Beverage Industry – Dutch Uncles

Mandatory Product Testing For Food Business Twice A Year: FSSAI

Anju Nambiar — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 05:35:11 +0000

The updates by FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) are regular and consistent for the food industry. They are always available to address any concerns and challenges raised by food business operators regarding their latest guidelines. This shows that they are a proactive government body with genuine concerns towards the health and safety of consumers.

The latest update by FSSAI

The FSSAI, as part of its regular sharing of updates, has released a note that states that Food Businesses in India will henceforth be obligated to conduct mandatory food testing twice a year. This update comes as a ‘clarification’ by the food regulatory body under the condition of licence according to the Food Safety and Standards (Licencing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.

Compliance guidelines

Stipulated time and frequency for product testing

Under the compliance guidelines, food businesses are required to perform mandatory product testing twice a financial year on a half-yearly basis. Also, two mandatory testings must be conducted within 3 or more months, never less than this duration. The stipulated time provided for the tests are in the first half of the year from April to September and from October to March in the second half, twice every fiscal year.

Testing criteria

As per Condition 12 of the Licencing and Registration Rules, food businesses are required to test for relevant chemicals, microbiological contaminants that are included in the regulations. The testing is to be carried out based on required frequency after assessing historical data and risks involved. The products need to be tested through FSSAI’s very own NABL (National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories) accredited and notified labs.

Food businesses that come under the purview of the updated guidelines

All food businesses that churn out food products as well as manufacturers come under the purview of the updated guidelines. Also, the FSSAI has mentioned that food business operators with newly obtained licences within the last months of the previous half-year during the months of September and March are exempted from mandatory testing for the previous and concluding half-year period.

Motive behind the new regulations

The motive behind FSSAI’s decision was to align with the submission of Annual Returns by Food Business Operators (FBO) online on a financial year basis. The decision is also backed by FSSAI’s goal of ensuring the production and delivery of safe food by manufacturers.

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This update comes as a ‘clarification’ by the food regulatory body under the condition of licence according to the Food Safety and Standards (Licencing and Registration of Food Businesses) Regulations, 2011.

What’s in it for me?

The FSSAI regularly shares policy and regulation updates which promotes transparency in the food service industry. Due to the increasing awareness around food safety in the country, the regulatory body has been very upfront and proactive in keeping food businesses in the loop during the slightest policy changes.

A similar update regarding mandatory testing was shared on FSSAI’s official website early on. But owing to lack of clarity, food operators had sought clarification regarding the timelines of the compliance. There was a confusion regarding the periodicity of ‘Condition 12’ of the FSS Regulations 2011. Food Testing and analysis is a top priority for FSSAI to regulate the food safety ecosystem and in this regard, they have strengthened their food testing laboratory network. FSSAI’s network of laboratories include 232 testing facilities which comprise 142 accredited primary food-testing labs (government and private), 72 state food testing labs and 18 referral labs, two of which come directly under the purview of FSSAI.

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Jigarthanda, the Drink from Madurai

Aakash Sharma — Mon, 26 Jul 2021 05:35:09 +0000

Food, culture, and legacy – this is the most time-tested and overwhelmingly powerful trio that has historically contributed to the making of regimes, civilisations and more recently, brands. India is one of the most diverse countries in the world. And this diversity has impacted the long-standing traditions and cultures of this land for centuries.

Taking from this vast and diversified culture, the ‘Food’ in India is also one of the best to be found anywhere worldwide. From Kashmir’s famous Dumaaloo and Rogan Josh, Bihar’s Litti Chokha, and Sikkim’s Gundruk and Sinki, to Rajasthan’s Gatte ki Sabzi, Karnataka’s Dosa, and Tamil Nadu’s Idli, the ‘great Indian food’ is a jewel of pride on every Indian’s head. This pride is felt unanimously by people across religious, social, economic and political lines.

This story is about one such revolutionary, universally loved ‘famous’ beverage that has come to be known as the de facto beverage of Madurai, enticing tourists from faraway lands of all walks of life and quenching the thirst of locals with excellent taste – the Famous Jigarthanda company.

