FOOD PROE-News Letter of All India Food Processors’ Association

(Established in 1943)

January 2016

Issue No. 71

Estd. 1943

From the President’s Desk

HAPPY NEW YEAR-2016

We wish all the Office Bearers & Members of AIFPA, Govt. officers, Research Scientists, Readers of the News Letter, Subscribers to the Journal (IFP), Advertisers etc. a very Happy & Prosperous New Year-2016.

(K.L. Radhakrishnan)Chief Editor

Dear Members,

At the outset, let me wish you all & your families a very happy & prosperous New Year-2016.

As you might be aware, I have been elected as President of All India Food Processors' thAssociation (AIFPA) at the AGM held on 17 December 2015 at New Delhi.

I would like to thank all the members of the Association for having reposed confidence in me and chosen me as your representative. To strengthen the activities of the Association, I need the support of all our members during my term.

Some of the activities which I would like to consider as priority are reflected below:-

1. Increase the vibrancy of this Association by having more Zonal activities with the help of all the members.

2. Activate and expand the Chapters of the Association.

3. Have a “Council of Elders” consisting of Past Presidents of the Association so as to guide the President on

key issues.

4. To increase the revenue and membership of the Association.th5. Plan for activities for the celebration of 75 Platinum Jubilee of AIFPA.

In addition to the above activities, there are certain other issues such as Regulatory matters, Taxation issues, Constitution amendments etc. which will be carried forward as part of this year's activities.

I once again look forward to interacting with each one of you so as to strengthen this Association to serve the interests of the Members.

(Sagar Kurade)

NEW CEO AT FSSAI

Sh. Pawan Kumar Agarwal, IAS has been appointed by the Government of India as the new Chief Executive Officer of the apex food regulatory body, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

AIFPA, which is represented as a member of the Authority extends a warm welcome to the CEO and looks forward to work closely with him for the development of Food Processing Industries in the country.

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Up-coming Events

Event : National Seminar on “Eco Friendly Processing and Packaging in Food Processing” Dates : 29-01-2016Place : Agartala, TripuraFor information : All India Food Processors' Association Tel:- 011-26510860/26518848 E-mail:- aifpa@vsnl.net

Event : Aahar-2016 Dates : 14th to19th March 2016Place : Pragati Maidan, New DelhiFor information : Mr. Rameshwar Maurya/Mr. Harender Singh Tel:- 011-26510860/26518848 E-mail:- maurya@aifpa.net/harender@ aifpa.net

Obituary

It is with regret that AIFPA has learnt of the sad demise of Sh. A.K. Tejani, Founder of Gits Food Product Pvt. Ltd., Pune on

th15 December 2015 and father of Sh. M.A. Tejani, former President of AIFPA.

AIFPA prays for his soul to rest in peace.

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Regulatory & Food Safety Issues

FSSAI for milk testing at outlets

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to facilitate food business operators (FBOs) from the milk trade in setting up infrastructure for milk testing at their premises. FSSAI wants vendors to install such infrastructure to enable the consumer, bulk or individual, to test the milk for any kind of adulteration.

The aim is to give easy access to consumers to the testing equipment so that the safety and quality of the milk can be ensured at the shop. With regards to that the apex food regulator has sought information regarding equipments for milk testing, conventional and rapid, to test quality of milk and milk products.

The equipments found suitable will be put on demonstration before the consumers and regulatory officers.

Metropolitan cities will be the first to have the mechanism in place, where milk outlets are present. The FSSAI aims at setting up of the facilities during the current festive season.

FSSAI obsessed with Product Approval that exists nowhere in world: IDMA

FSSAI is almost obsessed with bringing in a “Food Product Approval System” that does not exist in any country in the world and is clearly more restrictive of trade than is required to achieve appropriate level of health protection, according to Indian Drug Manufacturers Association (IDMA). Members of the association expressed this opinion at a press conference held here recently.

Addressing the media, R K Sanghavi, chairman, nutraceuticals sub-committee, IDMA, and many members of the body, said, “Introduction of Product Approval system will deprive the consumer of general product which is available in all other countries. There are countries who are healthy and safe with various products being introduced with no such system of Product Approval.”

