THE 'MILKY' DEBATE-NEEDLESS CONTROVERSY

All recognize that milk is a protective food, especially for non-meat eating population, children and women, due its unique nutrient make up, containing almost all nourishing factors necessary for survival and growth. The ability of a new born baby to survive and grow exclusively on mother's milk is proof enough, if it is needed, regarding the virtues of milk as a food. Before the advent of pasteurization by heat in the 19th century, people were consuming raw fresh milk without even heating at home under the impression that heat would destroy nutrients making milk less nutritious. Discovery that heat can kill pathogenic microorganisms opened up a new vista for commercialization of milk through organized dairy ventures. True to the old saying that 'necessity is the mother of invention', heat processing, developed for milk preservation, was based on Louis Pasteur's discovery of the technique of destroying pathogens by heat to meet the needs of people settled away from the milk sources. Thus was borne the process of milk pasteurization as we know to day which involves treatment at 63C for 30 minutes or its equivalent to ensure complete destruction of the pathogens. The heat process also helps to delay the action of lactic acid bacteria which otherwise lowers the pH creating problems for boiling milk at home.

Some people do not accept the large scale deployment of pasteurization technology for milk because of their strong conviction that this process reduces the natural nutritive value by destroying the beneficial factors the are present in milk. They even argue that if a tender child can consume mothers' milk without processing, why others cannot consume animal milk also without any processing. They further surmise that pasteurization is used by the industry to mask the defects in milk already spoiled!. Raw milk advocates further claim that unpasteurized milk prevents and cures many disease, though there is hardly any evidence to substantiate such claims. Present level of knowledge cannot support such a view completely, though there may be marginal loss of some of the heat labile nutrients which is inevitable. The way Indians 'cook' the milk may be of much more concern than what the relatively mild pasteurization temperatures can do to the nutritional quality of milk.

It is difficult to believe that any one drinks milk directly and immediately after milking, even in rural areas where milch cattle are mostly raised. The revolutionary "Milk Cooker", an Indian designed gadget is a priced possession of every house hold and it goes to show that boiling of milk is a routine operation. Indians have a marked preference for boiled milk due to the mild caramelized taste, heating imparts to the heated product. This is further corroborated by the failure of cold milk to establish as a credible beverage in the country to any large extent. In contrast consumers in the West are tuned to UHT milk in cartons and plastic containers and direct consumption as hot milk is very limited. Tetra pack milk now available in the country is not patronized to any great extent as the cost factor, darker color and need to refrigerate once opened, make it an unattractive consumer option. The myth that milk is pasteurized or sterilized to convert bad milk to good milk cannot be allowed to linger in the minds of consumers as heat treatment is a 'must' process, if milk is not to become a carrier of diseases rather than a treasure house of nutrients. Food technology does not encourage making good looking food from an intrinsically bad one, a misconception prevalent amongst many consumers, especially conservative minded people.

India produces over 100 million tons of fluid milk annually which get distributed to over a billion people from the point of production and more than 60% undergo pasteurization before reaching the consumer. But for the chilling and pasteurization processes a major portion would have been wasted. It is known that even a couple of hours delay in chilling can multiply bacteria naturally present as well as through cross contamination to unacceptable levels. In many countries sale of unpasteurized milk is banned so as to prevent out break of of milk mediated diseases. While pathogens can pose a grave threat, old milk is not suitable for boiling as even a small increase in acidity due to bacteria can cause breaking of the milk making it unfit for consumption in any mode. The relatively primitive environment that exists in the cattle rearing areas and unsatisfactory personal hygienic habits of those engaged in milking, make it inevitable for the milk to carry high microbial loads with distinct possibility of presence of pathogens like Salmonella, E.coli, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Coxiella burnetii, etc. Chilling and Pasteurization are God-sent answer to less affluent countries like India to save their precious resources.