Madurai’s Jigarthanda – A Meeting of Taste and Cultures

Jigarthanda (ஜிகர்தண்டா in Tamil) is a cold beverage that is famous in the South Indian city of Madurai in Tamil Nadu, India. It literally translates to “cool heart” in English (Jigar means heart, Thanda means cold in Hindustani). This beverage is generally prepared and served at roadside stalls as a refreshment during the Indian summer. It is effectively a cold drink made of milk, almond Pisin (gum derived from the bark of the sweet almond tree), khoya, sarsaparilla root syrup (nannari sherbet syrup) with alternatives of basundi and milk ice cream as toppings.

A drink seemingly born in the local markets of Madurai is now largely regarded as the city’s own drink, with many restaurants and bakeries now selling ‘Madurai’s’ jigarthanda counters. However, anyone familiar with Tamil can spot that the name ‘jigarthanda’ is not Tamil enough to be born in Madurai.

So, where did jigarthanda come from?

Differing Roots of this Now Truly Madurai drink

Jigarthanda is synonymous with Madurai, even though it may not have been born there. Some experts say that the influence of this cold beverage came from the North. They say that the concept for jigarthanda and the widely famous North Indian falooda are essentially the same. Just that in falooda, chefs use almond pisin, semiya, sabja seeds and rooh afza, while for jigarthanda, they use milk ice cream, milk, nannari sharbat, basundi and almond pisin.

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The drink's nomenclature, which has etymological roots in the North Indian language of Urdu, is further cited as a source for the drink's connection to the North. 'Jigar' means heart, and 'thanda' means cool, and thus jigarthanda translates to 'cool heart'.

But the one thing that is certain regarding jigarthanda is the role of a legacy brand that started from a tiny pushcart in the 1970s and today has expanded to over 200 outlets of this ‘famous’ beverage, the iconic ‘Famous Jigarthanda’ of Madurai.

The iconic ‘Famous Jigarthanda’ of Madurai

Today, Famous Jigarthanda is a household name in the city of Madurai. Started by P.S. Sheik Meeran at the Kaalavasal junction in Madurai in 1977, the business has gone full circle, from Sheik Meeran initially selling ice creams made of milk, sugar and vanilla essence on a pushcart to selling thousands of glasses of jigarthanda during the season’s peak.

When Sheik Meeran began selling the jigarthanda on his pushcart, it immediately became his most sought-after product, and people bought it overwhelmingly. Though this drink is available everywhere, Famous Jigarthanda’s became quite different from the others over the years due to the mixing of ‘basundi’ for adding more taste to the drink.

In simple terms, Jigarthanda is a cold beverage like falooda, but the taste of the two drinks is entirely different. What separates the Jigarthanda from its northern cousin is pisin. While the latter uses vermicelli and is scooped up and eaten, the Jigarthanda is stirred and drunk.

Sheik Meeran’s farming ancestors hailed from Yangon, Myanmar. Tales of the Meeran family say that Sheik Meeran’s grandfather was the one who first made up a drink comprising basundi (condensed milk), milk and edible almond gum. He coincidentally came up with a version of Jigarthanda that was hot as it lacked the ice cream.

Situated on the famous East Marret and South Masi Street intersection, the Famous Jigarthanda shop attracts hundreds of customers every day and peaks further during summer. Their customers gave them the name ‘famous’ to identify their shop – it has stayed so ever since, and Meeran’s sons have made the proper use of it.

With five simple components, P. S. Sheikh Meeran and Sons have made the jigarthanda synonymous with the town’s name. There is no recorded history of this beverage; legends situate its origins in Mughal emperor Jehangir’s reign, all with too much contestation. Yet nobody knows jigarthanda better than perhaps the locals of Madurai.

People of Madurai have adopted this drink and made it their own popular-staple drink. The city is full of jigarthanda vendors, and there are minute differences in the variants available. But the name that stands out as the best is ‘Famous Jigarthanda – Since 1977’.

Famous Jigarthanda – From Tiny Pushcart to 200 Outlets

Today, P.S. Sheikh Meeran’s four sons have expanded the business into a chain of nine shops in Madurai and 35 regions across Tamil Nadu. S. Peer Mohammed, Sheikh Meeran’s eldest son, takes care of the Anna Nagar branch, while his next son, S. Zinda Madhar, is in charge of the shop on East Marret Street. The third in line – S. Shahul Hameed – takes care of the company godown. The youngest son Amanullah takes the shop’s name and fame beyond the city limits. He is in charge of the out-station orders.

