THE commerce adviser has aptly suggested that our import polices be reviewed to incorporate health and hygiene issues. The point is highly relevant as consumers are still in confusion about the melamine-tainted milk powder which has cast a shadow of doubt on the whole array of dairy products. Confusion persists.

N.J. Nair

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Travancore Devaswom Board and the government will invoke the provisions of the Food Safety Act, 2006, during the festival season in Sabarimala.

Before melamine-laced milk killed and sickened Chinese babies and led to recalls around the world, the routine spiking of milk with illicit substances was an open secret in China's dairy regions, according to the accounts of farmers and others with knowledge of the industry.

Chinese regulators said over the weekend that they had confiscated and destroyed more than 3,600 tons of animal feed tainted with melamine, an industrial chemical that has been blamed for contaminating food supplies in China and for leading to global recalls of Chinese dairy products.

IT has been our consistent call to the government since the unfortunate and dangerous melamine affair surfaced that it must set up a central authority with the specific task of exercising oversight over the quality of food items, imported or produced locally. Our suggestion has been echoed by experts at a seminar in the capital recently.

Hisar, October 20 : India has the potential to become a food factory not only for the country, but for the entire world. Accordingly, the size of the food processing industry would triple with investment going up from Rs 4,60,000 crore to Rs 13,80,000 crore by 2015.