controlled by one agency, the FDA.

Probably some of the allegations may be far fetched and unsustainable while some others may have some substance. Many of the product recall episodes of recent years are both a tribute as well as an indictment on the FDA, one for removal of tainted products from the market and the other for lack of monitoring the sanitation facilities in the manufacturing premises. Of course there are thousands of small producers, out side the charmed circle of industrial giants, which still produce good and safe foods whereas the latter seem to be more interested in making products based on GM materials, hormone and antibiotic tainted foods and others deviating from natural foods. Some critics believe that in collusion with the FDA these industrial monoliths will cause eventual collapse of many honest small scale establishments in the coming years.

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

EVOLUTION OF FOOD HABITS-UNCERTAINTIES AND UNPREDICTABILITY

The root cause of over eating and consumption of unbalanced foods has been attributed to factors like lack of parental influence during childhood, exposure to toxic food environment, insufficient education at schools regarding the virtues of eating good foods and unlimited opportunities and access to low cost junk foods outside the home. It is believed that modern society has much to answer for this lopsided development vis-à-vis child health during the early growth face. In the past, several decades ago, when average family size used to be much larger than what it is to day, influence of wise old people like grandmothers, grandfathers, uncles etc was there to guide the minds and attitudes of children to develop sound eating practices. After the transformation of the society from undivided large families to nuclear families because of rapid industrialization, the parents do not seem to have sufficient time to spend on children, leaving them to be influenced more by external factors and environment.

There is a progressive decline in family values with each passing generation and the dilution of parental influence on child development is evident in all spheres of children's progress to adulthood. With inflation causing great hardship to families trying to lead a reasonably good quality of life, there is compulsion for the house wife to go for work to augment family income. Added to this the gender equality movement has pitchforked many intelligent and professionally motivated women, "good" mothers otherwise, into high profile jobs requiring deep commitment with very little time left for devoting to their children. It is justifiably said that in a family environment "love" is transferred through foods prepared and served by the mother and if she has no time for cooking or serving food at the dining table, what type of influence she can have on the child?. Eating is not just a physically routine task but involves an emotional bonding between mother and the child and if such opportunities are not available the child is likely to develop all wrong habits as far as food is concerned. Each mother has to ask herself as to how many times her family had sat together on a dining table for partaking a common meal cooked by her that is healthy as well as delicious (except of course sitting at a restaurant table)..

Look at a country like the US where the modern living style does not permit the family to enjoy home made foods and more often than not, food is eaten outside the home in public places like restaurants and other eateries where foods served are considered most unhealthy measured by any yardstick. No wonder that country has become the obesity "capital" of the world with children as well as adults assuming monstrous body size and grotesque shapes. Added to this the processed food industry consistently floods the market with foods with high calories, fat, sugar and salt, almost devoid of desirable nutrients like proteins, fibers and others. Under such circumstances who are to be blamed for this health havoc? It does not require any survey to prove the point that to day's parents have practically no influence on the evolving food habits of their children, though an elaborate study in the US about the degree of association between children and their parents dietary intake based on world wide data from 1980 to 2009 has also confirmed the above surmise.

According to some observers such a situation must have developed because of many complex interplaying factors like family structure and practices, the environment in schools, school lunch programs, local food environment to which child is exposed to, peer influence, government policies and massive industry promotional programs. The million dollar question is how to inculcate scientifically correct eating habits amongst the kids and who should be doing it? Of course parents cannot shirk their responsibility as a major stake holder in evolving their children into good citizens with sound health and mind. For this to happen, there has to be a parental reformation that will ensure that parents themselves are convinced about foods which are good or bad and then transfer this experience to their children in a systematic and regular manner. One of the common tendencies that is becoming widespread amongst nuclear families, with single child or two children, is to cater to the whims and fancies of the child with regard to packed foods that are available in vending machines and super market shelves and enjoy the temporary emotional satisfaction of seeing the child happy! How many parents would resist such a temptation and instead counsel the child regarding the harm such junk foods can cause to its health? Very few, of course.

Government policies must be tuned to help the working mothers to spend more time with their children, especially during early stages through appropriate policy measures. Of course the maternity leave, commonly available to the extent of 3 months has served the purpose of helping the mothers to nurse their new born and give undivided attention during this period. No matter how good and widespread can the creches and child care centers be, they will never be a substitute to the care of the mother. While government employees in India are being provided with 3 years of leave for bringing up the children as a welfare measure, same facility must be extended to private sector female employees also. If full pay cannot be protected, at least leave with half pay should be offered to prospective mothers or facilities for working from home, if feasible should be considered. Unless such progressive measures are implemented, the future children will continue to be affected by the "wrong food intake" syndrome, with snow balling effect not only their health but also that of the planet itself.

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