Munching between meals is often seen as an unhealthy habit. Mostly because the snacks we usually munch on are unhealthy and could be high in calories, fat, sugar, and salt, and low in essential micronutrients. But it is wrong to think that inter-meal munching is a bad idea. In fact, eating the right inter-meal snack may aid satiety, and even promote some dietary goals such as weight loss. There are many ways to turn it into a healthy habit. In this article, we explain how to do so.

                                                                                                                                   Richa Pande

Eating at short and frequent intervals has many health benefits. It can aid in satiating the appetite preventing binge eating episodes later. This can make your weight loss journey easier. It helps in stabilizing blood sugar levels. It supports efficient metabolism mechanism compared to a slower metabolism which results from skipping meals. Eating at shorter intervals is also good for your digestion. Eating an inter-meal snack rich in complex carbohydrates with protein has been found to improve mood and productivity.

Stress and Inter-meal Munching

Have you noticed you tend to experience hunger pangs more when you are having a hectic day, or you prefer unhealthy foods when you experience stress? Similarly, we choose to have an extra meal on a stressful day. Evidence suggests that if you experience stress occasionally, stress can shut down your appetite. But if stress episodes persist, it can lead to hunger pangs, and increase in consumption of food high in fat and /or sugar.

Screen time and Munching Habits

Prolonged screen time is associated with increased appetite and unhealthy snacking habits. Note that all screen time is not of the same quality. Leisure screen time is not similar to educational screen time.

Are Claims Made by Products Really True?

All the claims made by brands in food marketplaces are not true at all. Some does not even make any sense. For instance, NO CHOLESTEROL claims on plant-based uncooked foods such as pasta. Consumers who check information on food labels can smartly identify the truth behind the marketing gimmicks. These are some tips that can help you in making smart choices:

• Switch to healthier munching alternatives such as roasted chana, murmura with cut vegetables, khakhra, makhana, etc.
• Choose recipes made from fruits and vegetables as your inter-meal snack. For example- soups, salads, zoodles, etc. Top it with seeds like sesame seeds, chia seeds, and flaxseeds
• 30-50 grams of nuts such as cashews, almonds, peanuts, walnuts, pistachio, etc. make a healthy inter-meal snack.
• Pick products that have less additives and preservatives.
• Pick foods high in fibre and protein.
• Choose foods that provide 200-230 calories or less per serving.
• Eat packaged foods as per the recommended serving size.
• Choose products low in saturated fats.
• Choose to eat whole fruits instead of drinking juice or flavoured juices available in the market.
• Pick juices with no  added sugar and sugar substitutes and prefer the ones with more  fruit and vegetable concentrates.
• Include fresh fruits and salads in your diet.
• Check the ingredients list. Avoid products containing Palm oil/ Palmolein.
• Choose products made in vegetable oils other than coconut or palm oil that are high in saturated fats. For example, sunflower, rice bran or any other oil that contains less saturated fats.
• Check the quantity of sodium present in the product. Choose low sodium products.
• Not all baked snacks are healthy, they may still contain palm oil or palmolein or high amounts of fats and calories. Don’t fall for the claim. Always check the ingredient list and the nutritive value table.

Why is Food Testing Necessary?

To ensure availability of safe and hygienic food to consumers, effective food testing measures are vital at every necessary step throughout the food value chain. The objective of food testing is to ensure that the food is free from the below mentioned hazards:

• Biological hazards:Derived from microbial hazards such as salmonella and E. coli bacteria.
• Chemical hazards:Contamination with chemicals used in agriculture and/or production processes such as antibiotics, pesticides, as well as food additives such as preservatives, and including chemicals that are used in the production/processing and cleaning agents for equipment and machinery.
• Physical hazards:Any extraneous objects in food that can cause illness or injury to the consumer such as glass, pieces of metal, plastic or wood, etc.

Measures to Improve Food Testing

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), an apex food regulator, has been continuously working towards improving the food testing ecosystem in the country. Two well established and fully equipped laboratories are supported by FSSAI in Delhi-NCR and Kolkata. They have a significant number of State Food Laboratories as well as NABL accredited private labs with a network of almost 190 notified food testing laboratories.

For improving the food testing infrastructure in the country, FSSAI is implementing a Central Sector Scheme for “Strengthening of the Food Testing Ecosystem” in the Country with a total outlay of Rs. 481.95 Cr that includes provisioning of modern testing equipment in State Food Laboratories across the country as well as allocating Mobile Food Testing Labs and other related measures. To ensure quality and consistency of results from participating food laboratories, FSSAI has recognised food labs as per ISO 17025/2017 only through NABL under integrated assessment system. These labs are being monitored by NABL through audits, verification and other periodical desktop surveillance audit, reassessment and renewal of accreditation.

