Month: January 2021

Green supplement sector-An untapped market

A significant number of vegan and plant-based spaces are increasing, owing to the endeavouring capital and the spirit of entrepreneurship in India; This is not an accord as even globally vegan food start-ups are taking centre stage, which has led many food start-ups to prop out and investors to open their ears and eyes to invest in green companies.

Changing mindset of people due to COVID-19: 

There is certainly a change in people’s eating habits globally, especially after the pandemic’s outbreak. They are very much concerned about what they are consuming and its effect on their immune system. In India, now people are opting for the vegan or plant-based diet(green). Because there is almost zero adulteration in plant-based supplement, making it more customer-centric, grabbing the consumer’s colossal attention, and changing their mindset. Everything that is healthcare-related is receiving a massive boost. The fact that three out of four Indians are lactose intolerant makes it ripe for veganism to spread. Milk has been medicine for decades, and ghee is used practically wherever possible. However, this is an older generation mindset and looks to be fading away with the upcoming generation, replacing the classic dairy milk with plant-based milk. India has been the youngest country globally, with almost half of its population under thirty. With rising incomes and more education, the new India is moving towards green supplements or plant-based supplements as they wake up to animal agriculture’s adverse impact on our environment, health, and the animals.

Opportunities for the green companies to grow: 

This new transformation has created an excellent opportunity for food companies, Food Business Operators (FBOs), and traders to plan their stint into the green or plant-based market. And even Forbes has mentioned various ideas to turn one’s business vegan. Also, many renowned personalities investing in green companies is increasing rapidly.

As per the Grand View Research report, the global green or plant-based market size was valued at $12.69 billion in 2018 and is poised to rise by 9.6 percent (CAGR) from 2019 to 2025. Also, in terms of India, the market captures around 10% of the Asia-Pacific plant protein market. In 2018 the market was evaluated as $374.1 million and by 2023 it has been forecasted to grow up to $565.1, registering at a CAGR of 8.6% during the period of forecast 2018 to 2023. Investors can chase start-ups that can demonstrate an ability to produce and market animal-free nutrition. In terms of the number of funding and start-ups, the diary plant alternatives sector is poised for maximum growth.  It is a matter of time till some Indian start-ups follow suit with significant success in the fast-growing plant and nut milk sector. As consumer demand turns up the volume on plant-based supplements, the green company has an excellent opportunity to explore in India.

REFERENCES: 

 

• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/01/vegans-are-coming-millennials-health-climate-change-animal-welfare

• https://www.lifegate.com/veganism-in-india

• https://www.nuffoodsspectrum.in/

 

 

Nutraceuticals Inspiring the Current Therapy for Lifestyle Diseases

The nutraceutical industry is a combination of ‘Nutrition’ & ‘Pharmaceuticals’. Nutraceuticals are actually used to produce optimal clinical benefits with minimal side effects. ‘Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food’ was stressed by Hippocrates around 2000 years ago. Nutraceuticals are used as food or part of food that can have medicinal or health benefits, including disease prevention or treatment. Herbal nutraceuticals are effective tools to preserve health and function against acute and acute nutritionally induced activities. By supporting optimum fitness, longevity and quality of life, chronic diseases. Nutraceuticals are now part of the dietary landscape, Nutraceuticals are currently the industry’s fastest growing segments and the global nutraceutical market is valued at USD 117 billion.

Nutraceutical Categories:

There are various categories in nutraceutical vertical which are used for treatment of various lifestyle diseases which are as follows:

1) Dietary supplements:

• Vitamins, co-enzymes, minerals, carnitine
• Ginko bilba, Ginseng, Saint John’s wort

2) Functional foods:

• Oats, bran, psyllium & lignin’s for heart disease & colon disease
• Prebiotics- Oligofructose for control of intestinal flora
• Omega-3 milk in prevention of heart disease
• For cholesterol reduction, canola oil with reduced triglycerides
• Stanols (Benecol) in Cholesterol Adsorption Reduction

3) Medicinal foods:

• For immune enhancement, lactoferrin is quite helpful
• Transgenic oral vaccine plants against infectious diseases
• Health bars with drugs attached

4) Area covered by Nutraceutical products:

• Nutraceuticals have reached all clinical fields, such as anti-arthritis, pain killers, cold and cough, sleep disorders, digestion and prevention of some cancers, osteoporosis, blood pressure, cholesterol, depression and diabetes, etc.

