State Food Safety Index 2021-22

by admin | Jul 9, 2022 | Guest Column

State Food Safety Index 2021-22

To encourage States/UTs to improve their performance and work towards establishing a proper food safety ecosystem in their jurisdiction, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has released the State Food Safety Index (SFSI) annually for each financial year. The Index is a dynamic quantitative and qualitative benchmarking model that provides an objective framework for evaluating food safety across all States/UTs.

Shri Arun Singhal, CEO, FSSAI

The Food Safety Index reflects the overall performance of the States/ UTs on various parameters of food safety. These food safety parameters are broadly classified under following 5 significant factors assigned with separate weightage of marks.

a) Human Resources and Institutional Data (with 20% weightage): The objective is to check availability of strong culture and ecosystem of enforcement commensurate with the size and population of the State/UT as well as participation of other departments and stakeholders in food safety activity at State and district levels. This parameter measures the availability of human resources like number of Food Safety Officers, Designated Officers, facility of adjudications and appellate tribunals, functioning of State/ District level Steering Committees, pendency of cases and their monitoring and participation in Central Advisory Committee meetings of the Food Authority.
b) Compliance (with 30% weightage):This is the most important parameter to measure overall coverage of food businesses in licensing & registration commensurate with size and population of the State/UTs, special drives and camps organized, yearly increase, promptness and effectiveness in issue of state licenses/ registrations. Also, this parameter considers the inspections carried out for high risk food businesses through FoSCoRIS (Food Safety Compliance with Regular Inspection and Sampling) and the number of samples drawn for testing. Promptness in attending to the consumer grievances and availability of help desk and web portals are also examined under this parameter.
c) Food Testing- Infrastructure and Surveillance (with 20% weightage): This parameter measures availability of adequate testing infrastructure with trained manpower in the States/ UTs for testing food samples. The States/ UTs with NABL accredited labs and adequate manpower in the labs score more in this parameter. The availability and effective utilization of Mobile Food Testing Labs and registration and utilization of InFoLNet (Indian Food Laboratories Network) are also examined under this parameter.
d) Training and Capacity Building (with 10% weightage): This parameter focuses on training and capacity building of regulatory staff (Dos and FSOs), number of trainings held under FoSTaC (Food Safety Training and Certification) and the availability of trained Food Safety Supervisors in food businesses across the State/UT.
e) Consumer Empowerment (with 20% weightage):This parameter measures the performance of States/ UTs in various consumer empowering initiatives of FSSAI like participation in Food Fortification, Eat Right Campus, BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God), Hygiene Rating of Restaurants, Clean Street Food Hubs, etc. Further, action taken for coverage of food fortification in open market, government safety net programmes and availability of fortified products in all districts are taken into consideration. State initiated activities for creating consumer awareness are also considered.

Further, based on the fact that similar States should be compared to ensure comparability among similar entities for the generation of ranks of States/UTs under SFSI, the States/UTs are classified into 3 categories namely Large States, Small States and UTs for the evaluation and assessment.

The assessment and evaluation of each category were done by separate teams comprising of outside experts for food testing and food & nutrition professionals in addition to FSSAI officials. The teams examine the details received from States/UTs and also interacts with States/UTs through video-conferencing for verification and confirmation of data.

The major findings of State Food Safety Index 2021-2022 are:

a) Ranking of States/UTs:

Among the Large States, Tamil Nadu is the top-ranking state, followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra.
Among the Small States, Goa is the top-ranking state followed by Manipur and Sikkim.
Among UTs, Jammu & Kashmir is the top-ranking UT, followed by Delhi and Chandigarh.

b) States/UTs with significant improvement in ranking during last year:

Uttarakhand in Large State Category
Tripura in Small States Category
Ladakh in the category of UTs.

In an effort to galvanize States/UTs to work towards ensuring safe food for citizens, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya released Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)’s 4th State Food Safety Index (SFSI) to measure the performance of States across five parameters of food safety. SFSI was started from 2018-19 with the aim of creating a competitive and positive change in the food safety ecosystem in the country. The index will help in providing safe and nutritious food to our citizens.

