Sep 4, 2017
Make the rules for nutrition security
Even the recent shutting down of multiple outlets, in excess of 160, of a junk food corporate, although over alleged financial disputes, is a brilliant move in the arena of public health and nutrition regulation. Although late, these regulatory and policy endeavours may go a long way in improving India’s currently abysmal public health and nutrition scenario.
More than two decades old now, the national nutrition policy (1993) failed to provide any substantial leadership or results in tackling the multiple forms of malnutrition in the country. We only saw an almost stagnant undernutrition rate during this time, along with a rise in the obesity burden and pervasive, multiple micronutrient deficiencies.
Well-intended, evidence-based regulation and its effective implementation will lead to sustainable gains in public health by reducing the morbidity and mortality burden, empowering consumers to make informed choices, keeping the industry’s misleading conduct and dubious practices in check, and translating into economic benefits.
Consider smoking, for example. No one stopped when they were “told” that smoking may cause cancer. But taxing cigarettes, banning advertising, setting age limits for selling tobacco products and restricting smoking in public places made it both an imperative and easier for many people to stop, and also discouraged new ones from taking to the habit; obesity and chronic diseases have dropped after enforcement of strong policies (restrictions on trans-fats in Denmark; taxation of carbonated and sugar-sweetened beverages; mandatory front-of-pack labelling; workplace interventions, physical activity promotion, breastfeeding promotion).
Industry endorses self-regulation but spends billions of dollars on misleading advertising in the name of innovation and creative independence, which encourages us to overeat unhealthy foods. They portray government regulation as a feature of a nanny state that deprives people of the freedom to exercise their will.
We all know that the meal with free toy becomes the default choice of the kids and thus their parents’. Advertisements blatantly showcase that consumption of “cool” — read ultra-processed foods, high in sugar, salt and fats) foods and drinks will lead to better social acceptability. Is this not arm-twisting using marketing and advertising gimmicks? Is this not leading people to make unhealthy choices?
Economists say that just obesity and its related consequences can cost us $190 billion annually. Modelling estimates suggest that interventions as simple as mandatory food labelling may reduce obesity prevalence by 2.5-6.5%. About 15 million DALYs (disability-adjusted life year, a measure of overall disease burden, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death) per annum can be averted by simple policy interventions. Research also shows that several simple public health and nutrition (PHN) interventions can be clubbed for a cost-effective response.
Threats and possibilities
Some challenges that merit our attention when we think of PHN regulation: a) the regulation’s coverage, format, who will be excluded and why? b) Synching advertising guidelines with proposed regulation (for example, banning junk food advertisements and their sale near or in children’s spaces); c) how will we include or bring in restaurants, small joints, takeaways, unorganised sector as stakeholders? d) Collaborations (vendor/small manufacturers associations, civil society, licences); e) Implementation and surveillance.
Some strategies that may enhance the impact of regulation may include strengthening regulatory agencies like the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India; state-wise compulsory participation, empowering nutrition research institutions which may provide high quality evidence to influence what works and what doesn’t in local context, constituting independent unbiased group of experts and advisers to collate evidence and present to decision-makers, partnerships among stakeholders, reducing corruption, consumer awareness camps, short-term licensing and renewal based on compliance with set criteria or guidelines for food safety, transparency and accountability checks, time-based outcome analysis results, setting up robust and sustainable surveillance system.
Above all, efforts to make all involved bodies work in-sync with opportunities to constructively criticise and discuss issues. In fact, it will be good to invest in a baseline (pre-regulatory landscape) and then make periodic changes in key health outcomes. The states can standardise these measures and the Centre can collate these as a part of standardised surveillance system to monitor PHN.
We must collectively advance from mere feeding to nurturing. Let us broaden our focus to care about public health and nutrition security than mere food security. As the legendary German writer and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “Knowing is not enough, we must apply. Willing is not enough, we must do.”
Closure notice to eateries
The Food Safety wing’s special squads conducted inspections over the last 12 days at 5,413 food production and sales outlets across the State.
The licences of 36 outlets, which were found to be functioning in an unhygienic manner, were cancelled and closure notices were issued.
A compounded fine of Rs. 72,76,000 was collected from various outlets for blatant violation of FSS Act. Food safety special squads in all districts will collect complaints from the public on Onam holidays also.