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

GLUCOSE BISCUIT-THE FLAG MAST OF INDIAN FOOD INDUSTRY

There are hundreds of varieties of biscuits for which recipes are available in bakery related text books and the Internet and a few of them are commercial successes. Cookies and biscuits are adorable snacks as they contain, besides sugar and fat, important growth nutrient protein also. In India the three major biscuit makers are Parle, Britannia and ITC, each having a dozen successful products in the market. Of course there are many other players also having small share of the market and some of them enjoy niche clientele for specialty products. According to the available statistics, the biscuit industry in India is comprised of four distinct groups like large ( only 3 units), medium (50 units), small (2500 units) and micro enterprises (35000 units), churning out a production estimated at 1.5 million tons valued at Rs 30 billion.

Interestingly glucose biscuits, a distinct category of biscuit, unique to India, account for more than 45% of total production in the country. Why is this called glucose biscuit? No one knows for sure how this legendary name came to be established as a common man's own food. But there is no disagreement regarding its role as a food for the poor as well as the working class as it is the cheapest processed food ever made in the world. Major credit must go to the Parle Products which ventured into the biscuit sector more than 6 decades ago and established its Glucose-G brand as the leader in the biscuit market.

The fact that this biscuit contains hardly 1% free glucose is besides the point. Whether in free state or as a part of the starch in the wheat flour glucose from the biscuit is readily available to the consumer with in a few minutes of its consumption and if the originators have called this product glucose biscuit, it must be to create an impression in the minds of the consumers regarding its value as a source of energy. At less than Rs 50 a kilo, glucose biscuit is indisputably the cheapest and affordable convenient and nutritious food not only to a large segment of Indian population, but also in whole of the world, with hardly any rivals in sight. If at all any one deserves a Life Time Achievement Award for contribution to Indian food industry and to the humanity at large, it is the Chauhan family of Parle Products for their vision and dynamism in creating a product of unparalleled popularity without sacrificing the nutrition.

The growing popularity of small pack sizes, which was thought about a decade ago, has made them an indispensable part of Indian landscape and there is no consumer product has been left untouched by this unique 'phenomenon'. Who ever has thought about this strategy ( definitely not a copy from the west ) deserves kudos for pepping the market place and bringing millions of people into the main stream market. The logic is simple and the presumption that lower income group can meet its aspirations of consuming modern packed foods has proved to be right. It is unimaginable that Indian consumer, whether in urban or rural area, can have access to a vast array of foods and other personal hygiene products in the price bracket Re 1 to Rs 5. Glucose biscuit is no exception. There are unit packs available at prices of Rs 1, 2, 4, 10 and 20 to fit every pocket. Small sized packs of Re 1 and Rs 2 are highly popular as single serve units convenient to be carried along in person. This is indeed an example of the food industry's efforts to descend from its perch and show its concern, care and consideration for the common man. Such examples need to be multiplied several fold if real impact of food sector is to be felt across the country.

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

RAIL AHAR, RAIL NEER, RAIL CHOOHA!

One is amused by the "grand plan" of the railways to provide 'good and safe' foods to their clients, the millions of passengers using the rail net work to go places. It does not dawn on the ministry that people use the services not out of love or admiration for them but due to no other options before them as railway travel happens to be the cheapest mode of transport in the country. No doubt Indian Railway (IR) is a mammoth enterprise connecting the country and in spite of the passenger unfriendly nature of the services, passengers show enormous patience and forbearance true to the Gandhian tradition. The latest 'service' is to set up toll free telephone numbers for the commuters to contact and make suggestions regarding foods that should be served in the trains. One positive outcome of this new proposal is that the railways implicitly admit that the food served can be improved. This is in sharp contrast to the earlier pompous attitude with senior officials looking after the catering who were very categorical in their assertion that "India Railways always serve the best food in the world"!