Dr. Mandaviya further added that the government is dedicated to ensure health security for every citizen in the country and for this it is focussing on primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare fronts with various initiatives like Health and Wellness Centres and strengthening of district hospitals under the National Health Mission. He praised the crucial role FSSAI plays in ensuring healthy and nutritious food to the citizens of our country. “It is important to note that states have an important role in ensuring food safety and healthy food practices. It is the need of the hour that we come together to ensure a healthy nation”, he further noted.

The Union Health Minister felicitated the winning State/UTs based on the ranking for the year 2021-22 for their impressive performance across parameters. This year, among the larger states, Tamil Nadu was the top ranking state, followed by Gujarat and Maharashtra. Among the smaller states, Goa stood first followed by Manipur and Sikkim. Among UTs, Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi and Chandigarh secured first, second and third ranks. Dr. Mandaviya also felicitated states which showed significant improvement in the State Food Safety Index.

To motivate Smart Cities to develop and execute a plan that supports a healthy, safe and sustainable food environment through adoption of various Eat Right India initiatives, the Health Minister also felicitated 11 winning smart cities of the EatSmart Cities Challenge, launched by FSSAI last year in association with the Smart Cities Mission under the aegis of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). He also felicitated winners of the Eat Right Research Challenge for Cities and Districts and Eat Right Research Awards and Grants.

Encouraging the participants and congratulating them on the occasion of World Food Safety Day, Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, said that to prevent burden from food borne diseases and to ensure food safety, a multifaceted and multi stakeholder approach involving industries, government machinery, regulators, etc. is required and awareness must be created at each level of the society. Shri Arun Singhal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), FSSAI said that food testing paradigm in the country is being improved in mission mode and Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) have been signed with States/UTs, to carefully see the food safety implementation in their respective areas.

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Choosing the Right Cookware and Tableware for Your Home

by admin | Jun 12, 2022 | Guest Column

Choosing the Right Cookware and Tableware for Your Home

We take utmost precautions while handling food to prevent contamination or any food hazard. However, have you given a thought about the utensils in which it is cooked, served, or stored? In this article, we will discuss cookware and tableware made from different materials. We will also offer some suggestions that you must keep in mind when you buy them, and some precautions while handling them.

Richa Pande

Aluminium Cookware

Aluminium utensils are used very commonly in Indian households. They are inexpensive, light weight and easy to clean. Aluminium is a good conductor of heat, and its utensils conduct heat faster. But according to some recent research studies, its long-term use can have pathological effects on our body because aluminium has the tendency to leach with long term use. Leaching can often lead to critical conditions such as anaemia, dementia and osteomalacia, etc. Usage of aluminium foils also has been known to have some food safety concerns. It is important to note that leaching from aluminium utensils and foils while cooking depends on factors like temperature, medium cooking, and Ph of the food product.

Given below are some tips to reduce exposure to aluminium while cooking and storing food:

High- heat cooking in aluminium utensils should be avoided. Always cook at lower temperature.
Whenever it’s possible, avoid using aluminium foils for cooking and wrapping cooked food. Bee wax wraps are a better alternative to store your food.
Food items containing acidic items such as tomatoes, lemons, tamarind should never be cooked in aluminium utensils.
If you still wish to use aluminium, go for anodized aluminium. How is it different from regular aluminium ware? Anodized aluminium is treated with acidic solution that changes aluminium metal characteristics. Likewise, anodized aluminium is easier to clean, have similar qualities to non-stick utensils. Chances of aluminium leaching from anodized aluminium ware as compared to regular aluminium ware is less.

Stainless Cookware

Stainless cookware is inexpensive compared to other materials. Steel is durable, corrosion free, and easy to clean. Stainless steel doesn’t react with acids found in milk, meat, vegetables, and fruits. The heat is distributed evenly over its surface making it a good option for cooking many recipes.

Iron and Cast-iron Cookware

Iron cookware and cast-iron cookware are both made from iron but cast iron is mixed with metal alloys. Iron ware is made of pure iron, which makes it usable for long term, but rust is a major concern with iron cookware. As it is pure iron, it may get rust and then it is not safe to cook food in such utensils. Special precautions must be taken if you wish to use iron cookware. On the other hand, cast iron cookware are better at smelting with metal alloys, eliminating the problem of rusting.