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Ten people manage the leading shop that sells not less than 1,000 glasses of jigarthanda in a day between 10.30 am and 10.30 pm, with only one holiday — on Diwali — every year.

They regularly supply for weddings and other functions in Erode, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Chennai and Bangalore. Famous Jigarthanda has its head office in East Marret Street Madurai. It operates branch offices in Madurai, Chennai, Coimbatore, Tirupur, Ramanathapuram, Sivagangai, Tuticorin, Virudhanagar, Hosur, Dindugal, Vellore, Theni, Sivakasi, Tiruchy, Pudhukottai, Erode, Perambalur, Idukki, Namakkal, Thirumangalam and Bangalore. This legacy brand runs around 200 outlets.

Famous Jigarthanda sells two types of jigarthanda: the Ordinary and Special. The main ingredients that go into jigarthanda are milk, almond pisin, basundi, ice cubes and sherbet. The unique variety has more khoya than the ordinary one. The legacy brand makers prepare their own sherbet.

The drink that Famous Jigarthanda serves to its customers has condensed and chilled cow’s milk, nannari sherbet syrup, almond pisin, sugar syrup, cream, milk ice cream and basundi. This varies as per the customers’ orders. It is generally served in glass tumblers and is a body coolant, true to its name. It is perhaps this cooling nature of the drink that made Madurai embrace it as its own.

In 1988, Meeran diversified his products and began selling Jigarthanda at night. He saw the drink was broadly available in the area, so, at Rs 3, he kept the price per glass lower than other vendors. He also infused more basundi for a better taste in the drink. This simple yet innovative idea worked, and Meeran set up his first shop on the busy street of East Marret in 1993.

Fast forward to 2021, and the brand today has 200 franchises across Tamil Nadu with a daily footfall of around 300-500 customers per shop. At its main store in Madurai, 1,000 glasses of Jigarthanda are served every day. The current prices of the brand’s titular products are incredibly affordable, explaining the brand’s mass appeal and widespread success.

Starting with the Jigarthanda Ice Cream Small from Rs.15/- and Jigarthanda Cone Ice at Rs.20/-, the company prices its Jigarthanda Basundi at Rs.80/- and Jigarthanda Basundi Parsal at Rs.85/-. The Famous Jigarthanda Special is priced at Rs.60/-.

The sales of thousands of these products rope in profits for the brand. More importantly, it keeps the legacy of Sheik Meeran’s indigenously created beverage alive by serving it chilled to customers from all walks of life.

What makes Famous Jigarthanda so popular?

Jigarthanda is to food enthusiasts what the city’s famous Meenakshi temple is to devotees. Tourists from across the world, including celebrities and movie stars, have come to taste this chilled drink.

In the Famous Jigarthanda factory, chefs boil 100 litres of cow’s milk in multiple batches till it reduces to 40 litres and refrigerate it to make khoya. While most jigarthanda makers use kadal paasi, also known as china grass (or agar agar), this family run business (brand) use what the father-founder Sheik Meeran started to make the products stand out from the competition- the self-made khoya.

They soak the natural body-coolant badam pisin (almond resin) overnight, grind it and add it to the main drink in a particular measure. Home-made vanilla ice cream is another essential ingredient. The sweet nannari (sarsaparilla) syrup is made by boiling the roots and mixing it with sugar and basundi (sweetened thickened milk). All these are combined to make the thick shake that spells magic in the mouth.

Coming of Age with New Era Technology and Online Shift

As the company has turned itself into a legacy brand with deep roots in the South Indian region, it has not failed to realise the new era of technology driven changes and new models to expand its business. With a well-maintained website serving as its easy to access portfolio and information hub for lakhs of potential customers, it also gives online ordering services to its customers.

From letting people order desserts online to promising fast delivery of these sweets at their doorstep, the company has tapped into the large market of individual customers and the bulk ordering and large-scale event segment. It regularly supplies for weddings and other functions all over Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. The door delivery service offered by Famous Jigarthanda is also available for events and bulk orders, with the threshold order quantity set at 100 plus items for local delivery and 300 plus for out-state delivery.