70 people in hospitals after food poisoning at school in Kohima
Kohima, Sep 3 (UNI) Over 70 students and teachers of a reputed school in Kohima reportedly contracted food poisoning after eating food prepared
by students at a farewell event organised for its class XII students on Friday last.
According to sources, the students were hospitalised in different hospitals at the state capital with symptoms of vomiting, sweating, diarrhea and fever.
In a private nursing home informed that around 53 students were admitted on Friday, out of which 15 to17 students, whose symptoms were severe.
“All the beds in the hospital are occupied and more students continue to come in,” a source informed.
With the rush of the patients coming in with similar symptoms, a sort of emergency was reported at the hospital authority hastened to ensure
accommodations as well as treat the patients. The students and teachers were also in another two nursing homes.
It is suspected that the students and teachers included contracted food poisoning after consuming dessert made with milk and eggs, reportedly prepared
by the students. The farewell event for the class XII students of the school was hosted by class IX, X and XI students. Even some parents, who consumed
the food presumably the dessert, brought home by their children, were also admitted in the hospital, sources said.
Jaggery not so health after all
The report says that the main purpose behind using these additives is to remove impurities easily and give it the desired colour.
Report by Cooperation Department points to extensive use of chemicals and adulterants
The humble jaggery, increasingly regarded as a healthier alternative to white sugar, is not necessarily safe if you are buying it without a thought on what is going into it. A recent report by the Cooperation Department shows that a host of chemicals and adulterants go into it in several jaggery-making units.
Jaggery units in Karnataka, particularly in Mandya region, have been using different types of chemicals/additives, including calcium hydroxide, sodium hydrosulphite (hydrose), sodium formaldehyde sulfoxylate (safolite), ortho-phosphoric acid, seashells, baking soda, oil (castor/coconut), and orange-red powder (artificial food colouring), reveals the report submitted recently to the government.
The main purpose behind using these additives is to remove impurities easily and give it the desired colour. Sugar is also added as a thickening agent, reducing the processing time, says the report by Additional Secretary, Cooperation Department. It also notes that some manufacturing units, in contrast, have also been using lady’s finger stem and powder as safer alternative clarificants.
Karnataka ranks third in sugarcane cultivation that is concentrated in Belagavi, Bagalkot, Mandya, Bidar, Ballari and Vijayapura districts. Mandya district alone has 532 jaggery manufacturing units with an output of at least 10 lakh tonnes of jaggery a year. Jaggery samples were collected from Mandya, Yeshwantpur and Mahalingapur and tested at the Regional Agmark Laboratory, Guntur. The tests revealed that higher level of sulphur dioxide residue was found in light coloured jaggery samples from Mandya market than the samples collected from Yeshwantpur and Mahalingapur markets. This could be attributed to the excess use of chemicals such as hydrose and safolite, the report said.
The report said sodium hydrosulphite (commonly used as a reducing/bleaching agent in textiles, dyeing, leather, paper pulp and other industries) was used as bleaching agent in jaggery manufacturing. These sodium-based chemicals also lead to the reduced shelf life of jaggery, as sodium being highly hygroscopic in nature absorbs moisture from atmosphere that softens the jaggery and makes it mushy.
The sulphur-based chemicals (sulfoxylate) leads to increase in sulphurdi-oxide residue in jaggery. Ortho-phosphoric acid is also used as bleaching agent and when it exceeds the limits, it is harmful.
Use vegetable clarificants
CFTRI, Mysuru, has recommended the use of vegetable clarificants as alternative to chemicals.
Indiscriminate use of the chemicals is not only harmful for consumption but also reduces the shelf life of the product forcing the farmers to distress sales within a week from processing, irrespective of the prevailing price in the market, says the report.
The demand for jaggery was usually based on colour. Jaggery with light golden yellow colour and firm hardness fetched more price in comparison to other varieties. The next preferred colours were kesari and golden yellow. Dark brown coloured jaggery had the least demand, which the report says in the main reason for chemical additives. On an average, price difference of ₹100 to ₹500 per quintal was found between different varieties of jaggery based on variation in colour and shape.
India accounts for over 70% of the total global jaggery production. India exports jaggery to many countries, including Bangladesh, the U.K., Canada, Chile, Egypt, Fiji, Iraq, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, and the U.S.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)