Glass Cookware and Tableware

Glass dishes are durable, non-toxic, and eco-friendly. Glass dishes are generally dishwasher and microwave safe. Glass container looks great in your kitchen, but you must be careful in using them as they can break if they fall. Unlike plastic containers, glass dishes are not associated with risks. Choose food grade glassware as it is prepared in high temperature and will prevent breakage. Element like lead and cadmium are used in glassware making process, so purchase glassware that is food-grade. Do not purchase glassware that has paint on the inner surface as they may have unhealthy chemicals that can affect the quality of your food. Some downsides of using glassware include uneven heat distribution.

Ceramic Ware

Ceramic is a non-reactive cookware. It has no added chemicals that can leach in your food. It is non-reactive i.e., nothing reacts with it. The heat transfer is quicker and more efficient. These days aluminium ware with ceramic coatings is available. They are non-stick, the most important property of ceramic. Ceramic is smooth and it requires less oil or butter as compared to cast iron or stainless steel. They are light weight as the base is made of aluminium base and ceramic coating. Ceramic cookware is safe at higher temperatures than Teflon pans and pots. However, be aware while buying ceramic ware as they may be purely ceramic and may have used glaze to seal them which can further leach into your food. So, choose food-grade ware only.

Non-stick Cookware

Non-stick cookware is easier to clean. If dishes are prepared in non-stick cookware, they require lesser amounts of oil or butter for preparation. Different types of finishing and materials are used to make different non-stick cooking wares these days. Earlier, all the non-stick cookware was lined with Teflon. These days’ different non-stick wares are available in market such as ceramic ware. Yet Teflon cookware is very popular. Traditionally, Teflon was prepared using a different formula. It used to have a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which was found to be associated with health conditions, including thyroid disorders, chronic kidney disease, liver disease, infertility, and low birth weight. Though now Teflon is usually termed safe for cooking, please note that it shouldn’t be exposed to very high temperatures. Cooking on high temperatures can break the coating or cleaning it roughly can also scrap its coating making is unsafe to use. At temperatures above 300°C, Teflon coating can start breaking down which might release toxic chemicals in the air. When these toxic fumes are inhaled, it can lead to flu-like symptoms, chills, fever, headache, and body aches.

Tips to handle Teflon ware safely

Don’t preheat an empty pan.
Avoid cooking on high heat.
Ventilate your kitchen.
Use wooden, silicone spatula and ladles, as the ones made from metal can lead to scuffs and scratches on the non-stick surface, reducing the life of your cookware.
Gently wash pots and pans with Teflon coatings with a sponge and in soapy, warm water. Avoid using steel or scouring pads as they can scratch the Teflon coated surface.
Replace old cookware. When Teflon coatings start to visibly deteriorate with excessive scratches, peeling, flaking, and chipping, replace them with new ones.

Melamine Cookware and Tableware

Melamine can be only used to serve food and for eating. But it should never be used in a microwave to heat food. Avoid eating acidic food such as lemon, tomatoes, or tamarind in melamine ware.

Copper Cookware

Copper cookware conducts heat. Due to this, copper heats quickly and evenly, but it loses that heat just as fast. The base of pan is usually made of other metals like stainless steel with copper coating over it. Copper reacts to acidic foods and needs a greater level of care when cooking. To clean water stains on copper utensils, you can use vinegar. You can use peels of lemon and tomatoes to clean them.

Understanding the difference between Food Grade and Food Safe Cookware

Food grade means that the material is suitable to come into direct contact with food. Food safe means that the food grade material and finished product is suitable for its intended use and will not create a food safety hazard. A product is said to be food safe when it is declared safe to use for the specific purpose for which it is designed.

Identifying Food Safe Cookware and Tableware

Food safe cookware and tableware can be identified with the help of this logo. The symbol for “food safe” indicates that the material used in the product is considered safe for food contact. The certification includes considerations like the temperature that the cookware will be used at, cleaning processes, etc.

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Eat Right India: Steadily Reforming India’s Food Ecosystem

by admin | Jun 12, 2022 | Guest Column

Eat Right India: Steadily Reforming India’s Food Ecosystem

Safe foods and healthy diets are critical in the context of India’s rising burden of food borne diseases, under-nutrition, micro-nutrient deficiencies and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension, diabetes, heart related diseases, etc. According to the Burden of Disease study, 6 of the top 10 risk factors for burden of disease in India are food-related. The economic cost of foodborne illnesses is estimated at 0.5% of the GDP.