Schemes for Rapid Food Testing

• FSSAI has introduced a scheme for approving rapid analytical food testing (RAFT) devices/kits/methods. Several recent rapid and automated kits/equipment/ methods are commercially available globally to bridge the gap for rapid detection of food borne contaminants etc. and instantaneous, on-line monitoring to ensure the safety of food products.
• To further reduce the screening time of food products by Food Safety Officers (FSO) at the field level and accelerate surveillance activities, FSSAI has come up with a policy for fast track approval of rapid food testing kits/devices.The ultimate goal for these rapid testing devices and equipments is to provide results within a few hours, if not in “real time”. RAFT kits are most advanced, easy to use, portable hand-held devices. The tests can be performed anywhere by anyone without any specific training requirements.
• Recently, an indigenous RAFT kit – Precision Iodine Value Analyzer (PIVA) has been developed by CSIR along with Central Scientific Instruments Organization (CSIO). This home grown kit can determine the Iodine Value (degree of unsaturation) measurement in edible oils and fats in a faster, better, and cheaper way.
• FSSAI has approved 65 rapid food testing kits/devices so far to ensure faster, better and cheaper real-time testing of food even at the field level, thus assuring safe and good quality of food while raising the bar for food safety in the country.
• To facilitate on the spot testing of adulteration in common food items, FSSAI has provided 153 mobile food testing laboratories called Food Safety on Wheels (FSWs) to the States/ UTs to add to the food testing infrastructure in the country. Any consumer can visit these FSWs and test the quality of food products. These units help the functionaries in the States to enhance their outreach and conduct surveillance activities even in far-flung areas. Most of these FSWs are being utilised by States effectively and efficiently.
• For awareness among consumers about common food adulterants, FSSAI has published DART (Detecting Adulterants with Rapid Testing)book that enables a consumer to test common adulterants in food products at home. DART can be used as a ready guide for households, which can induce awareness among consumers about food safety.
• A mandatory training programme covering Good Food Laboratory Practices (GFLP) is meant for all the personnel of laboratories under the purview of FSSAI. This five-day training is conducted at the premises of the state-of-the-art laboratory at Ghaziabad and/or notified laboratories having testing facilities for safety parameters (microbiological, pesticide and heavy metals) in Chemical and biological fields as per the NABL Scope.

 Food testing is an important part of the food safety ecosystem. It helps in determining any risk that is associated with the food products and builds confidence in consumers that the food available for consumption is safe and hygienic. FSSAI aims to keep the confidence of consumers intact and continues to build a more robust food safety ecosystem in the country to ensure effective food safety as well as credible food testing measures at every level.

These days, vegan meats are readily available in restaurants, supermarkets, and grocery websites of different brands. Some commonly used foods to prepare these mock meats are peas, jackfruit, soy, quinoa, mushrooms, rice, moong bean, pulses, potatoes, etc. Many of these have a good protein content, specifically soy that has high biological value protein. Flavour plays a vital role in the acceptability of vegan meat. Leghemoglobin extracted from plants makes imparts this flavor to the vegan meat. There is a common notion amongst manufacturers that people prefer meat products over vegan meats as they are better in taste. Studies suggest that consumers found vegan and non-vegan burgers similar in taste, texture and appearance.

Benefits of Vegan Meat

• It has low levels of saturated fat, cholesterol, and calories as compared to animal meat. Therefore, substituting it with actual meat can reduce the chances of occurrence of diseases like cancer, heart diseases and type-2 diabetes, etc.
• Vegan meat is cruelty-free. No animal is harmed during the preparation of vegan meat. In the present food chain, animals are not just killed but are sometimes even force-fed corn to make them fat and get more quantity meat.
• Vegan meat is good for the environment as animal-based foods have a higher footprint than plant-based foods.

Drawbacks of Vegan Meat

• Vegan food products are mostly ultra-processed foods. They aren’t wholesome and could have high amounts of calories and fat in them. Always read a food label before buying them.
• Vegan foods could be a bad alternative for individuals with gluten sensitivity. They might not have ingredients that have gluten but they are often prepared in equipment that processes wheat and other cereals that have gluten.
• Both natural and artificial colours are added in foods to impart colour similar to beef, pork, etc. to the vegan meat. Make sure you check the ingredient list to pick the foods that only use natural colours.
• Some vegan meat products specifically have high amounts of salt added to them. Make sure you check the food packs before buying them and pick a pack with less amount of sodium.
• Women diagnosed with hormonal imbalances should check soy in the ingredient list as soy is rich in phytoestrogens, which could aggravate the hormonal disturbances.
• Some people could be allergic to soy, and they should avoid having soy-based vegan meat products.

Things to Keep in Mind when Choosing Vegan Meat Products

• Unlike meat products, all vegan meat products are not rich in calcium. The calcium content of chickpeas makes vegan meat produced from it a more suitable meat alternative. Coupling recipes with sesame seeds is another way to enhance the calcium content in some of the vegan meat preparations.
• To enhance the nutritional quality of the vegan meats, foods can be used in combination too. Edible oils such as canola, coconut, soybean, sunflower oil, etc., are added in some preparations to add fats to vegan meat. Checking these variants in the ingredient list of food labels is a good idea.
• Always choose products that have less saturated fats in them i.e. 100 gram of the products shouldn’t contain more than 10 g of saturated fats.
• Always opt for options low in sodium. Compare before you make a purchase.