Patanjali & Nestle

“With the Supreme Court verdict, FSSAI is not supposed to ask for Product Approval from Patanjali or Nestle when they have all documents of ingredients, registration, licences in place,”claimed the members.

Naturally safe

The IDMA members reiterated that a “product” contains several ingredients and the draft regulations have already notified many meaning that all products having these or the listed additives were naturally safe.

They wanted to know why FSSAI wanted to come up with a Product Approval system in spite of the Supreme Court upholding the quashing of advisory in a verdict dated August 19, 2015.

One of the IDMA members, thundered, “FSSAI has adamantly declared on its website that although it is no more able to operate the Food Product Approval System due to the August 19, 2015, judgement of the Supreme Court, they shall soon use the legal route to reintroduce the system of pre-approving final product via regulations.”

Patanjali Atta Noodles comes under FSSAI scanner

The maker of a brand of noodles promoted by yoga teacher Baba Ramdev tried to extricate itself from a bit of a regulatory twist just days after its launch by insisting it had not violated any food guidelines. A day after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India said that mandatory approvals had not been sought for Patanjali Atta Noodles, a spokesman for Ramdev said no rules were broken.

We have followed all FSSAI rules and guidelines and committed no violation, Ramdev's spokesman SK Tijarawala said. After making headlines and grabbing the attention of social media, with pictures of Ramdev scooping up the noodles when the brand was launched with much fanfare earlier this week, the product has come under scrutiny.

FSSAI chairman, Ashish Bahuguna said the instant noodles brand is yet to obtain mandatory approvals from the regulator. Noodles and the role of the food regulator have been in the spotlight since June 5, when the FSSAI banned Nestle's Maggi noodles after samples were tested and said to contain a flavor enhancer and excessive levels of lead.

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FSSAI for setting up equipment to test milk quality at retail outlets

Keeping in view the reports about milk adulteration and subsequent directions from the Supreme Court, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has decided to facilitate food business operators (FBOs) from the milk trade in setting up infrastructure for milk testing at their premises.

In this regard, according to a circular issued by the apex food regulator, FSSAI wants vendors to install such infrastructure to enable the consumer, bulk or individual, to test the milk for any kind of adulteration.

The circular says, concerns were raised time to time about quality of milk and milk products sold, particularly in festival time. The FSSAI, therefore has decided to facilitate setting up of infrastructural facilities to enable the customers, bulk and individual to test these products.

The aim is to give easy access to consumers to the testing equipment so that the safety and quality of the milk can be ensured at the shop.

With regards to that the apex food regulator has sought information regarding equipments for milk testing, conventional and rapid, to test quality of milk and milk products. The equipments found suitable will be put on demonstration before the consumers and regulatory officers.

Metropolitan cities will be the first to have the mechanism in place, where milk outlets are present.

It may be noted that the apex court had directed the Union government to put in place stringent penalties for milk adulteration.

12.5% of food items contain unapproved pesticides

In a major health hazard, the government has found residues of pesticides in a significant number of vegetables, fruits, milk and other food items collected from various retail and wholesale outlets across the country.

Samples collected from organic outlets were also found having residues of pesticides. Residues of unapproved pesticides were found in 12.50% of the 20,168 samples collected nationally as part of the central scheme 'Monitoring of Pesticide Residues', which was launched in 2005.

The samples collected during 2014-15 have been analysed by 25 labs. In lab findings, non-approved pesticides like acephate, bifenthrin, acetamiprid, triazofos, metalaxyl, malathion, acetamiprid, carbosulfan, profenofos and hexaconazole, among others, have been detected.

According to the report released by the agriculture ministry, the residues of pesticides were detected in 18.7% of the samples, while residues above MRL (maximum residue limit) were found in 543 samples (2.6%). The MRL is being prescribed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

Residues of non-approved pesticides were detected in 1.180 vegetable samples collected from both retail and farm gate markets, 225 fruit samples, 732 spice samples, 30 rice samples and 43 pulses samples, it added.

The ministry collected vegetables, fruits, spices, red chilli powder, curry leaves, rice, wheat, pulses, fish/marine, meat and egg, tea, milk and surface water from retail outlets, Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) markets and organic outlets.

