Chapter 18: Safety of Ready to Eat Foods

Food is a significant part of any culture. Changes in lifestyle are closely associated with

change in pattern of diet consumption. The change in eating style in modern Indian

society has been reflected in form of more ‘eating out’ culture and increased

consumption of convenience foods. These are commercially prepared and designed for

ease of consumption. Although restaurants meals meet this definition, the term is

seldom applied to them. Convenience foods include prepared foods such as Ready-To-

Eat foods (RTE), frozen foods prepared mixes such as dosa, upma, and chutney mixes

etc. For details of frozen foods please refer to chapter titled safety of frozen foods.

Indian cooking and lifestyle have undergone tremendous changes in the last 15 years.

Many factors are responsible for this change. These are globalization, dual income,

separate living of couples, role of media and pressure of marketing etc. Due to lifestyle

pressure, nowadays people prefer easy short way of cooking food rather spending too

much time in elaborate cooking. Non-availability of raw materials to prepare masala and

tedious process involved in doing so, has influenced people to choose such RTE

products. There is no specific category and market potential for these products.

India has become the hub of many multinationals who catalyze, nurture and exploit

rapid change in our lifestyles Many people are migrating to cities for job and education.

They find RTE products as a comfortable option to eat rather than depending on

restaurants. Most of the dual income families want to avoid hassles of cooking because

of lack of time. During weekends, they want to spend quality time with their family and

go out to eat , whereas in weekdays the long working hours force them to go for buying

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such products. Other factors influencing increase use of these products is their easy

availability and the wide variety. There has been a spectacular change as RTEs have

become widely available in supermarkets. Not only this, these packages are available

for most of the cuisines of the world to be eaten at home. These are ultimate processed

foods with very high value addition, as they offer the convenience of “eating off” the

shelf”, eliminating the kitchen drudgery associated with making a meal at home .

Various RTE are considered better over other food products as they do not contain any

chemical preservatives and remain shelf-stable without refrigeration for at least one

year. These changes are bringing a new revolution in processed food industry.

Bus do minute, Ready in two minutes, Taste bhi, Health Bhi, Khushiyan bhi, Kal ki table

book kar do, etc are the common catch phrases associated with RTE foods available in

the market. The working women of the Indian middle class prefer these as it saves

times, labor and tediousness of cooking. They desire to spend less time in kitchen.

Other factors are increase in eating out culture, weakening of family ties, the spread of

television and its impact, the increasing difficulty and expenses involved in obtaining

domestic help. Thus, RTE foods, which have convenience as a key factor associated

with them, are welcomed by all. Another section of society who is heavily dependent of

these RTE products are college students staying away from homes or persons staying

alone as the idea of cooking from scratch is unappetizing to them. . There has also

been an increase in travel and tours and these ready meals provide with an option of

easy to handle and store the pre-cooked food during such excursion. They are handy

and act as a speedier alternative to full cooking. They also provide free time for

consumers to spend on other leisure activities.

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Some examples of food companies marketing RTE are MTR, Tasty Bite , Mother's

recipes, Satnam Overseas, Godrej, Al-Kabeer, etc. These companies manufacture

food products from the northern, southern and western cuisine. There has been an

overflow of these products in the supermarkets. Consumers have traditionally viewed

the ready meals as less healthy than fresh foods. There have been concerns about the

nutritional contents claimed and actually available in them. They are often high in

saturated fats and salt content. In children over consumption of such foods can lead to

obesity also. However, this view is beginning to change as a result of improvements in

the quality of these foods supplemented by the promotional activities and massive

advertisement campaigns by the manufacturers. Initially bread, jam, cheese, salted

foods use to be the only available food is the category of RTE. With advances in food

technology other kinds of foods were developed like such as candy, beverages, soft drinks,

juices, processed meat and cheese, soups, pasta, potato chips,etc

RTE foods can be categorized as in figure 1.

Ready to eat foods

Partially cooked Heat-treated Not heat-treated

Not shelf life stable Shelf life stable Shelf life stable
Example: Sandwich, BurgersExample: Dal Makhani, Matar Paneer packages Example: Frozen snacks

Figure 1: Types of RTE foods

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Safety aspects of RTE foods

There are many food safety issues related to these products. All these products are

available in packaged form. It is of utmost importance to take care of safety of RTE

foods as they are no longer to be processed further. If these foods are contaminated at

any stage from farm to fork they can be a cause of Food Borne Illness (FBI). Following

precautions needs to be taken in respect of RTE foods to ensure their safety:-

Raw material

The microbial load of all the raw items to be used in preparation of RTE like raw fruits

and vegetables, liquid milk, meat, eggs, flour, cereal grains etc. should be within the

acceptable limits at receiving as well as during their storage in the raw material store. In

case perishable items are to be used like milk, meat then appropriate and adequate

storage facilities must be ensured.

Manufacturing of RTE foods

There are food-manufacturing units owned and run by reputed brands who manufacture

RTE foods. These are located in remote areas and then the food items are transported

to various places following safe transportation practices (refer chapter on safe

transportation for details). There are large and small bakeries in cities and towns which

also provide RTE foods. Most of the times the food safety practices are dismal. There is

also a trend of making RTE food like sandwiches, burgers and hot dogs at homes in

slums. Hygiene and sanitation of these areas is extremely poor. These food sare then

covered with a cling foil (clean wrap) which gibves a false sense of secutirity to the

consumer. There is no time and date seal on these unlabelled RTE foods (figure 1,2).

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Their safety during their transportation form the place of manufacture to the retail shops

is also questionable.