Shri Arun Singhal, CEO, FSSAI

This year’s World Food Safety Day theme- “Safer food, Better Health” is rightly set to draw attention and mobilize action to prevent, detect and manage foodborne risks and improve human health. The call to action on this year’s World Food Safety Day is a reminder that everyone including policy makers, food businesses, educational institutions and workplaces, and consumers play a role in keeping food safe. It emphasises on the need to prioritize food safety throughout the supply chain, from farm to table.

Food safety is one of the determinant of a sound and cohesive healthcare system in a country. Safe food is essential to promoting human health and well-being and ending hunger, two of the 17 main UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).This underlines the need to focus on preventive healthcare through ensuring safe, healthy and sustainable food for all people. It is in this context, that the ‘Eat Right India’ movement has been launched by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy and habits of food and nutrition, the movement is envisioned as a transformative large-scale change initiative that combines regulatory, capacity building and empowerment approaches judiciously to protect and advance public health and improve quality of life of all people. Right food is the foundation for better life and its tagline, ‘sahi bhojan behtar jeevan’ (right food, better life) says it all. The movement is based on three key pillars of, ‘Eat Safe, Eat Healthy and Eat Sustainable’. Envisioned as a low cost, high impact collaborative and partnership based preventive health care strategy to promote consumption of safe and wholesome food, it requires interventions on both supply–side and demand-side, taken up together in a campaign mode. As foodborne illnesses and various diet-related diseases cut across all age groups and all sections of the society, the movement brings together food-related mandates of the agriculture, health, and environment ministries, and adopts an integrative or ‘whole of the government’ approach. Further it builds on synergies with flagship programmes like Ayushman Bharat, Swachh Bharat Mission, POSHAN Abhiyaan and Fit India movement to institutionalise preventive healthcare as a way of life.

A series of initiatives aimed at improving food quality and safety have been launched under the aegis of Eat right India targeting both supply and demand side. To build capacity of food businesses, FSSAI initiated ‘Food Safety Training and Certification’ (FOSTAC) – a unique program to ensure that there is a trained and certified Food Safety Supervisor (FSS) on each food business premises. Given the large unorganized food sector in India comprising a range of food businesses from street food vendors, dhabas, eateries, etc., several benchmarking and certification schemes to improve food safety and hygiene standards are in place. These involve training of food handlers and audits of food businesses by third-party audit agencies. Schemes such as ‘Clean Street Food Hub’, ‘Clean and Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Markets’, ‘Eat Right Station’ and ‘BHOG (Blissful Hygienic Offering to God) for Places of Worship’ are targeted to clusters of vendors. For individual outlets such as restaurants, catering establishments, sweet and meat shops, the ‘Hygiene Rating Scheme’ has been introduced.

Additionally, to create a culture of healthy eating habits across different settings like schools, workplaces, educational institutes, hospitals, etc., Eat Right School and Eat Right Campus certification programs have been launched. Under these initiatives, certification is awarded based on compliance to pre-defined benchmarks on safe, healthy and sustainable diets across these settings.

FSAAI uses various tools and mediums to create awareness about eating right. To celebrate ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’, FSSAI is organizing “Eat Right Walkathon and Eat Right Melas” in 75 cities across India to commemorate 75 Years of India’s Independence. The events are aimed for massive outreach to propagate the message of Safe, Healthy and Sustainable diets. It promotes millets as a nutri-cereal, local & seasonal produce and variety of healthy oils for optimal health and nutrition. The event kick-started in August 2021 and 26 such events has been organized so far.

FSSAI also releases ‘Myth Busters’ and ‘Guidance Notes’ for consumers from time to time to address any growing concerns related to food and clarify misconceptions at large. In addition to this, a pool of information including Pink Books for the Home Kitchens, the yellow books for schools, The Orange Books for the campuses etc., have been developed with the help of experts, nutritionists, doctors and chefs. The Eat Right Toolkit has been developed for Health and Wellness Centers under the Ayushman Bharat to ensure message reaches the grassroots level.