Coming to the new so called 'service', can there be a more ridiculous proposition than making suggestions for food improvements through telephone? Every one knows how difficult it is to access any public number in any government department or public utility office with the phone giving engaged tone in spite of calling repeatedly, either because some one is talking or the receiver being kept down deliberately. What can an average citizen expect by talking to an unknown operator with no knowledge of food about improving rail foods? If this is not sheer skullduggery, what else it is? All know what has happened to the earlier plan of the very same manthri to ban plastic cups and replace them with earthern ware cups which to day are only adorning the show cases of the caterers, since they found the idea impractical to implement on a scale warranted by the demand.

Now comes the latest plan to set up Food Plazas under PPP mode with private participation. Already 53 such plazas are claimed to be operating and this is sought to be expanded by adding another 52 to ensure availability of hygienic foods to customers as one of the objectives but more important to add to the burgeoning profits being recorded year after year. This had earned global attention and even a 'professorship' for the concerned 'manthriji' by adulating management students from some colleges. There is already 'rail neer', being manufactured by IR for travelling public and another two plants are scheduled to be set up. It does not make any sense why IR wants to set up new water plants when there are more than 1000 plants set up by the private sector with hardly 30% capacity utilization. If IR truly believes in the PPP concept, the best way would have been to use this idle capacity to meet its demand. The most troubling aspect of food plazas is the real repurcussions these restaurants will have on the hapless travelling public since the railway stations are invariably crowded all the time with the meager passenger facilities over stretched to maximum extent possible. Why does IR want to attract more crowds to the vicinity of these stations through food plazas? Probably IR may derail what ever little comforts being enjoyed by the passengers while earning profit has become its major objective .


Many travellers in IR trains must not have missed the rat nuisance even in air conditioned coaches and sleeping in such trains can be a disturbing thought. These rail 'choohas' are indeed smart with their fast movements and ability to grab foods under the very nose of the passengers! It does not cost much for the railways to clean up and fumigate the trains regularly after each trip to ensure that cockroaches and rats do not make these coaches their permanent abode. Probably IR may be doing it but what ever is being done is grossly inadequate. Most of the rail yards where racks are parked in between trips, can breed these vectors as litter and garbage mounts are created by indiscriminate dumping of refuse near these places. As long as food is eaten inside the train, it will attract these vectors and an efficient disinfestation team must be in place to preempt this problem. A better alternative is to include pantry cars with serving facilities in vestibuled trains, so that eating within the coaches can be avoided as much as possible. It is unfortunate that a plea by this blogger earlier to involve major food processors in providing pantry service in important trains, a truly PPP model, has fallen on deaf ears!

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

"FIVE A DAY" MANTRA-THE SUREST WAY FOR SALVATION!

The startling report that one out of 8 people in Great Britain never eats vegetables is a shocking revelation as to the irresponsible life style spawned by modern living. As meat eaters, due to easy availability of these foods which often are cheaper than vegetables, they may be depending on meat, fish and egg to attain satiety without giving any thought to the consequences of such unbalanced diets. While such anomalies in rich nations are more due to ignorance about basics of food and nutrition, in a country like India the problem must be more acute since reliable data are scarce on this aspect. But consumption of fruits and vegetables must be very low considering the horticultural scenario in the country. According to knowledgeable officials of the Ministry of Agriculture, GOI, a whopping 72% of fruits and vegetables go waste, though it is not clear from where they got this startling data. Probably this must have been the basis for starting the jumbo program called Horticulture Mission for which an astronomical sum of Rs 150 billion was allotted an year ago. Looking at the ground realities, the annual production of fruits and vegetables,in the country could hardly register an out put of around 120 million tons (mt) and if 72% is wasted what remains for consumption is grossly inadequate to provide the minimum nutrition to the people. The projected annual requirement is estimated at 150 mt by 2010 but if wastage is kept in mind it could be double this figure. Why some people are so much obsessed with fruits and vegetables(F & V)? There are very strong reasons based on good science.