Figure 1: RTE foods like hot dogs, bread pakoras

Figure 2: Locally made cream rolls lying on a newspaper for sale

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For the safety of RTE foods it is imperative that all pieces of food contact equipment viz.

dough mixers, conveyors, rounder, dough dividers, racks, proofing equipment, oven,

rollers, slicers, sifters, pasteurizer, homogenizer, retort, bottling unit, pulper, filtering

screens, mixing vats etc. should be clean , in good repair and free from evidence of

rodent or insect activity. Time and temperature control of ovens, retort, heat exchangers

and cooling area should be strictly adhered to ensure safety of food. Before using any

equipment it should be cleaned (in place, wherever possible). This will remove source

of contamination. All vapor producing cooking equipment such as retort, ovens, grills,

and fryers should be equipped with ventilation and an approved automatic extinguishing

system to prevent unnecessary condensation in the working area. If this is not done

micro-organisms may harbor. Utensils like spoons, beaters, pans, bowls, trays, spatulas

etc should be sanitized after every lot manufactured. For monitoring of food safety

swabs of machine, working tables, utensils, food contact surfaces should be taken at

regular intervals to ensure their microbial safety for food use. Antiseptic/disinfectant

foot bath should be provided at the entrance of plant.

Packaging of RTE foods

Packaging material (pouches, films, laminates, cans, glass/PET bottles, closures, jars,

cardboard boxes) should be kept and stored under hygienic conditions in a room

intended for that purpose. This aspect is generally ignored and packaging material is

kept on the floor in unhygienic conditions. It is required that all packaging materials as

bottles/closures should be sanitized before use. These closures should be labeled for

the product inside. In case these need to be stored before transport the room provided

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for storage should be appropriate temperature and humidity conditions to prevent any

spoilage. Temperature and relative humidity of the storage area should be maintained

to optimum required level . For the dispatch of all products First In First Out (FIFO)

system should be applied. For details refer to chapter on good storage practices.

Detection of the foodborne pathogenic bacteria in RTE foods represent an unacceptable

risk to health regardless of the number of bacteria present. The pathogens listed below

should not be found in ready-to-eat food that has been adequately prepared.

Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli O157, Salmonella spp. Shigella spp.

Vibrio cholera, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus spp, Clostridium perfringens

Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus, Vibrioparahaemolyticus

According to Food Safety And Standards Regulations 2011 (FSSR), Salmonella

contamination and other enteric infections are a problem with chocolate products. For

these RTE foods critical raw materials such as skim milk powder, milk, eggs, cocoa, etc.

should be adequately heat-treated, pasteurized, or handled in such a way that bacterial

contamination is eliminated or minimized. Sanitation is a major problem, especially

since many chocolate products are finished by hand-dipping; employee sanitation

practices are, therefore, very important to prevent product contamination. These

products are generally consumed by children, who are highly susceptible to enteric

infections. Storage of cocoa beans, nuts and coconuts should be checked for insects,

rodents, and mycotoxins.Samples collected for analysis of mycotoxins, unless otherwise

directed, should consist of 30 individual portions of at least 125 g each.

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Similarly for custard and cream-filled foods sanitation and good-quality raw materials

are critical factors. Bacteria-sensitive materials, such as skim milk powder, milk and

eggs, must have minimum bacteria levels, and must be stored, defrosted and handled

in such a way that the addition or growth of bacteria is prevented. The products are not

subjected to a heat treatment after filling; the filling operations must, therefore, be

conducted in the most sanitary manner possible. Equipment sanitation, clean-up

procedures and employee practices should be strictly as per the guidelines. The

material should be handled and prepared as quickly as possible under the best sanitary

conditions to minimize the number of bacteria present at the time of freezing. Frozen

conditions must be adequately maintained during transportation of the frozen foods.

Raw materials should be subjected to a field examination. At the time of delivery, 100

pieces of the particular fruit, vegetable or other food arriving at the plant for preparation

before freezing should be checked. All those pieces, which are unsatisfactory because

of mould, decomposition, insect and rodent filth or foreign material should be sorted out.

Report of unsatisfactory pieces as a percentage of the sample taken is made. After this

another 100 pieces are examined after all sorting and grading have been \completed, to

determine the amount of unsatisfactory material being removed or being allowed to

enter the process. This procedure can then be repeated at other times during the

inspection to determine the overall quality of the food being prepared. The origin of raw

food material being delivered to the plant should be reported.

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Distribution of RTE foods

Small EEs, tea shops, street vendors sell RTE foods in open markets. It is imperative

that these vendors are educated about the health hazard associated with flies, birds,

rodents and other vermin. The FBOs who sell such foods should observe basic hygienic

measures to protect the consumer from environmental contamination and infections

likely to be introduced during hawking. There should be a source of approved water

available with them.

Fruits and vegetables on display, or their immediate container, should not be in contact

with the ground. Unsheltered displays should be high enough above the ground surface

to prevent contamination from any source. Dust and dirt on premises should be

controlled to prevent contamination. Only a limited amount of perishable foods should

be on display. If the market lasts all day, the bulk should be stored in a cold-store or

room, or in an insulated container. Indications of spoilage as bad smell, unusual colour

and changed consistency should be used to discard the spoiled items.

India has made lot of progress in agriculture & food sectors since independence in

terms of growth in output, yields and processing. It has gone through a green revolution,

a white revolution, a yellow revolution and a blue revolution. Now the time is to provide

better food manufacturing units and its marketing infrastructure for Indian industries to

serve good quality & safest processed and RTE foods. RTE market in India, s expected

to expand to reach Rs. 2,900 crore by 2015, according to an analysis done by Tata

Strategic Management Group (TSMG). The key issue that remains is that how safe are

food items which seem to be packaged with ultimate hygiene.