Equinox Labs' DIY FSSAI

Equinox Labs, an ISO 9001:2000-certified and NABL-accredited testing, compliance and training company, has introduced Do It Yourself FSSAI: Empowering Food Businesses, an innovative DIY service, which enables consumers to apply for FSSAI on their own.

The system comprises step by step videos & resources for consumers who wish to apply for FSSAI licensing, registration, GAP audits, FSMS plan, Product Approval, packaging & label regulations and so on but do not know how and where to start.

The system has been designed to simplify the current Indian food safety law. It consists of list of mandatory documents which detail every aspect of FSSAI application, giving a better understanding of food safety compliance & regulations.

News Briefs

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100% light-proof milk bottle

Anchor has developed a bottle for fresh milk and cream that offers full protection against light, Packaging Connections reports. Fonterra New Zealand's iconic Anchor brand worked closely with manufacturing partner Alto to design, test and produce Anchor's LIGHT PROOF™ bottle.

The new bottle uses triple-layer technology, ensuring the HDPE bottle is light-weight and recyclable. The innovative twist is its addition of two more layers to the existing single-layer bottle. The inside and outside layers are opaque white to ensure good appearance and easy recognition on shelf. The middle layer is coloured black and blocks out light completely. The middle layer uses the colourant carbon black, white titanium dioxide (Ti02) is used to colour the inside and outside layer. Both are approved food contact safe materials, says the company.

Slow melting ice creams

Researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee have discovered a naturally occurring protein that can be used to create ice cream that is more resistant to melting. The protein binds the air, fat and water in ice cream, creating a smooth consistency that says frozen longer.

According to scientists it won't affect the taste. The protein, known as BslA, occurs naturally in some foods and works by adhering to fat droplets and air bubbles, making them more stable in a mixture. Researchers at the two universities say they have developed a method of producing BslA in so-called “friendly” bacteria, which have positive health benefits.

The discovery has several other benefits. It could allow ice cream and other frozen products to be manufactured with lower levels of saturated fat—meaning fewer calories. Delivery trucks and warehouse freezers would not need to keep ice cream as cold, reducing energy costs. The scientists also say the new ingredient may prevent gritty ice crystals from forming in the freezer.

Film pouch brings shelf-stable milk to India

For the first time in India, UHT (Ultrahigh Temperature Processed) milk is now packed in a flexible pouch that has a shelf life of 90 days. Parakh Agro Industries' UHT milk pouch uses a five-layers EVOH-based film made with DuPont™ Byned® 4109 tie layer resin. No refrigeration is required until it is opened, and there is no need to boil the milk before it is consumed. The cost of unit pack per liter is significantly lower than traditional aseptic packaging. The fact that this package does not require refrigeration also results in cost savings. The Elecster UHT Milk technology enhances user experience by providing milk to a large population that would otherwise not have access to it.

Government plan to boost production of export vegetables

The central government has selected seven districts in Maharashtra for the production of exportable vegetables. Under the programme farmers will be trained and they will dedicatedly grow vegetables as per the overseas customers' demand.

The selected districts are Satara, Thane, Palghar, Jalgaon, Nashik, Latur and Beed from where 3,120 farmers have been selected for dedicated exportable vegetable cultivation on 3,120 hectares. Unless there was sufficient size and quantity of produce, exports could not take place, said Vijay Deshmukh, State Agriculture Commissioner.

As per the policy document, the government was expecting production of 21,145 tonne vegetables which would be purchased by the exporters. The Rs. 21.65 crore plan will receive Rs. 3.36 crore from the Rashtriya Krushi Vikas Yojana, Rs. 1.14 crore from the Centre's other agricultural schemes, Rs. 11.92 crore as initial investment from private players, and Rs. 4.9 crore from farmers.

The identified crops include green chilies, lady finger and sweet gourd, among others.

Unilever hives off its India bakery business

Hindustan Unilever, the FMCG giant's Indian arm, has sold its bakery unit in the country to private-equity firm Everstone Capital. The deal, announced on September 8, 2015, will see HUL offload a business that includes the Modern bread brand. The division also sells products including cakes and muffins. It has six plants and a network of franchisees across India. HUL, said the move was part of its strategy to exit non-core businesses, while continuing to drive its growth agenda in the core packaged foods business.