Uses of Nutraceuticals in Different Therapeutic Areas: 

Nutritional therapy uses nutritional therapeutics as a healing system. This therapy is based on the conviction that foods can not only provide nutrients and energy, but can also provide medicinal benefits. There are following examples that will help to understand:

1. For cardiovascular diseases & eye sight:

Rice bran lowers the serum cholesterol levels in the blood, lowers the level of (LDL) and increases the level (HDL) in cardiovascular health. Higher the ratio more will be the risk of coronary heart diseases. Rice bran contains both Lutein and Zeaxanthin, which improves eyesight and reduces the chance of cataracts. The essential fatty acids, omega-3, omega-6, omega-9 and folic acid in rice bran are also promoting eye health.

2. For diabetes:

There has been growing evidence in recent years that plant-food products Polyphenols may be special nutraceuticals and supplemental therapies for different aspects of type 2 diabetes mellitus due to their biological properties. The occurrence of long-term diabetes complications such as cardiovascular disease, neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy can also be avoided by polyphenolic compounds.

3. Obesity & constipation:

In obesity and constipation, buckwheat seed proteins play a beneficial function, acting close to natural fibres found in foods. Weight loss can be promoted by 5-hydroxytryptophan and green tea extract.

4. Treatment of arthritis:

A common condition in which the end-point outcome in joint replacement surgery is arthritis. An alternative therapy for the pathological symptoms of arthritic disease is the use of nutraceuticals. Several clinical trials, animal feeding studies, and in vitro models that imitate cartilage degradation in arthritic disease have shown the effectiveness of fish oils (e.g. cod liver oil) in the diet. There is some evidence of other nutraceuticals other than that, such as green tea, herbal extracts, chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine.

5. Treatment for gastro-intestinal:

The prevalence of diet-related diseases is increasingly growing in Western societies. Increased because of greater hypercaloric food supply and a sedentary lifestyle. Main diet-related pathologies that share a common pathogenic denominator of low-grade inflammation are obesity, diabetes, atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration. In view of their capacity to exert anti-inflammatory responses, functional foods and nutraceuticals may represent a novel therapeutic approach to preventing or attenuating diet-related diseases. In particular, activation of regulatory intestinal T cells and homeostatic control of the gut microbiota have the potential to minimise low-grade inflammation in diet-related diseases.

6. Treatment for Cancer:

The primary source of vitamin A is beta-carotene, and it has anti-oxidant properties that help prevent cancer and other diseases. The most active antioxidants are beta-carotene, among other carotenes. Alpha and beta carotenes tend to provide defence against lung, colorectal, breast, uterine and prostate cancers, along with gamma carotene and the carotenes lycopene and lutein68, which do not convert to vitamin A. The most popular form is B-Carotene and can be found in fruits and vegetables with yellow, orange, and green leaves. These may include cabbage, spinach, lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, oranges, and squash throughout the winter.

Conclusion:

Nutraceuticals have shown their health benefits and the potential to avoid diseases, which should be consumed according to their recommended appropriate intake. Nutraceuticals and functional foods have become a multi-billion dollar sector in the global economy. Nutraceuticals play a significant role in clinical growth in the present self-medication scenario. But their effectiveness depends on their efficiency, purity, protection and efficacy being sustained.

Therapeutic Food to Fight Malnutrition

The developed and underdeveloped countries such as Asia, Africa, and South America face the leading challenges related to Food and Nutrition Insecurity and nutritionally related diseases. Food storage & Poor access to adequate health facilities have taken center stage among the global challenges, especially in the most developing and underdeveloped countries mentioned above. Malnutrition and Undernourishment are the two significant health-related growing issues in the world.

Malnutrition Prevalence in India: 

The significant public health problem in India is malnutrition among under-five children. This is reflected by the fact that underweight children’s prevalence is among the highest in the world in India. It is also observed that the bulk of malnutrition in India is a concentrated phenomenon that is, a relatively small number of districts, states, and villages comprise a large share of the malnutrition burden- only five states and 50% of towns account for about 80% of the malnutrition burden. Also, In India, the prevalence of Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) is 7.5%.

How COVID-19 has worsened the condition of malnutrition?

The pandemic outbreak has only worsened India’s problem of malnutrition. During the coronavirus pandemic in India, Tens of thousands of children slept on an empty stomach. India has taken small steps over the last few years to fight against malnutrition, resulting in a significant decline in the child mortality rate. If this progress were continued, India would have met its ‘sustainable Goal’ of reducing the mortality rate of under-five by 25% by 2030. However, the little progress too came to a halt as the lockdown forced millions of children to stay out of school. Anganwadis were also closed, which meant that thousands of children in rural areas could not get food under the Mid-Day meal program. This led to UNICEF’s conclusion that India is likely to witness an increase in malnutrition by at least 10%.

