CIPHET to teach safety and quality to sweet manufacturers (unique initiative

CIPHET to teach safety and quality to sweet manufacturers

Scientists from institute hold meeting with Halwai association



Ludhiana, September 21:



With the aim to provide guidance to manufacturers of sweets in modern

packaging, food quality and safety, Central Institute of Post Harvest

Engineering and Technology (CIPHET) is planning to conduct workshop

and awareness camps in identifying causes of food spoilage and

preservation of quality for the owners as well as employees of sweets

manufacturers.



This is to ensure that while customers gets assured quality,

indigenous sweets manufacturers do not lose their business owing to

the negative propaganda. Taking a step in this direction, CIPHET

Director Dr. RT Patil and Head Tranfer of Technology Division

Dr.Deepak Raj Rai Rai had a meeting with the executives of Punjab

Halwai Association. During this, problems of sweet manufacturers and

various possible scientific measures for ensuring safety of the

products were deliberated.



"Milk based sweets and legume based snacks are most nutritious ready

to eat foods originated from India and are consumed by Asian Diaspora

all over the world. However, due to the misinformation campaign about

the quality of some staled items has lowered the popularity in last

few years. Though, very few people do not keep quality standards, the

whole business is today suffering as customers are worried," said Dr

R.T Patil, adding that the collaboration between the scientific

fraternity and manufacturers of indigenous sweet manufacturers will go

a long way in this direction.



CIPHET would be educating people engaged in manufacturing sweets and

snacks on importance of quality of raw material, its proper storage,

maintaining the cleanliness, hygiene among the workers, work place and

using modern packaging techniques for increasing shelf life of

products, said Head Transfer of Technology Division, Dr Deepak Raj

Rai. Soon a training programme would be designed for sweets and

snacks manufacturers. Also, officials of various departments engaged

in this would be sensitized on the issue, he added.



Narinder Pal Singh, President of the Punjab Halwai Association, said

that while not more than one to two percent of their samples failed in

tests conducted by the government departments, misinformation campaign

was major reason for the loss of their business. "As health department

declares results months after sampling, by that time we have already

lost our business due to tarnishing of image, even though reports

generally indicate sweets meeting safety standards." Further, he said

that they would work with CIPHET for ensuring safety and storage of

their products by adopting scientific methods. He assured that they

were fully concerned for safety of customers buying their products.



In the meeting, novel concept of bringing out nutritious sweets in the

form of modern energy bar of various sizes was discussed.The members

of the association were enthusiastic in using soy milk and ground milk

produced using technology developed at CIPHET, so that even diabetic

patients can also have a bite of sweets during festive season. On the

occasion, CIPHET Director Dr R.T Patil floated the idea of using fruit

bars, guava, apple, mango and seasonal fruits for producing wide range

of products, which also appealed to members and they showed

willingness to work with CIPHET for using food science and engineering

principles into practical application for the betterment of society.
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