Fruits and vegetables are low in calories, do not have cholesterol, are rich in potassium that controls blood pressure besides other critical minerals like calcium, iron and magnesium, have plenty of dietary fiber guarding against GI tract diseases, contain critical vitamins A, E, Folic Acid and a variety of phytochemicals which are considered most protective chemicals for human beings against all diseases. It is no wonder that the westerners have realized the value of F & V as a survival mode and are taking up massive campaigns to persuade their population to eat these protective foods five servings a day to save them from the modern day life style disorders which are assuming epidemic proportions.

The phytochemicals that are present in F & V are a group of health promoting chemicals with properties of antioxidants, blood sugar regulation, anti carcinogens, immunity boosters, antibacterial, anti fungal and anti viral, lowering of cholesterol and anti inflammatory. These include carotenoids, phenolic compounds, glucosinolates, saponins, sulfides, phytosterols, phytoestrogens, mono terpenes and protease inhibitors. The sheer variety of these phytochemicals in F & V is staggering and combinations of different vegetables/fruits consumed regularly in high quantities can insure human life from any disease known to man! In India there are more than 60 varieties of vegetables, 40 types of green leaves and 50 varieties of fruits grown wildly as well as cultivated. The relative immunity of rural population against modern day diseases probably can be attributed to the easy access to fruits and vegetables in rural areas. In contrast urban population depends on only a few items that stand the rigors of transportation and reach the city markets in reasonably good condition, for their supply.

Is the slogan " five a day" relevant to India? A serving is about 120 gms and five servings will add up to 600 gms. With prices of fruits going through the roof, will it be possible for a family of 4 to buy almost 2.4 kg of fruits and vegetables every day? What will be the cost factor? What are the priorities for the family? Such questions cannot be wished away easily. But those who can afford to buy them, they must do it without losing any more time. Fruits and vegetables guarantee a life without ever entering the portals of an hospital!

What can the food technologists and the Governments do to promote more and more consumption of fruits and vegetables in the country? There is an urgent need to develop cut fruits and vegetables, preferably different blends, ready to eat with reasonably good shelf stability since preparing them at home is tedious and time consuming. On an average it will take 2-3 hours to prepare the materials ready to eat and this is a disincentive for the consumers with limited time for the kitchen. Reliance Fresh started this trend but seems to have faltered on the way, probably due to logistical and economic reasons. New products development based on F & V, which can be palatable and attractive to consumers, especially youngsters.must get priority at GOI R & D Institutions and Universities. Governments must encourage such operations by the industry by liberal financial incentives and if necessary even subsidizing the products similar to the grain and milk subsidies in vogue. In Bangalore at leas diced and preserved vegetables with 21 days life were available for some time but the concept did not seem to have caught on significantly. This agenda must be pushed at any cost for the sake of a secured future for the country.

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

CELL PHONES-NEW SOURCE OF INFECTION

Growth of the mobile telephony in India is one of the highest in the world. With half a dozen desi and foreign companies dominating the market, the average ownership is estimated at one cell phone for every 5 persons which is awe some considering the extent of poverty that is prevalent to day. A cell phone is a personal gadget carried along by individuals for sole use of the owner and not shared by others. There are numerous designs of cell phones offering several advantages and different features. The communication infrastructure as we have to day based on wireless network, can be the envy of many other countries. But widespread use of cell phones may be fraught with some dangers still requiring confirmation. The Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of radiations emitted by the cell phone sets decides the radiation hazard posed by these gadgets. Habitual users are presumed to have risks of 34 to 240% in contracting acoustic neuroma, a type of tumor of the nerves that control body balance and hearing in human beings. While rich nations have set up limits of 1.6 to 2 W per Kg weight as safe limits, India does not have any limits for such radiations.

The recent revelation that cell phone hand sets can harbor pathogens is startling and deserves further detailed consideration. First report on this originated from UK where it was shown that Clostridium and Staphylococcus species were colonizing the cell phone hand sets of doctors in some hospitals and the infection is brought home by these doctors with potential to spread the infection. Same doctors using infected handsets can be instrumental in passing on this infection to other patients also unwittingly. Despite the strict hand washing protocols that exist in all modern hospitals, spread of infection through cell phone sets, especially in hospitals may be difficult to stop altogether unless the manufacturers come up with designs that can stand known disinfection procedures currently in vogue. Clostridium difficles causes serious diarrhea while Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) resistant to most of the broad spectrum antibiotics causes serious skin and soft tissue infections and fatal pneumonia in patients in many hospitals across the world.

