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Food Standards
What is healthy oil for our healthy bodies
Issue Date: Feb 15, 2009
Commercial interests determine content
The oil we eat is essential for our body to function. We cannot do without it. Thus it is important to understand its chemistry. It is agreed that
healthy oil is one which has less saturated fat, more monounsaturated fat (mufa) and polyunsaturated fats (
Rules, but as good as not
Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 includes specific standards on edible oils giving broad specification for different oils. The act allows two different oils to be blended and sold. The specifications do not lay down guidelines on fatty acid composition of different oils. There are specifications for vanaspati. Companies can mix any quantity of any "harmless", vegetable oil in their brand. In September 2008, the health ministry issued notification for labelling of food--for nutrition and health claims--under the act.Healthy move
Issue Date: Sep 30, 2008
california has become the first state in the us to ban trans-fats in food sold in
restaurants and bakeries. Trans-fats, used to extend the shelf life of food products, have been linked to clogged arteries, diabetes, and other
ailments.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the bill into law, according to which by January 1, 2010, California's restaurants are required to use
margarines, oils and shortening containing less than half a gramme of trans-fats per serving, and standards for deep-fried bakery products are to
Maharashtra to dispose of rotten imported wheat
Issue Date: Jun 15, 2008
in the face of looming global food crisis, the Maharashtra government has decided to dispose of over 30,000
tonnes of imported red wheat saying that much of it is unfit for consumption.
The state government was to disburse the wheat through the public distribution system before October 31, 2007. However, following protests and
criticism over the poor quality of imported wheat, the government recalled the stocks in November. A government lab had tested the wheat and
Farmers demand complete ban on GM crops
Issue Date: May 31, 2008
on may 6, over 1,000 farmers under the banner Coalition for a gm -free India gathered in Delhi to demand complete ban of all genetically engineered crops. Not only do we not need genetically engineered crops, we definitely dont need Bt brinjals, said Yudhvir Singh of Bharat Kisan Union.
World Health assembly to discuss fat issues
@vibhavarshney Issue Date: May 15, 2008
Of the many issues that will be discussed at the 61st World Health Assembly in Geneva this month, prevention and control of non-communicable diseases is what the food industry will be following closely. Its future, and growth plan, will depend on the outcome of the deliberations in Geneva.
Rampant food adulteration in Mysore
Issue Date: May 15, 2008
a survey conducted recently in Mysore in Karnataka revealed some of the common adulterants found in food
products: metanil yellow and lead chromate, both inorganic dyes used in leather, paper and textile industries. These are known to cause
anaemia, failure of reproductive organs, infertility, stomach disorders, cancer, paralysis and brain damage in human beings.
Fermented delicacies
Issue Date: Apr 30, 2008
Remember the last time you had a crisp dosa? As the morsels disappeared into your mouth, you probably would have said a word or two in praise of the cook for getting the rice-black lentil batter into the perfect proportion. But would you have credited a few anonymous little creatures for this culinary dexterity? The microbes, bacteria and yeast that worked tirelessly on the batter for about a day-and-a quarter giving the dosa lots of nitrogen, soluble proteins, reducing sugars and enzymes?
Cloned food safe for consumption, says US
Issue Date: Feb 15, 2008
Just over a decade after scientists cloned the first animal, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has declared that meat and milk from cloned farm animals are safe to eat.
The announcement comes after a six-year-long study by the US Food and Drug Administration, which says food derived from cloned cows, pigs, goats and their offspring is "as safe to eat as products from conventionally bred livestock".
Chayawanprash, an ayurvedic tonic has artificial sweetner
Issue Date: Feb 15, 2008
Beware before you pick up chyawanprash from a drug store. The most popular brands of this ayurvedic tonic has artificial sweeteners, which have unconscionable side-effects. On January 11, 2008, Ranbaxy Laboratories launched a sugar-free version of chyawanprash, which it calls 'Chyawan Active'. Unlike the classical chyawanprash, which is 50-60 per cent sugar, the Ranbaxy product uses the artificial sweetener sucralose as a taste enhancer.