For mass consumer awareness and bringing about a shift in eating behaviours, emphasis has been placed on encouraging healthy food choices. FSSAI launched the “Aaj Se Thoda Kam” mass awareness campaign to reduce salt, fat and sugar in diets, and Trans-Fat Free India@75 to eliminate trans-fats by 2022. Apart from this, FSSAI promotes a variety of foods considering the vast diversity in diet, culture, customs, etc. for wholesome nutrition. Citizens are nudged to make the right food choices and promote diet diversification with a variety of whole grains ranging from wheat and rice, which are commonly consumed, to millets and other indigenous grains for better nutrition. Large-scale fortification of 5 staples including rice, wheat flour, edible oil, milk and salt with micronutrients appear to be good vehicles to deliver nutrients to large sections of the population. Nudging consumers to eat right not only creates awareness but constantly reiterates the importance of ‘mindful’ eating to ensure a sustainable change in habits.

To empower consumers to address adulteration, FSSAI has introduced The DART Book to check common food adulterants at home with simple tests. In addition, FSSAI has also launched mobile food testing vans, called Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs) to reach remote areas and conduct training and awareness activities as well.

To encourage and support sustainable food practices to protect the environment, FSSAI is spearheading initiatives such as ‘Jaivik Bharat’ for easy identification of authentic organic food; ‘Save Food, Share Food’ to reduce food waste and promote food donation; ‘Safe and Sustainable Packaging in Food and Beverage Sector’ to reduce the use of plastics and Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO) for safe and healthy use of cooking oil and repurposing used cooking oil to make biodiesel/soap, etc.

The Eat Right India targets people across ages, gender, regions, and socioeconomic groups. With the joint efforts of all stakeholders in the food systems from production to consumption, the Eat Right India movement can go a long way in addressing the issues around food safety and nutrition in the country.

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EatSmart Cities Challenge

by cv | May 15, 2022 | Guest Column

EatSmart Cities Challenge

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in association with the Smart Cities Mission under the aegis of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) recently announced the winners of the EatSmart Cities Challenge. The 11 winning cities include Chandigarh, Indore, Jabalpur, Jammu, Panaji, Rajkot, Rourkela, Surat, Sagar, Tumkuru and Ujjain. These cities have now entered into the scale up stage of the challenge wherein the projects undertaken at the pilot stage will be scaled up in a sustainable manner.

Shri Arun Singhal, CEO, FSSAI

Launched in March 2021, the EatSmart Cities Challenge aims to motivate ‘Smart Cities’ to develop and execute a plan that supports a healthy, safe and sustainable food environment through adoption of various Eat Right India initiatives. The cities were required to implement an action under each of five action areas – Licensing and Registration of Food Businesses and Surveillance Drives; Benchmarking and Certification; Changing settings in schools and campuses; Creating a Sustainable Food Environment; Behaviour Change Campaigns, over a five-month implementation phase. A total of 108 cities had registered in the challenge out of which 20 cities were shortlisted for evaluation by an external jury panel comprising of national and international experts. Upon evaluation, 11 cities were selected as winners for the next phase of scale up.

In the pilot stage of the Challenge, significant improvements were made in the overall food ecosystem across the cities. Some of the key highlights include:

At least 10% increase in licensing and registration of food businesses across cities.
Banning use of plastics and replacing with nature-based alternatives such as ‘patravali’ or leaf-based cutlery/ utensils.
Use of technology-based solutions for food safety initiatives.
Campaigns featuring cartoon/comic characters and video games to encourage young people to make healthy food choices.
Incorporating food policy into the city urban development plan.
Healthier food campaigns highlighting the nutrition value of traditional food versus fast/ultra-processed food.
Supporting citizen volunteers to distribute surplus food from businesses to vulnerable communities.
Progressing the trans-fat free @75 campaign.
Training citizens in key nutrition messages to cascade across community settings.
Involving the medical community in various campaigns to raise awareness of nutrition, food and health among citizens.
Focusing on household food safety as well as business food safety and targeting small/micro businesses.
Establishing school nutrition action groups, involving parents, to support a transition to nutritionally diverse menus.
Citizen engagement during food festivals and food safety/health guidance for festivals attracting millions of people.

According to the CEO, FSSAI, Shri Arun Singhal, “The EatSmart Cities Challenge will have a positive impact on the lives of urban population by motivating them to eat right. This Challenge will support a large-scale effort to transform our Country’s food ecosystem to one that is safer, healthier and climate friendly. The world is seeking inspiration and innovation from the 11 chosen cities which are the front-runners of this challenge. I appreciate efforts displayed by all the participating cities and hopeful that this will be a game changer in creating massive social and behavioural change towards right eating practices in the years to come.”