Will there be any impact on food industry due to wide spread use of cell phones? With the cell phone use percolating down to the working class level, many industry labor personnel are presumed to be carrying the gadget into the factory and since they come from different home environments with varying degree of microbial loads, there could be some impact on safety of processed foods. This will be more acute in case of retort pouched foods as frequent process standardization will be necessary to factor this unpredictable consequences. Probably barring the entry of cell phones into the factory area may be feasible and once the personnel sanitize themselves they should not be allowed access to their cell phones till they leave the premises. Alternately same sanitation procedure must be insisted on as being done after visit to the toilet. The situation is not alarming yet but can be a potential issue in future for which industry must be prepared.



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

FAITH + FOOD-AN INDUSTRY IS BORNE

Temples, churches, mosques and synagogues are symbols of faith of humanity on a super natural entity one may call God or by any other name and offers millions hope and peace during their life time and/or beyond. There are millions of such faith based institutions spread all over the world, located at places with easy approach. Though man has achieved many technological feats and expanded his knowledge to unimaginable levels in his pursuit for improving the life on this planet, as long as he cannot restore life once it is extinguished, the concept of existence of a super human being guiding the destiny will remain amongst most of the mankind. For every religion, food is a basic symbol of communion with God and such foods are invariably prepared for distribution to the devotees within the premises of these centers of worship. The rigors of the quality requirements, physical, sensory and spiritual, for each of these foods are evolved over many years and are often rigid making it difficult for any centralized mass production.

This topic was chosen for this issue of the blog after hearing about the saga of Cavanagh family in Rhode Island, USA which made fortunes making altar bread for thousands of churches across the world. Bread, used as sacramental offering for Catholic Christians and some other sects, represents breaking of the bread at the Last Supper and the body of Christ. Rain or shine, this business had grown steadily since 1943 for the last 65 years with four generations involved in carrying the business forward. Cavanagh family makes 80% of the communion bread used by Catholics, Episcopal, Lutheran and Southern Baptist chapters in USA, Australia, Canada and UK. The bread made by them in their modern plants do not crumb. Traditionally nuns, priests or members of a congregation make altar bread. Cavanagh family distributes their altar bread to religious supply stores, monasteries etc. Well made bread is known to last for more than an year without spoilage. It is estimated that the facilities set up by the family can turn out 25 million bread a week.

If Cavanagh family can do business built on the requirements for devotees, why such efforts cannot be made in India where there is a temple or a mosque or a church for every thousand people. Invariably devotees get the sacred offerings from these institutions when ever they go for worship. Food is the medium through which God' blessings are supposed to be received by devotees,especially in Hindu temples giving solace, peace and comfort to millions of people. We have best examples in Tirupati, Sabarimalai, Guruvayur, Udipi, Dharmasthala, Madurai, Varanasi, Badrinath and Kedarnath, Rameshwaram, Palani, and many others all over the country attracting millions of people every day. Can we take a leaf out of the Cavanagh family's experience and organize preparation and distribution of food offerings scientifically and safely?

There are encouraging signs, sending across the message that many temples are aware of the risks in not paying attention to hygiene and sanitation at the preparation places and neglecting safety and quality while procuring raw materials for making safe products. The Infossys inspired food center at Mantralaya, the modern kitchens and dining facilities in Dharmasthala, Tirupati's pioneering efforts to modernize the laddu making facilities, the mechanized production facilities for neyyappam and aravana payasam at Sabarimalai, ISKON's modern kitchens are all examples of this change of mindset amongst the religious institutions. However this is only a small part of the Indian panorama of temple foods and much more needs to be done. Conservatism and orthodoxy will definitely come in the way of an easy change over but all sections of devotees have to be carried along to bring revolutionary changes in this area.