Since 1983, March 15th has been celebrated as World Consumer Rights Day. It is the day when the US President, John F Kennedy sent the message to the US Congress in 1962 outlining the four fundamental consumer rights – the right to safety, the right to be informed, the right to choose and the right to be heard. To promote these consumer rights and to resolve consumer disputes in a timely manner, the Indian Parliament adopted the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) in 1986.

Bhamy V. Shenoy

The theme of WCRD for this year is Fair Digital Finance. The vision of Fair Digital Finance is to build a marketplace that is inclusive, safe, data protected, and sustainable for everyone. These are laudable goals. However, for us in India, more pressing problem should be the way our consumer courts are functioning. The most important goal for a common consumer is simple and basic. It is to reinvent the consumer courts to fulfil the fundamental idea of helping the common man get speedy justice without the help of a lawyer.

Redefining Consumer Courts in India

Over the years, consumer courts have become veritable civil courts. They often recommend seeking legal help. Adjournments are given on the fly and that too without imposing penalty as required. Less than 25% of cases are resolved within the mandated period of 90 days. Still, while celebrating WCRDs or National Consumer Days, their presidents talk eloquently about how easy and quick it is to get judgements. 

In fact during the celebration of WCRD last year at Vidyavardhaka Law College, Mysuru District Consumer Redressal Commission (Consumer Court) B Narayanappa stated that a consumer can simply submit the complaint on a white sheet of paper. When he was questioned why the commission cannot give judgment in one sitting without any adjournment, his answer clearly showed how the consumer court has become a civil court. He responded that the process involved getting evidence, framing charges, assessing credibility of evidence, etc. These are all the steps involved in civil and criminal courts when the CPA clearly states they should settle cases without applying a complex process and it should be a summary trial. 

Judges who are used to the elaborate process cannot change overnight unless they are given special training on the basic philosophy of CPA. They are all experienced judges. Still they need to learn about the history of consumer movement, and make them familiar with several consumer related laws. Above all, they should imbibe the basic principle of consumer to be treated as a king while purchasing goods and services. Moreover, at government offices, officials should treat people as their “masters and not as servants”. The colonial mentality prevailing in government offices and consumer courts needs to go.

Unfriendly Conduct of Consumer Courts

A recent example of a complainant seeking help in the Mysuru Consumer Court vividly proves how they are consumer-unfriendly and go against the spirit of the CPA. A consumer had purchased a tour package from a travel agency and the travel agency failed to comply with the contractual terms. For example, the quality of hotels were less than promised with poor quality food (the consumer had to seek medical help), sightseeing sites were cancelled at the last minute, etc. The consumer finally had to curtail the trip and return home. 

When he went to the consumer court to submit the complaint, he was first asked to contact a lawyer. The complainant told the staff that he has been advised by a consumer activist that there is no need of a lawyer. He was then asked to bring five copies of the complaint and two stamped envelopes which can be sent by registered post. The next day, when the complainant went to submit the complaint, he was advised again that he should make use of free legal help so that the complaint is filed properly as per some set format. Once more when the staff was reminded of the public statement by her president that a complaint filed on plain sheet of paper will be acknowledged, the complaint was accepted. 

Scope of Consumer Protection Act 

It is useful to quote a recent judgment to show how India’s Supreme Court has concern and interest in assisting the consumers while our own consumer court upholds “formality” reflecting colonial mentality. Just last month, the SC imposed a fine on states which have failed to fill vacancies in consumer courts and also failed to provide needed infrastructure. While passing judgement, it observed that the “scope of the Consumer Protection Act is to redress the small aspect of daily lives of the consumers”. Unfortunately, such sentiments of SC are not shown by consumer courts. Mysuru’s (it is no different at other places also) court refused to meet the consumer activist who sought a meeting to discuss the consumer unfriendly behaviour of his staff. 

Let me end by giving my own example of seeking redressal against an electrical contractor and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) in 1990. In the former case, the contractor had failed to provide the promised services and in the latter, KSRTC had failed to take me to my destination by giving a lame excuse. In both the cases, I filed the case on a plain paper just giving the deficiency in service and did not have to follow any set rules and formalities. Also, there was no adjournment though the respondent was not present in the case of KSRTC. It is rather sad that when Consumer Courts came into existence, getting redressal as implied by SC to help the common man was indeed simple, and today they have become veritable civil courts. Part of the blame has to be accepted by us, the people. 

To enjoy the fruits of democracy we need to be ever vigilant. We need to get involved to put pressure by taking appropriate steps like filing PILs if needed, complaining to the ministry of consumer affairs and National redressal Commission, etc. When all else fails, we should be ready to undertake even Satyagraha. Only when we are mistreated at consumer courts, we get agitated. But we are never ready to join a movement to bring reform. Shall we on this WCRD resolve to fight for our consumer rights?

Also read

World Consumers Rights Day – 2022 “Fair Digital Finance”