Famous Jigarthanda has become a renowned franchisor with years in the making, and it now has franchises all over Tamil Nadu, Bangalore and Kerala. The brand’s conduct in the market made its franchise expansion possible. As a franchisor, it provides the undertaking parties with a clear picture of the competition and helps them differentiate as entrepreneurs in the market.

This legacy brand’s entrepreneurial feels, greater confidence and a constant demand for its product have boosted its stature in the market and food ecosystem of South Indian circles. More recently, the company has been involved in exporting its food and beverage items. It now undertakes export orders of Jigarthanda to countries like Malaysia, Dubai and Singapore.

Though the next generation of Sheik Meeran’s family has moved out of the business and has gone into academics, the family hopes they will lend their professional knowledge to expand the business further. Undoubtedly, the famous Jigarthanda is the signature drink of Madurai, and the Famous Jigarthanda shop is a not-to-be-missed destination for visiting tourists. In its making of the legacy brand, this once local beverage company has set new highs for other small businesses and local entrepreneurs to strive for more and succeed even in the age of the tech-based business ecosystem.

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Blended Edible Oil, Nomenclature Revised by FSSAI

Anju Nambiar — Thu, 15 Jul 2021 03:49:51 +0000

There has been significant debate regarding the constitution of blended vegetable oils. The food authority of India had earlier in 2018 realised the ill effects of marketing vegetable oils as ‘heart healthy’, ‘cholesterol safe’ and other such claims. The FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) is thus working to bring transparency in the sale of vegetable oils and to avoid labelling or branding packages with tall or incorrect claims. They want consumers to be aware that the ingredients may be blended into vegetable oils. As such, the FSSAI has recently issued a direction to relabel ‘Blended Edible Oils’ as ‘Multi source edible oils’, omitting the word ‘vegetable’ from a previous nomenclature.

Why this revision?

This revision is being carried out due to concerns regarding labelling of packages by food businesses. A previous revision had mandated the labelling of ‘Blended Edible Vegetable Oil’ (BEVO) as ‘Multi sourced edible vegetable oil’ which was a significantly large nomenclature which would prove to be difficult for food businesses to label on their products. To ease the trouble, this revision has removed the term ‘vegetable’ from the nomenclature to align it on packages.

Effect of the new regulation

When the compliance comes into effect, this revision will affect food businesses, particularly manufacturers of vegetable oils since they will need to make several amendments on the labelling, packaging of the products, and conform to the display rules wherever specified by the regulations.

Market will see change

The vegetable oil market will see a change since food business operators will be uniform in their packaging. This move is aimed at transparency with respect to food packages as consumers will know the precise constituency of its contents. Food business operators will need to quickly clear out their existing stock and inventory of tables consisting of non-compliant packaging before the regulation comes into force. The market may be riddled with bulk sales and discounts on old stock of vegetable oils.

Compliance guidelines and labelling norms

- Vegetable oil products will need to be rebranded as ‘Multi source edible oil’ wherever specified from the date of effect of the new regulations.
- Font size, nomenclature on the packages as well as warnings/statements on sweeteners need to be changed accordingly to align with the new label.
- Packages containing an admixture of edible oils will need to carry the label ‘Multi source edible oil’ in bold, capital letters immediately underneath the brand name on the front of the package.
- Package sizes below 1 litre need to show the label in a font size of minimum 3 mm and the declaration statement of minimum 35 mm in length.
- Package sizes between 1 litre and 5 litres need to show the label in a font size of minimum 4 mm and the declaration statement of minimum 45 mm in length.
- For packages sized above 5 litres, label font size must be a minimum 10 mm.
- Lastly, the package must bear the following label in bold, capitals at the front ‘NOT TO BE SOLD LOOSE’.

Deadline for compliance

The revised compliance guidelines will be operationalised from 17 November 2021 and food business operators have until this time to clear out old stock before complying with the new nomenclature.

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Vegetable oil products will need to be rebranded as ‘Multi source edible oil’ wherever specified from the date of effect of the new regulations.

What’s in it for me?

The costs involved to comply with the new regulations is mainly around packaging. The labels and displays need to be revised and the old stock with non-compliance will need to be discarded if not cleared before the date of effect. In a bid to clear existing stock, you may also need to slash wholesale prices so that wastage can be reduced.

