Pitching
milk Globally
We
excerpt from 'Technology of Indian Milk products'. This section highlights
what Indian milk requires to be internationally competitive
With
the establishment of WTO, the international trade scenario has changed
rapidly. Now opportunities are there for all countries to benefit from
greater access to the world markets. Annually, around 500 million metric
tonnes of foodstuffs are traded internationally having an estimated
value of $400 billion.
However,
India's contribution to world food trade is relatively insignificant
despite the country being the third largest producer of food products
in the world. A major factor for such low exports has been the quality
and safety considerations.
For
international trade, all these requirements have been listed as Sanitary
and Phytosanitary (SPS) measures by the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
Alive
to the role of quality in international trade, the Government of India
set up the Export Inspection Council of India (EIC) as the official
certification body with statutory status in 1964. Taking another step
towards quality assurance, the Government of India has now made mandatory
the pre-shipment export certification for dairy products and other food
products.
For
dairy products, the certification system involves approval of milk processing
units, followed by periodic surveillance by the five Export Inspection
Agencies (EIAs) at Delhi,
Kolkata,
Kochi, Chennai and Mumbai, supported with a network of 42 sub-offices
and laboratories.
Export
certification system for dairy products
They
are covered under the Compulsory Quality Control, Inspection and Monitoring
notification that lays down the standards for exports including the
sanitary, hygiene and other food safety requirements. Recognition is
also given to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) standards, the
national standards of the importing countries or the contractual specifications,
provided these are not below the national standards as specified in
the notification.
The
notification also specifies the type of quality control and inspection
in accordance with Export of Milk Products (Quality Control, Inspection
and Monitoring) Rules, 2000, applicable to milk products prior to export.
The
primary responsibility of meeting the health requirements of importing
countries has been placed on the processing plants. To fulfill this
responsibility, the plants are required to plan and implement in process
control, develop their own systems of check and keep necessary records.
The EIAs have been authorised to ensure and approve compliance by the
processing plant with the notification requirements. Some requirements
that need to be fulfilled for exports are listed below:
- Any
statutory restriction imposed by any State/ Central Government with
respect to commercial/ environmental/conservation measures from time
to tune;
- Milk
products should have been manufactured from milk of apparently healthy
dairy animals. Further, milk from animals which have been treated
with veterinary drugs which can be transferred to milk shall not be
brought to the centres unless the retention period of the drug has
been inspected;
- The
milk products should contain only the permissible food additives,
processing inputs, ingredients that are fit for human consumption;
- Milk
products should have been treated in an approved plant;
- Processing
and/or manufacturing should have been carried out under hygienic conditions;
- The
following conditions should have been observed during product packing:
a)
Wrapping and packaging should be done under satisfactory hygienic
conditions in rooms provided for that purpose;
b)
Bottling, filling of containers with liquid milk products, and sealing
of containers and packaging should be carried out by automatic machines;
c)
Wrapping or packaging may not be reused for products with the exception
of certain types of containers, which may be reused after thorough
cleaning and disinfecting.
- The
products should have been stored at such temperatures as directed
by the manufacturer to ensure their durability. In particular, the
pasteurized milk should not be kept at a temperature exceeding 6°C.
When stored under cooled conditions, the storage temperatures should
be registered; and the cooling rate should be such that the product
reaches the required temperature as quickly as possible;
- The
period for which the milk products are fit for human consumption and
storage to be indicated by the processor;
- Results
of various checks and tests shall be recorded and kept for a period
of two years for presentation to the competent authority;
- Residues
of substances having a pharmacological or hormonal action, and of
antibiotics, pesticides, detergents and other substances should not
be present in milk at levels which might alter the sensory characteristics
of milk products or make their consumption dangerous or harmful to
human health;
- If
the milk products examined show traces of residues in excess of the
permitted levels, they must not be allowed either for the manufacture
of foodstuffs or for direct human consumption; and,
- Tests
for residues must be carried out in accordance with nationally and
internationally recognised methods.
System
of approval: The
processor, seeking approval, submits an application in a prescribed
format along with relevant documents including the HACCP manual, if
available, to the concerned EIA. Any discrepancies/ shortcomings observed
in the application are immediately communicated to the applicant for
rectification. Assessment of the HACCP manual, including Sanitation
Standard Operating Procedures, is also carried out. This is followed
by....
.....CONTD
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