In the scale up stage, cities will adopt an aggressive approach through food systems approach in implementation of various Eat Right India programs at a larger scale. They will also work towards making their interventions sustainable and to scale it up across wider network. To support the cities, FSSAI along with Food Foundation, UK will organize a series of activities and deliberation sessions to provide technical assistance and showcase their efforts at international forums. This will be a 3-month incubator programme where the winning cities will learn and develop strategy and policies to refine their food vision and integrate them with the overall smart cities structure. Food Foundation will also work with the cities and help them prepare to showcase their efforts at various international forums including the Food Cities 2022.

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Stay Healthy This Summer!

by cv | May 15, 2022 | Guest Column

Stay Healthy This Summer!

Summers are here, and accordingly we must make some dietary changes in this season to adapt to the heat. Summer calls for a diet which helps us to cool down our body temperatures. As temperature rise, we tend to sweat more in summers therefore keeping ourselves hydrated is very important. Also, it is important to watch the intake of the foods that ought to produce heat. Read this article to know more about keeping yourself healthy in this summer season.

Richa Pande

Some Tips to keep you Fresh and Healthy

Going light

Take light and frequent meals instead of heavy meals rich in fats and carbohydrates as they tend to increase temperature of your body.

Think fruits & veggies

Try to include more fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet. Eat tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, berries, and avocado. You can have them as salads or juices.

Stay hydrated!

Keep drinking fluids. Drink at least 2-3 litres of water in a day. If you don’t like drinking plain water, then try infused water. It adds a flavour to plain water. Some common infused water choices can be-

Cucumber and lemon infused water
Water infused with mint and lemon
Kiwi and strawberry infused water
Strawberry, lemon and mint infused water
Orange and lemon infused water
Lemon, mint, ginger and cucumber infused water

Take plenty of juices, soups, and shakes. Hydration is not just about taking fluids but also maintaining the electrolyte balance in the body. It’s advisable to have electral to maintain the electrolytes and fluid balance. If you are indulging in a sport or any physical activity like trekking, be mindful about the timings i.e., choose early morning or evenings and keep yourself properly hydrated.

Signs of Dehydration

• Dry, itchy skin

• Experiencing headache, dizziness, fatigue

• Muscle cramps, not urinating frequently

Mind your cool treats

We are likely to eat more ice creams in summer as it makes us feel cool, but always choose ice-creams that are natural. Ensure that they contain no preservatives and pick the one with less amounts of sugar. Also, mind the portion sizes.

Avoid Alcohol/caffeine/sugary drinks

These drinks tend to dehydrate the tissues.

Avoid street food

Food-borne illness episodes tend to increase during summers. Street vendors might not have proper sources to maintain the temperature of food, which may increase the risk of food borne illnesses.

Storing food, the right way

During summers, the risk of food getting spoiled increases as compared to other seasons. Store leftovers in refrigerator if there are any. Try to consume more of freshly cooked food. Cook in small quantity and avoid eating stale or leftover food as it increases the chances of food poisoning. Raw foods and cooked foods must be separated when stored in the refrigerator. Store raw meat and fish in the freezer, keep raw fruits and vegetables in the basket below, and raw milk usually goes into the chiller.

Probiotics can be your saviour

Taking probiotics such as curd can help you improve your immune system, protect against infection, and improve your digestion and absorption of food and nutrients, including water.

Avoid foods that produces heat

Onion, garlic, black pepper, ginger, some root vegetables, and spicy foods are best avoided in the summer.

Some Other Health Tips for the Summer

Avoid getting out during daytime. Prefer going out during morning or evening time. Ultraviolet rays are harmful for your skin. So, take necessary precautions to avoid sunburns. Always wear sunscreen. Heat strokes are very common in summers. Wear light colour clothes and light fabrics such as cotton. Avoid dark colour clothes (as they absorbs heat) or heavy fabrics such as silk as they tend to increase the body temperatures. Cover your body with clothes and try not to expose it much to sun as it’s not good for your skin. Always cover your eyes with sunglasses as ultra-violet rays are not good for your eyes as well.