FSSAI’s move will benefit vegetable and cooking oil brands in the long run since it will foster ownership among manufacturers to be transparent with their ingredients. The move will also mitigate food adulteration and will lead to production of healthier versions of vegetable oils. With the precise labelling, aggressive sales and marketing strategies will also reduce. As you are aware, a lot of cooking oil brands have been positioning themselves as ‘heart healthy’, ‘heart safe’ and ‘cholesterol fighters’ and other similar advertising strategies for a long time.

When adulteration reduces and transparency improves, India will eventually see a reduction in imports of vegetable oils. This will be beneficial for domestic manufacturers in the long run.

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It’s Tea Time, Budding Tea Startups of India

Vaishali Das — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 12:27:46 +0000

Tea being the most consumed beverage after water, according to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, has a very progressive market in India and across the globe. In the past, tea consumption was majorly limited to the household drink and restricted mostly to street vendors with few outlets serving quality tea.

However, with the upcoming tea startups, we see a major shift. From street stalls to fancy Tea Cafes, the industry is transforming for millennial and Gen Z.

When we look at India, it is the second largest producer of tea after China where the international market demand for Assam tea and Darjeeling tea is increasing exponentially.

Tea Startups in India

Looking into the blooming market of tea and understanding that ‘The Chai’ has got no replacement, many aspiring entrepreneurs bagged the opportunity to start a business under this sector.

Chai Point

One of the first tea startups in India, Chai Point, a Bengaluru-based startup came into being in 2010. With over 100 plus offline stores, the startup majorly targets the office goers and working professionals.

It became popular with its service of delivering hot tea within 30 minutes through its online platform.

Chaayos

One of the quickly blooming tea startups in the country, Chaayos is a Delhi-based startup. It was founded in 2012 by the IIT alumni Nitin Saluja and Raghav Verma.

As their tag line mentions “experimenting with Chai”, they provide their customers with more than 25 varieties of tea with 12 add-ons, giving its customers 12000 ways of making their own tea. Through its online platform it engages with more customers.

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Given the current health crisis, tea serves as the healthiest beverage in the market.

Karma Kettle

A Kolkata-based startup, established in 2015, it is India’s finest artisanal tea blenders with 60 plus tea varieties. It is an extension of Kurseong valley of Darjeeling region. What makes this startup interesting is its theme of ‘Voyages in a teacup’- teas inspired by travel destinations across the globe.

Their USP is their wellness tea, not indulging in the artificial flavouring and colouring, and providing premium tea. Their pyramidal teabags are very famous among their customers as it allows space for the tea brew to infuse properly.

Udyan Tea

Based out in Siliguri, the startup was founded in 2012 and has
expanded to 40 countries. It offers premium teas, teaware, customized gifting solutions and B2B tea consultancy.

The startup aims to change the perception of tea consumption by providing some premium varieties of tea. With its web store, the startup is delivering unique concoctions of teas along with some rare varieties to the customer’s doorstep.

Forest Pick

This Manipur-based startup specializes in wild tea straight from the mountainous forests of Manipur. The tea is sourced from the nearby forests and not from any tea plantation.

This small startup aims to commercialize the native tea in order to uplift the local economy. The specialty of these tea leaves is that it can live for hundreds of years unlike the usual plantations.

The startup is engaged with B2B businesses with tea sellers from the US, Canada and a few European Countries. It caters through online mode via Amazon and its own website as offline business is too expensive for them as of now.

Why Tea Startup is Evolving Now

Because of the lockdown and weather conditions recently the tea industry has faced declination. However, the industry crawled back up again as tea is proven to be the healthiest beverage. Because of its antiviral properties, calming properties and other health benefits, the beverage industry managed to survive through the pandemic.

The Gen Z and Millennial have started investing in a healthy lifestyle which has increased the demands of green tea, black tea, chamomile tea, etc. This has resulted in a hike in the domestic demand and in startups like Teabox and Teaorb.

Learning and Insights For Tea Startups

Given the current health crisis, tea serves as the healthiest beverage in the market. Looking at the consumption level and never ending love for ‘Chai’, many startups are leveraging the opportunity.

Selling tea online and educating people about India’s indigenous tea sector is a good marketing strategy for upcoming startups.

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