Chief Editor:- K.L. Radhakrishnan, assisted by Ms. Deeksha Srivastava, Food Technologist & Mr. Vishal SarinPublished by:- All India Food Processors’ Association, 206, Aurobindo Place Market, Hauz Khas, New Delhi-110016

Tel:- 011-26510860, E-mail:- deeksha@aifpa.net, vishal@aifpa.net, dvmalhan@aifpa.net, aifpa@vsnl.net, Website:- www.aifpa.net

Sanjiv Mehta, the CEO and Managing Director of HUL, added, since its acquisition in 2000, HUL has strengthened the Modern business. Having turned around the business and built a sustainable growth model, we believe that the sale to Everstone will unlock the full potential of the Modern brand.

Mega Food Park for Manipur

Union Minister of State for Food Processing Industries Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti announced that the Centre had planned to set up a mega food park in Manipur and urged the state government to take an initiative in this regard. The Centre has decided to set up a mega food park in Manipur. The state government has been informed about the Centre's plan, Sadhvi said at a recent press conference.

Chief Minister Okram Lbobi Singh had inaugurated a flour mill at the Nilakuthi Park in November last year. Rs. 30 crore has been utilized for the construction of the food park. An additional sum of Rs. 12 crore will be needed to complete the construction of the park, official sources said.

The Minister asked the state government to find the land for setting up the mega food park. Stating that the Narendra Modi government at the Centre was according top priority to the development of the Northeast, Sadhvi elaborated on the Centre's Micro Units Developments and Refinance Agency (MUDRA) Bank. She said the MUDRA Bank would provide loans to unemployed youths and women without any guarantor. The loans will be given in three categories: 5,000 to 50,000, 10,000 to 1 lakh and 5 lakh to 10 lakh for food processing activities.

Spice exports surge 30% in first quarter

Spice exports from India are seen 30% higher in value for the first quarter of the current fiscal due ot higher exports of some spices like pepper and garlic. Exports during the first quarter touched Rs. 3,976.65 crore ($626.81 million), compared to Rs. 3,059.74 crore ($511.22 million) in the corresponding period of 2014-15.

Volume of exports increased by 1% with 215,215 tonnes exported in the first quarter compared to 213,443 tonnes in the corresponding period last year.

Garlic, pepper, small cardamom, fenu-greek, nutmeg, fennel and spice oils and oleoresins contribute3d substantially to the spice export basked during April-June of the current fiscal. After several years, pepper exports have climbed to the second spot after chilli with the value of exports increasing by 201% to Rs. 635.90 crore from 10,750 tonnes as against Rs. 211.37 crore from 4335 tonnes during the first quarter of last fiscal. In terms of volume, pepper recorded a growth of 148% in April-Junr 2015-16.

Chilli continues to lead with 81,000 tonnes exported during the three months for a value of Rs. 872.70 crore as against 77.720 tonnes exported for a value of Rs. 715.09 crore in the first quarter of FY 15. Volume of exports have increased by 4% while value increased by 22% during the period.

Turmeric made remarkable strides in export earnings by shipment of 24,500 tonnes during the period. Exports of small cardamom touched Rs. 91,69 crore, registering an increase of 142% from the first quarter of last year. Garlic exports increased by 272% in terms of volume and 392% in terms of value when compared year-on-year.

Foundation for corporate milk-funding

National Dairy Development Board along with milk cooperatives will set up a foundation to facilitate supply of free milk to underprivileged school children and has invited corporates to fund the programme.

According to NDDB Chairman, Mr. T. Nanda Kumar, a new foundation named 'NDDB Foundation for Nutrition' will be registered for this purpose and it will work with milk cooperatives to provide milk to school going children. He added that the idea is to start the concept of 'gift milk', where corporates can start providing milk to underprivileged children as a part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programme.

We will give preference to schools in poorer areas of the country. The program will provide a transparent electronic platform to connect people who want to participate as donors in the initiative, Mr. Nanda Kumar said. He said NDDB will use the educational infrastructure to help target this concern by adding good quality and safe milk to the buckets of meal for school children.