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Reducing Anaemia through Large Scale Food Fortification

by admin | Apr 16, 2022 | Guest Column

Reducing Anaemia through Large Scale Food Fortification

Micronutrients are essential to sustain life and for optimal physiological functions. High prevalence of micronutrient deficiency is affecting the lives of more than 2 billion people in the world despite substantial efforts to decrease its prevalence for the past few decades. Iron deficiency is the major cause of micronutrient deficiency, which has long-ranging effects on health, learning ability and productivity. It is also negatively impacting health care costs and gross domestic product. Iron deficiency is mainly caused by suboptimal dietary intake and many of these affected individuals live in the developing world with high frequency and severity among disadvantaged populations.

Shri Arun Singhal, CEO, FSSA

It has been observed that the nutritional iron deficiency is highest in population segments that are at peak rates of growth, namely, infants, young children, and pregnant women. India accounts for approximately a quarter of all cases of anaemia globally. Recently released National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 5, 2019-21 data of Indian States/UTs is concerning and points towards a trend reversal-anaemia prevalence. The anaemia prevalence in children and women is 67.1% and 57.2% respectively. There is also a substantial increase in anaemia rate among men aged 15–54 years from 23·2% (NFHS-4) to 25% (NFHS-5).

What is the solution?

Enriching diets of masses with iron is a globally adopted solution and in India, various policies and programs have been implemented to ensure adequate supply of iron. These interventions are complementary rather than mutually exclusive and a multi-sectoral approach involving health, food security and agriculture is, therefore, of prime importance. There are three strategies to combat micronutrient malnutrition (i) Supplementation (ii) Food Fortification and (iii) Dietary Diversification. Even though iron and folic acid supplementation provides the fastest improvement in the iron status but it focuses on targeted population. Increasing dietary diversity and utilizing local food resources takes the longest to create an impact, however it is the most desirable and sustainable solution.

Reducing Anaemia through Large Scale Food Fortification image1

Why is fortification necessary?

Box 1: BENEFITS OF FORTIFIED STAPLES

Health
Iron essential for fighting against anaemia.
Folic acid and vitamin B12 help in maintaining normal functioning of the vital body systems and blood formation.
Improve overall health and immunity and help fight against diseases.
Economic
Increased cognitive ability of children and productive capacity of adults
Less burden on health care system
Social
Food security
Positive impacts on nutrition, public health and overall social welfare

Reducing Anaemia through Large Scale Food Fortification image2

It is a scientifically proven, sustainable and cost-effective solution with no change in habit/dietary practice. Global evidence also showcases a vast success of improving public health by fortifying staples. In India three staples are fortified with iron namely wheat flour, rice and salt. These act as a good vehicle as these are most commonly consumed (refer to box 1 & 2).
Fortification of rice, wheat flour and salt act as a complementary strategy to address the problem of anaemia in the country and is a safe and cost-effective strategy requiring no behavioural change by the consumer.

What work has been done?

Under the regulatory framework, the Standards for fortification of staples were gazette notified on 2nd August, 2018 by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Currently, wheat flour and rice are fortified with iron, Vitamin B12 and folate with bioavailable plant base sources of nutrients. Double fortified salt has added iodine and iron. The levels of micronutrients have been adjusted to provide 30-50% of Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). A dedicated website www.ffrc.fssai@gov.in is functional as a one stop resource provider on food fortification. A unique identification logo +F is developed for easy identification of fortified foods by the consumers and provides assurance that FSSAI standards are being followed for fortification by these products. Currently, fortified staples are available in Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), PM-Poshan Scheme and Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) in some of the States/UTs in India. Recently, on the occasion of 75^th Independence, Hon’ble Prime Minister Sh. Narendra Modi announced fortified rice to be distributed under various government schemes by 2024. Central Government has taken an initiative to supply fortified rice throughout the Public Distribution System (PDS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and PM-POSHAN scheme in all states/UTs to the beneficiaries in a phased manner to address anaemia and micronutrient deficiency in the country.

Reducing Anaemia through Large Scale Food Fortification image3

To create awareness on the importance and use of fortified staples and scale-up rice fortification, FSSAI has conducted various communication campaigns on radio, TV, social media, publications, etc. In collaboration with development partners, FSSAI is conducting a cooking and tasting demonstration of fortified rice at district level across states to build assurance and trust among people. FSSAI is focussing on working towards converging an effective approach to combat dietary iron deficiency anaemia, especially in vulnerable population.

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