Expert urges consumer awareness on food hygiene

While hygiene and temperature control are prerequisites for storing food items in cold storages, consumer awareness is crucial to safety of such products, experts said here.

Speaking at a workshop on "Building Capacity in India's Cold Chain Infrastructure" in Kolkata on Wednesday, Ronald P Vallort, president, Ron Vallort and Associates, a US-based consultant company for the engineering and food industry, said, educating consumers was necessary to prevent them from consuming bacteria-infested food items, particularly meat-based products.

He said India should have regulatory laws for preserving food items in retail stores and cold storages, as applicable in the US.

Every 20 minutes the bacteria counts doubles in food items due to sudden temperature differences.

Cold storage operators should adhere to some basic principals like minimising temperature fluctuations, using air-chilling instead of water-chilling devices and regular cleaning, Vallort said.

Speaking at the workshop, Amit Sachdev, director of Techpro, said there was a lack of awareness about storing frozen foods in India. In absence of a law to safeguard against improper storing mechanisms, Indian consumers remained largely unaware of food safety standards.

However, once the food safety act becomes applicable by the end of this year, even the roadside food vendors might require to get certification from the government for selling food items, Sachdev said.

However, even good manufacturing practises often led to chemical hazards in food items.

For example, pesticides, cleaning agents used in machines and preservatives may led to food hazards.