Ready-to-Use-Therapeutic Food (RUTF) as the Solution to Malnutrition:

Foods designed for specific health-related issues, usually to meet the nutritional requirement, are therapeutic food. The RUTF is a mixture of milk powder, powdered vitamins, minerals, vegetable oil, and peanut butter with the proper nutrients needed by an individual. This medicinal food’s primary purpose is to use it for emergency feeding of malnourished children or to supplement a person’s diet with special nutrition requirements, such as the elderly. RUTF does not require any special preparation before consumption, making it practical and ideal for cooking facilities and fuel limiting constraints.

Case Study: 

Severe acute malnutrition is reported to account for more than one million preventable child deaths. The reported mortality was as high as 20-30%. As per the WHO Diagnostic criteria for diagnosis, a cure rate of 75% with <10% mortality has been set as the minimum goal. Ready to use therapeutic food (RUTF) is used as a solution for managing SAM cases. The case study was carried out in Kerala, among 67 children with SAM admitted in SAT Hospital, Govt. Medical College showed that 33 (51.6%) achieved cure, 18 (28.1%) were not cured, 12 (14.1%) lost to follow up, and 4(6.25%) died, which concludes that the cure rate was less than the goal of 75%, but the mortality was <10%. 

 

REFERENCES: –

1. https://nijp.org/amp/use-of-indigenous-ready-to-use-therapeutic-food-rutf-and-outcome-of-under-five-children-with-severe-acute-malnutrition/
2. https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/the-covid-19-pandemic-has-only-worsened-indias-problem-of-malnutrition/articleshow/78683367.cms
3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338388445_Ready-to-Use_Therapeutic_Foods_RUTFs_for_Remedying_Malnutrition_and_Preventable_Nutritional_Diseases

 

New Food Labelling Regulations Related to Packaged Food Products

On August 23, 2006, India’s government passed the Food Safety and Standard Act or the FSS Act. The FSSAI, i.e., Food Safety and Standard Authority of India, was entrenched under this act. This act is meant to cover or carry out operations related to setting the standard of food articles. This crucial step changed the businesses way involved in food articles in India. The FSSAI standards are based on scientific research. They help regulate the storage, manufacture, sale, import-export, distribution and making all types of other food articles available to the general population.

The FSSAI published new food labelling regulations related to packaged food products, based on the recommendations of the expert group. 

What it is about?

The following provisions are described in the scientific document: 

• Chapter 1: – Prescribes pre-packaged foods labelling requirements and displays essential information on-premises where food is processed, served, manufactured, and stored. Several definitions have been listed under the context otherwise requires.
• Chapter 2: – covers the general requirement of labelling pre-packaged foods such as food name, list of ingredients, calculation of nutrients, and nutritional information. Declaration of name and complete address, lot/code/batch identification, Date marking, a declaration regarding food additives, retail sale price, FSSAI logo, and license no., Net quantity and consumer care details. Etc.
• Chapter 3: – contains a display of information in the food service establishment of the Regulation.
• Chapter 4: – has the non-retail container labelling requirements.
• Chapter 5:- Of Regulation indicates the labelling of packaged food additives for retail sale. Mandatory labelling declaration for various food products has been set out in schedule 2.

When is it going to be implemented?

India’s Food safety standards Authority published a “Food Safety and Standards (labelling and display), Regulation 2020 gazette notification on December 14. 2020. The Regulation shall come into force from the date of their disclosure in the Official Gazette. All the Regulation provisions should comply with all the Food Business Operator after one year from their disclosure date except chapter-3 of this Regulation. Food Business Operator shall comply with this by January 1, 2022.

What are the concerns related to this?

Industry concerns: –

• There has been a concern by the food industry giants regarding the bigger size fonts to be used in the principal display panels.
• The industrial bodies have complained that it is not feasible for them to use expiration date similar to that of the pharmaceutical industry. They would like to stick to the ‘Best before date.’ for this purpose.
• The guidelines dictate the menu cards calorific value to the cafe chains and restaurants with more than ten outlets.
• Further, the guidelines mention that all the E-platform food and beverage sales should communicate the essential requirement to the consumers before the deal, which includes (batch date, best before date, expiry date, and packaging date).

 

Source: 

1. https://fssaifoodlicense.in/food-safety-and-standards-act/
2. https://resources.selerant.com/food-regulatory-news/fssai-publishes-food-safety-and-standards-labelling-and-display-regulations-2020
3. https://packagingsouthasia.com/she-safety-health-and-environment/regulation-compliances/fssai-reworks-norms/