In south western Karnataka, many temples offer as prasadam a dry powder made from rice, jaggery/sugar and copra gratings, packed in paper sachets and thousands of devotees, visiting these temples take them home as it has a good shelf life. This item is made at centralized places by a few entrepreneurs who sell them to the temples where after pooja they are distributed. Is such an approach feasible in other regions of the country? Why not associations of devotees be formed for each temple for taking up the responsibility of making the sacred offerings in modern manufacturing facilities with safety getting utmost attention and priority? Almost all temples have adequate land at their disposal to set up such facilities and since 80% of the temples are under government control, necessary funds can be found easily. Alternately, why not the leading industrial houses take up the responsibility of modernizing these temple kitchens, with a liberal dose of technology and engineering and in the process getting recognition for such social services, providing employment to many and bringing socour to the devotees. Food technology has a vital role to play in bringing about such a transition.

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

SAFE AND HEALTHY FOOD-THE ROYAL PROCLAMATION!

Common man has been waiting to hear the news and here comes the golden words from none other than the Chairman of the brand new GOI set up called the Food Safety And Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) that " the center is all set to bring out a set of guidelines for manufacturers who have to comply with these norms, the objective being to make only safe and healthy food available in the market". Since the above pronouncement has come from the 'Authority', the consumers has no choice but to believe him and hope that he has the real authority to translate his words into reality. Common man always wondered why the erstwhile draconian Prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1956, with rigorous punishment regime for violators, was not able to make the industry manufacture only safe foods during the last 52 years!

The Chairman further thundered that if the manufacturers fail to comply, FSSAI 'can' force a recall of specific food items from the market. Remember the minimum 6 months imprisonment provision for food adulterators under the good old PFA and can any one recall how many convictions have happened since 1956? All the Authority is promising is that it will raise the ALARM if the product does not conform to the guidelines. What next? Are consumers expected to run helter skelter after hearing the ALARM from the Authority? Since the food industry development is a state subject, central government can do precious little to protect the consumers except raising ALARM!

Listen to the Authority about imported foods. "FSSAI would bring out another set of guidelines for imported food items as there is hardly any check on the quality of imported food". Wonderful sentiments. Why this enlightenment coming so late is not clear. India has been exporting food products to all over the world and a wealth of experience exists to day as to how importing countries treat Indian foods at their ports. Still only now, the realization has dawned on the government that " India does not have a foolproof system to review the inflow of imported foods" !
Does this augur well for the industry? Already, clearance of import consignments at our ports takes inordinate time because of the archaic procedures in place currently and setting up another bureaucratic body "to gauge risk factor associated with imported items" is going to pose further problems for the industry in clearing imported consignments for use in their processing operations. It is not disputed that there is a need for preventing spurious and unsafe foods landing in our country. Probably the importers must be held accountable for such imports with severe punishment regime in place.

The declaration that the Authority "has decided to rate 1000 eateries in the capital before the Common Wealth Games, 2010 so that the visitors can opt for safe and hygienic food while visiting India" is a lofty one but the question that begs an answer, is what expertise and capability FSSAI has in undertaking this task. Why only the visitors are eligible to opt for safe foods? What about the "natives"? Why only for Delhi? What after the Games? Probably it will be business as usual, continuing with more seminars, more press conferences, more meetings and conferences and more notifications with no teeth. One is reminded of an old story where a rooster tried to scare a Lion that intruded into a village by its crowing and the Lion retreated the first time. It later realized how timid is the rooster and after allowing the rooster to chase it for some time, the Lion turned around to finish of the rooster! Adulterators and social criminals know very well how ineffective is the government and the judiciary in the country and no matter what law we enact they have their own way to circumvent them. As a nation we are fond of creating Authorities at the slightest pretext to be adorned by bureaucrats and politicians who will enjoy all perks associated with the position with practically no means to use the 'authority' for the purpose it is created. And the game goes on, on and on!

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