Yearly Archives: 2015

Nine restaurants under India FDA radar for being unclean on New Year Eve

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Konkan division, conducted a surprise inspection of 14 hotels and restaurants in Thane and Navi Mumbai on Wednesday night during New Year celebrations.

0Nine such places came under the FDA radar that did not follow general hygiene norms. There were several complaints about the sub-standard quality of food and drinks served, owing to heavy rush.

The food safety officials collected 15 food samples, besides 13 liquor samples, in an effort to crack down on poor quality of food and drinks. The samples will be sent to Mumbai laboratory for further testing. FDA sources said that the test report was expected in a day or two, which will follow necessary action against offenders based on the Food Safety and Standards Act. 

‘People should not be feeding it to their children’ Victoria law preventing the sale of raw ‘bath’ milk begins today

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In response to the death of a child and the hospitalization of others, the Victorian government has changed the laws around the sale of raw milk.

raw.milk.victoriaAll raw bath or cosmetic milk products now must be pasteurized, or have a gag-inducing agent added that makes it taste bitter, before sale.

Victorian Minister for Consumer Affairs, Jane Garrett, says the law change is prudent.

“There’s been a lot of confusion about the capacity for humans to consume raw milk and its effects,” she said.

“A lot of these products are in containers identical to drinkable milk and stored in the same locations in shops.”

Producers of bath milk in Victoria contacted by ABC Rural say the law change has been so swift that they don’t know what it will mean for them, or what equipment they’ll need to continue production.

Minister Garrett says she had no choice but to act quickly.

“We did need to act quickly becasue clearly, undrinkable milk was being sold in containers the same as drinkable milk, and clearly people have been drinking it.”

“All of the advice says it is a dangerous activity and it is (already) unlawful to sell raw milk for consumption in Victoria.”

At this stage the law change is only for Victoria.

Another loophole the United Dairyfamers of Victoria (UDV) want closed is a scheme that allows farmers to sell part of their cow to a consumer who is then supplied the production of their cow as raw milk.

Minister Garrett says whilst there are no current penalties for these practices at this stage, the law could soon change.

“There is an investigation being led by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which all states are participating in.

“We would expect to see results from that.”

Although these rule changes are for producers and sellers of raw milk the Minister says consumers should be wary of the new law.

“If people want to feed raw milk to their children and their children get sick, that may be an issue authorities want to look into.

“People should not be feeding it to their children. People should not be drinking it.”

Meathead: This is how you cook meat (it involves a thermometer)

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If you have a question—any question—about grilling, smoking, or outdoor cooking, chances are extremely high your search will end at amazingribs.com. 

MeatheadWith more than one million monthly visitors, Amazing Ribs is the go-to guide for everything barbecue. There’s good reason: The site takes a scientific approach to the art of outdoor cooking, carefully explaining the correct way to smoke the perfect turkey, barbecue a beautiful rack of baby backs, and just about everything else related to the grill. 

Don’t let the science angle throw you. The content—recipes, techniques, and gadget reviews—is anything but boring. It’s all spelled out by the humorous, down-to-earth hand of Meathead Goldwyn, the site’s founder and burning coal.

“It’s all about authenticity,” Goldwyn told Yahoo Food, when asked about the secret to his site’s success. “We don’t accept the common wisdom as fact. We do a lot of testing and myth-busting. A lot of information has been around for centuries that science proves false.” 

Goldwyn’s worked as a journalist for most of his life, which explains his deep-rooted cynicism. He developed a love of science early on, taught at top schools, and has judged dozens of high-profile food and drink competitions. He’s also married to a leading food safety scientist at the FDA. 

barfblog.Stick It InWe recently caught up with Goldwyn (he actually prefers to be called Meathead, a nickname his father bestowed in tribute to the son-in-law on All In the Family; only his mother calls him by his birth name, Craig) to grill him on his best tips and tricks. 

INVEST IN A THERMOMETER. Don’t even attempt to grill before you buy both a high-quality digital thermometer to measure the heat inside the grill and an instant-read digital meat thermometer. The thermometers that come with grills, Goldwyn warned, are useless. “Spray paint it black and ignore it,” he said. “It’s often off by 50 degrees. Worse, it’s in the dome of the grill, six inches away from the meat. You’re cooking the meat, not the dome.” 

India Pizza Hut serves detergent water to customer?

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A Pizza Hut in Mumbai allegedly served water to a customer that seemed to have been contaminated with dishwashing detergent.

Pizza_Hut“I had gone to Pizza Hut on Monday for lunch at Inorbit Mall, Vashi. I was served water after finishing my lunch around 2.20 pm or so. I felt nauseated as soon as I drank it. The water served in the glass was not only foul smelling but extremely pungent and bitter. While I had gulped down some quantity, I spat the rest out as my mouth turned foul with the taste and questioned the waiter, who said that the water might have been served from a jar containing lemonade,” Pai said.

He added that the lame excuse irked him further and he demanded an answer to what he was served and asked for someone senior to get clarity as it was a question of his health. “A floor manager who identified himself as Savio came to me and after some discussions, smelled the water and tried to convince me that it was nothing but later told me that the dishwashing detergent might have gotten mixed by mistake and refused to clarify on what was actually served. I asked him to show me the bottle of that detergent to understand the contents but he flatly refused,” Pai said, adding that he decided to call the police and soon a constable reached the outlet. What further shocked Pai was after the constable’s arrival, the floor manager gave me the phone to speak to someone.

“That man on the phone simply started talking rudely to me and claimed that I had complained previously as well and even threatened me. I finally went to the Vashi police station with the sample of the water that the constable had poured into a bottle and the cops registered a NC and told me that I would have to complain to the FDA,” Pai said.

In an email response, a Pizza Hut spokesperson said, “We at Pizza Hut would like to reiterate our commitment to the quality of our products and the well being of our customers. We maintain high quality and hygiene standards to ensure food safety at all stages of preparation including measures to ensure that the utensils and food products are clean and perfect for usage. As a responsible brand we truly value our customers and take all essential measures for their well being. We are investigating the matter.”